[ChatAlors]

I'm beginning my listening sessions since about 6 days.
 
What I can say for sure : these headphones come truly great with cymbals and drums, violins, cellos and guitars (classical, folk, electric - and more importantly bass).
 
Bass are clean and quite powerful (a little less than a Fostex TH-900 but less fatiguing).
 
Comfort is truly awesome and first class - clamping choice, memory foam pads, great weight repartition with an off-center headband.
 
 
I had some minor troubles with male voices (a little bit recessed and laid-back) when I first listen to them - before 3-4 days of full burn-in time without listening, but the problem seems to be completely resolved now.
 
I need more listening sessions on the best recorded classical music and opera representations.

 

[FiveYears]

I had the same impression after listening to them for about an hour and half at e-earphone.  Cymbals and violin where superbly portrayed, plus there is a great deal of air or separation between each of the instruments.
 
I`d love to hear them with a really good turntable and amp.

 

[pedalhead]

 
Will Tyll receive a pair for measurements? 

I've asked and they said since it's not available in the US now that I couldn't have one for review. 

Do Pioneer actually understand how the Internet works? Pretty sure Innerfidelity's readership isn't limited to the USA.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Feel free to let them know. I can only ask so many times.

 

[up late]

lift your game pioneer and send a pair to tyll for assessment coz enquiring minds need to know. not that i have one but i've been wanting to use that phrase for a while.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  I'm beginning my listening sessions since about 6 days.
 
What I can say for sure : these headphones come truly great with cymbals and drums, violins, cellos and guitars (classical, folk, electric - and more importantly bass).
 
Bass are clean and quite powerful (a little less than a Fostex TH-900 but less fatiguing).
 
Comfort is truly awesome and first class - clamping choice, memory foam pads, great weight repartition with an off-center headband.
 
 
I had some minor troubles with male voices (a little bit recessed and laid-back) when I first listen to them - before 3-4 days of full burn-in time without listening, but the problem seems to be completely resolved now.
 
I need more listening sessions on the best recorded classical music and opera representations.

 
 

  I had the same impression after listening to them for about an hour and half at e-earphone.  Cymbals and violin where superbly portrayed, plus there is a great deal of air or separation between each of the instruments.
 
I`d love to hear them with a really good turntable and amp.

 
 
Nice to hear your impressions, seems like they do well exactly what I bought them for.
Still a few weeks more to wait. I have great expectations for these and am dying to hear them!
I so hope these are a HD800 killer with bass. =)
Keep your impressions coming, makes the wait a bit easier!  

 

[ChatAlors]

Today was about a quite long listening time with original soundtracks, especially in this order :
- Batman
- The Lord of The Rings
- Back To The Future
- Star Wars
- Indiana Jones
- Jurassic Park
- KILL BILL
- Pulp Fiction
- James Bond
- 2001 - A Space Odyssey
- Conan the Barbarian
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
 
The instruments, tones, harmonics, positions on the stage and global aeration on the orchestral tracks are just wonderful, quite remarkable.
It sounds just so 'natural' and 'lively'.
 
Pioneer have done a great thing with these headphones.
A keeper for me, between my HD800 and my SR009 on my desk.
 
EDIT : I have started "He's A Pirate" from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, and I need to take some fresh air.
I'm very impressed, it's all about epicness - killer bass, killer soundstage.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Today was about a quite long listening time with original soundtracks, especially in this order :
- Batman
- The Lord of The Rings
- Back To The Future
- Star Wars
- Indiana Jones
- Jurassic Park
- KILL BILL
- Pulp Fiction
- James Bond
- 2001 - A Space Odyssey

- Conan the Barbarian
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The instruments, tones, harmonics, positions on the stage and global aeration on the orchestral tracks are just wonderful, quite remarkable.
It sounds just so 'natural' and 'lively'.

Pioneer have done a great thing with these headphones.
A keeper for me, between my HD800 and my SR009 on my desk.

EDIT : I have started "He's A Pirate" from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, and I need to take some fresh air.
I'm very impressed, it's all about epicness - killer bass, killer soundstage.

Now that you had some more time (and burn-in) with them, how would you compare them to the HD800 and SR009?
Where are they better than the others and where not, and with what music?
What amps do you use with them, and how do you amp the SR009?
Good to see a fellow countryman with a great setup!

 

[rgs9200m]

So are these going to be offered by any sources in the US, in case anyone has any idea about this? Thanks.

 

[gurus]

I doubt it if Pioneer is going to market this in the US anytime soon, like in the next couple of months, if at all. I contacted Pioneer USA and they have no clue.
 
