[Sunkinator]

because no one has an es7 and an rp-21, other aspects of the headphones should be compared.

rp-21

Cons:
The rp-21 is big (circum-aural) which makes it less than ideal for portable use.
The rp-21 has an bronze paint job which could look horrendous in public (nobody has a picture of it on their head)
The parts are manufactured in China/Taiwan and (no offense) but history shows that china and taiwan are not countries that usually make high quality parts.

Pros:
The rp-21 is said to have very good sound quality (some people rave that it's sound quality rivals headphones 3x it's price)
The rp-21 is probably more comfortable because it rests over your ears, not on them.
By being made in China/Taiwan, they can make better transducers for lower amounts of money (and those savings get passed on to the consumer)
Isolation is OK

es7
Cons:
They are Supra-aural which can cause comfort issues
Their mirror finish easily accumulates fingerprints/dust/scratches which limits their portability as well.
They do not look very sturdy
Isolation is less than rp-21

Pros:
They have good bass/midrange and their highs are not shrill.
They look good with the mirror finish earcups
You can get them for less than half their msrp (I dont know if that counts as a pro)
__________________________________________________ _______________

Now that I look at them, they both seem undesirable for portable use.
Someone should compare the rp-15mc to the k-81dj because everybody who wants an es7 really just wants a better headphone than a k-81.

If the rp-15 is better, it will satisfy your sound quality needs at half the price of the rp-21/es7 and $20 less than a k-81. With the extra 50 bux, you could save up for an amp or something better than the es7. (just a thought)

 

[ricmat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunkinator /img/forum/go_quote.gif es7 Cons: They are Supra-aural which can cause comfort issues Their mirror finish easily accumulates fingerprints/dust/scratches which limits their portability as well. They do not look very sturdy Isolation is less than rp-21 Pros: They have good bass/midrange and their highs are not shrill. They look good with the mirror finish earcups You can get them for less than half their msrp (I dont know if that counts as a pro)

Are those cons REAL cons??

 

[ricmat]

anyway... thanks for the insight man!!

Cheers!

 

[Sunkinator]

yes they are real cons, My wallet typed them by all by himself

 

[ricmat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunkinator /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes they are real cons, My wallet typed them by all by himself

oh..I get what you mean!

My wallet just started to say something like that too... and more recently my girlfriend too

Cheers!

 

[jellybones]

no more input on this comparison?

Im gonna buy one of these 'phones. WHICH?!

 

[warrior05]

Since no one has been able to provide direct feedback I will throw in my opinion since I've actually heard both cans but in regards to the ES7s it was a brief listen.

The RP-21s have a similar sound sig to the ES7s but provide more detail. The Equations are more refined and offer more soundstage. The ES7s are a fun can and I still think they are one of the sweetest looking pieces of kit in black. But when talking SQ, if memory serves - the RP-21s are clearly a step above.

 

[UltraEvo]

To me the most fun sounding cans below the $200 mark will be ES-7. I am not so much of an audiophile so i can't really give u specific details.

 

[EsthetiX]

Can someone please contribute something to this thread?

 

[episiarch]

I have both. They're sure different cans. I'll try to give some general impressions and if you have specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.

In terms of overall sonics, I think reasonable people might easily split down the middle on which one they prefer. The RP-21 has a very easy-to-listen-to, mostly balanced presentation with significant bass emphasis (probably not enough bass emphasis if you are a true basshead, but a fun amount if you like a generally neutral sound with some extra whoomp). The ES7 has more of a light, airy presentation, very pleasant and almost open sounding, and its bass is more of the sleeping-giant variety: you really don't notice it until the music calls for it, and then it grabs you and shakes you and makes you go [size=small]whoa[/size].

So they're significantly different presentations, and I don't feel I can call a winner, because it's much more a matter of which style suits you better than of which one has greater merit in some absolute sense.

Now for some sonic nitpicks, which I want to clearly label as such because I notice them only because of the high quality of my other equipment, while they are unlikely to make a decisive difference to you if these are your first $100-or-so pair of cans. To me, the RP21's high treble loses resolution and starts to sound inaccurate from about the top octave of a piano on up: it doesn't really reproduce the sound of a cymbal being struck, so much as it does a really good job of suggesting that sound. A nitpick, unless better clarity in that department is something you're used to and depend on. On the ES7 side, I have to say that I don't like it without an amp. It doesn't sound bad, but it suffers the classic unamped deficiencies of loss of separation between what should be separable layers of music, loss of impact, loss of crispness when highs are playing at the same time as lows, and general loss of life. The RP21, on the other hand, holds up shockingly well unamped, though it becomes more satisfactory still with an amp.

(I'm not sure that either one needs as much of an amp as I drive them with. It might very well be that the little amp in something like a Turtle Beach Audio Advantage drives them nicely. I haven't tried that experiment, but I will if someone's interested.)

Comfort: comfort on the ears goes to the ES7, with nice soft leather pads and not too much clamping force (and you can bend the supports outward if you want to make it lighter still), while the RP21 has firmer pleather pads and a bit more clamping force. Comfort on the top of the head, however, goes to the RP21 with its padded headband as opposed to the ES7's unpadded plastic headband. (The Beyer snap-on wraparound headband pad looks like it would fit on the ES7 headband, and that would probably improve the situation immeasurably.) I'd call overall comfort a tie, though personally I'd probably lean a little towards the RP21.

