Quote:
[size=x-small]Well I've got about 12 hours burn in on the RP-HTF890E-S now so I thought I'd share a few early thoughts. The only problem here is that my reference points are quite low, Shure E4, Koss Porta Pro, Xears. However, I do have Monitor Audio Radius 270's on my home theater system (be gentle) and I had an audiology test last year, so I know my hearing is good
[/size]
[size=x-small]Sources so far have been a PS3 / WDTVLiveHub feeding my Onkyo 806 AV receiver for Black OPS and Bluray and my portable Samsung R1 playing a mixture of FLAC, CD and 320k MP3.[/size]
[size=x-small] [/size]
[size=x-small]Build quality[/size]
[size=x-small]Seems good for now but only time will tell. The cord is braided and feels heavy duty. Cups are plastic but seem sturdy.[/size]
[size=x-small] [/size]
[size=x-small]Sound[/size]
[size=x-small]Early thoughts are that the mids are forward which is fine as I really wanted these for FPS gaming and watching movies. I am also pleasantly surprised by the bass which was something I was concerned about with them being an open design. I did crank up the volume on the amp for some trance, dance, D&B and dub step tunes and these headphones delivered some good bass. They also had no trouble keeping up with anything I threw at them. I'll try and carry out some low level tests over the weekend to see how low these go without issue.[/size]
[size=x-small]I consider the R1 to be a warmish portable source and it appears to be a really good match to these Panasonics. I've listened to a wide range of music from Rebecca Pidgeon to Therapy with lots of dance, trance and everything I've put through them has sounded great. There has been lots of detail without sounding overly clinical and the R1 has driven the 50ohm headphones well.[/size]
[size=x-small]Gaming - Black OPS - whilst the positional element can not compete with a full home theater setup I was able to pinpoint the direction of gunfire and other sounds correctly. In fact I managed to score what I think was my second highest ever score in one round, so they must be doing something right. If I'm honest, mortar explosions weren't as heavy sounding as I was expecting (not a problem when playing multiplayer online) but I will investigate whether a little tweaking will improve them. More time is needed to really test the accuracy inc footsteps etc but initial impressions are good.[/size]
[size=x-small]Movies - Watched the first 30 minutes of Terminator Salvation which is not a film that I'm familiar with. The reasoning was that I wanted to see whether I could just watch a movie without over analyzing the sound. I can safely say that I was more than happy sitting back with the headphones on. The dialogue was very clear and all other sounds seemed well presented. Wearing the headphones really didn't detract from my viewing and listening pleasure at all. Do consider that I only ever normally watch through my surround setup. I'll try them again over the weekend with some films that I know but for now I am more than happy.[/size]
[size=x-small] [/size]
[size=x-small]Comfort[/size]
[size=x-small]These are some seriously comfy headphones. I had them on for 3 hours last night and would have forgotten I was wearing them if I wasn't actually trying to test them out. My ears never felt hot of uncomfortable during this time and I guess the open design along with the cloth pads is the reason why. The design is such that they don't clamp your head hard at all. Rather they just rest gently on top of your head and envelop your ears at the sides.[/size]
[size=x-small] [/size]
[size=x-small]Overall[/size]
[size=x-small]So far I am very impressed with both the sound and comfort of these headphones. I was considering getting the 600s delivered as well but I'm not sure now as the HTF890 really are giving me everything I need.[/size]
[size=x-small]Dom[/size]