Mod House Tungsten

Spoiler Alert!

My Setup and Some Disclosure

Not My First Rodeo

$2,000 (Double Sided)

Problems With Hype

There, I Said It

Buy a Tungsten

The Susvara Comparison

Conclusion

* I will add nice photos once I get the change to take some.

Intro and disclaimer

I met Ryan from Mod House a few years ago at my first Schiit Audio meet back in 2018. Ryan is passionate about what he does, and it shows in the gear that he makes. I had a pair of T50RP Argons a few years ago that I liked a lot but regretfully sold when I moved more towards IEMs. I picked up a T60RP Argon that I enjoyed even more and still have to this day. They are my daily drivers at my desk.

Right before the spring 2023 Schiit meet that I hosted, Ryan from Mod House sent me a few photos of his prototype headphone. At the time, they didn’t even have a name. I vividly remember being blown away by how good they looked. They looked like a very polished product. I was really looking forward to trying them out. A few days later, I saw Ryan at the meet and got to see and hear the prototype in person. I was even more impressed.

The first time I listened to the prototype, I was stunned by how good they sounded. I’ve tried a bunch of low volume hobby headphone creations that sounded ok, but these were special. The sound signature was extremely polished. Two minor gripes at the time were that they took a small nuclear reactor to power and the treble was a touch spicy at times. Other than that, they were very well built and comfortable. They were a work in progress. I was really looking forward to seeing how the project came along.

A few weeks ago, the final production version arrived at my door for review. They have exceeded all of my expectations. Let’s get into it… The SS version was purchased by me and the DS version is on loan from Mod House in exchange for my honest feedback. My opinions are my own.

The Tungsten can be purchased directly from Mod House audio here. (unaffiliated link)

Gear Used

Mod House Audio Tungsten SS (single sided magnet)

Mod House Audio Tungsten DS (double sided magnet)

Mod House Audio T60RP Argon

Schiit Asgard 2

Schiit Jotunheim 2

Schiit Modius (ESS Chip)

Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire (no filters)

Fiio Q7

Ifi iDSD Micro Black Label

Violectric V550

Headamp GS-X Mini

Burson Soloist 3X GT



Accessories

The Tungsten comes in a sturdy Pelican style case. It’s compact and high quality. It also comes with a 4-pin XLR Viking Weave cable, cable bag, nice laser engraved metal information card and a sticker.



Build

The build on the Tungsten is fantastic in my opinion. All the materials feel high quality. There are no squeaks or rattles. They have a nice industrial look. The headphones use dual 3.5mm termination. The jacks feel very high quality. There are a few 3D printed parts, but they are of high quality and almost look like powder coated metal.




Comfort

These are not exactly light headphones, but the clamp force, pads and headband make for a comfortable headphone that I can wear for hours with no discomfort. I have zero issues or complaints about the comfort.

Stocks Pads

The Single Sided (SS) comes stock with the Caldera hybrid pads and the double-sided (DS) comes stock with the Caldera ultra-perforated pads. For this review, I will keep them in stock form. At the end of the review, I will do some pad rolling.


Caldera ultra-perforated pads


Caldera hybrid pads

Cable

Both versions of the Tungsten come with a cable by Viking Weave Cables. In my opinion, it’s one of the nicest stock cables I have seen on a headphone regardless of price. It’s thick and has a nice premium feel to it. The cable terminations feel solid. You can get it in either version of the Tungsten with either the 4.4mm termination or 4-Pin XLR.

Customization Options

There are a ton of ways to make your Tungsten your own. You can pick between different color grills. The stock color is Tungsten but you can pick from a list of custom colors. The SS version I have came with the stock Tungsten color and the DS version came with the Smoked Bronze. Both look great in my option. The pictures don’t do it justice. There is a metallic flake look to it when you see it in the sunlight.

You can also customize the cups, yokes, rod blocks and headband with the same list of colors. There is an additional cost for the customization. $100 for the grills and $150 for the chassis.

Sound

Overall sound signature

There isn’t a huge difference between the two. In summary, the SS is warmer and the DS is more of a neutral audiophile tuning.

Single Sided (SS):

Overall, the Tungsten SS has a very mild V-shaped sound. The signature of these headphones is extremely polished. The treble was never harsh to my ears. The bass is well controlled and never boomy. The mids are natural. Bass is not lacking in quantity and has a little more mid bass energy than the DS.

The Tungsten SS is so easy to listen to. They seem to shine with every genre I threw at it and was not picky when it came to recording quality. Well recorded tracks really shined but at the same time it was really forgiving when it came to YouTube videos or poorly recorded rock. Not all high-end headphones can do this.

