Getting High With Hemp - The GRADO Way

Yes. You read it right. I have hemp. Yes. That hemp. Not to be smoked though. This hemp is part of a Limited Edition headphones by GRADO Labs. Managed to get a hold on a unit a few months ago before the current MCO started. Been using it extensively with either SPL Audio Phonitor 2 or CHORD Mojo DAC amp. 

This hemp is highly compressed by Grado design engineers as one housing together with another maple wood housing. The drivers were specifically tuned to for this design as it is the first time Grado is using hemp. You can read the details spec here.

I will not bore readers talking about the overall design as it comes in a typical Grado leather headbands, detachable ear cups, fixed and thick 8 conductor cable, 3.5 mm jack. The packaging is also as simple as a gift box. No fancy stuff but it worked and came in to Malaysia with no damage or whatsoever. The cable however, gets easily entangled and kind of irritating. I would prefer a woven fabric over the cable. 

Is it comfortable? Compared to my old Alessandro Grado Pro pair, this seems lighter but a bit tighter fit. Well at least for my head. With the current on ear design, I can easily use this continuously for about 1.5 hours before start to feel a bit heavy on the head.

Now, how is the sound? I must admit that I actually miss and regret selling off my Alessandro Grado Pro a few years back under the notion of 'reducing' number of headphones I have. Well, that failed miserably as I own a Beyerdynamic T1, Audeze EL8, Sennheiser HD800S, Nuraphones and countless earphones. Oh well, then I guess its no harm to re-add a Grado headphones to my collection.

THE TRACKS

1. Lawan Kartel 2.0 by Slumber Sonic - 24/44.1 WAV

2. Blue Moon by NYC Quartet -  DSD

3. Can't Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake - DSD

4. Take Five by Dave Brubeck - DSD

5. Enter Sandman by Metallica  - 24/96 FLAC

THE SESSION

Iswardy's ferocious guitar on Lawan Kartel 2.0 during the intro really got me going. Followed by thumping snare, toms and floor toms by yours truly, the Hemp presented quite a fully body sound to the tune. The highs can be a little bit on the sharp side but well compensated by the bass. The most evident signature of this Hemp is actually on clarity. The little sounds from our song came out quite clear such the hi hat play and also the bassline from our bassist Herman. Even the second vocal by Azwad was clearly separated  but still complement nicely to Is's vocal. I like what I am hearing through this Hemp.

With Blue Moon, the Hemp sounded sweet with the focus on the vocal. It can sound a little too upfront but its a matter of preference to the listeners. The saxophone sounded airy but at the same time, it can provide that huge spacious sound. The Hemp also is detail in presenting the little details of the wire brush on the snare drum. At times, the highs can sound a little bit sharp but tolerable.

Can it handle bass? I mean disco bass? I put on one of my favourite modern 'joget' tune, Can't Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake. And this Hemp made me move head and body to the beat of this tune. It flows. It definitely flows music with ease and made me want to start shaking. Bass was taut and deliver high energy level to listeners. 

How about those extensive low frequency track? Lets put on Take Five by Dave Brubeck. First of all, again the saxophone sounded airy and sweet. Yes, given the open back design does help to sort of unleash a more open listening experience but there is something else coming from this Hemp. The double bass and also the percussion really gave the Hemp quite a workout. Slamming and digs deep without loosing the clarity of the overall track presentation.

Now the ultimate test - metal music! While so many headphones can easily fail delivering the adrenalin, surprisingly the Hemp can really belt it out. No sign of strain and presented this track with full body and energy. I am quite surprise to get this level of fun to listen experience with an open back design. James's vocal sound raw with Kirk's wailing guitar really hit the adrenalin point. Lars's drums you ask? Snare was tight, hi hat was sharp and the bass drum was slamming. 

THE CONCLUSION

A very fun to listen to cans the Hemp is. Not fussy. Easy to drive even with a portable DAC headphone amp such as the Mojo. Even direct connection to my SONY Walkman was fun to listen to.

Is it for everyone? Maybe not but I do feel that it can satisfy most people at this price point. 

Is it for all genres? I do feel so. I even tried it with a death metal track by Deicide. Easy peasy. 

