Since October, I have had the good fortune of having access to a pair of Alpha Dogs on-loan to me from a buddy of mine in these forums. He and I had talked a lot about the kind of sound we each enjoy in headphones, and he told me that he was almost positive I would love the sound of the Alpha Dogs, and so he asked if I wanted to borrow them. How could I decline? As it turns out (and as will become clear in the following review) he was completely correct about how well the sound of the Alpha Dogs fits my preferences, and I almost certainly plan to purchase a pair of them (or the Primes) for myself once I can in the future. So, on to the review, in which I will begin by covering every aspect of these headphones other than the sound, and then devote the rest purely to sound. Please keep in mind that this review will not have a "comparisons" portion, because I have too little experience with Planar Magnetic headphones, nor with headphones in this price-range, to feel qualified to compare the Alpha Dogs to similar headphones.
Comfort
These headphones are SUBLIMELY comfortable. The earpads are absolutely HUMONGOUS and so very soft and cushiony, and feel like plush pillows resting lightly around my ears. The headband never seems to create that "pinching" feeling on the top of the head that some headphones get, and the clamping pressure is completely reasonable. The one and only issue these can sometimes have with comfort is their weight: Like most Planar Magnetic headphones, the Alpha Dogs have quite large and bulky earcups in order to accomodate the drivers, and I find that if I am very very physically exhausted it becomes a strain on my neck to wear them for a long time. However, issues with comfort due to weight have only arisen once or twice during the four-and-a-half months I've had these, so I am taking off as little as I can from their comfort-rating in this review to account for that. Do keep in mind, though, that very petite and/or very thin-built folks might have an issue with neck strain due to the bulk of these. . .for anyone for whom that is the case, that is a shame, because they are probably not going to have any luck when it comes to comfort from any planar-magnetic headphones besides perhaps the Oppo PM-3.
Keep in mind that it is because of the weight that I didn't give these a top rating for comfort, but that for me, the weight isn't an issue. . .I simply did that with the rating out of consideration of the fact that other folks might find the weight annoying.
Build
Immediately upon holding these in my hands, I knew they were incredibly sturdy. Since they are not actually my own headphones, I have of course been extremely careful with them; however, I am absolutely positive that they could withstand all kinds of punishment (NOT THAT ANYONE SHOULD EVER TEST THAT! Seriously, don't, hahahahaha) and remain completely fine. The steel frame for the headband is super-thick and sturdy, and the custom earcups made by Mr. Speakers seem very durable. The stock cable is about as thick and durable as they come, and the engineers made a very, very good choice of cable-connectors on the earcups: The way they screw and lock into place pretty much precludes any possibility of bending or breakage.
Basically, these seem like headphones that would last years even for a fairly irresponsible and clumsy individual.
Power Requirements
Don't believe what people say when they tell you that the Alpha Dogs need some kind of super-duper-powerful source in order to achieve close-to their full potential, although they can certainly benefit in some ways from a high-power amp. They do just fine (with bass-impact at about 98% of what it is from a higher-power source, and everything else the same) driven straight from my Fiio X3 2nd Generation DAP, which has a power rating of a maximum of 200mW into 32ohms. Even on normal/low gain, the X3ii is able to drive the Alpha Dogs loudly enough to become borderline-painful on most tracks with the volume at maximum, while with the gain on high, it drives them to truly-painful levels. However, the X3ii does not give a lot of volume head-room for the Alpha Dogs. . .a decent amount, but not a whole lot, so if that's what you're looking for, something a bit more powerful is definitely recommended. The guy who loaned me the Alpha Dogs is also loaning me a Schiit Asgard 2 headphone-amp, and I'm finding that the Asgard 2 pairs extremely well with the Alpha Dogs. . .not only is it able to drive them with a MUCH larger amount of volume-headroom than the X3ii (so if you're the kinda guy who likes listening VERY loudly, something like the Asgard 2 should go well with the Alpha Dogs) but unlike the X3ii the Asgard 2 has a 1/4" instead of a 3.5mm output, which in my opinion is preferable for a stay-at-home headphone like the Alpha Dogs--when I myself purchase the Alpha Dogs, I am going to be going with the option of the 1/4" cable rather than the 3.5mm, as it is much sturdier and more reliable in the long-run.
