[dakanao]

Can anyone who has heard both the Fidelio L1 and Sony MH1C write a quick comparison of their sound signatures and other qualities/drawbacks?

Love the MH1C's extended subbass (even if the amount can be a bit much at times) and the super smooth, non fatiguing mid and treble. Now looking for something similar in full size cans.

Any input is highly appreciated!

From what I've heard when I tested the L1, was that they were REALLY dark, like they almost had no treble. They also lacked clarity A LOT.

 

[Zombie_X]

Yo,
 
I got my L1 in and will be shooting a video about it to day sometime for you all. I haven't done a video since October, so I'd say it's about time to do one for the L1, X1, M1, and Q701. I'll also do a mid-fi comparisons video. 
 
Anyways the L1 is really nice and is like a mini X1: dark, smooth, and energetic. The treble maybe a bit tolled off and the bass elevated, but oh those creamy mids! I may just convert away from neutral headphones! Do I see a LCD-2 in my future? Oh but back to the L1. As some have stated, it is quite dark with subdued treble and elevated bass, but the bass is never overpowering. The treble is never muffled, but smooth and articulate while being quite detailed. Really just like the X1. The bass extends well and has ample "oomf" behind it but never gets muddy or bloated. The midrange is the star here: upfront and center with no obvious honky or congested tone. They are still quite clear but lack some detailed as they are so forward. The soundstage is good, but not so wide. The imaging is also nice.
 
Overall the headphone is like a baby X1, but less refined of course. Now I am waiting on some M1's...
 
EDIT:
After more listening, I've found them to have slightly more forward upper mids and treble, but nothing bothersome. These still are smooth headphones. I've been using them on my Violectric V200 and oh does this amp pair well with them. The X1's benefits from this pairing more but the L1 gains more midrange body, smoother highs, and deeper bass. Sounds so glorious!
 
Also, the video on the X1 in rendering and will be up later tonight.
 

 

[Tuneboi]

From what I've heard when I tested the L1, was that they were REALLY dark, like they almost had no treble. They also lacked clarity A LOT.

These were my initial impressions as well. I almost retuned them until I EQ'd them. Without the EQ I can say they sounded horrible..

 

[gdourado]

Hello, how are you?
Are the L1's a noticeable upgrade to the Citiscape Uptowns?
And would they pair well with the HDP-R10?

Cheers!

 

[dakanao]

Hello, how are you?
Are the L1's a noticeable upgrade to the Citiscape Uptowns?
And would they pair well with the HDP-R10?

Cheers!

I can safely say that (without an EQ anyway) the Uptowns sound better than them.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

  I can safely say that (without an EQ anyway) the Uptowns sound better than them.

 
This makes no sense. The Citiscape line is a step below the Fidelios.

 

[gdourado]

I bought the Uptowns on sale and they are an excellent bang for the buck for the price I got them.
The L1's I never heard, so I was wondering on this...
 
Cheers!

 

[dakanao]

   
This makes no sense. The Citiscape line is a step below the Fidelios.

Well, that's what it sounded like to me. The L1 had a ''fuller'' sound and more bass, but besides that the Uptowns sounded clearly better (imo ofcourse).
 
Maybe I'm just not used to dark headphones, but they sounded HORRIBLE to me. Like a $20 headphone

 

[Alex Altorfer]

  Well, that's what it sounded like to me. The L1 had a ''fuller'' sound and more bass, but besides that the Uptowns sounded clearly better (imo ofcourse).
 
Maybe I'm just not used to dark headphones, but they sounded HORRIBLE to me. Like a $20 headphone

 

  I bought the Uptowns on sale and they are an excellent bang for the buck for the price I got them.
The L1's I never heard, so I was wondering on this...
 
Cheers!

 
Well, I use the Downtowns at work and they sound great for the money. Perhaps the Fidelios' price/performance ratio is not as good as the Citiscapes'.

 

[Wildgift]

I just don't hear what I'm reading. My new L1s have a nice balanced sound. Plenty of kick in the bass, but a smooth and definite high end. I guess it's subjective.

 

[awsm]

Would using these with the Astro Mixamp for gaming be a waste? Or would it be better if I get M40x?

 

[Me x3]

Hello, how are you?
Are the L1's a noticeable upgrade to the Citiscape Uptowns?
And would they pair well with the HDP-R10?

Cheers!

 
Hi,
 
L1s build quality is definitely more solid, the cables have a much better feel also. On the other hand, Uptowns are lighter, more comfortable with slightly bigger earpads.
Frequency response aside, I think L1s provide a clearly more 'HiFi' and realistic sound in comparison. They sound bigger, fuller, with more realistic treble too.
 
The problem (or not) with Fidelio L1s is that they have a pretty colored sound signature: powerful and really extended sub-bass, quite recessed mid-bass kick, raised upper mids (2,5 Khz) and quite rolled off treble.
While some people could find this sound signature pretty engaging, with some recordings this headphones can sound a bit congested and dark. They could leave you wanting more mid-bass clarity and not as much background sub-bass.
That said, L1s may be very appealing for modern music, specially electronic music where a forgiving presentation with powerful sub bass is often really praised.
 
Uptowns are probably more balanced by comparison, and thus many people like them better.
In my opinion, Uptowns are great headphones for the money, (good sound quality, great comfort, nice looking, etc.) while L1s are more special and clearly more love/hate headphones.
 
If you like an overall warm presentation, with some sub-bass emphasis, and you are not too picky about comfort then L1s are a solid upgrade over Uptowns.
 
Best Luck!

 

[personpitch85]

Had these headphones awhile back. They sound great for listening when you just want to have fun but thy can get tiring.

Sent from my LG-D800 using Tapatalk

 

[personpitch85]

They*


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[Allentown]

What is the difference between the $300.00 L1 and the $129.00 L1/28.  Are they the same headphone just dicounted or are they actually two different head phones?
 
If they are the same just with lower price now that its an old design and with the L2 coming out...them im buying them today.
 
Don't shoot me.  I did in fact search around the web and try to use the search feature to figure this out but no....i didnt want to read 45 pages of the thread to see if its buried some where that i might find after 2 hours reading (i did skim though and it doesn't appear that this answer is any where).
 
Thanks in advance.