wowie11
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2005
- Posts
- 379
- Likes
- 1
Well, to start it off, one of the first impressions by yours truly:
I actually had a chance to listen at my friends' house where I bogarted his system, which isn't half bad. A vintage solid state Yamaha CA1010 mated with a Rotel CD player. The integrated amp drove my Yamaha HP1's pretty well (which is really tough to do) and cleanly so this will do the trick. I also managed to wrangle his HD650 to include in the comparo. Where do I start...the DR150's are a really good all around pair of cans. Listening to Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, some Bach, Dave Clark Five, Common, Fugees, Queen, and Miles Davis is quite pleasurable with these phones. As mentioned before, the comfort level is second to none with the clamping force starting to calm down a bit. With Jimi, this is where the HF1's really shine. Nothing does guitar solos like Grados do. Nothing. I mean, the HD650, DR150, and HP1's all sound great, but the HF1's do something magical with those guitar licks that are just otherworldly. That being said, the forward presentation of the DR150 made it more musical to listen to on guitar tracks than the HP1 and the HD650. If I didn't have my HF1's I would have been listening to Jimi ripping it up with the DR150s'. Ditto with other instruments as the Dave Clark Five, Bach, and Miles Davis all sound brilliant with both the HF1's and DR150's. With that in mind, the level of detail on the DR150's, however, are just not at the same level as the others. It's almost there and if you're not AB'ing them, it's tough to notice...but it is certainly just a bit behind on the details (but not by much). There were strings that were in the background faintly but noticeably with both the HF1's and the HD650's during some of the Bach Fugues a bit fainter on the HP1's and that I could barely pick up on the DR150's. The bass has plenty of thump while listening to hip hop and was one of the things my friend commented on. He is a staunch believer that all he needs in life is his HD650 (godbless him...he hasn't discovered head-fi), but after listening to the DR150's he was pulled in by how engaging it is. The sound, although not as detailed, is also not as laid back as the HD650 (which is what IMHO makes the HD650's special). I wouldn't call the DR150's warm which something people would probably use to characterize HD650's and the HP1's, but the DR150 are certainly lively and balanced and have a very unique sound signature. I think I mentioned it before, but I think the closest comparison that I could make (bear in mind that I am not an audiophile nor do I claim to be) would be a much more refined version of the popular Koss line (KSC75, portapro, etc.). I am talking about a HUGE improvement, but sound sig wise really quite similar. The sound stage was baffling me a bit when I was listening to Paul van Dyke, but after listening to non-electronica music, I understood it a little better. The sound stage is quite nice. Instrument separation is superb. Listening to Dave Clark Five and their dazzling array of drum solos was awesome on the DR150's which make you feel like you're sitting in the front row of their show instead of on stage.
Well, what can I say...I am extremely pleased with this purchase. In fact, if I can hide it well enough (see my previous sold items) I might just pick up a back up pair. They are that good. I will be using them primarily on the road, when I crash at my hotel room. I love the fact that it uses mini-to-mini interconnects as the cable. In fact, I did a quick test drive and plugged in my canare ic's from markertek and the sound did change...a little bit less bass and the mids became a bit more prominent with the sibilance greatly reduced. I did, however, switch back to the stock cables because I really enjoyed that sound (and the cable was much longer than the markertek). I also enjoy the comfort level of these phones. The combination of velour ear pads, open design, and light weight all combine to make one really comfortable set of cans. Finally, the construction is really quite superb for ~$150 phones. Sure its lightweight gives the appearance of fragility (is that a word?), but they feel very solid and looks like it will withstand the rigors of the road. I would greatly recommend these to anybody who are enjoying their KSC75s/portapros or anybody looking for a real solid performer at the ~$150 price range. Hope this helps!
I actually had a chance to listen at my friends' house where I bogarted his system, which isn't half bad. A vintage solid state Yamaha CA1010 mated with a Rotel CD player. The integrated amp drove my Yamaha HP1's pretty well (which is really tough to do) and cleanly so this will do the trick. I also managed to wrangle his HD650 to include in the comparo. Where do I start...the DR150's are a really good all around pair of cans. Listening to Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, some Bach, Dave Clark Five, Common, Fugees, Queen, and Miles Davis is quite pleasurable with these phones. As mentioned before, the comfort level is second to none with the clamping force starting to calm down a bit. With Jimi, this is where the HF1's really shine. Nothing does guitar solos like Grados do. Nothing. I mean, the HD650, DR150, and HP1's all sound great, but the HF1's do something magical with those guitar licks that are just otherworldly. That being said, the forward presentation of the DR150 made it more musical to listen to on guitar tracks than the HP1 and the HD650. If I didn't have my HF1's I would have been listening to Jimi ripping it up with the DR150s'. Ditto with other instruments as the Dave Clark Five, Bach, and Miles Davis all sound brilliant with both the HF1's and DR150's. With that in mind, the level of detail on the DR150's, however, are just not at the same level as the others. It's almost there and if you're not AB'ing them, it's tough to notice...but it is certainly just a bit behind on the details (but not by much). There were strings that were in the background faintly but noticeably with both the HF1's and the HD650's during some of the Bach Fugues a bit fainter on the HP1's and that I could barely pick up on the DR150's. The bass has plenty of thump while listening to hip hop and was one of the things my friend commented on. He is a staunch believer that all he needs in life is his HD650 (godbless him...he hasn't discovered head-fi), but after listening to the DR150's he was pulled in by how engaging it is. The sound, although not as detailed, is also not as laid back as the HD650 (which is what IMHO makes the HD650's special). I wouldn't call the DR150's warm which something people would probably use to characterize HD650's and the HP1's, but the DR150 are certainly lively and balanced and have a very unique sound signature. I think I mentioned it before, but I think the closest comparison that I could make (bear in mind that I am not an audiophile nor do I claim to be) would be a much more refined version of the popular Koss line (KSC75, portapro, etc.). I am talking about a HUGE improvement, but sound sig wise really quite similar. The sound stage was baffling me a bit when I was listening to Paul van Dyke, but after listening to non-electronica music, I understood it a little better. The sound stage is quite nice. Instrument separation is superb. Listening to Dave Clark Five and their dazzling array of drum solos was awesome on the DR150's which make you feel like you're sitting in the front row of their show instead of on stage.
Well, what can I say...I am extremely pleased with this purchase. In fact, if I can hide it well enough (see my previous sold items) I might just pick up a back up pair. They are that good. I will be using them primarily on the road, when I crash at my hotel room. I love the fact that it uses mini-to-mini interconnects as the cable. In fact, I did a quick test drive and plugged in my canare ic's from markertek and the sound did change...a little bit less bass and the mids became a bit more prominent with the sibilance greatly reduced. I did, however, switch back to the stock cables because I really enjoyed that sound (and the cable was much longer than the markertek). I also enjoy the comfort level of these phones. The combination of velour ear pads, open design, and light weight all combine to make one really comfortable set of cans. Finally, the construction is really quite superb for ~$150 phones. Sure its lightweight gives the appearance of fragility (is that a word?), but they feel very solid and looks like it will withstand the rigors of the road. I would greatly recommend these to anybody who are enjoying their KSC75s/portapros or anybody looking for a real solid performer at the ~$150 price range. Hope this helps!
