Wouldn’t not take my Argons portable, but I do make time to sit out side and listen. I’m using a Hiby H3 Pro DAP and it powers them just fine. running it about at 50% volume.
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I’m sure they’ll sound stellar on the xDuoo Plus. I’ve also heard nothing, but good things about the Gryphon and IFIs other high end portable DAC/Amps, so if you want to splurge and are concerned with maximizing sound quality I think those would be the natural step up. If you plan to go portable I do highly recommend making sure Bluetooth is an option like others have mentioned. Bluetooth in from your phone for streaming on the go and freeing your phone from the brick powering you headphones so you can throw it in your bag or different pocket is essential.
When I first got my T60 argons I actually used them portable everyday for a couple years. I ran them off of the balance output on my Fiio M11pro, 550 mW at 32 Ohms. The xDuoo and the pricier IFIs all put out more power than that and I’d bet get considerably better sound from the Argons. I was totally satisfied with that for a couple years before I invested in my proper desktop system. They do sound a world better on my Burson Soloist and Gungnir than they ever did on my M11pro, but that’s because those are way higher end components that sound better as much as much as it is the T60s being driven better.
The Argons definitely benefit from more clean power on tap. The reason being planar drivers require more current or amperage than dynamics, but current isn’t usually a given spec. The long and short of it is just over estimate the power you’ll need for planars and you’ll be fine, more powerful amps tend to have better current delivery.
I wouldn’t worry too much about getting the maximum possible sound out of them and instead think of it as a upside. They scale super well, so you’ll hear benefits as you upgrade your chain and enjoy your Argons for years to come. They’re gonna slap on any of those sources.
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I was running them (T60RP Argons) off Magni 2/Modi 3 before getting the Liquid Platinum/JNOG2, and while I’m super happy with the Liquid Platinum, it was by no means a necessary upgrade or even close.
The volume got close to max when bass boosting, and the Liquid Platinum allows me to do some really heavy bass stuff which is exactly what I want.
Super late reply. But is that the RAW FR? or is it compensate?
What headphone would y’all say is a good complement to these? I bought a pair with the MHA Xenon’s and love them, but am thinking a more laid-back pair might be nice to have around.
I tried an LCD2 Classic and loved it with EQ, but don’t want to depend on that. I’m thinking something from ZMF (Atticus/Seiko /Aeolus), or maybe a DT1990 if I want to go the opposite end of the spectrum and get something super lively.
All recommendations welcome!
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While I only have experience with the Aeolus. I think it would be a very good complementary headphone due to its focus on mid range. while the Argons are a bit more V shaped. That said the upper mids on the Aeolus are very aggressive so I would not call them laid back.
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I need help choosing a pair of headphones as I plan only to have 1 pair at a time and want to use them for both gaming and music in a sometimes noisy environment. I’m debating between getting Argon MK3s or T60RP Argons and plan on getting a JDS Labs Atom amp and DAC. After watching reviews, I still have questions. I was hoping I could get help deciding which pair is right for me. I was initially attracted to the Argon MK3s because of what most reviewers described as a large soundstage with a lot of sound isolation. Are T60RP Argons the same in this sense? Similarly, how do the two compare in terms of imaging and soundstage? Also, would the choice of pads affect soundstage and sound isolation? Finally, I wanted to ask if my choice of DAC and amp are adequate for these choices of headphones or if there is something better at a similar price range. Thank you!
You want to listen to Argons on Atom? LOL
I would recommend you to get a different headphone then.
I feel like Argons match what I am looking for pretty well. Which amp and DAC would you recommend instead of the Atom?
I’m using an JDS labs Atom amp and it get my pair load just fine. High gain at noon gets them into the more then comfortable range for me.
Do you have Argon MK3s or T60RP Argons? Either way, would you be able to help me with the questions I asked in my previous post? I really appreciate any help.
check on Zeos (Z Reviews) on YT, he did like 45 mins episode about comparing original t60rp Fostex to T60RP Argons and the MK3 Argons.
I literally had the same issue and that got me close to the final answer.
I also asked myself if I want more detailed audiophile thing (t60RP) or more chill out thing with this legendary space (MK3).
After this and a few more reviews decided to get T60RP Argons as people say the space is very close to Mk3.
I think it mostly depends on what you listen to. Im more into hard rock and metal so, probably t60 with its harsh wins there. Mk3 they say sound good with everything but on a few things T60 will do better and on some Mk3 would. So I’d watch some reviews looking from this pov, what I mainly listen to.
A tip,
So Mk3 Argons as I heard have slightly better bass and stage. To compesate this I decided to get a dac amp which can boost these just if I feel like I need more. So I think with good amp T60 would benefit more.
After all this is just how I decided. But I don’t have them yet. I am still awaiting my T60RP Argons. Should arrive next week. But I also think 1k W wouldn’t be enough. 1.5 should be but they probably benefit more if you have more (I heard that on YT, not sure if thats truth) So Im getting the iFi iDSD Signature dac amp which got 4k W. Can be portable if I terribly need. But is expensife too.
