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I think if you want a really lean bass and can stand closed cans, then the Aeon Flow Closed is a winner, as its bass is quite lean, and these headphones have a unique sound.
The low frq response found within the Quad...... i would describe as detailed and balanced as it plays along with the mids and highs.
Some bass lovers define bass response this way......."i can feel it".........Others would say, "i can hear how low it extends".
With the Quad, you do get nice low range extension, tho its not a sub ..... and you can feel it, but its not a bass lovers type of skull rattling that it offers.
The bass in the Quad does not dominate, it enlightens, similar to the mids....as they do not dominate, but they involve you and immerse you.
A really good midrange being produced by a set of headphones, will have just a touch of dryness, as this is what happens when you allow the mids to shine and avoid a "V" shaped sonic signature.
Too much dryness in the mids, is something like you find in the HiFimann HE400i.
The Quads don't have this type of overarching dryness within their mids, but they do have a touch of dryness.
I can understand why Tyll's replacement at "Inner Fidelity" would be so enamored with the Quad ERA-1......Its because they are designed to sound like Hi-fi speakers make you feel when you listen.
Is everyone going to love them?........No. Not everyone.... But anyone who has experience with true audiophile hi-fi stereo speakers and tuners and amps, will recognize just how good these sound, and that is why the new guy
at Inner-Fidelity loves them.
I wish that everyone who bought them, loved them, but, thats not going to happen, but those who do love them, will strap them on, begin listening, and love them instantly.
Burn in will just make it better, but these are good to go, according to my ears, right out of their cardboard box.
I put them on, and started grabbing CD's and smiling, and then i had to try to not turn them up so loud........
The most irrelevant headphone discussion is the one where listeners are discussing trying to find a set of headphones that..... "sounds just like the music sounds".....
There is no such thing, as a headphone is not able to reproduce photographic likeness regarding sound.
Look, if you took all the readers here, and put us all in a room with a band that is playing live music, and were able to magically evaluate everyone's ears as they are listening, then you'd find that even Ears don't hear the same, and so, these same ears are not going to hear a set of headphones just like the next person's ears. So, in that case, you have to evaluate the value of a headphone according to the number of people who love it, vs the number of people who voted....."meh".
For example, the Senn HD600...... We've all owned it, and for so many of us it was our gateway drug that led us into the world of audiophile headphone listening//obsession.
Most listeners really like it........most.
Every set of headphones has its own tonality...it's own sonic identity, its own "sound thumbprint".
A set of headphones are a sound transmission device, and they're going to sound the way THEY sound, and they are not going to sound exactly like any other model, even made by the same designer.
So, the best way to approach trying to find the best "sounding" headphone, is to notice if the sound it produces... immerses you within its sound and captivates you so that you nearly forget you are listening to headphones, or not.
The finest headphones captivate your hearing, and transform the music that you are listening to using them, into something that is almost magical, heartfelt, is surely wonderful, and at times can be an epiphany experience.
I never use floor standing speakers, unless im mastering music.
For me, the headphone listening experience is the gold standard for getting lost within the magic of music.
Im going there now..........talk to you later........
