Wow, way more than I was expecting. Great comfort and scaling audiophile sound quality that I am not used to getting from under a $1000 headphone. This is a spectacular value that everyone should consider for their daily driver and beyond.
The Refine Headphone
This is a pre-order limited 1000-unit headphone created by APOS refining the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x classic for enhanced comfort, design, performance, and price. It features an all new color configuration, newly designed ear pads, warmer, deeper, and fuller sound refinements, a more manageable cord, and a lower price of $299. To learn more, and to see the various configuration options, please visit APOS at:
https://apos.audio/products/apos-x-...-refine-headphone?_pos=2&_sid=c89abf494&_ss=r.
While I have certainly heard the headphone in its classic form years ago, it has been a long time since and I do not have a classic version to compare directly. Therefore, I will review this headphone as a new option. From my distant memory, my instinct tells me that this version is more euphoric and has more bass presence, but some of that may have been the rig driving the classic headphones years ago. So take this comment with a grain of salt, although this is exactly the claim on the product page.
Comfort
I wanted to start here as this is the very first thing you notice - this is one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. The way it sits on your head is not only extraordinarily comfortable, but it also provides an optimal and consistent placement for sound - no slipping, no pressing - just airy and light but firm hold. This offers consistency throughout the night in its sound reproduction. The headphone is very light allowing you to forget it is on your head with the exception of the warmth of the earpads as Arizona summers can get very warm where I am at. Below the headband is a pair of padded head pads that keep the band from hitting your head which is wonderful in both the comfort and the enhanced placement. You can shake your head without the headphones slipping at all. I never find myself readjusting the headphone placement like I do with all my other headphones.
Looks
While these headphones are beautiful to look at with the classy, not gody gold grills and black features, this is not why you buy them. Yes, the design is obviously above the lower end headphones never looking plasticy and even above most mid-tier headphones in the $500 range, they are very utilitarian vs. luxury. They are light and do not have the ultra-luxury heft that makes the $1K plus crowd often uncomfortable…like my wonderful Audeze. They are not leather which often leads to sweaty and slippery experiences with extended listening. They are perfect for extracting sound quality which is the most important thing a headphone can do. So while they are pretty, they are smart first.
Sound
This is the wow! Somehow, these headphones capture the favorite parts of each of my much more expensive headphones and compellingly combine them. They get better as more power is applied so mileage may vary, but when driven well, they offer my HD800 spacial experience, my Audese LCD low-end and euphonic, and my Hifiman HEX detail. While this is not going to beat any of these headphones individually, it gets very close which is amazing for the price. The euphonic quality also makes them easy to listen to for extended periods and spacial elements allow comfortable listening at elevated volumes.
When listening to this headphone, the first thing you notice is the sound stage and spacial queues. The size of this soundstage is not cavernous, but large and offers noticeable depth and width to the enjoyment. The spacial queues are subtle but noticeable enhancing the environment providing separation between elements. That space is where you find the details as all elements seem to have their own space. The detail is light and crisp but not overwhelming in almost a planar like presentation with more space. This space also allows for a bass separation where you can have warmth that doesn’t step all over the other instruments. Pulling it all together is a tube-like euphonics that I really like offering a rich environment. Like the bass, the separation allows the euphonics to be different for each instrument while pulling together the atmosphere to create an inviting experience.
Source and Drive
These headphones sound great with my standard computer audio or through an iPhone, but this is not optimal. These headphones scale greatly with power and quality sources requiring the right pairing to get the most out of these headphones. While you will be happy with lower quality direct from iPhone type sources, your jaw will drop when you pair it correctly.
Volume performance again depends on the source and the power applied. The driving power allows lower volumes to get additional information and euphonics quicker as you will see in the parings below. The lower the power, the higher you have to turn up the volume to get to audiophile performance levels. Better sources with more power get you there quicker. While I would not buy these for extremely lower volume listening use cases like listening while you sleep, they could be used for this with the right source. As a practical mention, iPhone use is more likely to take place in a noisy environment so higher listening levels are more likely to be used so this may not matter.
Audiophile performance parallels volume performance. But an iPhone will never get that last ounce of detail like a better source unless using extreme methods. With my best sources, I found that I can get most of what my $1K or $2K level headphones offer which is quite an accomplishment. However, this headphone offers a unique euphoric experience that is very tubelike. It offers a warmth that doesn’t step on the rest of the soundstage, not a glow, but an enhancement of each separate element. This is what attracts me to these headphones the most. My Eddie Current Zana Duex is a wonderful tube amp which I bring out after the Arizona summer to bring me that kind of sound. However, I do not feel that I need this tube amp to get the same effect. This is a huge win for me as my daily driver.
Pairing:
- iPhone: The iPhone bottlenecks my performance here, but the Amazon Music ap helps quite a bit in bringing back the sound quality. I have to listen at higher volume to get optimal results here, but it is not the best pairing.
- Ifi Gryphon with iPhone: The Gryphon is a huge help here bringing the driving power to boost performance to an audiophile level with a nice deep bass response. But the Refine has more to give.
- Ifi Gryphon with Sony WM1a: Using the Sony as a source brings much more detail and allows the Gryphon to shine. This is a powerful combination for on the go.
- Desktop: Straight out of my Logitech sound setup on my desktop, I get ok sound as most material is mediocre. When I listen to movies or other higher quality data streams, the audiophile quality goes up, but only at higher volumes. My TrueFi ap helps elevate the sound quality, but this is kind of a cheat.
- Burson Playmate USB from Desktop: Wow, there is that sound. This is true audiophile with expansive bass and even at moderate volumes. Here I get full fidelity and full euphonics. This is an extraordinary combination.
- Burson C3R via Optical from Desktop: Even better…to the next level. Now I get full audiophile like the Playmate, but with gobs of additional details in your face. The sound stage gets bigger and the separation perfected. Now I get audiophile performance even at lower volumes.
Value
Putting it all together, for $300, you get most of that god-tier sound in a compelling unique combination that is easy to listen to all day. At $300, I am not worried about using these headphones or making them my all-day headphones. My god-tier headphones only come out on special occasions to keep them pristine. Therefore, I get a lot more mileage out of these than those and my ROI is off the charts.
MY conclusion - buy a pair and you will see what I mean.
