Axe-Fx III and Headphones

gigawatt said:
@yeky83 Great, now I'm torn! I'd like to use them in my studio room but also in the cafeteria when I'm eating or chillin, (It's loud in there; people, TV, etc.).

Wish I could afford both!

What about bass response with open backs? and was my experience with the AKG's because all their cans are inherently lower in sensitivity than other brands.

Also, I need something with either a high sensitivity or amplified. All those weekends, (and years) in a Metallica tribute band took its toll on my ears; What'd ja say?
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MoFi work with both internal amp or off; also can boost bass if wanted. It works well for me with amp on.

The downside is size and weight.
 
FYI: The Blue Lola is the same Headphone as the MoFi with the (unneeded;IMHO) amp removed. FWIW, Cliff said the MoFi's are awesome after he had just gotten a new set and no one had really had much exposure... ever since they have been the Fractal Audio Forum ANSI-standard headphones.
 
I go back and forth between a set of Grado SR125e (heavily modded) and pair of ATH-M50x. The Grado are open back and definitely have a crisper and more neutral sound with more pronounced highs. I like these best for monitoring and when I want to get the most accurate character from the guitar. The ATH are closed and have a more boomy sound with pronounced lows and a fuller, almost roomy or reverb sound.

With open back headphones sound bleeding can be really troublesome especially if you are doing any pitch shifting as the sound of the strings can be faintly heard giving an odd dissonant sound that can only be tempered with dangerous volume levels.
 
zenaxe said:
FYI: The Blue Lola is the same Headphone as the MoFi with the (unneeded;IMHO) amp removed. FWIW,
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Agreed: the built-in headphone amp in the Mo-Fi isn’t needed when listening to pro-grade audio gear. But when you’re plugged into portable gear that maybe doesn’t have enough poop to really push a set of cans, that amp really shines.
 
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gigawatt said:
Is the frequency response any different with the amp engaged using the MoFi's?
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Yes. How it's different will likely depend on the music device's output impedance. This is where first hand experience with your own devices come into play, "try before you buy" if you can.
 
Rex said:
Agreed: the built-in headphone amp in the Mo-Fi isn’t needed when listening to pro-grade audio gear. But when your plugged into portable gear that maybe doesn’t have enough poop to really push a set of cans, that amp really shines.
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Yes, I am pretty sure Blue; who have distinguished themselves with mobile support were considering those types of applications with the built-in amp, it certainly does add value for folks who also want to use them in that context.
 
gigawatt said:
Is the frequency response any different with the amp engaged using the MoFi's?
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The Mo-Fi’s amp gives you two choices: flat response or a mild bass boost.

I hear no difference in frequency response in the flat setting. But if the source you’re listening to has weak output, it might not be able to drive the headphones flat when the power amp is off. In that case, turning on the amp will give a flatter response.
 
Manny Kuhn said:
With open back headphones sound bleeding can be really troublesome especially if you are doing any pitch shifting as the sound of the strings can be faintly heard giving an odd dissonant sound that can only be tempered with dangerous volume levels.
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Thanks for the tip Manny, this could be a deal breaker! Reminds me of Jason Newsted when he was recording the Black album, they had to put him in a cave of acoustic absorbing material to cover his pick noise!

So Grado doesn't just make stylus's (or is it styli?) eh?

Think I need more sensitivity than the ATH can muster at 98dB, (it's nice that Amazon list's all the specs of the ATH line, could be cuz they've sold more than 5000 of them! and that's just the reviews), I think the AKG's are around that too. The Sony's average about 105dB, now we're talking! but I've had issues with Sony's.

Since I'm talking SPL's, I'll be using them with my Macbook too. I listen to all kinds of music but for real; I'm an old school metalhead at heart and like it loud. Not for mixing so much (80dB) but for listening to some old Bruce Dickenson "Skunkworks." (105dB!) (That's Bruce from Iron Maiden not Blue Oyster Cult!) My point is they won't just be used with pro audio gear that can deliver a higher signal, 2000 mW's. ;-)
 
gigawatt said:
@yeky83 Great, now I'm torn! I'd like to use them in my studio room but also in the cafeteria when I'm eating or chillin, (It's loud in there; people, TV, etc.).

Wish I could afford both!
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Haha don't be torn, it's just headphones :p
If you want to use it in various environments, go closed back. Buy it according to your actual personal needs, not what's "ideal."
What about bass response with open backs? and was my experience with the AKG's because all their cans are inherently lower in sensitivity than other brands.
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I don't know about AKG cans in general. But if yours was very low in volume, could be because they're lower in sensitivity, or could be because they have a high input impedance and needed an amp-ed output to properly drive them.

Bass response with open backs will generally be tighter but leaner. If you want the thump, go closed.
 
