I've been waiting for the Evercade for quite a while and it's FINALLY here! 

It's pretty darn close to what I expected. The Evercade is a value-oriented product, so there are a number of compromises necessary to hit that low-cost sweet-spot. What really matters though is if it scratches that nostalgic itch and does a decent job of presenting the games, especially to those who may have never played them before. Get a low-down below of where Evercade really hits the mark and where it falls a little short:

The Evercade console in white

What's great:

• Huge selection of cartridges right out the door (10 available, 4 coming in Q3)
• The console has a decent weight to it and the build quality is solid. There’s no quality concerns like with generic consoles from China like the SupaBoy (e.g. hair or dirt behind screen, smudges in finish, etc.)
• The buttons have a great feel and response. The response similar to an Xbox controller, which is high praise.
• The L+R buttons have a little less weight but make a satisfying clicky sound
• The cartridges are a good size, maybe around the size of a Game Gear game (not tiny and easy to lose like the Switch)
• Easy-to-access menu during gameplay
• Nice looking, quality boxes for the cartridges and color manuals
• Rechargeable battery
• HDMI output
• Low priced games and system. The system is about $100 with three cartridges, and the cartridges are $20 each. The system with all ten games is $200.

Love the cartridge cases!

What could be better:

• Cartridge fit is fairly tight… not on the contacts, but the left and right sides are lacking adequate clearance.
• D-pad feels a little mushy, about what you’d expect from a 3^rdparty value controller
• Screen angle viewing isn’t great, but you’re going to be head on playing this thing so not a big deal
• Screen could be a little larger
• There seems to be only one save state per cartridge, vs. one per game
• Sound quality isn’t the greatest. Granted these are 8 and 16 bit tunes, but they can still sound better with a little more wattage and a larger driver.
• A number of the games are two-player, but I don’t think there’s a way to link up two of these puppies.

That cartridge fit is tight!

Overall I think the Evercade is a really nice gesture to the retro gaming community. It’s a solid product with a price-point that’s accessible to many and already has great support from developers. The whole premise reminds me a bit of the NEO GEO X Gold, which was a nostalgic system released mostly for collectors where games were sold separately via cartridge. While I love SNK and the Neo Geo, I think the Evercade has more going for it than the X Gold with access to a variety of publishers. 

The real litmus test is in the games, and Evercade already has 10 titles available at launch (very impressive) and 4 more which will be releasing in Q3. Not only are there classic games, but new titles like Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood are being released. I’d really like to see it succeed so we can have even more newly released games and more classic collections to check out. I think the unit’s success in the market will be dependent on gaining more buy-in from devs so there are more carts available to consumers.

The storage case is a nice option

What could Evercade do to make a very solid release even better?

• Allow a save state for each game and enable two player via a firmware update.
• Offer a premium stand-alone console later down the line that addresses the compromises (screen, d-pad, speakers, maybe include a bigger battery) and sell for $199-$249. Collectors aren’t as price sensitive as normal consumers.

Currently available cartridges

• Atari Collection 1 (with 20 games)
• Namco Museum 1 (with 11 games)
• Data East Collection 1 (with 10 games)
• Interplay Collection 1 (with 6 games) 
• Atari Collection 2 (with 20 games)
• Namco Museum 2 (with 11 games)
• Interplay Collection 2 (with 6 games)
• Mega Cat Studios Collection 1 (with 10 games)
• Piko Interactive Collection 1 (with 20 games)
• Technos Collection 1 (with 8 games)

Now, to the unmodified and your modification versions of the Avantone Pro MP1 headphones. Both have Brainwavz XL Round Hybrid earpads. The unbalanced version has a Trebuchet cable. The balanced version has a Ballista cable. They are both driven, not at the same time, from the headphone outputs on the front panel of the Soekris dac1541. Source is a Nuprime CDT-10, output set to 192kHz sample rate, AES/EBU connected to the DAC. Good results began after 15 hours of operation; my observations here are at the 25-hour mark.

As much as I liked the unbalanced version, the balanced version has more of the good stuff: crispness, bass extension, expansiveness, body, blacker background. Surprisingly, this results in a less dry and less analytical presentation than the unbalanced version. This balanced version is easier to listen to for longer sessions. I did try line level balanced output from the Soekris into an XDuoo TA-20 amplifier. [FYI, for this amplifier, balanced in and out is noise free. Any unbalanced, in and/or out, is too noisy for me.] This was not as good a combination. The Avantone headphones, probably because of their very low impedance [16 ohms] and very high sensitivity [113 dB] need the stability and the low noise of solid-state amplification. All in all, a worthwhile and satisfying result.

