[Nomad]

So I got the R10s several months ago. I got a late production one (2003/4) and they weren't cheap, even for a R10.

And I didn't like them.

At all.

Too distant. Not engaging. Thin on bass (although punchier than expected) and with a bit of "paper" feel on the sound, like if the membrane was made of paper. It's hard to describe (I had similar feeling with some electrostatics, feeling a thin plastic/foil paper "feel" if driven from a not-warm amp)

I still kept them. I'm glad I did.

It took me ages but I started to appreciate how good they are for some music. And they capture "something" about the music that other cans can't. I'd love to be more explicit... but I can't. This doesn't pretend to be a review. It's more a rant about how such an old design was such a great one. And about how important is to give some time to your gear in order to fully appreciate it.

As most people say, they have a great soundstage, almost unreal for a headphone system. But apart from this, there is that "musical" thing going on...

It's hard to believe how an almost 20 years old design can still be unmatched on several aspects. I finally start to understand why I know of 3 owners of HE90/R10 that would keep the R10 if they could only have one, after long term ownership experience. I still would keep the HE90 (or even better, the SR-Omega) but I wonder if in the future I might end keeping the R10s too.

The R10s were a huge acomplishment. One Sony should be proud of.

 

[mikeg]

When I got my HE90, and compared the sound of my R10 to it, I was terribly disappointed with the sound of the R10. When I discussed this matter with Mikhail, he suggested that I return my Supra SDS for a checkout, and for further upgrading. The result was that Mikhail created magic. The sound of the R10, through the upgraded SDS, is now truly magical. It's very different from that of the HE90, but in no way inferior to it. Thus, to really hear the magical sound of the R10, one needs a truly outstanding amp. (such as a fully upgraded Supra SDS), and an outstanding source (such as an Exemplar moded Denon 2900).

 

[tmarshl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg When I got my HE90, and compared the sound of my R10 to it, I was terribly disappointed with the sound of the R10. When I discussed this matter with Mikhail, he suggested that I return my Supra SDS for a checkout, and for further upgrading. The result was that Mikhail created magic. The sound of the R10, through the upgraded SDS, is now truly magical. It's very different from that of the HE90, but in no way inferior to it. Thus, to really hear the magical sound of the R10, one needs a truly outstanding amp. (such as a fully upgraded Supra SDS), and an outstanding source (such as an Exemplar moded Denon 2900).

This is a very good example of how important it is to have the right amplification and cabling to get the best performance out of your headphones. I don't even think that it is fair to compare the high-end headphones without including the amplification and cabling in the analysis.