globalbee
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2003
- Posts
- 38
- Likes
- 10
The Qualia 010 headphones just arrived. I have been listening to them for only a few hours, so these are just initial impressions. Also, note that the 010's have had limited time to break-in. First, while in Mikhail's hands and now a few in mine.
To get this out of the way, the 010's weigh nothing and are very comfortable. They are entirely open. Everyone listens to what is being played. You can hear their conversations.
My first reaction was that of being taken back. The sound is quite different than other headphones. They are highly resolved. Brutally neutral. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon the source material, source and amp feeding into them. More on that in a bit.
My understanding is that Sony designed these headphones to highlight the qualities and capabilities of SACD. Okay, that was accomplished. Right now I am listening to Alison Krauss - Forget About It SACD. Great recording and the 010's reveal everything. (Marantz SA8260 & Maestro ZR) Detail, clarity and layered. Electrostatic transients. Wide and natural headstage. Take the volume down, very little disappears. That's says something. Definitely one of the great headphones.
Not being a proponent of short term A/B testing, it will take time to define perceived differences between the 010 and other headphones. For comparison I have the Orpheus HE90/HEV90, Stax Omega II with 007t, 650's and PS-1 plus several dynamic amps. Unfortunately, R10's have not yet arrived. Probably the Orpheus and R10's would be most comparable.
One other consideration is that no amp has yet been tuned to maximize the 010's. By that I mean a year of fidgeting. That places them somewhat at disadvantage, but that is the way it is right now. Various tubes are on the way from Mikhail for tube rolling the Maestro ZR. (Note: Maestro ZR is truly an amazing reference amp/preamp.) Also, these headphones need a hundred hours of burn-in. That is apparent.
The Qualia 010 are so very resolved that some CD's can sound like a bunch of 0's and 1's. Too digital for my tastes. Not all CD's, but some. That's the yang of highly resolve's ying. Some source material may prefer a bit of coloration. But, play something well recorded and it's magic. A stack of music is waiting its turn. (One question . . . Should headphones be designed to fix a flawed source?)
The more that I listen, the more that I think, "get the front end right, get the best tube match, use good recordings and this will be unbelievable." So, I will wait for the tubes, then move the Maestro over to my reference source and then try again.
The more that I listen, the more I am impressed.
To get this out of the way, the 010's weigh nothing and are very comfortable. They are entirely open. Everyone listens to what is being played. You can hear their conversations.
My first reaction was that of being taken back. The sound is quite different than other headphones. They are highly resolved. Brutally neutral. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon the source material, source and amp feeding into them. More on that in a bit.
My understanding is that Sony designed these headphones to highlight the qualities and capabilities of SACD. Okay, that was accomplished. Right now I am listening to Alison Krauss - Forget About It SACD. Great recording and the 010's reveal everything. (Marantz SA8260 & Maestro ZR) Detail, clarity and layered. Electrostatic transients. Wide and natural headstage. Take the volume down, very little disappears. That's says something. Definitely one of the great headphones.
Not being a proponent of short term A/B testing, it will take time to define perceived differences between the 010 and other headphones. For comparison I have the Orpheus HE90/HEV90, Stax Omega II with 007t, 650's and PS-1 plus several dynamic amps. Unfortunately, R10's have not yet arrived. Probably the Orpheus and R10's would be most comparable.
One other consideration is that no amp has yet been tuned to maximize the 010's. By that I mean a year of fidgeting. That places them somewhat at disadvantage, but that is the way it is right now. Various tubes are on the way from Mikhail for tube rolling the Maestro ZR. (Note: Maestro ZR is truly an amazing reference amp/preamp.) Also, these headphones need a hundred hours of burn-in. That is apparent.
The Qualia 010 are so very resolved that some CD's can sound like a bunch of 0's and 1's. Too digital for my tastes. Not all CD's, but some. That's the yang of highly resolve's ying. Some source material may prefer a bit of coloration. But, play something well recorded and it's magic. A stack of music is waiting its turn. (One question . . . Should headphones be designed to fix a flawed source?)
The more that I listen, the more that I think, "get the front end right, get the best tube match, use good recordings and this will be unbelievable." So, I will wait for the tubes, then move the Maestro over to my reference source and then try again.
The more that I listen, the more I am impressed.