The Pioneer SE-700 were the company’s flagship headphones released back in 1974. The driver is an unusual piezo-electric type. I am personally not aware of any other headphone manufacturer that offered this type of driver, but feel free to share in the comments if you know of one. The SE-700, SE-500 and SE-300 all use a similar element. 

An old advert for the SE-700 touting their specs

I’d describe the sound as airy, crisp, and similar to an electrostat with a detail emphasis. Bass quantity is very low, which I believe is typical of this type of driver. The simple metal frame and gimbals look rather elegant, and the overall unit is pretty light. The way it rests on the head is slightly odd compared to modern headphones, but it’s still very usable.

The piezo-electric driver is a very thin piece of metal foil with a frame going around the perimeter, with the positive and negative connections at the bottom. It is covered with bright yellow foam resembling a dish sponge. It is also quite delicate, so even opening the headphone can damage the driver. The unit is sealed shut with rubber cement or a similar adhesive so it must be opened very slowly and carefully to access the inside. 

An image from the user's manual circa 1974

If you’re looking to purchase one of these you can keep an eye out on Reverb, eBay or similar platforms. Price for a good example will generally be between $80 and $150. You’ll probably want to replace the wiring including the 3-meter cloth-covered cable, and the vinyl headband and ear pads which will likely be flaking.

My client Steve who sent me the headphones had already replaced the pads and requested the inner wiring be replaced. The existing wiring contacts had been twisted together and covered with heatshrink (see above image), which seemed like an odd manufacturing choice and not an ideal connection. Running single strands from the connection would sound better. You’ll note both sides of the headphone below after the cabling was replaced.

The headphone was reassembled using 3M double-sided tape so it can be more easily opened if needed. Steve will be crafting a calfskin headband for the unit as a replacement for the original vinyl headband, which I feel is the only visual let-down. It appears EricJ from HeadFi created an excellent tutorial back in 2007 on creating a replacement headband which you can find here. Below you'll see the refurbished/modded unit.  

I hope you enjoyed this post on one of the more interesting vintage headphones out there. If you have a headphone that needs a cable upgrade please be sure to visit Zynsonix.com. 

Disclosure: Please remember that using a soldering iron and/or modifying headphones can be dangerous to you and/or your surroundings and should only be performed by a certified technician. The owner of this blog and all associated parties can not / will not be held responsible if you attempt a modification posted above and cause physical harm to yourself or your surroundings. 

Here are a few video reviews of Zynsonix headphone cables from AB's Sound Advice AZ/AU. You get to enjoy a brief review and Ashley's nice New Zealand accent all at once. These videos are also a great way to check out the different sleeving options to see which you prefer. 

Ballista custom headphone cable for Denon headphones featuring denim remix sleeving and balanced 4 pin XLR

Ballista custom headphone cable for Sony MDR-Z7 headphones featuring soft black nylon sleeving and balanced 4 pin XLR

Ballista custom headphone cable for Klipsch HP-3 headphones featuring Viablue sleeving and balanced 4 pin XLR

Be sure to check out AB's Sound Advice Channel for more great reviews on audio gear. 

A few years ago I made a headphone switchbox. It was popular enough that I added it for sale on Zynsonix. It uses a standard Hammond chassis which is made in Canada. There have been people looking for a more compact version. Unfortunately Hammond doesn't make a super compact extruded chassis from this line, however a fellow over at HeadFi, ScornDefeat, was able to find a smaller chassis that fits everything (just barely). I believe it's the same chassis as the Objective 2 headphone amp. The size is 3.15" x 5.25" x 1.37" / 80 x 134 x 35mm (LWH) and it comes in anodized black, silver, or blue. 

Rather than Electroswitch in the previous build, the similar 3 pole Lorin CK-1460 is used, and rather than the flashier Neutrik NMJ6HC-S with silver hexagon design, the plain black NMJ3HF-S is used. These are all about the same size so should be interchangeable. 

The knob is a 1/4" Kilo machined aluminum knob. I prefer the selector on the right as it's a little more natural to use the right hand to switch outputs. 

