Hirsch
Why is there a chaplain standing over his wallet?
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
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Well, I've been listening to the A100Ti , and thought I'd post some first impressions. My initial listening was done with the Melos SHA-1. With that amp, this is a nice headphone. The frequency response is fairly neutral, not bright, not laid back. There may be a slight diminuation in the midrange. This headphone is very strong at the low frequencies, with great bass articulation and body. Some real slam going on there. Imaging is good. There is a real chamber effect going on here, and there are times when chamber reverberations become a problem, usually correctable by changing the angle of the headphone. It's been awhile since I owned the W100, but this headphone doesn't have the frequency colorations the W100 exhibited in my systems. The bad news is that it doesn't have the detail, either.
Next move was over to the X-Can, where the CD3000 usually lives. This was not a real happy combo. The A100Ti sounded plain compared to the CD3K. The detail that the CD3K brings to the table just wasn't there. Further, IMO there is no other headphone that has the bass impact that the CD3K does. The A100Ti may have better definition in the upper bass ranges, but the CD3K goes deeper, and has much more impact.
Final stop was a system where I'm comparing the ZOTL to a Maxed Out Home, thanks to the Headroom loaner program (more on this another time). The other headphones I was using there are the HP-1 and the R10. Very unfair competition, but hey, if they're good, might as well measure them against some of the best. With the MOH, these cans simply sound OK. Not bad, but there's nothing really going on except bass. Clean, neutral, but can't touch either the HP-1 or R10 in anything above the bass. With the ZOTL, things deteriorate. The A100Ti showed a serious midrange suckout with that amp. This was a short audition, as listening to the A100Ti wasn't pleasant, IMO, and I'm not particularly masochistic.
This is early, and burn in may alter what I hear. Summing up, the A100Ti is a nice listen with the SHA-1. It's strong point is the low end, where it is one of the best. Another strong point is the neutral frequency response, most of the time (but the HP-1 is better at this). It doesn't have the detail of it's wooden brother, the W100. It's veiled when compared to the high end cans. At it's selling price, the HD-600 is a much better buy, IMO.
Will this change after break-in? Ask me in a month or so...
Next move was over to the X-Can, where the CD3000 usually lives. This was not a real happy combo. The A100Ti sounded plain compared to the CD3K. The detail that the CD3K brings to the table just wasn't there. Further, IMO there is no other headphone that has the bass impact that the CD3K does. The A100Ti may have better definition in the upper bass ranges, but the CD3K goes deeper, and has much more impact.
Final stop was a system where I'm comparing the ZOTL to a Maxed Out Home, thanks to the Headroom loaner program (more on this another time). The other headphones I was using there are the HP-1 and the R10. Very unfair competition, but hey, if they're good, might as well measure them against some of the best. With the MOH, these cans simply sound OK. Not bad, but there's nothing really going on except bass. Clean, neutral, but can't touch either the HP-1 or R10 in anything above the bass. With the ZOTL, things deteriorate. The A100Ti showed a serious midrange suckout with that amp. This was a short audition, as listening to the A100Ti wasn't pleasant, IMO, and I'm not particularly masochistic.
This is early, and burn in may alter what I hear. Summing up, the A100Ti is a nice listen with the SHA-1. It's strong point is the low end, where it is one of the best. Another strong point is the neutral frequency response, most of the time (but the HP-1 is better at this). It doesn't have the detail of it's wooden brother, the W100. It's veiled when compared to the high end cans. At it's selling price, the HD-600 is a much better buy, IMO.
Will this change after break-in? Ask me in a month or so...