[sridhar3]

Thanks Tom!
 
Man, these headphones sound so clean.  I'm surprised they measure poorly.  They don't sound it.
 
I've got a bunch of random genre albums in my playlist.  Anything that falls under the umbrella of "electronica" and most of the rock I've heard so far sounds phenomenal.
 
Edit: Has Tyll measured them?  I'm not finding measurements on Inner Fidelity.

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

Thanks Tom!
 
Man, these headphones sound so clean.  I'm surprised they measure poorly.  They don't sound it.
 
I've got a bunch of random genre albums in my playlist.  Anything that falls under the umbrella of "electronica" and most of the rock I've heard so far sounds phenomenal.
 
Edit: Has Tyll measured them?  I'm not finding measurements on Inner Fidelity.

 
it's possible that the poor measurements are related to the difficulty in achieving correct fit/placement of the phones.  Also, it wouldnt be the first time that a poor measuring headphone has the ability to sound great (or at least sound interesting)

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
it's possible that the poor measurements are related to the difficulty in achieving correct fit/placement of the phones.  Also, it wouldnt be the first time that a poor measuring headphone has the ability to sound great (or at least sound interesting)

 
Yeah, I've always assumed bad fit / placement was the most likely issue with its poor measurements.

 

[Magick Man]

Yeah, I've always assumed bad fit / placement was the most likely issue with its poor measurements.

Well, considering how difficult they are to get situated on your noggin, I can see why. I'd love to have another shot at hearing them, given what I know now.

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Well, considering how difficult they are to get situated on your noggin, I can see why. I'd love to have another shot at hearing them, given what I know now.

Fit is critical to sound good,Sony should have used a headband like the SA5000 has thats adjustable.

 

[sridhar3]

Thanks for getting the Gilmore Lite back to me so fast Justin!  The Qualias sound great off this amp via the Benchmark DAC1.
 
Edit: 2.5-hour listening session, zero ear fatigue.  These are keepers.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

my impressions of the Qualia with a properly fitting small pair are totally different than when I had previously heard them in the usual Medium size.

 
what are your impressions under both circumstances?

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

 
what are your impressions under both circumstances?

 
poor fitting pair: terrible headphone
 
good fitting pair: sounds strange at first, then becomes an addicting sound.  they are also very lightweight for a full size headphone.

 

[sridhar3]

Anybody know how to get the earpads off?

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Anybody know how to get the earpads off?

 
brute force + meat cleaver + large, sharp pliers! 

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

brute force + meat cleaver + large, sharp pliers! 

 
Seems legit.

 

[maxmays1]

where can these cans be found? I haven't seen any site that sells these, not even on the Sony site.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

where can these cans be found? I haven't seen any site that sells these, not even on the Sony site.

 
They're no longer being made by Sony, so the only place you'll find them is in the second hand market, like here on head-fi in the sales forum. Expect to pay quite a bit for them (over 3k USD).

 

[reddragon]

Quote:

 
They're no longer being made by Sony, so the only place you'll find them is in the second hand market, like here on head-fi in the sales forum. Expect to pay quite a bit for them (over 3k USD).

 
 
muppetface i know you have a lot of headphones, so please tell me, is the qualia that much better than the sa5000? i read the 50ish+ headphone flagship comparison and apparently the reviewer didnt think the qualia was that special at all...

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
 
muppetface i know you have a lot of headphones, so please tell me, is the qualia that much better than the sa5000? i read the 50ish+ headphone flagship comparison and apparently the reviewer didnt think the qualia was that special at all...

 
I think the Q010 is better than the SA5000, yes. Just how much better is another matter entirely, however I consider the Q010 to be special myself. I think one of the biggest factors contributing to poor impressions is poor fit. These are extreme fit-dependent and adjusting the headband isn't simple (it actually comes in three different sizes: small, medium, and large).