One oddity to note is the chassis that came from Amazon had tapered head silver screws and the chassis screw holes needed to be threaded (Hammond chassis comes pre-threaded). 

If you'd like to build one of these yourself, it shouldn't take longer than 2-3 hours. I recommend solid core 24 AWG wiring for headphone signal wiring inside of a chassis. 

If you'd like one of these built for you for your headphone switching needs, reach out to Zynsonix. 

In this post I’ll be building Paul Carmody’s Overnight Sensation DIY speakers from a kit. The Overnight Sensations are an extremely popular DIY bookshelf speaker for a few different reasons. One, cost; they are a mere $120-140 a pair at the time of this writing. Two, they sound great. It’s hard for me to recall hearing such dynamic sound from a diminutively sized form factor. Three, the build is super easy. If you have some basic tools and know how to solder, you’re all set. This post is going to be written for a beginner in mind, so if you are already experienced feel free to skip along.

There are three places I know of to get a kit. Partsexpress which includes the full kit with wood panel flatpack and accessories, MeniscusAudio which does not include the flatpack but comes with tweeters with screw-in frames, which I feel is preferable should one need to replace them down the line, and DIY Sound Group, which appears to have a similar kit to Partsexpress.

A typical Overnight Sensation kit

What will you need besides the kits? Each one is a little different, so pay attention to the parts list, but you will likely also need a set of binding posts, 5/8” black wood screws, sandpaper, wood glue, wood filler, and solder. Optionally, you will also want sealing caulk, polyfill or similar solution, and either paint or staining supplies depending on how you’d like to finish the speaker. Tools you will need include bar clamps (or trigger clamps), soldering iron, electric sander, and a power drill.

If you don’t already own clamps, they are going to be a bit of an investment. You ideally need 6 or so and they run about $15 each, so potentially check with a friend to borrow a set if that’s a problem. If you decide to buy a set, get a couple that are longer than you need as well so they’ll be around when you go to make a bigger speaker later 😉  

If you purchase a unit with a flat pack, the wood will be trimmed for easy assembly. You will simply add wood glue between the joints, clamp the enclosure together, and wipe away any excess wood glue with a wet paper towel. Ideally you will leave one side open so you can finalize the internals before sealing it up. Some people also prefer to only screw-in the rear panel with a few modifications, that way you can get in there later if need be. If you follow this route, be sure to find a good solution to seal the edges so only the port is allowing air out of the chamber. Some people also like to mount the crossovers outside so they can modify them later. If that floats your boat, the world is your oyster.

For my assembly, I found a set of crossover PCBs on eBay which I believe are made by DIYSoundGroup. They are very reasonable, and I highly recommend them as they make things so much faster and easier than drawing out the arrangement from the schematic, figuring out a good layout, gluing the parts in place and then wiring everything point to point. 

PCB Crossover for Overnight Sensations

Populated Crossover

That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going that way, and you have more freedom to use larger caps if desired. Some will also say point to point sounds better than going through PCB traces, but that subject is better left for squabbling on audio forums somewhere.   

For my build I chose to assemble the crossover first and mount the PCB on the bottom panel. The Dayton caps are solid and work perfectly well here. I prefer Mills wirewound over sandcast resistors, they're worth the extra if you can swing it, and I had a pair of surplus Mundorf capacitors for the 0.22uF position, but sticking with all Dayton caps is fine too. This is a budget build so you won't get too much yield from bumping up the parts quality. The interior of the other panels is adorned with Dynamat-like sheets for internal damping. There are plenty of brands out there at different price points, but try to get thicker ones for the purpose of adding mass. I personally like to use a staple gun to really keep the sheets on there. Not necessary, but low cost insurance they won't move. It’s important to not completely cover the panels as wood glue, then later caulk will be used to ensure all the corners of the cabinets are sealed. 

Once the panels are all prepped, then they can be glued and clamped. The low-cost Titebond wood glue in the red and clear bottle works well and is inexpensive. For clamps, generally I like to leave them on overnight while the wood glue completely dries, however with most brands you can disassemble after about a half hour or so, so long as you aren’t putting any pressure on the panels.

The more clamps the better!

