Bought these after receiving the Massdrop HE-350s which were just too treble-forward for my taste.
I listen to a lot of music when at work. Desk space is limited, so I can't justify running an amplifier, so I liked the idea of something inexpensive with good imaging that was easy to drive.
They blow me away. They outperform all the other cans I have (Sennheiser PX-100s, Audio Technica M50x, AKG K7xx, Hifiman HE-350). No burn in was necessary--just plugged them into my computer and was blown away by how convincing they were.
Convincing
Visceral
In comparison other headphones sound veiled in some region or another or are fatiguing.
I listen to a lot of chamber music, and it's rare that headphones get the imaging and details right.
Sound Quality:
They are a little treble forward, however, they are excellent for rock, metal, jazz, and even rap. The bass is slightly recessed, but never feels underpowered in part due to how well controlled the bass is. Extension is great, as well. You get a real sense of instruments decaying and reverberating in the room/hall, which i suspect is largely subbass dependent. Even though I could use a couple more dB of bass, it has more than enough impact for me.
The imaging is excellent. As well as depth of soundstage. Almost to the point of seeming artificially wide on some recordings. However, on well mastered/recorded material, they are dead ringers for immersion. Convincing keeps coming to mind. The only other headphones i've tried that pull "convincing" off in the same way are some old Stax that you have to power with a loudspeaker amplifier, sound uneven and veiled, and are so uncomfortable I can only keep them on my head for 20 minutes or so.
Very sensitive. I don't understand how they are so sensitive being (very) open headphones with such large drivers. Full volume on soft-ish recordings on my macbook could cause hearing damage pretty quickly.
SQ comparisons:
These remind me a lot of the old PX100s if those were more comfortable and neutral, and less forward/fatiguing.
More treble forward than the K7XX. I get the impression of more detail and precision, as well. Maybe that impresison will change when I get a proper amp. K7XX are a little smoother, and definitely have more bass presence. For solo instrument recordings, the K7XX have a slight edge, as well as stoner metal where you just need a strong midbass presence. However, the imaging on these, just make them more fun to listen to.
They have the immediacy I like about the M50x, but have actual imaging, and aren't forward or fatiguing
These have the strong treble and imaging of the Hifiman HE-350s, but have wearable stock pads, and the treble is more under control. I think is Bass is stronger too.
Comfort:
Headphones are light, and super comfortable. Clamp is light, which some may find disconcerting. However, they will stay on your head unless you try to shake them off. The pads appear hard to replace. Though the stock pads are good, they aren't AKG K7XX good. A little bit warmer running. If I have these on my head longer than 4 hours or so in a warm room, they start to bug me, which is pretty good for my head.
Build
I'd prefer a split mono-in for a better connection, since these are large and ugly enough and open enough that I won't wear them outside, but can't complain about the versatility of the dual 3.5mm on such inexpensive cans. The cable appears just ok. I wish it were easier to change the stock pads. However, the tune is so great I fear messing them up. Also, I suspect the enclosure rattles when hit around ~3.5 kHz, but it could be the cable jack not having the best connection. Intermittent, and only noticeable if I'm really looking.
Buy these. I ordered a second set. Maybe one day I'll convince myself I need some X1s/X2s, or just jump in and import some Stax. But these provide me with everything I want from a headphone.
I listen to a lot of music when at work. Desk space is limited, so I can't justify running an amplifier, so I liked the idea of something inexpensive with good imaging that was easy to drive.
They blow me away. They outperform all the other cans I have (Sennheiser PX-100s, Audio Technica M50x, AKG K7xx, Hifiman HE-350). No burn in was necessary--just plugged them into my computer and was blown away by how convincing they were.
Convincing
Visceral
In comparison other headphones sound veiled in some region or another or are fatiguing.
I listen to a lot of chamber music, and it's rare that headphones get the imaging and details right.
Sound Quality:
They are a little treble forward, however, they are excellent for rock, metal, jazz, and even rap. The bass is slightly recessed, but never feels underpowered in part due to how well controlled the bass is. Extension is great, as well. You get a real sense of instruments decaying and reverberating in the room/hall, which i suspect is largely subbass dependent. Even though I could use a couple more dB of bass, it has more than enough impact for me.
The imaging is excellent. As well as depth of soundstage. Almost to the point of seeming artificially wide on some recordings. However, on well mastered/recorded material, they are dead ringers for immersion. Convincing keeps coming to mind. The only other headphones i've tried that pull "convincing" off in the same way are some old Stax that you have to power with a loudspeaker amplifier, sound uneven and veiled, and are so uncomfortable I can only keep them on my head for 20 minutes or so.
Very sensitive. I don't understand how they are so sensitive being (very) open headphones with such large drivers. Full volume on soft-ish recordings on my macbook could cause hearing damage pretty quickly.
SQ comparisons:
These remind me a lot of the old PX100s if those were more comfortable and neutral, and less forward/fatiguing.
More treble forward than the K7XX. I get the impression of more detail and precision, as well. Maybe that impresison will change when I get a proper amp. K7XX are a little smoother, and definitely have more bass presence. For solo instrument recordings, the K7XX have a slight edge, as well as stoner metal where you just need a strong midbass presence. However, the imaging on these, just make them more fun to listen to.
They have the immediacy I like about the M50x, but have actual imaging, and aren't forward or fatiguing
These have the strong treble and imaging of the Hifiman HE-350s, but have wearable stock pads, and the treble is more under control. I think is Bass is stronger too.
Comfort:
Headphones are light, and super comfortable. Clamp is light, which some may find disconcerting. However, they will stay on your head unless you try to shake them off. The pads appear hard to replace. Though the stock pads are good, they aren't AKG K7XX good. A little bit warmer running. If I have these on my head longer than 4 hours or so in a warm room, they start to bug me, which is pretty good for my head.
Build
I'd prefer a split mono-in for a better connection, since these are large and ugly enough and open enough that I won't wear them outside, but can't complain about the versatility of the dual 3.5mm on such inexpensive cans. The cable appears just ok. I wish it were easier to change the stock pads. However, the tune is so great I fear messing them up. Also, I suspect the enclosure rattles when hit around ~3.5 kHz, but it could be the cable jack not having the best connection. Intermittent, and only noticeable if I'm really looking.
Buy these. I ordered a second set. Maybe one day I'll convince myself I need some X1s/X2s, or just jump in and import some Stax. But these provide me with everything I want from a headphone.
The only thing Fidelio X2 is better than SHP9500 is in bass department..personally i think X2 need proper amp to shine while SHP9500 doesn't need an amp.
i would check something from Fostex or hifiman for upgrade..but that SHP9500 will always be something special