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I want a colorful midrange like this:
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The lovely and saturated colors on the above shot are akin to the vividness of the Wharfedale’s midrange. Moving on to the next picture, we can almost visualize the AKG sound.
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Can we have lusher, more saturated tone please? Here the attention of the viewer is drawn away from the now slightly washed-out colors to the dust and pollen grains on the petals - read ‘low level’ details. Playing the AKG loud cures some of its leanness in the midrange. How loud? Too loud for long-term comfort. Whereas most of my listening is done at 7 – 8 clicks on Burson’s excellent stepped attenuator, I much prefer the immediacy of the midrange at 10 – 11 clicks or 12 to 12:30 o’ clock. And that's a perfect recipe for tinnitus.
However, I emphasize that I do not fault the Burson for the distant midrange of the K702. In fact, the Aussie breathes a fair bit of life in the middle. My older Ultra Micro was leaner still. Coming to the paradox, this very weakness in the midrange is also one of the biggest strengths of the K702. A side effect of that forward upper mid and high resolution is that female vocals sound exceptionally good. Enough midrange talk now.
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Treble matters and the Burson is no slouch: Moving on to the treble, the Burson extends further than the Headroom. However, I feel that the K702 and almost all headphones roll off the upper treble a touch. Most speakers, especially those with exotic ribbon tweeters and all electrostats tend to add a bit more sparkle to violins and triangles. A possible side effect of Burson’s excellent treble reach is that over the AKG, the rare vocal track exhibits more sibilance than on the Headroom. However, this could easily be a fault in the recording and I am not very sure.
Transient response: Transients shine on the HA-160 and cymbal crashes in Nutcracker are delivered with a real sense of conviction. I have seen many a fancy loudspeaker stumble over the cymbal. Thankfully, the AKG/Burson duo does not disappoint in this regard.
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Conclusion: Summing up, the Burson HA-160 is a largely positive experience. Its key strengths are awesome dynamics and head-shaking bass. Timing, imaging, resolution and transients are also first rate. The stepped attenuator control is well designed and the volume increments are smooth all the way to 12 o’clock. The Burson mates well with the AKG K702 and does really good things to the AKG sound with zero side effects. |
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For more information in these pages on the AKG K-702 and Burson Audio HA-160, click here and here.
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