jagwap
1000+ Head-Fier
Just spent half an hour with these in the showroom. The fact they have a nice Scandinavian sofa to sit in makes it more relaxing.
First impressions are good. Great fit and finish unsurprisingly, and comfortable. I have a huge cranium so often the clamping force can be too high if the wrong materials are used.
Firstly. They are not crazy loud, but they go loud enough to cause long term hearing damage on rock, on android. So unless you guys complaining have a technical problem, stop it with the crazy volume. With the exception of some audiophile recordings which are deliberately recorded very low, when it was just loud enough, there was plently of volume. I fidled with the developer options to give no difference. However, my Mobius went a couple of notches louder. No need though.
Straight off, they were clear and neutral, with good detail, but with a lump of bass added. Why can no headphone developer resist larging up the bass? It isn't accurate, and mangles the music timing perception (engineers use this in the mix to bring up or down the pace).
I persevered, fiddling with the codec options and bit depth in develeoper options, to no effect (or drop out as it changes. See later). I tried all sorts of music, and always the same result, lovely, but uninvolving. Bass and pace were off.
So I stood up and went to get my Mobius and compare. Yup, Mobius are much more fun and revealing of the timing interplay (although they are not perfect. The Sine is much better)
Going back to the H95, it was different this time. The bass lump was more integrated, and everything hung together more. The only difference seemed to be the position on my head standing up was slightly further forward. This subdued the top end a little, but not the difference I was now hearing. Swapping back and forth a few times I noticed something. Now each time it came up aptx HD on the screen, which it hadn't I think before. I'd asked for it in developement options, but I suspect it hadn't heppened until reconnection, as now the bit depth and other stuff made a small mute as it changes. Note I am using Mobius on LDAC 96kHz 24bit in this comparison. I don't know why the 96kHz makes so much difference on LDAC, but it does.
With the abtx HD firmy on, these are great headphones. They are not universally better than the Mobius, but they compete on sound quality. They are brighter with more bight, where the mobius is more eftortless. But the H95 overal is on a par. There is more bass, which I do not prefer, but it is at least aligned and tuneful when a good CODEC is used. They are non fatiguing, fun, involving, musical and hard to put down. Isn't that more important than all the audiophile nonsense?
Of course they are much better constructed than the Mobius. I'm on my second set of Mobius, as the first ones snapped on a weakspot on the headband. I use the old pair as spares, which I have needed several times.
So I asked how much, and they told me (nearly double the Mobius), but I'd have to order them.
If they'd been in stock, I was severely tempted. They are great.
First impressions are good. Great fit and finish unsurprisingly, and comfortable. I have a huge cranium so often the clamping force can be too high if the wrong materials are used.
Firstly. They are not crazy loud, but they go loud enough to cause long term hearing damage on rock, on android. So unless you guys complaining have a technical problem, stop it with the crazy volume. With the exception of some audiophile recordings which are deliberately recorded very low, when it was just loud enough, there was plently of volume. I fidled with the developer options to give no difference. However, my Mobius went a couple of notches louder. No need though.
Straight off, they were clear and neutral, with good detail, but with a lump of bass added. Why can no headphone developer resist larging up the bass? It isn't accurate, and mangles the music timing perception (engineers use this in the mix to bring up or down the pace).
I persevered, fiddling with the codec options and bit depth in develeoper options, to no effect (or drop out as it changes. See later). I tried all sorts of music, and always the same result, lovely, but uninvolving. Bass and pace were off.
So I stood up and went to get my Mobius and compare. Yup, Mobius are much more fun and revealing of the timing interplay (although they are not perfect. The Sine is much better)
Going back to the H95, it was different this time. The bass lump was more integrated, and everything hung together more. The only difference seemed to be the position on my head standing up was slightly further forward. This subdued the top end a little, but not the difference I was now hearing. Swapping back and forth a few times I noticed something. Now each time it came up aptx HD on the screen, which it hadn't I think before. I'd asked for it in developement options, but I suspect it hadn't heppened until reconnection, as now the bit depth and other stuff made a small mute as it changes. Note I am using Mobius on LDAC 96kHz 24bit in this comparison. I don't know why the 96kHz makes so much difference on LDAC, but it does.
With the abtx HD firmy on, these are great headphones. They are not universally better than the Mobius, but they compete on sound quality. They are brighter with more bight, where the mobius is more eftortless. But the H95 overal is on a par. There is more bass, which I do not prefer, but it is at least aligned and tuneful when a good CODEC is used. They are non fatiguing, fun, involving, musical and hard to put down. Isn't that more important than all the audiophile nonsense?
Of course they are much better constructed than the Mobius. I'm on my second set of Mobius, as the first ones snapped on a weakspot on the headband. I use the old pair as spares, which I have needed several times.
So I asked how much, and they told me (nearly double the Mobius), but I'd have to order them.
If they'd been in stock, I was severely tempted. They are great.
Last edited: