[Rob N]

I've been listening to both theses phones alot over the last few weeks and I might soon get round to doing a proper review but in the meantime some more impressions

Firstly there is quite a large difference in overall sound between these two phones.

Using the EMP the R10's play louder for a given volume setting than the HP2

IMO the HP2 have a more 'rounded' sound.They are not as detailed as the R10's but seem to have a 'warmer' tone.

The soundstage of the R10's is very wide and when switching from the R10 to the HP2 the image becomes smaller and somewhat 'flat'

The extra detail and wide soundstage are addictive and I have spent hours listening to familiar Cd's and vinyl finding elements I never knew existed before.

I can't say which is best because I don't think there is a 'best' each has different strengths.Now if a headphone existed that was a combination of the R10 and HP2 then that might be 'best'

BTW I have not found the R10 lacking in bass during my listening.

 

[Tomcat]

Quote:

Originally posted by Rob N IMO the HP2 have a more 'rounded' sound.They are not as detailed as the R10's but seem to have a 'warmer' tone.

Rob,

That's most interesting. I thought it would be the other way around: the R10 would be rounder, smoother, more homogenous. I am looking forward to your review.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally posted by Rob N BTW I have not found the R10 lacking in bass during my listening.

Do you use anything else to power them with other than the EMP? Maybe this combo has enough punch to power the R10s porperly.

Either way, congrats on the owning of these incredible cans! They are both awesome sounding and provide some of the most enjoyable listening sessions in the headphone realm.

 

[Rob N]

I've mostly used the EMP (which is a very 'tubey' sounding amp) and it seems to suit the R10 quite well.I haven't really had enough time to do a comparison with the EAR HP4 yet.

BTW the EMP has TFK tubes in it.

 

[Zanth]

Mmmm, more juice for those HP-2's

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Zanth Mmmm, more juice for those HP-2's

...Or sell them to me

Damn, i'm envious Rob... hey, maybe we can arrange another UK meet sometime

...then again, all i've got to bring (apart from PCDPs

) is what you've already got / heard... Oops

Congrats on a couple of great sets of cans

 

[KR...]

the HP-1000 are a lot more power hungry that most people think, they really start to open up when you hook them up to a Headroom Max.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Rob N Using the EMP the R10's play louder for a given volume setting than the HP2 IMO the HP2 have a more 'rounded' sound.They are not as detailed as the R10's but seem to have a 'warmer' tone. The soundstage of the R10's is very wide and when switching from the R10 to the HP2 the image becomes smaller and somewhat 'flat'

The HP-1000 series are very inefficient headphones. The only dynamic cans I know of that use more power are the AKG K-1000's. Still, most headphone amps will power them.

I'd rate the R10 as warmer than the HP-1. IMO that's one of its weaker areas. The HP-1 removes that warmth, which can sound like a layer of coloration. That is IMO the real strong point of the HP-1000.

These two headphones can almost be said to be opposite design philosophies. The R10 is designed to be part of the music. It's not designed to disappear. It's built to be an integral part of the musical experience, and it's contribution to the music is deliberate. The HP-1000 is designed to get out of the way, as much as it can. It's got a very neutral tonal balance, IMO. The weak spot of the HP-1000 is that it is not spectacular at low-level resolution (cannot even match RS-1 in this area), and just can't convey the same sense of an acoustic space that the R10 does.

Tomcat, if Rob is using "rounded" in the sense of tonal balance, the HP-1000 is indeed better than the R10 in this area (IMO and all that).

KR, power is good. HP-1 opens up with Supra, EAR HP4 and Melos SHA-1 (which I also use for K-1000...plenty of gain as long as I stay at sane volumes).

 

[Kieran Comito]

I do not know a lot about the HP-1000 and how it responds to different amps and sources. The R 10 seems to change dramatically depending on what is upstream. That is what I like about it, it seems to have great potential. Maybe try more amps with the R 10s and it might separate itself from the HP-1000s.

 

[markl]

I agree with Kieran. The other thing to consider is an amp with more power than the EMP. EMP just has that little wall-wart to work with. R10 really seems to respond to more juice, particularly in the bottom end.

Mark

 

[Rob N]

I have tried both the R10 and HP2 with the HP4 and I still have the same feelings as with the EMP.IMO the HP2 sounds more natural whereas the R10 seems to have almost too much detail which makes it sound a liitle artificial.'S' sounds seem more natural on the HP2 whereas with the R10 (and AT2002) they sre somewhat more emphasised but not sibilant.

 

[Rob N]

On the practical side the R10 are more comfortable to wear for long periods,but they do feel a little delicate compared to the HP2's which could probably survive even extreme abuse!

Roughly how many hours of use can you get out of the earpads before they wear out? From what I've read on Head Fi they don't seem that easy to replace.

What about the adjusting band that sits on your head,it's quite thin,is wear a problem with this?

Although the overall build quality is very good I agree with markl,who I think said,that the build quality doesn't really match the price.