Ok, I suspect I speak for all of us when I say...more info please!
You've got quite a collection of headphones...care to offer any comparisons off the top of your head? Also, what gear was being used to drive them at the show? Thanks!
I have to mention that while it was not the noisy show floor, it was still not a private listening session. That being said I was surprised that they seemed not to leak as much as the K812, isolation is of course not very high, with the M-1 being an open headphone. The pads are very comfortable, deep and soft. It felt like the Sony Z7 in that regard.
They had two models on show, one with the standard cable ending in a 6,3mm jack, the other sporting the optional balanced cable with 2x XLR, both connected to Pioneers own U-05. An iMac was used as the source, but I did not have a look at the software in use as I prefer to test with my own music. So I connected the standard one to my ifi iDSD Micro, fed from my iPhone. The iDSD in Normal setting (i.e. no Turbo) had no problems driving it to ear splitting levels without distortion.
Bass was deep reaching, with good resolution and very convincing drive, not overdoing it, but not a lean presentation for sure. I liked the mid presentation, female voices (yes, that does exist in EDM and electronics as well, but I had some other titles as well
sounded authentic and with a stable spacial presentation. My biggest regret with the K812, its sometimes gritty treble, was no problem here.
Some random notes...
I did try it with my iPhone without an external helper as well, did work. Quite good actually, but volume maxed out. So quiet recordings with great dynamics might not sound as they should in this case...
Fit is very good, the size selectors on the headband have a button, which you press to release and move to the next bump. So that should stay in place securely even when putting them down.
The small second band is actually changeable, there are two of them in the box: one that is a little tighter, one that is softer. So you can change the pressure by exchanging these band. They snap into the thicker part above the ear cup. Nifty construction.
The box looks good, being all black with glossy black lining.
Build quality seems excellent, no sharp edges, fine selection of materials and stainless workmanship.
The balanced cable is sold as an accessory, going for ~300,- if I remember that correctly.
The connectors on the headphone are MMX style (the guy at the show said its MMX, but it looked even smaller to me), but with a thicker surrounding that looks nothing fragile and snaps securely into place.
The following is to be taken with tons of salt because I did not hear any other headphone in direct comparison, did not hear the Master-1 for too long (I think it was ~20min, but time flew by... so maybe 30min), had some background noise etc.
Bass did somewhat remind me of the TH900, but a bit less (very welcome as the TH900 is a bit over the top for me). Mids and treble seemed cleaner, treble less aggressive (as the TH900 sometimes can be, with the TH600 having a bit more of a problem in that regard).
As mentioned above I think the Pioneer does not exhibit the light treble problems the K812 shows, but its not as efficient. Comfort is on par I'd say.
The T1 does not have such a bass presence. I'm not talking about sheer volume, with the Master-1 bass is more just there. Its by no means drowning out anything, but its impressively present and clear (that it shares with the TH900, but, as I said above, it has just the right amount while the TH900 is too much for me in that regard. I think sound stage may be a bit more intimate with the T1.
Hope that helps a bit... Price in Europe is 2500,- btw.
