[omega1990]

Don't bring Malevolent to this thread... His wife will be angry with you (I mean, when Malevolent knows about a R10 replica, I think he will love to try -own- them... and I think he was debating about some Stellias or other closed backs that wander around his thoughts...). You are the devil

I know you kid, but it would be worthwhile to have @Malevolent input on this headphone and hear this headfi users thoughts on how it compares to anything else in its price range.

As I am listening to the es-r10, thoughts are forming in my mind about why I think its special, but I don't want to give spoilers about my conclusion just yet as I want Ciggavelli to listen to this without me framing his thoughts on what this headphone is and what it means to the audiophile community. I want my next comparison post hopefully up against the verite closed and stellia made sometime Sunday evening to be read more as guide in understanding this headphone more than else without spoiling my possible conclusion.

 

[Terriero]

I know you kid, but it would be worthwhile to have @Malevolent input on this headphone and hear this headfi users thoughts on how it compares to anything else in its price range.

As I am listening to the es-r10, thoughts are forming in my mind about why I think its special, but I don't want to give spoilers about my conclusion just yet as I want Ciggavelli to listen to this without me framing his thoughts on what this headphone is and what it means to the audiophile community. I want my next comparison post hopefully up against the verite closed and stellia made sometime Sunday evening to be read more as guide in understanding this headphone more than else without spoiling my possible conclusion.

I love my AH-D9200s, but I suffer with treble focussed albums (same with HD 800s, although less perceptible, but not with the DT 1990 Pros). I think I'm sensitive to the 5-6 K peaks and not to the 7-8 Ks ones presented in the Beyers.

How do you find the ES-R10 treble?

 

[protoss]

I think its special

Oh ooh..

Will the replica be consider the second greatest headphone of all time.

1. Sony MDR R10
2. ES-R10

This is quite entertaining

 

[Ciggavelli]

Oh ooh..

Will the replica be consider the second greatest headphone of all time.

1. Sony MDR R10
2. ES-R10

This is quite entertaining

When are you getting your pair?

 

[Ciggavelli]

Just shipped

Should be here Thursday

 

[protoss]

@Ciggavelli
In a month or so. Got a few things to do atm. But soon hopefully.

 

[omega1990]

I love my AH-D9200s, but I suffer with treble focussed albums (same with HD 800s, although less perceptible, but not with the DT 1990 Pros). I think I'm sensitive to the 5-6 K peaks and not to the 7-8 Ks ones presented in the Beyers.

How do you find the ES-R10 treble?

As mentioned in my previous posts. The treble is crystal clear, delicate, and very present. This is a headphone that is on the bright side, but is easy to listen to. The only time the treble bothered me was in situations that I accidentally had the volume knob up too high for a particular track.

 

[arturo71]

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.

 

[protoss]

@arturo71

Very nice review
The Sony MDR R10 will be proud of you.

 

[omega1990]

Es-r10 vs Verite Closed comparison

General thoughts about vc: it uses a beryllium coated pen driver. I think the verites have had a slighty polarized reaction from people as its to me and to quite a number of others seen as slighlty less natural sounding than the auteur. My experience with beryllium is limited to my verite open, verite closed, a focal speaker (I think it was a utopia), and focal stellia of which I recently acquired. The beryllium is lightweight and very fast sounding but what I noticed as a common theme is that the material in my small experience is that it has a hyper focused type of imaging that can be a bit overwhelming. I first encountered it while at an audio store selling speakers and it was also a focal dealer. I demoed many brands but what stood out to me were the focal utopia speakers. These speakers where heavy on detail and resolution all while being tight and fast in its presentation. While I was impressed I could not tolerate the sound for long. The attack was really aggressive and it began to sting my ears, a very in your face experience.

Now in case of the 2 verites which uses less of this driver material it seems to be far less aggressive. This is due to zmf useing I believe I read 15% beryllium combined with zmf dampening techniques. So with the verite closed, you get an easy to listen to headphone thats on the colored/warm side of the brands scale, and the unique drivers allow it to still retain the focused effect of beryllium but it doesn't hurt my ears, at the very least not as much as a the focal products I've tried.

Another thing I want to mention is that on sbaf I came across this post a few years back.

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-sony-r10-as-good-as-its-reputation.5263/

In this post the user E_Schaaf compared an original r10 to modern headphones like the utopia, hd800, adx5000 and a couple of zmfs. This user mentions the verite came close to what the r10 does best. However, I think that comparison was with a verite open as this user mentions verite having more stage width.

For this comparison I'm going to make it more relevant, I have 2 vc's, one in Leopardwood and another African blackwood. I'll be using leopardwood with auteur lambskin pads and a verite silver cable as I felt it excelled better at classical than the African blackwood which I use with universe lambskin pads and the zmf 2k copper cable.