So in conclusion, a super-powerful amp is not necessary in order to drive the Alpha Dogs to truly loud levels; however, any source less powerful than say, a max-power of 150 or 100mW into 32 ohms will probably be too little for the Alpha Dogs, and will need to be paired with an amp, meaning that nobody is ever going to enjoy listening to these straight from a smartphone. And if you want something which will give you lots of headroom for volume-control, the Alpha Dogs should be paired with an amp like the Asgard 2 which outputs over one whole watt (1000mW, for those who are not familiar with such unit prefixes) into a 32 ohm load.
Value
Honestly guys, I have too little experience with planar-magnetic headphones, as well as with headphones in the over-$400 price-range, to really judge how good a value these are myself. However, people I know in these forums who ARE very knowledgable about such things all seem to be of the opinion (and have told me so) that all of Mr. Speakers' headphones, including the Alpha Dogs, are a very very good deal. And in all seriousness, while they cost $500, they sound way more than even just twice as good as any of the $250 and $300 headphones I've ever listened to; so, I am going to give them a very high rating under the "value" category.
Looks
So here we get to the one and only truly "major problem" with these headphones, other than perhaps their weight for certain more petite and/or scrawny individuals. Frankly guys, these headphones look dorky, bordering on downright stupid-looking. My roommate and I think that I look like some kind of "mentally challenged spaceman" wearing them because of the huge awkward earcups and the guide-rails for the headband adjustment that stick up and out like antennae. However, is any of this really an issue? In my opinion no, considering that these are certainly not portable. As long as I won't be wearing them out of the house, I don't care what they look like. But I'm aware plenty of people might care, and so that's why I gave these a somewhat lower rating for "design" than in other categories.
Isolation
These isolate really well from outside sound, probably by virtue of the humongous cushiony earpads as well as whatever material the earcups are made from. As soon as I put them on, all outside sound (especially in the midrange and above) is reduced drastically, and then as soon as music starts playing I basically cannot hear any outside audio-stimuli. Very nice! These are truly "closed back" headphones in a very, very real sense.
Sound
Okay guys, so here's the big part, the part everybody REALLY cares about! As in previous reviews, I will first give a general overview of the sound, followed by a category-wise breakdown.
First of all, it is my opinion that for $500 these sound amazing. I have listened to over-$1000 headphones at meets and stores taht at best sound subtly better than these, but not over twice as good. Meanwhile, as I said before, these $500 headphones sound way more than just twice as good as headphones that are half the price, in my opinion. I would classify their sound as slightly on the warm side of neutral, but still very close to neutral, with rolled-off upper treble characteristic of planar magnetic drivers, as can be seen here in the Alpha Dog (2014 model) measurements from Innerfidelity: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAlphaDog2014.pdf However, what I am hearing does differ in some ways from those measurements in the treble, as I will explain in more detail below. Meanwhile, what really strikes me about the sound of these is that they manage to have quite good clarity, transparency, separation, and detail, all while managing to not sound overly-clinical, but rather to sound truly fun! Finally, there's the soundstage and imaging, which are frankly MINDBLOWING (that one had to be in all caps, this is that darn serious) for a fully-closed-back headphone with isolation like this, and sounds very nearly like an open-backed headphone.
Bass
As is typical with Planar Magnetic driver technology, these produce very linear, clear, undistorted sounding bass. While the frequency-response is somewhat on the warmer side, I would say that the bass still sounds quite close to truly "neutral" alongside the mids, to the point that if one were to (as I have) experiment by playing sweeping-test-tones ranging from 20Hz to 20Khz, it is incredibly difficult to even discern exactly where, if anywhere, the bass is "boosted." Basically, the bass that comes from these, at least to me (YMMV) sounds exactly the way it is supposed to as any given track was mastered. If the track has heavy, thumping bass, so do the Alpha Dogs, while if it has subdued, barely-audible bass, then that's what you will hear from the Dogs. But when it needs impact, these have serious impact. Frankly, the bass is wonderful. I do SOMETIMES hear a very, very slight distortion/breakup down in the sub-bass when the volume is very very high, but I have to actually TRY to listen for it in order to detect it, unlike the very-audible subbass distortion which far too many headphones produce these days. Meanwhile, at reasonable-to-loud volume levels, I never hear any distortion in the bass. . .it is pure, impactful, and clear, and I would give these a grade of, say, 93% (so an A but not an A+) for how they do bass both in-and-of-itself, as well as relative-to-the-mids.
