[FullBright1]

The danish importer have them on sale, so i couldn`t resist . 2999 Dkr. = 450 USD. Curious to hear how they compare to my Stax SRS-3100 (and all my other headphones)

They won't sound like your Stax.
They have their own sound.
Maybe you will love it.

 

[maxsol]

Got them.
Have listened to them.

1.) Comfort :

8.0.
Strap does not disappear and could use more padding.
As a matter of fact, the strap is not as comfy as it appears it would be, and you constantly feel it on the top of your head.
It does not disappear once you start listening.
Fit is comfortable and does not clamp or squeeze.
The angled pads are more comfy and offer (obviously) a better seal.
Headphone are not as heavy as Audeze, and not as light as Sennheiser H6's.

2.) Sound:

Pristine, smooth, detailed, refined.
Sounds good right out of the box.
I dont find them "midrange forward" or "low mid bloated"..., i find them really well balanced, overall.
Is their treble response (right out of the box) going to play better with Tubes?
Yes.


3.) Soundstage :

Wide.
Its actually wider with the cloth pads, and narrows a bit with the Leather, but, ither way, wide soundstage.


4.) Presentation of instrument within the stereo field :

Excellent.
Very much a "speaker like" presentation that lets you "sit inside" the music.
You will hear things in your music collection that you have not noticed before.
This is a vocal lover's headphone that plays well with acoustic instruments.


5.) Freq Response :

Treble : Sparkling and pristine. Quite extended.

Mids : smooth, detailed, balanced.

Bass : Ample without being overcooked. Detailed. Good extension but definitely not a bass lover's dream.


What doe they sound like?

Tonally....= I think they sound a bit like Aeon Flow Closed, yet with more lush mids, more resolution, wider soundstage, and a better (bigger) bass response.

As compared to Audeze (in general and not including the Sine or EL8 series) ......: The Quads are not as dark sounding or as thick sounding in the lower register and the mids are more precise.

There is nothing (sound wise or build wise) about the Quad to dislike. It sounds very good, it wears without discomfort, and its an attractive set of headphone(s) tho its not a beautiful set of headphones.
Box and Case are Utilitarian blase and do not represent the quality of this product's sound.


The only thing i have noticed that could be an issue, is a slight "pinging" in my right headphone, a metallic "ping" sound as if something is clicking against the cup.
I'll investigate further...... and if its an issue, i'll return for another set.

Did you find the reason for the clicking, or did it go away?
Just bought a pair and there is an annoying mechanical clicking sound in the right cup, like a bad assembly or plastic/metal squeaking when I move my head, mouth, jaw etc. You can clearly hear it in quiet passages in the music...

 

[FullBright1]

Did you find the reason for the clicking, or did it go away?
Just bought a pair and there is an annoying mechanical clicking sound in the right cup, like a bad assembly or plastic/metal squeaking when I move my head, mouth, jaw etc. You can clearly hear it in quiet passages in the music...

"ping, ping, ping, ping", = when you move you head, right?

What i did, was return them, and got a new set, and that solved it.
Before this, i tried to find the issue, as its frame related, ( i think ) as its like the metal cage-frame that houses the drivers, seems to flex a bit when you wear them, and within this flexing, you get this "ping, ping,,ping".

So, thats all i can tell you.
I could not find the source of this sound, and i tightened the frame, .......i really did everything i could to make it stop, and nothing i did, helped at all...

"returned for replacement".

 

[iFi audio]

So... After much research and thought I ordered the Quad Era-1 today.

Enjoy and congrats!

 

[Coldcut]

Fully enjoying Dvorak and Mahler on dsd recordings through the Quad Era-1
Really something else compared to the B&W..
Got two sets of ear pads. Think I prefer the leather ones a bit more, at least for the classical music.
Now off to some Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes and Rush!

 

[Coldcut]

...but my g** they reveal bad recordings and faults

 

[Geraffe]

They won't sound like your Stax.
They have their own sound.
Maybe you will love it.

1: You`re right

2: You`re right

3:You`re right, and i do

 

[FullBright1]

Fully enjoying Dvorak and Mahler on dsd recordings through the Quad Era-1
Really something else compared to the B&W..
Got two sets of ear pads. Think I prefer the leather ones a bit more, at least for the classical music.
Now off to some Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes and Rush!

I also prefer the leather pads, as they seem to help bring in a bit more clarity, and produce an overall focusing of the Quad's sound.

 

[FullBright1]

...but my g** they reveal bad recordings and faults

Yes.....
Its their killer midrange that is so revealing of "less then great" recordings.
Enjoy your new gear .....

 

[FullBright1]

1: You`re right

2: You`re right

3:You`re right, and i do

The Stax that you and i love are really great "ear-speakers"..... They are just amazing.
The Quads, are different, very good, and very special......a unique sounding set of Headphones.

Have fun..

 

[Geraffe]

Running them with my little impressive Sabaj Da3 atm, but i`m going to try them with my LD lV-SE and the BCL.

Yes, they have their own sound. But they are very good at trying to convince you that they don`t have any sound of their own.

And yes, that midrange is truly magical. MP3 isn`t an issue, if the recordings and masterings are good.

Definitely the best allround cans i`ve ever owned.

 

[FullBright1]

Running them with my little impressive Sabaj Da3 atm, but i`m going to try them with my LD lV-SE and the BCL.

Yes, they have their own sound. But they are very good at trying to convince you that they don`t have any sound of their own.

And yes, that midrange is truly magical. MP3 isn`t an issue, if the recordings and masterings are good.

Definitely the best allround cans i`ve ever owned.

So many really fine headphones exit, currently.
I can't think of a bad one, and my bio list's many, and all of them are good or great, and maybe 2 are, IMHO, fair.
It really just comes down to personal preference, (mostly to discover what you don't like) and making sure you have done enough research to feel confident that you are not buying a sound you hate.
Headphone reviews, really can't give inform you of how a headphone is going to sound to your ears, but, what a review can do, is pinpoint a certain sonic principal that seems to be agreed upon, regarding a set you
are interested in, and if this principle is the one thing you hate, then don't buy it.
For example, if you like more treble then bass response, and everyone is reviewing a headphone you are interested in as a bass cannon, then don't buy it......etc, etc.

The Quad is a unique gear.
Excellent in many ways.

 

[edvardd]

How do these sound with Chord Mojo? I will pickup the quads today but waiting for a cable to the Mojo.

 

[TSAVAlan]

How do these sound with Chord Mojo? I will pickup the quads today but waiting for a cable to the Mojo.

Sounds great on the Mojo, personally would recommend the leather pads with the Mojo.

 

[maxsol]

Sounds great on the Mojo, personally would recommend the leather pads with the Mojo.

Ditto that. Sounds really good with the Mojo. One small thing though - with the leather pads. On a few tracks, I'm used to, some of the distinct midrange notes in a particular song have almost disappeared!? Maybe because it's an open headphone... Tried some AHG pads I pulled all the way over the cups :-D Actually sounded better and the notes were back.