[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood "Connected" are they? I'd like another pair of R10's. Tell them to make sure to not get too much blood on them when getting them. -Ed

Maybe connected isn't the right word....

The guy that owns the little music store up by my house is friends with and introduced me to the guy down in in Dallas that i bought my R10s from. They both regularly go to audio conventions and i've actually become friends with the guy up the street. So i could ask them to keep an eye out.

 

[Kurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WulfmanJax So i could ask them to keep an eye out.

For this?

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=95441

 

[Jorg]

My friend thanks you for a free PR

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurt For this? http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=95441

Hehe. My loves.

 

[dolifant]

Another thing about the R-10s is the exclusivity. Now, of course, production has stopped. So you can't buy very many new sets. There are probably a few in varios places. Audioadvancements may still have one or two. But ultimately, it will be harder and harder to get, adding to its mystique. I understand, mainly from Nik, that the Qualia 010 may be the "best" headphone out there now....at least for some aficionados. They are over $3K, and not yet easy to get. So it may be that my R-10s will markedly decrease in value. But to me they are so pleasurable, and they draw me into the music like no other headphone I have tried, that I see no reason to switch. If I hear the Qualias driven by the right gear I might.

Regarding the argument that those guys with the ipods and earphones are happy and ergo, that is the best setup...I doubt they have heard the upper level systems, or just can't afford them, or need the portability, or just don't care about "sound". That is OK. Just because I can't appreciate the difference between a $30.00 wine and a $100 wine doesn't mean there is no difference. I just choose not to become accoustomed to it, so I don't "need" $100 wine. BTW, I use an Ipod too....on the airplane and for audiobooks and music on the go. For that....its great!

But for me, a classical musician, sound does matter, and I like what I hear with the R-10s. And yes, I wish the price was $1000 or less, but the supply is limited, and I'm damn glad I got a pair. Yes, I had the "fever" to buy 'em before they were no longer available, and I didn't want to wait forever for one to pop up on audiogon, ebay, or here. I do have pride of ownership, and friends have been blown away with the sound, even though they don't know a thing about headphones.

 

[chumley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolifant I think despite what we say, or how experienced we may be, the amount of bass that pleases you depends on your expectations. I own both the R-10 and Senn 650, and listen to both. There is no doubt that the atrticulation of the notes is better and more distinct with the R-10s. I am satisfied with the bass, but I primarily listen to jazz and classical. But there is indeed bass in symphonic works as well as in jazz. When I listen to Brian Bromberg doing a solo upright bass piece(his Wood albumn) or the SACD Super Bass I or II, I hear every note well articulated,down as low as he (they) is (are) playing. I don't have "slam" but I do not need slam. That, for me, is for speakers in my home theatre setup. If I listen on the Senn 650s, I still enjoy the music. I do hear a louder volume of bass. But the entire presentation lacks a certain degree of accuracy. Mind you its not in any way horrible, just like I am listening with a subtle barrier between the headphones and my ears. This may be the "veil" everybody talks about. I won't try to tell you they are worth $4K (new retail cost) in comparison. It is largely a matter of priorities. I have owned a Mercedes for $90K and currently drive a Toyota Prius (~29K), and enjoy both. I have a friend who had to have a $160K Ferrari. To me his desires are a waste of money. I am someone who apprecites the clarity and accuracy of the R-10s. I am happy owning them, but I would not tell my wife what I paid.

When I owned the R10s, I listened extensively to a wide variety of CDs, SACDs, and vinyl through the R10s with Meridian, HR Blockhead, Conrad-Johnson, Hafler, Mark Levison, Meitner, Ray Samuels, Gilmore (Dynamic Reference) gear... same for the HD650s, which I still own, and listen to often, with both Cardas standard and balanced cabling.

Hands down, the Senns produced, again and again, more articulated detail, balance, and speed, as well as tighter, more extended and better articulated bass than the R10s, in many different music/source/amp/headphone combinations. To say the Senns lack ".. a certain degree of accuracy..." compared to the R10s is inaccurate, pardon the pun. I suspect you want to hear a greater degree of accuracy in the R10s, therefore you do. Any number of audio pros who've heard both, with various rigs and with a variety of music that I've chatted with recently agree that the Senns, especially in 'balanced' mode, out-articulate and just plain more faithfully reproduce source than the R10s, and no amp manufacturer has to custom configure their amps to compensate for the Senns' sonic shortcomings, either...

To say that you 'still enjoy the music' when listening to music through HD650s, rather than the R10s, seems a tad affected, to say the least. A few headphones, past and present, that list for over $3k USD sound better than the HD650s, but the R10s, IMO, ain't one of them... and I've owned both since the HD650s first became available stateside; I sold the R10s to the ex not long ago.

