[Trunks159]

You should change immediately! The leather pads sound better and more exciting in my opinion. I really appreciate them coming with two different sets of pads since both are giving the headphones different characters.

Hmm ok, Ill try them

 

[mobbaddict]

Velour pads are more mid centric though Either way it's a good idea to test both for an extended period of time. Each have their pros and cons.

 

[Trunks159]

Velour pads are more mid centric though Either way it's a good idea to test both for an extended period of time. Each have their pros and cons.

Yeah I'll probably like the velour pads more in that case but who knows. I love the elex's sound signature, it's just a special sounding can. These though have all that planar goodness (good even bass presence in an open back) as well as a treble that never calls attention to itself while sounding very detailed. No matter how hectic the music gets on these the headphones just don't struggle. They simultaneously do reveal how terribly recorded some albums can be, just not in an overly obnoxious way.

Like if I had to pick a word to describe the Elex I guess I'd say dynamic or intimate maybe.

I'd use the word mature to describe these though I'm not too sure if I can successfully articulate why.

 

[mobbaddict]

Yeah I'll probably like the velour pads more in that case but who knows. I love the elex's sound signature, it's just a special sounding can. These though have all that planar goodness (good even bass presence in an open back) as well as a treble that never calls attention to itself while sounding very detailed. No matter how hectic the music gets on these the headphones just don't struggle. They simultaneously do reveal how terribly recorded some albums can be, just not in an overly obnoxious way.

Like if I had to pick a word to describe the Elex I guess I'd say dynamic or intimate maybe.

I'd use the word mature to describe these though I'm not too sure if I can successfully articulate why.

I think the Quad is just good at reproducing music in a very natural / relaxed way. It just flows to your ears in a very effortless manner, with a speakers-like presentation. The HD600 I have have more that in your face / direct type of sound. This is inherent to the driver technologies employed on these headphones I believe. One thing where dynamics might have the lead is imaging, since planars (as electrostats) are dipole and emit sound from both sides of the drivers (which I don't think is very good for imaging accuracy...).

 

[Uebelkraehe]

Is anyone else having problems with the sliders becoming loose? The one on the right side of my ERA-1 already tends to slip down a notch when i put them on the headphone stand with fully retracted sliders. Which sucks as i was thinking about selling the ERA-1 (they are getting too little listening time since i got the Heddphone) and this will probably (disproportionately) lower the price i can ask for.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Is anyone else having problems with the sliders becoming loose? The one on the right side of my ERA-1 already tends to slip down a notch when i put them on the headphone stand with fully retracted sliders. Which sucks as i was thinking about selling the ERA-1 (they are getting too little listening time since i got the Heddphone) and this will probably (disproportionately) lower the price i can ask for.

Got this too. It falls back to the second "klick" at 1cm, i think. Equally wether i pick them off the stand or hanging them on.
But on mine, it's on both sides.

Not a problem to me, bc i'll keep them for life.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

Got this too. It falls back to the second "klick" at 1cm, i think. Equally wether i pick them off the stand or hanging them on.
But on mine, it's on both sides.

So this probably isn't just a singular case of bad luck. Not a good look for such an expensive product. My DT 880 Pro are still keeping up (pun intended) 9 years later...

 

[47anLoken]

I'm not a fan of the slider construction either. It's just not on par with how nice the rest of the headphones is built. I wish Quad had chosen a more sturdy slider.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Yeah.
I'd prefer the sliding mechanism of the Monitor 5/ T1.2 more.
But as i said, not a big concern for me.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

Might keep the ERA-1 then instead of more or less having to give them away. On the other hand, this would imply that i also have to keep the SMSL SP200 as it's such a great pairing...

 

[Cosmin Stanescu]

Just bought these things, and indeed they come alive after about 48 hours .... these things are incredible, previously my favourite headphones that i owned were hd 800, this is just playing circles around hd 800 (one mention here i do wish the soundstage on era was just a bit larger, maybe i can correct this with a better amp). It also is in another league compared to LCD 4 in almost any category. Im trully impressed, these are the best headphones i have ever heard, glad i took a shot in the dark to buy them

Tested on : Msb Analog DAC and Audio-gd master 9

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Welcome on board.

Happy listening with this gem.

 

[mobbaddict]

It also is in another league compared to LCD 4 in almost any category.

That's quite a statement! I thought the LCD 4 sounded best in class in terms in terms of detail retrieval when I auditioned it shortly. Maybe the Quad improves more than I thought with better amping...

 

[Cosmin Stanescu]

That's quite a statement! I thought the LCD 4 sounded best in class in terms in terms of detail retrieval when I auditioned it shortly. Maybe the Quad improves more than I thought with better amping...

I tested the lcd 4 in the past on the same gear for many days and even though i loved its slam i kept the hd 800 in the end because of its transparency,details and soundstage. The only thing that comes close to the ERA on LCD 4 is the slam, the rest is just more musical, lively, transparent and more detailed on the Quads, lcd 4 just sounds dark and warm and frankly boring compared to it. ERA is like having a much better hd 800 for me, with even better detail retrival and with fantastic lower frequencies (details that come with the right energy, for example it handles chords dynamics extremely well) , a smaller soundstage but much more precise with more height to the room, a much more intimate sound that doesnt put you in the back row in a great hall like the hd 800 but right there on the stage, enveloping you in just great music in a non fatiguing way, just making you enjoy the music simple as that.

 

[47anLoken]

I tested the lcd 4 in the past on the same gear for many days and even though i loved its slam i kept the hd 800 in the end because of its transparency,details and soundstage. The only thing that comes close to the ERA on LCD 4 is the slam, the rest is just more musical, lively, transparent and more detailed on the Quads, lcd 4 just sounds dark and warm and frankly boring compared to it. ERA is like having a much better hd 800 for me, with even better detail retrival and with fantastic lower frequencies (details that come with the right energy, for example it handles chords dynamics extremely well) , a smaller soundstage but much more precise with more height to the room, a much more intimate sound that doesnt put you in the back row in a great hall like the hd 800 but right there on the stage, enveloping you in just great music in a non fatiguing way, just making you enjoy the music simple as that.

What dac/amp are you using? Just curious. I would love to test my Quads against other headphones like for example LCD-4 and Hifiman Arya. Just for fun, won't upgrade for a long time.