Still early stages. I think I am leaning on preferring the 1A more. But it's not as obvious as I think it should be.
Little stream of consciousness here, as I swap the 1A and 1R mk 2. Listening at the laptop with the Meridian Explorer.
There certainly is a lot more, fuller, bass with the 1A. No doubt this gives it a much richer sound than the 1R mk 2.
The quality of the bass is OK, but not great. It's not as defined as some other cans I've owned. Which isn't fair considering I'm comparing the bass definition to the Qualia 010, lol.
I'd say the extra bass does lean a bit on the flabby side. Not horribly so. But it's just not as tight as I would like it to be, and it just is what it is. Guess bass quantity for me goes to the 1R mk 2, but I certainly am not a bass-head. Just miss the definitively defined bass of other better cans. But that's why they're better cans, lol.
But as a result of the fuller bass, it does seem richer. Definition on the bass is fine. Not world class, but not terrible.
Soundstaging feels better on the 1A. The 1R certainly isn't a slouch. But switching back and forth, the 3Dness of the 1R seems just a touch flatter. 1R still images quite fine, which was always one of the reasons I like it, but there is something deeper, more 3D, about the 1A. Soundstage width is about the same, though maybe a touch more filled out in the 1A.
I sense more definition in the 1A. Edges feel slightly more defined, a touch more macrodetail though not really microdetail (except on the midbass). Microdetail on the midbass is more noticable as there's a lot more of it with the 1A.
I notice a nice separation that defines background vocals/instruments nicely and more noticeable in a nice way. Going back to the 1R after listening to the 1A, it (the 3Dness coming from the definition/separation) just loses a touch of shine. Flatter is the word that keeps coming to mind.
Ugh, just switched songs - 1A has too much bass on this song. It's full, somewhat flabby but not obese. It's like a cute girl who's not fat, but can feel kind of squishy depending on how you lean on her. It's not neutral. I don't know what neutral is, but there's a significant bass hump relative to cans I've always considered to be neutral - Grado HP1000, Stax SR-X mk 3. But this is something a little EQ or different electronics can remedy -- the Meridian Explorer is a fuller, more warm sound, which compounds this trait. The 1R mk 2 doesn't suffer from this, though I imagine bass heads will complain about this.
Going back to the 1R, the tonal balance feels more natural to me, though perhaps slightly light on the bass.
Swapping back to the 1A, the greater air (due to not being as "flat") is noticeable. The bass has decent detail but I'd call it slow, not fast.
Plugging in the Stax SR-X mk 3 the flatter tonal curve is immediately noticable. The Sonys share similar V shaped curves, with more emphasis in the bass (even the 1R) and lower treble. Sonys can't compete on definition and texture to the electrostatic, but given they're consumer portable headphones, they're outclassed but not too embarassed. 3Dness of the soundstage is better on the Sonys, though perhaps faker, but that's the nature/dilemma of headphones that have angled drivers versus the more straightforward SR-X mk 3/HP1000 approach.
Hmm, lol, after putting on the SR-X, there's no desire to swap back to the Sonys.
But not like I can carry these (and the amp and transformer) in a backpack.
-Jason
Little stream of consciousness here, as I swap the 1A and 1R mk 2. Listening at the laptop with the Meridian Explorer.
There certainly is a lot more, fuller, bass with the 1A. No doubt this gives it a much richer sound than the 1R mk 2.
The quality of the bass is OK, but not great. It's not as defined as some other cans I've owned. Which isn't fair considering I'm comparing the bass definition to the Qualia 010, lol.
I'd say the extra bass does lean a bit on the flabby side. Not horribly so. But it's just not as tight as I would like it to be, and it just is what it is. Guess bass quantity for me goes to the 1R mk 2, but I certainly am not a bass-head. Just miss the definitively defined bass of other better cans. But that's why they're better cans, lol.
But as a result of the fuller bass, it does seem richer. Definition on the bass is fine. Not world class, but not terrible.
Soundstaging feels better on the 1A. The 1R certainly isn't a slouch. But switching back and forth, the 3Dness of the 1R seems just a touch flatter. 1R still images quite fine, which was always one of the reasons I like it, but there is something deeper, more 3D, about the 1A. Soundstage width is about the same, though maybe a touch more filled out in the 1A.
I sense more definition in the 1A. Edges feel slightly more defined, a touch more macrodetail though not really microdetail (except on the midbass). Microdetail on the midbass is more noticable as there's a lot more of it with the 1A.
I notice a nice separation that defines background vocals/instruments nicely and more noticeable in a nice way. Going back to the 1R after listening to the 1A, it (the 3Dness coming from the definition/separation) just loses a touch of shine. Flatter is the word that keeps coming to mind.
Ugh, just switched songs - 1A has too much bass on this song. It's full, somewhat flabby but not obese. It's like a cute girl who's not fat, but can feel kind of squishy depending on how you lean on her. It's not neutral. I don't know what neutral is, but there's a significant bass hump relative to cans I've always considered to be neutral - Grado HP1000, Stax SR-X mk 3. But this is something a little EQ or different electronics can remedy -- the Meridian Explorer is a fuller, more warm sound, which compounds this trait. The 1R mk 2 doesn't suffer from this, though I imagine bass heads will complain about this.
Going back to the 1R, the tonal balance feels more natural to me, though perhaps slightly light on the bass.
Swapping back to the 1A, the greater air (due to not being as "flat") is noticeable. The bass has decent detail but I'd call it slow, not fast.
Plugging in the Stax SR-X mk 3 the flatter tonal curve is immediately noticable. The Sonys share similar V shaped curves, with more emphasis in the bass (even the 1R) and lower treble. Sonys can't compete on definition and texture to the electrostatic, but given they're consumer portable headphones, they're outclassed but not too embarassed. 3Dness of the soundstage is better on the Sonys, though perhaps faker, but that's the nature/dilemma of headphones that have angled drivers versus the more straightforward SR-X mk 3/HP1000 approach.
Hmm, lol, after putting on the SR-X, there's no desire to swap back to the Sonys.
But not like I can carry these (and the amp and transformer) in a backpack.-Jason
