How do they fair technically against a 1266 TC? Where does the veil lie in context of other phones?
Rognir hit super dynamic with a sparkle and smoothness, the mids presented more dry and the bass had great punch
The Stealth presents space and precision with a limp body and soft impact excelling in imaging with competent side detail and resolution
VC presents great warmth and punch with competent side detail and resolution with fair tone and some recession in the midrange
Empyrean strikes a middle-ground with clear bloat concession for presence - the midbass fullness coupled with fair mid warmth but semi-competent detail and resolution
So I'm trying to gauge where the ES-R10 lies. Faithful to the original with great space presence and succulent mid presence but lacking at the ultimate? Comparing against the best open brings better context; closed back marketing is often used as a gimp.
TC wins in bass (obviously...), probably has better resolution, and better soundstage, and maybe a tad better imaging. ES R10 has a better midrange; it's sweeter and rock and doom/stoner metal sounds amazing! The ES R10 is not veiled like the Elites or maybe even the LCD-4s. ES R10 is not suitable for bass heavy music like hip-hop or electronica. The ES R10 really makes instruments sound kind of "magical" I guess. I'm continuing to burn them in and will have more impressions in the future, but I would recommend them (especially at the price), but if you want bass, I'd pass.
ES- R10 is indeed handicapped in bass relative to TC. This is perhaps the most obvious and clear difference. Midrange is excellent. Resolution is excellent but not quite TC level. ES-R10 is mostly focused on treble like MDR-R10 was. I believe this is responsible for the 3-D room effect soundstage. TC is technically superior- period, but ES-R10 is excellent technically. Also, like others mentioned, it is a bright headphone but in a good way.
I thought I said I need a week.. I cant trust myself anymore.
The ES-R10 is kind of a specialized flavor. Not classic at all. Agree that bass is O.K. but is the biggest limitation. That however is faithful to the OG.
I think another thing to keep in mind is that when comparing the es-r10 to summit fi cans, I am reminded of my es-r10 vs stellia comparison. Even if a headphone proves to have more detail, soundstage width, depth, resolution etc, the smile I get on my face when I listen to the es-r10 knowing I didn't have to buy any special high end amp or dac combo to achieve this level of satisfaction in my opinion trounces my feelings toward any summit fi headphone or setup.
For newcomers to this thread the es-r10 pitches a strong argument in my opinion. I think the es-r10 argues: Why build an expensive system around a headphone in an effort to hopefully make it work out at all, knowing there are still downsides to its specific flavor when you can get the es-r10 that requires really nothing more than a much cheaper setup to get going and have the headphones special take on sound do all the work to give the listener a fun near perfect experience worth its price?
There is some sound leakage, but it's still mostly closed. I think you might really like these headphones. That tone is amazing, along with the resolution and imaging. I'm still trying to figure out the soundstage, but it definitely has depth and is pretty wide (though not as wide as some of our open-backs) They are technically better than the R10P, though I still like the R10P. For $1.7K, they're a steal
Current conclusion after one day: 70%-80% faithful to the original. Excellent detail- but not quite summit level. Euphonic, musical, unique deep 3-D soundstage. Somewhat Insufficient bass, but nowhere near anemic. Excellent beautiful crystal clear natural tone.
I do not think it would be classified as a TOTL can is it one step below the titans in detail and one to two steps below in bass. It would be classified as a specialized headphone producing a very unique clear 3-D sound. It really is not fair to compare against anything because it does not sound like anything. It is it's own independent sound signature- just like the OG was. It was made for a specific magic that nothing else does. Appreciating this magic is also accepting it's limitations.
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), probably has better resolution, and better soundstage, and maybe a tad better imaging. ES R10 has a better midrange; it's sweeter and rock and doom/stoner metal sounds amazing! The ES R10 is not veiled like the Elites or maybe even the LCD-4s. ES R10 is not suitable for bass heavy music like hip-hop or electronica. The ES R10 really makes instruments sound kind of "magical" I guess. I'm continuing to burn them in and will have more impressions in the future, but I would recommend them (especially at the price), but if you want bass, I'd pass.
