Meze Liric shop-links.co/cgJ5OWpxlIj --AKG K361amzn.to/3HJTAxO WIIM Mini Streamer amzn.to/3tuRU6l ----Dan Clark Aeon X Closed Dan Clark X Closed massdrop.7eer.net/QObGqa ----Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF -----Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt -------Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH --------amzn.to/3GkNaop ----CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K ----apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P ---massdrop.7eer.net/qnOye5 -----Amazon Unlimited Music and Disney Plus Free Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9 -------www.patreon.com/cheapaudioman
Randy it might be possible that you have mistaken magnesium for plastic. Due to the low density of magnesium it is easy to mistake it for plastic. The best way to tell the difference without taking it apart is, magnesium feels cold at room temperature or significantly colder than plastic.
It’s same material which Canon and Nikon use in its camera. It’s perfect for cups. There is no plastic at all. I have Lyic for month and shocked with it. It’s insane.
I think it's important if you are reviewing cheap gear to listen to expensive gear to judge what cheap items match up the best with the higher cost. Gotta know which cheap item is best bang for your buck... and also good to do these reviews so everyone knows your opinion of the high end gear to know where you're coming from... ppl will complain if their ice cream is too cold so oh well lol. Great vid!
The ear pads on the Liric are part of how they deliver the music. There is a hollow channel in the pad. It is why they are glued on. They are not a reference headphone, but lots of detail and are a real enjoyable listen.
Sometimes you're just too darn silly 🤣. LOVE IT.... you and The Recovering Audiophile (AND his wife, I might add!) have brought FUN back into the hobby.
Even though the headphones cost $2,000, most people have probably spent about that much on headphones, going through the upgrade process from one to another. I am not even a headphone connoisseur, even though I like headphones, and I have bought well more than a dozen (serious) headphones over the many years. If you add up all the money you've spent on getting a noticeable improvement, step by step, you could have owned a state of the art headphone for that amount of expenditure. The lesson, is probably to save up for something really nice, instead of upgrading in small increments. You'll actually save money in the long run. A lot of higher end cable companies are making headphone cables. There's a guy somewhere who has a headphone for sale used, which usually goes for a little over $200 used, but he's asking about double the price because it has a $300 after market headphone cable that goes with it that he bought. It's been on quite a while without selling. Could it be that most headphone users are not cable improvement believers? Or believers in $300 headphone cables? Is a $300 headphone cable the equal of a $1,000 speaker cable? If its isn't, it should be, in that the length and thickness of the cabled is less and unlike stereo speaker cables, which require 2 cables, it only requires one that is split at the top. A lot of headphones have the 1/8 inch jack and your have to go to Best Buy or somewhere to buy a 1/4 inch adapter. So far, I have not seen any adapters with silly prices. But eventually some will come along I'm sure. Maybe from one of those companies that make $200 audiophile fuses or something. Maybe even Sith Audio. At least so far it seems that upgrading headphone cables have not gotten crazy like the expensive speaker cable and interconnect faze that's going on. I have bought very expensive interconnects and speaker cables in the past; which I'm happy with. But one cheap cable that equals them or bests them, would change me from an advocate to a dissenter concerning expensive cables. When buying anything audio that's expensive, including software like special pressing audiophile lp's, one should always ask, just how important and how much more enjoyment am I going to get out of this? Also, how often am I going to play it? I'm sure there are people who've bought $5,000 speakers and have played them less than 100 times, before getting rid of them. Were they worth over $50 a listen? As far as headphones, just how much difference can a cable make? Can it change a Hifiman 400 into sounding as good as a Hifiman Arya? If so, then the expensive $300 headphone cable is cheap. It all depends on how much of an improvement is gained. Probably less than 1% of us are making the absolute best decisions. We are pretty much all in the dark concerning all the possible variables. What is the connection between the vintage JBL 100 speaker, which was the subject of a previous question, and the Wagner classical composition from the 1800s; Ride Of The Valkyries? Another toughie.
