[starblue]

I don't mind if people think the headphones are over priced (being hand made in Japan by an artisan can't be cheap)

I don't mind if people don't like the headphones that's fine too.

What is objectionable is when people try and tell others what they "should" like. - Oh so you now are the omnipotent all seeing wizard of that which is great sound?

As said before we all perceive music differently- I would guess there are so many variables it would be impossible to have a level playing field. Why should anyone in this thread be upset that many of use like these headphones? It makes no sense at all.

How many of you out there on this forum check for the dynamic range in the music they listen to and compare different recordings of the same album? This I think is worth paying close attention to.

And the comment I think made by ToroFiestaSol - Pioneer jumped on the bandwagon of established companies. Do your homework! Pioneer have been in the high end game for a very long time. Their Exclusive P3 turntable first released in 1979 won a slew of awards back then and still sell for 4-6000 USD today. Not to mention various other exotic high end Hi-Fi gear.


The war that is being fought all around is over the domination of the content in our minds.

 
Agree!

 

[up late]

i would love to try this can but that doesn't look likely unfortunately. i would never judge it or any other can without auditioning it. that said, i'm also interested in how it measures.

 

[AppleheadMay]

I don't mind if people think the headphones are over priced (being hand made in Japan by an artisan can't be cheap)

I don't mind if people don't like the headphones that's fine too.

What is objectionable is when people try and tell others what they "should" like. - Oh so you now are the omnipotent all seeing wizard of that which is great sound?

As said before we all perceive music differently- I would guess there are so many variables it would be impossible to have a level playing field. Why should anyone in this thread be upset that many of use like these headphones? It makes no sense at all.

How many of you out there on this forum check for the dynamic range in the music they listen to and compare different recordings of the same album? This I think is worth paying close attention to.

And the comment I think made by ToroFiestaSol - Pioneer jumped on the bandwagon of established companies. Do your homework! Pioneer have been in the high end game for a very long time. Their Exclusive P3 turntable first released in 1979 won a slew of awards back then and still sell for 4-6000 USD today. Not to mention various other exotic high end Hi-Fi gear.


The war that is being fought all around is over the domination of the content in our minds.

 
 

  Assuming everybody who is reading this thread has some degree of [atleast initial] interest in this headphone, I have a friendly advice - ignore the mathematics and Physics, i.e. forget about the charts chatter, just go and try out this headphone, preferably with your own source. Trust your ears. For me, when a headphone "calls" you on your listening seat everyday and forces you to go through tracks and digital albums without the urge to skip, it has made its impact statement already. This headphone is musical and addictive to my ears and its really as simple as that. Not to all ears may be and I am OK with it. But I urge you to give it a try,
 
PS: before the dark side decides to comes after me - (i) I do have a masters degree in Material science Physics with my major with NASA (spececraft sh!t with lot of graphs) - I can read charts but when it comes to music equipment I choose not to do so (ii) have done a course in acoustic engineering - just trying to say I can read charts if I want to , and (iiI) checkout my headphone inventory, I do have "some"listening"experience. I don't care what graphs say, I trust the ears and melon on my shoulders
 
PS: I am torn between Pioneer SE M1 and Sony MDR Z1R. After few weeks of listening I am inclined to day that they are both awesome phones. Sony initially  came out as bass heavy but after burn-in it has changed character. I am not letting these two compete with each other. They are both musical and both will stay.
 
Happy listening!

 
 
Amen to that!
 
@starblue: Can you tell us some more about how the Sony and Pioneer compare?

 

[Judgedredd]

Hi everyone,
 
I'm a new guy here, 1st post for me! Please also note that I'm fairly new to hi-fi headphones (less than 2 years).
 
I just wanted to write my impressions about the Elear vs the Master 1. I saw that many of you asked for this.
The Amp/DAC used was the Pioneer U-05.
So I was at a local store, just to try the Elear a bit. They were quite confortable. I really liked how the sound, goob bass with very correct medium and treble, a global sensation of warmth, not much but still. I tried the HD800S a week ago (in another store), found them too clinical/cold. So this was a nice change.
Then I saw in the same store a headphone I never heard of, the Pioneer Master 1 and asked the reseller to give it a try. The first thing I felt was about the comfort. I much prefer the Pioneer, even if it is heavier. Then I tried the same tracks I used with the Elear, with a large smile on my face. Wow! Was is really the same music? Bigger soundstage, more defined and a bit more pronounced bass. I personnaly find the treble also better on the Pioneer. I can't really say about the mediums. 
Though on some tracks, I prefered the bass of the Elear (few of them), overall I found the Pioneer to be a very good match for me!
I came today to make some more tests at the shop, that confirmed what I just said, and bought the Pioneer (which I hope to receive in 2 weeks).
 
