[HiFiGuy528]

I'm at three lines on the headband.  The left side has more clamping force and makes my ear hurt after an hour or so.   Mine also has a bit of manufacturing defect on the left frame on the back.  There's a seam where two meets and its rough.  Does yours have any rough seams?

 

[warrenpchi]

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I'm at three lines on the headband.  The left side has more clamping force and makes my ear hurt after an hour or so.

 
Thanks, that seems pretty normal.  Guess I just have a slimmer head for some reason.  Everytime I read a review for a pair of cans that I have, and the reviewer says it fits very tight, I think to myself "it does?"  Clamping force wise, mine seems to be pretty balanced.  If it were off, I'd definitely notice since I have a tender cartilage spot on the top half of my left ear.
 
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Mine also has a bit of manufacturing defect on the left frame on the back.  There's a seam where two meets and its rough.  Does yours have any rough seams?

 
You mean like this?
 

 
Yeah I wouldn't worry about that.  It's just a bit of a ripple nipple (not the industry term obv) from the overmolding process.  As long as those seams are raised it's fine.  It would only be a problem if those seams were a depression - which would indicate not enough resin or an improperly heated mold or any number of other boring process issues.  On my unit, I had to position the light just-so and take a macro shot to even get the above to show up.  It's there, but not at all noticeable outside of intentful scrutiny.  It being their flagship cans, I'm sure Pioneer would do something about your unit if you gave them a call.
 
Personally, I'm much more freaked out about the stitching.  Mine looked like that since day one.  And I know that it'll probably stand the test of time, but doesn't it look like its about to burst at the seams?  Scary.  Overall though, pretty darn happy with mine.  I don't mind that there's no 6.35mm TRS adapter since I have a ton of those lying around anyway.  But I would very much liked to have had a little microfiber cleaning cloth with a Pioneer logo on it. 

 

[HiFiGuy528]

The issue on mine is this rough part on the Left side.  I feel it everything I put on the headphones.  Perhaps I can sand it down?
 

 

[Armaegis]

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Of course the cheapest way would be to do a temporary loan so that you could do the review.  The only problem I have with that is the fact that these are my daily portable cans (for my 120 mile round trip commute) so I'd definitely miss them.  And I'd ideally like to have them back before the LA meet (August) as I'm thinking about going and bringing these (since so few people have heard them).  Don't know how long you'd need them for in order to do a thorough review (although I have saved you burn-in time).  Maybe we could do a 1-month swap so that I'd have something to listen to during commutes (and be able to audition something different at the same time)?

 
Hmm, I might take you up on that...

 

[Craigster75]

I heard these today at Best Buy.  To sum these up, the bass is fantastic for supra-aurals and on par with some circumaurals that are considered bass heavy.  However, they are dark, so if you like a brighter high end, these would not be for you.  No v-curve here, all the boost is in the bass.  Mids were recessed as well.

 

[warrenpchi]

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The issue on mine is this rough part on the Left side.  I feel it everything I put on the headphones.  Perhaps I can sand it down?
 

 
Oh wow, that is jagged.  Nah, don't even bother sanding it down.  Grinding it down is easy enough but you're never going to get that smooth finish back unless you polished it like crazy.  I'd definitely contact Pioneer about it instead.
 
I think we both know how fanatical they are about build quality.  If you contacted them, they'd replace yours AND your unit would wind up in the hands of a process engineer somewhere so that this doesn't happen again.  With the exception of Toyota, I've never known a company to be as ape**** about quality as Pioneer.  With them, you'd think they were on a crusade or something...

 

[warrenpchi]

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Hmm, I might take you up on that...

 
Yeah that'd be fun!  Curious to try out one of your modded HD-25s.  What were you going for with those mods?  Better bass extention?
 
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I heard these today at Best Buy.  To sum these up, the bass is fantastic for supra-aurals and on par with some circumaurals that are considered bass heavy.  However, they are dark, so if you like a brighter high end, these would not be for you.  No v-curve here, all the boost is in the bass.  Mids were recessed as well.

 
Wow you can hear them at Best Buy?  I ask because my local Best Buys carry them, but they never have them out for auditions.  How would you compare them to the SL300s you have (I don't remember how those sound)?
 
I was thinking about pulling out the foam to brighten it up, until I realized that there is no foam.  They're pantyhosed right out of box.

 

[Craigster75]

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Yeah that'd be fun!  Curious to try out one of your modded HD-25s.  What were you going for with those mods?  Better bass extention?
 