Ergonomics: the ES7 has a lightweight, fairly short (1 or 1.5 meter, I'm guessing) double-entry cord. The RP21 has a fairly heavy long (3 meter?) single-sided (left side) cord, which is replaceable with a coiled cord and various homebrew options. Personally I find the ES7 easier to deal with at my desk, but YMMV.

Isolation: I can't call a winner here. I'd say it depends on whether your personal anatomy gives you as good an all-around seal in the RP21 earcups as the soft ES7 pads can give resting on your ears. (For me the answer is "not quite".)

Fashion sense: obviously the glossy ES7 has the style points, but the RP21 is better-looking than I feared, and it has a certain almost retro hip-to-be-square thing going on that kinda works.

Supplied extras: the ES7 comes with a soft carrying bag. The RP21 doesn't.

Let me know what I missed and I'll try to fill in the gaps.

 

[bindibadgi]

Thanks for the comparison episiarch.

If you find the highs a bit unnatural in the RP-21, have you tried removing the thick foam which is stuck over the drivers? It has been reported that this helps the highs a lot, although to some they then sound a bit "etched" so some intermediate thickness foam could help here.

Psiga found that KSC-75 foam did a good job in place of the stock foam.

 

[EsthetiX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have both. They're sure different cans. I'll try to give some general impressions and if you have specific questions I'll do my best to answer them. In terms of overall sonics, I think reasonable people might easily split down the middle on which one they prefer. The RP-21 has a very easy-to-listen-to, mostly balanced presentation with significant bass emphasis (probably not enough bass emphasis if you are a true basshead, but a fun amount if you like a generally neutral sound with some extra whoomp). The ES7 has more of a light, airy presentation, very pleasant and almost open sounding, and its bass is more of the sleeping-giant variety: you really don't notice it until the music calls for it, and then it grabs you and shakes you and makes you go [size=small]whoa[/size]. So they're significantly different presentations, and I don't feel I can call a winner, because it's much more a matter of which style suits you better than of which one has greater merit in some absolute sense. Now for some sonic nitpicks, which I want to clearly label as such because I notice them only because of the high quality of my other equipment, while they are unlikely to make a decisive difference to you if these are your first $100-or-so pair of cans. To me, the RP21's high treble loses resolution and starts to sound inaccurate from about the top octave of a piano on up: it doesn't really reproduce the sound of a cymbal being struck, so much as it does a really good job of suggesting that sound. A nitpick, unless better clarity in that department is something you're used to and depend on. On the ES7 side, I have to say that I don't like it without an amp. It doesn't sound bad, but it suffers the classic unamped deficiencies of loss of separation between what should be separable layers of music, loss of impact, loss of crispness when highs are playing at the same time as lows, and general loss of life. The RP21, on the other hand, holds up shockingly well unamped, though it becomes more satisfactory still with an amp. (I'm not sure that either one needs as much of an amp as I drive them with. It might very well be that the little amp in something like a Turtle Beach Audio Advantage drives them nicely. I haven't tried that experiment, but I will if someone's interested.) Comfort: comfort on the ears goes to the ES7, with nice soft leather pads and not too much clamping force (and you can bend the supports outward if you want to make it lighter still), while the RP21 has firmer pleather pads and a bit more clamping force. Comfort on the top of the head, however, goes to the RP21 with its padded headband as opposed to the ES7's unpadded plastic headband. (The Beyer snap-on wraparound headband pad looks like it would fit on the ES7 headband, and that would probably improve the situation immeasurably.) I'd call overall comfort a tie, though personally I'd probably lean a little towards the RP21. Ergonomics: the ES7 has a lightweight, fairly short (1 or 1.5 meter, I'm guessing) double-entry cord. The RP21 has a fairly heavy long (3 meter?) single-sided (left side) cord, which is replaceable with a coiled cord and various homebrew options. Personally I find the ES7 easier to deal with at my desk, but YMMV. Isolation: I can't call a winner here. I'd say it depends on whether your personal anatomy gives you as good an all-around seal in the RP21 earcups as the soft ES7 pads can give resting on your ears. (For me the answer is "not quite".) Fashion sense: obviously the glossy ES7 has the style points, but the RP21 is better-looking than I feared, and it has a certain almost retro hip-to-be-square thing going on that kinda works. Supplied extras: the ES7 comes with a soft carrying bag. The RP21 doesn't. Let me know what I missed and I'll try to fill in the gaps.

Thank you VERY VERY much for the review. I was just wondering if they were in the same sonic-quality ballpark in general

I have RP-21's in the mail. Should be here tomorrow along with the 15's. Man I've been testing ALOT of headphones lately (as you can see by my sig lol) Just trying to find out which couple suit me best

 

[episiarch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindibadgi /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you find the highs a bit unnatural in the RP-21, have you tried removing the thick foam which is stuck over the drivers?

I haven't mucked around with any mods yet, and I'm not sure I will. Mine are at about 90 hours of burn-in right now and some have said to give them until 150 before criticizing them; I'm skeptical about the existence and extent of significant burn-in changes between now and then, but I'll at least give it until then before doing any surgery.

 

[tbonner1]

quote-and its bass is more of the sleeping-giant variety: you really don't notice it until the music calls for it,

This is the sign of a properly integrated subwoofer system. It should not add warmth, fullness or any of it's own signature until the music signals a deep bass passage.

 

[jpstereo]

Can anyone recommend the best place to buy the ES7s online now? Buy.com went up to 249!

Thanks!