First off, thanks to @TorqueAudio for letting me review a pre-production pair. Although it may differ in some minor cosmetics, I've been assured it's sonically identical to the final shipping product.
Introduction
Hi-fi is a very personal hobby. Sometimes, our tastes change based on the genre of music we're listening to, our current mood, or perhaps the phase of the moon. In any case, I think it's not uncommon for those of the head-fi persuasion to possess many different headphones, each to be savored at a particular time and/or place. Torque Audio seems to have some refreshingly elegant solutions to this fun, sometimes vexing, and most certainly economically unsustainable conundrum. For example, the frequency response of their line of in-ear monitors can be customized myriad ways to fit different tastes. Now they bring that same spirit to full-size headphones with the t402v and modi:fi technology. The basic premise is simple: allow the listener to tailor the bass response according to their preference with a simple turn of the earpad. So how does this decidedly analog method fare in the 21st century? Let's find out.
Description
From the packaging to its construction, the t402v exudes class and sophistication in abundance. The headband is wrapped in leather and the aluminum earcups have a tasteful brushed accent to provide some tactile spice. Overall, Torque has done a superlative job in crafting a headphone you'd be proud to own. A thoughtful touch is the dampening material around the inside of the metal suspension ring and also in the opening for the height adjustment, all working to silence mechanical noise.
The connecting cord has an inline control for your iDevices with a built-in mic and plugs into the left earcup. Cord length is good for desktop or mobile use but might fall a bit short for home listening. The construction seems to be sturdy and stylish - with a transparent rubber coating over two-tone nylon sleeving.
The headband is lightly padded, mainly at the top. Clamping force for my head was comfortable enough for an entire album's worth of songs, which is generally when I take a listening break.
Torque includes two sets of ear pads for over-ear or on-ear listening, each with four distinct sets of ports to tune the bass response. The foam is pliant and comfortable - neither too soft nor too hard. Both sets of pads are square. The over ears feel positively cavernous. This could be a problem in obtaining a good seal all around for those with smaller heads. I found that I had to rotate the headphones forward and backward a little bit on my head in order to find the best position.
The included carrying case is used to hold the earpads during shipment. Leaving out the foam shipping insert, you can stuff the t402v's inside with the over-ear pads on the earcups, but the headphones won't lay flat that way, increasing bulk. The satchel can be used to store the the cord within the case to keep everything from getting tangled up.
Use
The ear pads attach to the earcups via strategically placed magnets. The trick here is to make sure you've got the pad mounted flush on all four sides. The bass port on the earcup is located on the side closest to the headband. Just match up the color you want to the bass port and let the ear pad slide into place. Yellow offers the most bass, with blue, red, and black decreasing the bass output until it's more or less 'flat'.
Sound leakage with the over-ear pad seems to be a little bit more than the NAD Viso HP50's that I primarily use for general listening while in the office. If you listen at a moderate volume - say, around your standard conversational level - it probably won't be too much of an issue in a quiet office setting. Curiously, the on-ear pads seem to leak much less, so you do have options if you feel you're generating too much noise.
Listening
I tried all the different ports and quickly settled on either red or black depending on mood for both sets of pads. The on-ears definitely had a warmer tonal character than the over-ear pads, even on the black setting, at the expense of some top end extension. Yet the on-ears also presented a more dynamic soundscape - vocals in particular sounding more open. The on-ear pads also seemed to be a little sensitive to placement - it took some trial and error to get what I felt was the best sound out of them. I ended up using the over-ear pads for most of the review period, but would sometimes swap in the on-ear pads for a more immediate sound.
Out of my Meridian Explorer 2 and using the lowest bass setting, the t402v offered up a spacious, slightly laid-back, warmish presentation. This especially suited modern pop and rock. I like to use Florence + The Machine as a torture test of sorts for harshness in the presence region. On "Ship to Wreck" from her latest album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (CD, Republic, B0023122-02), Florence Welch's vocals soared with a clarity that didn't end up beating my eardrums into submission. Bass sounded dynamic and tuneful, with a bias towards tone rather than detail. Drums had nice body but their impact were just a tad softened. The t402v's didn't disappoint on "Demons" either, from The National's Trouble Will Find Me (4AD, CAD3315CD). Matt Berninger's baritone never veered into chestiness and the 'phones also clearly delineated the backing vocals from the rest of the mix.
