[AlwaysForward]

I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying your set! Give them ~20 hours for the pads to break in. Double check your pad alignment so that the thick end with the seam is aligned pointing backwards away from your face to ensure you get the right/best seal. Around the back joint screw is a good alignment point for the seam. Also, turn off the inline mic when not in use.


The way they image is so unique it’ll take you a few days to kind of click into what they’re doing. Imagine listening for a sphere of sound in 3 dimensions instead of planes of sound in 2 dimensions and you’ll get it pretty fast.

I personally think the treble is incredible. Outside of the Utopia, it’s the only set of cans that rendered cymbals in a physical way to me. Unlike the Utopia, the timbre is spot on and perfectly integrated with the mids and bass.

In terms of absolute transient tracking, these things probably compete with the tier just below the Utopia. $1-3k tier-ish is my read. Would love your thoughts once you get more time and they’re broken in.

On balance, the spatial rendering that’s closer to speakers tips the scales into TOTL comparison territory. Very apples/oranges that’s probably further apart than dynamic vs ortho, IMHO.

Layering in the marvelous tuning, build, features and price… these are at the very least a heck of a bargain.

To me, there’s no “yeah but” in them. That’s what makes it so special.

Oh and volume hits differently with these. Turn them up a bit. They are surprisingly gentle on tinnitus when loud to boot.

 

[jlbrach]

to me the amazing thing is with all of the new HP's released of late of which I have sampled and owned several,nothing new has moved me from these three in terms of being TOTL...the sr1a is the last HP to me that really was different and revolutionary....

 

[dirtrat]

I listened to all the TOTL headphones recently at CanJam 2022 and the Abyss TC and RAAL SR1A (With RAAL Req VM-1A) impressed me more than anything else. I ended up buying the RAAL headphones and tube amp.

 

[jlbrach]

sennheiser and focal are due for a new flagship...so far I have been underwhelmed by the recent new flagships

 

[eskamobob1]

The three you have are damned good but I think there are a couple that could compete. Namely valkyria (haven't heard it so guessing, but heard the rest) and x9000. While slightly behind sus in technicalities I also think soli P and D8000 Pro deserve shout outs here as depending on the sound someone is looking for they could easily replace any of the 3 in your list

 

[voja]

I haven't yet had a chance to listen to the popular TOTL headphones, but I did have a chance to listen to the Soltanus Acoustics Euridiche. An electrostat that blew me away in terms of performance. For me, it is a TOTL because it breaks any normal headphone expectations.

Not a TOTL when it comes to how much it costs, but I've had a similar experience with iBasso's SR2 headphones. I tend to enjoy things that sound different than the "norm", and I know what I'm looking for in a pair of headphones. This being said, when a headphone has what I'm looking for (regardless of price point) I can make the assessment whether it's TOTL level or not. iBasso SR2 changed my mind on the argument that the price point is what's determining whether a headphone can be called TOTL or not.

This being said, I think that the TOTL options out there have their purpose. If you are looking for a TOTL headphone, you have a wide range of options. Of course, you are the one deciding whether it's worth the money out of your pocket. Some care more about build quality, some care more about design, some care more about sound performance. We are all looking for different things. What's important to some is completely meaningless to others. It's been a number of times that I've seen people swear by and love what are perhaps not expensive to be made products, but to them they give them this otherworldly experience and satisfaction.

The buyer is the one making the judgement whether that TOTL product has what they are looking for in a TOTL product or not. That's what I think it comes down to at the end of the day

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

ZMF Atrium. Really unique sound, simply marvelous cans.

I completely agree. It is getting most of my ear time lately. I just got it, so may be in the honeymoon phase. It has great mids and treble and when paired with the Ferrum Orr, it actually sounds like it is paired with a tube amp.

 

[AlwaysForward]

Totally agreed, something that breaks normal expectations should be in the conversation for a TOTL experience, regardless of price.

iSine/i4 series would be in that conversation for an IEM example. Less costly than a CIEM from EE & 64 Audio while delivering the most circum-aural like presentation for an IEM.

Not just going by $$$$ in context of the TOTL conversation May wind up being this thread’s contribution to the conversation. TOTL is about the results from the experience.

 

[eskamobob1]

Not a TOTL when it comes to how much it costs

yah, estats are a realy wierd one compaired to convention cans when it comes to totl or not. With normal cans as you go up the ladder you get more detail and better better seperation as primaries with tuning being more varried while with esats I feel like as you go up the chain you get better tuning with some cheaper (especialy vintage) stuff having truly sus levels of detail with just horrid tunings

 

[DeweyCH]

yah, estats are a realy wierd one compaired to convention cans when it comes to totl or not. With normal cans as you go up the ladder you get more detail and better better seperation as primaries with tuning being more varried while with esats I feel like as you go up the chain you get better tuning with some cheaper (especialy vintage) stuff having truly sus levels of detail with just horrid tunings

That’s interesting. My only estat experience is my L700. It’s cool but I don’t feel like I get the whole estat “experience.”

 

[jlbrach]

The three you have are damned good but I think there are a couple that could compete. Namely valkyria (haven't heard it so guessing, but heard the rest) and x9000. While slightly behind sus in technicalities I also think soli P and D8000 Pro deserve shout outs here as depending on the sound someone is looking for they could easily replace any of the 3 in your list

I had the sol p ,really good I agree