Reference 4 Headphone Edition Torrent
Gro Bert
iMac high resolution music via Audioquest Coffee USB -> Kitsune Tuned SU-1 DA/DA converter I2S output -> Kitsune Tuned Level 3 Holo Spring DAC via I2S input -> Audioquest Water dual 3 pin balanced XLR cables -> HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 Balanced Headphone Amplifier -> Focal Utopia flagship headphones + Dana Cables 4 pin balanced XLR Lazuli Reference Cable.
At Axpona I was able to hear the Lazuli on the Hifiman HE1000 and immediately compared the two cables and immediately noticeable was a wider soundstage with much more air and detail apparent. I arranged for the Lazuli from Dana for a more in depth listen in my reference system with my Chord Dave as the source . The Lazuli immediately showed huge dividends with magnificent transparency and I immediately noticed the wider soundstage that had more width with depth. The HiFiman HE1000 and also the V2 edition were getting a more focused image and subtle cues in the music were now more apparent.. The cable is designed for in home use but as Peter found out with the Focal Utopia there is no going back. Owners of the Hifiman Headphones need to check out the Lazuli to seem what it actually does for soundstage. The cable is delivering everything the Hifiman HE1000 is capable of producing and is an impressive cable for the last finishing touch to your reference system. The 3 meter version is not inexpensive but for most people shorter lengths will work and Dana Cable will build to your specifications. If you get a chance to audition the Lazuli you will immediately see the differences. Highly Recommended.
The wood cups are made out of walnut wood that I personally really like, I am not seeing a lacquer finish like Audeze headphones are having, but maybe that is for the best. The earpads were completely redesigned this time around. They fit around your head snugly but provide enough padding to rest comfortably against your ears. Instead of velour ear-pads, they developed a hybrid ear-pad for this model with eco-leather around them and just a sheet of velour at the side that touches the cheek. It has memory-foam inside it for a better comfort in long listening sessions. The hybrid earpads were designed most probably to improve the bass performance in the lowest registers.
In terms of build quality, looks and comfort, S4X were seriously improved to its predecessors and if your S4 or S4R are not working that well for you, upgrading to the newest model seems like a no-brainer to me.
Funny thing is that OLLO Audio uses exactly the same cups and the same drivers of S4, only the inner acoustics were tuned in the S4X. But as measurements will prove later on, a better driver decoupling and better earpads can do a whole lot of difference in terms of sound performance.
The improvements in terms of frequency response are too obvious. I feel a much better, more defined lower end, plus more details up top. There are still some roll-offs in the most sensitive part of our hearing (between 6 and 8 kHz), but that could be even beneficial when you are mixing or just casually listening for longer periods of time.
Moving on to desktop electronics, S4X performed simply the best in these setups. Be it Benchmark HPA4, Sparkos Labs Aries or Flux Lab Acoustics FCN-10, S4X sounded like a serious desktop headphone even from the low gain position. The tiny Topping L30 that I have tested a few days ago, had enough grunt and driving power to move them to painful volume levels even in the mid-gain position.
All in all, if you are serious about the sound of S4X, I recommend dedicated electronics, at least a portable digital-audio-player with a dedicated headphone amp stage, will be enough to squeeze the most out of them.
Mid-bass is full of substance, its imposing, with its chin-up and ballsy sounding all the time. In all seriousness, the sub and mid-bass performance is simply immaculate, there is speed, there is impact and a hard slam followed, so I have nothing to complain about.
The first issue that I encountered is that the ear pads are staying exactly on top of metal screws around the silicon ears of the MiniDSP EARS system, thus breaking a big portion of the seal and recording a non-representative frequency response. I re-measured them more than 20 times after finding the perfect spot on the test jig, no pressure was applied, it was their natural position.
Applying a 1/12 smoothing, I am getting this graph and as you can see, the sub-bass, mid-bass and all that midrange are simply perfect and straight as a line. There is a lot of presence in those regions and only in the treble things start to break-up. Nonetheless the dips in the treble are still nothing compared to those of S4.
