I just got my pair today. So far, I'm extremely impressed. The level of detail these possess is amazing when you consider the pricetag. The stock pads, as I had hoped, are fairly comfortable for me, but I may end up getting the AKG pads just to try them out, as the SQ on these warrant spending $40 for good pads IMO. Though, I've already got a temporary solution for comfort going
A couple of things that I've noticed/done already:
- I'm actually liking these MORE than my SR-225 for acoustic rock. While being a bit less shrill, they feel punchy and fun enough that it can somewhat compete with the grados. I would actually say these are bringing out a bit more detail than my grados do! They are just clear, fast and punchy to my ears. Now, in heavier stuff, such as Amon Amarth or, in an example more people might have heard, Damage Inc. by Metallica, the grados seem to be just a bit better, but not by enough to warrant the price difference. These are, quite simply, very good for rock.
- After about 3 hours of use, I went into my garage and noticed I had my broken RX900 still in there. I took the pads off to do some testing, removing the foam inserts that came standard with the sr850 and just using the cover on the RX900 pads. They are a bit snug, but they fit, and once you get them on, they aren't going to come off unless you really, really want to get them off. They sound even a little better than with the stock pads to my ears, and are definitely more comfortable. Might be a great solution for anyone here that have a pair of RX900 and want to try these.
As for how the RX900 pads changed the sound, vocals seem a bit more clear. Listening to Alice in Chains, I can really hear the intricacies in Layne's voice now - while I could before, it's definitely more detailed in that regard. Bass impact is increased ever so slightly, but seems just a tad clearer as well, I would say I traded up for a very small amount of higher quantity and ever so slightly higher quality. The mids, though, are much sweeter to my ears than with the stock pads, to the point that I've already chucked those vinyl pads - very detailed, not nearly as recessed as they were (keep in mind I'm only 4 hours into use, so they definitely are not burned in yet). I think I may have found my perfect sound signature.
I'm also just powering these out of a sound card, so I'm very curious what a bit more power could do for them.