Just got the headphones in. Fast shipping by USPS. The guys that I ordered them from wasted no time getting them into a box and on a truck! Thanks, guys. ("Music To My Ear", out of Pittsburgh, Pa. They shipped it Priority Mail)
First of all, the h/p's arrived in perfect condition. No scuffs or marks. Very good. This is a very attractive headphone. But lighter than I thought they'd be. And, a bit smaller, too. But, not a problem. And they fit just a bit looser on my head than even the K702's do. But, not a problem there, either.
Initial listening (straight out of the box):
She & Him "Oh no, not my baby" Bass guitar (and perhaps other low frequencies) sounds a bit diffuse and not as well-defined as I would like it to be. I AM hearing the bass drum hits on this tune coming through clearly (which is nice) on the T90, compared to the 702, which leads me to think that the T90 will extend lower. I'm not hearing any "piercing highs" that some have complained about elsewhere on other threads (and on other sites) in regards to this headphone. I've had to turn down (slightly) the volume on the T90, as the 702's obviously require a bit more current. Tone controls have remained set, in order to get a close comparison between this h/p and the 702. On second listen to this same tune I'm still hearing the "diffuse-ness" on the bass and rhythm guitar here, but (and this is not a criticism) a bit of natural-sounding grain in Zooey Deschanel's voice, and the brass instruments on this tune. I'm not really detecting any further high-end extension than what the 702 offers.
Donald Fagan "Security Joan" the tic, tic, tics on the high-hat seem ("plinky" and a bit un-natural-sounding), but the cymbal crash accents sounded natural. I noticed a couple of instances where the organ was layered to make a smooth transition from one bar of the tune to another. Was able to hear more clearly a distinct male backup vocalist when a small group of them were harmonizing that I haven't heard before. You get a greater appreciation of the bass player sliding his fingers on the neck going from note to note (I'm talking about how one note decays and the other note starts. Not the actual sounds of a finger on a fret board). Fagan's voice (and the background vocals) seem a bit recessed. The upper frequencies aren't quite as foreward as they are in the 702. The T90 doesn't seem to blur the bass, here. (Which is what I was listening for, as this album is known for a rich bass presentation).
Dave Frishberg "A Little Taste" Again, the vocals seem a bit recessed and not quite as foreward as I'd like them. Acoustic bass has a bit of resonance in the cups (as if you were listening to a closed headphone), otherwise the tone of the bass sounds good. The bass riff at the very end of the tune comes through tonally on this h/p very good (and was really noticeable for the first time with this headphone).
Bill Charlap Trio "Lucky to be Me" (This tune on this particular recording is known to be a bit "problematic", as far as making the piano transients (those initial hits) sound "hot" and slightly distorted. The T90's "smooth-over" these transients moreso than the 702. The bass obviously digs deeper than the 702, but overall, my listening impressions is that in the upper frequencies, the T90 is a more "polite" sounding headphone than the 702. But, I'm enjoying the better bass presentation.
Kronos Quartet "Nardis" There's more "information" down low on the T90's to enjoy, both melodically and harmonically. But, I keep coming back to the T90's more polite-sounding nature up top. The T90's don't have the "bite" in the treble that the K702 has. (Which can sometimes be a good thing), but you have to wonder if the T90 isn't "glossing-over" (as it sounds to me) certain higher frequencies and notes. I think it is. But, that doesn't have to be a negative thing. This headphone is a slightly different listen than the 702 is.
Boz Scaggs "Lowdown" Bass seems a bit distorted, not as clearly defined as on the 702, although the bass hits harder and deeper. Not as much foreward impact with the T90 in the highs, though. And those fast, (what sounds like) eight-to-the-bar high-hat hits by drummer Jeff Porcaro aren't quite as noticeable on the T90. But, no upper-frequency distortion has been heard on the T90. It plays "clean" through the mids and up top.
Sophie Barker "Home" I've been meaning to call Sophie and ask her if she meant for the guitar to have a bit of distortion in the introduction of this tune. Seriously, you can tell these headphones "dig deeper" than the 702's, but they do lack a bit of that "in your face" foreward-ness. The slight reduction in soundstage is heard (so far) as a plus. Piano comes through with a pleasing tone.
speaking of soundstage, one more initial "test track": (Which we'll hear as the credits roll for this review).
The Gene Harris All Star Big Band "Night Mist Blues" Gene Harris seemed to favor those brighter-sounding Baldwin pianos. With the T90's, you don't get the upper-edge of the note and chords, but more of the body of it. More of the lower-note body of the bass guitar comes out here, too. But with this h/p favoring to convey more of this "lower-middle" section, it can make it sound like certain instruments are at a lower tuning. In this case, it sounds as if Jeff Hamilton is playing a slightly larger snare drum.
TL; DR: Bottom line to all this, is that I'm enjoying the difference to my listening that this h/p is offering. They're keepers. I'm just wondering if the low-end will tighten-up (just a wee bit) and whether the midrange will open up (just a hair).