Now a short version.
Let’s be honest. T60RPs are beautiful. They are made of wood. Da ****ing wood <3
Even if by some miracle they wouldn’t perform as a high class escort, they will certainly look as one.
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Thanks for the help. I watched Zeos’s video. It was very helpful. I think I’m gonna go with T60RP Argons and a Magni Modi Schiit stack. Although I’m still curious, does it make a big enough difference to get a balanced amp instead of the Magni?
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I went from a Magni 2/Modi 3 to a Liquid Platinum/J2.
I really think a Magni/modi stack would make you happy. At that point you are already at ~$650(+tax/etc)
You could upgrade higher, but the diminishing returns would be pretty high if you haven’t listened to a ton of expensive amps/dacs. I could hear a difference between the Magni 2 and Liquid Plat, but the Magni 2 doesn’t have even the power of the magni 3+.
More informed opinions might correct me, but going with Magni 3+/Modi, especially if you can pick it up on Amazon with a return policy. At that point there’s pretty much no downside.
IMHO, the YouTube reputation the Argons have for needing more power is a complete myth. My T60 Argon is run plenty loud (12-1 on medium gain) on my K5 Pro. I tried it on an amp twice as powerful and noticed zero difference in sound quality.
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Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly with @Prism24’s sentiment. I don’t think you shouldn’t get the Argons because you’re starting out on a budget amp. I do think the T60 Argons benefit from a high-end amp that can give them a lot of juice to really sound their best, but scalability is a good thing in a headphone. It’s cool to know that down the road when you upgrade your amp the Argons are going to sound even better, so if you really like everything you’re hearing about them don’t be discouraged thinking you’re not maximizing them. I do want to share what I know about why planars sometimes demand beefy amps. Not trying to correct anyones subjective experience, just hope this helps clear things up some!
This is a big point of confusion with planars in the community. It’s totally correct that they don’t generally require additional watts/power to get loud. The T60 Argon at 50 ohms and 92dB/mW are not at face value terribly hard to drive.
Planar drivers do require much higher amps/current than dynamic drivers do to function optimally though. This is what people mean when they say you need lots of “power” or “clean power” for planars like the Argons and He6s to get the most out of them. It doesn’t refer to volume, but rather that planars tend to really shine when their drivers get the current needed to make their diaphragm snap back and forth instantly. Depending on the driver this can mean different things, but in my experience when I upgraded to an amp with much higher current delivery the low end filled out considerably and overall technical performance took a step up.
What is annoying is current delivery is not a commonly given spec, but you can calculate it yourself with ohms law, current = voltage/resistance and power = voltage x current. All’s to say an amplifier that has a higher watt ratings in theory could actually be worse for planars depending on how much of that is voltage (pressure through the circuit) vs. amperage (the strength of the current) watts = volts x amps. It’s totally possible and common to have an amp that can easily gets a planar loud, but does not have the current to get the best sound quality out of the driver. This is one piece of the big complicated answer to the common “if cheap amps put out enough watts to power all the headphones then why are there expensive amps?” question you seen on audio forums. It’s much harder to make an amplifier with really good current delivering into the right resistances for headphones than it is to make a cheap high voltage low current amp that hits an impressive watt number. This is why the advice of looking for higher power amps (more watts) is helpful, but misleading. You’re really hoping the amps is higher and usually that is the case with higher end higher output headphone amps.
In conclusion, apologies for the essay, there is truth to wanting more powerful amps to get the most out of planars, but it’s really not as simple as more watts is better (like everything there are tons of factors even within planar drivers, one-sided vs two sided design really effects sensitivity etc.). This complexity leads to a lot of the audiophile brouhaha about is an amp enough on both sides of the discussion. If you’re going for the Argons and you’re debating between amps in your budget I’d go for the one that has higher output. Definitely magni over the atom as it’s quite a bit beefier. I’m not super familiar with the good budget options, but I would consider the drop 789 and single ended equivalent (if you don’t want to run it balanced and want to save some money). The community has sort of turned on them because of how massive the hype train was when they came out, but for the price the power output can’t be beat and they are still well loved for their neutrality and detail. The argons lean warm, so the pairing might be solid sure, but can’t be sure without trying. My Fiio M11 pro DAP was THX architecture and I enjoyed it for a long time.
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It’s also a relatively small driver, I think it’s about half the surface area of a typical Hifiman planar.
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I got my T60RP Argons last week. Now some feedback.
Delivery:
As I ordered them, I waited about 2 weeks till Ryan sent them. I was surprised, quicker than expected.
I am base in Europe and delivery to Poland costed me $60. The proceures on borders are sad so, the tax costed me shi* load of money and they stuck in my country awaiting border inspections for 2 months lol. Just be aware if you order to eu, in particular to poland.