IMO, the first thing to do with the R10s is sell them and buy better source and amp to go with the HD650s and either Zu Mobius or Cardas cabling; if you can afford it, get a nice dual-mono amp with balanced XLR headphone outputs and cabling for the Senns; a nice source and your favorite tunes and then, if you STILL can't 'enjoy the music', A/B some (CUSTOM) balanced-cabled K1000s, PS-1s, R10s and W2000s with said rig and choose between THOSE!...

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chumley When I owned the R10s, I listened extensively to a wide variety of CDs, SACDs, and vinyl through the R10s with Meridian, HR Blockhead, Conrad-Johnson, Hafler, Mark Levison, Meitner, Ray Samuels, Gilmore (Dynamic Reference) gear... same for the HD650s, which I still own, and listen to often, with both Cardas standard and balanced cabling. Hands down, the Senns produced, again and again, more articulated detail, balance, and speed, as well as tighter, more extended and better articulated bass than the R10s, in many different music/source/amp/headphone combinations. To say the Senns lack ".. a certain degree of accuracy..." compared to the R10s is inaccurate, pardon the pun. I suspect you want to hear a greater degree of accuracy in the R10s, therefore you do. Any number of audio pros who've heard both, with various rigs and with a variety of music that I've chatted with recently agree that the Senns, especially in 'balanced' mode, out-articulate and just plain more faithfully reproduce source than the R10s, and no amp manufacturer has to custom configure their amps to compensate for the Senns' sonic shortcomings, either... To say that you 'still enjoy the music' when listening to music through HD650s, rather than the R10s, seems a tad affected, to say the least. A few headphones, past and present, that list for over $3k USD sound better than the HD650s, but the R10s, IMO, ain't one of them... and I've owned both since the HD650s first became available stateside; I sold the R10s to the ex not long ago. IMO, the first thing to do with the R10s is sell them and buy better source and amp to go with the HD650s and either Zu Mobius or Cardas cabling; if you can afford it, get a nice dual-mono amp with balanced XLR headphone outputs and cabling for the Senns; a nice source and your favorite tunes and then, if you STILL can't 'enjoy the music', A/B some (CUSTOM) balanced-cabled K1000s, PS-1s, R10s and W2000s with said rig and choose between THOSE!...

Agree!

And now, when you will try a Qualia 010?

Best!
Nicola

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolifant Another thing about the R-10s is the exclusivity. Now, of course, production has stopped. So you can't buy very many new sets. There are probably a few in varios places. Audioadvancements may still have one or two. But ultimately, it will be harder and harder to get, adding to its mystique. I understand, mainly from Nik, that the Qualia 010 may be the "best" headphone out there now....at least for some aficionados. They are over $3K, and not yet easy to get. So it may be that my R-10s will markedly decrease in value. But to me they are so pleasurable, and they draw me into the music like no other headphone I have tried, that I see no reason to switch. If I hear the Qualias driven by the right gear I might.

Actually, i know alot of people who've tried the Qualias (through great gear) and haven't liked them. Even Mikhail at SinglePower still highly prefers his R10s over the Qualias. It's really unfair to compair the two i think because, from what i hear, the Qualias are VERY different headphones (sound wise) than the R10s. The Qualias seem to be the meeting point between electrostatics and dynamics. And if that's a person's cup of tea then they very well maybe "the best" (for them).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolifant Regarding the argument that those guys with the ipods and earphones are happy and ergo, that is the best setup...I doubt they have heard the upper level systems, or just can't afford them, or need the portability, or just don't care about "sound". That is OK. Just because I can't appreciate the difference between a $30.00 wine and a $100 wine doesn't mean there is no difference. I just choose not to become accoustomed to it, so I don't "need" $100 wine. BTW, I use an Ipod too....on the airplane and for audiobooks and music on the go. For that....its great!

Exactly. Until a month ago i hadn't heard anything other than a $300 all-in-one home theater system with some $100 sony MDR-V600s. I dicovered this place and figured as much as i love music i deserved to have a REALLY great system. And, like you gave the analogy about wine, it's all about priorities. I remember one person on here saying once they had spent the full $4000 for the R10s but had never spent more than that for a car. Where as 99.99% of people would take a $4000 car before a $4000 set of cans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolifant But for me, a classical musician, sound does matter, and I like what I hear with the R-10s. And yes, I wish the price was $1000 or less, but the supply is limited, and I'm damn glad I got a pair. Yes, I had the "fever" to buy 'em before they were no longer available, and I didn't want to wait forever for one to pop up on audiogon, ebay, or here. I do have pride of ownership, and friends have been blown away with the sound, even though they don't know a thing about headphones.

Classical musican? Let me ask you, how did you learn? I'm just getting in to learning music and have been completely self taught. I play guitar and have a computer program called guitarpro that is an interactive guitar tab (like sheet music for guitar). Having it has made me learn all about writing music and i think i've finally got the hang of the basics. I've really been wanting to start learning music though but don't really know where to start.

