[Fing]

I bought my L3000 earlier this year and at the time, I thought they sounded significantly better than my W5000, as they should for 4x the price. I also felt I could hear more with the L3000 vs the W5000 - they are very good at picking up details, in addition to all their other strengths.

Of course, they're hard to beat for rock and they're by no means a one trick pony. They can handle all genres of music very well, given sufficiently good source/amp; such as the AT amp that was released with it. I think this amp has been specially 'tuned' to make the L3000 sound good on it.

I can listen classical or female vocals with equal enjoyment and not feel that I am lacking anything. Recordings that sound screechy and hard to listen to are 'evened out' so you can enjoy the music and not worry about screaming trebles or woolly bass.

I think I can best describe the L3000's as a non-fatiguing phone that you can listen to for hours on end and enjoy yourself thoroughly throughout that time because of its fast-paced, dynamic and detailed delivery, with a lovely tight, clean bass just where you need it.

Other phones that over-emphasise the top or bottom end can initially sound more impressive or 'better' - but then you realise how very coloured they are. They will only work for certain kinds of music. As mentioned, even though the L3000 aren't free from its own sonic signature, they still portray a much wider range of music in a coherent and enjoyable way.

They're built with Rolls Royce fit and finish in mind and I think that in some ways, their target market for these phones are aimed at those who enjoy travelling to their musical destination with the minimum of fuss and in the utmost of comfort, luxury and style.

 

[purk]

Fing,

Well said on the L3000. My thought exactly. The L3000 is very well rounded headphone for many types of music.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fing /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can listen classical or female vocals with equal enjoyment and not feel that I am lacking anything. Recordings that sound screechy and hard to listen to are 'evened out' so you can enjoy the music and not worry about screaming trebles or woolly bass.

very well stated. all of it. the above has been my impression of the L3000 the few times i have heard it. i have always walked away thinking that the sound was very "smooth."

Quote:

Originally Posted by recstar24 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I concur (except the part about the d5000). The l3000's are like the RS-1's in that they somewhat have a polarizing sound signature. Either you will love them or not care for them. A lot will depend upon the system you play them on, but there is a distinct coloration in the L3000's that is evident in the majority of the systems I have heard them. tunately I love them, but my wallet definitely can't back up that price. If they dipped into the 1500 area I would probably pick up a set.

yes. if these headphones were $1500-$1800, i think that would be more resonable for what they seem to offer. but $2200-$2400 is, to me, a lot of money to spend on one headphone. and at that amount, it better be damn near close to perfect instead of just a very enjoyable can.

 

[purk]

Quote:

yes. if these headphones were $1500-$1800, i think that would be more resonable for what they seem to offer. but $2200-$2400 is, to me, a lot of money to spend on one headphone. and at that amount, it better be damn near close to perfect instead of just a very enjoyable can.

Well...the sad thing is....2200-2400 is quite a bit away from a near perfection. The HE-90 is a lot better than the L3000 in almost every way, but they are almost 3 times the going rate of the L3000 these days. So 2200 isn't that bad.

 

[robm321]

While I was disappointed with them only compared to expectations. I thought they sounded very good. I prefer the HP-2s (believe it or not even prefer the HP-2 bass).

However, they are very competent and for rockers may be at the pinnacle right along side the PS-1 which I also prefer. It's all a matter of taste but for what they can do, the price is justified. For my preference, I wouldn't pay the asking price or even crave to own them.

They were exactly as described by headfiers. Quality bass (not all about quantity - they don't have too much like the PS-1), midrange smoothness although micro detail was a bit blurred. MarkL was right in his review that it is a blunt type of headphone rather than delicate and subtle headphone. The highs were a bit too rolled off for me as well. Add to that, the isolation wasn't all that great compared to the Ed. 9s.

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes. if these headphones were $1500-$1800, i think that would be more resonable for what they seem to offer. but $2200-$2400 is, to me, a lot of money to spend on one headphone. and at that amount, it better be damn near close to perfect instead of just a very enjoyable can.

