Pfr-v1 uses litz braid. Imo it sounds quite airy, bad bass, sometimes piercing, but acceptable if you use stock cable without extension cable. I won't recommend recabling to people because of difficulty and limited cable gauge (maybe 26-27 awg max without doing something crazy to the wires or driver housing), although if you are an expert or can get an expert to do the job, I think recabling makes a good improvement because the litz wire is very thin, individually insulated wire. HOWEVER, simply using no extension cable or a better extension cable will be good for the sound, not mandatory to do full recable to make the pfr-v1 sound more acceptable. Here is a comparison of one doublehelix nucleotide wire and signal+ground stock pfr-v1 cable with ONLY the black sheathing removed, to show how thin it is.
 
http://yfrog.com/0vcimg0456uj
 
I think I could sum up the pfr-v1 sound quality in one sentence, good mids and highs, bad bass and mediocre lower mids.
 
It's difficult to compare pro 900 to pfr-v1 because they sound quite different, but I'll try since I have them. In terms of enjoyment AND faithful emotion simultaneously, the pfr-v1 certainly has the edge over all the incarnations of pro 900 I have tried, but Kees modded pro 900 can be so euphonic to put a big smile on my face while other headphones don't, but I value faithful emotion and dampened pro 900 has that reduced. In terms of pure detail, the pfr-v1 is maybe 75-90% of the pro 900 depending on songs, being weakest mostly in ambient bass, electronica and instruments in the bass and lower mid region. When I listened to undampened pro 900, I think "okay, accurate, that's cool but I want to hear something interesting" and get the urge to stop listening because it's so predictable. Dampened, pro 900 sounds enjoyable, but emotionally untrue for certain notes you know should have more decay/harshness, giving a slight urge to remove headphones after prolonged listening. Pfr-v1, even in stock form, makes you want to sit and listen to the music unfold until your ear canals hurt from the ducts (won't happen if you do padding mod) without fear of inaccurate emotional portrayel, never oppressive like undampened pro 900's analytical sound or too sugared like dampened pro 900's forwardness of vocals and quick instrument decay.
 
Pfr-v1 beats the hfi-2200 in all areas except in bass and surround sound soundstage, and differs in sound signature by being neutral while hfi-2200 tries to smooth all sounds. It thoroughly trounces the icans/zino except humming-type bass, looks, and portability heh heh. Somewhat better than my not-so-well-positioned $1000 klipsch speakers.
 
All this is my opinion comparing stock pfr-v1 to other headphones, mostly because I don't recommend recabling the pfr-v1 unless you are pro at equipment dissembling and soldering, or get a pro to do it. If I compared recabled pfr-v1 to pro 900, I'd say it is about 90% of the pro 900, beating it on a few genres with instruments meant to travel a long distance, being beat by pro 900 by a pretty big degree for insanely mixed electronic music, but still, after recabling, and being manipulated by my very fast balanced amp, the pfr-v1 can do some bass that makes me scared I will wear down the drivers, but not as scared as I am for my pro 900 trying to do bass like violins .

Just put my new PFR-V1 on FS forum.

What are your thoughts on the pfr-v1? Imo they don't give the full picture of music because the bass can be that bad, but they do mids-highs pretty well.

Quote:

haloxt said:

Did you get the headphones yet AudioDwebe? This forum could use more opinions on these ugly phones .
 
Now at 175 hours
 
things I like about the sound: separation, natural articulation, speed, and soundstage of mids and highs, especially with multiple voices. Very stereo speaker-like.
things i don't like: doesn't go very low or do good continuous or complex bass when you try to push it with heavy electronic music, not bad if you don't mind a mid-high focus.
 
I wrote an amazon review and gave it 5 stars, but on head-fi I would give it a 4 because I think head-fiers should see more flaws with the pfr-v1 than general consumers, especially if there's no recabling done on the pfr-v1 but they still use mid-fi hi-fi source and amp imo.
 
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2WLZZHM1VYEOO/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

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I picked these up several weeks ago and have been enjoying them ever since.  My sound preferences lie in the more neutral to slightly brighter-sounding cans/IEMs.  For instance, I enjoy the sound signatures of the like:  ER4 series; CK10; SA5000; K500/501/1000.
 
