Good post AustinValentine, it's nice to keep things in perspective.

austinvalentine said:

 Next thing you know people will be running around the forums saying things like "The Focal Spirit Professionals are the best headphone because they are audibly transparent *jazz hands*."

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ROFL  I love the Jazz Hands. O2 fanboys crack me up too.
 
BTW, I think it's a given people know there is no such thing as a "perfectly neutral" headphone or one that literally dissapears unless we're dealing with alien tech or something. Nothing created by humans is really "perfect". The reason I'm describing the Spirit Pro like this is because it's the most distinguishing characteristic. It's easier to say the Spirit Pro is amorphous than to say it sounds like this and that. And yes they have no ubiquitous mid-bass hump, as I mentioned earlier. This also helps with it being chameleonlike. Thanks for bringing that up again Austin .
 
I know words like "truth" can be a buzzkill since it's used by religious loonies and O2 adherents, but saying a very very very neutral accurate headphones shows you the "truth" in the mix isn't all that crazy if you think about it, unless you just never ever want to use the word "truth".
 
Anyway, I'm glad you like them Austin *Jazz Hands*
 

roguegeek said:

  So my foray into the W1000X this week didn't go as planned and I ended up sending those back. Then this review pops up to kinda cement what others were saying. Now I was going to look into the Alpha Dogs and D5000 as my closed home solution, but what are people thinking about the Pros and Classics when compared to them?

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Anything?

After trying them again this afternoon, dropped my price if anyone is interested in purchasing a slightly used pair. Only a few listening sessions over the past few days. Just not comfortable with my glasses

These certainly have my interest and I have a pair being sent out now. I'm glad to see that detachable cables are becoming the norm now. I hope my ears fit in them ok.
 
Edit: Would anyone like to give comments on the soundstage for the Spirit Professional and the coherence of imaging.
 
Edit2: As it says on the box DO NOT push down on the outside of the cups. Doing this may crinkle the very stiff drivers as notoriously happened with the Spirit One.

Subbed, interested in getting a pair of these, now just scouting where I can get them cheap! 
 
Btw, have anybody compared them to the Sennheiser Amperior? M-13 mentioned the FSP is in another league is it?

http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2014/01/05/sub-500-closed-back-headphone-roundup/
scroll down to the spirit pro

myap2328 said:

  Subbed, interested in getting a pair of these, now just scouting where I can get them cheap! 
 
Btw, have anybody compared them to the Sennheiser Amperior? M-13 mentioned the FSP is in another league is it?

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The Amperior and the FSP have a few commonalities. The FSPs have a forward presence region and the Amperiors have a forward upper midrange; these really contribute to their punchy-ness. They are both extremely dynamic, engaging phones with similar instrument timbre in the lows and mids. (Not in the highs though, the Focal's are much better there as stated below.) They both have a very tight bass response that doesn't bleed heavily into other spectrums. They both have excellent detail retrieval. 
 
On the other hand, the Amperiors are sibilant. (Though, the degree to which this is a problem is dependent on your source and if you listen to already sibilant recordings. With my own library, I've found it to be reasonably period/genre specific. If you like a lot of Classic Rock or Folk Rock, the Amperior's sibilance can punish you.) The Amperiors roll off a bit early on both low bass and high high's - but this should be expected for their on ear form factor IMO. They have practically zero sound stage. They also have an average sided midbass hump - this is balanced out by having a bit harsher highs than normal for a Sennheiser headphone, so that the Amperiors don't feel particularly warm. But as I mentioned before, their bass - despite the midbass elevation - is also clean and tight. I think this is what keeps them from sounding muddy despite the bass elevation. I think this bass elevation contributes to their sense of punch, but it also colors recordings more than the FSPs.
 
I'd say that the FSP's are in "another league" - but at three times the Amperior's current market price (you can routinely find them at $120 now), they had better be in another league. The Amperiors are really good headphone though. They are almost certainly more durable than the FSPs and every piece of the headphone is user replaceable. I wear the Amperiors instead of the FSPs in two situations: 1. I have to put a hat over my ears to keep them extra warm. The form factor lends itself to this type of use; 2. I'm going some place where my headphone might end up being used roughly, or when inclement weather might be a factor. If you like the Amperiors, I think you'll love the FSPs. 

myap2328 said:

M-13 mentioned the FSP is in another league is it?

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Did I say that?
 
Not sure where I said that, but I wouldn't go that far. Hyperbole's are despised on Head-Fi afterall. Haha. The Amperior is very nice and offers an exciting sound, punchy and fast / fun. At the going rate of $130~ or so, it can't be beat in terms of value to performance. I always thought the sonics alone were worth easilly $250 ish.
 
In an absolute sense I do find the FSP to be superior overall. FSP is more resolving, is more coherent and even sounding.
 
*I'm still trying to locate where I said the FSP is in another leageue compared to the Amperior. I don't think I said that in this thread... and shouldn't say that unless I want to be hit in the face by the anti-hype police.
 
Here is the closest thing I said on this thread:
 

m-13 said:

  As for the other headphones you mentioned. If you see my profile you will see the list of portable cans I owned in the past. The Spirit Pro is the best in my mind. I had the Amperior and I love that headphone, but the Spirit Pro is definitely better.

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So I was browsing the DT-1350 thread and I found a picture that might be helpful for us too.
 
With the earcups of the FSP being so small I found that sliding them back a little bit, towards the back gives my ears more room. This photo is of the DT-1350 but basically illustrates the same thing. I'm too lazy to create one, but thought I would share this at least.
 

 

My own review is up: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-spirit-professional/reviews/10488

Excellent review. Can the pads be removed? I usually dislike removing pads for studio monitors but the size is a concern for me.
 
It would also be nice to get a picture from someone of them wearing the headphones and looking dead center at the camera. I wonder how much the headband sticks because the photos usually try to hide this effect by taking a picture at an angle.

austinvalentine said:

  My own review is up: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-spirit-professional/reviews/10488

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Great review Austin. I will link it on the very first page.
 

ausername501 said:

  Excellent review. Can the pads be removed? I usually dislike removing pads for studio monitors but the size is a concern for me.
 
It would also be nice to get a picture from someone of them wearing the headphones and looking dead center at the camera. I wonder how much the headband sticks because the photos usually try to hide this effect by taking a picture at an angle.

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The pads are glued on.

m-13 said:

Great review Austin. I will link it on the very first page.

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Everyone should do that^


I abandoned these because I had a desire for a basshead hi end phone. But I read a trustworthy review on amazon that said that it leaked less than any hp around which would even best a German maestro 8.35d.

I now feel that though I am not fully committed to these that as a recording artist I would be robbing myself by not getting them.


I am actually kinda bummed that I have to buy these now and get a cheaper basshead hp if I can't sell off something to make up for it. I finally have gear I want to keep too.

So if anyone wants to donate a pair I may be willing to accept; )

+1 for frontface pic