[Ciggavelli]

To be honest, the R10P is pretty good. Smooth, relaxing, modern sounding.
I think @Ciggavelli will attested to this. I think he likes his alot.

It is not better than Susvara, because it is not open and need of power which makes some headphone sound great. It can be somewhat said, it is a closed back version of a Susvara. Minus a few things here and there.

The proper price should of been around $1999.

Owell.

Yeah, I like them a lot. I always talk highly of them and have recommended them to several head-fi members. If the price isn't an issue, they are actually great headphones. They are my go to headphones for work. They have great bluetooth capability (they are definitely the best bluetooth headphones you can buy). I like the new look of the R10P, but it is missing the bluetooth bluemini now. That's a shame. I never thought I'd feel so positive about bluetooth wireless streaming, but Hifiman did a really, really good job here. Compared to other bluetooth headphones, they are miles ahead. The great resolution and clarity is still there, even over bluetooth. It's probably the closest thing to a closed back susvara (my second favorite headphones currently, behind the TCs), and it's definitely the closest thing to a wireless Susvara.

If the sound quality is the same out of the new design, I'd actually recommend picking up the old version due to the bluetooth. If the sound quality is improved on the new redesign (and I don't think it is, given what I've read), I might be tempted to pick up a pair.

 

[FiGuY1017]

Thanks alot for your insights. I'll likely stick to the hifiman R9 as my bass cannon of choice then.

Based off what Ive read so far am I right to say that it follows old school sony tuning in that its not very detail focused nor has great slam or has the decay speed of the "new" Z7M2/Z1R but instead has a rich wide centre image focused on smoothing and making vocals and strings very warm creamy and rich and works wonderfully with moderate to slower paced songs esp with vocal or cello solo where it provides this larger than life experence where the sound just fills every part of your surroundings?

Not really my cup of tea but I can see it being sought after since no one produces sound like that anymore. The closest at lest that Ive heard would be the arya stealth but its still a tad too fast and narrow. Maybe toobed with burr brown might work?

Send those r9 to JM and hang it up. I think he charges around 118 or so to turn those Into end game level beast. Just ordered his r7 mod

 

[omega1990]

An update on where I'm going with my comparisons. I already finished comparing my zmf eikon to the es-r10 and z1r. Just gotta write my thoughts down and post it. Also I finally got my cfa3 amp. Sounds incredible and it came at the right time too because after I post my eikon comparison, I was going to do a round 2 of the hifiman he-r10d vs the es-r10 since the hifiman is also fully burned in.

So more to come, and after all that I'll be done for now with comparing things to the es-r10. Can't afford any other closed backs for now. I do want to point out that the next closed back I will definitely buy once its ready to be released will be the zmf atrium closed. I think that's coming out at the end of this year. After listening to the open back version recently, despite it having a biocellulose driver the sound signature is really nothing like the es-r10 so its probably going to be a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. Should still be fun to compare the two though when I get there.

Thanks for the cfa3 @Dukei

 

[protoss]

After listening to the open back version

Did you buy it? I am thinking of buying the open version of the Atrium.
Hows the sound? Warm and big soundstage right?
The looks of it is absolutely stunning.

It might be my first ZMF headphone, maybe.

 

[omega1990]

Yes I did buy the Koa Atrium. I haven't burned it in or pad rolled them yet, but they are mid centric. Mids are really captivating on these. Super natural sounding as expected of the biocellulose driver. Soundstage is not hd800 wide but around verite wide. Depth and image placement is fantastic on these, giving a feeling of being pulled into the recording, so the music surrounds you. Zmf neutral as described on the zmf website is more a neutral sound with a bit of warmth, but the treble a bit dark. Bass is punchy, but subbass is on the lean side. Frequency response looks somewhat like a sunrise. Listening to music on these is always engaging.

 

[protoss]

Koa Atrium

Nice!
Very tempting now!!
Thx

 

[Zoide]

Hello there.

I got my ES LAB R-10 a few days ago and I have been enjoying them since. My unit is n.25. When I ordered my ES R-10 I did not find any info online except the Chinese sites linked in the manufacturer website. Now I found this thread, which is only 5 days old as of this writing, i.e. it did not exist when I ordered my unit. I think these headphones are very good and they deserve to be known. This is my small contribution. I have been taking notes of my listening sessions and I wrote this mini-review.

