...often manufacturers obscure L/R markings. For the Focal Elex, you literally have to raise the cups above your eye level to see the markings written *behind* the cable connectors. Just a total obfuscation. I've always felt the same about the Apple dongle. There are some audio communities...

I was interested given the mismatch between the official specs, which are listed at 106 db/1 volt. Converted that's 91.8db/mw which is closer to the result published in the article, but still a not-insignificant 6db less sensitive (rounding up). No idea what their metholodgy for testing...

Got the 620s Wednesday. Haven't gotten the time to do many comparisons (and I would like to write a full review), but wanted to give some brief impressions of the 620s versus the Maxwell. I'm a known Maxwell skeptic/critic, so I started with a track I think sounds pretty good on the Maxwell...

I was out of the hobby for close to a decade but question for those who weren't: What has Drop's policy been of late? How did they treat the launches of, say, the Focal Elex and the DCA cans? Did review units go out? Was the embargo before or after launch? Sennheiser just released the 620s and...

E-sign Edition?

No, you're probably in the large majority. The 6XX don't work for me for other reasons, but the mids aren't one of them. Though I don't know what you mean by "simple." One of the things that I think marks 600 series mids is their smoothness. And I mean that figuratively and literally (the...

Interesting! Any info/impressions on any benefits and drawbacks? Obviously ESS is going to make their own features seem preferable ...

I'd 100% consider myself a planar person but don't really feel like the Maxwell checks any of the planar boxes for me. No crazy sense of detail, no Hifiman sound stage, doesn't sound particularly "speedy," and about as dead as you can be in terms of dynamics this side of DCA. My 620s should...

Interesting indeed, given the price difference and closed vs. open. Would love to hear the Omega, but not in a place to pay that much blind. But I'd be curious what you think of the Omega whenever you get it ...

Can we spare the personal attacks, please? @Evshrug has been upfront about potential biases in his review. Everyone can make their own decision on whether his (or any other) review holds weight for them. There's nothing to be gained from negative comments about users here.

Just the High End report, I think. Haven't seen anything else and I watch the Headphone Show videos religiously.

@shampoosuicide Can you say more about the 620s compared to the Aeon Closed X? That'll be the closed back I'll be comparing against when the 620s arrives.

Yes. Cases designed to fit headphones without removing the cable would be illegal, apparently, given that no one ever makes them.

The KA17 is a great little DAC, provided you don't need to use EQ. (It's supported, but I think there are problems with the implementation; it ends up sounding "off," at least on my phone.)

As already stated in this thread, they broke the embargo. I don't know how this is hard to understand.

Embargos aren't censorship. They're agreed upon by individuals and outlets who receive units ahead of release. They serve multiple purposes, including leveling the playing field so outlets don't have incentive to rush a review to "beat" the competition. If you're working with a company's...

I think a lot goes into creating a good review, and it's probably a lot harder than it looks. Buuuuut .... now I'm thinking about a recent review where he picks the HD 490 Pro over the Elex. Like ... wut? Really? The totally unremarkable (at best) 490 Pro is your pick over maybe the most...

The Pad Rolling Illuminati will come for you if you stick with stock.

Not to dampen people's hopes, but I suspect cancellations may become replacement units or demo units or something of that ilk. Just a guess but I feel like I've heard something like that before. And I believe the request counter is continuous. It was a little above 2K when pre-orders opened, I...

Nope! People will argue all day about balanced and whether there are tangible benefits in X scenario, but definitely not necessary. And I'd reckon most of us, even those who prefer balanced, would admit headphones, amps and DACs are more important (to varying degrees). A cable can't make a...

Some really great points here. I think we're all anxious to hear them ourselves, but until we do there's really not much to say about other's impressions. The "don't think it's worth recommending to anyone seeking a primary headphone" is also an excellent point. Implicitly, even if it hasn't...

Velour pads are gonna be the same size. Not sure I'd describe that as a fit issue.

Maybe you're comfortable with awful sound *rim shot* But I jest. Third party alternate pads with good FR would be ideal.

Haven't watched the video yet but Resolve has said on stream and in previous Munich impressions that numerous people thought the OAE1 was the best thing at the show. He said this despite it sounding very off with the fit on his head. The only thing I'm sure about with the OAE1 is this: it's...

No insight here but I watched a video from High End Munich where someone interviewed Axel and he mentioned two other earpad choices that will be available. Point being it seems like there's a lot in the works, but I don't get the vibe any of it will be announced pre-launch. Hopefully it's not...