I left off the front baffle so I could get my hands in for the removal of excess glue and caulking of the corners. The binding posts I’m using are Partsexpress’ gold heavy duty ones along with the nice-looking mounting plates. Normally I use Cardas copper billet posts however this is a more affordable build, so I wanted to keep it that way. Most binding posts are gold plated brass so will sound pretty similar; however, you don’t want anything flimsy that will fail overtime or loosen up inside as once the speaker is sealed. Once it is, you’ll have trouble getting back in there to fix anything.

Partsexpress Heavy Posts

Measure before drilling as the plate takes up some real-estate.

Also, while the speaker is still open, I ran wiring from the PCB to the areas where the drivers and binding posts will be. Again, it’s important to get the lengths and connections right as it will be difficult to access later. You don’t need thick wire as the lengths are going to be short so the resistance is minimal. I used 19 gauge for the tweeter and 16 gauge for the woofer and binding posts.

Wires running from the PCB

Note placement of damping sheets

When everything is ready inside, the front baffle can be glued and clamped in place. 

Once dry, now is a good time to sand where the panels meet to ensure the transitions are smooth. Start with rougher grade sandpaper (60-80 grit) and working your way up. Using finer than 100 grit can sometimes cause issues with this type of wood taking stain, so consult the kit manufacturer if you are staining the wood. There will be small gaps in some cases where the wood touches. This is fine and can be fixed by using wood filler. There are plenty of varieties out there like Elmer’s, Minwax, DAP, etc. and all work well, but if you are staining, you will want a stainable filler.

Sanded down after filler has been added to gaps

Given I hardly have time for personal projects these days, getting the finish done quickly is a major boon. I like to use a product called Duratex from Acry-tech. This is a paint that’s similar to truck bed liner and covers up any surface imperfections with a texture. It dries quickly (about 3 hours) and provides a durable finish. Two to three coats are all that is needed and there is no sanding required between coats. Because these speakers will be in my workroom, there isn’t much point in giving the speakers a museum grade finish, but the Duratex looks nice and is very serviceable. You can either buy Duratex from Partsexpress or directly. Custom colors are available direct, like this nice bright orange.     

Speakers with a few layers of orange Duratex coating

If you’d like to add internal fill, now is the time to do it. I used two handfuls of fluffed Acoustastuf per speaker. The drivers can now be soldered in and placed. The HiVi mid-drivers come with foam surrounds that stick in place, be sure to use these for a good seal. The tweeters will require a little bit of effort to do right and should be handled carefully. First, if any paint or stain ended up in the cavity for the tweeter, you may need to lightly sand to ensure clearance as the fit is very tight. The tweeters do not include a foam surround so a very thin layer of caulk should be placed between them and the wood cabinet to create a seal. On the back the binding posts can be soldered and the plate can be drilled in place.

Drivers soldered in place

At the end of the day, there are plenty of great sounding speaker kits out there, and many will sound better than the Overnight Sensations, however I think the price-to-performance ratio and ease of the build makes them a tremendous introduction to first time speaker builders who are looking to get their feet wet in the space. If you’re looking to add some handmade speaker cables, try out some silver-plated PTFE surplus wire, it’s a nice value. 

As always, thanks very much for checking out the blog. If you are looking for custom audio cables, headphone cables, and line or headphone switchers, please check out Zynsonix.com. Until next time!

This is a review of the headphone output of the Emotiva BasX A-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier. If you’re not familiar, Emotiva makes some great audio products at incredibly attractive price-points. They offer a host of speakers, headphones, amplifiers, processors, and other gear. I have owned their portable DACs which are a tremendous value; I ended up parting ways for lack of need. They were quite good sounding though and offered a robust build quality. I currently have some of their power equipment which is also well built. If I were a home theater afficionado, I’d likely have even more of their gear.

Emotiva has a value-oriented 2 channel amp called the BasX A-100. Normally it is a speaker amp providing 50 watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 80 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms, which is plenty for most setups. What is also pleasing for those with limited in-house real-estate is that the unit is half width, so 8-1/2” wide x 3.125” high x 15” deep. That saves half of your shelf for another piece of equipment/some headphones or something else.

