ok, got these today and have been listening for a couple hours. Gotta say that I am impressed with the comfort and build quality. They are very light-weight and I hardly notice them on my head. Not a big fan of the cable. Not using with a phone so would've liked a straight cable to reduce any noise. Running an iPod Classic 7G and Headamp Pico Power on Medium gain. Mostly ALAC files. Listening to a little of everything I can throw at it: Classical, hard rock, jazz, electronic, folk...
Sound: As compared to the ATH-ES700, they are significantly better in bass extension. However, they are a little rough and not as impactful. The treble is indeed a little rolled off. It is not too bad but could use some sparkle. Mids are spot on for vocals and some guitars. Piano and violin not as tight as compared to the 700s.
As compared to the DT1350s, almost the same as above, except sound-stage seems a little wider in the XS. I really like the staging. There seems to be a fuller presence of placement. When hearing some Bill Evans, the piano was a little recessed but the intimate club setting was like I was sitting right off the small stage. The 1350s seemed a little harsh in comparison. The stand-up bass sounds and slap were intoxicating. I am not a bass head, but damn, that was sweet. I was looking for it in the 1350s and it was missing. The slap and impact were there, just not the extension.
summary:
Take this with a grain of salt. They have not burned in yet and I am not sure it will change significantly or if I will just become accustomed to it. The sound is different and that was what I was looking for. I purchased these to have a deeper bass phone and light fit. I will most likely being taking these outdoors with an iPod Touch 3G and ALO National. I like what I am hearing and can forgive the slight treble roll and somewhat 'muddy' bass. I hope the mud clears and provides the deep extension I was hoping to get. These are definitely keepers. Just another tool in my arsenal when seeking a specific sound. As time goes by, I am really looking forward to see how they work out.
. And with EDM theres atleast 123 sub styles out there, such as the dutch have there hardstyle and italians have there well known hardcore, so yes with djs such as tiesto or armin van buren, borgeous, sean tyas, vitalic, exudus, leewise etc you might need more mids and highs but for these other genres that have not hit the mainstream and are still more into the underground rave scene. You will need a certain amount of bass that blends perfectly with mids and highs, a song that I can think of right now that would need a hard hitting bass is Warmduscher Devil Fish, Warmduscher is a hardstyle dj that is still in the hardstyle scene a dj that will need a bass that decays extremely fast is Dj Pandorum he is a hardcore dj to the max. I can go on and on and on about this but just saying with some sub styles (was way easier back in 2002 as for they were all grouped) will need a good amount of bass because that was what that genre was made for BASS that why it has HARD in it. But what you also need for these genres is a headphone that also has amazing mids, amazing highs just overall amazing sound quality. But what I am trying to say is bass is important in EDM and sub style genres because back in the rave days in the 90s thats what Hardcore was for.