Very, very little. Headphones are higher impedance than speakers and are single drivers without a crossover network. The damping factor/output impedance of your headphone amp would make a world of a difference more than any cable would make. And headphone amps aren't even required, they just help get the last bit out of the driver. The only bad cable I've heard was one that was broken without a ground reference, meaning I was effectively hearing the center channel subtracted. Cables could make a difference.. if many things go wrong at one time. Badly designed amps can break into oscillation, badly designed crossovers might give a very unequal impedance load, and so on. Active (Analogue or DSP) speakers or headphones are the ideal condition for reproducing sound properly. Look at pro audio or studio gear that moved on from 70's era technology. They have proper 40 Amp speaker wire connectors for 1/2/3 way speakers, shielded balanced and locking XLR signal cables, and chunky ¼" jacks that are rated for millions of connections since they originated from telephone exchanges. I'm working on my own analogue active speakers, using opamps and class AB 20w amplifier chips, and XLR for speaker connections. I made my own class A tube amp for home use, and it's okay, but tubes don't seem to do much for your the audio besides look cool. Unless they're pushed really hard into crazy distortion figures like they were in most radios in the day, back when they rated their power output at 10% THD.
Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but if anyone is looking, Hart Audio will do a cable with long 3.5mm connectors for the 99 Classic. Just make sure you note that the cable is for the 99’s.
$2000 headphones or $10 headphones. Randy, I'm so proud of the fact that you have worked so hard to get to this point where you are offered higher dollar gear to review. For me, I am looking forward to your continued reviews of truly affordable sub $200 gear. Thanks again for your efforts!
It's important to look closely at items from all price points in order to gain a sense of perspective and apply that to the budget gear you mostly feature.
Watched this to see what the alternatives were. You didn’t disappoint. Keep up the good work. FWIW, I have the AKG 361 and although I really like them, I’m looking to take a step up. When I got a Geshelli amp, it took the AKGs to the next level. Now, I want to see what stepping up the headphones will do.
Answer to what is the connection between the vintage JBL 100 speaker and the 1800s composition Ride Of The Valkyries by Wagner. Think 1983, the compact disc was here, but $1200 for those early cd players! You might have wondered and said to yourself "Are these things ever going to be incorporated into new automobiles, and will new car prices be more expensive?" "At least we have our trusty cassettes until and if that day comes." Maxell tape did a TV commercial that became one of the most famous audio commercials of all time. A guy in a brown leather jacket with a scarf is slumped back in a chair. His butler comes over to him with white gloves on and puts a Maxwell cassette up to his face and asks "The usual sir?" The butler them puts the tape into the player and through the JBL 100 speaker comes the opening chords of Wagners Ride Of The Valkyries. The sound blasting from the speakers is so loud that it flaps the seated guys pants, blows both his scarf and a lamp shade backward, along with his drink which he catches just in time before the sound blows it off the edge of a table. Another fun aspect of the commercial is that the long haired hippie looking guy in the chair wearing sunglasses hardly looked the classical music type. They played the TV commercial during shows with younger viewers like SNL. They did the commercial in the U.K. also, but used a different piece of music coming out of the JBL 100 speakers. For the non-jet setters, what music do you think it was? Clue: No glare time. The Rock and Rickles.
Another great review Randy. I’m loving my SMSL s 9n thanks to your review. The frame is magnesium, but $2000 is A LOT of money. You can buy a great fridge for that.
@@soulfulfool good espresso machine. All that said you don’t have to worry about how your listening room impacts your sound, so a great headphone may be a wise investment.
Nearly cut you off right away. Very glad I didn't. Another top-drawer review. Concise, humorous, and personal. A question, if you please... you mentioned that they were closed-back 'phones, and gave me the impression you preferred open-back units. As someone with a significant hearing loss, assuming that I heard that correctly, I wonder if you could flesh that out a little. Do open-backed 'phones sound better? Is that something that has eluded me for 40+ years? Thanks in advance Randy, don't ever change, and please carry on!
Randy, funny I had thought shortly after you reviewed the High Priced Spread Meze that you should give the Liric's a d go, lol love the scream. And now that you mention the AKG's maybe run them through the Cayin R-2R Dac and give us a thought.