Perhaps what is most interesting about the A-100 is that it can be used as a high-powered headphone amp. Granted, very few people would need this capability, but it is there. The unit does need to be internally jumpered for this operation as it is unsafe for standard headphones. The output is:

8 Ohms:  50 watts / channel
33 Ohms:  12 watts / channel
47 Ohms:  8.5 watts / channel
150 Ohms:  2.6 watts / channel
300 Ohms:  1.3 watts / channel
600 Ohms:  0.6 watts / channel

So, what headphone owners would be interested in this feature? Owners of low-sensitivity headphones like the HiFiMan Susvara, HiFiMan HE-6 or HE-6se, the HEDDPhones, the Abyss AB-1266, and others.

Normally I use an external box with some high quality resistors to convert a speaker amp’s output for headphones (it has some protections built in for amps with output transformers) but given the low cost of the A-100, it was a no-brainer to at least try it out.

Starting with the good news, the A-100 produced plenty of usable volume with the HE-6se and drove them with spades. There are some caveats though. The first, I noticed the amp takes a bit of time to warm up. When listening immediately, the midrange wasn’t well defined. After 10-15 minutes this seems to go away. Second, I found the sound to be fairly cool/bright and slightly lacking on the low end. This isn’t a big deal if you don’t mind EQing. I found reducing the upper midrange and increasing the low range to help make the sound more agreeable for my personal preferences. If you are listening from a computer, you can use the free program PEACE to make adjustments, if not, you can pick up something like the JDS Labs Subjective3 or the Schiit Loki. Neither of these offer an ideal level of control to get the A-100 exactly right (for me), but they are well made and get the job done affordably.

Running the HifiMan HE-6se with the Emotiva A-100

It seems that perhaps the weakest link of the A-100 is its potentiometer (volume control). Early into turning it, there was very noticeable channel imbalance. This seemed to subside quickly as the volume rose; however, it is important to note. A good potentiometer can be costly, so this was likely a price point issue. Given an Alps Blue Velvet (RK27), a frequently used entry-level potentiometer for audio, is around $12 per piece in bulk, it would be very hard to implement at this price level.

You get a lot for your money in terms of parts and build

Overall, the Emotiva BasX A-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier is impressive at its price point given the heft, solid and attractive build, and ability to send 50 WPC to a pair of headphones. Also the internal rectified power supply (no wall wart) is typically reserved for more expensive gear. If you were in the position to have purchased some HiFiMan HE-6 or HE-6se and had very little left over for a suitable amp, this is probably the only game in town, aside from potentially the balanced output of the Schiit Magnius which I haven’t yet tested.

If you were only interested in powering speakers and don’t mind purchasing used gear, you might want to cross-shop an older receiver from a reputable brand like Yamaha, Onkyo, Outlaw, or Denon. If you are DIY-minded, a chip amp like Akitika is a good route to investigate for speakers.   

If you are trying to power low-sensitivity headphones via a speaker amplifier, please check out the CBOX at Zynsonix.com. It provides a safe consistent load for your amplifier while delivering the juice your headphones need. 

Today's post is a guest post from my bud Ryan Price and covers the MOD Rock Bottom Pedal. Ryan's been getting his feet wet in the DIY audio scene and doesn't shy away from some classic point-to-point wiring.

Please excuse the possible lack of common decorum for a post.  This is my first one and it’s a learning process.  I picked up a DIY guitar pedal build kit by MOD from Amplified parts.  I chose the Rock Bottom pedal for a few reasons.  First is I wanted an analog Fuzz.  Second is the extended low end so I can use it with both bass and guitar.  the “3” rating seemed like a challenge for a pedal build novice with some soldering experience.  Considering that I have plenty of time to kill as I’m currently recovering from a recent heart transplant, I went for it even if it was gonna be just outside my skill set so far.  I was able to finish it over the course of about 4-6 hours over a few nights. 

The Pedal Kit

Now for the breakdown.  The MOD kit comes with everything you need minus tools and solder.  I used a Hakko 888D soldering iron but for this application most would suffice I believe.  Hand tools I used were a MusicNomad guitar multitool, strippers, dikes, hemostats, and some modified pliers.  I put a bit of shrink tube around the jaws so as not to damage wire and components.  While the kit comes with everything you need the wire is not easy to work with if you don’t have a solder pot.  I own one but did not have access to it at the time of the build.  I substituted the wire with some I had left over from a previous project.  Its if a smaller gauge but of much higher quality.  That’s the only substitution I made. 

Tools of the Trade

The build is rather straightforward.  Starting with terminal strips, switches, and connectors.  The layout is very straight forward and with some planning can be a super clean build.  

