[miceblue]

Quote:

There's 10 votes for the Amperior, who has actually heard them or is this wishful thinking

I tried them for 30 minutes at an Apple Store with my gear and I definitely wouldn't buy them.

 

[miow]

And why not? That would be of more interest to all of us.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

And why not? That would be of more interest to all of us.

I wrote my impressions in a spoiler on the previous page.

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Spoiler!

So I went to a recently renovated Apple Store in the area today, and they had the Amperior on display. Of course like all of their other headphones, the cable were hooked up to something beneath the display table and connected to a designated iPod Touch. Luckily the Amperior has that odd 2-part cable and I got to listen to it with my source in-person (Sansa Clip Zip + FiiO E7, using no EQ settings and no bass boost on the E7). I must say, I am pretty disappointed with its sound overall. The mids seemed recessed or hollow especially for female vocals and higher pitched string instruments (Sennheiser veil?), the highs were very sibilant to my ears, and the lows were punchy and phat, yet didn't overpower the rest of the sound spectrum; the bass was actually similar in extension and punch to my Sennheiser HD238. Instrument separation was good, but the soundstage was lacking in depth and width (I would not recommend the Amperior for classical music listeners).

I was genuinely surprised to hear the sibilance from the Amperior; and to think DJ's use the HD25-i-ii at loud listening levels? :/    It was quite painful for me to listen to and I'm coming from a "bass light, excessive treble" Shure SRH940. Looking at the Innerfidelity frequency response shows that the Amperior has a much louder treble peak relative to the rest of the treble region, so that might be the reason.

I listened to a variety of music genres (acoustic, alternative rock, Chinese folk, Chinese pop, chiptune, classical crossover, classical, dubstep, electronic, pop, synthpop, symphonic metal) for a good 30 minutes (the employees at Apple didn't seem to care). I don't think I would pay over $200 for them, which puts them on par with the HD25-i-ii's pricing. The isolation and comfort were really good for a supra-aural headphone and that was probably my favourite thing of the Amperior.
 

^My face when I first heard the Amperior with Chinese folk music

These are just "brief" impressions, so don't take them too too seriously. They aren't bad headphones by any mean, it's just that the sibilance was really irritating and the punchy bass probably spoiled the upper-midrange in the noisy environment I was in. Maybe some people like this kind of sound, as evidence from the positive reviews of the Amperior/HD25-i-ii, but I know I definitely don't.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

And why not? That would be of more interest to all of us.

Regarding the Amperior, the are very good for $200, but as a $350 dressed-up HD25, they are overpriced.  The soundstage is narrow.  They lack detail compared to some others in this price range.  While the bass has some punch, there are several on this list that I expect to blow away bass and sub bass from Amperior.  One that I know does is the PSB since I A/B'd them against Amperior.  They have a similar signature to Amperior, but I felt the M4U2/1 blew them away in every sonic category.  The D600s blow away both of these with soundstage and lifelike detail and exceptional vocals, but lacked the punch of the other two and lacked the sub bass of the M4U2.
 
I know I sound like a broken record regarding the D400, but they are so bad, they don't deserve to be on any list.  Would anyone like to second a nomination to remove them?

 

[roma101]

Would not be surprised if that was true. ^^

 

[BRSxIgnition]

If nobody recommends it, votes for it, or reviews it well, we'll let that be what it is. I'm not changing the poll AGAIN - I've already done it 3 times or so. It still fits in the categories - so we'll let the people decide.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

If nobody recommends it, votes for it, or reviews it well, we'll let that be what it is. I'm not changing the poll AGAIN - I've already done it 3 times or so. It still fits in the categories - so we'll let the people decide.

No problem.  It's the only one with zero votes so far, so I will take that as some measure of validation.

 

[blotto5]

I'm definitely interested in seeing where the M-100s stack up against all the other headphones coming out this season. I'm new to the community, and have only listened to V-MODA and Sony gear, so my insight is pretty limited. I have the VTF/M-100 on pre-order, but I will definitely keep an eye on this thread for impressions of the headphones so I know if I made a good choice, or to return them and get a different headphone.
I also wanted to thank everyone now and in advance for thier impressions and reviews that will help me make an informed decision!

 

[Curly21029]

Regarding the pricing of the M4U 1, I'll confidently call BS on the article reporting PSB charging a $100 premium for select colors.  According to the official marketing, the 1 is only available in red and gray while the 2 has been available in black with a white version anticipated.  There is no word directly from the manufacturer stating that the latter two color choices will be available for the M4U 1 much less that there will be a pricing difference.  This also puts them at the same MSRP as the M4U 2 -- the product that does offer these two options.
 
Whomever wrote the article likely lacks adequate knowledge of the product line.  The M4U 1 will not release with black and white color options nor will it cost $400.  If it does, then I'll send an audio-related freebie to the first person to quote this post and respond with "you were wrong."

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Regarding the pricing of the M4U 1, I'll confidently call BS on the article reporting PSB charging a $100 premium for select colors.  According to the official marketing, the 1 is only available in red and gray while the 2 has been available in black with a white version anticipated.  There is no word directly from the manufacturer stating that the latter two color choices will be available for the M4U 1 much less that there will be a pricing difference.  This also puts them at the same MSRP as the M4U 2 -- the product that does offer these two options.

Whomever wrote the article likely lacks adequate knowledge of the product line.  The M4U 1 will not release with black and white color options nor will it cost $400.  If it does, then I'll send an audio-related freebie to the first person to quote this post and respond with "you were wrong."

It certainly sounds off, and I can't say that I can see why they would do it.

