Hey guys, i am creating a thread for us to discuss the new Modhouse Tungsten. This seems like a really interesting set and we will probably have lots to discuss about these cans.
After watching lots of reviews about these, the thing that got me the most confused was how different WaveTheory’s take was on it, everybody says the Tungstens are super punchy with great bass impact similar to the HE6 OG, but WaveTheory says even the Arya Organic and the HE1000SE have more bass impact/slam than these.
If i have to pick ONE aspect of the sound presentation as my favorite it would be the bass impact for sure, my journey has always led me to cans which can deliver that (1266, HE6, LCD-4, etc…).
It seems we have a consensus about the technical abilities of the Tungsten from the reviewers, but how do you guys feel about WaveTheory’s impressions? Btw, he also said that the OOR + HYPSOS is not a punchy amp, i have one and i always thought it was?
Really curious about what are your experiences with these and how you think they compare to what the reviewers are saying.
I find people discussing Bass Response to be a bit of a shit show generally.
There is no real agreement on what constitutes Sub Bass vs Bass, and Slam seems to get used to mean different things by different people.
I haven’t heard them so I can’t comment, but I know a few of people here have owned the Tungsten’s @orrman@Draaly and @Rhodey at the very least.
Being a long-time lover of the HE-500, and briefly a 4-screw 6, I was really interested in the Tungsten. I have since settled on HEkse. Wave Theory is pretty much the only YouTuber who I pay attention to these days. After his Tungsten vids, I was satisfied that I had made the right decision to invest in my HEkse chain. However, I would love to hear the opinions of others on SA.
I have both the Tungsten SS and DS and really enjoy them both. I find the SS to be a bit v-shaped with more bass quantity and a bit harsher treble whereas the DS is more neutral overall with a smoother and airier treble presentation. They are both great though and very adjustable via pads and other small tweaks that Ryan and the community have come up with so it can be hard to all agree on how they sound.
My tungstens. Left is SS, right is DS mimic edition:
The stock pads that come with the single sided variant are the hybrid pads and the double sided come with ultra perforated pads, both of which are ZMF caldera pads. A lot of tungsten owners have cut out the cloth in the pad that sits over the driver to improve the sound and Ryan has started doing this for all DS tungstens but not the SS since those have more treble. I find this adds more detail and slam. It can make the headphone a bit forward sounding though or fatiguing.
There are some other tweaks that help vent the driver. Ryan offers one which is a metal piece that sits between the driver and the pad, it just attaches with magnets. This was my preferred method of venting until recently when there’s been a 3d printed variant that vents just a lower corner of the driver. I find this effect produces a more balanced bass improvement without rolling off the sub bass or over emphasizing the mid bass. It does make the vocals sound a little recessed though. You can also just rotate the pads so that they aren’t resting around the screws but on top of them, this has the most dramatic effect but it can be too much at times. I find rotating the pads is most similar to 1266 bass with a big air gap.
I’ve used these on a bunch of amps but my most recent favorite pairing for them that was sort of a happy accident is the Apex Teton with a 6528 output tube. I wasn’t going to try it on this amp since I had used it before but with a 6080 tube and it sounded limp in the low end but I was recommended to try with the 6528 and it sounds much better. Still has a bit of a rounded bass response but the headphone feels like it’s being controlled well and has excellent texture and energy.
Thanks for the posting, it’s great to get some owner feedback.
I have a DS on order, which I’m excited about. I ordered it last month during the brief window it was up. At that point it was 12-16 weeks out. The website now says up to 20 weeks for new orders! I hope it’s less.
This is some really cool info right there! I love how customizable these are, can’t wait to get my hands on a pair of my own.
I keep reading about them and so far WaveTheory is the only one who made them sound like average cans. I think auditioning them myself will be the way to go! Hahaha
Hey @Christof , do you happen to also own a Susvara by any chance?
I was wondering how the Tungsten compares to the Susvara in terms of bass slam/impact. I like the type of visceral bass the 1266 delivers, the only other set i know of capable of a similar bass presentation is the HE6, so i wonder where the Tungsten lands on that regard.
We will have a shootout this weekend with Tungsten, Susvara, he6 4-screw, 1266 TC and the new Diana DZ on both Mass Kobo 465 and Riviera AIC10 so more comparisons to come!
This is interesting, looks like the reason why WaveTheory had some issues with the Tungsten was related to the seal, look at his impressions with the metal adapter:
Not currently but I borrowed Susvara from @orrman recently and will also be at this shootout he’s mentioning.
Looking at my notes from when I compared the two I found that the bass on tungsten was faster and with more texture. Susvara bass was a bit more rounded and bloomy sounding although it seemed to decay longer. I don’t have any notes about slam or impact but from memory both are pretty capable there with the right amp. I don’t think susvara bass on it’s own is bloomy though it was just in comparison to Tungsten that it felt that way. It certainly wasn’t loose or lacking grip it just had a smoother presentation.
Thanks for that info, the reason why i am asking is because i have tested the Susvara i also borrowed on my Burson Soloist 3XP which was the amp i had at that time, and i thought it lacked slam/impact on the bass presentation, but now i have an OOR + HYPSOS and i keep hearing people say the OOR gives life to the Susvara’s bass, so it may be worth a second audition.
On the other hand we now have the Tungsten which from what i hear can outclass the Susvara in that specific department.
Luckily i was able to purchase a pair of DS Tungstens from the used market this week and i have another Susvara i am borrowing so i will be able to compare those myself
I know the Susvara does lots of things better than the Tungsten, as it should, but to me it all starts from the bass presentation and it was just lacking on the Susvara + Soloist imo.
Nothing better then testing this yourself with both headphones at home so you’re doing the right thing. I’m sure you’ll realize the Burson was keeping Sus behind. Susvara can continue scaling with whatever gear you feed it with and everything just keeps on improving. Tungsten is less like that, it just needs a ton of power.
Let us know what you find out and congrats on your purchase!
Here they are after almost 1 month of wait, i already love these big time.
I thought the bass would impress me, and while it does what REALLY impressed me was the mids, highs and how the stage is presented. Such beautiful sound, lush, organic while still presenting lots of detail.
I had high expectations but i must say these exceeded them all, looking forward for some brain burn in and some bass port mods
I got my pair in the used market, it took so long for them to arrive because i am now living in Brazil. You would not believe how difficult it is to import gear over here.
Sure thing, what i can tell so far without any doubt is that the mids and highs on them make me want to turn the volume up constantly, they are so lush its mind blowing.
Another thing i can already tell is that, at least paired with the OOR, the bass slam/impact is not as strong as i would like it to be. I think WaveTheory’s take on this aspect matches mine better than Resolve’s who says this is the second coming of the HE6 OG.
I had way too many headphones in the past, Fostex, Focal, Hifiman, you name it. Right now my collection is composed of:
Audeze LCD-4;
Abyss 1266 TC;
Hifiman HE6se v2 (heavily modded);
Focal Clear OG;
Kennerton Gjallarhorn;
If not for the bass slam aspect i would already put the Tungsten as #1 for overall enjoyment, i will let you guys know more details once i really understand more of its sound. I think for now the best description for it is that it sounds like a better tuned LCD-4 with better technicalities, only the bass on the LCD-4 is a bit more enjoyable for my preference.
I hope it’s less.
Keeping both for now