On a side note I also tried at the same time the Stax sr007 mk2, with the amp Stax SRM007 TII, and really disliked them. Couldn't keep them on my head more than 30 seconds. Don't know why, I guess everybody has their tastes

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

And the comment I think made by ToroFiestaSol - Pioneer jumped on the bandwagon of established companies. Do your homework! Pioneer have been in the high end game for a very long time. Their Exclusive P3 turntable first released in 1979 won a slew of awards back then and still sell for 4-6000 USD today. Not to mention various other exotic high end Hi-Fi gear.


The war that is being fought all around is over the domination of the content in our minds.

 
Does that justify the lackluster measured performance of Master 1?
Keep paying for a brand name and not for a quality product if so

 

[Oregonian]

I don't mind if people think the headphones are over priced (being hand made in Japan by an artisan can't be cheap)

 Pioneer jumped on the bandwagon of established companies. Do your homework! Pioneer have been in the high end game for a very long time. Their Exclusive P3 turntable first released in 1979 won a slew of awards back then and still sell for 4-6000 USD today. Not to mention various other exotic high end Hi-Fi gear.


The war that is being fought all around is over the domination of the content in our minds.

 
Well said.............I'm a vintage Pioneer fan and the following was one of their best efforts............the Spec 1 preamp and Spec 2 amp.  Drives headphones wonderfully............especially the HE-6 from the speaker taps.  I'm considering the Sony or the Master 1.
 

 

[AppleheadMay]

  Hi everyone,
 
I'm a new guy here, 1st post for me! Please also note that I'm fairly new to hi-fi headphones (less than 2 years).
 
I just wanted to write my impressions about the Elear vs the Master 1. I saw that many of you asked for this.
The Amp/DAC used was the Pioneer U-05.
So I was at a local store, just to try the Elear a bit. They were quite confortable. I really liked how the sound, goob bass with very correct medium and treble, a global sensation of warmth, not much but still. I tried the HD800S a week ago (in another store), found them too clinical/cold. So this was a nice change.
Then I saw in the same store a headphone I never heard of, the Pioneer Master 1 and asked the reseller to give it a try. The first thing I felt was about the comfort. I much prefer the Pioneer, even if it is heavier. Then I tried the same tracks I used with the Elear, with a large smile on my face. Wow! Was is really the same music? Bigger soundstage, more defined and a bit more pronounced bass. I personnaly find the treble also better on the Pioneer. I can't really say about the mediums. 
Though on some tracks, I prefered the bass of the Elear (few of them), overall I found the Pioneer to be a very good match for me!
I came today to make some more tests at the shop, that confirmed what I just said, and bought the Pioneer (which I hope to receive in 2 weeks).
 
On a side note I also tried at the same time the Stax sr007 mk2, with the amp Stax SRM007 TII, and really disliked them. Couldn't keep them on my head more than 30 seconds. Don't know why, I guess everybody has their tastes

 
 
Thanks for your impressions, much more useful than those measurements and so called professional reviews.
Ditto on the Stax btw.
 

   
Does that justify the lackluster measured performance of Master 1?
Keep paying for a brand name and not for a quality product if so

 
BS, just like these measurements. If one likes a pair of cans and has compared enough to find out what he likes then measurements become irrelevant. And if one likes these Pioneers like many do then the quality is there. You like to pay for measurements, others to get sound they like. The latter is the right option IMHO. Has nothing to do with brand name like you try to imply.

 

[starblue]

  Hi everyone,
 
I'm a new guy here, 1st post for me! Please also note that I'm fairly new to hi-fi headphones (less than 2 years).
 