I think the Meze Neo might be the most underrated thing Meze makes. I have a Stellia and I have an Aeon Noire. I legitimately love both for different reasons, but I still find a reason to use the Neo. Sometimes my brain doesn't want all the detail, sometimes I just want to vibe out effortlessly to the music. The 6XX and Meze Neo have been the two best headphones for that sort of experience. Would love to see you review the ZMF line as well Randy, they're not cheap, but they're a value compared to current flagship costs.
@@soulfulfool I'm happy with an Eikon and an Auteur Classic. I'm sure I'd be happy with a Verite or Atrium as well. I moved on from my more resolving headphones in the Stellia and Arya, my music library just doesn't hold up to microscopes.
Hi, I'm a little curious, would you actually say that the Dan Clark Aeon X Closed generally sound better than the Hifiman Edition XS? Both are on a par in terms of price.
I think it's cool that you got a chance to listen to a pair of two thousand dollar headphones. Yeah they are way out of my budget, but I'd test drive them if given the chance. I like AKG's, they don't break the bank and they hold thier own. Great review. Can wait till you get to the Parasound. Have a good weekend!
I'm just not a headphone guy...I've got a set of Tascams that I use occasionally, but I just enjoy speakers so much more. Can't imagine spending 2 grand on a set! Lol...but a great review. Thanks, Randall!
Or if you're unemployed broke and homeless like me and want open back headphones get yourself a HE-X4 for $99. With a bit of EQ in the right places you can get it sounding quite well.
WHAT COFFEE does Randy drink? We always or nearly always are told to sit back and have a cup of coffee while enjoying the reviews. But as far as I know Randy has never revealed exactly what coffee is in his cup. Is it Maxwell House (a cheaply priced coffee, a fitting equivalent of cheap audio gear). Is he sipping Sith? Or is it something much more exotic? Coffee is very important to me and I won't settle for anything but the best. I drink Yauco Selecto; Puerto Rico's best coffee, and considered one of the finest coffees in the world. I have never had Kopi Luwak. It is made from partially digested cherry coffee beans excreted out the digestive tracts of an animal called a civet. It's around $100 a cup. Larry will drink it, (if someone gives him one, or on a bet whether he'll drink it). Now here are some phono cartridges that most people wouldn't use (unless someone gives them one), because of their high prices. They were all good cartridges in their day, but way high end; most in the $600 to the $3,000+ range. Many of these were dream cartridges, more often dreamed about than owned because of their high cost. All but a few are moving coil cartridges, known for their clarity, openness, depth imaging, speed and transparency. All except for one; which is not a legitimate phono cartridge model but an imposter! Can you you pick out the imposter model phono cartridge among the ones listed below? The rest are legitimate vintage cartridges, mostly from the 1980's to fairly recent. Argent Diamond Miyabi Ivory GAS Sleeping Beauty Sonus Blue/Gold Talisman Sapphire Shinon Red Garrett Brothers Indigo Maroon Transfiguration Temper Monster Cable Alpha 2 Kiseki Blue Van den Hul Grasshopper Sumiko Blackbird ANSWER: to what different music the famous Maxell tape commercial used in Great Britain. The commercial there used the classical piece A Night On Bald Mountain by Modest Mousorgski.
Randy if you are reviewing portable options... Perhaps a review of the qudelix 5k and fiio btr5 would be good options for your channel.. Low $ and high performance for their use cases. Ifi go blu is similar but more expensive. Fiio and Qudelix have more features and perhaps better use case but lesser build quality. The 5k has an awesome preset catalog for EQing.
I got my Focal Celestee for $500 used the Stellia pop up for $1750 (rare) and the ZMF Verite Closed can be had for $2k used. I would personally save for VC as they are the wordwork is art along with a wonderful warm sound. VC + Tubes = heaven.
they are overpriced and most likely closer to closed back perfection is verite closed, bought mine used with 2 headbands and 4 pairs of zmf pads for 2k...in perfect condition
@@cheapaudioman i gave it a shot. I am pretty happy with my Massdrop Hifiman HE 4xx connecting it to my LG V30. On thing is for sure, you are a real Master, Randy. Have a great day.
