Hi all,
Mine have turned up a couple of days ago too. Not spent a ton of time with them yet but here are some initial observations (all listening performed directly out of a Chord Hugo):
- Very neutral presentation
- Very "open" sound for closed cans (Sometimes I find closed cans feel like they are missing something on certain tracks - not so here)
- Excellent (lack of) sound leakage. When these turned up I listened to them in my (fairly quiet) open plan office at work and apparently this didn't disturb anyone. This could be a reason all by itself for me to keep these!
- Vocals slightly "laid back" giving a more balanced sound overall (sometimes my LCD3 feel like the vocals overpower everything else)
- Bass seems pretty accurate and extends well but maybe slightly lacking in body on occasion - although I guess I'm comparing to LCD3 here (and if it helps to quantify I think exactly the same about the HD800)
- These are very light - perhaps another subliminal comparison to the LCD but I was expecting them to be heavier given the "bog oak"
- Comfort - feels pretty good to me although in honesty I rarely have problems in this area.
- Clamping force - yes it's slightly more pressure than my other headphones but I quite like that. I wear glasses and am happy to report no problems at all.
- These benefit from burn in. Not sure whether it's more "brain" burn in than driver changes but my experience with these has greatly improved since day 1. In honesty I was initially underwhelmed when first putting these on but now starting to think these may have a permanent place in my small collection.
Although I've been through many headphones I had pretty much settled on HD800 (mostly for classical/brass/choral) and LCD3 (for everything else). Out of these two cans I would say the sound signature is much closer to the HD800. The Magister doesn't quite match the HD800 for the level of detail or massive soundstage but for closed cans it pulls off a decent imitation.
Overall I'm pretty impressed so far. Not sure if all 10 have gone yet but with the current discount these are amazing bargains. Offer finishes on the 5th so be quick if anyone is tempted.
Will add further thoughts after I've spent more time with these ...
Craig