Tiazmat
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2016
- Posts
- 50
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- 13
Okay, so my 727A modded arrived, and I figured it would be useful to post some impressions with the L300 compared to the 252S. HUGE caveat with these impressions: my L300 headband is broken. I've ordered the replacement, but who knows when it will arrive (someone on reddit said they ordered it a month ago and has not heard anything). So with these impressions I either have to: hold both of the "cups" to my ears and when I want to switch, it's very slow to do, or, only use one channel but am able to switch faster. I've done both, and while I've for sure decided that this is a terrible way to get a good impression, but I wanted to know how well they compared today rather than in a month.So in my head, its more a question of the scalability of the headphones. If the L300 scales massively, getting a better amp could be a great improvement to a great pair of headphones. If they don't, the L700 via the 252 would clearly sound superior either way (assuming L700 > L300, which I cannot say for sure of course).
So, yes, the L300's are better with the 727A. But by how much? Well, considering the price difference, it's totally not worth it for an L300, unless you specifically love the sound signature of the L300 and would want that over getting a better pair of Estats, OR, you listen loudly. The 252S, while a fantastic value, is awful at high volumes. Pushing it near its limit just produces so much distortion, while the 727 handles that volume flawlessly. Interestingly, I didn't notice an actual volume jump at all between the amps: it's all in how well it pushes the earspeakers. And it does do it quite a bit better. But it's mostly just noticeable at high volume levels. Before about 12 o'clock on the amps, there's not a big difference at all. In fact, had I not been looking for a difference, I don't think I'd have deduced the 727 was better. Past 12 o'clock, it does become more noticeable, but it's dependent on the song, and the difference is not large until the 252S really starts to struggle.
Would I use a 727 with an L300? Well yes, I'm doing it right now. But only in the mindsets that either: the L300 is my endgame and I want to push it loud, OR, I'm getting a more high-end pair of earspeakers in the future and it makes sense in the situation to buy the amp first, which was the case for me. And that's mostly only true because I'm getting 007's, which need all the power they can get. With another lambda, the 252S will always be cheap but functional.
And I must say, if this is what the modded 727 sounds like, I can't imagine how bad the regular 727 is. Would not recommend without the mod.
But just let me reiterate: considering the headband is broken, do not take any of this as fact. Considering I'll be able to both listen properly and switch fast with the headband, differences are going to become far clearer. But I don't have that yet, so this will have to do, and if the headband comes any time soon, I'll plan on posting updated impressions.