UNW209
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2012
- Posts
- 88
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- 28
Picked up this headphone from a site in the UK where they were getting rid of a demo for an amazing price. They just arrived yesterday so listening impressions are very preliminary. As a side note build quality on these is very high.
Source was a Teac pd-501 hr cd player into a COS Engineering H1 dac/headamp (amazing product that deserves more coverage). While the Teac is warmer and less detailed than my usual transport (a Tube Technologies Fusion 64) it is actually not a bad unit with a smooth, natural signature. So far I have only listened to well recorded jazz CDs: poorly recorded fare might result in a different impression.
My preference is for a mostly neutral, detailed sound with a slight bass lift. For reference my other main cans are: AKG k701, Hifiman He 400s, Noble k10ua, Etymotic ER4S, LA900 and Focal Utopia.
In a nutshell the Technics is one of the more fun listens I have had in a while despite their clear deviation from neutrality. Yes the Technics are definitely not "flat" but I mean that in a good way. There appears to be a slight upper bass hump that subjectively would likely obscure the lower bass in a less than ideal setup. Female vocals are presented up front and forward in a way that enhances detail in this area. However there seems to be a dip in the upper midrange to lower treble transition that pushes some instruments a little further back in the mix than they should be. Upper treble extension apoears to be good, but perhaps could sound slightly disconected on some systems. Tape hiss is noticeably accentuated. Staging is also good, but since I am less concerned with this than many appear to be I'll leave it at that. However nothing I have said takes away from my enjoyment of these cans.
Somewhere along the line in this hobby some appear to have become obsessed with technicalities as opposed to just enjoying the overall voicing of the unit and accepting it for what it is. The Technics apoears to be an honest expression of the way the lead designer hears or wants to hear music as opposed to an attempt to match sone target response.
One final comment: the What HiFi review savages this headphone giving it only 2 stars. While one cannot argue with the subjective impressions of the reviewer (I have to assume they heard it as described) I must question the weight they have applied to each noted issue. When taken as a whole these cans are definitely a much better listen than their rating suggests. I can only assume that either my impression is too preliminary (I was told my unit was a display demo so I have no idea how well they have been broken in) or the What HiFi reviewer's listening chain (including their ears) was not ideal.
Hope this has been helpful. Now back to listening ....
Another pride owner here. I bought it from a friend of Japan last month at a rather little discount from the original price.
Can you tell me how much did you pay for this masterpiece?