I would also like to make a brief note about another big positive aspect of the bass from these: IT IS TUNABLE, GUYS! Yes, the Alpha Dogs come with a tuning-kit for tweaking the bass! Personally, after trying it I adjusted the bass back to how it was when I first received them, as I liked it best that way---but that may simply be because my ears had already grown most accustomed to the signature at that point, as I did not try the bass-tuning at all until I'd already had them for a few weeks. So, YMMV, and I'm sure plenty of you guys will find that even if the "default" bass does not quite fit your particular tastes, you will be able to tune it exactly to your liking Heck, I mentioned the default signature is very slightly warm due to the bass, right? I'm sure someone could tune these to have bass truly neutral relative to the mids, if they want, which should certainly be a huge, huge plus for a lot of audiophiles considering buying these headphones.
Mids
Just like the bass, and as is to be expected from Planar Magnetic drivers, the mids are nice and linear through their entire range (as well as relative to the bass), with the first hints of frequency-response roll-off not becoming at all audible until you get past the upper mids and into the treble at 2Khz or so. The mids are clean, clear, and detailed, with a nice smooth sound. Vocals, guitar chords, etc., they all sound awesome; as-in, the midrange sounds at least as good as it should for a pricetag of $500 on these headphones, and just like the bass is far better than one will get from the vast majority of traditional Dynamic-Driver headphones. I would give the way these do the mids a solid 97% (A+) grade, as is to be expected from any planar-magnetic headphones.
Treble
Here's where we start to run into a little bit of an issue, as anyone who knows much about Planar Magnetic technology could have easily predicted. The frequency-response, according to the measurements from Innerfidelity, starts to experience seemingly significant roll-off after about 2Khz. However, I can barely, BARELY actually hear this roll-off at all, myself, until around the 7Khz mark or so, even when listening to equal-relative-loudness sweeping-tones. In other words, the treble I am hearing sounds more like the uncompensated (grey colored) measurements from Innerfidelity rather than like the compensated ones. So while there certainly is an issue with treble roll-off, it isn't "severe," in my opinion. The treble starts to become at least somewhat-noticably rolled-off at 7Khz, but it is past about 9.5 or 10Khz that one finds truly serious roll-off in the treble. So, what does this mean for the sound? Basically, these headphones do bass and mids incredibly, the lower 50% to 60% (on a logarithmic scale) of the treble quite well, but have the upper-50% or so of the treble severely rolled-off, so that the overall sound is somewhat lacking in upper-end air and sparkle. It only really becomes audible with things like cymbal hits. Anyway, I would give the way these do the lower-50% (up to 8 or 9Khz) of the treble a grade of 85% (so a solid B) and the way they do the upper-treble a grade of 75% (a C). Meh, what can ya do? Treble-extension is the primary weakness of Planar Magnetic tech, and there's not much that can ever be done about it from an engineering standpoint. I am 100% positive that the engineers at Mr. Speakers did the absolute very best they could to eke out the best treble they could from these drivers.
So what's this mean? Basically it means that if you're a hardcore treble-head, these are not good headphones for you, and you should probably just stay away from Planar Magnetic headphones in general in that case.
One big plus to the treble from these, though? It is very smooth and never ever fatiguing, without ever being strident. I have also not once noticed any sibilance where it does not already exist in a recording.
Clarity and Detail
I don't understand how these manage to have such great clarity and so much detail while at the same time sounding fun and upbeat/energetic rather than clinical and analytic. Sure, these headphones are not kings of detail and clarity, I mean they aren't STAX electrostats and they aren't Sennheiser HD800's, and they only cost $500. But, wow, I can hear waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more detail in my music from these than I ever could before (with the exception of briefly demoing the HD800s, the Ether C's, and a few other summit-fi models), and the clarity is so very nice and sweet, as if I can really "hear into" the music. Other stuff I've listened to has (to use a visual metaphor) been like looking at things without my glasses on, while listening to these headphones is like suddenly having my glasses on again to look at the world. Meanwhile, headphones with summit-fi-level detail and clinical accuracy are like having my eyes replaced with those of an eagle, but I find that to be TOO much and downright overwhelming
Basically, these strike a fantastic balance between being fun and smoothed-out, and being clinical and super-detailed. I don't know how else to describe it. Of course, that detail and clarity unfortunately falls-off in the upper 50% of the treble, corresponding to the roll-off there in the Frequency Reponse; but what can ya do?