The caveat is however, it might be a bit bright at times but well compensated by the bass coming from this compressed hemp design. On this note, its more of a personal preference.

JBL Everest 710 - Designed For The Laid Back

I can still remember many years ago (BOSE BT headphones being my first wireless experience), a lot of people laughed at me when I got into wireless headphones. Almost all online forumers, audiophiles and headfiers just could not fathom the idea of enjoying music wirelessly. People still believe that having wires with its own natural resistance will always be superior than wireless. :)

Now, the market is literally flooded with wireless gears...headphones, speakers, sound system. Even the big names in the industry finally succumbed into this technology.  Each company put in their own R&D to compete in providing better SQ and battery life into their design. This JBL Everest 710 is one example of a wireless headphones made simple.

One of the challenges in wireless headphones design is the bulkiness to make it a real portable one. JBL fully collapsible and flat cups makes the headphones casing smaller than most of its rivals. This one plus point for this model. It also comes with a charger cable and detachable wire if you run out of juice.

Connectivity is easy and I tested it with both Samsung S10+ and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. For the review, the unit stayed connected with no loss of signal for a good 3 hours.

SOUND QUALITY

I first play Heroes by The Wallflowers. This mellow track sounded lively with high clarity in vocal. I was submerged in an engaging vocal with a sense of swirling guitar surrounding me. The drums was also well presented with a subtle bass experience. Collectively, the 710 provided a neutral sounding experience for this song. No fuss and no restrain in sound.

Trying to test the bass, I put on Dave Brubeck's Take Five and found that the 710 gives our clean bass sound. Not over distorted and ear pinching bass like Dr. Beat (ooppsss). Its not the king of bass but I pretty like the decent low frequency being churned out by this headphones. Given its an Over the Ear design, it definitely helps in containing the sound, giving listener a full musicality.

For some newer and modern music, I put on Kita Punya Malaysia by Bunkface just because when I reviewed this unit, it was in August. Now for this catchy tune, Sam's vocal sounded very energized. The drums and percussion was forceful and hard hitting but I can do with more bass. Increasing the volume also does not show any sign of distortation. 

CONCLUSION

Looking for a fuss free wireless headphones with long battery life? The 710 is a neutrally balanced headphones with high level of clarity. Its not for those who wants heavy bass production but more for those looking for a comfortable and easy going sound. If you are the type that listen to music for long hours, this might just be the cans you need as I didnt experience any listening fatigue for 3 hours. At its original price point of more than RM1000, listeners would have plenty of choices. But at TechX currently, I believe its almost 40% off. Go figure.

Sennheiser HD800S - Is It The Ultimate Headphones?

RICH SOUND AND CONVINCING

Written by :
Shaiful Anuar Sulaiman

The HD 800S easily ranked among the most comfortable headphones. It delivers a comfortable listening experience. They have large, spacious ear cups, they are not too tight on the head and well padded with a suede-like material that feels good on the skin.

Sound:

I started the session with the track Spanish Harlem from Rebecca Pidgeon.This always be my reference for vocal.Vocal was delivered in a neutral ambient, infused with openness. It does sound a bit bright but it flows with grace and subtlety, beautifully textured with transparent with full of dynamic.

Take Five from Dave Brubeck take my journey to midrange section.All the extra fill and harmonics with rhythmic extends the  throw to fulfill musical space.
Individual instruments delivery was accurate and  was easy to keep resolution lively.

Highs was pleasant and much more airy and neutral sounding. Very harmonious across the spectrum.

For Bass testing I picked track from Marshmello title Alone. It is a EDM genre but good to test bass. I feel the weight and hefty bass pounds with sense of control. The low frequency is real deal of depth and recreate  deep bass notes.

Engagement:

HD800s give wider sense of music and the presentation is full of dynamic and synergy. Layer and placement of instruments was evident and refined.
Uncolored and naturally sound, lively with excitement.

Summary:

This HD800S is well designed and developed. For me is a TOTL Dynamic Driver headphone to have. Detail in revealing and articulate sounding.Well nice revamped for sensational sound quality for critical listening.

My test equipment :
Aune T1 tube DAC amp
FiiO M11 DAP
Astell and Kern KANN CUBE DAP
ALO Audio International DAC amp

Thank you to Mr Shahril Mokhthar for loan this HD 800s.