I bought my ES R-10 by an impulse. I wanted to know how good they can sound. The Sony MDR R-10 is the stuff the myths are made of. Very hard to find today and at stratospheric, unreasonable prices (IMHO). This is a headphone that was the pinnacle of the industry 30 years ago. During these years many innovative products are come out. How good can a replica of a 30 years-old headphone can sound today? Pretty good I would say.

Disclaimer: I never heard the original Sony R-10 and I cannot compare them. I normally listen electrostatics and I have been away of dynamic phones for years. I have some TOLT electrostatics, this is the baseline for my comparisons. I listen mostly but not only classical and acoustic jazz. I go to 30-40 live concerts per year and I benchmark my listening experience home with what I hear in the concert hall. I value most the right timbre of the instruments and I do not need a lot of bass.

LOOKS

ES R-10 manufacture looks nice. It is a handcrafted product, I mean it in the good sense, you can see it was assembled by hand.

On first sight, the ES R-10 looks almost identical to the original Sony R-10: the wooden cups, the headband; the leather earpads look good, feel good and smell good. It is a good replica. But when looking in more detail, there are some differences with the original Sony R-10. There are more screws securing the inner part of the headband, there is also an extra screw in the arcs that hold the cups. Worse, some finishing details are disappointing: the serial number is a simple sticker, some screws are not levered to the surface of the metal. Some manufacture details can be improved but all in all it is fine.

The cable is detachable. This is different, and better, than the original R-10 cable. The cable very thick and I wish it was more flexible (I am spoiled by Stax flat, flexible cables). A separate balanced cable can be purchased at an extra price. I might get one.

It is very beautiful to watch. The wooden cups are a beauty. Very comfortable on your head. The headband does not hold the pads too tight to your ears but secure enough if you do not do strange head movements while listening. You can wear them for hours without fatigue.

The cans come in a wooden box not like the original Sony MDR R-10 suitcase but more like the Stax Omega (the first ES Lab electrostatic headphone is inspired in the Omega and has a similar wooden box). It is OK for me, in particular considered the price.

SOUND

Sound is natural, balanced, refined, rich, organic. Very transparent albeit not as much as a TOLT electrostatic. Soundstage is excellent, very realistic image separation for a headphone (i.e. similar to speakers), almost as good but not fully as my favourite in this regard: the Stax Sigma. More realistic than the HD800, which IMHO is too wide to sound real (it does not sound as if you stand in front of the musicians but ‘floating’ among them)

Good, textured bass. It does not lack bass but it has no bottomless bass. The bass blends with the other frequencies and does not dominate. It is good enough for me. Fine for acoustic and orchestral music, I do not miss any bass there compared to my experience in live concerts. The bass is fine for me also with other types of music [Queen (‘Greatest Hits’), Carlos Santana (‘Corazón’), Vinicius Cantuaria (‘Lágrimas Mexicanas’)]. However this is no bass-head as Audeze LCD2. Il will not satisfy everyone and for every type of music. Certainly not for music that rides with the bass.

Mids are sweet and nice. Strings and voices shine. King here. You can tell the resonances inside the wooden cups are doing their magic. This headphones are not without colorations but they are very enjoyable. [Céline McLorin Salvant (‘The window’), Marais (‘Pour la viole et le there’, Hille Perl), Bach (‘Sei solo’, Leonidas Kavakos)]

Treble is quite natural, not as realistic as electrostatics, but close. Cymbals, xylophones and other percussion instruments sound quite real but not as much as with Stax SR-009. On the other hand, the treble is enjoyable and no piercing harsh as the HD800. Natural-sounding is the word, close to the experience in a live concert but not super revealing. Aromates (‘Rayon de lune’)]

Timbre instruments. Not as great as electrostatics but better than any other dynamic phones I have heard.

Resolving power. The ensemble is integrated naturally, everything is in place in right way. It does good job at revealing the instruments voices and textures (with the right amp it can do an excellent job). However in complex classical orchestral passages it does not separate all the layers as sirurgical as Stax SR-007 or 009. [John Williams (‘The Berlin concert’)]

Combination with amplifier. The headphones reveal very nicely the personality of your amp., i.e. they sound different according to the amp you use. I like that, it is fun. I compared mainly two amps. One is the Headamp GS-X mk2. This is a powerful, very neutral and transparent solid state amp. A wire with gain. Excellent combo with these headphones. I also l listened with the Leben CS300XS. This is tube amplifier. It is a sweet, coloured, fat-bass amp lovely to listen and to watch. With the ES R-10 the sound you get is quite different: the treble is not as good as with a SS amplifier. The music is more mellow and engaging and you get a bit more of bass from the tubes (depending on the tubes you use). With the Leben, the sound much closer and intimate [Buena vista social club]. Perhaps the R-10 is coloured enough by itself that you do not need the amp’s tubes on the top, but this is a question of personal taste.

