Originally Posted by warrior05
I see that Wowie11 beat me to the initial punch. Here's my review:
I will preface this review of the Goldring's DR150 by saying I'm somewhat new to this headphile arena in that I don't have a lot of diverse headphile experience. I've listened through PX100, 7506, E2C, E4, HD590, DT770/80, AD700 and have only had a Total Airhead (3 AAA model) and a PA2V2.
I purchased these 'phones due to Team DR150's founding father - SWT61 - and his opinions and the very reasonable $125 shipped cost (Mantra Audio). My most recent set - the AD700s - have been a very pleasing experience but with some of the driving music I listen to they are a bit too laid back. From what I was hearing from SWT61, the DR150s were the answer. And indeed they are...
Upon initial inspection I can see how money was saved in the manufacturing. All plastic construction. The ear cups are symetrical so only one mold needed for both sides. Don't get me wrong, though - these are nice looking cans and nicely built. I love the size of them as well. As compact as circumaural cans can be. The headband is nicely padded with a covering of velour. The padding of the ear cups is just like my HD590s.
Comfort: The clamping pressure is just a tad high - hopefully it will loosen up a bit over time. I wore these for nearly 3 hour straight, though, and if it wasn't for the feeling of some pressure these cans just disappeared, they are that comfortable. In terms of comfort, my HD590s are a 10. These I would rate at 9.5. If the headband loosens up - it will easily be a 10.
Now for the most important part - sound: Because I plan on using these mostly with my Zen Sleek / PA2V2 combo, that's what I tested these with. The music I listen to is as follows:
Electronic - Ambient and Downtempo a la Biosphere, Boards of Canada, Carbon Based Lifeforms, etc
Rock - Jack Johnson, Peter Gabriel, Beth Orton, Cowboy Junkies, Derek Trucks, Counting Crows, some Pearl Jam, etc.
Blues - BB King, Sonny Landreth, SRV, Ronnie Earl, John Lee Hooker
Classical - guitar pieces played by the likes of David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Julian Bream, Angel Romero, etc. Also I'm a Wagner fan with Tannhauser being my fav.
In short, I threw a little of everything from above at these cans and it handled them all from quite good to quite astonishing. These are lively cans and certainly more up front than my AD700s. This is not to say they don't have any kind of soundstage - oh, yes they do. Maybe not expansive but it is open. They are also detailed. The first song on JFC's Electronique Love has this one part where there's a bass sweep that I always enjoy testing cans with and these cans not only handled them just fine but I picked up on some nuances I hadn't heard before. I'm kind of a junior basshead and these cans deliver! I love the tight bass response and this is right out of the box. The midrange is nice and present. Vocals sound terrific. The highs are well represented as well though I did hit a couple of songs where they became slightly piercing but then I was never a treble guy.
These cans are just a ton of fun. They are exciting and handle Blues, Blues/Rock and Rock just fine thank you very much. I'm loving my Electronic music as well. Maybe not as much space as my ATs but absolutely no complaints. I don't listen to a lot of classical and listening to Tannhauser I can see where the higher end cans would be preferred but for this occassional listener - I was quite satisfied.
The gist of it is that these are the most balanced 'phones I've ever listened to. They kind of remind me of the DT770/80 but with the mids there. Okay, the bass is not as present as the Beyer's but I'm more than happy with it.
$125? An absolute bargain!!!
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