Classic Turret Strips

Next they have you measure out the wire.  As I followed the directions closely up to this point I found the lengths a bit on the long side (editors note: you can make the wires shorter depending on your OCD level). But I can see why as its easy to trim to size.  Not so easy to add length!  Now I got ahead of myself and terminated both ends of the runs as I was building.  For my next build I plan to take things a bit slower.  Before terminating any connection I will dry fit all components, bend and run, then get a plan of how to go forward.  The directions are decent there are a few times you run into overlapping components. 

Wired Up

Component layout is definitely the most difficult part of the build and you should take your time.  Plan ahead and follow the directions.  That will make this build a breeze.  Don’t get ahead of yourself and begin terminating at a whim like I did as you will regret it.  It will also take more time than doing a layout before assembly.  Trust me on that one!  

All Parts Installed

Once I fixed all my errors (there were many) it came together nicely. Powered right up and gave me sweet, sweet two transistor Fuzz! This pedal is a massive bang for your buck win. I can recommend it 100% to all but the most novice of DIY people. I can’t wait to build another MOD pedal in the near future. Amplified Parts has a great selection of all related components and tools (Editors note: if you're a knob snob they have a nice selection). As well as super solid shipping. I can’t recommend them enough.

Finished Up

So if you’re got some soldering skills, desire to DIY, and a few hours I say go for it!  

I left the sticker off.  My wife is an artist and I’m going to have her paint and label the pedal!

(Editors note: we'll update the story when Ryan and his wife are all done.)

 

I wanted to show a few different solutions for headphone and speaker switchboxes for the HiFiMan Susvara headphones. Everyone knows these are basically the least sensitive headphones on the market so they need to be powered with a speaker amp to sound their best. Speaker amps weren't really made to power 60 ohm headphones, so it's nice to keep them happy with a load closer to what they were designed to output. Also, if you are using multiple amps or one amp for both headphone and speaker duty, it can be pretty annoying to have to get behind your equipment and swap the spades or bananas every time you need to switch. Thus the need for high quality switches that won't degrade the signal. 

First use case is a gentleman who likes very minimalist looking equipment, thus the limited printed letters on the front. He wanted to be able to use one amp and switch between his Susvaras and his speakers, so simple single switch operation. The headphone outputs are for low sensitivity (Susvaras or HE-6) and high sensitivity for regular headphones. 

This chassis has a 10mm front panel and 2mm for everything else so it has a nice weight to it. This is good for those of you with thick speaker cables. 10mm really has to be machined/milled, most panel mounted parts aren't compatible. In this case we milled so the 4 pin XLRs could be flush mount, and the switch needed some inletting from the back. On the back we have the splendid Cardas CCGS binding posts which are milled copper block covered in gold and rhodium. They're my personal favorite; pricey but you get what you pay for. It also has nice thick aluminum feet with ring dampers but they are hiding underneath. Inside is hand-sleeved high purity soft drawn silver. 

Next we have a slightly more budget oriented build that will allow the user to select one of two amps to either power a pair of speakers or the Susvara headphones. It also has a subwoofer output and an RCA is on the back so the user can ground the chassis to a grounding system if desired.

Engraved brass plates provide identification for the inputs/outputs and functions. This unit utilizes a set of EAR isolation feet.

This one isn't necessarily for a Susvara but it allows the user to select between 3 balanced headphone amps and 4 balanced headphones. It features nice Grayhill switches and hand-sleeved high purity soft-drawn silver. The knobs are milled aluminum. The 3 inputs are on the back of the unit. Remember to turn down the amplifiers before switching for two reasons, one tube amps need a load, and two, you could inadvertently switch to a higher sensitivity headphone and the high volume could harm it. 

I make a lot of these types of projects but these I found to be some of the more interesting ones. As always you can order a speaker amp to headphone converter that can switch between low and high sensitivity modes, and can switch between 4 pin and 1/4" outputs. This one has a speakON connector for use with a Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier. The Benchmark is a popular choice to use with the Susvaras.

If you are trying to power low-sensitivity headphones via a speaker amplifier, please check out the CBOX at Zynsonix.com. It provides a safe consistent load for your amplifier while delivering the juice your headphones need. 

