I now happen to own both (Gajallarhorn and Aeon 2 Closed), they are just really different headphones but have very distinct amping requirements. I feel they are largely on the same level of performance, the Horn might be slightly ahead but might also be because my pairing amp is a bit better (RNHP vs the MLP for A2C)
If you want a smooth, enjoyable, inoffensive sound then A2C. If you want a fun (more v-shaped), engaging and addictive (you somewhat wanna keep turning up the volume lol) sound then HP-2.
Oh I’m definitely open to higher end cables. I will probably be looking to spend for something in the range of the Corpse Cable once I know what termination I’m going to need going forward.
Nice! Dual 3.5mm cables come up pretty often, Corpse, Forza, Invictus, Moon Audio are all pretty decent in this price range (around or under 200USD, new or used)
This set is by far the most unique i have ever listened to, and owned quite a lot of headphones (4xx, Sundara, Ananda, LCD2C, Fostex Ebony, LCD-x, Focal Clear, HE6se v2 just to name a few).
I never believed in burn-in before this set, now i am kind of a believer. Well at least in a some sort of burn in (driver / brain) because this set changed quite a lot after some 40 hours of combined white noise and actual listening.
It is a shame this set does not get more attention, i feel like most people in this hobby are really missing this hidden gem. I was lucky @Dynamic brought them to my attention!
I am, one by one, going thru my favourite albums and having a blast, i don’t even remember what was the last set that made me do that. The way the sound is presented is something which is even hard to describe, i just need to re-listen to all my songs with these. The details, the soundstage, the imaging, the dynamics, it is crazy! I don’t think i have ever listened to a set which manages to have a big and wide soundstage while being this engaging at the same time! And the bass slam
I am driving them with a Modius / Asgard 3 stack and i really like the synergy btw.
I actually only have one complaint about it, the clamp force was too little when they first arrived and i felt i was missing out in the bass department so i bent the headband which fixed that but now they are not very comfortable, i wish they could sound this good while still being more comfortable
I have to say that I was not impressed initially. Plugged them into my Violectric V220 and they sound bright, thin with no bass. I Guess they do need a lot of burn in and I have to get bending.
Then I thought, “Hey idiot, you do have three amps.”
I plug them into my iFi Pro iCAN and Wow! WAY too loud. Go back to low gain, roll the volume to 9:30-10:00. Tube mode, bass boost maxed and 3D maxed. Holy crap are these awesome! Not bass monsters, but good full bass like the Elex’s and HE6se’s.
This is SO much better! I will try the LP in a day or two.
Second day with the HP-2’s. Today I am running them out of a Bifrost 2 via Liquid Platinum. Early notes:
Wow, these are an open sounding set of closed backs.
Clean, clear and I think pretty neutral.
I like the looks. The wood looks more yellow in pics, but is more subtle IRL.
These do seem a little bass-light, but that might just be me. I am only about ten hours in and I have been bending the headband a bit, but not extremely. So far I would rate it closer to my Grado GH2’s than my Elex’s.
The isolation is great! Better than my Beyer T5’s (that I am trying to sell) and that was their biggest strength.
The voices and all the instruments sound very clear to me. New live albums from Donald Fagan, Steely Dan and Miles Davis sound amazing.
I clicked on my Schiit Loki and things filled out very nicely, but I felt like I was cheating. I don’t want a set of headphones that I HAVE to EQ to enjoy. Because I won’t be doing that at work on or on the move.
On the iFi Pro iCAN there are four levels of bass boost and I use these on level two which sounded awesome to me and I also used the 3D option wide open. So, I guess I am full of shit in the last paragraph, as I love these with the iCAN.
Looking forward to more headphone and brain burn-in.
PS: As other people have mentioned, they are super light and comfortable. The Complete opposite of Cascades and HE6se’s.
I know this is an April post, but I just got into hifiguides). I believe it’s actually the “se” special edition…I love my pair that I have had them for five days now…They were already broken-in (bought used) and I love the detail all… Cheers
