From the day I reached 200 hours on the K601, I found myself sincerely wishing I had posted some initial impressions so that I might be able to gauge how much of my recollection was clouded by the fogginess that comes with middle age.
I picked these up this afternoon, and folklore has it that they will need extensive burn-in, but I am willing to put a few thoughts down first. I apologise for any fanboyism and will try to keep the excalamation marks to a minimum.
- very surprised by how light and comfortable they are after the K601 - the latter are comfortable, but feel somewhat heavier.
- my kit isnt the most neutral, nor the most resolving, but listening to the 601s and my Grados has given me a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of brightness. While there is an initial harshness to the 501 (we are talking hour one here ..) and a sibilance in the top end of male vocal, this headphone isnt anywhere near as 'in your face' as either the Grados (mosh pit) or the 601 (middle row, but with an upfront sound that some describe as harsh).
- I have read a lot about the 'notes disappearing into the blackness' on good headphones - while my kit is never going to give me 100% of that sensation, this is the first pair of headphones I have owned where I can say that I know what they mean.
- soundstage and separation are excellent, even on the fairly predictable rock I've listened to in this first hour. These headphones make me want to drag various CDs out and see what they can do with the recording.
- I appreciate the MD-10, modest performer that it is, more than I did previously. So easy to pigeonhole kit, including headphones, when you havent heard the right combinations. The Carat needs burn-in (also brand new), but this is a pocket dynamo that I think would surprise many here.
- I've read multiple posts from folk who claim that these arent a good choice for harder rock, and that they lack bass impact. All I can say is that I prefer the Grados from my brief sampling of Killswitch Engage with the 501, but there is bass aplenty here : it simply isnt HD228 bass, if that makes any sense. The crossover on drums is absolutely superb, although there does seem to be a tendency to pull the drums forward over the rest of the mix - it didnt seem that way with the Grados.
OK, so who assesses a pair of headphones based on a single hour of listening, straight out of the box ? Crazy, right, particularly with headphones that reportedly need 2-300 hours of burn-in ? Still, that could easily be what you would be doing if you auditioned a pair of phones from a store where they dont just happen to have 501/601/701s (or HD650, Beyer 770s etc) sitting around for audition. Would I have known what to expect from these if I hadnt owned the 601 ? Quite possibly not, but they seem more instantly accessible than I recall the 601 - DBT, anyone ?
Finally, Uncle Erik, I may owe you an apology - I need to get past first month fanboyism before I am prepared to admit that the pedestal in which the 501s are regarded on this forum isnt simply rose-coloured glasses.
I picked these up this afternoon, and folklore has it that they will need extensive burn-in, but I am willing to put a few thoughts down first. I apologise for any fanboyism and will try to keep the excalamation marks to a minimum.
- very surprised by how light and comfortable they are after the K601 - the latter are comfortable, but feel somewhat heavier.
- my kit isnt the most neutral, nor the most resolving, but listening to the 601s and my Grados has given me a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of brightness. While there is an initial harshness to the 501 (we are talking hour one here ..) and a sibilance in the top end of male vocal, this headphone isnt anywhere near as 'in your face' as either the Grados (mosh pit) or the 601 (middle row, but with an upfront sound that some describe as harsh).
- I have read a lot about the 'notes disappearing into the blackness' on good headphones - while my kit is never going to give me 100% of that sensation, this is the first pair of headphones I have owned where I can say that I know what they mean.
- soundstage and separation are excellent, even on the fairly predictable rock I've listened to in this first hour. These headphones make me want to drag various CDs out and see what they can do with the recording.
- I appreciate the MD-10, modest performer that it is, more than I did previously. So easy to pigeonhole kit, including headphones, when you havent heard the right combinations. The Carat needs burn-in (also brand new), but this is a pocket dynamo that I think would surprise many here.
- I've read multiple posts from folk who claim that these arent a good choice for harder rock, and that they lack bass impact. All I can say is that I prefer the Grados from my brief sampling of Killswitch Engage with the 501, but there is bass aplenty here : it simply isnt HD228 bass, if that makes any sense. The crossover on drums is absolutely superb, although there does seem to be a tendency to pull the drums forward over the rest of the mix - it didnt seem that way with the Grados.
OK, so who assesses a pair of headphones based on a single hour of listening, straight out of the box ? Crazy, right, particularly with headphones that reportedly need 2-300 hours of burn-in ? Still, that could easily be what you would be doing if you auditioned a pair of phones from a store where they dont just happen to have 501/601/701s (or HD650, Beyer 770s etc) sitting around for audition. Would I have known what to expect from these if I hadnt owned the 601 ? Quite possibly not, but they seem more instantly accessible than I recall the 601 - DBT, anyone ?
Finally, Uncle Erik, I may owe you an apology - I need to get past first month fanboyism before I am prepared to admit that the pedestal in which the 501s are regarded on this forum isnt simply rose-coloured glasses.
