Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Recommended Headphones for Explorer 2?

Every cloud and all...

What were your views on the 425's long term, across a range of materials etc.? Or are your impressions now too swayed with the 8 series? Maybe not advisable to wear either in the bush, handy to know that lion is sneaking up behind I would imagine...

Great looking place btw.

Lee

I loved the 425's, in fact when I originally got the 8's they didn't sound OK to me, I preferred the 4's.

When the 8's bedded in a bit there was a leap to be fair, but there should be for the leap in price!

A bit like how I thought my 72 SE's were the best thing in the world until I dropped a pair of 8k SE's in the living room!

Assuming you're using the foam buds [which I would strongly recommend for sound isolation and long term comfort]... then the following tips might be handy

1) Roll the foam buds between thumb and index finger before inserting into ear... this will allow you to insert the bud a littles further into your ear... and then the foam will naturally expand to fill your canal.

2) Pull Down on your lower ear lobe before inserting the foam pad... again this helps with getting the foam more comfortably sitting within the canal.

3) as you've probably seen, the Shures are really designed for behind and then over the ear fitting... which in turn takes the weight away while you're wearing them

By chance, did you try the SE535's at the place where you bought the 425's?

My mistake on the above - it was 535's I had before the 8's not the 425's.... sorry for confusing!

I just picked up some HD800s having tried several different sets last week at the Head-Room gig in Chiswick.

I don't like the bulky wooden models and found the 800's comfortable every time I went back to compare.

They are on special at the moment at about £1180 or thereabouts.

Hi Nick
Out of curiosity, did you go with the 800 or the 800S??

The most worthwhile spend for me, as far as fit, comfort and sound isolation was concerned, albeit on ie800s, was a set of Snugs. Though not really a consideration with the Shures that stay secured with their semi-rigid over ear cord sheaths, but in my case I am also never any longer concerned about the earbuds falling out.

Hi Ronnie

HD800S.

Yep.......notably more balanced and better IMHO than the previous HD800......which are good, but have a few "hotspots" that led to listening fatigue IMHO

And agree wholeheartedly on the "comfort" and relatively light weight aspects of the 800's

Enjoy!!

i did Ronnie, but only very limited time tbh. I could certainly tell there is a difference particularly around frequency range, in the bass which had more timbre and also there is clearly a wider/improved soundstage to the 535's. They are impressive.

However in the limited time i had i found the 425's close in a lot of respects, the musicality is very impressive and something i look for, i'm not a bass nut also to be honest and don't tend to prioritise that aspect over other elements, so I found the price differential difficult to ignore given the 535 was above my budget.

Now i'm sure an extended period of analytical listening in a quiet room, in my own environment with pre-selected tracks and a period of burn in would highlight a wider gap and may have pushed me into spending more.

Thanks for the other tips btw.

Lee

I also had a listen to the ACS 5-way in-ear phones. Andy Shiach is a really nice guy with some previous history with M. It nearly resulted in some M branded in-ear phones. Shame that didn't happen.

Very impressive. Actually better than anything else I heard so I will be getting a pair in the near future. Another HH had the same experience. 3-D ear scan for perfect figment etc. Amazing SQ.

quick update on the Shure buds, managed to get the factory supplied tips off tonight without breaking the sound column off and have replaced with the three tier flange supplied. Some time also spent setting up the seating as per the advice earlier.

Dear me what a difference, everything improved considerably, isolation is incredible i must say. Bass tightened up considerably also.

Very happy bunny this evening, currently wallowing in the wonderful Rhiannon Giddens Freedom Highway in the middle of a children's ward. Sure beats the sound of Oxygen saturation alarms.

thanks again folks.

lee