The ability to tune the bass came in handy at times. For the final movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Chesky CD 2), massed strings sounded slightly hollowed out and artificial on the black setting, though on other setups they do tend to be on the dry side. When I traded black for red on the over-ear pads, some balance was restored. Strings now had a nice flow to them. Earl Wild's playing was rendered with good tone and touch and a pleasant bloom around the notes. The Torque 'phones also seemed to capture a fair degree of the ambiance from Walthhamstow Town Hall, lending the entire performance a more dimensional quality. I also preferred red over black on "I'm Old Fashioned" from Blue Train (Blue Note, 53428). Coltrane's tenor sax sounded more substantive with a little low-end bump and Paul Chambers' bass had a pleasing round tone, though was a little exaggerated in level. Still, I felt it was a good trade-off. The t402v's also didn't gloss over Philly Joe Jones' fine brush work on the snare, nor the subtle throatiness of Curtis Fuller's trombone.
What was most surprising was that the t402v's livened up on my home setup, which consists of a CI Audio VHP-1 / VAC-1 headphone amp and Ayre C-5xeMP disc player. They sounded more dynamic and vibrant, with drums in particular taking on increased punch. I must admit that the VHP-1 / Ayre combo does sound a bit warmer and more tonally saturated than the headphone out on the Explorer 2. It seems that the t402v's will reward listeners with better performance as they move up to higher spec kit.
Comparison
As I mentioned above, the NAD Viso HP50's are my current go-to for sealed headphones. The HP50's are certainly not as luxe in appearance, though in terms of sonic performance I feel they pull just slightly ahead. For example, on "Ship to Wreck" the HP50's provide a little more texture to the bass line and more sheen to cymbals. On Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, the strings sounded a tad richer in tone through the NAD, though I preferred the way the t402v's rendered the piano. I also appreciated the t402v over-ear pad's more relaxed presentation - sometimes you want to come to the music instead of the other way around. Both are great choices for long listening sessions.
Conclusion
I think Torque Audio has a worthy contender in the full-size sealed headphone category with the t402v. Not only is it a beauty to behold and a joy to listen to, but it is transparent enough to scale with better equipment. Torque really did their homework with the t402v and set the bar high for the competition. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
Associated Equipment
Headphones - NAD Viso HP50
Amplification - Meridian Explorer 2, CI Audio VHP-1 / VAC-1
Sources - Ayre C-5xeMP, Meridian Explorer 2
Cabling - Analysis Plus Copper Oval-In and Pro Oval Studio balanced, Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval, Blue Jeans MSA-1
Power - AudioQuest JitterBug, Bryston BIT-15
Introduction
Hi-fi is a very personal hobby. Sometimes, our tastes change based on the genre of music we're listening to, our current mood, or perhaps the phase of the moon. In any case, I think it's not uncommon for those of the head-fi persuasion to possess many different headphones, each to be savored at a particular time and/or place. Torque Audio seems to have some refreshingly elegant solutions to this fun, sometimes vexing, and most certainly economically unsustainable conundrum. For example, the frequency response of their line of in-ear monitors can be customized myriad ways to fit different tastes. Now they bring that same spirit to full-size headphones with the t402v and modi:fi technology. The basic premise is simple: allow the listener to tailor the bass response according to their preference with a simple turn of the earpad. So how does this decidedly analog method fare in the 21st century? Let's find out.
Description
From the packaging to its construction, the t402v exudes class and sophistication in abundance. The headband is wrapped in leather and the aluminum earcups have a tasteful brushed accent to provide some tactile spice. Overall, Torque has done a superlative job in crafting a headphone you'd be proud to own. A thoughtful touch is the dampening material around the inside of the metal suspension ring and also in the opening for the height adjustment, all working to silence mechanical noise.
The connecting cord has an inline control for your iDevices with a built-in mic and plugs into the left earcup. Cord length is good for desktop or mobile use but might fall a bit short for home listening. The construction seems to be sturdy and stylish - with a transparent rubber coating over two-tone nylon sleeving.
The headband is lightly padded, mainly at the top. Clamping force for my head was comfortable enough for an entire album's worth of songs, which is generally when I take a listening break.
Torque includes two sets of ear pads for over-ear or on-ear listening, each with four distinct sets of ports to tune the bass response. The foam is pliant and comfortable - neither too soft nor too hard. Both sets of pads are square. The over ears feel positively cavernous. This could be a problem in obtaining a good seal all around for those with smaller heads. I found that I had to rotate the headphones forward and backward a little bit on my head in order to find the best position.
The included carrying case is used to hold the earpads during shipment. Leaving out the foam shipping insert, you can stuff the t402v's inside with the over-ear pads on the earcups, but the headphones won't lay flat that way, increasing bulk. The satchel can be used to store the the cord within the case to keep everything from getting tangled up.