Dynamics and Speed
Wide and rapid swings in volume, super-fast sequences of wide-ranging (frequency-wise and volume-wise) successive notes, whatever, these can handle it all when it comes to dynamics and speed. Everything sounds VERY energetic and fun on these headphones, and they ALWAYS make me want to start bobbing my head and tapping my foot
Soundstage and Imaging
It is in this category, more than any other, that the engineers at Mr. Speakers have impressed me to the point of absolutely blowing my mind. I have seen several reviewers on here call the soundstage "congested" or simply "decent," but I honestly cannot see how they can think so when considering that these headphones are closed-backed. These headphones have a soundstage ALMOST as wide as the soundstage of decent (but not great or high-end) open-backed headphones, and of course way wider than the soundstage of almost all closed-back headphone I have yet listened to. And while the soundstage is lacking in depth compared to width, it is still quite deep for a closed-back, providing a good sense of separation between the instruments, at least to my ears. And the imaging, it is INCREDIBLY realistic. With songs that were very well-mastered in terms of the sense of space and position of the instruments, I often get that super-cool sense of almost (as opposed to a good open-backed headphone where it's no longer just "almost") being "in the room" with the instruments and being able to hear each of them from a slightly different direction than the others. So, that is obviously a huge point in favor of these headphones, and of Mr. Speakers in-general.
Let me tell you guys a somewhat-brief story (which you can feel free to skip, just skip this paragraph if you want) illustrating just what I mean about the soundstage of these headphones. I have a friend, Alicia, who is not the least bit of an audiophile. . .for example, this girl totally thought, like most folks, that Beats were actually good headphones (because the Mass-Media says so, guys!!!!!) until I corrected her on that belief, haha. And she is usually quite content to listen to, say, a pair of Apple Earpods (*barfs violently*). So clearly, this girl knows nothing about hi-fi sound, right guys? Anyway, so one day, she asked if she could listen to my headphones, since she sees how much they interest me. First, she listened to the Sony MDR-1A, and then the Sony MDR-100AAP, both of which (especially the latter) are quite good closed-back portable mid-fi headphones. The MDR-100AAP in-particular has a pretty good soundstage for a closed-back intended for portable use. But, as soon as Alicia put on the Alpha Dogs, I could see on her face that her mind was blown. After she was done I asked for her impressions, and this is what she said: "well, with those first two headphones it was like the sound was just coming from right here *gestures forming the shape of a very small box right in front of her face*, but with those big dorky looking headphones I tried last it was like the sound was coming from ALLLL AROUND ME *gestures in a big sweeping motion all around her body*." Basically what I'm saying, guys, is that these have such a great soundstage for closed-back headphones that even a complete non-audiophile who knows nothing of sound-quality was immediately blown-away by it, and was even able to describe the actual concept/definition of "soundstage" as a result. Pretty cool, right?
Conclusion/Summary
In conclusion, these are very, very nice headphones, in my opinion, for a stay-at-home user who wants a closed-back headphone for the purposes of isolation, while at the same time not wanting to sacrifice TOO much of the soundstage and imaging achieved by good open-backed headphones. They have quite nice clarity, and great detail through the bass, mids, and low-treble. The overall signature is very slightly warm, but can be tuned (YAY!) to be neutral through the bass and mids if desired, and has roll-off in the treble which starts to become quite audible around 8Khz due to the constraints of planar-magnetic driver technology. And while not sacrificing the aforementioned detail and clarity, these are also very very FUN and dynamic sounding headphones, and invariably make me want to start tapping my foot to the beat of the music. Finally, these are very very comfortable as long as they are not too heavy for a person.
