I would like to thank greggf for graciously loaning me his pair of DX-1000s.
I really had no idea what to expect from these cans; frankly, I don't read the Headphones section as often as I should (quite happy with my R10s, thank you very much). From what I have seen, though, these cans never managed to become a flavor of the month or even week around here. They're sort of "sleeper" headphones that landed with a resounding "thud".
Well, my first impression is actually quite favorable!
Build, Fit 'N Finish
-These fit like a dream. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.... As comfortable and caressing as the R10. The pads on these things are almost outrageously plush and full. The drivers extend with detents that are fairly well marked and fairly firm. There is just the right amount of room within the ear-holes to ensure a comfortable fit without providing too many different choices as to where to sit them on your skull. They are just *slightly* looser than might be ideal for active head-bangers. Overall, these are amongst the most comfortable phones I've ever had on my head, and I can forsee no problems for any wearer no matter how large or small your head or ears.
-The wood finish is immaculate and extremely attractive. The overall appearance of these phones seems to mimic the R10 in a lot of ways.
-Overall build is above average, equivalent to many better Audio-Technicas out there. So, not bullet-proof or awe-inspiring, but rigid and solid enough.
-The cloth-covered cord is one of the thickest, most substantial stock cords I've seen so far. There may be angel hair thin wire in there for all I know, but it's surrounded by a relatively thick plastic tube and heavy braided mesh. The headphone jack also has nice matching wood accents and is substantial, but not as over-built as some Audio-Technicas I've seen.
-Speaking of Audio-Technica, when I first saw these, and knowing that JVC is hardly a major player in the headphone world, I guessed these were made by AT for JVC. It is somewhat suspicious that JVC would suddenly come out with a woodie high-end can with no history of that or even of making high-end headphones of any kind. The wood and gold headphone jack is another "interesting" similarity with some AT phones. I still suspect some connection, but these headphones clearly sound like no AT can I've ever heard.
Sound
The Good
-Super-tuneful bass. It has that extra mid-bass warmth and bloom that ensures that different bass guitar sounds actually sound different, rare in a headphone. Bass-lines are fluid and effortless, not as j-j-j-jarring and s-s-s-stutter-y as the Ultrasone ED9. It also has just about the right amount of bass volume for a headphone. If the Ultrasone's jack-hammer uber-bass is at one extreme, and the R10s laid back, gently rolled bass is at the other, the JVC is smack in the middle.
-Nice snap and slam for drums. Snares have an impressive "pop" to them.
-The JVC is extremely open in the middle, just like the R10. This is an expressive and liberal can, vocals just flow out of it. There's no sense of being closed-in, or having to strain to hear sounds in the middle.
-If the ED9's driver has the sense of being too tightly wound, the JVC's have the same nearly effortless quality of the R10s. Strangely, this doesn't seem to result in loose or flabby bass. The bass has just about the right level of tightness to it.
-The JVCs are very resolving and extremely detailed cans. They will easily allow you to "see into" a recording.
-The JVCs are fairly grainless, or more precisely, made up of very very teeny-tiny grains. It's a very liquid sound overall.
The Neutral
-Soundstaging is excellent, big and impressively deep, although not quite up to R10 standards. Background is quite black. These phones have a very reverb-heavy sound to them, that is clearly a coloration, but one I find pleasant enough.
-They err slightly on the "wet" side of neutral, which I happen to like. I don't care for a "dry" and parched sound, but they may be too fluid for some listeners.
The Bad
-They don't have the same natural, organic tonality of the R10s or even the ED9. They are a bit synthetic and "Hi-Fi" sounding.
-These are not "dark" cans; there is a slight over-blooming of mid-treble. This gives them a LOT of air but it isn't natural. Still, I don't find these cans to be fatiguing at all.
-The JVCs are slightly "thin" and superficial sounding, like it's mostly surfaces and not enough substance behind them.
-There's a bit of extra sweetness to highs and an artifical "sheen" to everything that could induce a tooth-ache in the wrong listener.
Like the ED9s I recently got, the JVC's are not fully burned in. Also, like the early knee-jerk impressions I posted of the ED9s, these are what they are-- a snapshot, and off-the-cuff impressions; I reserve the right to withdraw any one of them.
Full reviews of each can will appear on
Positive Feedback, not here. I will post links to the finished reviews, once they are up over at PF.
JVC HP-DX1000 Quick First Impressions
Linear Mode
