[Raketen]

I had that set but treble was not for me. That metal baffle plate had some odd effects. I love this set over those in treble and bass to mids transition which is great on these. I think meath guitar solos shine on these because of that area

Yeah, they were pretty close to ideal for me, but the sound always felt kind of insubstantial or glossy. What you've written about guitar makes Cascade seem pretty appealing. I used to call myself a treblehead but I've come to realize it's really upper-mid I'm most picky about... hard to get those edgy guitar and string tones just right.

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

Damn I stuck between these, the Audezs LCD2 or the Aeon Flow Open. So far i'm really liking what I'm hearing about the Cascade. And also that these are portable, that's a massive plus. I know soundstage won't be as wide compared to the other two headphones I mentioned, but if bass quality is on par if not better, if mids are clear and detailed, if treble is nicely extended, instrument separation and dynamics are great, I think these may be what I am looking for. Rap and edm are the main I listen to. I'm really really curious. Can anyone else give me more impressions and comparisons to how these compare to the Aeon Open and Lcd2c? I guess my main question is, clarity wise, are these worth the price tag and do they compete with some of the big dogs? I know Aeon is darker sounding and the LCD2c is similar but different. I guess the sound i'm looking for is fun but still very clear and precise, I want very good instrument separation, I good black background, good extension both ends with overall a great precise and quick signature. I'm coming from Fidelio X2s and Oriveti New Primacys. I do want a big upgrade in sound. I remember listening to the Audeze Lcd2 fazored and being wowed, if these can wow me more. I'm pulling the trigger immediately .

 

[sandalaudio]

Can anyone compare the Cascade to the B&W P9?

P9 has some bass emphasis as well but in a good powerful way. Maybe the Cascade signature is of the same musical power sculpturing.

I did compare and preferred the Cascade. I like the P5-II and P7 so I also tried to like the P9 but wasn't quite right for me.
P9 and Cascade do feel somewhat similar (much more so than P7), but I noticed that Cascade is more consistent and coherent all the way through the frequency range, and the image is more defined in focus. I found P9 more refined and transparent on the high frequency (almost like open headphones) but at certain point you get this lumpy bass reflex kind of sound that feels discontinuous. It's almost like one musician is split into a bass person and a treble person. Cascade feels like one person.

Anyone with these yet who's also used the Ultrasone Signature DJ?
Speaking of Ultrasone @KB any idea of what replacement pads will cost?

I didn't compare the Sig DJ but compare the Sig Pro. I like the Sig Pro very much (I guess Sig DJ is more weighty sound) and it has always been my main portable closed headphones, but I enjoy the Cascade just as much or even more. They both sound energetic and clear, but Cascade gives me more of a spatial depth. Different sounds come from different points in space, rather than all from a fixed distance like the S-Logic does. Some people might find Sig Pro/DJ more "normal" and Cascade a bit too colourful.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

 

[Beagle]

I did compare and preferred the Cascade. I like the P5-II and P7 so I also tried to like the P9 but wasn't quite right for me.
P9 and Cascade do feel somewhat similar (much more so than P7), but I noticed that Cascade is more consistent and coherent all the way through the frequency range, and the image is more defined in focus. I found P9 more refined and transparent on the high frequency (almost like open headphones) but at certain point you get this lumpy bass reflex kind of sound that feels discontinuous. It's almost like one musician is split into a bass person and a treble person. Cascade feels like one person.

Thank you for your response.

I like the P9 for it's robust, energetic "live" yet clear sound, I think I get what you mean by "one person". I assume it means that everything gels better and shares a common ground.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Could anyone compare this to the Eikon or Atticus?

 

[Wiljen]

I started a thread for a North American Review Tour for anyone who is interested.

Link Here

 

[Zachik]

Any comparison to Sony Z7 ??

 

[fjbruening]

After reading this thread, I felt compelled to drive across town (I live in PDX) and demo the cascades, andromeda, and vega.
Many thanks to Asher for setting it up and letting me hang for an hour trying these out.

I loved the cascades, and ended up walking out with a new pair. These are just preliminary thoughts from my listening session, and based on the demo pair they had.