When I first got them unpacked, I was amazed at the quality of the product, and also the fact that Sony provides an extension cable, along with the adapter and nice case.  These cans feel somewhat flimsy and delicate, but I've found them to be quite durable and user friendly.
 
The earpiece adjustments and proper placement into the ear took awhile to get used to.  I'm so used to putting IEMs into my ear canal that I kept subcosciously trying to insert the the steel rod into my ears.  Then after a while I realized that all they really have to do is just touch the canal...that's it.  Too easy!
 
The majority of my listening has been through an iPod Classic, sans amplification (though it improves with it).  A quick aside:  Funny I see that you mentioned balancing yours, as I was planning on putting the Protector balanced cable on it later today.  And I've not read the rest of your impressions of these things in balanced configuration.  I stopped at your question to me, will address that, and am looking forward to reading the rest of your comments afterwards.
 
I find the sound signature of the PFR's to be clear, precise, neuatral and tight.  Just the way I like it!  I really don't find the bass lacking much at all, but then, most of my musical selection (Jazz) doesn't require the cans to produce gobs of subterranean bass.  As far as articulaton, I find these cans to be very fast.  There's no overhang or smearing of the instruments.  Cymbals, in particular, sound real, from the initial strike through the final fade. 
 
I prefer the headstage of the PFR's to that of other cans, but don't know how they stack up against the K1000, as I've not compared the two and it's been a while since I listened to my K1K's. 
 
As strange as it might appear to those who've never listened to or have worn the PFR's, I find the comfort level to be quite extraordinary.  After a few minutes I forget that I'm wearing headphones at all.  They're very light, stay on my head relatively well (as long as I make no quick motions or bend down constantly) and sound fantastic!  I use them at the office.  I'm able to enjoy my tunes, but can still converse with coworkers without having to turn down the volume (or the hassle of removing IEMs).
 
I find these headphones to be amazing.  And here's why:  I've got a CD that I've been using as a reference for evaluating anything audio, from component upgrades to system changes to room changes to anything else.  If it's got to do with my stereo, this CD has been a part of the ride.  And besides the excellent sound quality, it's also one of my all-time favorite recordings.  Quite frankly, it's a recording I cannot do without.  The CD is: "Pat Coil - Steps" on the Sheffield Labs label.
 
One day, while at the office, I was listening to this CD during the initial phase of my evaluation of the PVR's.  There's one song in particular where there's wordless background vocals.  Or so I thought until the PFR's.  As the song played, I was literally floored when I realized (FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!) that during one of the times the wordless chorus is repeated, there are actually words being sung. 
 
That, in and of itself, may not seem like a big deal.  But it really is. 
 
Now, whenever I listen to that track, be it stereo or cans, I hear the words being sung.  But until the PFR's, it went unnoticed. 
 
To me, the PFR's are a wonderful, wonderful headphone.         
 
 
 
 
 

I agree with much of what you said, especially the part about hearing vocals clearly.
 
Balancing isn't that important for the pfr-v1, it seems to be near its sound quality potential with most gear, not because it has poor speed or technical performance, but because, I think, 1. drivers are quick but very natural sounding, 2. bass out of ducts and minimal reflection (ie, no earcups) won't sustain or expand instrument decay or soundstage ambience, and 3. front-facing speakers already have a big soundstage, gets a little bigger with balancing but is not required for enjoying music.
 
Neither do I think a recable is essential if you don't mind bass as is, but should replace the thin extension cable, and if you do, do my cheekbone padding mod to deal with thicker extension cable .

Quote:

haloxt said:

What are your thoughts on the pfr-v1? Imo they don't give the full picture of music because the bass can be that bad, but they do mids-highs pretty well.

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Actually with some mods I think the bass can be fixed if you're up to it.  Highs are not as good as any of my other headphones, not as extended.  But they have a special sound about them.  The thing that comes to mind when I listen to the PFR-V1 is that it reminds me to Bose Wave products.  They are engineered to trick your ears into hearing a full body sound.  Not a bad thing considering how small these speakers are.

I have been trying to find more info on the permendur used in the pfr-v1 because of how curious the sound of these headphones are, and although it might not be applicable, maybe this may explain why the pfr-v1 sounds so "natural" regardless of source, imo.
 
http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PageIndex=2&postID=8576#8576