[zardon]

Its been an unusual experience living with this headphone. It has taken a full 500 hours to bed in, and i dont normally believe in all this 'bedding in' methodology. At the start i thought the headphone was hideous but as time has progressed it has reached a very desireable plateau.

Now i have reached 510 hours i have to say that is one of the most enjoyable headphones in my collection, even if the technical data readouts are rather concerning.

It creates a huge soundstage and listening to ryan adams live at carnegie hall was quite mindblowing. Its worth ordering the additional grommet set as adjustments can be made to the sound output.

Bass response is powerful although there is a little lacking in regards to sub bass. A great headphone for a variety of music and the hybrid driver has so much potential.

If you have some money in hand and want to try something completely (and i mean this!) different, then this is worth a look. Its as close to strapping on two loudspeakers as i have experienced with a headphone.

 

[MaceHane2]

Greetings, you obviously have an astoundingly great collection of headphones! 
I am looking for what is called a 'summit' pair and for for some reason something about these (visually, and from reading of them) has always appealed. They are at the limit of what I can afford but there is little-to-no-chance that I can get to hear them. And there isn't that much out there to read about them, other than just literally two reviews it seems.
I would be hugely grateful if you could write a little about what it is that makes them one of your favourites (especially when looking at your 'phones!) and how you feel they compare to others around their price level.
I understand that that isn't a particularly straightforward request, but any thoughts would help.
Closed/open doesn't matter - I listens to a wide spectrum of music from classical to Icelandic metal to so-called Alternative to, well, just about anything out there except Jazz!
And maybe one day (for life is short) I should give a jazz a listen.
Thanks for your time.
Be well.
 
P.S. I wonder have you heard the Mr Speakers Ether C?
I ask as they are the other model that interest me for than the usual suspects, such as beyer T5p, or PM1, etc
Thanks!

 

[zardon]

 
Greetings, you obviously have an astoundingly great collection of headphones! 
I am looking for what is called a 'summit' pair and for for some reason something about these (visually, and from reading of them) has always appealed. They are at the limit of what I can afford but there is little-to-no-chance that I can get to hear them. And there isn't that much out there to read about them, other than just literally two reviews it seems.
I would be hugely grateful if you could write a little about what it is that makes them one of your favourites (especially when looking at your 'phones!) and how you feel they compare to others around their price level.
I understand that that isn't a particularly straightforward request, but any thoughts would help.
Closed/open doesn't matter - I listens to a wide spectrum of music from classical to Icelandic metal to so-called Alternative to, well, just about anything out there except Jazz!
And maybe one day (for life is short) I should give a jazz a listen.
Thanks for your time.
Be well.
 
P.S. I wonder have you heard the Mr Speakers Ether C?
I ask as they are the other model that interest me for than the usual suspects, such as beyer T5p, or PM1, etc
Thanks!

If I can make the time I will do my best. I will say that these headphones need an awful lot of time to get close to their best. I have never noticed much difference in headphones between 50-500 hours, but these are constantly changing and evolving until they settle. The bass response is great, and I like them with a variety of music. The problem is that their technical readings are very unusual due to the driver design so many people are immediately avoiding them, which is a shame. If you do buy them I would recommend getting a new cable for them, such as Drew Bairds' Silver Dragon (with the Hi-Fi man screw in fittings, they are identical). I noticed a little improvement, which was enough to justify the cost.
 
Would I have these headphones as my only headphone? probably not, that would go to the Stax 009 with BHSE, but I still listen to them on a fairly regular basis. They are easy to drive too due to their very high sensitivity, which helps.
 
Shame most people seem to have ignored them, as I think the driver is actually very impressive and the initial mid range hollowness vanishes over time.

 

[MaceHane2]

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
So many headphones, so little time ....!
I will think on.
You take care out there.
Be well.

 

[Nrocket]

Ess is now doing an AMT headphone.

 

[Allanmarcus]

I read about on InnerFidelity, and confirmed with Tyll it's really an AMT headphone. Anyone have any info or links to info?

 

[Faber65]

Tested yesterday at the Shanghai International Audio Visual show.
I have to say that I am positively impressed.
I wish I had more time to test them.

 

[Allanmarcus]

ESS will be at the LA Audio show this weekend. From heir press release:

ESS Headphones: Yep, that’s right: ESS has joined the headphone community. We will soon have three new models slotted above our entry-level RLM-713, which has recently received glowing reviews from the Head-Fi community, Hi Fi+, and Positive Feedback. We’re also proud to boast that seven Grammy-winning and multi-platinum selling artists are using ESS headphones in the studio for tracking, mixing, and home use

ESS AMT 420 Hybrid: The first of two new, advanced AMT headphones, the AMT 420 Hybrid features a 30mm dynamic Kapton low-frequency driver that works in conjunction with a true, multifold Air-Motion Transformer. An external Bluetooth .5 transceiver will soon be available for this model. $TBD

ESS AMT 422: Our flagship headphone will redefine on-ear listening for the serious audiophile. The AMT 422 features a full-range Air-Motion Transformer (15Hz - 45kHz), and we can’t wait for you to hear it. An external Bluetooth .5 transceiver will soon be available for this model. $TBD

.

 

[bmoura]

ESS will be at the LA Audio show this weekend. From heir press release:

.

From the ESS posts on their Facebook page, looks like there will be two model 422 headphones.
A hybrid model (422H) and an AMT model (422AMT).

Would be interesting to hear these!
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/ess-252-ess-422h-headphones/

 

[skootb]

how's the bleed on these? Can I use these in an office setting, or will everyone around me hear them?

 

[LucasKA]

Just want to say I am really really impressed by the HAMT-1 (original), managed to get a 2nd hand unit in UK and my ears was in bliss when I plugged it into the balanced output on my Liquid Gold X (Monolith). It got an amazing bass, mid and high. Soundstage is big. Will need to listen more and compare to HD800 and Utopia...I am in favour of the sound of HAMT-1 more than HD800 for sure.