Review: Audeze Sine Dx

Sound

 

You may notice that the SINE DX is, on paper, ever so slightly easier to driver with Impedance at 18 ohms instead of the SINE’s 20 (they don’t list a sensitivity spec for the SINE).  In practice, it is more than a little different, as when I switch from the DX to the SINE, and vice/versa, I will always have to make a noticeable volume correction.  It still isn’t a huge difference, but it is nice to see the DX is even easier to drive than the SINE.

It isn’t surprising that the DX has different specs than the SINE, as it only takes a short listen to determine that this isn’t just the regular SINE with the ear cup backs taken off.  The DX is very much its own beast.  Nowhere is that more apparent than in the bass.  If you recall, the bass of the SINE is on the border of being too light.  It is just north of that border, but I could see someone wanting more bass out of it.  That won’t be a problem with the SINE DX.  This is a much more full-bodied bass experience.  Now, this is most certainly not a bass head presentation, but, compared to the earlier SINE, there is a pinch more fullness to the bass.  The music has a weightier foundation.  It sounds like Audeze dropped a touch of the LCD line into the bass of the DX.  It isn’t quite at that level, but it has really good impact, it isn’t bloated anywhere, and even goes deep enough so you hear a little growl in the sub bass.  Unless, you like the bass to be overwhelming, or just not there at all, it is hard to imagine you won’t love how the SINE DX does bass.

The midrange is another story entirely.  It is clean and full-bodied, so there really isn’t anything wrong with it.  It is just… forward.  That’s the word you need here.  I can be of two minds about it.  Sometime, I find the extra forward midrange to be exciting.  You know, those times you like the music a little extra in your face.  Then, there are those time when you find it all a bit too much.  To use my favorite recording of Chopin’s first piano concerto as an example, the entrance of the piano in the first movement makes me feel like I have my ear up against the piano.  It can make me wince a little bit.  Voices, on the other hand, don’t jump out in front of everything else, and feel more like part of the overall fabric of the sound.    To make it clear, if you have a recording where the vocals are clearly in the foreground, they still will be with the DX.  It just won’t do anything extra to make them pop out.  This isn’t a bad thing, of course.  Everyone has their preference as to how they like to hear voices presented, and this is a valid choice.

When you get to the upper-mids and the high frequencies, the DX starts to smooth itself out.  If you are looking for a bright and lively treble, this might not be the headphone for you.  The afore mentioned voices, especially female ones, take on a slightly darker tone (not a bad thing).  Still, I wouldn’t call this a dark headphone.  It is just one that favors smooth instead of sparkle.

Sound stage is a bit of a mixed bag, especially when compared to the SINE.  While the DX is open-backed, and does sound more open (obviously), the more forward midrange does, at the same time, make it feel a little less spacious.  It isn’t bad, by any means, but it is about what you might expect from a good on-ear.  The DX should play well with most types of music.  So long as it doesn’t call for an extreme on either sides of the frequency response, the SINE DX should have you covered.

Vs the Sine & others

The obvious comparison here is the original SINE, and these are two fairly different headphones.  The SINE is more linear from bass through mids, but has a bit of a dip in the upper-mids and lower treble.  The DX has a bit more bass, and more forward mids, but then offers a smooth decline throughout the rest.  Both are good headphones, and worthy of the name SINE.  Personally, I like the closed-back SINE a little bit better.  The closed-back nature makes it more useful for me, and the minor dip in the lower treble doesn’t really bother me.  It also has a lower entry level point of $449 as opposed to the $599 of the DX.  I do also find, by the very fact this is an open-backed on-ear, that they fit into a smaller niche than does the original SINE.  They aren’t useful when you are walking out and about due to their open-backed nature.  I suppose, if you want a headphone for moving around at home, or need something small for the office, these might be a good fit.  There are, of course, a lot of people who will disagree with my opinion here, and to be honest, these are both really good headphones.

As for other headphones, it can be tricky as there aren’t any real apples to apples comparisons.  I still prefer the sound of the DX over the EL-8 open.  I am not a fan of that, or the EL series in general.  There is the Hifiman HE-560, which as of this writing is on sale for $499, and is a noticeable step up in balance and resolution over the DX, but it is full sized and requires more horsepower to drive than a portable player will have on tap.  There is the HE400s, which can be driven by a portable player, is more comfortable (in my opinion), and retails for half the price.  Beyerdynamic has some solid offerings at the $599 price level.

End Words

I know these are full sized and needing amps, but that becomes less of a thing since we are talking about a headphone that is going to be used at home anyway.  This is where I am kind of hitting a wall.  The DX is filling a very small niche.  If full sized is acceptable, there are higher end, or much cheaper (good) headphones that can fill the role.  The DX is for when you need it to be pretty easy to drive AND be an on-ear.  Although I doubt this will happen, I would love to see the DX cost the same as the original SINE at $449.  That would make it a lot more competitive in my eyes.  At $599, it is pricing itself in the middle of quite a number of really good cans.

You may have noticed that the SINE DX is not currently available via the Audeze website.  That is because this is a limited release (so as the first wave sold out, I doubt a price drop will come).  I have confirmed with Audeze that they will be doing another limited release of the SINE DX, although as of right now, they don’t know when.  With this last release, people who bought it right away got it at $499, which is a nice improvement.  So, if the SINE DX sounds like a headphone you want in your collection, keep your eyes on Audeze and jump when their next release opens up.

I do have to admit that I am sad that the SINE DX is only getting a limited release.  Despite being oddly specific in its application and a hair expensive, the SINE DX is a very nice headphone that is a lot of fun to listen to, and does fill that niche.  Enjoy!

 

4/5 - (58 votes)
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4 Comments

  • Reply September 25, 2017

    Rebecca Dean

    This type of headset is really good.Thank you for your sharing.I think I’ll go and buy one to try.
    I have also written some articles about headphones, which can be read and expressed if interested.

  • Reply December 8, 2017

    Mark

    It took Audeze more than a month to ship the headphones…. so not quite the right headphones if you’re in a rush as they are clearly not.

    • Reply January 3, 2018

      Sam

      Same for me. It took almost 6 weeks before I actually get it in my hand. But the wait is worth because the sound quality is very pristine.

  • Reply September 10, 2018

    Roman

    Thanks for the great review! Does that mean the Cipher cable will not work with these even if you manage to obtain one?

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