[Kelleytoons]

As I said up above, the sound is merely adequate. Not bad, not good, just okay.

 

[dieselvrr]

Thanks, I somehow missed that whole post before I asked.

 

[Kelleytoons]

Yeah, it's easy to do with me as I tend to run on a bit <g>.

 

[Kelleytoons]

Oh, I should mention one more thing (or two) about the Pentalumic...
 
First, the controls aren't bad -- there is an odd sort of general purpose button that is like the stem on an old watch (or the new Apple watch :>) with a knurled top that you can adjust for volume.  It's a kind of throw-back thing and it, along with the on-off switch (which is a knurled slider) kind of gives a retro feel to the phones (this isn't a judgement one way or the other, just an observation).
 
I'm listening to them again as I type this -- and my first impressions were pretty accurate.  It's not bad, just not something you sit up and take notice with.  But here's the biggie -- while I ordered the S1+ and there is an inside sticker that SAYS it's the S1+, there is nothing on the front of the box nor the manual to indicate it's the newer model.  Plus (and this is most telling) when it connects via bluetooth it says S1 and not S1+ (which would have been easy to change for them and, in fact, a very logical thing to do).
 
So either I got the wrong phones, or there is no way to tell which version you have.  This makes me *very* nervous, particularly given the black market in electronics nowadays.  Do I have the S1+ or not?  I don't know, my gut tells me I probably do, but if I were going to keep these I'd always wonder.
 
Finally, the description of the S1+ versus the S1 says "new, larger ear pads".  Well, if I *do* have the S1+, I can't even imagine how small the S1 ear pads are.  Remember, this is an over-the-ear model -- and, yes, I don't have tiny girl's ears, but these don't even come close to going over my ears.  I would imagine the S1 pads make it an on-ear model (assuming they are smaller).
 
So -- pass.

 

[Giogio]

What are the Pentalonic?
 
Kelleytoons, I think it would be good if you could describe their sound a bit more in detail, eventually with some comparison. "decent" is a bit ambiguous.
 
Also, you wrote somewhere that you cannot test something in Aptx but only in BT.
Aptx is not different than BT. It is one possible codec used by the BT protocol to transmit Audio.
Just to be clear.
 
I have just republished my review of the Beats in Amazon, that's why I have the Aptx theme in mind.

 

[Kelleytoons]

Right, for some reason I was confusing NFC in my mind with AptX.  Yes, indeed, AptX is a (probably) better codec for connecting via bluetooth but isn't anything I can test (I can't test NFC either, despite my iPhone having that technology, since it currently only works for Apple Pay, although there is some hope Apple will open it up for developer's use).
 
The sound isn't easy to describe because it's a bit like trying to get a witness description of an "average" man (he's of average height, average age, average weight).  The highs are okay, lows aren't very low but decent.  About the only thing that's below average is the soundstage, which doesn't give much presence to the music.  They are the kind of phones that two minutes after you take them off you won't remember anything about them ("Yep, I did hear music through them, but can't recall how good it was").
 
Most headphones you use have some sort of significant aspect to them -- they may be significantly bad, even, but there is *something* to remember about them.  These are the Clark Kent of headphones, a sort of dull, man in a suit with glasses sort of experience (whereas, to contrast, the Plantronics are like Superman).

 

[Giogio]

and the Fidelio are like Batman

 

[Kelleytoons]

And Batman V. Superman is coming next year!
 

 

[Giogio]

SuperTooth Freedom.
Strange name.
It may be interesting...

 

[OPTiK]

I just received my Pendulumic Stance S1+ today as well from amazon. My only issue at the moment was that the sound didn't seem to come in centered for me.. I messed around with the pads and it seems a lot better now. Pretty sure I can see a size difference between the cups, but I'll have to get an expensive ruler from work to verify.
 
I just wanted to make a note, if you're not using AptX then you're not going to see what the headphone is truly capable of. I have a HTC One M7, which has AptX baked in, and I ordered a BT AptX USB dongle from Amazon that I'm going to be waiting on since it's not in stock. 
---------------------
Initial Impressions:
 
I started out by playing hiphop/rap on my phone (AptX - Neutron player) and my Surface Pro 3 (Bluetooth 4.0 - No AptX) and I wasn't impressed with what I was hearing. It didn't sound bad, but it didn't sound exceptional. Once I cracked open my "Head-Fi And HDtracks - Open Your Ears" FLAC album, I could hear some awesome punching through on a few tracks. Right now I'm just going to burn them in for the next few days (30 hours of battery life!) and I'll come back and post my findings. I'm hoping the the bass punch improves, which is the only thing that I felt was lacking at this point.
 
Build Quality:
 
Aside from the ear pad issue, the build quality seems pretty solid. The multipurpose 'dial' which controls BT volume is actually kind of nice, and the buttons seem solid all around. The headband is also nice as it keep makes positioning the headphones a breeze. The headphones do have some weight to them, which some people may or may not like (.66 lbs according to my kitchen scale).
 
