[moriez]

  The X1 wins hands down.  It has a nice extended bass and trebles that don't get strident.  Soundstage and instrument separation is beautifully done.  It plays all genres of music, everything from from classical to EDM, very well.  Never congested, always smooth and lots of fun.  That said, these things can't really be worn outside because of the open back design.  It leaks sound like crazy, they're like little loudspeakers and don't they don't isolate well either.  
 
The Amperior is nice little headphone with a very fun in your face sound and a hard hitting bass but it can too in your face sometimes.  When it tries to do too much the sound gets muddled.  The trebles can also get really strident on certain recordings.  But for most of the stuff I listen to, not Maria Callas

, it's great.  That in your face sound makes is so fun and addictive.  They are a steal at their current prices.  Get'em while they're hot!

 
Interesting. Thanks for that. It's that I like the looks and the sound a lot but I might want a replacement for the Amperior as the comfort is starting to nag me. And no, I won't be wearing an X1 on the go
 

 

 

I have not seen connectors like that at the bottom of my Amperior. is that a mod?

 
It's a HD650 cable. You unscrew the tightener bit, take off the stock cable, flip the cups and bam, there it is.

 

[woody88]

ahh, flip the cups! I should've known! thanks.

 

[M-13]

 

X1? What are you talking about. If we're going open back headphones, the LCD-2 wins on my home rig. X1 can bring it! LOL. Amperior is a great little portable, especially at the price its going for.

 

[Snoopy Ears]

 
X1? What are you talking about. If we're going open back headphones, the LCD-2 wins on my home rig. X1 can bring it! LOL. Amperior is a great little portable, especially at the price its going for.

Yup no doubt about that.  Any headphone within the price range of the LCD-2 will trump the X-1 in sound but you'll need to spend more money on AMPs and DACs to get the best sound out of them.  You just can't plug the LCD-2 into your phone and expect to get good sound.  The X-1 sounds great and can work with any device for only $299.
 
I did say that the Amperior was a steal at their current prices (120 - 150) which is why I have it now and it's my go to portable at the moment.  I'd highly recommend the Amperior to most of my friends if they were looking for a good portable headphone now.  Get'em while you still can!

 

[M-13]

  Yup no doubt about that.  Any headphone within the price range of the LCD-2 will trump the X-1 in sound but you'll need to spend more money on AMPs and DACs to get the best sound out of them.  You just can't plug the LCD-2 into your phone and expect to get good sound.  The X-1 sounds great and can work with any device for only $299.
 
I did say that the Amperior was a steal at their current prices (120 - 150) which is why I have it now and it's my go to portable at the moment.  I'd highly recommend the Amperior to most of my friends if they were looking for a good portable headphone now.  Get'em while you still can!

Sorry for trying to kick you in the face. LOL. I was half joking of course. You're a good sport. 

But yeah I hear amazing things about the X1, well it's one of the most talked about headphones this year for sure. I'm sure it's very nice. Yeah the current prices for the Amperiors are crazy nuts.
 
Oh yeah guys a great tip I have for you guys who are worried about cable damage is to remove your cable around the headband and transporting it to the otherside (the other headband). Why do this? The way the wires bend curve; moving it to the other side keep them from falling out and keep them in place better. Give it a try and you might be surprised by the stability. In fact I'm not sure why Sennheiser did not make this the default position as the wires sort of curve away from it in a way that's more secure instead of the way it comes default.
 
No longer worried about cables getting caught and the sleeves breaking for me. Shure extension cable is working out very well. It's thickness matches that of the Amperior plus and feels more stable. Sound is just as good, if not better than that thin default cable.

 

[jscivias]

hey guys I just got amperior headphones and noticed its 18 ohm impedance. do you think it's ok for me to use this with a desktop amp /dac? i don't have a dedicated DAC and don't think i can disable the amp section of my ALO PanAms...
 
thanks 

 

[bixby]

well it should work okay, maybe a little shift in frequency balance, but I think I read the amp is designed to work with 16-600 ohm cans.

 

[roguegeek]

Haven't been on here in quite some time. Work has been bad. I thought I'd just stop by and talk about my experience with the Amperior. I got a chance to pick up a pair of these on a black Friday sale. I believe the price was around $120. Sounded like a good deal because I know they were pushing $300 at one point. So after a week of listening, I've come up with a couple of initial thoughts.

1. They are colored in a way that doesn't quite fit my style. I like neutral and/or bright cans. These seem a little bass forward to me.
2. The whole frequency seems very muddled to me as if there's just not much detail or quality across any of the curve.
3. I love the style and the lightness. It has a very utilitarian look and the fact that everything can be ordered, replaced, and serviced right from your own home is awesome.
4. When priced at the original premium price, I would consider the M80, MDR-1R, and Momentum over these.
5. When priced at the current price of $150-180, or even at the price I purchased them at, I would consider the Citiscape Uptown, M80, MDR-V6, or CAL! before this one.
6. It makes me wonder what the HD 25 Aluminum sounds like in comparison.

 
Like any can, it's all about preferences and I'm sure someone could really enjoy these. I'm just having a hard time understanding how when it seems like there are other great performers out there that could cost considerably less. Even if I did enjoy them, I have a feeling these are going to end up in the For Sale section soon as I already have other cans that perform the function of these.
 
Is there something I'm missing? Thoughts?

