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Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I wish I had a pair of HE90's to compare to the Jades. I'm not saying they sound the same but they are a lot closer than the O2 is (not that the O2 was meant to sound like the HE90). As good as the O2 is with the right amp, to my ears there Jade are just plain better. First, as PJ mentioned, in terms of comfort, the Jade wins, end of story. The soundstage/imaging/airiness of the Jade is better than the O2. Speakers are my first choice most times and as such soundstage, etc. is important. They extend well in both directions. The bass is deep and controlled. It produces detail that is almost palpable. The Jade impresses me now as the first version did in MOA. The BH just makes them sing. This pair has about 8 or 9 hours on them at the moment so hopefully this will continue and improve over the next week or so.
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Me too, in terms of the HE90 comparison. For some reason, I thought there was going to be a pair on hand, else I would have brought mine!
Although I must say, I was pretty maxed out trying to get everything back on my return flight. I had two check in bags and two carry on items as well. Suppose I could have left something with Matt for a while. Dang! Wish I would have brought the HE90. Next time for sure!
I liked the Jades a lot myself, and may end up with a pair one day (so I can give them a better workout). I honestly don't think I could do any better than Mike has done above in terms of the comparisons. I agree that they trump the O2, at least to my ears (based on muscle memory of the O2 as a long time owner).
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Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Wayne, can we get your opinion on the Jade?
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See above, Al. ^^^ Well, Ok. Let me at least try.
Unfortunately, I didn't even think to make comparisons of the Jades to the 02 and 4070, both of which were on hand, and both of which I own and quite like for very different reasons.
I think of the 4070 as the electrostatic equivalent of the HP-2 in that it is as true to the source and amplification as you'll ever hear; the king among electrostats in terms of transparency, and although that can be involving in a toe tapping way, it often leaves the listener thinking "that was a great/poor recording" (as the case may be) as opposed to "that was great/poor music" (as the case may be). In other words, the 4070 tends to pull my mind into the recording itself, which is not to say that this is done at a total sacrifice of musical satisfaction, but for whatever reasons the 4070 often leaves me somewhat flat and uninvolved on an emotional level.
The O2, while perhaps technically superior to the 4070 and perhaps even better at extracting details, does tend to add much more of its own signature, or coloration. It just so happens that what the O2 adds isn't always (or even usually) my cup of tea. I've always found them to be quite dark in comparison to the HE90 or K1000, for example. At times, the O2 can be just what I'm looking for, such as when I'm listening to the glorious texture of Charlie Hunter's upright bass. Nothing does it more justice than the O2, and that counts any/all of the dynamic headphones you can think of that are well regarded for their great bass (PS-1, Edition 9, L3000, or Qualia 010).
What I'm getting at is that (for me, at least), both the 4070 and O2 are what I'd call "purpose" phones (the 4070 for their transparency, the O2 for their detail and amazing bass extension/clarity). They tend to be headphones that I listen when I'm in the mood for those particular things. Don't get me wrong, they're both excellent for "all around" listening, but that's not the way I use them because I've kind of spoiled myself!
My true "all around" headphones are the HE90, R10 and K1000. Or at least those are the first ones that come to mind and that I would reach for if I was playing a CD for the first time and had no idea what kind of music it represented. Anything sounds good on these 3 headphones (with the right amplification in all cases, but in the case of the K1000 in particular). They're my "can't miss" headphones (although that's not always true, it's true often enough that I know I can count on them the vast majority of the time to 'shine').
From what little I've heard of the Jade, my guess is that if I owned a pair and listened to them with a lot of different types of music over a long period of time, I'd put them in this same category. It seems that they may be adding a bit of coloration, and probably a midrange emphasis with an R10-like gooeyness, but with all of the speed of attack and overall sense of immersion in a field of sound that you get with the HE90. It's hard to say if they're on that same "level" but they do seem to at least be of that same "character". Just as the markl-modded D5000 or Edition 9 may be inexpensive alternatives to the R10 (relatively speaking) and still give the listener much of that same overall satisfaction, the Jade might fill that role on the electrostatic side of things relative to the much more expensive (and hard to find) HE90.
All of that from about 10 minutes of listening to the Jade, broken up into two 5 minute sessions, so take it for what it's worth. Why didn't I make the comparisons to the O2 or 4070? Just didn't think of it. I was too busy enjoying the Jades and wondering to myself how long it would be before I broke down and bought myself a pair. Nothing in particular stood out in my mind. They were extremely musical and quite natural sounding. I didn't sense an overemphasis of either the highs or lows, but I didn't notice anything missing either. The soundstage was reasonably wide but I didn't get any eerie feelings that something was being played in the next room (as opposed to in my head), so not K1000 wide but not RS-1 narrow. Overall, I'd describe their sound as smooth and sweet. More along the lines of the HE90 than the O2, as Mike mentioned.
Add 10 pounds of salt (rather than one grain) into what I've had to say, and then you'll have a real opinion that you can rely on. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the Jade again, and hope that I'll have a better chance to do a proper evaluation at that time.
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Originally Posted by agile_one /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The new Head Direct Jade electrostatics show great promise vs the HE 2. Noticably better build, fit and finish and equal or slightly better sound quality that should improve with hours (these were brand new with zero break in). I'll confess to liking Omega II and II mkii better though. The Stax are just more accurate, non fatiguing and smooth to my ears. The HE-2 and Jade do very well in a meet setting - they grab your attention with brilliant presention accross the frequency spectrum and are very comfortable to wear. To my ears, though, they are pumped up a bit at both high and low freqs - like a little "loudness" switch had been flipped when going to them from the O2s. Terrific value for the money, and with Stax and them the only games in town, it makes for a different strokes for different folks situation as opposed to this is better than that.
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I'm assuming that you volume matched?
The reason I'm asking is that (although I didn't make the comparisons at this meet), I've always found that the O2 need a couple of notches more volume than the HE90 or HE60. Might be the same situation with the Jade and HE-2.