Just for fun, I tried if they can produce music out of a portable source. I plug them to a tiny, watch-sized Shanglin M0 and surprise it has no difficulty to drive them! These cans are very easy to drive. DSD files played from the Shanglin sound wonderful with the ES R-10. [Los Lobos (‘How will the wolf survive’), Opus 3 (‘DSD showcase’)]. Certainly a better amp improves the sound, you get richer sound, more profound and more extended in bass and treble, but this combo is more than able to deliver very pleasant music. Why would someone want to use this cans with their delicate wood cups as a portable device, I could not guess. Although they are closed phones, they do not isolate enough in a noisy place or outdoors.

All in all, this is a truly great headphone. I like it better than my HD800 and LCD2. It is not the best on everything but it is excellent on most things. It is not ultra revealing as HD800 but it is revealing enough and in a natural way. More realistic of music as you would experience it live.

Compared to electrocstats, the ES R-10 has less resolution and it is more balanced tonality (meaning neither bright nor dark) than the electrostatics I have, of which only the Sennheiser HE60 I would call neutral. The ES R-10 has more impact, it is more punchy. Some people find electrostatics sterile (not me!) but I must admit the ESR-10 gives something extra in terms of feeling the air moving towards your ears. More image depth. Where the electrostatic produce like a very detailed 2D image in the tip of your nose (actually unrealistically detailed), instead dynamic headphones generally give you more 3D, more realistic depth presentation of the scene. This is my main grief with the electrostatics. The ES R-10 reveals itself as a dynamic phone here and I say it as a compliment. It has more soul, as opposed to sterile reproduction.

I did not mention the price yet. Their price is very competitive, I think. At this price point, I think they are a bargain. Fully recommendable.

Great review, thanks!

How have the ES-R10 been since then?

Have you had a chance to compare them to other estats such as the L700 or Nectar Hive?

 

[omega1990]

Es-r10 and z1r vs zmf eikon

So the eikon (recently discontinued) is probably the most important comparison for me after comparing the es-r10 to the z1r. This is because just like the es-r10, the eikon has a biocellulose driver. The eikon was also released around the time of the sony z1r. Back when I first discovered the sony z1r, I remember that some critics who did not like the z1r mentioning they would take the zmf eikon over it. The eikon is a closed back headphone with the most present bass of any zmf imo (atticus trades some subbass for more midbass). It has an even but slightly above neutral bass with a downward slope to its frequency response. Out of all my zmf’s, the eikon also has the most bite in the treble.

I first tried using the eikon with the verite silver cable but soon switched to the zmf 2k copper cable instead as the silver cable was making the eikon’s treble a bit hot and zingy. Unlike the zmf atticus which is warm, the eikon is closer to neutral. When compared to the presentation of the es-r10 and z1r, the eikon has less overall width and images are closer to the listener. The density of the eikons notes is thicker than both the es-r10 and z1r. Compared to the z1r which has a somewhat similar frequency response to the eikon, the eikon has more bass in general and the mids and highs are more forward and engaging than the z1r. The timbre of the eikon is very close to the es-r10 but the sound signatures are complete opposites. Mids on the eikon are full sounding and the treble is more aggressive than the es-r10. The es-r10 can produce treble that allows the listener to hear how bright string instruments can get without fatigue, but the eikon’s treble can sting from time to time. Overall while the eikon is more detailed than the atticus, it is still less detailed than the es-r10. The verité closed is more of a match to the es-r10 and can trade blows with it. Since zmf is my favorite brand and I have a strong bias toward these kinds of headphones, I can get lost listening to the eikon for hours. The eikons sound is more intoxicating in its density than both the es-r10 and z1r, but is not truly congested. Sounds on the eikon are yummy and it’s just so satisfying to me when I hear this thicker headphone present bass slam. The eikon is also slower than both the es-r10 and the z1r. The eikon was advertised to be a headphone that took inspiration from studio monitors, so it is a bit of a chameleon like the z1r in that it can flex its presentation a bit to replicate the recording accurately, but the eikon is a more fun take on this type of headphone compared to the z1r which sounds like a true studio monitor.