So, the biggest points against these headphones would be: the aforementioned treble roll-off (although keep in mind that below 8Khz the treble is very good, and it is always smooth and non-fatiguing. . .personally, I prefer a rolled-off non-fatiguing treble rather than treble which is strident and piercing in an attempt to sound more detailed), the weight (for some folks, but not for me), and the looks which are simply dorky-as-heck
So, do I think these headphones are worth spending $500 on? Definitely. Will I be buying a pair of either these or the Alpha Primes for myself someday, after experiencing them as a loaner? Oh yes, yes I will, definitely. I've pretty much reached the conclusion that these are what I have always been looking for in stay-at-home headphones, and they or the Alpha Primes will almost surely be all I'll ever need (at least for a long long time) in that regard, once I can afford a pair myself. My search for stay-at-home cans is over, and now I only need to find the "perfect portables" and my "ideal IEM's" to one day complete my collection.
Comfort
These headphones are SUBLIMELY comfortable. The earpads are absolutely HUMONGOUS and so very soft and cushiony, and feel like plush pillows resting lightly around my ears. The headband never seems to create that "pinching" feeling on the top of the head that some headphones get, and the clamping pressure is completely reasonable. The one and only issue these can sometimes have with comfort is their weight: Like most Planar Magnetic headphones, the Alpha Dogs have quite large and bulky earcups in order to accomodate the drivers, and I find that if I am very very physically exhausted it becomes a strain on my neck to wear them for a long time. However, issues with comfort due to weight have only arisen once or twice during the four-and-a-half months I've had these, so I am taking off as little as I can from their comfort-rating in this review to account for that. Do keep in mind, though, that very petite and/or very thin-built folks might have an issue with neck strain due to the bulk of these. . .for anyone for whom that is the case, that is a shame, because they are probably not going to have any luck when it comes to comfort from any planar-magnetic headphones besides perhaps the Oppo PM-3.
Keep in mind that it is because of the weight that I didn't give these a top rating for comfort, but that for me, the weight isn't an issue. . .I simply did that with the rating out of consideration of the fact that other folks might find the weight annoying.
Build
Immediately upon holding these in my hands, I knew they were incredibly sturdy. Since they are not actually my own headphones, I have of course been extremely careful with them; however, I am absolutely positive that they could withstand all kinds of punishment (NOT THAT ANYONE SHOULD EVER TEST THAT! Seriously, don't, hahahahaha) and remain completely fine. The steel frame for the headband is super-thick and sturdy, and the custom earcups made by Mr. Speakers seem very durable. The stock cable is about as thick and durable as they come, and the engineers made a very, very good choice of cable-connectors on the earcups: The way they screw and lock into place pretty much precludes any possibility of bending or breakage.
Basically, these seem like headphones that would last years even for a fairly irresponsible and clumsy individual.
Power Requirements
Don't believe what people say when they tell you that the Alpha Dogs need some kind of super-duper-powerful source in order to achieve close-to their full potential, although they can certainly benefit in some ways from a high-power amp. They do just fine (with bass-impact at about 98% of what it is from a higher-power source, and everything else the same) driven straight from my Fiio X3 2nd Generation DAP, which has a power rating of a maximum of 200mW into 32ohms. Even on normal/low gain, the X3ii is able to drive the Alpha Dogs loudly enough to become borderline-painful on most tracks with the volume at maximum, while with the gain on high, it drives them to truly-painful levels. However, the X3ii does not give a lot of volume head-room for the Alpha Dogs. . .a decent amount, but not a whole lot, so if that's what you're looking for, something a bit more powerful is definitely recommended. The guy who loaned me the Alpha Dogs is also loaning me a Schiit Asgard 2 headphone-amp, and I'm finding that the Asgard 2 pairs extremely well with the Alpha Dogs. . .not only is it able to drive them with a MUCH larger amount of volume-headroom than the X3ii (so if you're the kinda guy who likes listening VERY loudly, something like the Asgard 2 should go well with the Alpha Dogs) but unlike the X3ii the Asgard 2 has a 1/4" instead of a 3.5mm output, which in my opinion is preferable for a stay-at-home headphone like the Alpha Dogs--when I myself purchase the Alpha Dogs, I am going to be going with the option of the 1/4" cable rather than the 3.5mm, as it is much sturdier and more reliable in the long-run.
So in conclusion, a super-powerful amp is not necessary in order to drive the Alpha Dogs to truly loud levels; however, any source less powerful than say, a max-power of 150 or 100mW into 32 ohms will probably be too little for the Alpha Dogs, and will need to be paired with an amp, meaning that nobody is ever going to enjoy listening to these straight from a smartphone. And if you want something which will give you lots of headroom for volume-control, the Alpha Dogs should be paired with an amp like the Asgard 2 which outputs over one whole watt (1000mW, for those who are not familiar with such unit prefixes) into a 32 ohm load.