Use
The ear pads attach to the earcups via strategically placed magnets. The trick here is to make sure you've got the pad mounted flush on all four sides. The bass port on the earcup is located on the side closest to the headband. Just match up the color you want to the bass port and let the ear pad slide into place. Yellow offers the most bass, with blue, red, and black decreasing the bass output until it's more or less 'flat'.
Sound leakage with the over-ear pad seems to be a little bit more than the NAD Viso HP50's that I primarily use for general listening while in the office. If you listen at a moderate volume - say, around your standard conversational level - it probably won't be too much of an issue in a quiet office setting. Curiously, the on-ear pads seem to leak much less, so you do have options if you feel you're generating too much noise.
Listening
I tried all the different ports and quickly settled on either red or black depending on mood for both sets of pads. The on-ears definitely had a warmer tonal character than the over-ear pads, even on the black setting, at the expense of some top end extension. Yet the on-ears also presented a more dynamic soundscape - vocals in particular sounding more open. The on-ear pads also seemed to be a little sensitive to placement - it took some trial and error to get what I felt was the best sound out of them. I ended up using the over-ear pads for most of the review period, but would sometimes swap in the on-ear pads for a more immediate sound.
Out of my Meridian Explorer 2 and using the lowest bass setting, the t402v offered up a spacious, slightly laid-back, warmish presentation. This especially suited modern pop and rock. I like to use Florence + The Machine as a torture test of sorts for harshness in the presence region. On "Ship to Wreck" from her latest album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (CD, Republic, B0023122-02), Florence Welch's vocals soared with a clarity that didn't end up beating my eardrums into submission. Bass sounded dynamic and tuneful, with a bias towards tone rather than detail. Drums had nice body but their impact were just a tad softened. The t402v's didn't disappoint on "Demons" either, from The National's Trouble Will Find Me (4AD, CAD3315CD). Matt Berninger's baritone never veered into chestiness and the 'phones also clearly delineated the backing vocals from the rest of the mix.
The ability to tune the bass came in handy at times. For the final movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Chesky CD 2), massed strings sounded slightly hollowed out and artificial on the black setting, though on other setups they do tend to be on the dry side. When I traded black for red on the over-ear pads, some balance was restored. Strings now had a nice flow to them. Earl Wild's playing was rendered with good tone and touch and a pleasant bloom around the notes. The Torque 'phones also seemed to capture a fair degree of the ambiance from Walthhamstow Town Hall, lending the entire performance a more dimensional quality. I also preferred red over black on "I'm Old Fashioned" from Blue Train (Blue Note, 53428). Coltrane's tenor sax sounded more substantive with a little low-end bump and Paul Chambers' bass had a pleasing round tone, though was a little exaggerated in level. Still, I felt it was a good trade-off. The t402v's also didn't gloss over Philly Joe Jones' fine brush work on the snare, nor the subtle throatiness of Curtis Fuller's trombone.
What was most surprising was that the t402v's livened up on my home setup, which consists of a CI Audio VHP-1 / VAC-1 headphone amp and Ayre C-5xeMP disc player. They sounded more dynamic and vibrant, with drums in particular taking on increased punch. I must admit that the VHP-1 / Ayre combo does sound a bit warmer and more tonally saturated than the headphone out on the Explorer 2. It seems that the t402v's will reward listeners with better performance as they move up to higher spec kit.
Comparison
As I mentioned above, the NAD Viso HP50's are my current go-to for sealed headphones. The HP50's are certainly not as luxe in appearance, though in terms of sonic performance I feel they pull just slightly ahead. For example, on "Ship to Wreck" the HP50's provide a little more texture to the bass line and more sheen to cymbals. On Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, the strings sounded a tad richer in tone through the NAD, though I preferred the way the t402v's rendered the piano. I also appreciated the t402v over-ear pad's more relaxed presentation - sometimes you want to come to the music instead of the other way around. Both are great choices for long listening sessions.
Conclusion
I think Torque Audio has a worthy contender in the full-size sealed headphone category with the t402v. Not only is it a beauty to behold and a joy to listen to, but it is transparent enough to scale with better equipment. Torque really did their homework with the t402v and set the bar high for the competition. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next.
Associated Equipment
Headphones - NAD Viso HP50
Amplification - Meridian Explorer 2, CI Audio VHP-1 / VAC-1
Sources - Ayre C-5xeMP, Meridian Explorer 2
Cabling - Analysis Plus Copper Oval-In and Pro Oval Studio balanced, Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval, Blue Jeans MSA-1
Power - AudioQuest JitterBug, Bryston BIT-15