I just wanted to write my impressions about the Elear vs the Master 1. I saw that many of you asked for this.
The Amp/DAC used was the Pioneer U-05.
So I was at a local store, just to try the Elear a bit. They were quite confortable. I really liked how the sound, goob bass with very correct medium and treble, a global sensation of warmth, not much but still. I tried the HD800S a week ago (in another store), found them too clinical/cold. So this was a nice change.
Then I saw in the same store a headphone I never heard of, the Pioneer Master 1 and asked the reseller to give it a try. The first thing I felt was about the comfort. I much prefer the Pioneer, even if it is heavier. Then I tried the same tracks I used with the Elear, with a large smile on my face. Wow! Was is really the same music? Bigger soundstage, more defined and a bit more pronounced bass. I personnaly find the treble also better on the Pioneer. I can't really say about the mediums. 
Though on some tracks, I prefered the bass of the Elear (few of them), overall I found the Pioneer to be a very good match for me!
I came today to make some more tests at the shop, that confirmed what I just said, and bought the Pioneer (which I hope to receive in 2 weeks).
 
On a side note I also tried at the same time the Stax sr007 mk2, with the amp Stax SRM007 TII, and really disliked them. Couldn't keep them on my head more than 30 seconds. Don't know why, I guess everybody has their tastes

Congratulations! You wont regret this purchase Hope you get your M1 in your hands soon. 

 

[arnaud]

On a side note I also tried at the same time the Stax sr007 mk2, with the amp Stax SRM007 TII, and really disliked them. Couldn't keep them on my head more than 30 seconds. Don't know why, I guess everybody has their tastes

 
Was it at one of these yodobashi stores? While I certainly am not a big fan of the pairing above, the typical crappy sources used at those yodobashi stores (some marantz players often) just make these Stax sound pretty lame.
Also, sadly, you picked one of the worst combo lol. The Omega 2 really needs a lot of juice to wake up and the 007 t2 is very mellow sounding to start with so really a big no no.
Now, I assume you just said "okay, I never heard these stax things, let's just pick some of the most expensive stuff and try it". You should have had a look to the L700 headphone with same tube amps, it's a cheaper phone and the combo is much better, there's some magic going one with this lambda headphone and stax tube amps.
 
Now, you're happy with the pioneer so it's all that matters. Perhaps even the kind of music you listen is just more suitable to these phones presentation and that is fine. On my side, for the first few years of my headphone journey, I also was disliking the stax gear when listening in stores and always picking some dynamic headphones. Until the HD800 make me realize I was either listening to crappy recordings or the source just was plain bad. The HD800 forced me to look into that direction and this is when I really started to appreciate the stat stuff.
 
cheers,
arnaud

 

[up late]

Thanks for your impressions, much more useful than those measurements and so called professional reviews.
Ditto on the Stax btw.

that's because they accord with yours

 

[starblue]

i usually avoid analogies, but to dismiss objective measurements because they don't align with what you hear and like or don't like, is not dissimilar to disregarding a temperature gauge because the temperature feels different to you than what is indicated, or disagreeing with a speedometer because it indicates that you are travelling faster than you thought you were, or relying on your visual estimate of the length of a wall rather than a tape measure etc.

 

Interesting analogies. Consider following
- Atmospheric O2 content decreases with elevation. Its a fact which can be calculated/backed mathematically and therefore cant be disputed at scientific level. Yes, some people are able to scale everest without supplemental O2 while others (seemingly very fit) succumb to pulmonary edema etc. Point - we all have different constitutions. Same parameters impact us differently
- Temperature is a measurable variable and cant be disputed either, however someone living in Hokkaido or Alaska may find 15 degrees quite pleasent compared to a person who has spent life close to Equator. Heck, my wife sometimes complains 25 degrees being cold for her. Point - X degrees is X degrees but you don't need to look a temperature gauge to determine you are comfortable or not, don't you?
- Speed is also measurable but being riding motorcycle for quite a few years I can tell you one thing - 100kph on a 1000cc bike doesn't feel the same as 100kph on a 250 cc bike. You feel the stress and speed much earlier on smaller bore engine. That doesn't mean you cant enjoy motorcycling on lower cc motorcycles. Ever seen the bunch of people riding pocket bikes on mountain roads? trust me mate, it is sometimes more fun than riding a 1000cc on the same roads.
Lastly when you are riding, you don't look at speedometer to have to get the 'thrill'
 
