I pulled the trigger and grabbed the last pair of Diamond Black. First off, I just want to say that I have had nothing but the highest respect for Paul Barton. What he did with the NRC and loudspeakers literally set the standard. PSB speakers are amazing and very reasonably priced. It is no wonder the M4U 1 has been on my watch list since they were released. Not only have the made their way to Head-fi's buyer's guide, but have taken the top spot for $300 over-ear at Wirecutter for the second year now. So, what do I think?
The hype is real!!
Fit is great. I don't find the clamping force to be too much at all. Yes, the M4U 1 are a little on the heavy side, but it is not too bothersome. The headband is comfy and doesn't irritate the top of my head nor feel warm. The ear pads fit like a glove (are they leather or faux?), and my ears do not touch the back grille cloth at all (I do have ears of a wood elf). Wearing glassed doesn't seem to pose any issued either other than a slight rubbing noise it makes as it moves across the pad. Speaking of the ear pads, BIG KUDOS to PSB for including a second pair! And two cables and adaptor. My only gripe is that the standard cable without mic should have been thicker and have a 6.35mm plug as standard. Oh well, I can simply buy an aftermarket one. Anyway, on to the sound.
Absolutely beautiful sound. Everything these headphones promise deliver! The M4U 1 is the closest thing to having loudspeakers strapped to head. Frequency response is perfect; Bass is fast, tight, and powerful yet completely controlled. No bloat, no bleed, nothing sounds overly boomy and instruments/sounds have accurate weight and outstanding texture/detail. I don't think I have heard such clean sub-bass in a set of headphones that can be compared to a dedicated woofer. Midrange is so ******* smooth, upfront, detailed, lush, addictive. No discernible glare or peakiness. Treble extends well with great crispness and sparkle yet never fatiguing, harsh, or overbearing, and can be summed up with one word; sweet.
Soundstage is amazing, delivering a very open sound that rivals open backed cans. While they are not the most 'airy' of headphones, for a closed-back design it excels above the curve. Imaging is absolutely spot on and the instruments have great transparency. Nothing feels congested.
Everything I have said so far is great and all, but where the M4U 1 really shines is in presence and timbre. All I can say is wow! Impact of percussion instruments is nothing short of amazing, giving you the sense of being
very close to the source. Snares pop and kicks slam with authority while cymbals slash with great attack and decay. Brass have great bite and sound very brassy. Bows can be felt as they are dragged across the strings. Guitars, both electric and acoustic are perfectly rendered; you can
feel the distinctness of picking and plucking. And vocals, holy smoke are they even good. Perfect in my book. From Leonard Cohen to Mark Knopfler, Dave Mustaine to Seal, male vocals are incredibly rendered with good weight and body. Female vocals are even better. Whether be the classic style of Linda Ronstadt or the operatic power vocals of Floor Jansen, the female voice comes across with incredible clarity and range with never a hint of harshness or accentuation of the sibilance.
While the M4U 1 excels at many genres of music, it fairs equally with both movies and games. Watching the first 15 minutes of Pacific Rim was awesome! We are talking about big theatre sound with precision. Every nuance of the opening scene could be heard with great imaging and sense of surround while the voices remained tight and focused. Switching things to games, I played a little bit of WoW. Wow is right! Spells and effects excite, dialogue much like Pacific Rim came across with great clarity. Anyone who is familiar with World of Warcraft or at least it's music know's just how beautiful and epic the musical score is, and the M4U 1 delivers in spades. Lets just say I don't think I have heard such impact and resonance with the 'war drums' outside of standing next to them in person (which I have done, and played). I can't wait to see how well a game like the latest Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare sounds.
I know I said I would do a quick comparison of my headphone inventory to the M4U 1 but in all honesty, I cannot take them off my head. For $300, the M4U 1 is one hell of a steal. I don't know how PSB manages to sell these so cheap (probably good deal in the China plant). At $150 (plus a $25 gift card) I struck gold. So far I like these more than my Momentums, more than my T 70, even more than my HD598. This speaks volumes for the M4U 1.
In all honesty, the M4U 1 utterly destroys the DT 770 Pro like the Battleship Yamato vs a fishing troller. I highly recommend the M4U 1, they are amazing!
