Here's my review, which I am copying/pasting from a PM I sent Dan (edited for typos
).
Alright, I have used these almost constantly for about 10 days. I purchased the Dog Pad version with comfort strap. They are being driven by a FiiO E09K/E17 (bought this setup for portability as well as having a desktop amp all in one for a low price.). I use Foobar with WASAPI-Event. Flac files mainly but there are some 320kbps MP3's (will be acquired in flac eventually). I must say, the sound is very good. But more on that later.
Here are some of my thoughts.
Comfort - I went from from my Ultrasone HFi-580 at work to these. The HFI-580 was very comfortable to me but my ears would get warm after a couple hours. Pleather. Well, I put these on and they were like pillows around my ears. Just insanely comfortable. I wanted to test some recording nuances I heard with these if they were present in the HFI-580 because I had never heard them before. Well, I can't even wear the HFI-580 anymore. Not comfortable at all compared to these (keep in mind, it was about a week of only wearing these). My ears don't get hot with the leather vs pleather. I have worn these for 7 hours a day at work since I got them (low listening volume, of course) and I can wear them for even longer. These are the most comfortable headphones i've ever worn, hands down.
Sound - They sounded amazing from day 1. As they have burned in, the sound has changed ever so slightly. They are less harsh in female vocal highs that I experienced at first. Like I said, 7 hours a day without any fatigue, headache, etc. The sound stage is a good size for a closed headphone but not too large. It feels intimate, as though i'm sitting at a table close to the stage, just listening to the artist play an unplugged set.
Bass - I thought it was lacking at first, but I have never experienced a truly flat or very neutral headphone before the Mad Dog. I wanted more bass so I EQed some more bass through Foobar and the FiiO E17. Well, I've gone back to no EQ on bass. The more I listened, the more I got used to it. They have just the right amount of presence and the perfect amount of detail in the low frequencies. Before, I'd hear the bass line in a song. Now I hear the chords of the bass line, and yet the bass is always present. It adds to the music, but doesn't overpower. This is very good to my ears, as I absolutely hate when bass overpowers. To me it's like bad concert audio, when the guitars aren't turned up high enough and all you hear are the drums or vice-versa. The Mad Dog is just the right amount of everything.
Mids - detailed, clear, forward when they are intended in the recording. Really brings rock music to life (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Pink Floyd, Tool, etc.)
Highs - harsh at first, but very good now. Reminds me of the Grado SR225i where they are clear, detailed and with some sparkle but aren't fatiguing. When I was purchasing my Grados, I went to a local audio store and auditioned the SR80, 125, 225, 325, and RS2i back to back. I stayed there for 4 hours, listening to music. The reason I chose the SR225 was because it was far more detailed (and fun) than the 80 and 125, but the 125 and 325 were too harsh in the highs. It was piercing. Well the highs here are extremely detailed but smooth and don't hurt, if that makes sense.
Overall - Needless to say, I'm keeping the headphones. They are amazing for what they are (small ortho, modified) and truly a great value. When I go visit the parents for Christmas, I'm taking my setup home and will have my dad listen to these. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll have to buy him a pair
. He studied music in Europe through his high school years and enjoys his audio.
It has been a joy rediscovering music. These headphones bring me back to the first times I listened to certain albums. Listening to Ten, Superunknown, Smells Like Teen Spirit, The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Lateralus has been superb. Listening to metal is a joy. The speed and melody of everything from Megadeth to Amon Amarth to Slayer is never lost and the headphones don't struggle to keep up (muddle/muffle the sound). Hip hop is good. I've been listening to The Heist by Macklemore all week and the bass here isn't as punchy as, say, the HFI-580, but it is detailed and clear and adds that depth to the music. Electronic music is great too because of the linear response and speed of these headphones. I listen to drum and bass and again while it isn't punchy, I can hear EVERY detail and separation in between the drums and bass and even multiple layers (tracks) of the same instrument in the songs.
I'm very happy with these. It has been a learning experience with the neutrality and bass quantity from what i'm used to (HFI-580), but the experience has been for the better. I much prefer the sound of the Mad Dog. I can't compare these to the regular pads, but I don't want this sound to change. When I went back to my other headphones, they all sounded tinny or colored or far too bassy. I guess I prefer neutral and prefer orthos because even something neutral that uses a dynamic driver (K702) just doesn't sound as good (not just because of the lack of bass and because of the analytics. These have their place. The Mad Dog just sounds better to me). These are the right balance of musical to analytical to my ears. I look forward to getting an open back ortho (HE-400) for at home listening because i feel as though it will perfectly complement these and provide a similar sound while giving some more of the benefits of being open backed.