The results were very interesting. The laziest overgeneralized reaction one could say is my leopardwood vc sounds like a mellower r10 without the larger speaker like room acoustics, but it's far more complicated than that.

On classical pieces, the es-r10 has way more elevated treble with natural stridency. The vc treble is much less pronounced but can be heard with a more refined clarity. The imaging on the es-r10 is impressive for such on old design, but the vc has better layering and is more orderly and neat.

On vocal tracks like "Hi-Lili Hi-Lo" by Rickie Lee Jones and I can't believe I'm saying this about a zmf. The vc has a bit more shout when this singer gets loud but it's generally less forward. The es-r10 has a slightly more natural voice to it. I could go either way on preference for vocals but I prefered the brighter euphonic es-r10 with female vocals and vc on tracks featuring male vocals. They are both great at vocals.

For stage the vc can be as wide as the es-r10 but the sense of the room is smaller than the enlarged speaker like es-r10. Play the piece "the eyewitness" by casiopea and you hear the es-r10 gives you a sense of the whole size of the concert venue its playing in and it also sounds more like its playing live. The vc will focus more as a front row seat to the stage, you understand how wide the stage is but the depth is not the same.

For bass its the same old story as mentioned in previous posts. Less subbass on es-r10 but a more thicker rounded burst of bass on the vc. What I am saying is that just because the es-r10 may not be ideal for edm or rap per se, its take on bass can still be enjoyed on music old and new. You can play songs like "hollow be thy name" by Iron maiden or "bat out hell" by meatloaf and think your at a live performance and also enjoy the forward sounding guitars.

You can also play modern tracks like "well done" by Idles or "circe" by Ghost. Modern pop tracks like "wake up" by Kero Kero Bonito is also alot of fun on this headphone. So you can rock out and carry this classic into today's music, but like any other headphone you'll eventually get a hang of playing songs that play to its strengths. The vc will sound better with songs like "loose yourself to dance" Daft Punk or "hard" by Sophie.

I will add this about imaging. While the vc seems more refined and orderly the es-r10 can actually keep up with vc on speed and more often than not matches up well with precise imaging. I played "circle of swords" by matmos. The sounds sampled are glitched out once you reach the 3 minute mark. The es-r10 holds it composure without falling apart and soon after there's this hallucinogenic female vocalist that pops up. On the es-r10 it sounds realistic like its in a chamber room, on the vc it comes of as more a closed off room with little to no reverb.

Overall the vc is where the es-r10 more than finds it equal in detail and resolution. So this sony replica does punch above its current price but it won't soar to the very top. Nevertheless, it's good to know you get more than you bargained for.

Still working on the stellia comparison so stay tuned.

 

[omega1990]

Almost forgot to add this. Photos show pads are much deeper on vc but the vc's cups are less elevated going toward the rear end of the cups when compared to the es-r10. The headphone stand they're on is also made of leopardwood if you already haven't noticed.

 

[Terriero]

Would you (if possible) compare them with Sony Z1Rs? I'm very interested in the bass of these R10 replica (I've never heard the OG ones), which similar headphones come to your mind only focussing on their bass?

 

[rsbrsvp]

Es-r10 vs Verite Closed comparison

General thoughts about vc: it uses a beryllium coated pen driver. I think the verites have had a slighty polarized reaction from people as its to me and to quite a number of others seen as slighlty less natural sounding than the auteur. My experience with beryllium is limited to my verite open, verite closed, a focal speaker (I think it was a utopia), and focal stellia of which I recently acquired. The beryllium is lightweight and very fast sounding but what I noticed as a common theme is that the material in my small experience is that it has a hyper focused type of imaging that can be a bit overwhelming. I first encountered it while at an audio store selling speakers and it was also a focal dealer. I demoed many brands but what stood out to me were the focal utopia speakers. These speakers where heavy on detail and resolution all while being tight and fast in its presentation. While I was impressed I could not tolerate the sound for long. The attack was really aggressive and it began to sting my ears, a very in your face experience.

Now in case of the 2 verites which uses less of this driver material it seems to be far less aggressive. This is due to zmf useing I believe I read 15% beryllium combined with zmf dampening techniques. So with the verite closed, you get an easy to listen to headphone thats on the colored/warm side of the brands scale, and the unique drivers allow it to still retain the focused effect of beryllium but it doesn't hurt my ears, at the very least not as much as a the focal products I've tried.

Another thing I want to mention is that on sbaf I came across this post a few years back.

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-sony-r10-as-good-as-its-reputation.5263/

In this post the user E_Schaaf compared an original r10 to modern headphones like the utopia, hd800, adx5000 and a couple of zmfs. This user mentions the verite came close to what the r10 does best. However, I think that comparison was with a verite open as this user mentions verite having more stage width.