Randy… I always suspected that you were unusual, but now there is confirmation. With a stated distance between outstretched hands of 4 feet, you are either about 4 feet tall or you have very short arms for your height. There is, or coarse, a third possibility, but I will not elaborate.
@@cheapaudioman Yes, understood. Great review, no doubt about it. Maybe the mindset and reasoning could start from cheaper gear and then compare towards more expensive? For example, if you would start with the incredible Sennheiser HD 560S and compare that with this Meze; what would be the added values if you would spend the extra cash?
@@HiLoMusic I don't. The Meze Liric is not only extremely expensive but it measures worse than literal 20 dollar headphones I have. My statement isn't based on any bandwagon and really, the bandwagon seems to be in Meze's favor, not in mine.
Coffee with an 2k headphone??? I think Champagne ist necessary in the mug. So the highs are higher, the lows are lower. I expect for the future with products above 1k a black jacket and a nice tie arround mr. cheapaudioman
Meze Liric shop-links.co/cgJ5OWpxlIj
--AKG K361amzn.to/3HJTAxO
WIIM Mini Streamer amzn.to/3tuRU6l
----Dan Clark Aeon X Closed Dan Clark X Closed massdrop.7eer.net/QObGqa
----Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF
-----Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt
-------Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH
--------amzn.to/3GkNaop
----CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K
----apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P
---massdrop.7eer.net/qnOye5
-----Amazon Unlimited Music and Disney Plus Free Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9
-------www.patreon.com/cheapaudioman
2k would be some nice upgrades to my system if I had it.
@cheapaudioman it's magnesium and aluminum not plastic :)
you can see the skeleton on the website.
love the precision measuring of the cables. it's this type of detail that keeps me coming back for more.
I don't blame you. I try to go the extra mile.
@@cheapaudioman or eight feet, as it were 😆
Randy Thank You for mentioning more affordable alternatives! Not all reviewers do that. Much appreciated.
Of course G
Randy it might be possible that you have mistaken magnesium for plastic. Due to the low density of magnesium it is easy to mistake it for plastic. The best way to tell the difference without taking it apart is, magnesium feels cold at room temperature or significantly colder than plastic.
I’ll have to check it again
@@cheapaudioman It's magnesium.
The shell is definitely magnesium
It’s same material which Canon and Nikon use in its camera. It’s perfect for cups. There is no plastic at all. I have Lyic for month and shocked with it. It’s insane.
i LOVE how they look. the design is stunning, my heart)))
My man loves Nina Simone, my dad had a few of her albums. I listened to them in high school. I was impressed he recommended them.
I think it's important if you are reviewing cheap gear to listen to expensive gear to judge what cheap items match up the best with the higher cost. Gotta know which cheap item is best bang for your buck... and also good to do these reviews so everyone knows your opinion of the high end gear to know where you're coming from... ppl will complain if their ice cream is too cold so oh well lol. Great vid!
The ear pads on the Liric are part of how they deliver the music. There is a hollow channel in the pad. It is why they are glued on. They are not a reference headphone, but lots of detail and are a real enjoyable listen.
glad I didn't pull the pads off then
@@cheapaudioman they are coming out with a kit later for people to be able to replace them when they wear out.
Sometimes you're just too darn silly 🤣. LOVE IT.... you and The Recovering Audiophile (AND his wife, I might add!) have brought FUN back into the hobby.
Randy. Thank you for supporting Andrew
I'm pretty sure that "plastic" is actually magnesium... I am betting the leather on the cups is actually leather too.
Randy, you read my mind. Was going to suggest a change to "The Sometimes Not So chepaudioman". LOL
Even though the headphones cost $2,000, most people have probably spent about that much on headphones, going through the upgrade process from one to another. I am not even a headphone connoisseur, even though I like headphones, and I have bought well more than a dozen (serious) headphones over the many years. If you add up all the money you've spent on getting a noticeable improvement, step by step, you could have owned a state of the art headphone for that amount of expenditure. The lesson, is probably to save up for something really nice, instead of upgrading in small increments. You'll actually save money in the long run.