- I was surprised at the detail, it's very articulate, yet slightly backed off compared to my Ety 4p's and not as "in your face" as my HD660s.
- The mids are magnificent, guitar work (Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms) is amazing.
- bass is meaty, present, yet well behaved. i was expecting a bass heavy HP, but I wouldn't call these boomy or even bass heavy.
- bass is really well composed, Mezzanine's "Angel" intro is controlled and held together beautifully. I had the biggest grin listening to this.
- An iphone 8 can drive the HPs OK, but once I plugged in my mojo, the sound just bloomed.
- The highs are there, but not forward like my Etys, and a bit warmer than i'm used to. Having said that, they are clean, very detailed and smooth. I'm looking forward to exploring this more
- build quality is so nice it's almost absurd. I do wish the pads were a bit stiffer (I'm probably in the minority, I like getting my teeth scrapped too), but they work fine and are comfortable.
- I liked the vega, I don't think of myself as a bass head, but this sounded a LOT like the cascade, maybe not quite the detail in the mids/highs. Much richer than my Ety's, I would like to play with these some more.
- I was actually disappointed with the andromeda's - maybe i had them inserted poorly as they had no bass, sounded thin, and had no soundstage. I only played with them for a few minutes, and suspect they weren't in correctly.

Again, this is only from about 60 minutes of listening with my iphone (tidal) and a mojo.

I'm going to plug these in and play them on 92.3 (classic rock) for the next few days to burn them in and then start listening in earnest.

Thanks again for a great review. And thanks to Campfire Audio for making it easy to demo stuff

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

I did compare and preferred the Cascade. I like the P5-II and P7 so I also tried to like the P9 but wasn't quite right for me.
P9 and Cascade do feel somewhat similar (much more so than P7), but I noticed that Cascade is more consistent and coherent all the way through the frequency range, and the image is more defined in focus. I found P9 more refined and transparent on the high frequency (almost like open headphones) but at certain point you get this lumpy bass reflex kind of sound that feels discontinuous. It's almost like one musician is split into a bass person and a treble person. Cascade feels like one person.



I didn't compare the Sig DJ but compare the Sig Pro. I like the Sig Pro very much (I guess Sig DJ is more weighty sound) and it has always been my main portable closed headphones, but I enjoy the Cascade just as much or even more. They both sound energetic and clear, but Cascade gives me more of a spatial depth. Different sounds come from different points in space, rather than all from a fixed distance like the S-Logic does. Some people might find Sig Pro/DJ more "normal" and Cascade a bit too colourful.

I had a listen to the P9 and LCD2 fazored. I was stuck on which I liked more, both had there pros and cons, I liked the soundstage and airiness of of the lcd but I felt the p9 gave slightly more detail and did feel more comfortable but I felt that the mids kinda sounded slight muffled or veiled. If the Cascade has clearer mids, so male and female. I think my choice is made. People have said highs are better on the Cascade compared to to LCD2C, bass seems of better quality compared to the P9 ( I really liked the bass on the P9 ). So i'm beyond curious and am dying to here impressions and comparisons. I am also considering the Isine 20, I've listened to them and loved them. Anyone can compare the Cascade to the Isine 20? I know its not a fair comparison as one is opened and the other is closed, isolation and no isolation, but that doesn't matter to me. Im looking for the best bang for the buck in sound quality

 

[franz12]

I had a listen to the P9 and LCD2 fazored. I was stuck on which I liked more, both had there pros and cons, I liked the soundstage and airiness of of the lcd but I felt the p9 gave slightly more detail and did feel more comfortable but I felt that the mids kinda sounded slight muffled or veiled. If the Cascade has clearer mids, so male and female. I think my choice is made. People have said highs are better on the Cascade compared to to LCD2C, bass seems of better quality compared to the P9 ( I really liked the bass on the P9 ). So i'm beyond curious and am dying to here impressions and comparisons. I am also considering the Isine 20, I've listened to them and loved them. Anyone can compare the Cascade to the Isine 20? I know its not a fair comparison as one is opened and the other is closed, isolation and no isolation, but that doesn't matter to me. Im looking for the best bang for the buck in sound quality

Closed cans cannot compete with 'good' open cans when it comes to tonal balances. Closed cans may have more quantity in bass or greater energy in treble, but can't match organic, natural, like-like tonal balance of a 'good' open can. Of course, a choice depends on your priority.

