Well I've been on a hiatus from head-fi for a while now, having been chasing the dragon with my 2-channel speaker setup. I finally got it to a point now that I find very enjoyable, so it was time to get back into head-fi.
I sold off most of my headphone stuff to fund my 2-channel upgrades (LCD-2, Schiit Lyr, etc.). I recently had the chance to hear the Sines at a local dealer and listened to them from my iPhone 6S Plus via the Cipher cable. This was after listening to headphones like the Focal Elear through the Questyle 600i. I was thoroughly impressed by the sound I was hearing. It definitely made me miss my LCD-2s quite a bit. Went home and ordered a pair from Amazon so that I can demo them under the extended holiday return policy.
After a few days of listening, I'm about 80% convinced that I will end up keeping them. Here is my list of pros and cons, based on my listening through the Cipher cable as well as through my Audioquest Dragonfly v1.2:
Pros:
- Excellent midrange. Instrumental textures are engaging and intoxicating at times.
- Good drive and punch, especially via the Cipher cable.
- Decently deep bass, with great bass texture. Similar to the LCD-2
- Good level of excitement, and emotional connection to the music
- Convenience with the Cipher cable out of the iPhone is very nice, and eliminates the need for another bulky DAC/Amp unit
- There is a nice "sparkle" to the sound.
- Detail retrieval very impressive for a headphone this size.
Cons:
- Bit of a treble peak that can highlight sibilance in many recordings. Have not tried experimenting with EQ.
- Comfort is decent if you know how to place them on the ears, but comfort will never be a strong point of these (with the stock pads at least). Sometimes I have trouble keeping parts of my ear from hitting the bars/grate that protect the inside of the headphones. This becomes very uncomfortable.
- Similar to the LCD-2s, the sound is somewhat "inside the head," but this is to be expected.
- Clamping force is a tad strong, but I am expecting this to improve over time.
- There is a bit of grain detectable in the treble with both the Cipher and Audioquest Dragonfly (see note below)
I also had a chance to hear the Sine through the Questyle 600i, and they scaled incredibly well here. The 600i provided "more of everything," with the sound being even more punchy, but even smoother with more refined highs. The grain that I heard with the Cipher cable and Dragonfly was almost completely eliminated.
Overall, for the price, I'd say Audeze did a very good job here. I actually compared the Sine to the EL-8 when I was in the local shop, and I preferred them greatly over the EL-8. In fact, the EL-8 did not impress me at all. I knew better than the pick up the LCD-2s or even 3s, because that would have just started another tailspin into the audiophile rabbit hole. I will say though, that I'm now also craving a pair of the Focal Elear. But that's another story.
