I know this is an appreciation thread (I read you loud and clear Lorspeaker
) but I pulled the trigger on some D7100s and I wanted to post my impressions here. This is the main thread that I read before buying them so, for those like me, I thought it would be good to get another semi-review in here.
Quick setup: I owned and loved the D7000 before my LCD-2's came along. Equipment used for evaluation was a Marantz SA8004 feeding a KICAS Caliente amp.
For those of you looking for the short version, I was very disappointed in these headphones and I don't feel that they're in the class of $1,000+ cans. Now the explanation.
First thing I've gotta address is the bass. Wow do these things go low and hit HARD. Outside of playing with the Digizoid Zo I've never experienced anything like it. I love my bass and I'm always craving more but not here. This was plenty. In fact, coming out of my Caliente (boosted low end) I found it to be overwhelming. Outside of the Zo, this was really a first for me. So while I was happy that it went deep with authority, I was thinking that I'd like it to be scaled back. Other pluses include comfort (not HD800 or anything but very nice), a nice 1/4" plug that was very smooth to plug in (much moreso than my LCD-2) and a great box that's great for storage and comes with some very nice accessories.
Unfortunately now it's on to the negatives. One is that I found the soundstage to be distractingly small. It felt like it was the size of a tennis ball right between my eyes. And sometimes it sounded very hollow, like it was listening in a cave. I compared with my Beyer DT770 and the Beyers had a wider left to right soundstage. It was very surprising. I also noticed that the headphone was smooth on the top end to a fault. There's a track I use to test sibilance with a female vocal that has lots of 's' sounds. I've heard this on various headphones from just toeing the line before being sharp to being a nightmare that feels like it's piercing you while you listen. This is the first headphone that I've heard where that song had zero sharpness on the 's' sounds. Like, not even close. As I listened more intently, I noticed that it was almost like she wasn't fully singing the 's' sound, like she had cut off the very last part of it. As much as I love a laid back sound (sparkle and bright are not for me) I found that I was missing the detail in there even if it came with a touch of sharpness.
When I switched from the Denons back to the LCD-2 it was amazing how much more was there. Detail, spacial separation, overall soundstage size... it shocked me every time. I don't remember the D7000 well enough from memory to say how it compares to the 7100, unfortunately, but I will say this: I do remember the 7000 having a smaller soundstage than the LCD-2 when I first got it but I don't ever remember feeling as surprised as this.
I know that the LCD-2 isn't the perfect headphone and it's not everyone's cup of tea. But still, based on the degree of differences I observed between the two, I'd caution anyone to try to audition the 7100 before purchasing or to take advantage of a trial period/return policy. In the end I don't think it stacks up well against its $1,000+ brethren.
I'll get myself a pair tomorrow, can't wait!