High-end Custom Audiophile Headphone Cable for HiFiMan Susvaras

If you are looking for high-end audiophile wire, ultra pure ohno cast copper, aka UP-OCC, should be on your shortlist. The copper is drawn from much larger crystals so it has a much smoother and cleaner appearance under a microscope versus standard oxygen free copper with a more grainy texture. See below: 

For this post I'll be assembling a Zynsonix UP-OCS Centurian Octet headphone cable for the HiFiMan Susvaras, easily one of the best headphones on the market. The Susvara's are known to be very unsensitive so that's why the Octet formation is recommended to get the extra juice from your headphone amp or speaker amp to the headphones. 

At the start we will need to hand-braid the UP-OCS silver wire, this is a pair of litz quads which will be running in parallel. 

I like to give the cable a nice snug PTFE Teflon wrap to help reduce unwanted vibration and microphonics. 

And we can terminate the cable with some Cardas Quadeutectic solder, 3.5mm connectors and a Furutech rhodium plated 4 pin XLR for balanced audio. 

This is an extremely high performing audio cable that does the HiFiMan Susvaras justice. It's also relatively light despite the extra conductors thanks to the hand-braided UP-OCS. If you'd like to hear the best your Susvaras can sound, please check out the Zynsonix Imperial Legate. It can be terminated in any balanced or single-ended rhodium connection including 4 pin XLR, dual 3 pin XLR, 6.3mm TRS, 4.4mm TRRRS, 3.5mm TRS, 2.5mm TRRS, bananas/spades, or SpeakON connector for Benchmark AHB2.

I’ve been into HiFi audiophile headphones for a couple of decades now, and the hobby today is probably the biggest it’s ever been. While headphones were invented in the late 19^th century, those intended for musical reproduction got their start in the late 50s with the Koss Stereophone in 1958. Koss released numerous quality headphones for decades and remained very popular. In the early 90s, higher-end headphones were having a renaissance of sorts with Sennheiser making the groundbreaking HD580, Grado releasing their SR series, and Sony introducing stellar products like the CD3000. In the 2000s we had AKG release the K701s, Sennheiser the HD600s, Grado the metal-bodied SR-325s, and Beyerdynamic refreshing and marketing its DT series for recreational listening. Into the 2010s and the options have exploded far beyond belief with many more players in the game and brands accommodating many different tastes. One company that really stands out to me is Grado, a small family-run business operating out of New York. 

Grado (pronounced gray-doh) is what I’d consider a conservative business that hasn’t made many changes as the headphone sector has turned into a whirlwind of competition. If you look at the SR125 which was introduced in 1993, it looks nearly the same today, and I’d imagine it is still produced by hand the same way it was back then. There are the plastic grills with discs in the middle noting the model number, plastic gimbals and angled metal rods attaching them to the plastic rod-blocks marked “L” and “R” and looking inside you can see the driver and the wires running to it soldered by hand.

The Grado Hemp Headphones

If you haven’t heard a Grado before, they have a general house sound. That would be a little light in the lowest bass, fun punchy sub bass, neutral mids and crisp, forward high energy in the upper mids and highs. As you go up the line they become more resolving and refined (generally). New additions to the stable such as the limited Hemp release and the RS-1X which incorporates hemp in the wood body are voiced a little more warmly which makes them great for longer listening sessions free of fatigue. Just about anyone who’s listened to a Grado will tell you they are great for rock music as you can really feel the energy come through the music.  

So if you try to distill what makes a Grado a Grado and you remove all the intangible brand-equity that comes with a family business making hand-made goods, you’re going to be left with the fairly unique use of rudimentary gimbals with fixed rods that are inserted into rod-blocks which are held by the headband, along with 44-50 millimeter dynamic drivers in a smaller driver cup that doesn’t fully cover the ears. 

Unique engraving options

While once a curiosity, I was finally able to obtain a demo pair of Spirit Torino headphones for audition. The Super Leggera, which probably resemble Grados the most out of Andrea’s offerings, are nearly all metal, from the cups, the rod-blocks, the rods, the driver grill, etc. The cups are partially anodized and have been CNC engraved. There is a generously sized suede headband with visible stitching and the pads protrude out the way a Grado G cushion would. The pads however are fenestrated suede which are probably about the size of Beyerdynamic DT series pads and look like an offering from Dekoni. The rod-blocks utilize two Allen screws, one holding the headband, and the other allowing you to set the position of the rod more permanently. The second feature is especially important given the weight of the cups, and something that would be welcome on Grado’s larger metal cupped models.