A lot of higher end cable companies are making headphone cables. There's a guy somewhere who has a headphone for sale used, which usually goes for a little over $200 used, but he's asking about double the price because it has a $300 after market headphone cable that goes with it that he bought. It's been on quite a while without selling. Could it be that most headphone users are not cable improvement believers? Or believers in $300 headphone cables? Is a $300 headphone cable the equal of a $1,000 speaker cable? If its isn't, it should be, in that the length and thickness of the cabled is less and unlike stereo speaker cables, which require 2 cables, it only requires one that is split at the top. A lot of headphones have the 1/8 inch jack and your have to go to Best Buy or somewhere to buy a 1/4 inch adapter. So far, I have not seen any adapters with silly prices. But eventually some will come along I'm sure. Maybe from one of those companies that make $200 audiophile fuses or something. Maybe even Sith Audio. At least so far it seems that upgrading headphone cables have not gotten crazy like the expensive speaker cable and interconnect faze that's going on. I have bought very expensive interconnects and speaker cables in the past; which I'm happy with. But one cheap cable that equals them or bests them, would change me from an advocate to a dissenter concerning expensive cables.
When buying anything audio that's expensive, including software like special pressing audiophile lp's, one should always ask, just how important and how much more enjoyment am I going to get out of this? Also, how often am I going to play it? I'm sure there are people who've bought $5,000 speakers and have played them less than 100 times, before getting rid of them. Were they worth over $50 a listen? As far as headphones, just how much difference can a cable make? Can it change a Hifiman 400 into sounding as good as a Hifiman Arya? If so, then the expensive $300 headphone cable is cheap. It all depends on how much of an
improvement is gained. Probably less than 1% of us are making the absolute best decisions. We are pretty much all in the dark concerning all the possible variables.
What is the connection between the vintage JBL 100 speaker, which was the subject of a previous question, and the Wagner classical composition from the 1800s; Ride Of The Valkyries? Another toughie.
Headphone cables don't matter (see Crinacle)
Very, very little. Headphones are higher impedance than speakers and are single drivers without a crossover network. The damping factor/output impedance of your headphone amp would make a world of a difference more than any cable would make. And headphone amps aren't even required, they just help get the last bit out of the driver. The only bad cable I've heard was one that was broken without a ground reference, meaning I was effectively hearing the center channel subtracted.
Cables could make a difference.. if many things go wrong at one time. Badly designed amps can break into oscillation, badly designed crossovers might give a very unequal impedance load, and so on. Active (Analogue or DSP) speakers or headphones are the ideal condition for reproducing sound properly. Look at pro audio or studio gear that moved on from 70's era technology. They have proper 40 Amp speaker wire connectors for 1/2/3 way speakers, shielded balanced and locking XLR signal cables, and chunky ¼" jacks that are rated for millions of connections since they originated from telephone exchanges.
I'm working on my own analogue active speakers, using opamps and class AB 20w amplifier chips, and XLR for speaker connections. I made my own class A tube amp for home use, and it's okay, but tubes don't seem to do much for your the audio besides look cool. Unless they're pushed really hard into crazy distortion figures like they were in most radios in the day, back when they rated their power output at 10% THD.
Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but if anyone is looking, Hart Audio will do a cable with long 3.5mm connectors for the 99 Classic. Just make sure you note that the cable is for the 99’s.
Great job, the video quality is amazing
The LIric's are the best closed back's you can buy. The Style, the comfort, the sound.......there is nothing better, currently offered..
haha not really maybe for your taste it is, verite closed & stellia are far superior
@@soulfulfool they're also 1k more - and not 'far' superior, let's be honest
@@HiLoMusic on used market it doesnt matter, prices are not that much different at least where I live
$2000 headphones or $10 headphones. Randy, I'm so proud of the fact that you have worked so hard to get to this point where you are offered higher dollar gear to review.
For me, I am looking forward to your continued reviews of truly affordable sub $200 gear. Thanks again for your efforts!
If you looking for subwoofer for that price check monoprice they have 10",12",15"
I do love AKG headphones. So much width in the soundstage. Excellent with movies, and salads.
