so I recently started my trip down the … hi-fi, audiophile, audio enthusiast … whatever you want to call it trip by buying a iFi Zen DAC + CAN and a Sennheiser 6xx.
So far I’m really enjoying my new hobby (of course this has nothing to do with staying at home and not being able to spend a reasonable amount of money on a new graphics card) and I’m thinking about taking it to the next level.
I really like listening to soundtracks, live recordings, acoustic sessions … and the 6xx soundstage is quite limited. Yes the Zen Can has the magic 3D button which brings astounding results (especially with my closed back hyperx2 that I use for gaming) but I think there are better alternatives.
So far I tend toward either the Sundara or the HD Zeus. Both are the same price range and the Sundara are basically recommended by everyone in this price range. And I haven’t heard planars before and am really curious about that experience. But watching Zeos and DMS (“concert hall on your head”) reviewing the Zeus I’m tend a bit toward the Zeus.
So what do you think? Or are there other alternatives?
Cheers!
You can’t go wrong with those two. The zeus is easy to drive even off a phone while the sundara is a bit harder. The sundara is more neutral than the zeus and the vocals of the zeus is a bit more laid back. Another planar you can try is the monolith m1070.
Actually, just to add on what CarpentersFan said, depending on where you live you can get the monolith m1570 for almost the same price of the 1070, and it’s just a level above, at least for me.
But if you want sounstage the zeus is a bit better than the sundara. That said, if you want ultimate soundstage at a decent price I’d reccomend the akg k712 pro, it plays really well with the ifi zen can, since it has quite a bit of power, and if you add the xbass it becomes just sooo enjoyable…
Thanks for your answers!
I tried out the akg 702 before but while those had a great soundstage I simply didn’t find them comfortable. Those big round shaped cups just felt irritating on my head. So I’m a bit hesitant towards this formfactor.
However I decided to try something completely different in form of the Austrian Audio Hi-X55 (I‘m Austrian myself). There aren’t a lot of reviews but those who reviewed them claimed that they have exceptional detail and imaging and the soundstange comes close to the Sundaras - while being a closed formfactor. And the closed formfactor is what intrigued me because there are just so many occasions where the sound isolation would come in handy.
I should get them on Monday. If you’re interested I can share my experience with them here.
Yeah I absolutely agree. Tried the X-55 out for 3 days and decided to return them. They are comfortable though the seal with the pads is something you have to get used to. They create a huge amount of cabin pressure for me, similar to what I experienced with the Bose QC35. That’s probably something I would have gotten used to (advantage is of course a great noise seal).
However they sounded very sterile and lifeless to me. Precise and clear but yeah kinda boring. Songs that normally create goosebumps for me just didn’t have quite the impact.
I now got the MMX300 through an amazon warehouse deal for 220€ (like new) which is a nice deal. And so far I’m enyoing them very much. So much in fact that I followed Z’s recommendation and ordered the dekoni choice leather pads.
