I just got my 1060s two days ago. Initial impressions. Let's start with comfort since I'm putting more of a premium on it now.
Is the 1060 comfortable? Well, what are we comparing it to? Are they as comfortable as the Bose QC? Not even close. The 1060s are big and bulky, somewhat heavy. Even clunky. Frankly, I don't particularly like how they feel on my head. Like wearing a tire around each ear. But things aren't that simple. Despite everything I just said, I don't find them particularly uncomfortable. The earpads are really soft and thick, and the clamping force isn't too bad. I just don't like the feel of their roundness, if that makes sense. It feels unnatural, like not the shape of an ear. I also feel that they don't seal sufficiently. I wish all headphones were as comfortable as the Bose Quite Comfort but, alas, that is not the case.
The 1060s are just comfortable enough for me to consider keeping them since I like how they sound. I'm listening to them as I write this, and they're making me happy. But I've encountered things I don't like. It's hit or miss. Some tracks sound spectacular. Others are leaving me unengaged.
One problem is that vocals can sound recessed. Lead vocals are sometimes positioned as if they were just part of the overall soundscape. Now this is by no means the case with every song. But it's the case with enough of them that you should keep it in mind.
I wouldn't say the 1060s have a wide soundstage. But partly as a result of the deep pads they do provide a sense of space that can sometimes result in an ensemble sounding a little disaggregated. Here are three tracks I feel don't sound too hot on these headphones. I listened to everything on Tidal HIFI.
- Bowie. "Young Americans." MQA version. Everything's separated, spread out. The bongos are on the lower right, Bowie a little higher up toward the middle, the sax way over on the left, etc. Nothing comes together.
By contrast, on my Sennheiser HD 280s Bowie's voice has much more presence. He sounds much closer to me. He actually sounds like the lead singer rather than just another part of the band. The song comes together on the Senns in a way that it doesn't on the Monoliths. On the Senns, the music is speaking with a single voice. It's true: the sense of spaciousness is gone. Things sound layered on top of each other rather than spread out. But you gain a sense of coherence that makes the music more enjoyable. The whole album sounds horrible to me on the 1060s. (As a side note, it's just remarkable how one and the same file can sound so different depending on what you play it on!)
- In terms of what I said about recessed vocals, that's also the case on "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" by The National. On my other phones, the lead singer's voice is beautifully deep with a lot of body and presence. Not so on the 1060s. He sounds far away with no heft or depth.
- Talking Heads. "Born Under Punches." MQA version. On the 1060s, the song is just lifeless. Everything sounds far away and inconsequential. Everything about this song sounds much closer and engaging on the 280s, which cost about a third of what the 1060s do. Now it could very well be that the latter are more revealing of the recording's limitations, even merciless. But here comes the twist. I'm playing the album now at low volume and details are really beginning to engage me on the 1060. Lowering the volume did the trick.
Here I am criticizing the 1060s for their vocals, but now I'm going to praise them for the same thing. While they can sound far away at times, in general vocals on the 1060s sound crystal clear. I have a much easier time understanding song lyrics on these headphones than on others. It's kind of a paradox. Not as close, often not as much heft -- yet clearer.
So I gave examples of songs that don't sound particularly good to me on the 1060s. That would not be fair if I didn't supply counter examples. The good news is that there's a heap of stuff that sounds amazing on these phones (never as good as it does on a good speaker system, of course). I listened to songs almost at random on Tidal and these are some that struck me as sounding particularly good. This is where the 1060s shine, leaving my 280s in the dust:
- "PHILOSOPHY!" by Baio
- "Malibu" by Miley Cyrus
- "Andromeda" and "Ascension" by Gorillaz -- just wow! on these headphones compared to my other ones. Listen to the smoothness of that voice!
- "Kissing Strangers" by DNCE
- "Ti Amo" by Phoenix
- "Never Let Me Down" and "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode
- "Titanium" and "Shed a Light" by David Guetta. This is semi-techno club DJ music, not something I usually listen to, but this kind of music sounds fantastic on the 1060s.
Although I no longer have my Senn 650s, going on memory I'd say the 1060s are just as good or even better with this type of music. I also love rock, but haven't listened to a whole lot of it on these phones yet. (The true test will be how they handle classical music, which is what I usually listen to.)
Right now, the 1060s are not headphones I want to marry. But they are headphones I'm more than happy to date. The more I listen, the more I like. Who knows, maybe with an ear pad change.
By the way, a lot has been said about swapping the pads on these headphones to improve the sound. Before I got them, I sort of rolled my eyes at that, but now that I have them I can see how swapping these pads might improve things.
Finally, I should mention that I'm listening to the 1060s just plugged into the headphone jack of my MacBook. It can drive them fine.