Value
Honestly guys, I have too little experience with planar-magnetic headphones, as well as with headphones in the over-$400 price-range, to really judge how good a value these are myself. However, people I know in these forums who ARE very knowledgable about such things all seem to be of the opinion (and have told me so) that all of Mr. Speakers' headphones, including the Alpha Dogs, are a very very good deal. And in all seriousness, while they cost $500, they sound way more than even just twice as good as any of the $250 and $300 headphones I've ever listened to; so, I am going to give them a very high rating under the "value" category.
Looks
So here we get to the one and only truly "major problem" with these headphones, other than perhaps their weight for certain more petite and/or scrawny individuals. Frankly guys, these headphones look dorky, bordering on downright stupid-looking. My roommate and I think that I look like some kind of "mentally challenged spaceman" wearing them because of the huge awkward earcups and the guide-rails for the headband adjustment that stick up and out like antennae. However, is any of this really an issue? In my opinion no, considering that these are certainly not portable. As long as I won't be wearing them out of the house, I don't care what they look like. But I'm aware plenty of people might care, and so that's why I gave these a somewhat lower rating for "design" than in other categories.
Isolation
These isolate really well from outside sound, probably by virtue of the humongous cushiony earpads as well as whatever material the earcups are made from. As soon as I put them on, all outside sound (especially in the midrange and above) is reduced drastically, and then as soon as music starts playing I basically cannot hear any outside audio-stimuli. Very nice! These are truly "closed back" headphones in a very, very real sense.
Sound
Okay guys, so here's the big part, the part everybody REALLY cares about! As in previous reviews, I will first give a general overview of the sound, followed by a category-wise breakdown.
First of all, it is my opinion that for $500 these sound amazing. I have listened to over-$1000 headphones at meets and stores taht at best sound subtly better than these, but not over twice as good. Meanwhile, as I said before, these $500 headphones sound way more than just twice as good as headphones that are half the price, in my opinion. I would classify their sound as slightly on the warm side of neutral, but still very close to neutral, with rolled-off upper treble characteristic of planar magnetic drivers, as can be seen here in the Alpha Dog (2014 model) measurements from Innerfidelity: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAlphaDog2014.pdf However, what I am hearing does differ in some ways from those measurements in the treble, as I will explain in more detail below. Meanwhile, what really strikes me about the sound of these is that they manage to have quite good clarity, transparency, separation, and detail, all while managing to not sound overly-clinical, but rather to sound truly fun! Finally, there's the soundstage and imaging, which are frankly MINDBLOWING (that one had to be in all caps, this is that darn serious) for a fully-closed-back headphone with isolation like this, and sounds very nearly like an open-backed headphone.
Bass
As is typical with Planar Magnetic driver technology, these produce very linear, clear, undistorted sounding bass. While the frequency-response is somewhat on the warmer side, I would say that the bass still sounds quite close to truly "neutral" alongside the mids, to the point that if one were to (as I have) experiment by playing sweeping-test-tones ranging from 20Hz to 20Khz, it is incredibly difficult to even discern exactly where, if anywhere, the bass is "boosted." Basically, the bass that comes from these, at least to me (YMMV) sounds exactly the way it is supposed to as any given track was mastered. If the track has heavy, thumping bass, so do the Alpha Dogs, while if it has subdued, barely-audible bass, then that's what you will hear from the Dogs. But when it needs impact, these have serious impact. Frankly, the bass is wonderful. I do SOMETIMES hear a very, very slight distortion/breakup down in the sub-bass when the volume is very very high, but I have to actually TRY to listen for it in order to detect it, unlike the very-audible subbass distortion which far too many headphones produce these days. Meanwhile, at reasonable-to-loud volume levels, I never hear any distortion in the bass. . .it is pure, impactful, and clear, and I would give these a grade of, say, 93% (so an A but not an A+) for how they do bass both in-and-of-itself, as well as relative-to-the-mids.
