[BournePerfect]

DELIVERED! BOOM!

 

[Mufti]

DELIVERED! BOOM!

Review now plz!

 

[purk]

Lying bastards! The race continues lol. Too bad I'm stuck at work for a few hours anyway ha.

@mulveling got his 5 mins before I did. Just like you, I am stuck at work. He is already unpacked and listening to them! Let’s see what he has to say.

 

[BournePerfect]

Amazing timing on this batch ha

 

[purk]

Amazing timing on this batch ha

Mine arrived at 2:08 pm haha!

 

[BournePerfect]

Lemme check my tracking time....oh my freaking hell dude. Mine were delivered 12:07 MST...ie 3:07 EST.

2:08 what time zone? Did mine beat you by a minute??

 

[purk]

Lemme check my tracking time....oh my freaking hell dude. Mine were delivered 12:07 MST...ie 3:07 EST.

2:08 what time zone? Did mine beat you by a minute??

EST. So, by a minute. Impressive work DHL. One of my UPS ground package from CA is still on route and won’t be delivered until next Wednesday.

 

[BournePerfect]

Hitting CA for any package of mine lately is a nightmare...seems to hang around there for like 3-4 for no valid reason. Well...perhaps we know the reasons...

 

[Haidar]

For those who think the ES-R10 sticks out too far from your ears...

https://www.swansongaudio.com/headphones.html

 

[BournePerfect]

Hey-double doors are expensive!

 

[mulveling]

Build quality is good, but it's not going to be confused for an OG in hand. The headband pieces are plastic on this ES; they were magnesium on OG. The yoke/gimbal pieces are metal but not as finely finished as the OG. Pads are good quality but different from what I remember. These look like they box the sound in from the drivers a bit more? I thought the OG pads were "shaped" more like a gentle guide from driver to ears. Cups look good but not quite as finely finished as OG (again from memory). And yes, that adhesive smell isn't welcomed, but at least it's not overwhelming. I recall the OG had a subtle but wonderful smell (maybe as much from the case as anything). Overall appearance is very good but they don't have that "aura" of an OG.

Sound is very good. I'm not blown away right now, but they have to burn in and we'll see. Soundstage and spatial information is great. Timbre very natural. Very articulate and detailed. Bass is pretty much what I expected - "heavy" by R10 standards but a bit light by normal standards. Yes, that's exactly the R10 sonic template, but I'll have to see if I experience any magic developing in it over the next week. It's not quite there for me yet. What I'd like to see: detail and articulation further develops to take it past "non legendary" headphones. A bit more body and warmth to midrange (maybe amp).

I wonder a bit about the efficiency spec - Grado PS2000e are a good bit louder at the same setting.

I should try them on my big expensive vinyl setup later this weekend (not there right now). In my experience, headphones with good soundstage benefit more from vinyl sources. My DAC sounds very good but is not on that level.

 

[mulveling]

Switching to some portable listening since part of Purk’s gear empire has migrated here. Perhaps it’s best to walk before we can crawl. The ES R10 sounds really good balanced out of Walkman 1A and iBasso 220 Max (modded).

The HD650, recabled with silver dragon (on floor right now haha), has its classic all-around pleasant sound but is kind of a mess in comparison to the R10 and other cans. Its bass is kind of tubby and it smears details to a noticeable degree.

The SA5000 is recabled with a black dragon, and I really really like these headphones. They are not altogether unlike the ES R10 is sound. Very airy, expansive, fast and detailed sound. With nothing that sticks out as unnatural (unlike Qualia and HD800). So far I give the edge to ES R10 for slightly better detail, slightly more natural tonality and slightly larger stage. So that’s a good sign!

I was borrowing HD820 until recently and much like HD800 I just couldn’t get into them. They always sound unnatural and weird to me through the upper mids and lower treble. They’re not BAD, just not for me. Definitely prefer the Sonys. What the hell, Sennheiser?

I’ve been loving the Grado PS2000e lately (reverse G pad “mod”) and wow these are such a vastly different presentation and sound. I’ll have to do more comparisons later, sorry! But the R10 will probably not be challenging these for hard rock and heavy metal haha.

Behold my desktop mess:

 

[BournePerfect]

Which ECP amp is that? Had no idea they were so small.

 

[mulveling]

Which ECP amp is that? Had no idea they were so small.

It's the ECP Walnut 5 DAC. Love it - sounds great! Warmer, smoother, more analog-like than other DACs. Not gonna compete with my big turntable back home, though haha.

I'm progressively more impressed by these ES R10 after comparisons to the re-cabled Sony SA5000, which again I really like (and am so sad was discontinued - this should have been more popular than the HD800). I think the ES R10 asserts its dominance with a sound that's simultaneously cleaner and more natural. It might not be a headphone that leaps out the box and grabs you at first listen, but it will creep up on you. Really nice articulation and space around instruments. There's even some bass slam too!

Very low listening fatigue factor on these. Physical comfort is excellent as well.

The HD650 is still on the floor, where it belongs now haha.

 

[protoss]

@mulveling

I'm progressively more impressed by these ES R10 after comparisons

Yes, me too. Compared it to 30 headphones over here and I am like wow these things are holding up.

For $1500 what can anyone ask for?
Fun fact: ES-lab also recreated the STAX Omega.