Waterfall and decay readings are looking pretty good too. You can spot the hotter parts in the FR and as you can see bass and midrange are standing out the most. Bass decays slower, but that is natural phenomenon, all dynamic headphones are doing that.
What is kind of fascinating is that both models have absolutely the same drivers and ear-cup designs, the big difference in sound quality comes mostly from decoupling the driver from the its metal frame, from improved earpads and inner acoustic treatments of the cups. Since the dip in the upper treble was dealt with, S4X will offer an additional layer of information in there, everything will be crisper sounding, drums would be better defined, cymbals would sound clearer and more textured. Midrange performance seen a small boost as well, a very welcome change as S4X at this point sounds almost like a flagship planar headphone. Midrange is incredibly natural, close and personal sounding. S4 are by a hair less natural sounding and considerably more rolled-off at both frequency extremes.
As for bass, I can spot it on S4 mostly with electronic music and with S4X I can spot it with any musical genre. If its there, S4X will render it loud and clear. S4 is great from mid-bass to the upper treble and S4X feels considerably more complete top to bottom.
Soundstage size is more or less the same with just minor differences, sometimes I feel that HD660S is taller sounding and maybe by a hair deeper. Considering its bigger cup design, this actually makes sense. Both a having a close to medium size soundstage and it is not something both units are proud about.
You can get them directly from OLLO Audio right here and just in case anything goes bad, you can order spare parts from here (including that S4 to S4X upgrade package).
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A relatively new product that only just started shipping to the general public, the Cerene dBs came with no posted specifications. Online, I was able to determine that their impedance was rated at 40 ohms, so I used the ampsandsound Leeloos' Low-Z headphone taps (rated at 32 ohms) for all my listening tests. The Y-connection cable that came for the amp pair utilized two standard inch headphone jacks (one for each channel) on one end, connected by about six feet of very high-quality looking cable to a single standard inch input connector at the other end. Plenty of length for you to kick back in your favorite chair for some comfortable listening. Would owning a pair of $5500 headphone amps make a difference in my listening enjoyment?
The Leeloos were already packed and on their way back to Southern California, but I really wanted to experience the Cerene dBs with equipment that's much more within the means of the average audiophile. After the DragonFly Cobalt volume control debacle was solved, I decided to bring home the Schitt Magni (first generation) headphone amp I've been using mostly at the office for about five years. The Magni has been updated since its original release; the newer version has slightly more power and an additional set of analog outputs to allow its use as a preamp if desired. But the basic circuit design is the same, and my original is a truly great-sounding headphone amp for only $99 that I only stopped using at home a couple of years ago when I started listening with the headphone section of my new PS Audio Gain Cell DAC/Preamp. With the Magni connected to the DragonFly Cobalt, there were now no further technical issues. And the sound quality playing through the Cerene dBs was surprisingly very good! The Magni didn't quite have the available volume, muscularity, and brute force power (a term I never envisioned applying to tube electronics!) possessed by the Leeloos, and tended to run out of gas if pushed too hard. But it was perfectly within the acceptable range for most everything I listened to. And the overall sound had amazing body and warmth that was totally unexpected from a $99 headphone amplifier.
My one other minor issue is the lack of a supplied 3.5mm to inch adapter for the jack end of the cable (one is available for purchase). While I realize that many portables only include the option of a 3.5mm input jack, the Cerene dBs scream to me that they'll be just as comfortable in a professional or audiophile environment, where inch jacks are mostly still the norm. Despite the fact that I've been in my new house for two-plus years, I still haven't unpacked everything, and I was unable to locate the appropriate adapter. Which forced me to drive down to the local Guitar Center (only place in town that seemed to have one!) and pay $10 for an adapter that ought to sell for half that price. Not a huge deal, but surprising for a product with professional and audiophile aspirations.
Primary System 2: currently alternating between a pair of Vanguard Scout compact monitor loudspeakers on custom stands in tandem with a Vanguard Caldera 10 powered subwoofer, and; a pair of new production KLH Model 5 loudspeakers (waiting in the wings).
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