I would also like to make a brief note about another big positive aspect of the bass from these: IT IS TUNABLE, GUYS! Yes, the Alpha Dogs come with a tuning-kit for tweaking the bass! Personally, after trying it I adjusted the bass back to how it was when I first received them, as I liked it best that way---but that may simply be because my ears had already grown most accustomed to the signature at that point, as I did not try the bass-tuning at all until I'd already had them for a few weeks. So, YMMV, and I'm sure plenty of you guys will find that even if the "default" bass does not quite fit your particular tastes, you will be able to tune it exactly to your liking Heck, I mentioned the default signature is very slightly warm due to the bass, right? I'm sure someone could tune these to have bass truly neutral relative to the mids, if they want, which should certainly be a huge, huge plus for a lot of audiophiles considering buying these headphones.
Mids
Just like the bass, and as is to be expected from Planar Magnetic drivers, the mids are nice and linear through their entire range (as well as relative to the bass), with the first hints of frequency-response roll-off not becoming at all audible until you get past the upper mids and into the treble at 2Khz or so. The mids are clean, clear, and detailed, with a nice smooth sound. Vocals, guitar chords, etc., they all sound awesome; as-in, the midrange sounds at least as good as it should for a pricetag of $500 on these headphones, and just like the bass is far better than one will get from the vast majority of traditional Dynamic-Driver headphones. I would give the way these do the mids a solid 97% (A+) grade, as is to be expected from any planar-magnetic headphones.
Treble
Here's where we start to run into a little bit of an issue, as anyone who knows much about Planar Magnetic technology could have easily predicted. The frequency-response, according to the measurements from Innerfidelity, starts to experience seemingly significant roll-off after about 2Khz. However, I can barely, BARELY actually hear this roll-off at all, myself, until around the 7Khz mark or so, even when listening to equal-relative-loudness sweeping-tones. In other words, the treble I am hearing sounds more like the uncompensated (grey colored) measurements from Innerfidelity rather than like the compensated ones. So while there certainly is an issue with treble roll-off, it isn't "severe," in my opinion. The treble starts to become at least somewhat-noticably rolled-off at 7Khz, but it is past about 9.5 or 10Khz that one finds truly serious roll-off in the treble. So, what does this mean for the sound? Basically, these headphones do bass and mids incredibly, the lower 50% to 60% (on a logarithmic scale) of the treble quite well, but have the upper-50% or so of the treble severely rolled-off, so that the overall sound is somewhat lacking in upper-end air and sparkle. It only really becomes audible with things like cymbal hits. Anyway, I would give the way these do the lower-50% (up to 8 or 9Khz) of the treble a grade of 85% (so a solid B) and the way they do the upper-treble a grade of 75% (a C). Meh, what can ya do? Treble-extension is the primary weakness of Planar Magnetic tech, and there's not much that can ever be done about it from an engineering standpoint. I am 100% positive that the engineers at Mr. Speakers did the absolute very best they could to eke out the best treble they could from these drivers.
So what's this mean? Basically it means that if you're a hardcore treble-head, these are not good headphones for you, and you should probably just stay away from Planar Magnetic headphones in general in that case.
One big plus to the treble from these, though? It is very smooth and never ever fatiguing, without ever being strident. I have also not once noticed any sibilance where it does not already exist in a recording.
