So this'll be my first post. I've been lurking and listening a while, and what I've been hearing definitely informed this most recent purchase. I was actually bidding on Pioneer SE-L40's when I accidentally won an auction for Monitor 10's for $48 (!!!). I put in a relatively low bid while I was cruising through the SE-L40's on eBay, and one night when I got home, I had a message saying I'd won the Monitor 10's (it was my birthday, so I assume The Fates had something to do with it).
Anyway... I can't believe these things. I bid on them based on the looks and the positive reviews here on Head-Fi (then did a lot more reading after I won them). They are definitely exceeding my expectations. This pair was found in a cabinet at an estate sale, so who knows how long they sat dormant, but the good news is that even though the metal is a little dinged up and the "chrome" on the plastic around the edge of the pads is flaking a bit, the pads themselves are in great condition (both the foam and the covers) and seal quite well. To be honest, I'm actually almost relieved that the metal parts are a little dinged up, so I can actually use them and not be so precious about handling them. Once I got them "dialed in" (quite literally with these), the fit was much more comfortable than I expected, and though they are heavy, it's kind of comforting, like the lead blanket at the dentist's office or a nice, heavy down comforter.
My "go to" for the past three months or so has been AKG K553's with a Leckerton UHA-6SmkII with the OPA627. As an audio recording guy, I go for a pretty clinical sound, and thus I get my "excitement" from the sound stage. I purchased the K553 because they seemed like the best closed design headphones in my price range that would deliver a decent sound stage, and they definitely don't disappoint (they blow my previous "travelers," the ATH-M50x out of the water). However, I'm finding that the Monitor 10's are even more interesting in the "sound stage" category.
Currently I am tethered to my Carver C-2 preamp because it has a 1/4" headphone port (and that means I'm listening to everything on vinyl right now). I can't believe there are only four viable options for a cabled 1/4" female to 1/8" male adapter for people with vintage cans that only have a 1/4" plug (Sennheiser, Grado, Cardas and the uber-cheap Hosa). And all four options have a rather large housing on the male adapter end so they can't fit in a recessed hole (like if there is a case involved). Is there really not a greater market for this item? The solid body (no cable) adapter puts way to much strain on either the headphone port and/or the adapter itself (I have had many of the tips on these types of adapters break off --in fact, that's why I currently have no adapter and can't listen to the Monitor 10's via my Leckerton), so a cable is really the only decent ("correct?") option. I think I may start building this type of cable adapter and offering it for sale (without the typical insane price tag so often seen on "custom cables"). I ordered some parts last night, and today I started taking apart various adapters and cables I had laying around to start prototyping.
Anyway, back to the Monitor 10's... there have been a couple of times that the instrument separation was almost disturbing, but I think that'll evolve as a sort of "acquired taste" (like how Bourbon tasted like kerosene the fist time I imbibed, but now it tastes like sweet nectar of the gods). You can just really hear how each instrument lives in its own place with these headphones. It's quite amazing. At first, it overshadowed the listening experience a bit, especially since vocals were sounding a little recessed (this was especially true with "Those Shoes" by the Eagles), but I think as the drivers "wake up" as someone else has put it, things are getting better. I am letting them "burn in/revive" by leaving them plugged in while I'm working and listening to vinyl via my Magneplanars, but "Eye in the Sky" by Alan Parsons Project just came on and I had to don the Monitor 10's for a moment. To be immersed in the musical experience like that is fantastic (and the mids and vocals seem to be emerging from their previous cocoon).
Anyway, many thanks to all have posted regarding these headphones who helped tip me over the edge to purchase them. I love them.
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