I don't think you are someone who is trying to push hard measurement on others so apologies if my post comes as inflammatory. I am just stating that having fun in a hobby isnt necessarily tied with specs of the instrument associated with that hobby. Personally I have no issues if people want to use specs and charts to decide their purchase and enjoy it. I just want it to be pushed on my face (again, I am not saying you are doing but I do see some posts which are fixated on charts to the point they outright discount this headphone). In short - we respect you/you respect us
 
Completely off-topic but since we drifted to speed and motorcycles, enjoy some scenery from Japan and Korea -> www.riachan.com/wordpress

 

[Judgedredd]

   
Was it at one of these yodobashi stores? While I certainly am not a big fan of the pairing above, the typical crappy sources used at those yodobashi stores (some marantz players often) just make these Stax sound pretty lame.
Also, sadly, you picked one of the worst combo lol. The Omega 2 really needs a lot of juice to wake up and the 007 t2 is very mellow sounding to start with so really a big no no.
Now, I assume you just said "okay, I never heard these stax things, let's just pick some of the most expensive stuff and try it". You should have had a look to the L700 headphone with same tube amps, it's a cheaper phone and the combo is much better, there's some magic going one with this lambda headphone and stax tube amps.
 
Now, you're happy with the pioneer so it's all that matters. Perhaps even the kind of music you listen is just more suitable to these phones presentation and that is fine. On my side, for the first few years of my headphone journey, I also was disliking the stax gear when listening in stores and always picking some dynamic headphones. Until the HD800 make me realize I was either listening to crappy recordings or the source just was plain bad. The HD800 forced me to look into that direction and this is when I really started to appreciate the stat stuff.
 
cheers,
arnaud

 
I don't remember the source, I think it was a Yamaha network player.The store is a French one, I don't think you would know it!
Sadly for the combo I have no choice, we don't have many options here in France, even in Paris... I just tried it because it was used, but still in very good condition, and for 3000€ for the combo. I had a go with everything they had in the store. I didn't try the L700, i think it would be very difficult to find it here, more difficult even with a given amp. Maybe someday!
I listen mostly to lots of kinds of rock music, a bit of classical and jazz.

 

[Judgedredd]

 
Completely off-topic but since we drifted to speed and motorcycles, enjoy some scenery from Japan and Korea -> www.riachan.com/wordpress

 
Wow! I really love Japan, thanks for that!

 

[blablablack]

  Hi everyone,
 
I'm a new guy here, 1st post for me! Please also note that I'm fairly new to hi-fi headphones (less than 2 years).
 
I just wanted to write my impressions about the Elear vs the Master 1. I saw that many of you asked for this.
The Amp/DAC used was the Pioneer U-05.
So I was at a local store, just to try the Elear a bit. They were quite confortable. I really liked how the sound, goob bass with very correct medium and treble, a global sensation of warmth, not much but still. I tried the HD800S a week ago (in another store), found them too clinical/cold. So this was a nice change.
Then I saw in the same store a headphone I never heard of, the Pioneer Master 1 and asked the reseller to give it a try. The first thing I felt was about the comfort. I much prefer the Pioneer, even if it is heavier. Then I tried the same tracks I used with the Elear, with a large smile on my face. Wow! Was is really the same music? Bigger soundstage, more defined and a bit more pronounced bass. I personnaly find the treble also better on the Pioneer. I can't really say about the mediums. 
Though on some tracks, I prefered the bass of the Elear (few of them), overall I found the Pioneer to be a very good match for me!
I came today to make some more tests at the shop, that confirmed what I just said, and bought the Pioneer (which I hope to receive in 2 weeks).
 
On a side note I also tried at the same time the Stax sr007 mk2, with the amp Stax SRM007 TII, and really disliked them. Couldn't keep them on my head more than 30 seconds. Don't know why, I guess everybody has their tastes

Hi, how big of a difference is the Elear to the pioneer if you take the price in to account? I'm considering the pioneer and the mcintosh mhp1000 as well with the elear

 

[Judgedredd]

Hi, honestly I cannot say that the Pioneer is more than 2 times better than the Elear. As I said, I find the Elear to be a very good heaphone. I like the Pioneer more! I didn't try the Mcintosh.
But I guess in the end it all comes down to your taste in headphones, you should try them. At this price range, I would never have considered to buy either of them without trying them myself.