Well, I happened to have a couple of hours to kill in Greenwich Village today, and so I thought what better way to do it than to finally check out the audiocubes store. First off, the store is not the amazing headphone mecca it ought to be. I've seen chain electronics stores with better selections for testing (well, only in Germany, but still). The guy working told me they were going to start stocking Grado, but that doesn't change that they lack the Stax and high-end Audio Technicas that made Audiocubes so beloved on Head-fi, and don't even have the Denons. But they did have some good headphones, and so I gave them a whirl.
I used the wall source and my Cowon F2 player for testing. I didn't happen to have a portable amp on me today, but the Cowon is pretty powerful by itself, and didn't have a problem driving anything there. I was only there for a little over an hour, so these are all first impressions.
Full-size rankings:
1. (tie) Audio Technica ATH-A900ti
1. (tie) JVC Victor HP-M1000
(gap)
3. AT A900
4. AT A700
(gap)
5. AT A500
also tested but found wanting: Sony CD900st, Pioneer Monitor10R. Just awful.
Among the big closed ATs, at first the family similarity struck me more than the differences, but after a few minutes the lineup became clear. The a900ti really is noticeably better than the a900 to my ears, though I'd say the A900 and A700 were relatively close. The A500, though fine at its price I guess, is not able to keep up with its big brothers, and I didn't give it much time. All three of the top ones were quite good, though, and I could imagine owning any of them.
What came as a surprise was the JVC M1000. On a lark, I started trying the headphones on the DJ section, expecting them to be awful and finding this expectation amply justified-- that is, until I reached the bottom row and tried the M1000. They blew me away, clearly superior to the A900 in all aspects but soundstage, and a near-match to the A900ti. I thought my mind must be playing tricks on me, so I tried them back and forth with different songs and sources, but this only confirmed my first impression. Though they have perhaps a little recession in the mids, the JVC are a remarkably good headphone, with ample, precise bass and clear, sparkling treble that extends very high. They're also quite comfortable, which partly makes up for how ugly they are. The Audiocubes website has these on sale now for $147.20, which is a silly good deal for anyone considering a new closed headphone in the $200 range.
Portable rankings:
1. (tie) AT ES7
1. (tie) AT ESW9
3. AT SQ5
4. Panasonic RP-HTX7
5. AT SJ5
also tested: AT ES5, AT ON3, Pioneer SE-M390
I've never had the chance to hear an ES7 before, and immediately it was clear that the hype is justified, they really were quite good for portable headphones. The bigger AT headphones were all clearly better, but this was no surprise. I quickly tried the ESW9, only long enough to determine that they were no better than the ES7.
The SQ5 was interesting. Smaller than the ES7 but also cheaper-looking, they were quite good performers and would make perfect sense if the ES7 didn't exist or the price gap between them was larger. Clearly better than almost any other portables on the wall, they were also clearly a notch below the ES7.
I'm also glad to finally hear the HTX7. I was surprised that people have criticized them for having weak bass, because what I heard was pleasantly ample bass, if not as precise as with the more expensive portables. For me their weak spot was treble: poor extension led them to sound a bit dull and muddy up top, but really only in comparison to the more expensive headphones on the wall. The AT SJ5 was comparable to the HTX7 in performance, but for me, less comfortable or well-built and a little less engaging-sounding. I also tried a few of the smaller portables, but they all lacked the bass and clarity of the larger headphones, and I didn't give them much time.
I used the wall source and my Cowon F2 player for testing. I didn't happen to have a portable amp on me today, but the Cowon is pretty powerful by itself, and didn't have a problem driving anything there. I was only there for a little over an hour, so these are all first impressions.
Full-size rankings:
1. (tie) Audio Technica ATH-A900ti
1. (tie) JVC Victor HP-M1000
(gap)
3. AT A900
4. AT A700
(gap)
5. AT A500
also tested but found wanting: Sony CD900st, Pioneer Monitor10R. Just awful.
Among the big closed ATs, at first the family similarity struck me more than the differences, but after a few minutes the lineup became clear. The a900ti really is noticeably better than the a900 to my ears, though I'd say the A900 and A700 were relatively close. The A500, though fine at its price I guess, is not able to keep up with its big brothers, and I didn't give it much time. All three of the top ones were quite good, though, and I could imagine owning any of them.
What came as a surprise was the JVC M1000. On a lark, I started trying the headphones on the DJ section, expecting them to be awful and finding this expectation amply justified-- that is, until I reached the bottom row and tried the M1000. They blew me away, clearly superior to the A900 in all aspects but soundstage, and a near-match to the A900ti. I thought my mind must be playing tricks on me, so I tried them back and forth with different songs and sources, but this only confirmed my first impression. Though they have perhaps a little recession in the mids, the JVC are a remarkably good headphone, with ample, precise bass and clear, sparkling treble that extends very high. They're also quite comfortable, which partly makes up for how ugly they are. The Audiocubes website has these on sale now for $147.20, which is a silly good deal for anyone considering a new closed headphone in the $200 range.
Portable rankings:
1. (tie) AT ES7
1. (tie) AT ESW9
3. AT SQ5
4. Panasonic RP-HTX7
5. AT SJ5
also tested: AT ES5, AT ON3, Pioneer SE-M390
I've never had the chance to hear an ES7 before, and immediately it was clear that the hype is justified, they really were quite good for portable headphones. The bigger AT headphones were all clearly better, but this was no surprise. I quickly tried the ESW9, only long enough to determine that they were no better than the ES7.
The SQ5 was interesting. Smaller than the ES7 but also cheaper-looking, they were quite good performers and would make perfect sense if the ES7 didn't exist or the price gap between them was larger. Clearly better than almost any other portables on the wall, they were also clearly a notch below the ES7.
I'm also glad to finally hear the HTX7. I was surprised that people have criticized them for having weak bass, because what I heard was pleasantly ample bass, if not as precise as with the more expensive portables. For me their weak spot was treble: poor extension led them to sound a bit dull and muddy up top, but really only in comparison to the more expensive headphones on the wall. The AT SJ5 was comparable to the HTX7 in performance, but for me, less comfortable or well-built and a little less engaging-sounding. I also tried a few of the smaller portables, but they all lacked the bass and clarity of the larger headphones, and I didn't give them much time.
