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TH X00, Mahogany Vs Purpleheart Vs Ebony. Purely based on sound, not looks
TH X00, Mahogany Vs Purpleheart Vs Ebony. Purely based on sound, not looks
Just received my Purplehearts today. I hope they will provide a hard case for their future releases. Should have come with 6.3mm to 3.5mm as a default accessory too.
(Edited)1119
Okay today I finally get to try Purpleheart so now I have officially tried all 3 variants, I have also previously owned Denon D2000 and E-Mu Teak. Surprisingly Purpleheart is not as bassy as people claim it to be, if anything I find Mahogany might be bassier, though it might just be because it's warmer.
In short in most situation I would say it's like Mahogany being warmest and Purpleheart in the middle and Ebony being most neutral.
By the same principle, imaging / sound stage wise Ebony being the best Purpleheart somewhat in middle and Mahogany being the worst.
Vocal presence I would say Purpleheart closest then Mahogany then Ebony. But Purpleheart do get sibilant while Mahogany is boarderline there but generally ok.
Mid presence (guitar string, piano....etc) I find it's Mahogany then Ebony then Purpleheart. I think this is where people mean that it's V shaped since it has withdrawn mids (though vocal is surprisingly forward).
All in all, to be honest none of them are bad headphones, it's really just what you prefer. In most situation I would say the Mahogany and the Ebony are the extremes and Purpleheart about in middle.
E-Mu Teak sits in a weird spot, it almost has more of everything except vocal presence is the farthest. Denon D2000 would be kind of inbetween Mahogany and Purpleheart while leaning on the cleaner side.
I hope this helps.
25
As one who will not only listen to them (which you can't because stores don't sell these) but checks the specs on them they all look like they all have the exact same specs (same size drivers on all three, same impedance and same exact frequency response.) so is there really a difference between these three besides the color of the ear cups and price, or is it all in your heads and there really is no difference?
P.S. I listened to Zeos' sound demos for them and I couldn't hear any differences, so if someone could justify the $100 price jump between the Mahogany's and the Ebony's please let me know.
wdappio
Yesssss. The Mahagony are wildly energetic and warm tilted. Very impactful. Ebony are the most neutral having the best extension for bass. So a lot less BAM BAM and more just hearing how low it can go. Purple Hearts have a very relaxed mid range creating this spacious, almost mystical feel. The sub bass and treble are elevated but neither are harsh in the least. Only fatiguing if you get sucked into a calm song then heavy bass comes in out of no where. I think the purple hearts are extremely detailed right behind the ebony.
(Edited)1119
NathanielKiger
Oh yeah your description of purpleheart is spot on, I finally managed to listen to it recently and I must say it's really not exaggerated as people claim to be (bass cannon). I still think overall it's still quite good and detailed. For my preference I'd say my top 2 would be Mahogany and Purpleheart.
(Edited)1119
Based on the results I can almost guaranteed people just voted based on looks LOL.
150
Lol. How do you equate a percentage to a sound signature? What's your algorithm?
1119
jonRock
LOL just my best guess, but there is a noticeable difference.
Enough that I would say I prefer one over another. But everyone have their own preference so might be a bit harder to say which is "better", it's more like which you "prefer".
(Edited)484
Wish I could vote here, but I only have purple hearts (love purple). Also some helpful audiophiles posted frequency range charts for all 3, and the purple hearts fell right in the middle.
25
UrVAITguy
Well judging by the specs I bet there's almost no difference in sound, or if there is it's almost negligible.
22219
The Purple Heart look like they sound the best ;- )
I have all heard all three and own the Ebonies. I also have the original Denon D5000s (which I loved until I got the EBs). Hands down the Ebonies win. Nothing comes quite as close to having a set of full range speakers strapped to your head .
As others have said the more I listen to music on them the more I'm amazed at how well they handle a wide variety of music. Electronic, Metal, Extreme Metal, Country, Blues, etc. I think the only place they may lack where I prefer my HD650s is for classical music in general and Operas specifically.
Gaming on the EBs is wonderful as well. Great positioning coupled with that wonder bass and mid range make me smile all the time.
As others have said the more I listen to music on them the more I'm amazed at how well they handle a wide variety of music. Electronic, Metal, Extreme Metal, Country, Blues, etc. I think the only place they may lack where I prefer my HD650s is for classical music in general and Operas specifically.
Gaming on the EBs is wonderful as well. Great positioning coupled with that wonder bass and mid range make me smile all the time.
88
Stanley_Pain
I've heard that gaming is pretty good as well on the EB's due to the fantastic imaging, even if the soundstage isn't too big.
i have the ph and eb, prefer the ebs, but i modded them.
danefairbanks
Are the ebonies really that neutral? I have the Mahagony and Purple Hearts. Debating if the Ebony is worth spending $500 again
NathanielKiger
If all i had were my purplehearts, id be content, its not that the ebonies neutral, its that it is more neutral relative to purplehearts. I hear a lot more clarity in the highs with my ebonies and going back and forth the purple hearts seem muffled at the highs
They don't all use the same driver? Or is it the differences in wood?
177
drumgeek66
Drivers are the same. The sound differences are attributed to the different woods.
100
Wow! There's a lot of folks that have heard all 3!
177
I'm wondering how many of the people voting have actually heard all 3? I haven't heard the Purplehearts and since they're gone I guess I'll have to buy used if I want to complete the trifecta but I have both the Mahogany and the Ebony and hands down the Ebony wins. The Mahoganies are great, don't get me wrong but they're very much genre masters where as the Ebonies are absolutely terrific with everything. I'm constantly surprised that they aren't the most popular version.
163
anort3
I can agree with you on the Mahagony! Haven´t heard Purpleheart or Ebony yet but as you said the Mahagony are very specific. I personally don´t like listening to anything relaxing with them but they are really great for Rock.
108
anort3
I stupidly didn't realize there were such dramatic differences in the sound of the 3, otherwise I would have ponied up for the EBs.
54
Don't forget the EMU Teaks!
98
I can't vote on this because I haven't heard them all, I only own a pair of the ebony, but based on looks I've vote for purpleheart in a heartbeat.
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