I receive my Hornet about an hour ago. Listening through my Shure e5c's, my initial reaction is, Wow.
This is what I have been hoping for.
Here is what I've experienced so far. I am listening through my 4G iPod's line-out, via a Sik Din cable, then a mini-to-mini plug (just your standard Radio Shack plug. I might replace it later on.) First off, it is silent when nothing is playing, at all but the highest settings on the volume knob. The first thing I tried was Wilco's A Ghost is Born. An album I know well, so I could do my own internal A-B-A comparison. Sure enough, I heard details that even my Shures had not revealed before now. Also, the bass is clearly stronger. The overall tone is warmer, richer, fuller. Makes me realize without an amp in the loop, things were (accurate, but) cold, harsh, even with the Shures. The Shures make no mistakes, but they are honest: they don't embellish the sound.
Next, on to Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 59 #3. Especially that slow, deep second movement. It transports you, through the Hornet. You hear overtones you can't hear otherwise. This is perfect headphone music: you become a bug hovering between the instruments. The Hornet and Shures bring out overtones and nuances I hadn't heared previously.
Finally, Mahler's 2nd symphony. The ferocious eruption at the beginning of the piece packed a completely convincing whallop, through the Hornet. This piece in particular I have never enjoyed through headphones - nothing can replace the (non-auditory?) feel of the bass carried through your body. With the Hornet, I did not care. The symphony was completely convincing, and left virtually nothing to be desired in comparison to a home stereo. I got a kick out of being able to hear the musicians moving around. During quiter passages, the notes stand out so crisply.
I prefer to listen at low volumes. The Hornet does a great job of resolving fine details and conveying warmth when the volume is very low. It also preserves an equal drive to both ears almost all the way down.
I am still fairly new to the audiophile game: my iPod is 10 months old, my Shures are 2 months old. I have to say, I am still not fully convinced any of this is worth it, but with the Hornet, I am starting to get it. I thought the iPod was fun, I thought it sounded better through the Shures, I was able to (perhaps fool myself into) hearing improvements at better compressions. But now with the Hornet, my listening experience has finally changed qualitatively.
Still, (dare I risk ostracizing myself?) we are talking about marginal improvements over just having those stock Apple earbuds in your head. None of this is night-and-day. Music versus no music, that's night-and-day. More like, a regular day compared to one of those perfect Fall days. We really are pushing for diminishing returns in terms of sound quality, aren't we, fellas? That's kind of the tacit assumption to high-end portable audio.
OK, enough of this. Back to the Hornet... Let's see how it handles some Miles Davis.