@x RELIC x nice post.
I think the distinction is between detail retrieval and musicality.
It seems to me that audiophilia in general gets lost in the quest for detail and misses musicality... COMPLETELY!
I think Skylar has created a headphone that is unique in its musicality.
I think the whole detail think is that people focus too much on "boosted" detail or over sharpened detail. An example is take a K701, it's resolving for the price but it's actual detail like micro detail isn't very good as say a NH, 650, Elear that are consider warm musical headphones. Those three do detail well, if you focus more on a track they will extract micro detail better than say a K701 variant even though a K701 is leaner, and would appear to be more detail due to the brighter natural. Look at the cheapo ATH AD700 it's detailed in the sense it's lean, no bass so it appears you hear it all but in reality you are not hearing deep into a track.
The NH has great detail extraction but most people are listening for that over sharpend kind of detail which the NH doesn't do as it has a full rich sound. The HD800 is an example of both, it's ridiculously resolving but it's on the lean side. It doesn't give you that cheap detail boost found in a lot of wannabe detail headphones but it's leaner sound will give in an edge in top end clarity over say the HD800S which has a bass boost.
The NH is that return to fun. Remember as a kid, you go to school disco's, You'd listen to steps, Five, Backstreet Boys etc and you'd hear the bass, warmth, that emotion when you see your crush and you want to dance with her, that little butterfly feeling in your stomach. You feel happy, music makes you happy, gives you confidence, makes you want to be something. The room feels up with music, you drink your fizzy drinks like Coke, or Root beer for you US guys, I'm UK
- those fun times.
We then get all serious, everything is serious; you have to grow up, be boring, sit in a suit on the train. reading a paper to start your 16 hours shift and the only music you hear is from a few youths playing out loud and you look down upon them because you've become a boring old fart, Mr serious. We then have to look down upon that huge bass, no no no it's not accurate, listen to this treble, the detail let's analyse this track to see how much detail I can hear..with my boring set up that is as much fun as watching a tortoise foraging for that last peanut.
Along comes Skylar, nope screw that! let's being back that old school sound, let's keep resolution and detail because it doesn't have to go, it just doesn't need to be boosted. Bass comes back, the room in the NH feels with bass, you hear mids, treble, soundstage is meh! but who cares, it's music, it's loud, its exciting, you feel emotion, you feel like how you used to feel, that kdi inside you who wants t have fun, relax, think it's all there in this headphone.
We all look down upon that Beats user on the train or in public but I bet he's having the time of his life not having to worry about detail. Beats are damn fun, the NH gives me that beats fun but with a better quality driver.
I'm sick of hearing about detail, about "too much bass" seriously let's have fun! we are not too far gone from that little kid who is having fun at the disco.