Double Sided (DS):

The DS Tungsten is a little flatter in terms of signature. The DS also has slightly less bass but more controlled and reaches a bit lower when compared to the SS. It’s overall sound is colder than the SS.

Imaging

The DS and SS both have good imaging but the DS is slighter better. While listening to Yoshi Horikawa’s Bubbles, I had a better sense of the precise location of each sound. The SS while not bad by any stretch, it just was not as precise as the DS. Again, the difference is there but not huge.

Stage:

Both the DS and SS have good staging. The stage width on both is about the same but the DS is a touch deeper.

Comparisons

I started to compare the Argon T60RP and EL8 to the SS and DS but they are in totally different leagues and the comparison isn’t fair. Back-to-back, it’s hard to listen to the EL-8 and Argon after coming from the Tungsten. I like both headphones a lot, but the comparison doesn’t make sense. The Tungsten is better in every aspect.

I’m going to pick a winner for each track based on my preferences. The general theme is that the DS is better for classical or other tracks where stringed instruments are the focus including guitar. The SS is better for electronic and EDM types of genres.

Afterglow – Emancipator

Tungsten SS - Nice low-end rumble and not overpowering. SS is the winner for this track.

Tungsten DS - Less energy in the low end but more control. A bit less shimmer in the treble

Lindsey Stirling - Elements (Orchestral Version)

Tungsten SS - Violin feels a bit distant in comparison to the DS. The slight dip in the upper mids takes a bit away from the focus of this track. Again, minor. The sound is still nice and open with great staging and imaging to make the track feel open and enjoyable.

Tungsten DS - Violin is slightly more forward. Less treble so the chime that goes from left to right a few times on the track is a lot less noticeable. Overall, the DS wins for this track.

Grateful Dead - Touch of Gray

Tungsten SS – Treble is a touch spicy on the track at higher listening levels but give nice impact to the cymbals at more comfortable levels. Nice punch on the kick drum.

Tungsten DS - Vocals are slightly more forward, and the sound is flatter. Not as much punch on the kick drum but it’s tighter. DS is the winner for this track but not by much. The recording of this track may play into the results.

Angus and Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road

Tungsten SS - Clear winner for me with this track unless you are very sensitive to treble. The guitar strings have a more metallic sound to them. Vocals are great due to them being a little more forward in the recording.

Tungsten DS – Much flatter and even sounding. In this track, the guitar does not have the same authority and does not have that outstanding metallic sound that the SS has.

Alison Krause - It Doesn’t Matter

Tungsten SS - The added treble like in the last track give better attack on the guitar notes.

Tungsten DS - Bass reaches low and is super high quality. There is a touch of sibilance in her voice that the SS doesn’t have however, this slight sibilance seems to be limited to this track. I didn’t notice it on any other track I tried.

Eric Clapton - Old Love Unplugged

Tungsten SS - Winner for this track by a slight margin. I feel like I’m getting more detail with the hi-hat and cymbals due to the more energetic treble.

Tungsten DS - Nice and open sounded. Staging for this track is a bit better on the DS but it’s not night and day.

Caroline No – Still Waters Run Deep

Tungsten SS - Nice even sound and a bit fuller sounding when compared to the DS.

Tungsten DS - The bass is tighter and more impactful on this track. The vocals are better on the DS. More forward and rich. The DS is the winner for this track.

Other Comparisons (SS Only)

I tried the SS against a few other headphones as the opportunity presented itself. This was done before I had the DS so my comparison is limited to the Single Sided Tungsten. Here are a few thoughts on a brief comparison.

ZMF Caldera

The Caldera is much easier to drive. I was averaging around 10 o’clock on the Schiit Jotunheim with the Caldera and about 2 o’clock with the Tungsten. There is more treble energy with the Caldera with a bit more of a metallic sheen. Mids are slightly more forward on the Caldera which translated to more vocal presence. Bass performance is close however the Caldera has a bit more subbass rumble.

ZMF Atrium

The Tungsten has a bit less bass and a slightly narrower stage. There is a little more punch on the Atrium but the Tungsten makes up for it with a little more subbass and more control. There’s less treble as well on the Atrium.

DCA Noire (no filters)

This is a bit tough due to the Noire having a bunch of tuning options. I just decided to use no filters as a baseline for the comparison. There is more subbass and treble energy with the Noire. The Noire presents a ton of detail. The downside is that it’s a bit fatiguing compared to the more mellow Tungsten. The Noire, to my ears is a deep W signature while the Tungsten is a bit flatter with a mild V signature. On one track, the high level of treble made one of my test tracks a little harsh. The Tungsten was much more mellow and easy to listen to.