For this comparison I'm going to make it more relevant, I have 2 vc's, one in Leopardwood and another African blackwood. I'll be using leopardwood with auteur lambskin pads and a verite silver cable as I felt it excelled better at classical than the African blackwood which I use with universe lambskin pads and the zmf 2k copper cable.

The results were very interesting. The laziest overgeneralized reaction one could say is my leopardwood vc sounds like a mellower r10 without the larger speaker like room acoustics, but it's far more complicated than that.

On classical pieces, the es-r10 has way more elevated treble with natural stridency. The vc treble is much less pronounced but can be heard with a more refined clarity. The imaging on the es-r10 is impressive for such on old design, but the vc has better layering and is more orderly and neat.

On vocal tracks like "Hi-Lili Hi-Lo" by Rickie Lee Jones and I can't believe I'm saying this about a zmf. The vc has a bit more shout when this singer gets loud but it's generally less forward. The es-r10 has a slightly more natural voice to it. I could go either way on preference for vocals but I prefered the brighter euphonic es-r10 with female vocals and vc on tracks featuring male vocals. They are both great at vocals.

For stage the vc can be as wide as the es-r10 but the sense of the room is smaller than the enlarged speaker like es-r10. Play the piece "the eyewitness" by casiopea and you hear the es-r10 gives you a sense of the whole size of the concert venue its playing in and it also sounds more like its playing live. The vc will focus more as a front row seat to the stage, you understand how wide the stage is but the depth is not the same.

For bass its the same old story as mentioned in previous posts. Less subbass on es-r10 but a more thicker rounded burst of bass on the vc. What I am saying is that just because the es-r10 may not be ideal for edm or rap per se, its take on bass can still be enjoyed on music old and new. You can play songs like "hollow be thy name" by Iron maiden or "bat out hell" by meatloaf and think your at a live performance and also enjoy the forward sounding guitars.

You can also play modern tracks like "well done" by Idles or "circe" by Ghost. Modern pop tracks like "wake up" by Kero Kero Bonito is also alot of fun on this headphone. So you can rock out and carry this classic into today's music, but like any other headphone you'll eventually get a hang of playing songs that play to its strengths. The vc will sound better with songs like "loose yourself to dance" Daft Punk or "hard" by Sophie.

I will add this about imaging. While the vc seems more refined and orderly the es-r10 can actually keep up with vc on speed and more often than not matches up well with precise imaging. I played "circle of swords" by matmos. The sounds sampled are glitched out once you reach the 3 minute mark. The es-r10 holds it composure without falling apart and soon after there's this hallucinogenic female vocalist that pops up. On the es-r10 it sounds realistic like its in a chamber room, on the vc it comes of as more a closed off room with little to no reverb.

Overall the vc is where the es-r10 more than finds it equal in detail and resolution. So this sony replica does punch above its current price but it won't soar to the very top. Nevertheless the less it's good to know you get more than you bargained for.

Still working on the stellia comparison so stay tuned.

THis description of the ES-1 like a "chamber room" or "unique soundstage" which keeps being emphasized is so so in line with the MDR-R10. I can't wait to get mine...

 

[blubliss]

Very interesting conversation, thanks.

Having owned 3 pairs of the original in the past and worked on them, these interest me a lot. I would agree that the descriptions given so far seem to correlate well with my memory of the sound of the original.

I just sent an email to ES Labs, may buy a pair

 

[omega1990]

Would you (if possible) compare them with Sony Z1Rs? I'm very interested in the bass of these R10 replica (I've never heard the OG ones), which similar headphones come to your mind only focussing on their bass?

I have never heard a z1r before but I have been tempted into maybe buying one many times. Since my first listening session with the es-r10 I've been very impressed by how it sounds. I may want to buy a z1r just to know how it's different from the es-r10.

As for what has similar bass, headphones Like the akg k1000 come mind or a stax headphone when paired with a higher level amp. What I mean is they all sound like speakers but don't have much in terms of subbass. They all also have a tactile slam and snap to them. I think the es-r10 gets away with its bass at times a little better than the others because the bass is diffuse so it at least tries to sound big even though the rumbling effect won't be felt nearly as much as its initial slam.

THis description of the ES-1 like a "chamber room" or "unique soundstage" which keeps being emphasized is so so in line with the MDR-R10. I can't wait to get mine...

I'm sure nostalgia will hit hard when you finally get to hear it. I'm not saying it's a game changer but I feel there is strong value in this headphone that may become overlooked by audiophiles currently in the market for a new headphone and want something different than almost anything they might of heard before. In other words for the price bracket it is in, someone who buys this might enjoy hearing their music in a way they may not of previously considered.