New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

NYC meet at Sony Qualia store - Page 2

post #16 of 77
9/6/04 at 4:23am
jpelg and Romanee, I just wanted to say thanks for the well expressed and thoughtful comments you've both added to this thread. I couldn't help but to wonder along with you, Romanee, about what kind of system the Qualia 010 might fit best in. It definitely sounds like the 010 has great potential, although it may not prove to be everyone's cup of tea. Of course, the day will never come when there will be one "best" headphone for everyone.
Reply

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

post #17 of 77
9/6/04 at 4:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmcmanus
jpelg and Romanee, I just wanted to say thanks for the well expressed and thoughtful comments you've both added to this thread. I couldn't help but to wonder along with you, Romanee, about what kind of system the Qualia 010 might fit best in. It definitely sounds like the 010 has great potential, although it may not prove to be everyone's cup of tea. Of course, the day will never come when there will be one "best" headphone for everyone.
I agree with you completely about the quality of the posts here, I was quite stunned by their length and detail.

Seems to me like the 010 would thrive with a warm source and fairly neutral amp, or vice versa. Perhaps the Stealth and a slightly warm, but very detailed source, like the G08 (by most accounts I've read)? Then again I'd listen to most any cans if I had a Stealth
Reply
post #18 of 77
9/6/04 at 5:15am

nice read! Well done!

thanks ALOT all! Especially the timely posts. Even more impressed by length. I was really looking forward(over anxious actually) to reading about the Qualias vs the others. You folks made my day. You have provided some inspiration, maybe I will see if I can persuade Sony in Ginza to let me bring my Stealth, G08 and R10s in for a shoot out. Will leave the HD650s behind since can contrast those at home and would want to listen mainly to Qualias, but some A/B is nice to try. Might also have the CD3Ks along to show/motivate to Sony I am a good patron.

I certainly have had little motivation to try them out using the showroom components.

Iron_Dreamer - was thinking same thing as you! Stealth+G08 might be a nice combo for the Qualia.
Reply
post #19 of 77
9/6/04 at 5:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tk_suki
Iron_Dreamer - was thinking same thing as you! Stealth+G08 might be a nice combo for the Qualia.
Great minds think alike eh? You are a lucky dude to have that kind of gear. I can't wait to hear if our predicted synergy actually works.
Reply
post #20 of 77
9/6/04 at 6:13am
Wow, nice work, guys. Makes me almost wish I lived in NYC. Almost.

Loooooooooove the pics. Thanks so much for sharing.

How much is the Qualia 010 selling for there? I remember reading $2600 in their press release, yet $3200+ prices are popping up online.

-Ed
Reply
post #21 of 77
9/6/04 at 11:42am
Reading some other impressions reminded me of a few more - Kevin Gilmore posted elsewhere that the 010 had a very microphonic cord, and I would agree - so for you Ety ER4 lovers, you share this in common with the Qualia.

Plus, it has a very open nature, and not just in sound quality - these cans are physically very open - all of the sound comes in, and everyone can hear out. Maybe not as bad as the K1000 (K1000s are speakers just hanging in the air after all) but I would say probably even more open than Grados, if that is possible. So unless you have a nice quiet listening environment, you might want to pass. Lol even the Qualia listening room wasn't quiet since we were all chatting - you could hear the chatter when listening to the 010 but with the R10, you had a much more immersive environment.

One more note about the R10 - it wasn't hot in the room, but being handed the R10s from someone else I always noticed that the pads were heated up from head heat. I'd hate to see this can in hot temperatures, I'm sure you'd get sweaty and uncomfortable quickly unlike with the 010.
Reply
post #22 of 77
9/6/04 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwood
Wow, nice work, guys. Makes me almost wish I lived in NYC. Almost.

Loooooooooove the pics. Thanks so much for sharing.

How much is the Qualia 010 selling for there? I remember reading $2600 in their press release, yet $3200+ prices are popping up online.

-Ed
$2600 is the USA price I asked.3day delivery time if ordered from the QUALIA
store.
Reply
post #23 of 77
9/6/04 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bozebuttons
$2600 is the USA price I asked.3day delivery time if ordered from the QUALIA
store.
LOL, for $3200, I could fly to NYC, buy the Qualia 010 at the store, have a nice night on the town, and fly back.

Uh, not that I'm getting any idea or anything......

Man, I hope they open a Qualia store on the west coast.

-Ed
Reply
post #24 of 77
9/6/04 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jahn
One more note about the R10 - it wasn't hot in the room, but being handed the R10s from someone else I always noticed that the pads were heated up from head heat. I'd hate to see this can in hot temperatures, I'm sure you'd get sweaty and uncomfortable quickly unlike with the 010.
The R10's demand air conditioned temperature controlled environment. Just another expensive "accessory" for the R10.