As for the R10s, i was the EXACT same way. I got into this right after they went OOP and from the descriptions i just knew they were MY headphones. So far i haven't regretted buying them at all as every minute with them and my system has been, as corny as it sounds, absolutely magical. And i had my parents hear them, and both of them were completely amazed too. They both thought i was insane for spending that much on a system and especially headphones, but once they heard it i think they unerstood.

 

[Nik]

(...). The Qualias seem to be the meeting point between electrostatics and dynamics. And if that's a person's cup of tea then they very well maybe "the best" (for them).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree! For that I have upgraded my setup from R10 to Omega II to Qualia 010 ! This is my walk.

Best!
Nicola

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalbill I'm not sure that the perfect headphone exists for all musical tastes.

There's no "not sure" about it. It's a definite "no". I wish people would just realize it's all personal taste. I just find it funny that even some of the "complaints" about the R10s that i've read in the thread that i agree with are things that don't bother me... I love the detail, the mids, the soundstage. I wasn't sure if such a "colored" pair of headphones were for me, but one listen with them and i was hooked. To me, the R10s make absolutely beautiful music. I really do need to try to find a way to try out some Qualias to compare though. I got about 30 minutes with some Omegas and, while they were amazing in their own right, i liked the R10s MUCH better.

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WulfmanJax (...). The Qualias seem to be the meeting point between electrostatics and dynamics. And if that's a person's cup of tea then they very well maybe "the best" (for them). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Agree! For that I have upgraded my setup from R10 to Omega II to Qualia 010 ! This is my walk. Best! Nicola

Don't suppose you'd like to ship your Qualias all the way to Oklahoma to let me audition them, eh?

One question though: My main complaint about the Omegas is that they didn't really seem to have any kind of "punch" to them. I could hear every last small detail, but it was like the headphones were so busy making me "hear" the music they forgot to make me "feel" the music. Do the Qualias have the same problem? Because i know the R10s have plenty of punch when they need to.

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WulfmanJax Don't suppose you'd like to ship your Qualias all the way to Oklahoma to let me audition them, eh? One question though: My main complaint about the Omegas is that they didn't really seem to have any kind of "punch" to them. I could hear every last small detail, but it was like the headphones were so busy making me "hear" the music they forgot to make me "feel" the music. Do the Qualias have the same problem? Because i know the R10s have plenty of punch when they need to.

The R-10's are the best headphone I have heard in letting you "feel" the music. I like the Omega II better as an all around headphone but soundstaging and musicality are things the R-10 does better. If only they had more low end dynamics they would be perfect for me.

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman The R-10's are the best headphone I have heard in letting you "feel" the music. I like the Omega II better as an all around headphone but soundstaging and musicality are things the R-10 does better. If only they had more low end dynamics they would be perfect for me.

And i guess i just got THE perfect amp or something... because with the Supra there is absolutely, positively NO lack in bass dynamics. WHATSOEVER. My dad is an absolute bass nut and even HE agreed. Listening to metal it was as heavy and "slammy" as it needed to be. With classical it was smooth and articulate and very clean (almost like the highs but slightly less pronounced). With the one jazz album i listened to it had jus the right amount of pop and punch.... Everything i could want in the bass dept. the R10s had.

I'm almost tempted to try these on a lesser system/amp to see if i can hear the bass problem. I really wish the people that complain could hear them with my setup.

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WulfmanJax And i guess i just got THE perfect amp or something... because with the Supra there is absolutely, positively NO lack in bass dynamics. WHATSOEVER. My dad is an absolute bass nut and even HE agreed. Listening to metal it was as heavy and "slammy" as it needed to be. With classical it was smooth and articulate and very clean (almost like the highs but slightly less pronounced). With the one jazz album i listened to it had jus the right amount of pop and punch.... Everything i could want in the bass dept. the R10s had. I'm almost tempted to try these on a lesser system/amp to see if i can hear the bass problem. I really wish the people that complain could hear them with my setup.

Most of my R-10 listening has been on Hirsch's Supra (one of his several). I have heard some tube combinations that bring out the bass nicely. On some other amps like the Gilmore, the R-10 sounds like half a headphone (no low end whatsoever). If I had the money I would definetely want to own an R-10 system in addition to the Omega II.

I am very curious to hear how the Qualia sounds in comparison.

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman Most of my R-10 listening has been on Hirsch's Supra (one of his several). I have heard some tube combinations that bring out the bass nicely. On some other amps like the Gilmore, the R-10 sounds like half a headphone (no low end whatsoever). If I had the money I would definetely want to own an R-10 system in addition to the Omega II. I am very curious to hear how the Qualia sounds in comparison.

I need to find a real sucke... errrr, nice guy on here to loan me his Qualias to test them out.