Pad Rolling

I’ll start off by saying that pads swapping on the Tungsten is easy. They are held on by magnets and the screws keep the pad aligned. Very clever system.

Also, the stock pad choices made by Mod House make sense. In my opinion, they sound better with their stock pads. That said, I would recommend getting both pads when you order due to you being able to tweak the sound a bit for your music choices and listening preferences.

Tungsten Double sided: Hybrid versus perforated pads

With the hybrid pads, you lose a little control in the bass but in exchange you get more punch with more mid bass. Neither pad sounds bad with the DS. Staging is also a bit deeper with the perforated pads. Lindsey Stirling Elements was more open sounding with the perforated pads. The difference is not huge. I had to go back and forth several times before I could hear it consistently.

Bottom line is that the bass has a different quality on the hybrid versus perforated. The other differences are more subtle.

Tungsten Single Sided: Hybrid versus Perforated.

Here the difference is far more noticeable. There is less bass but it’s a bit tighter. It’s also brighter. If you are treble sensitive, the perforated pads on the SS might be a bit too bright. I prefer the SS with the Hybrid bad. With the perforated pads, it loses its smooth and fun nature.


Amping

Ok, let’s address the elephant in the room. These headphones need power to live up to their potential. Not only do they need power, but they also need the right kind of power. I tried the SS with multiple sources both portable and not and they only worked on desktop sources that I tried. The Schiit Jotunheim powers them very well and is a great paring. The Asgard 2 does not have enough power to get them to reasonable listening levels.

I also tried the Tungsten with the Fiio Q7 and iFi iDSD Black Label. While I was able to get to good listening volumes, they were nowhere near driven to their potential. The Black Label would also get to reasonable volume but would distort with bigger bass hits. Both sources are normally very good but asking them to power the Tungsten isn’t reasonable. Even the Headamp GSX Mini struggled.

The best pairing BY FAR was the Violectric V550 Pro. For me, this combination was my desktop endgame. Stunning sound. Very even with very good layering and depth. The Tungsten sound awesome on the Jotunheim but the Violectric took it to the next step. The difference was not subtle. You do need to keep in mind that the V550 is nearly 10 times the cost of the Jot 2.

I also tried the Tungsten with the Burson Soloist 3X GT. There is plenty of headroom with the Burson. When compared to the Jotunheim 2, The Burson had a bit better layering and a bit more energy in the treble. Very good pairing.




Conclusion

What Ryan has accomplished with the Tungsten is truly amazing. The Tungsten is the standard in my opinion in the sub-$3k opened back headphone arena. It’s even more impressive that this is the first Headphone that Mod House has built from the ground up.

I knew the second I heard that prototype that I would probably buy a pair when they were released. I don’t have open back headphones due to the way I listen, but they are so good that I had to make an exception. I purchased the single sided version for myself and will be enjoying for years to come. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the DS. It’s just that for my listening preferences, the SS is fits my preferences a bit better. Thanks to Ryan and the rest of the folks that helped make this truly exceptional headphone possible.

I hope you found this review helpful!

Modhouse Tungsten is a transcendental revelation...

I rarely feel the NEED to leave a review. Because so seldom does a product and a creation come around that simply blows your mind and expectations.

I first heard of Modhouse in the small and now not so small headfi community.

I heard this guy Ryan (who I must say...is one of the most sincere, and considerate in the industry that I've had the pleasure to interact with) is working on this new planar magnetic home grown headphone...

I hear of many smaller players trying their own cans. I think it's great, and inspiring. But rarely do any come out that are worth remembering or you would consider flagship.

The headfi leaders all said Ryan's Tungsten is special...and will leave a mark. I took it with some caution, but immediately reached out to Ryan and understood quickly he knows what he's doing and his demand list is high. So I went for it on a blind buy for both single and double.

I just received my first pair (the single), and what Ryan has made is transcendental. Not only has he broken all boundaries and expectations for a boutique headphone...but he has reach Susvara levels and beyond.

The details, the craftsmanship (thing is built like a tank), and the comfort all next level. And the sound is immediately evident and the best way I can describe it is....pure pleasure and delight.

The stage, the clarity, the depth, the immersion and the RIGHT sound is all there. It is magic. Ryan takes his passion and bring something to the market (at an extremely reasonable price considering he reaches Susvara heights in quality).

Bravo Ryan. You are a pioneer and visionary in headfi and I cannot wait to see what else you come with up. Although, this Tungsten will be a hard one to top for quite sometime I imagine.