Grado SR325e Prestige Series - Spacious Yet Musical Cans

Shoot!

Its been a while since I did a Grado. Grado headphone is one headfi gem that grabs me attention as soon as I put them on.

I dont need hours and hours of listening to Grado to review it. For many years I was using Alessandro Grado MS Pro and it is one of the most natural, transparent and spacious headphones I have used.

This SR325e may not be in the same league but it sure does bring back memories.

Putting on September Justin Timberlake rendition, the bass just pops out sufficiently to make me move. His vocal was energetic, the snare was hard and crisp and the wind instrument was airy. But music was still delivered at a very punchy and melodic way.

Comes in Somewhere, Somebody by Jennifer Warnes. The bass was not extensive like hearing it through a pair of speakers but the plucking and slabbing were still evident and it creates that lively environment. Her deep vocal can be felt to be very passionate. In the background, the percussion created a wholesome listening experience.

Take Five took centre stage with a delivery of layer by layer of musical instrument. Separation of sax, percussion, double bass and piano was  just surreal. The highs were sweet and no sign of giving me any fatigue. Yes I can do with a little bit more bass but hey, for an open back cans, it was just nice.

Just to reconfirm, I then played For No Apparent Reason. The bass was just as extensive as Take Five. The enveloping sound around my ears was just of emotion and energy that it pulls the listener into a quite soothing experience.

Punk? All Out of Angst by NOFX was so impactful that I can differentiate between El Hefe's guitar from Eric's. The trumpet by El Hefe was delivered with such energy that it might as well be a lead instrument.

Metal? Playing Atlas, Rise! By Metallica made me realise how versatile  these cans are  the ferocious guitar sound was not compromised by Grado open back design. James's vocal was clear and forceful. I could do with a little bit more dramatic sound with the drums but hey, I may be biased.

Conclusion - very capable headphones at this price level. I must quite an all rounder and not fussy with musical genres. The Oppo HA1 headphone amp can easily drive this and provide an impactful overall sound.

For shop demo, please contact Shaiful Anuar Sulaiman of E1 headphone store.

Nura - This Is Not A Headphone or Is It?

If you are on Facebook and like to scout around and talk about HiFi or HeadFi, I am pretty sure the advertisement on Nuraphones is on your feed almost everyday :) I have been ignoring such ads but at one time, I accidentally clicked on it and I started to watch people with their amazed and confused face when they put the headphones on. I started to read up on it a bit and got intrigued with its claims and also some scientific facts on human listening. 

I discussed this a bit with the Mrs as she holds a Doctorate in Audiology and was a Cochlear Implant Specialist. She did say that basically what the Nura is doing is like a hearing test that I go through every 3 years in my main job. But for Nura to then come up with a hearing profile within a minute, that is something she said might be a manipulation of sound. So, I had 'no choice' but to order one. LOL!

For the unboxing, setting up and first impression of the unit, you can refer to my El Hefe TV videos. On this review, I will just write about the sound signature of it.

Love Me Tender by Andrea Bocelli

His vocal sounded deep and rich. A very engaging way to experience the richness of his talent. The bass can be slightly overwhelming but that can easily be overcome by reducing the immersion level.  The overall presentation of this track was leaning towards warm with highly focused and enclosed ambient. 

Take Five by Dave Brubeck

The best presentation of what this Nura can do to your musical enjoyment. Detail, refine and yet still deep with bass texture and jazzy ambient. Best listened to at about 1/3 rd of the immersion scale. Mind you, this most probably be different form one individual to another based on the hearing analysis the Nura has done on your ear. The wind instrument on this track sounded really airy with great dispersion of the notes. The percussion especially on the ride cymbal was at a very enjoyable clarity. The bass digs quite deep especially with the immersion mode on.

The Girl Is Mine by MJ and PM

Fun track to listen to and the Nura presented this track in a very lively and merry manner. One of those that will get you into one of the happy moods especially if you grew up with these kind of music. The drums especially the hi-hat being manipulated can clearly be heard and made me tap along. The bass line although simple was deep and extended the way I like it. The shrilling voice of MJ was nowhere hitting the point of annoying like on some other headphones.