One of the reasons I think audiophile critics were more positive about the eikon over the z1r was because it sounds in a way, more like an audiophile can. What I mean is, similar to the es-r10, the eikon keeps its composure on cheaper gear like my Klipsch heritage amp/dac. So when hearing the z1r on the same Klipsch system, I think some listeners might think the eikon is a better audiophile headphone in that it can be bassy and pleasing while also sounding detailed and well separated on lower end gear as opposed to the z1r which on the same cheaper setup as mentioned in the previous comparison can sound congested and v-shaped. However, when using the z1r on a higher end setup, it is more detailed and technically advanced than the eikon. The es-r10 is also more detailed, spacious and refined than the eikon. The eikon can at times show itself as less detailed because on some tracks like when listening to live recordings, some small details like a person shouting and cheering the band in the distance is either barely heard, or not heard at all. Also, the eikon can present itself as less refined in that the individual notes are sometimes a little loose sounding and a touch rough. Like the edges of each note are not as tight as an optimized z1r or es-r10. Another reason I think critics chose the eikon over the z1r was because it’s tuned again to sound intoxicating and pleasing to the listener vs the z1r which is aiming to be flat sounding. The eikon also sold for around $1k less than the z1r’s launch price.

Overall, on lower end setups, the eikon is more competitive with the z1r, but on higher end setups, the z1r scales up further and shows itself as a higher performing headphone despite sounding less exciting and pleasing than the eikon. It’s also fun to hear the eikon and get a taste of how good the bass could have been on the es-r10 since they have the same driver type. As for build which I don’t think I mentioned this with my previous zmf comparisons is that the look is very similar to the es-r10. The cups are made of wood and have a bit of an angle on them, and how the headband attaches to the headphones cups is of a similar look to the es-r10. I think if the zmf headband was any wider, you could probably swap the es-r10 headband with the zmf headband. The eikon is also way heavier than both the z1r and es-r10 almost reminding me of an audeze headphone. The eikon I have is of an older design, with a thicker take on the aluminum chassis, and has adjustment rods that have no rings to click to when adjusting them on your head.

 

[DenverW]

With all of Hifiman jokes and there's about a thousand of them. Hifiman has a very strong line up of powerful headphones to compete with all brands and crushing many in their path. Hard to dismiss this.

HE500 (obtained legendary status)
HE6 (obtained legendary status)
JADE 1 (obtained legendary status)
Sundara (best affordable headphone next to 6XX)
HE1000
Susvara (Top 3 modern flagship)
Arya
SR-JR
SR-SR
Ananda

And many small fish like HE6SE, HE1000SE, HE400SE, and all the SE and XX models pretty much.

I agree with that almost 100%. I would add the he6se as the current mid range bargain. With a proper amp it’s a monster at the sub $500 prices it can be found used. And then I’d remove the legendary status from the jade!

 

[Whitigir]

Es-r10 and z1r vs zmf eikon

So the eikon (recently discontinued) is probably the most important comparison for me after comparing the es-r10 to the z1r. This is because just like the es-r10, the eikon has a biocellulose driver. The eikon was also released around the time of the sony z1r. Back when I first discovered the sony z1r, I remember that some critics who did not like the z1r mentioning they would take the zmf eikon over it. The eikon is a closed back headphone with the most present bass of any zmf imo (atticus trades some subbass for more midbass). It has an even but slightly above neutral bass with a downward slope to its frequency response. Out of all my zmf’s, the eikon also has the most bite in the treble.

I first tried using the eikon with the verite silver cable but soon switched to the zmf 2k copper cable instead as the silver cable was making the eikon’s treble a bit hot and zingy. Unlike the zmf atticus which is warm, the eikon is closer to neutral. When compared to the presentation of the es-r10 and z1r, the eikon has less overall width and images are closer to the listener. The density of the eikons notes is thicker than both the es-r10 and z1r. Compared to the z1r which has a somewhat similar frequency response to the eikon, the eikon has more bass in general and the mids and highs are more forward and engaging than the z1r. The timbre of the eikon is very close to the es-r10 but the sound signatures are complete opposites. Mids on the eikon are full sounding and the treble is more aggressive than the es-r10. The es-r10 can produce treble that allows the listener to hear how bright string instruments can get without fatigue, but the eikon’s treble can sting from time to time. Overall while the eikon is more detailed than the atticus, it is still less detailed than the es-r10. The verité closed is more of a match to the es-r10 and can trade blows with it. Since zmf is my favorite brand and I have a strong bias toward these kinds of headphones, I can get lost listening to the eikon for hours. The eikons sound is more intoxicating in its density than both the es-r10 and z1r, but is not truly congested. Sounds on the eikon are yummy and it’s just so satisfying to me when I hear this thicker headphone present bass slam. The eikon is also slower than both the es-r10 and the z1r. The eikon was advertised to be a headphone that took inspiration from studio monitors, so it is a bit of a chameleon like the z1r in that it can flex its presentation a bit to replicate the recording accurately, but the eikon is a more fun take on this type of headphone compared to the z1r which sounds like a true studio monitor.