I like them with salads too. Kale mostly
How do these compare to the Sennheiser HD820? And doesn't Focal have closed back cans in this price range, too?
It's important to look closely at items from all price points in order to gain a sense of perspective and apply that to the budget gear you mostly feature.
I'm sure someone mentioned this but no plastic on housing and hardware, it is magnesium.
Watched this to see what the alternatives were. You didn’t disappoint. Keep up the good work.
FWIW, I have the AKG 361 and although I really like them, I’m looking to take a step up. When I got a Geshelli amp, it took the AKGs to the next level. Now, I want to see what stepping up the headphones will do.
Love the channel so much I'm gonna send you my Wilson audio Wamm speakers for review. I think it"s the best deal in audio.
Answer to what is the connection between the vintage JBL 100 speaker and the 1800s composition Ride Of The Valkyries by Wagner. Think 1983, the compact disc was here, but $1200 for those early cd players! You might have wondered and said to yourself "Are these things ever going to be incorporated into new automobiles, and will new car prices be more expensive?" "At least we have our trusty cassettes until and if that day comes." Maxell tape did a TV commercial that became one of the most famous audio commercials of all time. A guy in a brown leather jacket with a scarf is slumped back in a chair. His butler comes over to him with white gloves on and puts a Maxwell cassette up to his face and asks "The usual sir?" The butler them puts the tape into the player and through the JBL 100 speaker comes the opening chords of Wagners Ride Of The Valkyries. The sound blasting from the speakers is so loud that it flaps the seated guys pants, blows both his scarf and a lamp shade backward, along with his drink which he catches just in time before the sound blows it off the edge of a table. Another fun aspect of the commercial is that the long haired hippie looking guy in the chair wearing sunglasses hardly looked the classical music type. They played the TV commercial during shows with younger viewers like SNL. They did the commercial in the U.K. also, but used a different piece of music coming out of the JBL 100 speakers. For the non-jet setters, what music do you think it was?
Clue: No glare time. The Rock and Rickles.
The best alternative would be mrspeakers aeon noire.
I wanna see a comparison with this to the denon ah-d9200.
I can’t imagine spending that much on headphones. I am happy with my Drop 6XX and Qudelix 5k DAC amp. I prefer to spend that on my stereo.
I can't imagine spending money on 6XX and Qudelix 5k DAC amp. I prefer free earbuds that come together with phone and spend that money on travel.
@@Draxlar traveling is great and these headphones have not stop me from doing that.
@@Feliciano12v Yes, but instead of "spending so much money" on Lirics or your headphones, you could do anything else, like travel.
I don't think any of it is made of plastic. I thought the parts that are light are made of magnesium
You mentioned the Dan Clark RT, would the AEON 2 Noire get close to the performance of the Meze? It's half the cost of the Meze.
on used market for 2k you can buy better headphones
No. Aeon 2 noir is significantly inferior to lyric. I checked.
Another great review Randy. I’m loving my SMSL s 9n thanks to your review. The frame is magnesium, but $2000 is A LOT of money. You can buy a great fridge for that.
fridge haha or used car
@@soulfulfool good espresso machine. All that said you don’t have to worry about how your listening room impacts your sound, so a great headphone may be a wise investment.
@@Kbaum752 yes I have great headphones xD my car is actually cheaper lol
Nearly cut you off right away.
Very glad I didn't.
Another top-drawer review.
Concise, humorous, and personal.
A question, if you please... you mentioned that they were closed-back 'phones, and gave me the impression you preferred open-back units. As someone with a significant hearing loss, assuming that I heard that correctly, I wonder if you could flesh that out a little.
Do open-backed 'phones sound better? Is that something that has eluded me for 40+ years?
Thanks in advance Randy, don't ever change, and please carry on!
Hey a great thx for the review :D I am curious about the comparison with the focal elegia :o
I actually sold those. The Focal's had a lot of depth in their sound but to me they were a little too flat
Don't you dare say i must buy those, LOL... Oh well you sold them. Going to order them hehe.
