[roma101]

check out the helpful glossary

 

[a_recording]

Audio terms are always a bit blurry; for me I use darker to mean a stronger sub-bass presence (compared to warmer, which to means a stronger mid-bass tilt). I tend to think that things can be dark while having a treble peak, which would also be considered a v shape.

Sorry if that's confusing!

 

[tinyman392]

Dark tends to mean any of the following:

1. As stated directly above, bigger emphasis on sub-bass
2. At times it could also mean the mid-bass emphasis (think veiling...  Too much veiling darkens details)
3. It can also refer to the lack of treble (and thus the lower-range is more emphasized).

 
Bright tends to lean towards a focus on the upper-mids to the upper-highs.

 

[roma101]

Ah for me, if a headphone has great sub-bass detail I would usually just say that it extends very deep. It can get confusing but yes I've used/seen dark/bright, in regards to treble. gotta love these terms. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[alecd423]

Audio terms are always a bit blurry; for me I use darker to mean a stronger sub-bass presence (compared to warmer, which to means a stronger mid-bass tilt). I tend to think that things can be dark while having a treble peak, which would also be considered a v shape.
Sorry if that's confusing!

Thank you.
That cleared things up.

 

[a_recording]

For me, I think of it as dark because a large sub-bass quantity makes a headphone sound very solid and grounded. The image that always comes to mind is stone scraping against stone - cavernous, massive and shadowy, hence why I end up choosing dark lol.
 
Certainly the terms are fun, but often times unhelpful. I suspect half the arguments in Head Fi start because the terms are not being used consistently, but this will always occur in any highly subjective hobby where we attempt to describe a sense (sound) with signifiers (language).
 
Sometimes that is why I think headphone reviews are useful if they are comparisons with other headphones; and this is marginally helpful at best unless you have heard one of the models being compared. This is also all the more relevant considering the purpose of a headphone review is generally assessing the opportunity cost of buying a headphone - ie: not, "how good is this headphone for x dollars", but "am I better off buying headphone A or headphone B with my x dollars".
 
Then again, some people (like me) also buy headphones for the experiential aspect: ie, they are not looking for the best / relative performance, they are looking for the specific experience that the headphone might give them given the context of the technology, the design, the company history, emotional attachments etc. For instance, I'm particularly interested in the MDR-1R not just because its a good consumer headphone in a competitive category, but because it represents Sony's interpretation of 'the times' in evolving the technology used in the Z1000.
 
It's like the difference between thinking "I want to watch a film" and then choosing a film to watch because you have heard it's pretty good, and specifically going to watch a film because you know the directors or the actors and you want to see how they approach this fresh new narrative.
 
In the first case you might be disappointed because you feel you chose the wrong film on the day, but in the second case you might be disappointed in the film, but never your choice.

 

[roma101]

Very nice analogy and beautiful stated, couldn't agree more on all that you said and I also was very interested in getting the 1R because of the Z1K. For me it resolved some issues that I had with the Z1K while adding a slightly warmer, more musical flavor.

 

[roma101]

Btw another headphone to check out for your review is the new AKG K167. Just got them today and I am very impressed at the price point ($200 - but some people have been saying that the SQ is more like a $500 pair of headphones. YMMV)

 

[alecd423]

Can any of you compare the ue6000 and m50 to hd380 pro?

 

[a_recording]

Updated with MDR-1R impressions.
 
Phew, I'm glad that is finished (for now).
 
This has been a great year for this category :3

 

[roma101]

Awesome write up on the 1R. I am even more curious about trying the Momentums now as well. Thanks for the shoot out - this thread seriously needs more attention.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Awesome write up on the 1R. I am even more curious about trying the Momentums now as well. Thanks for the shoot out - this thread seriously needs more attention.

 
I think it's because I posted this in the portable subforum whereas the Momentum / MDR-1R discussion seems to be taking place in the full size forum...

 

[Katun]

Great MDR-1R addition. Thanks.
 
However, I did catch this, "The MDR-1R is a warmish sounding headphone; it displays more of a mid-bass hump than both the MDR-1R and UE6000(!)."

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Great MDR-1R addition. Thanks.
 
However, I did catch this, "The MDR-1R is a warmish sounding headphone; it displays more of a mid-bass hump than both the MDR-1R and UE6000(!)."

 
Oops! Thanks. Brain fart.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Tremendous effort and absolutely gorgeous reviews. Thanks a lot for your time. Love your style and looking forward to more from you.
K267 when they get released, perhaps? I know, you already made up your mind, etc. (ish)