The Spirit Torino with luxurious suede headband and handy locking screws

These features, along with the weight, come together to give a sense of quality / luxury. Another welcome feature is a removable cable, a feature that really makes far too much sense not to include. Everyone is using different single ended or balanced connectors, everyone has a different space between them and their gear, and if you have pets or are just hard on your gear the cable will likely get damaged, so an easy replacement goes a long way.  

If you like customization, you’ll be very pleased that Spirit Torino headphones come in a variety of different color cups and headbands. Plain black doesn’t get to have all the fun like usual, with vibrant reds, blues, and intricate engravings adorning some models. I get the impression that Andrea really enjoys the CNC machine as so many of the parts have been fashioned with it. I believe Grado also uses a CNC machine for cutting/engraving, however it is limited to the cups.

Beautiful CNC work everywhere you look.

This review will be comprised of my initial audition of the Super Leggera, and after I had sent over to Andrea in Italy to have it updated to the latest revision.

My first impressions of the non-upgraded version were very good. I found I liked them best with Todd the Vinyl Junkie (TTVJ) flat pads. Sub-bass was very powerful and succinct, larger than life and probably a bit too much for those looking for a balanced headphone. There was a strong authority to entire sound range where everything was dominant and in-your-face (or ears in this case). The presentation was full, warm, and not much in the way of soundstage. The clarity of the highs is usually reduced a little bit when using the flat pads with Grados, which is also the case here, but many of us like the tradeoff. The early version Super Leggeras are definitely a fun sounding headphone with the flats, but clearly not as refined as something like a Focal Utopia.

Upon speaking with Andrea who runs Spirit Torino, he let me know that there are a couple of important updates that have been added to the units, including a “neodymium magnet enhancement of 3.8 kg” on each driver, and a “Nen Ventilarion” pad system, which may just be a bad Google translation of ventilated. After a short trip to Italy, these two changes had a profound impact on the sound, which went from Ibiza dance club to something more akin to a symphony hall and reminding me of the Grado GS presentation.

If you’re not familiar with the GS-2000e, it doesn’t have the peaky upper midrange that defines the Grado “energetic” house sound, but there is a slight peak there. There is also a pronounced sub-bass energy that seems present with nearly all Grados. The overall sound is both crisp and full. Comparing the GS-2000e ($1,399 USD MSRP) to the Super Leggera ($1,600 USD), the transition from subbass to midrange is the most stand-out change (while still being a little on the punchy). I believe adding the weight to the back of the driver assists to make the transition much smoother. Also present was a wider soundstage, while not as wide as something like the hybrid driver Enigma Acoustic Dharma headphones, there was more of a palpable space, likely created from the new ventilated / fenestrated pads. Other than that, the sound seems a little crisper when it came to guitars, but relatively similar.

You might be wondering why changing headphone pads makes such a marked difference. The sound of dynamic drivers like Grado and Spirit Torino can vary wildly depending on how close they are to your ear. As the driver gets closer to the ear, bass and fullness increase dramatically while treble clarity suffers and soundstage shrinks, and when it’s pulled away all these facets are reversed. Thus, it’s very important to get the position right. I can tell Spirit Torino went to great lengths to not impair the sound by have a very thin fabric between the ear and the driver that is barely there and having the circumaural pads (pads that cover the ears completely) get the driver at a very specific distance from the ear canal. 

Note the perforated cups and attractive CNC-cut grill

The verdict? Honestly, I liked both the original and latest version of the Super Leggera for different reasons. The original made thumping electronica and synthwave wildly exciting, and the latest version worked much better for acoustic guitar and indie rock genres I enjoy such as shoegaze and prog. Compared to the GS-2000e the latest version offers a similar sound with a little more refinement and is built so impressively it’s hard not to gawk at them before putting them on your head. At $1,600 USD I believe it is priced competitively for the sound quality, and very reasonable when you consider the build quality.

Justin of Headamp has been in the headphone hobby 20+ years now and is the U.S. distributor for Spirit Torino. I’ve met him at a few meets and he’s a great fellow. Drop him a line at Headamp.com if you’d like to check out this exciting new offering in the headphone world.