I'm listening to Walter Trout's "Common Ground" (great blues album) and it sounds stunning with the GR07.. I'm really quite impressed (and surprised) with how well the 07's do bluesy guitar work.. all the things you look for in the midrange/treble in blues is just so well presented.. I was particularly impressed with the timbre, crispness, and depth of the instrumentation and vocals.. there was such presence and weight behind every part of the music.
Timbre & crispness especially jumped out at me.. for a phone that is supposed to have a smoother, laid back personality (albeit, quite detailed), sizzling guitar work was rendered with eye-opening detail and crispness.. the neutral yet musical nature of this phone kept the guitar work in perfect harmony with the rest of the instruments.
There's many sections of songs on this album which have a lot going on.. driving, pulsating drumwork, relentless cymbals crashing, floor-stomping pianos jamming, soulful singing, deep, rhythmic, funky bass lines.. of course, all led by epic guitar work.. the surprising speed of the GR07 made it all sound so effortless and balanced. I didn't feel like one part of the music stood out in front of the rest.. it was all in harmony and the GR07's impeccable ability to reveal the layers of instrumentation made for a terrific, listening experience. Also, with all the mid-range & treble work going on, I was amazed at the utter invisibility of harshness & sibilance.. even turned up to ear splitting levels in treble heavy passages.. I did not experience ANY sibilance.
I didn't mention anything about the bass cause really, there wasn't much to mention (or worry about).. like everything else.. it's well textured, balanced, and weighted perfectly. Neutrality is the name of the game.. nothing is enhanced, spiked, or recessed, and certainly no midbass humps to be found. One of those sneaky things which the GR07 reveals with extensive burn in & repeated listens (with good recordings) is just how well tuned the ENTIRE bass range is. It allows for excellent timbre & accuracy from sounds in the upper bass/lower midrange. It's just really well done and "holds up it's end of the bargain." for lack of a better description.
When listening to a well mixed/mastered album like Common Ground.. especially the second track, Open Book.. all the things that garner the GR07 it's acclaim becomes very apparent. I was truly blown away listening to that track.. unamped, straight from my new HP EliteBook 2540p. yeah.. wow. It sounded and (more importantly) FELT.. downright LIVE. I don't know what that says about my ears, laptop, the GR07, or opinion for that matter..lol.. but it sounded awesome.
Sorry for blabbering on.. but I was impressed enough with this fantastic album & the GR07 that I felt it warranted mention.
I can't stress this enough.. let these burn in for a good 120 hours (as CliOS mentions in his review).. they will TRULY shine and become quite balanced. At At various times, these phones had sounded neutral-warm, had phases of slight harshness.. in my experience, it was all worked out by hour 130 or so.. reserve your final judgments until then!
Listening to blues, boring is the LAST word I would use to describe the 07.