I'll take you up on your offer though, in the case that the article saying it is true. I think they misunderstood the black/white part of the press release, which was really supposed to be about adding the white color to the M4U 2 line. at least, that seems the most likely at this point.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Regarding the pricing of the M4U 1, I'll confidently call BS on the article reporting PSB charging a $100 premium for select colors.  According to the official marketing, the 1 is only available in red and gray while the 2 has been available in black with a white version anticipated.  There is no word directly from the manufacturer stating that the latter two color choices will be available for the M4U 1 much less that there will be a pricing difference.  This also puts them at the same MSRP as the M4U 2 -- the product that does offer these two options.
 
Whomever wrote the article likely lacks adequate knowledge of the product line.  The M4U 1 will not release with black and white color options nor will it cost $400.  If it does, then I'll send an audio-related freebie to the first person to quote this post and respond with "you were wrong."

Yes, that does make perfect sense. Pity the M4U 1 will only be available in crap colors, then.

 

[Craigster75]

It is some comfort to know that our questions regarding the sounds of most or all of these cans will be answered in the next 30 days.  The problem is finding distractions to get through the next 30 days   Even if the VTF-100 (M-100) actually ships by 9/21, they will take several days to arrive, so it will be 2-3 weeks until the first unreleased can on the list is in our hands unless Momentum comes out sooner.
 

 

[Craigster75]

No surprise here, but based on this article, it is reasonable to infer that the new Sony XB line may be on the dark side (sonically, not The Force).
 
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/10/sony-simon-cowell-mdr-x10-x-factor-headphones/

 

[Matrim604]

Quote:

Regarding the Amperior, the are very good for $200, but as a $350 dressed-up HD25, they are overpriced.  The soundstage is narrow.  They lack detail compared to some others in this price range.  While the bass has some punch, there are several on this list that I expect to blow away bass and sub bass from Amperior.  One that I know does is the PSB since I A/B'd them against Amperior.  They have a similar signature to Amperior, but I felt the M4U2/1 blew them away in every sonic category.  The D600s blow away both of these with soundstage and lifelike detail and exceptional vocals, but lacked the punch of the other two and lacked the sub bass of the M4U2.
 
I know I sound like a broken record regarding the D400, but they are so bad, they don't deserve to be on any list.  Would anyone like to second a nomination to remove them?

 
I picked up an Amperior last week, and after spending some time with it I can report that I am happy with the purchase.  I agree with Craigster75 on most of his observations, they probably are a little over priced for what you get, the soundstage is typical of a closed supra aural can, and lack some of the detail in the upper mids/trebles compared to some other $300+ cans.  That said however, for a truly portable set of headphones I think these perform remarkably well and are very detailed and "fun" sounding.  For my use I wouldn't compare them to headphones like the M100s, K550s or even the D600s because i'd probably never wear any of those out of the house.  I would directly compare the Amperiors to other truly portable cans like the M80, DT1350, and HD25 all of which I also own.
 
I hear a lot of people asking for a comparison to the HD25-iis, and whether or not they're worth the extra money.  To my ears, I agree with some people here that they do sound better than the HD25s, although I would say the difference is not a big one.  The best way I can describe it is that the HD-25s really do need amplification to get the most out of them, while the Amperiors do not (although they also benefit from an amp).  Listening to the HD-25 directly from my Macbook Pro the mids and treble sound a little recessed and veiled to my ears, and plugging them into my NuForce Icon HDP opens it up and even makes the base a little tighter (although the base is pretty darn good on the HD25).  The Amperiors are a little tighter and detailed plugged right into my iPhone or laptop, and when plugged into my NuForce it opens up even more especially with female vocals although the difference isn't as noticeable as with the HD25.  
 
I've listened to HD-25s for many years and they have always been my "go to" portable can--until the M80 and DT1350 came out.  I liked the M80 slightly better in all areas comapred to the HD25, and I think the DT1350 is pretty hard to beat (for a compact closed supra aural) for acoustic, jazz, and female vocal music, although I like them less for other genres of music (I listen to a lot of electronic, metal and rock which the M80 and Amperior excel at).  The Mic is also much better on the Amperior compared to the M80.  The new mic cable from V-Moda is a big improvement but still not as clear as the Amperior.  I use them to take a fair number of calls on my iPhone and use Skype a fair bit and have had a number of people unanimously say that the sound quality was better with the Sennheiser mic.  The Amperiors are much more comfortable than the HD-25s because of the cloth pads and less clamping force (I do not wear glasses).  I would say they are about as comfortable as the M80s, perhaps slightly more so, and also easier to get a good fit with.  I find I have to stretch and twist around the headband a bit to get a perfect fit on the M80, while the Amperior just seems to find the sweet spot on its own.  I am able to wear both for several hours without any pain though, while I could feel the HD25s after an hour or two.
 
So are the Amperiors worth the extra $$$ over the HD-25s?  For many, the answer is probably not, but they do sound better to my ears, especially without any kind of amplification and that is on top of aesthetics and the built-in mic which I actually do use a lot.  Both are fairly detailed cans across the board for their class of can, but I feel the "veil" is a little thinner on the Amperiors.  I'm definitely enjoying mine on the road (did I mention the isolation is top notch?) and when I leave the house it is really a toss up for me whether I bring the M80 or Amperior.  Maybe they will be more appealing to some once you start seeing more of them on the second hand market, or once Apple loses exclusivity on their resale.
 
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/matrim604/IMG_1157small.jpg

 

[M-13]

Quote:

 
http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/matrim604/IMG_1157small.jpg

Wow nice supra-aural collection! And the 650s are of course a classic.
 
I'm looking forward to the Momentum. Hoping Sennheiser hits it out of the park with that one. If not there is always the M-100 or the R1.