As I mentioned recently in a R10 thread, it's all a matter of perspective. If you love these headphones and plan on keeping them, let's say even two years, if you pay $2400, it still comes out to about $3.00 a day. Totally worth it my opinion! Most people just have to cut out a coffee a day from the local donut place or Starwhatever. L3000 vs. a latte...a no brainer.

Until companies come out with headphones that can compete in sq AND build quality with the L3000s and R10s of the world (I haven't seen/heard that yet), there isn't anything to replace them. The prices will continue to rise as they remain a standard to the numbers of people entering this hobby every day. You can't base value on what used to be.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif L3000 vs. a latte...a no brainer.

LOL you'd make a good sales person I'd take one but gotta have my coffee in the morning.

 

[3x331m]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif As I mentioned recently in a R10 thread, it's all a matter of perspective. If you love these headphones and plan on keeping them, let's say even two years, if you pay $2400, it still comes out to about $3.00 a day. Totally worth it my opinion! Most people just have to cut out a coffee a day from the local donut place or Starwhatever. L3000 vs. a latte...a no brainer.

No latte for couple of years ? I'd go insane...

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well...the sad thing is....2200-2400 is quite a bit away from a near perfection. The HE-90 is a lot better than the L3000 in almost every way, but they are almost 3 times the going rate of the L3000 these days. So 2200 isn't that bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomana /img/forum/go_quote.gif As I mentioned recently in a R10 thread, it's all a matter of perspective. ... Until companies come out with headphones that can compete in sq AND build quality with the L3000s and R10s of the world (I haven't seen/heard that yet), there isn't anything to replace them. The prices will continue to rise as they remain a standard to the numbers of people entering this hobby every day. You can't base value on what used to be.

in terms of value and perspective, i tend to see it this way. if the L3000 is good enough to replace my current headphones - HD650, k701, RS1 - then that is part of and increases its overall value, making its $2000+ price tag more acceptable. but if the L3000 is just going to become part of the general rotation along with other $500 headphones, then that works against its value and to me is not worth it - even if the headphone is superior in some respects to all of the others.

personally - and i don't know if this seems odd - if i owned an L3000 i would feel guilty and pressured to listen to it all the time because of its cost. how could i listen to a $500 headphone when another 5x its cost is sitting right next to it. and i think it is this approach, this kind of thinking, that led me to start this thread - that the people who purchased the L3000 and then sold it within a few months possibly had similar feelings. they bought the L3000 thinking it would become their reference headphone and when it failed to live up to those expectations - even if it excelled mightily in some areas - and failed to replace wholesale their HD650, etc, they concluded that it had to go.

 

[didwlgh]

Used to listen to L3000s all the time, then came the He90/O1. Nowadays, speakers triumph them all...

even still, I'm perfectly happy just looking at my L3000s. =)


edit: everytime i "upgraded," the inferior headphones got very little time.....next to none, I would say. For me, the price tag of nearly every highend headphone I've tried was worth it, not to mention the L3000s of course.

 

[purk]

Quote:

edit: everytime i "upgraded," the inferior headphones got very little time.....next to none, I would say. For me, the price tag of nearly every highend headphone I've tried was worth it, not to mention the L3000s of course. __________________

I agree with you regarding the inferior headphones. The L3000 is now at work with me as a work headphone along with my DHA3000.

 

[didwlgh]

The headphones are getting very little time once my watt/puppies came though. =)

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by didwlgh /img/forum/go_quote.gif The headphones are getting very little time once my watt/puppies came though. =)

Great speakers, I loved the W/PS7 I heard

Which ones are you getting? I heard them with BAT amps, good stuff.

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes. if these headphones were $1500-$1800, i think that would be more resonable for what they seem to offer. but $2200-$2400 is, to me, a lot of money to spend on one headphone. and at that amount, it better be damn near close to perfect instead of just a very enjoyable can.

The headphones were around 1800 from Japan when they were available new. I didn't like it enough to keep it at that price. I prefer an open airy sound like the K1000 for my primary headphone. I have the W11jpn with me at the moment as a secondary can. This is an interesting headphone. With certain music, it sounds beautiful.

 

[WindowsX]

L3000, way waiting for the despair...