New Sine owner sold on these by all the hype and many many good reviews. Sale at Adorama forced my hand. First impressions after 2 long days of listening, using Fiio X3ii and tons of FLAC files, mostly progressive rock and metal:
Fit - I have a big head and small ears. The clamping force is strong but not bad. The ear pads are a little tight/uncomfortable but I can take it for several hours, with breaks. Don't think I need to though - I ordered the Brainwaz pads. I don't quite get why these need to be on the ear instead of over the ear. I don't understand how that makes them more portable. I guess they fit a little better in bags.
Overall sound = Great. Hits the sweet spot of well balanced and immediate, in your face goodness. Smooth. Could use a bigger soundstage. Reminds me of my IEMs that way. What's the benefit of having headphones over IEMs if you don't get a soundstage enlargement?
I'm hearing the shrillness in the highest treble area I've read about. Some songs are much worse than others. The new Alterbridge CD is horrible for this, the cymbals kill me. So I'm equing 16Hz down by 4 points, similar to Tyll's review. Significant improvement from doing this. I raised the 500Hz and 1KHz by 1 point each also for vocals. Can't say as much if this helps.
vs. ATH-M50X - Much different. The ATH are more comfortable, have a more spacious/wider/reverb-like sound, and hit much harder on the low end, albeit with a bit of mud thrown in. The Sines have much better overall sound and balance, the quality in all areas is better. Tighter bass, more transparency & separation, much better and more prominent mids, and more clear treble. The ATH have a hollow feeling where the mids should be. Worth the upgrade here.
vs. SE535 - A lot more similar than the ATH's. In fact, I'd call the SE535 somewhat similar in sound to the Sine. Both have a sweet sound great for rocking out. The Sine have more overall impact with bass and mids, and treble is better. So I think the Sine is a solid upgrade, for less money. Yeaaa, I didn't waste my money on the Sines.
- After extended comparisons, I now feel strongly that my SE535 are veiled vs. the Sine. The clarity and energy, especially in the high frequencies, is so much better with the Sine. The Sine also seem to be more transparent and carry more separation. So my Sine are now my go-to sound solution, except for exercise. The Sine aren't so much incredibly better than the SE535s that I'm gonna try wearing them around the weight room or on my bike.
- Regarding isolation - I use Westone super long (orange) foam tips on my SE535. Those suckers go deep! So yeah, isolation is definitely better with them than the Sines. I tried walking outside with my Sines yesterday and could hear the dogs barking, weed wackers wacking, etc...louder than I usually do with my SE535s. Went from a vague annoyance to a full interruption to my listening. Inside, the Sines do an excellent job of blocking out most office noise. So I'm much happier with them than say, for example, my SR80 open phones, which let every single noise in and have to be turned up loud, etc...Such a struggle to try to use open phones in the real world, too bad.
vs. ER4S - Strange comparison, but I own them so why not. The Etys seem to easily beat the Sine's in clarity/transparency/separation. So amazing how they do that. The Sine kick the Eyt's butt of course in impact, mids, lows, etc...Back in the day, I couldn't really "rock out" anymore with my Etys after getting my Shures, and I feel the same way after hearing the Sines. When I use the P version of my Etys, it doesn't change my opinion. Afterthought: Are the Sines actually just as clear as the Etys, but you can't tell because of all the mids and lows the Sines are giving you?
vs. SR80 - Another strange comparison, these are open cans of course. And have more weight on the treble. Very different. Super different. The most interesting thing here was that I detected a "veil" over the sound with the SR80 when comparing to the Sines. In the past, I thought the SR80 were very clear and trebly and sparkly, but maybe the Sine's are actually more clear.
with Brainwaz angled earpads - Very easy to take off stock pads. A little harder to put on Brainwaz. Have to stretch the pad as you work your way around the perimeter of the headphone. Not too hard to figure out. Definitely a proper fit and wouldn't want them looser. Instant improvement in comfort. It's night and day different. I'm sure I can wear my Sines all day now. I agree they do seem relatively slightly loose now. So I pulled the headband a little tighter and I think that compensates for it. For kicks, I tried on my ATH's and discovered those stock pads aren't that great either, even though before I thought they were very good. The Brainwaz are that much better. Pillows for your ears. A no-brainer solution!
Sound changes with Brainwaz? This is super tough because: 1.) Any differences don't seem huge. That's my first impression. 2.) There's no way I'm going to go back and forth with changing out the pads to compare the sound. It's not terribly hard, and I might get faster at it. But based on the first switch out it's not something I want to do again if I don't have to.
It does seem like the soundstage has widened. There might be more of a hollow, bigger, less immediate sound. I asked for it - I got it. And I'm pretty sure the SPL is lower now. I just turned up my X3 volume by a few points to get the same perceived equivalent level of sound as the stock pads. Did isolation go down slightly since not quite as tight on my head? If it did, it's not by much.
I won't try to say if the bass and mids have changed. If they did, it's not by much. I can still here the sparkly treble for sure. Overall, I think the comfort is well worth these pads and there might be a greater soundstage. Any cons (if there are any) are negligible to me upon my first day of using them.
My X3ii drives them fine at hi gain and around 40-50 on the volume. I tried my old ibasso D1 amp and it didn't change the sound, so no need for that brick. Thank goodness.
Overall, a great upgrade and my highest end set of cans yet. I'm keeping them!
11/23 edits: Further comparison to SE535 and added comments about isolation. Also got the Brainwaz earpads and added review of my first impression with the
