Shootout: 114 Portable Headphones Reviewed (Xiaomi Mi Headphones added 04/21/2015)
Dec 20, 2013 at 11:39 AM Post #4,156 of 4,593
Hi joker,

Been on a bit of a spending spree lately. Sales time. So got the Philips l1, ue6000 and actually thinking of the q40.
Ue6000 is nice butroblems with it. So unsure if I want to keep it.
Got Philips l1 as replacement upgrade. Heard it in store and was real happy. But home they are quite disappointing. Bass is not so good. Not sure what's wrong with it.

So I was thinking of getting the q40. People on the q40 thread loves them. And your review seems quite positive. How good are the highs? To shelved. Does it extend and sparkle enough? Are the bass really that good? How good are they compared with newer headphones. Or how does it compare with headphones that I just bought

 
Unfortunately I haven't heard either of your current cans. The Q40 has very deep bass - not the conventional type of mid-bass emphasis that other bass-heavy cans (e.g. Denon D1100) have. Its biggest advantage is that it has all this bass "slam" without a huge mid-bass hump to make it sound bloated. The treble was okay from what I remember - it wasn't super sparkly or resolving but I wasn't disappointed by it. 
 
Dec 20, 2013 at 5:44 PM Post #4,157 of 4,593
Just got my NVX Audio XPT100.
 
First impressions.
 
Well, they are just as comfy as the CAL!s.  The sound is better defined, clearer and MUCH more detailed as well.  These are true reference headphone.  I am noticing something about the sub-bass, however.
 
It seems as if the left channel plays the sub-bass significantly louder than the right.  I confirmed this using a 31hz sine wave.  I turned the headphones around to make sure that my ears weren't tweaking out, and experienced the same thing with my right ear.  During the sine wave, I also noticed a rattle coming from the left channel starting at very low volume.  I noticed this rattling during most of my dubstep tracks as well.  I will likely be RMAing this set.
 
Dec 23, 2013 at 3:05 AM Post #4,159 of 4,593
  Hi dark,
 
I am curious for further comparison between CAL and the NXT.

 
I will do a pretty thorough comparison once I get a new pair.
 
Dec 24, 2013 at 12:31 AM Post #4,160 of 4,593
Some early impressions of the Creative Aurvana Live! 2
 
Six years after the release of the original CAL!, Creative has given the headphone a redesign and released the Aurvana Live! 2. 

Creative Aurvana Live! 2


The original Creative Aurvana Live! is also one of the most compact fully circumaural headphones I've tried, and one of my personal favorites for wearing comfort thanks to the spacious ear cups and the extremely light weight.

I was slightly apprehensive of the manufacturer-supplied product shots of the new CAL!2, which make it look bulkier and heavier compared to the original CAL!. In reality, however, the new headphone stays very true to its predecessor. The design is in my opinion quite elegant – the metal-looking parts are plastic but have a pleasant “sandblasted” finish to them. More importantly, the plastic structure keeps the weight low. The cups, too, are nice and deep, and the pads have a large internal diameter. All this yet again makes the new CAL!2 an absolute standout in wearing comfort — it is easily the most comfortable portable circumaural headphone in my possession.

Not everything remains unchanged, however – the construction of the CAL!2 feels a little more solid in the hand than that of the old model, but also has more moving parts — the new CAL! has gained the ability to fold flat for storage. It also has a detachable cable with a 2.5mm connector at the earcup end. While I would have preferred the more common 3.5mm, at least it’s not proprietary and quality replacements aren’t difficult to come by. The stock cable has an inline mic and remote, along with an analog volume control. The analog volume control slider means that the remote works not only with Apple devices, but most Android and Windows Mobile phones as well.

Listening to the CAL!2 makes it clear that Creative has chosen not to mess with a good thing too much when it comes to sound. The CAL!2 is a warm-sounding headphone with impactful bass. It has great clarity and good treble energy, and doesn’t sound closed-in or congested. Detail resolution is excellent as well. I compared it to a few of the other bass-heavy sets I have on-hand, including the Monster DNA ($200), V-Moda Crossfade LP2 ($200), Munitio PRO40 ($350), and Velodyne vTrue ($400). The $130 CAL! came out as my favorite among all of these with the cleanest, most natural sound and minimal bass bloat. All in all, the CAL!2 seems to be just as easy to recommend as the original CAL!. It’s not the best headphone for accuracy but has the perfect consumer sound – warm, impactful, and generally smooth even at high volumes. It’s also super comfortable and the price is right at $130 MSRP. The original CAL! is still a great choice, especially as it’s often discounted well into the sub-$100 range, but once the supply runs out it seems we’ll have a worthy replacement.

Full review coming next year...

 
Reposted from http://theheadphonelist.com/initial-impressions-creative-aurvana-live-2/ 
 
Dec 24, 2013 at 1:37 AM Post #4,161 of 4,593
Sounds excellent.  I'd been considering the original CALs for some time; my only other full size headphones are the Panasonic HTF600's and Ultrasone HFI-580's.  I like the sound of the 580's, but I've never liked the long cable, nor do I find them particularly comfortable since they have a tight clamp and that little band of padding Ultrasone is fond of.  At only $130, it sounds like I'll be able to resell the Ultrasones and be able to pickup the CAL2's easily enough.
 
How is the isolation?  Is that improved from the older model?
 
Dec 24, 2013 at 3:39 AM Post #4,162 of 4,593
  Sounds excellent.  I'd been considering the original CALs for some time; my only other full size headphones are the Panasonic HTF600's and Ultrasone HFI-580's.  I like the sound of the 580's, but I've never liked the long cable, nor do I find them particularly comfortable since they have a tight clamp and that little band of padding Ultrasone is fond of.  At only $130, it sounds like I'll be able to resell the Ultrasones and be able to pickup the CAL2's easily enough.
 
How is the isolation?  Is that improved from the older model?

 
It's improved slightly - still not quite there with the Crossfade LP or even the M-80 but the pads seal very well around the ear. I think it's about on-par with the Superlux HD668 now.  
 
Jan 7, 2014 at 10:57 AM Post #4,165 of 4,593
My NVX 100s should FINALLY be arriving tomorrow.  I will do a first impression after a couple hours of use.
 
Jan 8, 2014 at 10:10 PM Post #4,166 of 4,593
Right off the bat, I notice that the NVX 100's bass goes deeper, has MUCH more impact, and MUCH better texture than the CAL!'s.
 
The treble is a bit rolled-off in spots (6500-9000 and after 15000), but can be improved by an equalizer with bands at 8k and 16k.
 
Clarity blows the CAL!s away across the spectrum.  Soundstage is much wider and a bit deeper, as well as more accurate.
 
Isolation is far better than the CAL!'s.
 
Comfort is about the same as the CAL!'s (which is AMAZING).
 
Jan 11, 2014 at 4:52 PM Post #4,169 of 4,593
  Good day Joker,
Have you had the chance to try the Superlux 681 EVO? Some compare it to m50 and CAL! Thanks.
Those who have an opinion may chime in.

 
I have not, sorry.
 
  Would be interested in your evaluation of the Martin Logan Mikros 90 and KEF M500.

 
Unfortunately haven't had a chance to hear these. I did try a bunch of new cans at CES but only a few impressed me/
 

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