feh1325
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2006
- Posts
- 3,746
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- 17
Before I start the comparison, let me say that I am very new to headfi and music as a whole. The rig I will be using is the same in my signature; 4G ipod headphone jack – pa2v2 amp – a maxell headphone splitter to reduce jack stress from the – ratshack 6.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor – Alessandro ms2i. As a final note, the following will be my personal comparison and results will vary from person to person.
I stopped using my bowls when my hd414 pads. I shampooed them twice then once with fabric softener. My hd414 pads have been treated with only fabric softener. Also, I put some packaging foam on the headband. Both pads are unmodded.
Comfort
Bowls- I get a very loose clamp and fit from my bowls. I guess I have small ears because the pads make contact with only my earlobes. The white mesh makes contact with the most outer parts of my ears and causes discomfort after a half an hour of listening. After a half an hour, I just take them off for a couple seconds and I’m fine.
Hd414- The hd414 pads make these headphones very comfortable. The clamp and fit is ever so slightly snugger to get more of an intimate feeling. I can wear these for about an hour and a half until I need a short break to shake if off. Not literally, I take care of my possessions.
Sound- I will try a couple tracks and compare in terms of the hd414 pads because I am more familiar with them
Money by Pink Floyd on “A Collection of Great Dance Songs” 320kpbs mp3
The first thing I noticed was the increased soundstage. The vocals seem further away and there are more “layers” of sound. Crash cymbals seem splashy and more live. The bowls are leaner on the bass with more of an impact rather than the full length of the note. To sum it up in more musical terms, a little bit of staccato.
Now to my favorite part of the song and my favorite guitar solo
The guitar seems far away like I’m at a concert with lawn seats. I like the presentation my hd414 pads. The bowls give you less of an in your face feeling. I can’t compare it to any other grado because I have never heard any others. But, my unmodded ksc75 give a more solid guitar solo than the bowls. But this is just a personal preference.
The Millionaire Waltz by Queen on “A Day At the Races” 320kbps mp3
The song as a whole is softer with less impact and edge. The bass is once again leaner. More like jabs rather than pushes. The backup vocals sound airy. There is more emphasis on the percussion, specifically, the toms. Brian May’s Special Red “shines” more with the bowls. There is once again, more soundstage. The bowls lack just a little bit of detail due to their airy-ness. The backup vocals sound fantastic towards the end.
The first movement “Jesus of Suburbia”, up to around 3:40 of Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day on “American Idiot” 320kbps mp3
This songs opens up with a series of shots. The cymbals have more presence and once again sound more splashy. The bowls are a bit guitar shy for my tastes. There is less of a direct punch from bowls. The percussion almost drowns out the distant vocals. Tre Cool does have some pretty cool mini solos in the song.
Increased soundstage could result in all these changes. I don’t know, I’ve never heard a pair of headphones with soundstage, as you can see in my sig.
Third Movement “Dearly Beloved”
There is more punch from the toms. it would be a bit fatiguing to listen to the percussion for a long period of time. The guitar seems airy with more string and have less of an edge. the vocals are almost identical.
Brand New Colony by The Postal Service on “Give Up”
The wrench at the beginning sounds broader. The high “melody” is less pronounced while the focus seems to be on the beat. More detail around the spectrum is presented by the hd414 The vocals sound more underlying. Bowls make this song seem peppier. The bass notes are very lean. The percussion from the bowls seem to give a different impact than that of the hd414 pads.
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite by The Beatles on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” Apple Lossless
I first notice the loss of bass. The organ sounds more whimsical and fun. The crash then muted cymbals have more of a presence. Punches and impacts are lost with the bowls. because of the nature of the recording, I couldn’t analyze the soundstage.
Conclusions
The bowls present more and better sounding percussion, soundstage, and airy-ness. The hd414 pads provide more detail, impact, bass, and guitar.
I am probably not the right person to do a comparison. In fact, I am probably the worst person because I have nothing to compare with. The changes I heard could be psychological and unrealistic. My views will conflict with those of fellow headfiers and I respect that, I hope you will too.
I stopped using my bowls when my hd414 pads. I shampooed them twice then once with fabric softener. My hd414 pads have been treated with only fabric softener. Also, I put some packaging foam on the headband. Both pads are unmodded.
Comfort
Bowls- I get a very loose clamp and fit from my bowls. I guess I have small ears because the pads make contact with only my earlobes. The white mesh makes contact with the most outer parts of my ears and causes discomfort after a half an hour of listening. After a half an hour, I just take them off for a couple seconds and I’m fine.
Hd414- The hd414 pads make these headphones very comfortable. The clamp and fit is ever so slightly snugger to get more of an intimate feeling. I can wear these for about an hour and a half until I need a short break to shake if off. Not literally, I take care of my possessions.
Sound- I will try a couple tracks and compare in terms of the hd414 pads because I am more familiar with them
Money by Pink Floyd on “A Collection of Great Dance Songs” 320kpbs mp3
The first thing I noticed was the increased soundstage. The vocals seem further away and there are more “layers” of sound. Crash cymbals seem splashy and more live. The bowls are leaner on the bass with more of an impact rather than the full length of the note. To sum it up in more musical terms, a little bit of staccato.
Now to my favorite part of the song and my favorite guitar solo
The guitar seems far away like I’m at a concert with lawn seats. I like the presentation my hd414 pads. The bowls give you less of an in your face feeling. I can’t compare it to any other grado because I have never heard any others. But, my unmodded ksc75 give a more solid guitar solo than the bowls. But this is just a personal preference.
The Millionaire Waltz by Queen on “A Day At the Races” 320kbps mp3
The song as a whole is softer with less impact and edge. The bass is once again leaner. More like jabs rather than pushes. The backup vocals sound airy. There is more emphasis on the percussion, specifically, the toms. Brian May’s Special Red “shines” more with the bowls. There is once again, more soundstage. The bowls lack just a little bit of detail due to their airy-ness. The backup vocals sound fantastic towards the end.
The first movement “Jesus of Suburbia”, up to around 3:40 of Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day on “American Idiot” 320kbps mp3
This songs opens up with a series of shots. The cymbals have more presence and once again sound more splashy. The bowls are a bit guitar shy for my tastes. There is less of a direct punch from bowls. The percussion almost drowns out the distant vocals. Tre Cool does have some pretty cool mini solos in the song.
Increased soundstage could result in all these changes. I don’t know, I’ve never heard a pair of headphones with soundstage, as you can see in my sig.
Third Movement “Dearly Beloved”
There is more punch from the toms. it would be a bit fatiguing to listen to the percussion for a long period of time. The guitar seems airy with more string and have less of an edge. the vocals are almost identical.
Brand New Colony by The Postal Service on “Give Up”
The wrench at the beginning sounds broader. The high “melody” is less pronounced while the focus seems to be on the beat. More detail around the spectrum is presented by the hd414 The vocals sound more underlying. Bowls make this song seem peppier. The bass notes are very lean. The percussion from the bowls seem to give a different impact than that of the hd414 pads.
Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite by The Beatles on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” Apple Lossless
I first notice the loss of bass. The organ sounds more whimsical and fun. The crash then muted cymbals have more of a presence. Punches and impacts are lost with the bowls. because of the nature of the recording, I couldn’t analyze the soundstage.
Conclusions
The bowls present more and better sounding percussion, soundstage, and airy-ness. The hd414 pads provide more detail, impact, bass, and guitar.
I am probably not the right person to do a comparison. In fact, I am probably the worst person because I have nothing to compare with. The changes I heard could be psychological and unrealistic. My views will conflict with those of fellow headfiers and I respect that, I hope you will too.
