Got my Expanse yesterday, let it play overnight and doing a little comparing today...
FYI my chain is Foobar2000 direct via WASAPI > Bifrost 2 XLR out > Jotunheim 2 XLR in (high gain)
Unfortunately don't have a balanced cable for the Utopia so I'll need to use the 1/4" out on the Jot for that, so it'll be at a slight disadvantage.
EDIT:
I can make some quick non-audio comments right away:
-Build is great, solid, relatively light, collapsibility is nice to have.
-Cable is smooth, light, and flexible unlike the Utopia's annoying heavy, thick cable.
-Most comfortable of the 4 (Empyrean is a close second).
-Attenuates sound better than the others yet still sounds just as open. This is a big bonus for me since I like the sound of open backs but sometimes have AC running in my room. With the Expanse I can barely hear the AC.
Very early non-detailed impressions:
I haven't found anything to fault with them yet, all tracks I've played have been satisfying. I never found myself thinking it was harsh (like the Utopia can be) or lacking impact, etc, I just put them on and it was steady enjoyment.
I literally had a tear roll down my cheek listening to
To Zanarkand. I suppose that says something!
I was expecting this to be harder but to put it simply, I haven't been able to find a category where any of these beat the Expanse. As you can tell by the fact I have 4 totl headphones, I have a bit of trouble finding a one size fits all and keep them all around for different reasons so I figured this would be more of the same and the Expanse would win some and lose some. It was not.
Note: I tested these all with EQ and without, with the exception of the Expanse which was only played via direct WASAPI. My thought is I'm going to use them EQed when I listen, I should compare them that way and not handicap them by not EQing. So each headphone should be putting its strongest foot forward.
First off, the Verite is a clear drop below the others in clarity. Even when EQed it sounds veiled compared to the others. That more or less made me move on right away to the Utopia. Utopia picked up a lot of clarity and openness but at the expense of being shouty/sharp even with EQ (but less so). Better impact/bass than the Verite too. Onto the Empyrean, my most regularly used. I think the Emp trades blows in the impact category with the Utopia, winning some tracks losing others but doesn't have the shouty-ness of the Utopia, instead it is always lush/rich sounding which is precisely what I love about the Emp. I had thought the Emp was going to be my endgame, personally I don't have any faults with it but gave the Expanse a shot anyway to see what it could do. Glad I did.
Impact/bass: Expanse wins out of the 4, which I wasn't expecting, with Utopia and Emp trading blows for second and not that far behind. Out of them all, it's the only one where I really get that sensation of the air pressure on my ears, almost like a closed back. I get it some with Utopia and Emp, not much with Verite. Prodigy on the Expanse gets me bouncing in my seat, The Expanse brings so much energy and drive to heavy hitting electronica like that.
Separation/Soundstage: Expanse again. The strings in Fleetwood Mac's Never Going Back Again stand out razor sharp. The drums in Radiohead's Where I End and You Begin fade into the background of the vocals on the others, you have to look for them, but are easily discernable on the Expanse. Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa is just insane on the Expanse, totally surrounded in detail, each and every sound sticking out in its own location in space. The Smith's A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours performed the best on the Expanse as well, the opening where his voice fades in is perfectly tracked right to left and I can feel it transition exactly across that whole space like it's circling around my head.
Detail: Guess what? Expanse... There's this interesting effect with the Expanse where sometimes notes will sustain longer and I believe this is due to an increase in resolution whereas on the others I'm losing part of the sound because it drops below their resolution whereas the Expanse lets me hear it as it fades out all the way to nothing. Don't confuse this for meaning it's syrupy/smeared, it doesn't hold the note any longer than it's actually supposed to be there, it's more that the others are missing it. It still attacks very sharp and can cut off abruptly when needed. For example, when the drums kick in at the beginning of Deftones Feiticeira, they hit hard and fast, each one having its own sharp impact.
Comfort/Usability: I think you know at this point... Expanse ties the Emp for earpad/strap comfort but Expanse takes the edge with a lighter cable that disappears and convenient collapsibility. When I put on the others I found myself fidgeting with the cable to get its weight off me, the Utopia is too heavy and starts to hurt after a while and Verite is well, a wood circle. Only negative to usability for the Expanse is that it's the hardest to drive but the Jotunheim doesn't care about that. Expanse attenuates sound the best which is nice, since sometimes my room is noisy.
Wish this review didn't sound like a paid advertisement lol, but I genuinely couldn't find an area where the Expanse was outperformed. I think I'll finally be selling my other sets. I'll be doing some more direct comparison with the Empyrean since I think that's the Expanse's closest competitor. Those two have a fairly similar sound signature to my ear, they both fall in that sweet spot where everything is clear but has warmth/body/richness and is never harsh. I think if you're looking for a "cheap" Expanse, used Empyrean is the way to go, similar sound, the Expanse just adds on a bit more; more impact, more detail. If I find any tracks where the Expanse gets beat in something, I'll update.
