Today I received my package from Amazon containing my first HiFi setup!
Jamo S 803s
HIFIMAN Sundaras
Cables, foam, banana plugs
Running optical from my PC new Emotiva TA-100.
I’m loving the Jamo’s, but the HIFIMANS are proving to be too bright for me. I enjoyed the openness and detail, but my hearing is quite sensitive to the higher ranges, and they got old, FAST.
I’m sending these back to Amazon and now I’m shopping for a replacement. I did see some reviews saying new cables eliminated some of those issues but I’m somewhat skeptical that this would fix my issue to an extent that makes me happy with the purchase.
I’m open to trying open or closed back for the next pair. I’m looking for something detailed and clean with maybe a little roll off up top. What do you guys suggest?
Thanks for having me in the group and thanks to Zeos for helping me find quality gear!
Detailed and clean with a little roll off up top. Hm.
iBasso SR2 are definitely detailed and clean, but I would imagine that their roll off will depend what source you hook them up to. I do believe that they have the very top end rolled off… but they are in the 550 USD range… which is more expensive than your Sundaras.
I guess some Sennheisers could be an option… but they aren’t really new models. HD598 is known for being lush and warm, while not having the strongest bass. The new HD560s is out, but it seems to be reference-grade which should mean that they will be brighter and will not have the roll off.
You have the Dekoni Blue’s, but they are a very different sounding headphone. Dekoni themselves market it as “fun”, which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most audiophile-grade headphone on the market. But they are comfy and have rolled off high end.
Tbh I don’t know what else you could possibly go with - you are at a very tricky price range
I would say pick up a set of senn 6xx or 600’s then save for a bit and when you have 1000 or so pick up a set of used ZMF. Auteur or Eikon for better detail (not anything like hifiman) or Atticus or Aeolus for more relaxed / warm and never need another set of cans.
I am a huge fan of the sound of ZMF and pretty sensetive to bright cans as well.
So, I decided to give the headphones another listen before returning them. I started with one of my favorite bands, Rage Against the Machine. And I was BLOWN AWAY by the guitar tone and texture. I listened to some more gritty guitar music like Ozzy (w/randy), Sabbath and Electric Wizard. Ok now I get why these are so highly touted. Still slightly bugged by some of the higher tones here and there, but now I see the magic. Leave the pop and rap music for the Jamos, rock, classical and acoustic for the Sundaras.
Yes! A lot of us, myself included, tend to have a variety of headphones (and/or speakers) because different ones do different music genres better. Glad you found a combo that works for you (for now anyway )
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