Rex said:
But if the source you’re listening to has weak output, it might not be able to drive the headphones flat when the power amp is off. In that case, turning on the amp will give a flatter response.
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Isn't it more a function of impedance than output strength?

gigawatt said:
Think I need more sensitivity than the ATH can muster at 98dB, (it's nice that Amazon list's all the specs of the ATH line, could be cuz they've sold more than 5000 of them! and that's just the reviews), I think the AKG's are around that too. The Sony's average about 105dB, now we're talking! but I've had issues with Sony's.
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Impedance matters too, higher impedance headphones are harder to drive.
Since I'm talking SPL's, I'll be using them with my Macbook too. I listen to all kinds of music but for real; I'm an old school metalhead at heart and like it loud. Not for mixing so much (80dB) but for listening to some old Bruce Dickenson "Skunkworks." (105dB!) (That's Bruce from Iron Maiden not Blue Oyster Cult!) My point is they won't just be used with pro audio gear that can deliver a higher signal, 2000 mW's. ;-)
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If you're playing headphones that loud :eek: I think the Blue MoFi is probably a great choice for you. The thing is loud when you use the built-in amp, and should be pretty source agnostic. So many people recommending them too.
 
Rex said:
I hear no difference in frequency response in the flat setting. But if the source you’re listening to has weak output, it might not be able to drive the headphones flat when the power amp is off. In that case, turning on the amp will give a flatter response.
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Ok since the Blue's have been mentioned more than once… Do any of you find the bass to be to loose, flubby, undefined?

Ope! hold on, I just found the only cans that didn't have a 1 or 2 star rating in Amazon's 1 - 5 star rating system. Another ATH, but they don't list its specs, so I guess I'd have to see if the site has any. Here's they are:

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Techni...e=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

Someone says they're uncomfortable, another guy says there're the most comfortable cans he's ever worn… (Talking about the ATH)

I'll get back to the Blue's in a few minutes. Need to read more about them.
 
yeky83 said:
Isn't it more a function of impedance than output strength?
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It’s both. Kind of like “Is my engine too big, or is my gas tank too small?” :)

With any passive headphone, you’re loading you’re gear’s output with the impedance curve of the headphone’s driver (speaker). Some frequencies will run out of steam before others. With the built-in amp engaged, your gear sees a flat, easy-to-drive high impedance. Because the amp is there, it doesn’t matter whether the gear can put a lot of power into that high impedance.
 
OK, BLUE's!

Can I trust Reverb that these are brand new? good price, free shipping, ?is there a warranty? They also have an Axe Fx III FS, second one I've seen, but asking way too much for an item with no warranty.

https://reverb.com/item/5561661-blu...8cac2wIVV7nACh01bg1wEAQYBCABEgIGj_D_BwE&pla=1

Did you all know the Mo-Fi has been replaced by the Sadie and the Mix-Fi? Anyway Amazon has em new for $299, but also has a set for $139 used, and $149 used. That's what we in the midwest call: "Dirt Cheap." It's almost too good to pass up!

But:

What type of lithium battery do they use? Is it replaceable? Do they have a charger or do they charge via USB? You all don't find them really heavy at almost 3 pounds?! Anyone have them break? the hinges worry me, just a little. How about the ear cups? Any deterioration? Cushion cover come off? Sorry for all the questions but they're no longer on their website, and after reading more than the usual number of bad reviews, I'm a little concerned.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Mo-Fi-H...e=all_reviews&pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar

Spent a couple hours reading about these, I really wanted to like them, and I trust Axe Fx users opinions, after all; "you gotta be a genius to understand it all!" ;)
 
Rex said:
I guess you haven’t been looking too hard, then. :)
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Hey hold on there! ;) I've looked at over a dozen of the darn things and payed special close attention to the Blues, and I don't mean the hockey team! Plus, about a week and a half ago I started this headphone quest, and gave up to find some studio monitors. That was much more fun. :) off topic: I went with the Presonis Sceptre S8's, haven't had the chance to enjoy them yet as I don't have all the pieces of the puzzle yet, but should soon...:):):)

Yeky83, what would you consider a high impedance? 50 ohms or more? Take a look at the specs chart of these:

Amazon product ASIN B01L1IICR2
All are 50 ohms except one, the HD 569 at 23 ohms. That's a big difference! Coupled with an SPL of 115dB (I hope they mean sensitivity not max SPL), they should be way louder than their sisters.

I had the Sony 7506's for many years, if the ear cups material would have been better I might go with them, but I liked the Sennheiser HD 280's better. They felt much more solid, never fell off my head (again "C Clamp! really; too tight), the Sonys fell off all the time. The only problem was the high frequencies went out, I couldn't hear the hi-hat or crashes anymore, but I'm pretty sure that was my fault as mentioned earlier. All in all, I like Sennheiser.
 
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