Audiophilepure

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/audeze-lcd-5

Next up Steve Davis’ recording of To Wisdom, The Prize from live LP We See. The trumpet, trombone and saxophone are really clean and bright but not at all edgy. The backing from piano, bass and drums is in perfect proportion to the brass instruments, while the bass is tight and punchy. The piano in particular sounds very natural and beautifully reproduced.

Turning to a classic recording of Barbra Streisand singing Tomorrow to see how it fares with vocals, the LCD-5 presents Streisand’s voice in front of the sparkling and clear orchestral backing, and there is a very natural depth to the recording. The performance is very real and the music exudes refinement throughout the entire track.

Ranged against some of the competition, the JOAL is pleasingly open-sounding with a fairly spacious soundstage, especially along the X-axis.

I have spoken a few times about how much further the vocal imaging is than previous ABYSS iterations. Whilst this does create a somewhat more intimate quality, it’s nowhere near as narrow-sounding or as in your face as the POET and, to some extent, the NOIRE XO. 

I do think it has less height than the NOIRE XO, but it does allow for that smooth midrange performance to come through strongly.

The NOIRE XO has stronger treble levels, but it introduces a brighter, more attack-minded upper midrange that, whilst more dynamic, can be more fatiguing than the comparatively relaxed imaging of the JOAL.

ABYSS DIANA series headphones fourté has always been about speed and space, so I would say the JOAL has retained some excellent space, but it has dropped the pace a little.

FiiO has challenged that price structure with a flagship that is well under a thousand dollars. How they do it is a mystery to me, because all the materials from the carbon fiber to the genuine leather headband and lambskin ear pads are premium materials. FiiO chose real zebra wood over a plastic version. Even the 6N liquid nitrogen frozen monocrystalline copper stock cable is premium.

Fairly easy to drive, the FiiO FT7 can be enjoyed with a portable DAC/amp, though it reaches its potential on a quality desktop amplifier.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/audeze-lcd-5

We use the 6.35mm adapter to connect the LCD-5 to a HD83 valve headphone amp and start off spinning an LP of Prokofiev’s Romeo And Juliet played by the LSO and conducted by André Previn. Movement No.13 Dance Of The Knights with the stately entry of knights in armour to the ball at the Capulet’s home really grabs the attention. The soundstage is very real and surprisingly wide considering we’re listening on headphones. The powerful marching rhythm and trumpet blasts that accompany the strings playing the main theme are strident and powerful, but not at all harsh. The orchestra has great air and space around the instruments, resulting in an authoritative performance.

Next up Steve Davis’ recording of To Wisdom, The Prize from live LP We See. The trumpet, trombone and saxophone are really clean and bright but not at all edgy. The backing from piano, bass and drums is in perfect proportion to the brass instruments, while the bass is tight and punchy. The piano in particular sounds very natural and beautifully reproduced.

Turning to a classic recording of Barbra Streisand singing Tomorrow to see how it fares with vocals, the LCD-5 presents Streisand’s voice in front of the sparkling and clear orchestral backing, and there is a very natural depth to the recording. The performance is very real and the music exudes refinement throughout the entire track.

https://www.headfonia.com/zmf-bokeh-open-review/

‘While good, both combos aren’t the very best when it comes to layering and sound stage, but when you plug in the Bokeh Open to a high-end amplifier such as the Auris Audio Headonia, all that changes.

I am using the Luxsin as DAC with the Headonia and in this combo the Bokeh Open really shines. You get an open, spacious and airy sounding headphone with excellent dynamics.

The cleanness, clarity and precision are really good and something you usually only get with more expensive, even higher end headphones. The presentation here is musically neutral with tube smoothness and there is just enough weight and body present.

The Horizon has a nice mix of warm and slightly U-shaped sound signatures, with a laid-back sound, yet it presents details with many nuances in the vocals and instruments.

There is a perceived reduction in response in the lowest part of the bass, known as the sub-bass, which is prevalent in open-back headphone designs.

However, there is a slight boost in the mid-bass, making the roll-off in the sub-bass sound less noticeable. The Horizon has the most sub-bass among the headphones in this review. 

A slightly rounded, soft-textured yet articulate characterizes its bass sound, which adds to its overall warm, relaxed, and pleasing tonality.

Midrange is lush, warm, and slightly thick, combined with a somewhat relaxed perceived upper midrange response, which gives instruments and vocals proper note weight and body, preventing them from sounding thin.

Treble is slightly relaxed, smooth, and dark, but not too dark; it conveys a lot of information and detail, rendered in a somewhat laid-back manner and never aggressively. Suffice it to say, the upper midrange and treble never become shouty, piercing, or fatiguing.

I’ll admit that when I first listened to the HIFIMAN ISVARNA Hybrid Headphone at CanJam, I was intrigued but did not love them, feeling they were a bit Rock&Roll for my tastes, but after having had them in hand and really spent some time with them, I have completely turned around. As I mentioned above, they are not particularly forgiving headphones, so I think electronics choice is going to make a huge impact on how much you like them. I think bass heads are going to be blown away with their ability to cover the full spectrum and really thump. The HIFIMAN GOLDENWAVE SERENADE R2R DAC/Headphone Amplifier proved to be an excellent match for the ISVARNA, but hardcore audiophiles are going to want to pair them with a good tube amp and a top-notch DAC.

Most surprising was the fact that they are pretty much genre agnostic, I really expected them to muddy up classical and complex musical pieces and nothing could be farther from the truth, on the other hand given the right source material they can give you that real club feel, and live but musical appears to be the name of the game.