 

[sandalaudio]

I had a listen to the P9 and LCD2 fazored. I was stuck on which I liked more, both had there pros and cons, I liked the soundstage and airiness of of the lcd but I felt the p9 gave slightly more detail and did feel more comfortable but I felt that the mids kinda sounded slight muffled or veiled. If the Cascade has clearer mids, so male and female. I think my choice is made. People have said highs are better on the Cascade compared to to LCD2C, bass seems of better quality compared to the P9 ( I really liked the bass on the P9 ). So i'm beyond curious and am dying to here impressions and comparisons. I am also considering the Isine 20, I've listened to them and loved them. Anyone can compare the Cascade to the Isine 20? I know its not a fair comparison as one is opened and the other is closed, isolation and no isolation, but that doesn't matter to me. Im looking for the best bang for the buck in sound quality

I have the Cascade and iSINE20, and they are totally different in concept so it's really hard to compare. Cascade is very forgiving in the listening environment and the fit around your head, whereas for iSINE you really have to be in a super quiet room and the fit has to be spot on. I think most of the sonic complaints with iSINE is due to the poor fit and seal on certain ear shape.

iSINE20 is less flamboyant but feel more transparent and extended in the high frequency, particularly on things like well recorded classical music, whereas Cascade has a very vivid representation on high-mid that is prominent on rock/pop music. I think Cascade will do a great job of what you are after, particularly the vocals. I think the opinions on Cascade will divide based on how much bass you enjoy/can tolerate (I found it a bit much on some music).

I thought LCD2C is great for the price, but I did feel it restrictive on the dynamic range (felt a bit compressed on both the quiet and loud passages, once again not important for already dynamic range limited music), and the high-mid is fairly tame. Moving to LCD2 or Cascade felt more vivid and fluid in the high mid that brings out the instruments colour and texture, possibly more so than what is actually in the recordings.
Ideally you would buy LCD2, Cascade, iSINE20 and then you will have all your needs covered....

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

I have the Cascade and iSINE20, and they are totally different in concept so it's really hard to compare. Cascade is very forgiving in the listening environment and the fit around your head, whereas for iSINE you really have to be in a super quiet room and the fit has to be spot on. I think most of the sonic complaints with iSINE is due to the poor fit and seal on certain ear shape.

iSINE20 is less flamboyant but feel more transparent and extended in the high frequency, particularly on things like well recorded classical music, whereas Cascade has a very vivid representation on high-mid that is prominent on rock/pop music. I think Cascade will do a great job of what you are after, particularly the vocals. I think the opinions on Cascade will divide based on how much bass you enjoy/can tolerate (I found it a bit much on some music).

I thought LCD2C is great for the price, but I did feel it restrictive on the dynamic range (felt a bit compressed on both the quiet and loud passages, once again not important for already dynamic range limited music), and the high-mid is fairly tame. Moving to LCD2 or Cascade felt more vivid and fluid in the high mid that brings out the instruments colour and texture, possibly more so than what is actually in the recordings.
Ideally you would buy LCD2, Cascade, iSINE20 and then you will have all your needs covered....

If you had to chose just one for listening out of the Cascade & Lcd2c, which would it be and why?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Black Sabbath....never met a distortion pedal they didn't like

So rare does it sound great, but it does on this combo

 

[DanDorn]

I wanted to way in on the Cascade vs P9 topic. I bought the P9s when they first came out, gave them a trial and returned them soon after. If memory serves, I think these 2 headphones are very different. I didn't like the way high-res classical music sounded out of the P9, and yet I love how it sounds out of the Cascade. The Cascade is a more eclectic headphone (leaning toward "fun"); the P9 seems more of a bass lover's headphone.