 

[bixby]

  Haven't been on here in quite some time. Work has been bad. I thought I'd just stop by and talk about my experience with the Amperior. I got a chance to pick up a pair of these on a black Friday sale. I believe the price was around $120. Sounded like a good deal because I know they were pushing $300 at one point. So after a week of listening, I've come up with a couple of initial thoughts.

1. They are colored in a way that doesn't quite fit my style. I like neutral and/or bright cans. These seem a little bass forward to me.
2. The whole frequency seems very muddled to me as if there's just not much detail or quality across any of the curve.
3. I love the style and the lightness. It has a very utilitarian look and the fact that everything can be ordered, replaced, and serviced right from your own home is awesome.
4. When priced at the original premium price, I would consider the M80, MDR-1R, and Momentum over these.
5. When priced at the current price of $150-180, or even at the price I purchased them at, I would consider the Citiscape Uptown, M80, MDR-V6, or CAL! before this one.
6. It makes me wonder what the HD 25 Aluminum sounds like in comparison.

 
Like any can, it's all about preferences and I'm sure someone could really enjoy these. I'm just having a hard time understanding how when it seems like there are other great performers out there that could cost considerably less. Even if I did enjoy them, I have a feeling these are going to end up in the For Sale section soon as I already have other cans that perform the function of these.
 
Is there something I'm missing? Thoughts?

Regarding your impressions, yes they are a bit bass forward and punchy in the lows with less texture than you would find in the Momentums, but not as fat or soft.  The mids are much more forward and neutral than the Momentums yet the treble can be a bit one note-ish with just a bit of brittleness unlike the less aggressive Momentums.  Yet the Momentums do have a bit of crunch in the treble, just in a different spot.
 
At it's original price I would take the Sony 7520 or Focal Pro over the Amps.
 
At under $200, I don't know, I think I would have to put the Shure 840s ahead of most at that price point. 
 
I don't think you are missing anything really, the Amps are good... not great.  The new Senn HD 26s are quite a bit better and more comfortable but once you get into the $350 range there are lots of good choices this year, just depends on what you like, we all hear differently.

 

[roguegeek]

  Regarding your impressions, yes they are a bit bass forward and punchy in the lows with less texture than you would find in the Momentums, but not as fat or soft.  The mids are much more forward and neutral than the Momentums yet the treble can be a bit one note-ish with just a bit of brittleness unlike the less aggressive Momentums.  Yet the Momentums do have a bit of crunch in the treble, just in a different spot.
 
At it's original price I would take the Sony 7520 or Focal Pro over the Amps.
 
At under $200, I don't know, I think I would have to put the Shure 840s ahead of most at that price point. 
 
I don't think you are missing anything really, the Amps are good... not great.  The new Senn HD 26s are quite a bit better and more comfortable but once you get into the $350 range there are lots of good choices this year, just depends on what you like, we all hear differently.

Ooo. I forgot about the 840. Would definitely grab that before an Amperior as well.
 
For me, I like the idea of having a can for every function and flavor/signature. That gives be about 9-12 unique slots and the Amperior just didn't fill any of them. Oh well.

 

[M-13]

I find the Amperior close enough to neutral. Certainly not dead neutral, has gentle mid-bass lift and also upper-mid lift, giving it some energy PRaT factor. But it's within reference tonality (just barely) I find the detail extraction and clarity to be above average too, especially considering the small size. I think the DT1350s are more transparent and extract more detail but the Amperiors are more transparent than Momentums and the 1R. In my eperience of course. Honestly, I have no idea why people like the Momentums. ??? Just baffled. They have fat bloated wideband elevated bass with thin mids and just sounds congested/smeared in general. After seeing the initial photos I was one of the first people to order the Momentums from RazorDog, who had it before any other retailer. They were surprisingly bad for the price. Now the Amperior for $120~150 is a crazy deal IMO. The sound quality alone is easily beyond $200 IMO from all the other cans I've tried.

 

[jscivias]

this is my first venture into on-hear headphones and the comfort factor takes a bit of time getting used to (esp. as i use dt880 at home and that's so so comfy).. other than that i'm pretty happy, i think i found a decent pair i can use on the go. the right cup being loose annoys me a bit though, i constantly have to adjust it grr.

 

[Phaminator]

I find the Amperior close enough to neutral. Certainly not dead neutral, has gentle mid-bass lift and also upper-mid lift, giving it some energy PRaT factor. But it's within reference tonality (just barely) I find the detail extraction and clarity to be above average too, especially considering the small size. I think the DT1350s are more transparent and extract more detail but the Amperiors are more transparent than Momentums and the 1R. In my eperience of course. Honestly, I have no idea why people like the Momentums. ??? Just baffled. They have fat bloated wideband elevated bass with thin mids and just sounds congested/smeared in general. After seeing the initial photos I was one of the first people to order the Momentums from RazorDog, who had it before any other retailer. They were surprisingly bad for the price. Now the Amperior for $120~150 is a crazy deal IMO. The sound quality alone is easily beyond $200 IMO from all the other cans I've tried.

 
I concur, both the on-ear and over-ear momentums doesn't sound as crisp as the amperiors for their price-tag; I'm not sure about the DT1350's since I've yet to listen to it.

 

[bixby]

I have just posted a review of half a dozen portable headphones including the momentum and dt1350.

If interested just click on my blog link below in my signature.

 

[xylin6]

Sony NW-F807
+
Sennheiser Amperior
=

x ∞