One of the reasons I think audiophile critics were more positive about the eikon over the z1r was because it sounds in a way, more like an audiophile can. What I mean is, similar to the es-r10, the eikon keeps its composure on cheaper gear like my Klipsch heritage amp/dac. So when hearing the z1r on the same Klipsch system, I think some listeners might think the eikon is a better audiophile headphone in that it can be bassy and pleasing while also sounding detailed and well separated on lower end gear as opposed to the z1r which on the same cheaper setup as mentioned in the previous comparison can sound congested and v-shaped. However, when using the z1r on a higher end setup, it is more detailed and technically advanced than the eikon. The es-r10 is also more detailed, spacious and refined than the eikon. The eikon can at times show itself as less detailed because on some tracks like when listening to live recordings, some small details like a person shouting and cheering the band in the distance is either barely heard, or not heard at all. Also, the eikon can present itself as less refined in that the individual notes are sometimes a little loose sounding and a touch rough. Like the edges of each note are not as tight as an optimized z1r or es-r10. Another reason I think critics chose the eikon over the z1r was because it’s tuned again to sound intoxicating and pleasing to the listener vs the z1r which is aiming to be flat sounding. The eikon also sold for around $1k less than the z1r’s launch price.

Overall, on lower end setups, the eikon is more competitive with the z1r, but on higher end setups, the z1r scales up further and shows itself as a higher performing headphone despite sounding less exciting and pleasing than the eikon. It’s also fun to hear the eikon and get a taste of how good the bass could have been on the es-r10 since they have the same driver type. As for a build which I don’t think I mentioned this with my previous zmf comparisons is that the look is very similar to the es-r10. The cups are made of wood and have a bit of an angle on them, and how the headband attaches to the headphones cups is of a similar look to the es-r10. I think if the zmf headband was any wider, you could probably swap the es-r10 headband with the zmf headband. The eikon is also way heavier than both the z1r and es-r10 almost reminding me of an audeze headphone. The eikon I have is of an older design, with a thicker take on the aluminum chassis, and has adjustment rods that have no rings to click to when adjusting them on your head.

Thanks for the very detailed comparison

 

[justanut]

It's about 6 months old now, that design.

When I had the R10P about a year ago now. It was the black headband. They were comfortable. The best thing Hifiman did was having Velcro earpads and a pretty decent cable for the R10P


Vs new design

They actually look very nice to me.. Modern aesthetics. Too bad about the price and sound tho~

 

[protoss]

And then I’d remove the legendary status from the jade!

Sorry, because of the Jade, I am an expert on Hifiman

I own 3 <--- legendary status

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/he-...y-pre-hifiman-electrostatic-headphone.844733/

 

[Zoide]

No. 49 in the house.
A long wait....but worth it.... atleast on the initial listen. Put them on burn-in for now...

How are they sounding now? Any more first impressions? Thanks

 

[Zoide]

I emailed ES Labs regarding the build quality issues reported here and asked him if he is planning to make any changes.

His reply:

there is no any plans on that.

The semi-circle frame that attach to the both side of the cup and also the cover facing inwards are made of hard-anodized CNC aluminum. The rest is nylon, painted to mimic a metallic appearance. The use of different materials is to balance weight and structural integrity, where it is a success which most users reported a fatigue-free long term listening and stressing the headband without breaking. All leathers used on the ES-R10 is genuine sheep leather.

I also saw the comments on Head fi regarding the headband and some of them are misleading. It is best to take reference from the high res images posted on head-fi and from Youtube review.

 

[Audio Addict]

For anyone on the fence ES Labs told me they can only make 40-50 more of the ES-R10 and then it will be out of stock.