Well, Open vs Closed so that is a bit of a design difference. I was very impressed with the Prime's at RMAF. Now that I have them in house and not in show conditions I really like them. Particularly at their price point. They provide some of the best soundstage for a closed can that I have heard. Extremely comfortable too. The LCD-3's are heavier but I do not see their weight as a problem. I have a wider soundstage with the 3's. Bass is deeper and more complete, but it is not a huge difference. Micro dynamics are more precise with the 3's at twice the price. I do not feel I am missing anything when wearing the Prime's however. I get a solid presentation and I have really gotten into the music. The three's (and the LCD-x's) are really Summit Fi. You pay for that privilege. The Prime's are right there at half the price. Dan has worked miracles with that Fostex driver!
i meant the dots aswell. but inside the box there is a piece of paper explaining that they used 0,1,2 or 3 bluemonkey dots for smoothest response on each alpha prime. so this is the way they come "factory tuned" as it seems.
They have a habit of sucking you into the music and engaging you to the point that you forget about technicalities and just enjoy what you're hearing. I was going to get some CIEMs but I dount there are any that sound as good.
No sadly not. I was beaten to it. I'll keep an eye out for another. I'm in no rush - if I don't find something I'll try get to an audio show in UK & take my primes & fiio x5 to demo some kit.
Good choice. I may sell of a lot of gear soon, but I'm pretty sure the Primes are staying put. All the furor over new Hifiman and Audeze has me slightly amused, as the Primes surpass any of those cans I've heard, and by a wide margin.
So I got my Alpha Primes and my initial impression was the following.
1. Far better than Alpha Dogs.
2. Sounds a bit like the Mad Dogs I loved but like a much improved version.
3. Not sure about the price. Would be the standout champion at $600. At a $1000, I am inclined to be far more critical.
4. Using portable amps like E12 DIY, Geek Out 720 (straight from headphone jack), it is not in the same league as my T1 + Bottlehead Crack + Audio GD SA1.32.(obviously?)
5. Was going to sell it after realizing point no. 4 but decided to give it a chance to be at its best. Created the following setup:
Software: Foobar using WASAPI event.
USB Cable: LH Labs Lightspeed 2G Dual Head (Power head left disconnected)
DAC: Audio GD NFB 1.32 (Sabre 9018) - Set on Low Gain
Interconnect: Black Cat Lectraline Xe Pure Silver XLR
Amp: Schiit Mjolnir
Headphone Cable: Currently Stock (Toxic Virus Silver/Copper Hybrid Litz coming soon).
6. This improved supporting cast has taken the Primes to a whole new level and while it is not as spacious sounding as my T1 setup (being a closed headphone and all), it is actually more detailed as the details seem to be brought forward more and are more prominent than the T1 where some of the details are present but soft and sometimes in a space that can be overshadowed by other instruments/sounds.
7. This setup is now used by my partner as her work setup and she absolutely loves it. She was not impressed when it was paired with portable amps but she is very impressed now.
8. I find bass to be slightly lacking when not amped sufficiently. While definitely not a basshead headphone, it's more than sufficient when amped correctly.
9. Conclusion: Great sounding when setup correctly. Decent value for money. Compared to rival headphones at retail pricing, it's good value for its price. It's not however, a super duper bargain for the price like the Mad Dog 3.2 was in my personal opinion.
10. I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone looking for a class leading closed headphone for under $1000. Some may point to TH600 but that thing leaks so much sound it might as well be open.
4. Using portable amps like E12 DIY, Geek Out 720 (straight from headphone jack), it is not in the same league as my T1 + Bottlehead Crack + Audio GD SA1.32.(obviously?)
Thanks for your impressions, do you feel the GO720 is a significant bottleneck in showing the capabilities of the Prime ? Or is it in the great but not excellent DAC/AMP combo range ?
Anyone tried the Prime with the 'punching above its weight' Cayin C5 mobile amp ? Looking for transportable solutions if I go for it.
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£630 