 
Wow you can hear them at Best Buy?  I ask because my local Best Buys carry them, but they never have them out for auditions.  How would you compare them to the SL300s you have (I don't remember how those sound)?
 
I was thinking about pulling out the foam to brighten it up, until I realized that there is no foam.  They're pantyhosed right out of box.

My Best Buy has the Pioneers in the Magnolia listening station.  I actually have a pair of SL300 WBs I would like to sell.  To answer your question, they have a VERY different sound.  The Pioneer is all about the low end but does provide a non-fatiguing listening experience due to the subdued high end.  Vocals are much cleaner and detailed with the Pioneers.  The SL300 has a strong V-curve.  The high end can be harsh and fatiguing.  Mids are a little muddy.  They do have a solid mid bass and sub bass, but I believe the Pioneer has tighter, precise and powerful bass without needing batteries like the SL300.  You may want to wait for the V-Moda M-100 before making a purchase.

 

[warrenpchi]

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My Best Buy has the Pioneers in the Magnolia listening station.  I actually have a pair of SL300 WBs I would like to sell.  To answer your question, they have a VERY different sound.  The Pioneer is all about the low end but does provide a non-fatiguing listening experience due to the subdued high end.  Vocals are much cleaner and detailed with the Pioneers.  The SL300 has a strong V-curve.  The high end can be harsh and fatiguing.  Mids are a little muddy.  They do have a solid mid bass and sub bass, but I believe the Pioneer has tighter, precise and powerful bass without needing batteries like the SL300.  You may want to wait for the V-Moda M-100 before making a purchase.

 
Duh, of course, in the Magnolia section.  I was just thinking that it'd be out front because of the price point.  Before getting the 591, I was considering a pair of Klipsch Reference Ones as a portable.  And though they look great, I thought they'd be just a bit too flashy for me.
 
Thanks for the comparison.  I'm pretty much all stocked up on basshead cans at the moment, but I find myself fielding questions about Beats/Souls/etc all the time.  And quite honestly, I had completely forgotten what the SL300 sounded like. 

 
I've recently fallen in love with my K240, and now I'm trying to find a similar-sounding closed pair (size is not a consideration) that I can take on a commuter train.  The MJ591 is nice, smooth, and warm sounding, but I can't help but be intrigued by the SRH840 in that regard.

 

[Armaegis]

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I heard these today at Best Buy.  To sum these up, the bass is fantastic for supra-aurals and on par with some circumaurals that are considered bass heavy.  However, they are dark, so if you like a brighter high end, these would not be for you.  No v-curve here, all the boost is in the bass.  Mids were recessed as well.

 
Just how much of a bass slope are we talking about here? Like a XB500, M-Audio Q40, or TMA-1?
 
 
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Yeah that'd be fun!  Curious to try out one of your modded HD-25s.  What were you going for with those mods?  Better bass extention?
 

 
The main goals were cleaner bass (it already extends quite well) and smoothing out the treble peaks with some damping to absorb the resonances. 

 

[warrenpchi]

Found this the other day...
 

 
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The main goals were cleaner bass (it already extends quite well) and smoothing out the treble peaks with some damping to absorb the resonances. 

 
I'm a fan of clean bass.  Just let me know if you wanna do a temporary swap . . . or if you're going to be at the LA meet for some reason I can meet you there. 

  Slim chance I know but hey, there is a Canuck coming down for the meet (can't remember who though).

 

[Craigster75]

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Just how much of a bass slope are we talking about here? Like a XB500, M-Audio Q40, or TMA-1?
 
 
 
The main goals were cleaner bass (it already extends quite well) and smoothing out the treble peaks with some damping to absorb the resonances. 

I would place the bass slope in between the TMA-1 on the low end and M-Audio Q40 on the high end.

 

[Armaegis]

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Found this the other day...
 

 
 
I'm a fan of clean bass.  Just let me know if you wanna do a temporary swap . . . or if you're going to be at the LA meet for some reason I can meet you there. 

  Slim chance I know but hey, there is a Canuck coming down for the meet (can't remember who though).

 
I'll let you know in a couple days. I have some tentative pending trades and need to figure some stuff out first. 

 

[warrenpchi]

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I'll let you know in a couple days. I have some tentative pending trades and need to figure some stuff out first. 

 
Sure, no need to rush.  Just a reminder that the offer stands. 

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I reached out to Pioneer about the defect on my unit. They will not warranty it because I didn't buy from an authorized reseller. They are not gonna stand behind their products. Too bad....