Originally Posted by drey08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
They're fantastic so far (I owned the on-ear 1.0 model for ~1 year)
I'd give a more in-depth review, but I'm still waiting to pass the burn-in phase befure that "wow" effect really kicks in (I remember replacing the 1.0 with a newer 1.0 a few months ago, had to be burnt-in before the new ones matched the sound of the old ones). But so far: The bass is louder, and the headphones are just altogether louder than the 1.0, even though I think both have the same impedance specs. Maybe the latter is caused by the over-ear nature, but I don't think that's the only reason. I tend to listen to about 4 notches from max (guys is there an Android app I can use to specify volume precisely? Like not in 10% linear increments..? :/ ), whereas I used to listen at much louder volume levels with the 1.0 on-ear model. They're quite louder, I like it! The sound is much more spacious, which is great. But these are just the initial impressions, it's bound to get better over time.
They're also much comfier than the 1.0 on-ear model, e.g. I don't have to keep readjusting my cups all the time anymore.
Also, they do a much better job at isolating outside noise. With high enough volume levels you won't hear a sound, and I think they don't leak much outside either. So no blushing when some girly music finds itself on your shuffle while you were just rocking some fine swedish metal.
My EHP-O2Di amp also drives these babies really solidly. The 1.0 suffered a bit at higher volumes, but the 2.0 eats it for breakfast.
They also look sexy as ****. Too bad they've only introduced two colors so far, so black is the obvious choice here. I've nothing against bright colors, I just think the ivory edition looks weird. And I own the HD 598, which have their own distinctive look (but they actually look rather nice). It's interesting that the 2.0 black version looks so much better than the 1.0 black (I owned the red/blue 1.0's). The 1.0 black seemed to be glossy, which looked really kitsch. A matte black would fit the 1.0 perfectly. The 2.0 black is more of a dark gray/silver-ish black than a true black color. The headband looks crazy good though.
Overall these are very sexy headphones.
What I don't like:
They've placed the actual volume/play controls closer to the ears. Like, really close. I don't understand the point of this change, it just forces me to move my hand into an unnatural position or use my right hand instead. Bizarre decision. The cable itself seems to be shorter than the 1.0 versions, but I actually like this. There's less chance my cable will get stuck on an unsuspecting passenger on the train (and boy, this happened a few times.. lol).
The controls themselves have weird bumps. E.g. the volume buttons are normally bumped, but the play/pause button actually has a crevice (an indentation, a hole). An odd choice here because it's actually harder to locate it by touch. It should have been a regular or bumped button.
I could also say I don't like the price, but if there are people who pay 4 figures for labeled shoes (or their equivalent, Beats headphones), well.. at least these have some damn value instead of just being a social status symbol.