One by Metallica

Sometimes, when I get a really good pair of cans, I wonder why I even bother listening to hifi. On this track, I just realised that James said something during the gunfire opening of the track. The solo intro was so lively that it became emotional. Truth be told, this was the track that made me fall in love with the impact of bass drum. Its hard hitting but at the same time subtle enough to present this war track in its true sense. Once the heavy guitar riffs kicked in, it truly delivered the metal music that I like to listen to. Kirk's solo sounded melodic and James's growls was natural sounding.  

Rogue One - Movie

I use headphones for watching movies too. Having this movie on my Samsung S9, can't help but to test the Nuraphones with this movie. It was definitely a more immersive experience watching this movie with the Nuraphones especially during laser shooting scene or rumbling sound of explosion scenes. Sharp and unclustered sound on vocals even though in a noisy war scene.

Conclusion

I can say that this is my 2018 revolutionary HeadFi product. Something that is different from the typical new HeadFi product. At a fraction of a high end headphone price, you get a list of features that makes mainstream headphone brands seems like a rip off. Stable Bluetooth connectivity, Noise cancelling, music control (by tapping left cup), volume control (by tapping right cup), auto on and off when you put on the headphones and when you take them off and a plethora of customizable controls.

Inova (TM) is their patented architecture that combines in-ear and over-ear headphones. The inner buds deliver clearer melodies while over the ear cups deliver the bass that you can feel. 

The best part of it, the bass that it produces does not drown the mids and highs of any track especially the vocals. The bass reproduction is natural, tight and delivered with speed and authority. I guess they may be right about the fact that sounds remains the same but its human hearing that differs from one person to another.

At the price I bought with 20% discount, its a no brainer and can easily match the sound quality of Sony or BOSE NC BT headphones. Heck, when it comes to wireless headphones, I must say this is the best I have so far.

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OPPO HA-2 and PM-3 Information and FAQ

As there was a request from OPPO to share this information, please find below some info of the HA-2 and PM-3 and also FAQ.

HeadFi Community Service

A new-ish headfi outlet was broken into recently. If anyone encounter people trying to sell high end headfi items at ridiculously low price, please contact the Willy.

Beyerdynamic T1: Light on The Head, Heavy on Pleasure

 

It was a tough session listening to the T1s after a delightful session with the Audeze.... I was not sure what headphones can actually match the SQ from the Audeze. I received the demo unit courtesy of CMY One Utama arranged by the good man Steve Chua a few days before Hari Raya. So, I had good time to really listen to these cans.

BUILT

As oppose to Audeze, the T1s came in a metal casing with soft foam like material internally to house the cans.AT this price point, there is little to complain about the built. A mix of metal and fabric cushion on the cans itself and leather on the headband. An odd combination to me as it could also be more economical to just stick to one material or the most two. I do prefer the fabric cushion on the pads rather than leather given that I live in a humid country. Its OK to use leather if the pads are interchangeable as BOSE's headphones are. But if its  permanent fixture, I rather go for fabric. It would be even better if the headband was of fabric as well.

The headband can be adjusted easily and it gave me the right amount of pressure to keep the cans in place over my head. Not inducing any uncomfortable experience.

The unit comes with a double sided cable with a 1/4" jack..Sturdily built to precision tightly into the cans. No wiggly cables. But unfortunately, the cable cannot be easily replaced or changed to an XLR connection unless you start doing major modifications internally.

The ear cups of the T1 is made from soft fabric and the pads are soft and gentle on the ears as well. Very comfortable.

It is also lighter then the LCD2 which is a bonus for me. I can use this cans straight for 2 to 3 hours without resting back onto my sofa.

SPECIFICATION

The T1 of course employs Beyerdynamic Tesla technology. You can read more about this HERE

• Transducer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic
• Operating principle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Semi-open
• Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 50,000 Hz
• Impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 Ω
• Nominal SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 dB (1 mW / 500 Hz)
• T.H.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 0.05% (1 mW / 500 Hz)
• Power handling capacity. . . . . . . . . . 300 mW
• Max. SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 dB (300 mW / 500 Hz)
• Sound coupling to the ear . . . . . . . . Circumaural
• Headband pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . approx. 2.8 N
• Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 m / double-sided / balanced (6-core)
• Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gold vaporised 1/4" stereojack plug (6.35 mm

Highlighted in bold above is the impedance of 600 ohm. Now, this unit really needs an amp to justify the SQ. However, I tried connecting to it to my iPhone 5 using an adaptor.... and the result was...actually not too bad.. it does not really deliver the T1s true potential, but if you would like to have a RM5000 headphones out and about connected to your phone while you jog, by all means, it can still be driven by iPhone.

