Ok so I was in a nice town called Frederickson, VA which has a store called Guitar Store,much like a smaller version of my hometown's Tom Lee Music. They carry a number of quality headphones, and are more than happy to let you test them.
I was lucky enough to find a Px100 ($49)- so I bought it. Now I am presently testing it with the Sony MDR 710LP ($65). I am fortunate to have a laptop that has two headphone jacks, one is labelled SPDII - not sure if it makes a difference or not, can't tell , and have yet to search my Help files.... ANYHOO.
First lesson :
Hmm any headphone can begin to sound great after listening for awhile. I thought my recently purchased Sony (yesterday) sounded great and in fact somewhat better to my Shure SE110's (ES2 replacements ?) Still working on this evaluation.... I was satisfied, yet curious to explore new found territory with head-fi member experience, which led me to trying out the PX100's.
With the PX100's on I'm listening away and become acclimatized to the sound, enjoying nice clarity, presence, and a balance of bass to fill in the areas. Much like a nice glass of wine with some Ahi Ahi. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a nice glass of Stout every once in awhile too, and on occasion a Martini or some Whiskey.
Interestingly, I could say the same about the Sony headsets after having them on for awhile.
NOT UNTIL I do a quick switch , can I hear the difference.
Please note I am a newbie and have a very limited knowledge for describing SQ in lengthly terms.... I likey or dislikey...
The Sony headsets are slightly louder - perhaps a 1 or 1.5 /10 increase... hard to say, but not enough to make it a deal breaker for me.
SQ - the Sony's are tinnier... not as crisp, colder, and slightly further away (soundstage ?)
PX100 Wins Still a decent sound if ya have nothing else to compare with....
Sound Leakage: Equal - spitting hairs here - even though the sony has a "closed back and fuller earcups. "
Looks:: The PX100 (white) has a ugly glossed coating, matt or semi matt would look better IMO. Their star over Sony's simple single line is bad design.
SONY WINS
Functionality : Once you take the 710LP's off your head they immediately recoil as if you've tripped a trap... ( see pic below ) I understand the headband has a higher degree of tension which would make a tighter fight, however not really needed. Having a portable headset, means taking them on and off as you engage in conversation. The PX100's sit comfortably around your neck, whereas the 710's choke ya (see pic). Sure the Sony's have one more fold, in the arm bands for smaller storage, but I find this more of an inconvenience as the PX100's fold down to a small enough size.
PX100 Wins
Comfort: Both are light, but the PX100's have the "lumbar" sponging on the arms which keep the center point from digging in. However I do prefer the Sony earcups ( just like the ptheather over unsanitary foam ). If a earcup Mod exists for the PX100 let me know please....
PX100 Wins.
Cable: Sony cable is slightly thicker (1/100th ) and has a 90 gold plated mini plug ... can you hear the quality... PX100's standard silver ?? Well Since most cable pulling is done at a 6o'clock the 90 plug will give a little more flex.
710 Wins Is it worth doing a cable MOD on a $50 dollar pair of phones ??
Mooohla ::: 49 vs 65 You do the math,
PX100 Wins
Overall the PX100's are a better value.
At the store I also listened to some Beyer Dt770 which were amazing even on my unamped IPOD, and did not clip out when I cranked the volume...however I prefer lower listening levels and can't see myself needing to listen at DJ levels... Wine over Beer....