You probably need to buy one from Japan or Europe. Japanese dealers have ready stock.

 

[ChatAlors]

Now that you had some more time (and burn-in) with them, how would you compare them to the HD800 and SR009?
Where are they better than the others and where not, and with what music?
What amps do you use with them, and how do you amp the SR009?
Good to see a fellow countryman with a great setup!

Sennheiser HD800 (rug-liner added and dust cover removed) : AURALiC Vega & Taurus MKII or SimAudio Moon NEO 430HA (with integrated DAC) on loan for this month;
Pioneer SE Master-1 : same systems for the moment;
STAX SR009 : STAX SRM-727tII + Esoteric D-07 or STAX SRM-600LTD with the same DAC.
 
I'm not a great enthusiast of the BHSE/KGST amplifications; and I'm out of all these hypes around them, even after some serious tries with these amps - YMMV.
 
The SR009 is the 'king of headphones' in production - clarity, speed, decay, tones, effortless. Period. But very intolerant with bad or medium recorded music and it lacks some vitality, some punch with the brass instruments sometimes.
I just don't recommend them for rock, metal or satured music.
Most recommended for voice tracks (like opera and cantate) or the very best recorded tracks you could have as available.
 
The SE Master-1 is a bass-killer, a 'puncher', very vivid, very generous, sounds very natural on string and brass instruments, but quiet music lovers could hate it.
Recommended for almost everything but very quiet music or relaxation time.
Most recommended on EDM, funk and original soundtracks.
 
The HD800 is quiet and peaceful, a 'romantic lover', with a great range of soundstage, subtle and with one of the greatest kind in global resolution.
Recommended on almost everything but powerful music or with the need of sub-bass restitution.
Most recommended on movies, classical, jazz and folk.
 
 
There isn't only one answer on what could be the perfect headphones (we are not in the Highlander movie - "There Could Be Only One"); I don't have chosen and the three of them are truly great.
 
(I know for the budget, buddies.)

 

[arnaud]

Somehow, I have my doubts you've ever been closer than 15feet from any of these non stax amps you're mentioning.

I certainly don't advocate one system for all but you gotta be kidding me with putting that pioneer anywhere close to the sr009 or omega 2 for that matter. The one I've heard had such boomy bass it wasn't funny. I listened to the HE-1000 right after, I wish someone at pioneer did the same to hear the wake up call...

Now, yes, mechanical burnin can exist but to transcend a headphone, no, not ever seen that...

Arnaud

 

[FiveYears]

My guess is that some General Manager of Marketing at Pioneer thinks that Americans live in such big houses, they don't need/want headphones. Kind of dumb, but I have seen a lot of that type of thinking here in the land of the rising sun.

 

[rgs9200m]

Is the Pioneer's bass very strong like the JVC DX1000 was? I liked that headphone's mid/highs but the bass was so strong and pounding it was painful and I sold it. (Maybe this is a Japanese headphone quality...)
Sometimes the bass in my Fostex TH900 is too strong also, and that's also a Japanese phone.

 

[ChatAlors]

Somehow, I have my doubts you've ever been closer than 15feet from any of these non stax amps you're mentioning.

I certainly don't advocate one system for all but you gotta be kidding me with putting that pioneer anywhere close to the sr009 or omega 2 for that matter. The one I've heard had such boomy bass it wasn't funny. I listened to the HE-1000 right after, I wish someone at pioneer did the same to hear the wake up call...

Now, yes, mechanical burnin can exist but to transcend a headphone, no, not ever seen that...

Arnaud

Between 6 and 10 feet, depending on the length of the cables, but thanks about your concern on my amp choices.
You could be much more concerned about the QC and the membrane tension consistency on a certain recent headphones; they need to learn with the STAX team and the JPS Labs one about headphones construction and finition.
Or even by yourself as you are pretty good on acoustic engineering, they could learn many things before trying to sell an unfinished and unpolished product.
They really need it, seriously.
 
 
I've never mentioned about a mechanical burn-in which could 'transcend the headphones' as you misinterpret my words : I really just wanted to say that the bass will be tamed a little bit after some days of use, as the floating structure needs some burn-in time (the driver will not change at all) - like with a speaker.
 
About the question on bass on the Pioneer, I have some troubles with bass power on the JVC DX1000 and the TH900 also, too overwhelming.
I will be frank once more : the bass on the SE Master-1 are quite powerful on punch but a little less than a TH900 on intensity.
I can leave them on my head for more than 1-2H without causing fatigue.