THE SET UP

Source 1:

• MF M1 CDT to M6 DAC to M6i amplifier to Bryston BHA-1 headphone using all Siltech interconnects. All balanced except from M6i to Bryston headphone amp using single ended RCA interconnect.

Source 2:

• Clearaudio Concept turntable to MF M1 ViNL phono stage to Bryston headphone amp via its Balanced input using VDH XLR cables.

THE SESSION

I used the same track listing similar to when I demo-ed the LCD2. 

• La Voce Del Silenzio - Andrea Bocelli (CD)
• My Hero - Foo Fighters (CD)
• Until It Sleeps - Metallica (CD)
• Siboh Kitak Nangis - Zee Avi (CD)
• Patience - Guns and Roses (LP)
• Unforgettable - George Benson (LP)

For Andrea's track, the T1 presentation was very bold but maintains the airiness that I like from my MS Pro. I guess it being a semi open design, it was capable to provide that extra low end notes compared to my MS Pro but still maintain the subtle dispersion of music that creates that liveliness in the tracks. Vocals was presented in clarity and very melodious..

My Hero however was a little bit of disappointment. The kick drum did not come out as per my usual expectation from this track. A bit weak and did not bring up the adrenalin which I usually get from this track. The grungy guitar sound of Grohl is however very evident and the T1 maintains the clarity of his vocals even with all his growling. It was still entertaining but something was missing which I think was that extrat bass notes from the kick drums. 

To further test the low end notes, Until it Sleeps by Metallica was in line next. The T1 gave a better performance with this track. Lars's kick drums was detailed, bold and solid. I LIKE. His hand works on the snare was also very detailed and relatively similar to LCD2.

The best performance of this T1 came from Zee Avi's track. It was PERFECT headfi moment for me. The T1 presented the track in all its glory. Musically balanced between the low, mids and highs. Vocals was heavy with passion, ukulele strings was detailed and airy, the double bass was hitting the right vibration notes.

Patience was a track that brought back lots of memories from school. This was one of those GNR tracks that melts the hearts of the girls in my school. I had to pick up my Ibanez Semi Acoustic guitar and played along.... but of course... stopped half way through the song as I have forgotten the chords. But nevertheless, with the T1, it gave me that music passion from Axl's voice.

Unforgettable from George Benson sums up the performance of this T1. It was indeed another unforgettable experience listening to these T1s. This track alone is already a strong track to begin with eventhough its an old melody. The T1 presented this track  in a very emotional but strong experience especially from the violins playing. 

VERDICT

A must have for those who wants that little extra bass especially for those coming from open back headphones. It does not deliver as much bass as the LCD2 but it all depends on what you prefer. The mids and treble are balanced out with the subtlety of the bass.

I burn in the demo unit for more than 150 hours and the sound quality just got even better. Beyond that however, seems to be plateaued.

It suits well with Bryston BHA-1 amp using single end 1/4" jack.

Fortunately for me, the weight issue I had with LCD2, the T1 gave me the perfect comfort. So, its the T1 that is residing permanently in my audio den.

There are various hifi shops selling Beyerdynamic product besides CMY. But not sure which shop have an open demo unit for customer to try it out in the shop at least.

Thanks again to CMY especially Steve Chua from One Utama.

Eid Came Early: Beyerdynamic T1 In Da House

Thanks to Steve of CMY OU, I managed to get a loan unit of the T1 before the long Eid weekend.

Expect a review soon.... And a decision of purchase...

Take Out The Cotton Bud... My Ears Are About to Bleed

..... Due to this masterpiece...my ears may not be used to this sensational sound...

Just received the loan unit from the only authorised dealer in Malaysia for Audez'e headphones... David & Associates ...

This unit of LCD2 was personally delivered by Mr. Aaron this evening...

Feast your eyes on these pictures while I audition them...

Review soon...