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- Jan 9, 2003
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Listened a little bit more last night. The L5000 stands out quite a lot, with a very different presentation from all of my other top headphones here: ES-R10, L3000, 009, ES-1a. Very bright, vivid, crisp. Quite surprisingly - even the 009 sounds more mellow overall. Once I got into listening, all of these draw me into music in their own way - it's important to note that quick swaps often don't give the brain time to adjust to a headphone's "listening philosophy". Some headphones require more adjustment time than others. Some headphones (not the ones here) even seem to require a certain frame of mind that doesn't happen every day.
- The ES-R10 are just so damn good, but they can sound dull and boring during your "adjustment time" coming from a more brash sounding headphone. They're anything but dull when you focus on them a while. And they're more than OK for heavy metal - they can even be great.
- The L3000 are just chalk full of charm and magic as always. A lifelong favorite
- The 009 and ES-1a are always both pure technical and musical excellence, but on any given day one of these will do more for me than the other. 009 was it the last couple times, but this time it was the ES-1a.
- It's been a few years, but am I crazy for at all comparing the L5000's bright, vivid sound to the Focal Stellia? The L5000 seems less strident somehow...and I like it better....but the similarity is there. From 3K to 5K is worth it for the build & materials alone.