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Mongo, just to get an idea of your sound preferences, what are some other headphones you own/owned/love/loved?
I've not owned any notable cans or universals. My primary onstage IEM's were Shure E2's and E3's until I got the 1964 demo's. I started using them in October and went from the Duals to the V3's, Quads and then V6's. My appreciation for quality sound changed overnight. At first I thought the Duals were amazing. Compared to anything I had heard they were! Hearing a BA driver for the first time was really an experience. The definition and clarity were unparalleled to anything I had previously placed in my ears. I knew from experiencing the same revelation for the first time back in the 80's with a custom home stereo that I had to take time to let my ears 'learn to hear again'.
I enjoyed the Duals for a long time before popping in the V3's. I then again experienced a widening of the sound spectrum and a distinct focus of the highs, mids and lows. It was very exciting how the music came alive. This repeated with the Quads, but with them adding a sub range that really punched, while never sounding muddy. The difference between the V3's and the Quads was not very significant, mostly isolated in the low range. They seemed to me to be tuned very similar, but I am very likely too inexperienced (and lacking any quality reference equipment) to be able to distinguish the subtleties that make them more unique. They are both great, with the Quads providing a deeper bottom that was more upfront and wider.
The V6's were noticeably different to me. It could be because I currently only have the Quads to compare, but they are most definitely tuned differently. When I just listen to the V6's at length and acclimate back to their presentation I REALLY love them. I listened to them for several hours today. I find I want to push them more, but that could just be because I'm using an iPhone 5 for a reference. They seem very neutral across the entire range (not lacking), just nicely balanced with no noticeable bump. 1964 uses the term audiophile. I agree, not harsh, not mid'y, not bassy. A superb blend for listening. Its just not what I look for in a live monitor for stage use. I need more high mids and a hair more low grunt.
When I put the Quads back in there is immediately noticed a thick bottom end that can rumble your brain if the music has that in it. If you have tunes that can shake the windows of the houses on a street due to kicker subs in a car, the Quads will easily reproduce that in your head! At the same time the top end (high mids/highs) is just a bit further up front. Not harsh at all, just more present. Snares pop a bit more while at the same time kick drums hit deeper. It's a bass player/drummers dream signature!
What surprised me was after spending a week listening to only the V6's, I was finding my taste had shifted to wanting less bottom. The V3's suddenly found their place between the Quads and V6's in my taste. I'm glad I took the sage advice here and let my ears learn to hear again. I can't speak from long term experience, just persistent dedication to seeking an objective understanding of what 1964Ears has to offer. I expect I will probably get a set of V6's down the road for daily listening, but for today my need is for the V3's.
