I don’t usually post here, in fact rarely do I but I do feel it necessary to make a comment about the set of SSR’s I received yesterday.
I’m in my 50’s… have treble sensitive hearing… and hate sibilance!! I love a listening experience of being in the front row… an intimate setting if you will as opposed to sitting at the back of the hall. I don’t blast things anymore… I like low volume listening. But there is an issue with that… it’s very hard to achieve… details get lost... vocals fade… it’s not the easiest thing to accomplish in 2 channel setups. So I’ve tried many headphones over the years to compensate. It faired ok but not really became a thing with me. These last few months… more than likely due to the covid living… I’ve been researching iem’s. Something lighter on the head… they don’t mess up your office look LOL… prices have come down and technology has been on the rise.
The Ikko OH1’s and the Blon BL-03’s were my first taste… I struck it lucky with one. I was blown away by the Ikko’s… I literally smile every time I listen to them!!
The Blon’s on the other hand… I just can’t get into them… I guess I don’t fall in that camp… they are sitting on my desk looking for a new home… in their pretty little packaging.
Following a bunch of threads here… it’s kinda like a rabbit hole now this whole Chi-fi thing… the SSR’s popped up as a solution to low level listening. I liked the curve… I like forward sound… so I took a chance. They arrived yesterday and after an initial listen I was pretty sure these things are special. So after a night of random music playing through them, I’ve been sitting here this morning for the last few hours gobbling up every little ounce of music I have. After 35 years of playing in the audio world, every now and then you come across a gem... this is one of those times!
I’ve been trying to write this post for the last half hour getting really distracted and utterly getting pulled in to an energetic and emotional listen that I’m getting from these. I dare you to try to do some work while Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover is playing… you’ll stop and finish the song guaranteed!! The clarity and the detail are all there… and I’m going to guess it’ll improve over playing time.
To clarify I equate bright to be treble tipped… treble that makes my ears bleed. These are not bright they are forward in their presentation. Yes they can be a bit brash or splashy if the song has been poorly recorded (again Paul Simon or Bruce Cockburn or even Gordon Lightfoot) if used at low volumes all that does is add to the engagement not distract or take away. And jazz… the new Melody Gardot is wonderful!! Use them for what they are made for and I’ll bet you’ll be rewarded just like I have been this morning.
Thanks to this forum for giving a guy like me a chance to continue enjoying the music
