My 1350s were waiting at more door when I got home Thursday night. Right out of the box, I thought they sounded pretty harsh and overly bright. So, they've been burning-in since then. Now they've got about 60 hours on them and there is a remarkable improvement. Right now I'm listening to them through my iBasso D4 DAC/amp, playing Apple lossless from my laptop. I have to say that the D4 - 1350 combo is phenomenal (low gain setting on the D4). While not ground shaking, the bass is definitely present and sounds just right to me - tight, well defined and no intrusion into the mids. I actually prefer it to the bass on my old Pro 900s - which I found at times to be a bit overwhelming and intrusive. The mids are outstanding - to my ears they are more forward than either the Pro 900s or my ESW9s. Very neutral and detailed. I thought I might prefer the warmer, more tubey sound of the ESW9s, but I was wrong - I really prefer the more neutral and accurate mids of the 1350s. Very natural and not analytical at all. I've got to gush about the treble, also - great extension and detail, but not sibilant or fatiguing. Imaging is also very good - instruments are well separated and accurately placed. This is another area where the 1350s just blow away the ESW9s, which I thought sounded a bit closed and at times congested. I find the 1350s very comfortable - maybe a smidge behind the ESW9s, but really nothing to complain about. One of the reasons I decided to order the 1350s was my dissatisfaction with the isolation of the ESW9s and the 1350s do isolate much better than the ESW9s - though the true test will be on my commute to work tomorrow morning. Overall, I'm very happy with the1350s, to my ears they truly are a reference portable.