Randy, funny I had thought shortly after you reviewed the High Priced Spread Meze that you should give the Liric's a d go, lol love the scream. And now that you mention the AKG's maybe run them through the Cayin R-2R Dac and give us a thought.
Their not made of plastic bruh their made of magnesium and steel 😕
way to go helping a fellow audio youtuber . urdaman God Bless
I think the Meze Neo might be the most underrated thing Meze makes. I have a Stellia and I have an Aeon Noire. I legitimately love both for different reasons, but I still find a reason to use the Neo. Sometimes my brain doesn't want all the detail, sometimes I just want to vibe out effortlessly to the music. The 6XX and Meze Neo have been the two best headphones for that sort of experience. Would love to see you review the ZMF line as well Randy, they're not cheap, but they're a value compared to current flagship costs.
you never heard verite closed I guess, its combination of pleasure and detail, they can make your other headphones gone in the past :)
@@soulfulfool I'm happy with an Eikon and an Auteur Classic. I'm sure I'd be happy with a Verite or Atrium as well. I moved on from my more resolving headphones in the Stellia and Arya, my music library just doesn't hold up to microscopes.
@@dasninjastix I still have Arya and Clear but VC is my fav. Next year Atrium should be mine maybe replacing Arya or Clear as well
So there will be no more meze as renaro was based in Ukraine? Right? Hopefully their factory isn't damaged 😭
Hi, I'm a little curious, would you actually say that the Dan Clark Aeon X Closed generally sound better than the Hifiman Edition XS? Both are on a par in terms of price.
Did you ever compare the 2?
its magnesium
I think it's cool that you got a chance to listen to a pair of two thousand dollar headphones. Yeah they are way out of my budget, but I'd test drive them if given the chance. I like AKG's, they don't break the bank and they hold thier own. Great review. Can wait till you get to the Parasound. Have a good weekend!
We gotta figure out how to get you some ZMF headphones.
Magnesium not plastic.
Forget headphone increments, go leaps with 250$ cayin 6u with your phone. It fing rivals my 3k desk rig.
I'm just not a headphone guy...I've got a set of Tascams that I use occasionally, but I just enjoy speakers so much more. Can't imagine spending 2 grand on a set! Lol...but a great review. Thanks, Randall!
Plastic:-) It is magnesium…
I found these particular headphones to pair really well with cocaine 👍🏻
2 Grand mate ❓ I'll stick with my cheapo AKGs 💯 love your videos ... 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Yeah. I mention them In the video
@@cheapaudioman bang for buck AKGs kick ass . It's great when you take time interacting with the comments . 🖖
Or if you're unemployed broke and homeless like me and want open back headphones get yourself a HE-X4 for $99. With a bit of EQ in the right places you can get it sounding quite well.
WHAT COFFEE does Randy drink? We always or nearly always are told to sit back and have a cup of coffee while enjoying the reviews. But as far as I know Randy has never revealed exactly what coffee is in his cup. Is it Maxwell House (a cheaply priced coffee, a fitting equivalent of cheap audio gear). Is he sipping Sith? Or is it something much more exotic? Coffee is very important to me and I won't settle for anything but the best. I drink Yauco Selecto; Puerto Rico's best coffee, and considered one of the finest coffees in the world. I have never had Kopi Luwak. It is made from partially digested cherry coffee beans excreted out the digestive tracts of an animal called a civet. It's around $100 a cup. Larry will drink it, (if someone gives him one, or on a bet whether he'll drink it).
Now here are some phono cartridges that most people wouldn't use (unless someone gives them one), because of their high prices. They were all good cartridges in their day, but way high end; most in the $600 to the $3,000+ range. Many of these were dream cartridges, more often dreamed about than owned because of their high cost. All but a few are moving coil cartridges, known for their clarity, openness, depth imaging, speed and transparency. All except for one; which is not a legitimate phono cartridge model but an imposter! Can you you pick out the imposter model phono cartridge among the ones listed below? The rest are legitimate vintage cartridges, mostly from the 1980's to fairly recent.
