How easy are these to run? would they be okay off of a BTR3k for some portable listening?
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They will drive them easily, being dynamic driver low ohm headphones. Z reviews said their easy to the point where they were like iemās.
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I remember them being relatively easy to drive. However, I used my TR-Amp either way.
I believe most of the sources will drive them, it just lies to personal preference and using a better source than your laptop/phoneās.
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They need to make a ZMF size version with plush pads.
To whom it may concern, a while back I tried on some large pads I had and put them on the Phoenix. Looks pretty neat. Itās VERY comfortable, but not a great pairing sonically.
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It appears that I procrastinated too long - the Phoenix is sold out, at least on Amazon. The good thing is I have a couple HPās I enjoy so Iāll probably update my desktop speaker situation in the interim, until some new stock arrives.
I was lucky and ordered the Phoenix the night before Zās review dropped publicly. I didnāt have early access to the video, but I read his Amazon review and took a leap of faith. I figured if I didnāt like it I could always return it. They arrived at my door 10 minutes ago, and so far, Iām impressed. Iām lucky that it fit me pretty well out of the box though, I can see other people having to break in the metal headband a little to be more comfortable.
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So i just got mine in and can confirm they are a easier to drive, baby 880. On my bas x i only had to turn it up a tiny bit (from 7 o clock on the dial as the default to maybe 9). there was no hissing or noise that i noticed. very clean sounding although not quite as resolving as the 880 600ohm and not as much separation between instruments. nice bump in the bass where i would have had to eq it up on the 880. vocals seem slightly distant but not too much. treble is nice and not sibilant at all. instruments like drums, guitars, hi hats are distinct and pretty natural.
altogether id say its got a little more bass than a stock 880 600ohm, less soundstage (more intimate), slightly less resolving but still very detailed 880 thats easy to drive
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How do these compare to the DT990s 600ohm? Is it an upgrade?
I currently own the Sivga SV006 and also have owned the SV004 and SV005 but returned them not because they werenāt any good but because they were quite similar in both sound quality and construction. The reason i kept the SV006 is because they had a slightly warmer sound to the others which sounded more neutral. With microsuede pads rather than stock these are a very underrated and solid pair of headphones, not perfect but great for the price!
Therefore my interest is peaked by the Phoenix, especially since Zeos has hyped these up with his recent review.
I also own a pair of Nighthawk Carbons and Fidelio 2XHR. The NHs are my go to pair and the 2XHRs have been retired simply because i find the sound and imaging on the NHs to be superior based on my own personal tastes and there is something about the treble on the 2XHRs which irks me (where it can sound a bit bloaty).
The question is can the Phoenix compete with these headphones and do they bring anything else to the table that these headphones donāt offer in terms of sound (in which case i may have to lose one to gain another if you know what i mean)?
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There is a significant ādriver flexā sound that happens when you take the headphones off quickly, or suddenly applying pressure on the cups while theyāre on your ear. Its a very crunchy/crispy soundā¦ Other people nearby can kinda hear it sometimes too. I donāt have any other headphones that do this as noticeably, so it was surprising to me.
I donāt own the Fidelios. Canāt comment on those.
The Phoenix are my newest headphone in my small collection and very quickly made it up my list of favorite headphones. Iām not too articulate at explaining sonic differences that I hear, but the Phoenixes are more enjoyable on my library 95% of the time over my Nighthawk Carbons. NHs definitely more comfortable and can be worn for longer, but the sound is a little more distant, like my first thoughts after trying on the Nighthawks after using the Phoenix for a few hours was, āthese sound like a cardboard box.ā
Iād say the Phoenix sounds more intimate, but doesnāt bring the long term comfort and listening potential that the Nighthawks always bring. I find myself very rarely reaching for the Nighthawks, but when I do, they stay on for hours at a time. The Phoenix just kinda are good at what theyāre attempting to do. Thereās no one single point that is outlandishly fantastic like the NHās comfort. They definitely donāt have as unique a sound sig as the NH.
Iād say theyāre pretty different headphones at the end of the day and both will stay in my collection. If youāre wondering what sound signatures my ears like, my top 5 headphones are the following, in this order: 1. E-MU Sapele (Teak w new cups), 2. TR-X00 PH (dekoni lambskin), 3. Sivga Phoenix, 4. Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon, Koss kph30i. Iām not too sure on how to verbalize sound quality and stuff like that, but I think I know quality when I see it.