Clarity and Detail
I don't understand how these manage to have such great clarity and so much detail while at the same time sounding fun and upbeat/energetic rather than clinical and analytic. Sure, these headphones are not kings of detail and clarity, I mean they aren't STAX electrostats and they aren't Sennheiser HD800's, and they only cost $500. But, wow, I can hear waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more detail in my music from these than I ever could before (with the exception of briefly demoing the HD800s, the Ether C's, and a few other summit-fi models), and the clarity is so very nice and sweet, as if I can really "hear into" the music. Other stuff I've listened to has (to use a visual metaphor) been like looking at things without my glasses on, while listening to these headphones is like suddenly having my glasses on again to look at the world. Meanwhile, headphones with summit-fi-level detail and clinical accuracy are like having my eyes replaced with those of an eagle, but I find that to be TOO much and downright overwhelming
Dynamics and Speed
Wide and rapid swings in volume, super-fast sequences of wide-ranging (frequency-wise and volume-wise) successive notes, whatever, these can handle it all when it comes to dynamics and speed. Everything sounds VERY energetic and fun on these headphones, and they ALWAYS make me want to start bobbing my head and tapping my foot
Soundstage and Imaging
It is in this category, more than any other, that the engineers at Mr. Speakers have impressed me to the point of absolutely blowing my mind. I have seen several reviewers on here call the soundstage "congested" or simply "decent," but I honestly cannot see how they can think so when considering that these headphones are closed-backed. These headphones have a soundstage ALMOST as wide as the soundstage of decent (but not great or high-end) open-backed headphones, and of course way wider than the soundstage of almost all closed-back headphone I have yet listened to. And while the soundstage is lacking in depth compared to width, it is still quite deep for a closed-back, providing a good sense of separation between the instruments, at least to my ears. And the imaging, it is INCREDIBLY realistic. With songs that were very well-mastered in terms of the sense of space and position of the instruments, I often get that super-cool sense of almost (as opposed to a good open-backed headphone where it's no longer just "almost") being "in the room" with the instruments and being able to hear each of them from a slightly different direction than the others. So, that is obviously a huge point in favor of these headphones, and of Mr. Speakers in-general.
Let me tell you guys a somewhat-brief story (which you can feel free to skip, just skip this paragraph if you want) illustrating just what I mean about the soundstage of these headphones. I have a friend, Alicia, who is not the least bit of an audiophile. . .for example, this girl totally thought, like most folks, that Beats were actually good headphones (because the Mass-Media says so, guys!!!!!) until I corrected her on that belief, haha. And she is usually quite content to listen to, say, a pair of Apple Earpods (*barfs violently*). So clearly, this girl knows nothing about hi-fi sound, right guys? Anyway, so one day, she asked if she could listen to my headphones, since she sees how much they interest me. First, she listened to the Sony MDR-1A, and then the Sony MDR-100AAP, both of which (especially the latter) are quite good closed-back portable mid-fi headphones. The MDR-100AAP in-particular has a pretty good soundstage for a closed-back intended for portable use. But, as soon as Alicia put on the Alpha Dogs, I could see on her face that her mind was blown. After she was done I asked for her impressions, and this is what she said: "well, with those first two headphones it was like the sound was just coming from right here *gestures forming the shape of a very small box right in front of her face*, but with those big dorky looking headphones I tried last it was like the sound was coming from ALLLL AROUND ME *gestures in a big sweeping motion all around her body*." Basically what I'm saying, guys, is that these have such a great soundstage for closed-back headphones that even a complete non-audiophile who knows nothing of sound-quality was immediately blown-away by it, and was even able to describe the actual concept/definition of "soundstage" as a result. Pretty cool, right?
Conclusion/Summary
In conclusion, these are very, very nice headphones, in my opinion, for a stay-at-home user who wants a closed-back headphone for the purposes of isolation, while at the same time not wanting to sacrifice TOO much of the soundstage and imaging achieved by good open-backed headphones. They have quite nice clarity, and great detail through the bass, mids, and low-treble. The overall signature is very slightly warm, but can be tuned (YAY!) to be neutral through the bass and mids if desired, and has roll-off in the treble which starts to become quite audible around 8Khz due to the constraints of planar-magnetic driver technology. And while not sacrificing the aforementioned detail and clarity, these are also very very FUN and dynamic sounding headphones, and invariably make me want to start tapping my foot to the beat of the music. Finally, these are very very comfortable as long as they are not too heavy for a person.
So, the biggest points against these headphones would be: the aforementioned treble roll-off (although keep in mind that below 8Khz the treble is very good, and it is always smooth and non-fatiguing. . .personally, I prefer a rolled-off non-fatiguing treble rather than treble which is strident and piercing in an attempt to sound more detailed), the weight (for some folks, but not for me), and the looks which are simply dorky-as-heck
So, do I think these headphones are worth spending $500 on? Definitely. Will I be buying a pair of either these or the Alpha Primes for myself someday, after experiencing them as a loaner? Oh yes, yes I will, definitely. I've pretty much reached the conclusion that these are what I have always been looking for in stay-at-home headphones, and they or the Alpha Primes will almost surely be all I'll ever need (at least for a long long time) in that regard, once I can afford a pair myself. My search for stay-at-home cans is over, and now I only need to find the "perfect portables" and my "ideal IEM's" to one day complete my collection.