Argent Diamond
Miyabi Ivory
GAS Sleeping Beauty
Sonus Blue/Gold
Talisman Sapphire
Shinon Red
Garrett Brothers Indigo Maroon
Transfiguration Temper
Monster Cable Alpha 2
Kiseki Blue
Van den Hul Grasshopper
Sumiko Blackbird
ANSWER: to what different music the famous Maxell tape commercial used in Great Britain. The commercial there used the classical piece A Night On Bald Mountain by Modest Mousorgski.
How come everybody else (almost) don't like it?
Randy if you are reviewing portable options... Perhaps a review of the qudelix 5k and fiio btr5 would be good options for your channel.. Low $ and high performance for their use cases. Ifi go blu is similar but more expensive. Fiio and Qudelix have more features and perhaps better use case but lesser build quality. The 5k has an awesome preset catalog for EQing.
Cheap audio?!
I got my Focal Celestee for $500 used the Stellia pop up for $1750 (rare) and the ZMF Verite Closed can be had for $2k used. I would personally save for VC as they are the wordwork is art along with a wonderful warm sound. VC + Tubes = heaven.
audeze lcd xc is another solid closed back used for the $ but you must eq those.
XC has no soundstage compare to Lyric
4xradiotehcnia s-90speakers+old piooneer somethink amp, you got very ponchy bass, maybe some acdc or even motörhead.. Trust me.. 🤣🤣🤣
2k, no thanks!
Ask for more salary bro😅
2K isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
Life is to short to safe only 2k😅
they are overpriced and most likely closer to closed back perfection is verite closed, bought mine used with 2 headbands and 4 pairs of zmf pads for 2k...in perfect condition
As soon as you said a 2k dollar....I was out
you should have watched to the end. there were alternatives
@@cheapaudioman i gave it a shot. I am pretty happy with my Massdrop Hifiman HE 4xx connecting it to my LG V30. On thing is for sure, you are a real Master, Randy. Have a great day.
It would a TH-cam channel called "Priceyaudioman" 😂🤣
Every time...
Randy, I'm disappointed. And you know I love you, but....if you're gonna put in a scream, it should really be a Wilhelm scream. Just saying. 😘
Cheap is a relative term….
Randy… I always suspected that you were unusual, but now there is confirmation. With a stated distance between outstretched hands of 4 feet, you are either about 4 feet tall or you have very short arms for your height. There is, or coarse, a third possibility, but I will not elaborate.
They didnt stretch my 6’ 1” wing span. Hence the 4’ comment. Maybe they’re 5’. They ain’t 6’ 1” though
2k cans....nah i'll pass...
I offered 2 alternatives.
The Cheap Audio Man????? No so much. Very misleading!
Magnesium, not plastic, at least put 5 minutes into research before making a video. “Plastic” on meze, no
Are they worth 2000 dollars?.. "eeeeeeh".. "eeeeeh".. Aka.. No.. Hell no.
2k what a shame I could see 1k. Niche marketing for the Meze fan. Let me try a Meze 99 first.
What value for money they are not, I bet you can still hear the wife . .
far too expensive
I mentioned a few alternatives that would fit into most people's budget
@@cheapaudioman Yes, understood. Great review, no doubt about it. Maybe the mindset and reasoning could start from cheaper gear and then compare towards more expensive? For example, if you would start with the incredible Sennheiser HD 560S and compare that with this Meze; what would be the added values if you would spend the extra cash?
vegan leather... disintegrates in a year and a half... and then you end up with cracked plastic over your ears...
Ah, another Meze shill who doesn't get audio quality.
I have a sneaking suspicion you know even less lmao
@@HiLoMusic Nah
@@camelpuncher95 the way you blindly hate on Meze because of some bullshit bandwagon says otherwise
@@HiLoMusic I don't. The Meze Liric is not only extremely expensive but it measures worse than literal 20 dollar headphones I have. My statement isn't based on any bandwagon and really, the bandwagon seems to be in Meze's favor, not in mine.
poor beggar and envious
Coffee with an 2k headphone??? I think Champagne ist necessary in the mug. So the highs are higher, the lows are lower. I expect for the future with products above 1k a black jacket and a nice tie arround mr. cheapaudioman
😂❤️😂❤️