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@BlueRedYellow Thank you for your feedback, i am very interested in these headphones and especially your comments regarding how they compare with the Nighthawks. Like i said in my initial post, the Nighthawks are currently my go to headphone, they are extremely comfortable and can listen to hours. As a side note i swapped the pads on these for Brainwavz angled hybrid which makes the sound signature less dark and a bit more wider soundstage. Would definitely recommend this pad swap if you want a less darker sound!
I also have the Sivga SV006 and they are really, really good sub $100 headphone. They sound fairly good with the stock pads but swapping them for suede pads dramatically improves the sound on them and makes them slightly warmer with more clarity and separation.
At the moment i am contemplating selling the Fidelios and get these. My only concern at the moment is the comfort. I know the clamping force can be remedied by adjusting the headband (as per Zeos instruction on his video) but itās the pads that concern me more, especially if they are difficult to replace by deconstructing the pads when taking them off the headphone. The pads actually look very nice and donāt look cheap but most of the comments i have read imply that for those of us with slightly bigger ears than the average person they donāt fit around the ear and are quite shallow. Not necessarily a deal breaker but worth knowing in advance if there is potential to be able to swap the pads in the future.
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Can you try to explain the differences even just a little bit between the EMU sapele and the tr-x00 PH? I understand they use the same drivers.
All the variations of the E-MU and X00 cup swaps and dampening mods could warrant its own thread, but to my ears, the PH are a little sharper in the treble, Sapele is warmer, also more intimate and closer than PH. Sapele mid bass sounds a little cleaner. Both are really enjoyable, I just like vocal intimacy on the Sapele a little more. The sapele wood is also very pretty!
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So I have bitten the bullet on these and just received them from Amazon.
Not had much time with them but initial impressions are exactly the same as others, wonderful sound straight out the box. I am also experiencing a slight discomfort with earpads.
I have managed to remove the pads and adjust them to sit better on my ears with the wider part of the ear pad sitting behind the ear rather than below it. I will see whether this improves the comfort without impacting the sound.
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Just got mineā¦ These are incredible and look nice too! I agree with @kcrackās impressions, though Iām leaning towards their āburned-inā experience. Out-of-the-box, these sound great to me. Male vocals are bit too recessed for my liking but they sound balanced overall. Mid-bass elevation make these a very meaty headphone. Reminds me of the KPH30i but more refined and easier to drive. Some complaints: The headband adjustment is a pos, and the pads clamp around my ears. These are manage le thoughā¦ Iām not going to be metalbending like these other folks, but I think a few seconds of adjustment every hour or so will make them bearableā¦
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I put these against 58x, k702 and tygr 300r and although I did like the Phoenix Iād have to put them at the bottom of the list. Basically my preference went in line with how I mentioned them. Tygr are just so goodā¦
aside from the obvious open-backness issues, would you use these portable on a daily basis?
Iāve been using these out on the street and they retain a lot of sound and donāt allow much in, I was actually quite surprised by this. I am not sure whether you could get away with using them on public transport but these are remarkably portable for an open back headphone.
Iāve had these since last Friday and I am absolutely in love with them. I wasnāt too enamoured with the comfort when I first got them but having followed Zeos video to the letter in terms of bending them I have found the comfort has improved significantly to the point I donāt feel I need to scramble to get them off my head after half an hour so.
In fact, I have been able to wear there for long listening periods like literally hours and forgot they were on my head as I was so absorbed by what I was listening to.
One album in particular I felt really demonstrates how great these headphones are is Alice Coltraneās Journey in Satchinanda which sounded absolutely sublime and gorgeous - I didnāt just hear her play the harp but I actually felt it!
One other point that may be of interest is that I also purchased the Sivga P-ii balanced cable which is also compatible with the Phoenix. Having A-Bād these with the stock cable I found the stock cable produced a much more airy sound and greater separation whereas the balanced cable made certain instruments stand out more clearly than others. I just felt the stock cable made the headphones sound more pleasing than the balanced. I guess this may be due to the fact that these headphones are extremely easy to drive and donāt require a lot of power. Needless to say the balanced cable has been returned!
I read a review somewhere today that the Audeze LCD-1 is the best wired headphone under $500 and I just wonder how the Phoenix measures up against them because they definitely punch well above their $255 price mark!
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