Just got these headphones in new old stock condition, completely unused. The headphones were still in the plastic bag and the cable still had the original plastic tie. the original hard case was included; the quality is decent and does a good job of protecting the headphones.
First Impressions:
When I first opened the box and removed the plastic, I was completely stunned at how well everything was made and shined the perfection. Picking it up, they're surprisingly light for an almost all metal and leather construction. The cable is of very good quality. It's braided and terminates into a rather long/sturdy 1/4 inch jack.
Build Quality and Looks:
The headphones are almost exclusively metal. Every major part of the headphones is made out of metal. (cups, headband, etc.) The construction feels very solid (as expected) and would probably be very hard to break. Clamping force is a tad bit tight but the pads are very comfortable. The leather covering on the headband is very nice and goes well with everything else. In terms of how nice the headphones look, I'd give it a solid 10/10. I've never seen a pair of headphones that are this beautiful. They've got that retro, vintage vibe and just oozes elegance. It's a bit like a vintage Mercedes.
Sound:
Source: iPhone 4s (The lowest impedance source I have at about 1.8 ohms to accommodate the low impedance of the Pioneers at 8 ohms)
Music: Uncompressed, 44.1 khz, tested with Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin IV and John Coltrane's A Supreme Love
Bass: Very deep, pronounced bass. It's slightly more than I'd like although I admit, I tend to prefer headphones that are very light on bass. In comparison to AKG K7xx's and Sennheiser Momentums, the Pioneers definitely have more bass.
Mids: This is definitely where these cans shine the most. Very rich, velvety, lifelike mids. The saxophone parts in Us And Them sound incredible.
Treble: The high end is a bit subdued. This is probably caused by the pads as they are practically pillows. There is a thick layer of foam between the driver and your ear and there isn't a hole in middle of the pads as you'd normally find on most headphones. You could probably mod the pads (cut out a section) to let the sound come through easier.
Overall, The headphones work well with rock but doesn't handle well with music such as dubstep, edm, etc. With jazz, it's a whole new world. The headphones seem to perfectly accentuate the upright bass, sax and drums of John Coltrane's A Supreme Love. These headphones seem to be made for listening to jazz. As a bonus, the soundstage and instrument separation is surprisingly good. I could easily pinpoint every hit of the timbales and congas in Santana's No One To Depend On.
First Impressions:
When I first opened the box and removed the plastic, I was completely stunned at how well everything was made and shined the perfection. Picking it up, they're surprisingly light for an almost all metal and leather construction. The cable is of very good quality. It's braided and terminates into a rather long/sturdy 1/4 inch jack.
Build Quality and Looks:
The headphones are almost exclusively metal. Every major part of the headphones is made out of metal. (cups, headband, etc.) The construction feels very solid (as expected) and would probably be very hard to break. Clamping force is a tad bit tight but the pads are very comfortable. The leather covering on the headband is very nice and goes well with everything else. In terms of how nice the headphones look, I'd give it a solid 10/10. I've never seen a pair of headphones that are this beautiful. They've got that retro, vintage vibe and just oozes elegance. It's a bit like a vintage Mercedes.
Sound:
Source: iPhone 4s (The lowest impedance source I have at about 1.8 ohms to accommodate the low impedance of the Pioneers at 8 ohms)
Music: Uncompressed, 44.1 khz, tested with Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin IV and John Coltrane's A Supreme Love
Bass: Very deep, pronounced bass. It's slightly more than I'd like although I admit, I tend to prefer headphones that are very light on bass. In comparison to AKG K7xx's and Sennheiser Momentums, the Pioneers definitely have more bass.
Mids: This is definitely where these cans shine the most. Very rich, velvety, lifelike mids. The saxophone parts in Us And Them sound incredible.
Treble: The high end is a bit subdued. This is probably caused by the pads as they are practically pillows. There is a thick layer of foam between the driver and your ear and there isn't a hole in middle of the pads as you'd normally find on most headphones. You could probably mod the pads (cut out a section) to let the sound come through easier.
Overall, The headphones work well with rock but doesn't handle well with music such as dubstep, edm, etc. With jazz, it's a whole new world. The headphones seem to perfectly accentuate the upright bass, sax and drums of John Coltrane's A Supreme Love. These headphones seem to be made for listening to jazz. As a bonus, the soundstage and instrument separation is surprisingly good. I could easily pinpoint every hit of the timbales and congas in Santana's No One To Depend On.