Interesting that the Qualia 010 is an open phone. It certainly is larger than I first expected.

-Ed
Reply
post #25 of 77
9/6/04 at 3:26pm
Fantastic posts, guys! Thanks for sharing some really good impressions with the rest of us. The excellent comparisons to known gear are invaluable to us who will not get to see nor hear the 010 in poerson.

I must say, though, that this sentence from Romanee's excellent review is very scary ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Romanee
The counterpoint between the R10 and the 010 is fascinating, wonderful, tantalizing -- and a guaranteed wallet-assassin for the brave-hearted.
Glad you all had a great time.
Reply
post #26 of 77
9/6/04 at 3:40pm

Transparent to ambient sounds . . .

Just a couple of quick thoughts, before I run out the door again.

My experience regarding lack of isolation was that the K1000 actually seemed to block out more of the chat sounds than the Qualia. Besides my being more engaged the huge soundstage and smoother, more integrated sound of the 1000, it seemed that the 1000 directed a little wall of sound at my ears (from the mini rear-angled ear speakers) which acted as a screen to the conversation (I was facing the group). With the Qualia, incoming chatter was so distracting that my reflex was to try (with no success) to block some of the ambient sound with my hands.

Now that I recall this matter, perhaps it would serve Sony well to damp the rooms acoustics much more, since the purpose of the room is solely to showcase these select and sensitive Qualia instruments.

Also regarding the "S-M-L" issue, it is absolutely essential to choose the right size for your skull and ears. The large size, which did not work -- at least for most of us (I didn't poll everyone) -- really messed up the sound. The lack of an adequate seal around the ears produced a bizarre (AWFUL) sound. So . . . if you go for these phones, do not settle: be exacting and accurate about the fit.

Bye for now.
Reply
post #27 of 77
9/6/04 at 4:02pm
Agreed with Romanee about the fit. If you buy a pair please make sure you get the one that matches closest to your head size and driver positioning to your ears. The big blues were too big for me as well, and the small reds were too small - i kept trying to pull down down to my ears, but of course they wouldn't budge. The medium reds were perfect.

Wow and everyone has such great language to describe what they heard - i'm a bit of a newb when it comes to such prose All I know is the R10 is really still king of the beasts to me - they had alot of what I enjoy in grados - the visceral impact, the forward nature, and like the alessandros - not too harsh on top (not really lack of detail, well maybe compared to the 010 this is true) so maybe this is the ultimate closed grado? lol. Anyhow the 010 is a great can, and the fact that it can do some things better than the k1000 and the R10 (imho) like the soundstage and detail and the delicate passages required for acoustic work...but the bass lover in me would have to pass if i had to choose between the 010 and the R10 - or just get both for different types of music.

I listened to that Bill Evans SACD on the krell/phillips combo too and i agree with the above - the 010 was amazing how it picked up the waiters clinking glasses in the back of the room. really. with a realistic glass clink too. but the double bass had no woody thump - you had to go to the R10s for that.
Reply
post #28 of 77
9/6/04 at 4:36pm
Sounds like you guys had a blast! Hopefully the Sony rep will attend a Head-fi meet, it would be one hell of a feat to have a Sony rep and especially an engineer of theirs on hand for a Q&A. After reading all the posts, i'm definitely interested in Blue-Ray
Reply
post #29 of 77
9/6/04 at 4:52pm
What do you think John Grado will think about having someone from Sony "in da house"? I get the impression that he would welcome Sony folks but who knows.
Reply
post #30 of 77
9/6/04 at 5:02pm
Thanks a bunch for all the detailed reviews!

It sounds like from the consensus opinion (so far under non-ideal conditions) that the Qualia's exhibit the kind of sound I dislike-- namely "airy". Not in the good sense of the term "airy", but in the bad sense of "airy-fairy", "floaty", "insubstantial", and "ghostly". Non-present sound with no "there" there. Polite to a fault...

I think this is a common characteristic of open phones. I believe that for me, I just don't dig the open phone sound. All my favorite headphones have been closed, though given the small sample size this could very well be coincidence. Unfortunately (IMO), Sennheiser has made being "open" a buying criteria by advertising the alleged wonders of their "open-aire" design. People seem to want that airy-fairy sound, but it just doesn't appeal to me.

You all have given me less reason to secretly lust for the Qualias, and for that, my R10s, and especially my wallet are grateful!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Head-Fi's Best Sellers