---------------------
 
I'll be comparing them to my friends HE400 and my JH16s when I find the time to do it all. I'll post back in a few days with some updated impressions. Does anyone know if there are aftermarket pads that are available for these?

 

[Giogio]

Thanks for this.
I was suspecting that the fact that Kelleytoons does not have any Aptx enabled device can give him less chances to see all potential of some headphones.
This thread is only about BT Headphones, so I would not particularly encourage a comparison between BT and wired Headphones, but you can surely do that as reference if you wish, maybe it can help some people.
For sure I would like to know your updated impressions.
And I am more sorry now, for not being able to buy them here in EU.
 
 
Kelleytoons, if you are going to finally choose something with Aptx, you should buy a different BT transmitter, one with Aptx... You will notice the difference.

 

[david8613]

Optik I downloaded that neutron player pretty cool app. Any other recommened apps to play flac files on a note 3?

 

[Giogio]

I also use Neutron.
I have tested many. N7 is cool. Jetplayer also. They both give a good sound even with the free version.
Poweramp, many people say it is very good. I liked it but I could not really see a big difference with Jetplayer or N7.
 
While Neutron has some odd things, it just sounds better.
If you are a big fan of EQ, you can hate Neutron, because it only has 4 bands (I proposed him to make a fifth, most parametric EQ have five). And, it is parametric.
This means, you must learn to use it or you make things worse. Although the default settings are ok for most uses.
I can give you some suggestions if you want.
For sure you should select the 64bit and Dither options.
 
But at first go in settings, then audio hardware, and tell me what does it says above for the CPU (for example, in my phone it says ARMv7 + NEON)
 
Cheers

 

[OPTiK]

Optik I downloaded that neutron player pretty cool app. Any other recommened apps to play flac files on a note 3?

 
I don't have any at the moment. I read about neutron while I was looking at reviews, apparently poweramp doesn't take advantage of AptX. I did A/B between the two and after maxing out the audio settings (more cpu usage for higher quality, etc) neutron is a clear winner. I don't really like the interface though, but I can deal.
 

  Thanks for this.
I was suspecting that the fact that Kelleytoons does not have any Aptx enabled device can give him less chances to see all potential of some headphones.
This thread is only about BT Headphones, so I would not particularly encourage a comparison between BT and wired Headphones, but you can surely do that as reference if you wish, maybe it can help some people.
For sure I would like to know your updated impressions.
And I am more sorry now, for not being able to buy them here in EU.
 
 
Kelleytoons, if you are going to finally choose something with Aptx, you should buy a different BT transmitter, one with Aptx... You will notice the difference.

 
I get what you're saying, I was just going to compare to a wired headphone in a similar price range. I actually just realized that when the S1+ is on but not playing there is a high pitched noise that comes out of the speakers until the BT turns off. This may actually be a deal breaker for me since it's really bothersome when I have my headphones connected to my PC. I'll probably end up picking up the Plantronics BackBeat PRO since I've seen them mentioned a few places, just need to wait for Amazon to get them back in stock. Until then I'll still be looking around to see if any other BT phones catch my eye.
 
 

 

[Giogio]

   
I don't have any at the moment. I read about neutron while I was looking at reviews, apparently poweramp doesn't take advantage of AptX. I did A/B between the two and after maxing out the audio settings (more cpu usage for higher quality, etc) neutron is a clear winner. I don't really like the interface though, but I can deal.
 
 
I get what you're saying, I was just going to compare to a wired headphone in a similar price range. I actually just realized that when the S1+ is on but not playing there is a high pitched noise that comes out of the speakers until the BT turns off. This may actually be a deal breaker for me since it's really bothersome when I have my headphones connected to my PC. I'll probably end up picking up the Plantronics BackBeat PRO since I've seen them mentioned a few places, just need to wait for Amazon to get them back in stock. Until then I'll still be looking around to see if any other BT phones catch my eye.
 
 

I do not think that Poweramp has nothing to do with Aptx. THat is a codec used by the phone. The music player cannot bypass it.
I think that, very simply, Dmitry, the programmer of Neutron, did a very good job. Sometimes things are so simple. Better programmer, better program.
 
Anyway, in which review did you read about Neutron? Just curious, it could be mine
 
I do not know how high is the hiss of the S1+ but, almost all BT Headphones have it.
A guy in the thread for the Sony MDR-XB950BT just explained that it is a lack of "negative feedback" (do not ask me what that is) due to the fact that they use less current in the amp to make the battery last longer.
So, the Plantronics has it to a bit. No wonder its battery last 24 hours. But it is not bothering. I did not feel as loud. Then probably it also depend from how fast it turns off when music stops.
The Fidelio have it too.
The Beats have it very strong.
The Bose have it a bit.
The Harman Kardon a bit.
And so on.....
 
If you buy from Amazon.com you could consider the Harman Kardon. they are illegally cheap now and they sound in my opinion third best after Fidelio and Backbeats but with more bass than Backbeats.
So, it depends on what you look for and what you listen to.
If you tell me, I can tell you which one could be better for you.
 
Cheers