Equipment / order:
Got Xenon Suede pads - Im amazed. They are very soft, I can keep the heaphones on my hea dfor 5h an dont feel them. And when you put them on, its somehow pleasant feeling.
They pretend to be semi-open but you actually do not hear outside voices, they deafen everything a lot. You can also listen to very loud music and nobody will hear what you listen.
Without of an amp they were listenable on my laptop. Was not even going for the full vol. On phone they were silent. Listenable but not that good.
PreriaPT bal cable - I don’t have xlr 4 pin port or adapter. So I ordered it separately yesteray and awaiting it. For now I listen to them on unbalanced cable atm.
With Ifi IDSD Signature amp which is 4 mw - on nm mode at 12 o’clock they are already very loud so I can even listen to them on eco. Apart of the sound, the voice quality increases for A LOT.
I’m pretty sure 1k mw portable amp would still do a very good job and to hear the difference, I’d need to focus. Shoul dbe enough probably. On the 4mw ifi Im just amazed and - if you get this amp, you won’t turn off the 3d space sound mode. It is just perfect on Argons.
For the xbass on the amp - this was main reason to buy an amp with the option. I badly wantedd it as I love deep bass. But TBH, most of times I listen to music without of it. Depends on music. Argons have a very good bass themselves. Its always nice to have just because its amazing on Ifi. But not necessary.
Convenience
As said above. You can wear them even without music. Its somehow pleasant lol. If you listen to 6h, you dont feel it. This is with xenon suede pads.
Sound
I had high demands. Fulfilled 100%. I am listening to Dune soundtrack of H Zimmer. Mind blown. Turn space sound effect on amp and you feel better than in the cinema. Your head vibrates of bass. High sounds are almost piercing in some moments, but just almost. The details is just on the border. As high as it could be not to be too much.
They are avesome on both high and low sounds. I listened to metal like Gojira, Mastodon, Metallica, Rob Zombie etc. My mind was blown.
They are also amazing on hard rock, Marylin Manson, Rammstein. Also check blur song 2 on them.
But I could probably find something better for the above. Probably. Where these are ultimate winners is movie or games music.
Try TESV soundtrack by Jeremy Soule, try LOTR, Westworld, WoW or Dune. Yesterday I wanted to check some Dune track on them. I went to sleep at late night because I couldnt stop. Just impossible to stop. You cant. Feels like in the cinema.
Now a tip - if you can get some dac/amp of ifi with the 3d sound mode and you wonder between this and something else. Get this. I once enable the 3d effect and never switch this off. It sounds soo good on Argons. Just… Cant live without of it. Xbass - you dont need this. But the 3d sound, how they even did this? Argons are already with a hell of stage. But with this its like the sound is coming from heaven. Not reducing bass at all for the price, not reducing anything. A pure advantage.
Worth it?
Im a beginner audiophile. For my entire life I have been spending hundreds of hours just listening to music fully focused on just music but, on low quality headphones up to $300. Wasted years for this budget. I had some 2k$ ones on my head as my friends owes some. But I never owed anything like that. But I wanted to get something on a really high level voice. And was making a serious research for 2 years till I got the Argons. I was afraid they would not fill my exceptations because many things before didnt. I was putting on my head headphones of my friends and was always missing something. Usually this crystal clearity of the sound. I could not try on these. Rare thing in Eu. So I took the risk. What I can say for now is that I’m more than fully satisfied. I fell in love with these.
And they are not just great sounding headphones. They are wooden lol, gg.
If anybody wonders if its worth to have them on the desk. I heard a few Denons and other things with lamp amps worthy more than both my kidneys. But never actually owed anything like that to listen it for long hours. But from these little tests I’m surprised Argons dont cost more. I mean, I wouldnt trade them for anything up to 1k$ I heard before. This might be my personnal preference, I just love their voice. Some people prefer less detailed things as that exhausts them. Im totally happy with these. Found what I wanted to. They would be worth the price for their design alone Imo. They are beautiful, soft, wooden, solid, they look like a big, exclusive deal. But its only an addition. You just consider the sound as you buy them for the sound actually, not for the design. And they actually sound even way better than they look.
Short version:
Im not very experienced audiophile and I mainly know things from short trying outs. I love music but used to experience it on the low quality shits mostly. So always felt like missing sth. So, what happens when you are like that and get Argons.
Years later, some day you sit in your chair being an old foggy. You are 5 mins away of passing away. You need to pass your last will to your relatives. And you ask somebody to get closer so they could hear your last words. Closer. And knowing that you have only 5 mins more, you whisper:
“give me my f headphones now”.
Yes. You will love them.
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I Really enjoy these headphones with my iFi. And my HiFiman HE6se V2’s also. In both cases, it is a magical combo with X-bass and 3D.
The only difference is that I feel they both NEED lots of bass boost.
Congrats on the new toy. 
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