Received mine last Thursday and I gotta say, that frequency graph is pretty accurate. Anyway, I paid $250 for it and it's pretty good so far. I have M-100 original and 6xx ran through magni3/modi m/eitr. Closed back to closed back comparing wise, the m-100 seems to have a wall of sound signature compared to the Ora. Like the Ora has this separating quality which I can't identify if it is its signature in comparison or it actually is doing way better separating. 6XX I like the openness too much to compare this fairly. But the V shape of the Ora is different for sure. I can say that this thing is very fast though.
^What particular Frequency Graph are you referring to?
I paid about the same as you and ordered more than one pair. I have yet to check the others to see if there are any unit-to-unit inconsistencies, whether they might be in operation or SQ. I think this will be interesting and somewhat revealing.
I, too, thought that there was some L/R side imbalance at first, but that is completely gone now...verified with multiple types of test tone/evaluation tracks.
I'm going to wait a fair bit longer before listening to the new sets in order to make sure that I have the unique properties of this first set firmly registered in my brain.
The GQs certainly aren't perfect, but at the moment I am very content with the price/performance and feature set given the early adopter cost. At this point, I would probably not be quite as thrilled if I had paid MSRP, but they still seem to be improving, so?
One of the GQ pairs will be sent to a friend of mine who regularly hosts headphone meets at his home and attends HP GTGs hosted at the homes of other members in the group. He owns both the HD600 and the Focal Utopias, and within his local group they own and listen to an extensive variety of HPs and IEMs at all price points, along with a wide variety of DACs & HP amps (Tube & S-S). I'm interested to know their impressions and where they would rank these.
So far, with my initial pair of GQs, there has been a notable change in the response with increased listening time. As a musician, I'm fairly certain that it is not my own ears/brain or aural perception simply adjusting to their unique sound signature over time. Sure, there may be some of that, but I believe that it is truly a result of driver "burn in", and/or possibly the ear pads being "worn in" a bit as well, whether or not you believe in either of those.
I have long known that driver burn-in is real from designing and building home DIY speaker systems, along with installing high-end car audio systems in all of my vehicles.
If you want just one reference to driver "burn-in" or "break-in" being real, complete with multiple "before & after" test measurements, check out the "Burn In/Myths" links on the
www.gr-research.com home page.
The initial anomalies I heard upon first listen to the GQs, and what I am experiencing now, can simply not be attributed to my ears & brain adjusting my own perception. The differences are too great and the anomalies too unique.
A musician is acutely aware of minute changes in tone and the harmonics of their own instruments, and also that of the others playing around him/her, whether that be in a small quartet, large orchestra hall, or a rock band, etc. We are constantly monitoring and concentrating on our tone just to simply ensure that our instruments are still accurately "in tune" individually and with each other, and also to maintain "balance" and "synergy" with the rest of the band.
darkfireblade25, if you are referring to the "separating" aspect of the GQs as having good Imaging and Sound Stage properties, then I agree with you.
However, I've never heard the M100. I'm more a fan of open back headphones, and the only closed-backs I currently have are the AKG K553 PRO, which I still enjoy for their easy-listenable, somewhat laidback character and above average sound stage and imaging. They are my everyday "kick around" set that I don't have to be too worried about losing or damaging, tho' I would be a bit heart-broken if I couldn't find replacements.
My particular GQs provide a truly excellent sound stage! (With well-recorded music) there is exceptional pinpoint focus and detail of instruments & vocals, with distinct separation and "black" space between each instrument and/or vocal. There is also very good delineation in sound stage depth. And you can easily perceive the size and type of room the instruments are in (when that is captured in the recording).
I'm a former drummer/percussionist and saxophonist (I still play & record a bit, but just as a hobby now). If I understand your use of the term regarding the GQs being "fast", I also agree. There is no overhang on dynamic transients. Real notes are played and heard with no smearing or blurring, and the only decay is that of the natural room/instrument reverb (again, when that is captured in the recording).
Regarding the fit, with a bit of experimentation, I was able to achieve a very comfortable fit, wearing them for hours at a time. I have an average size head, but with large ears.
The fit will also affect the spectral balance. Make sure that the clamping force on the ear pads is not too tight, or too light. While playing a reference track, try very slowly and gently pushing in, and then pulling out on both ear cups to vary the clamping pressure. Note the change in tonal balance and adjust/expand/contract the headband a bit by gently bending it into a wider or tighter arc. Most of you know this stuff! But sometimes it is easy to forget when you're just trying to "listen" to the cans.
I'd also advise all of you to listen to a wide variety of genres and tracks on random/shuffle play, with both average recordings and exceptional ones. This will give you a good sense of how these perform and how it handles or presents each type. I've been pleasantly surprised, especially the more time I spend with them!
And I was initially under the same impressions as the very negative YouTube reviews.
Let them run and burn in every night while you sleep with some bass heavy music. It might not help...but it certainly can't hurt anything, right?
I plan to write up a full review soon.