[UNW209]

Picked up this headphone from a site in the UK where they were getting rid of a demo for an amazing price. They just arrived yesterday so listening impressions are very preliminary. As a side note build quality on these is very high.

Source was a Teac pd-501 hr cd player into a COS Engineering H1 dac/headamp (amazing product that deserves more coverage). While the Teac is warmer and less detailed than my usual transport (a Tube Technologies Fusion 64) it is actually not a bad unit with a smooth, natural signature. So far I have only listened to well recorded jazz CDs: poorly recorded fare might result in a different impression.

My preference is for a mostly neutral, detailed sound with a slight bass lift. For reference my other main cans are: AKG k701, Hifiman He 400s, Noble k10ua, Etymotic ER4S, LA900 and Focal Utopia.

In a nutshell the Technics is one of the more fun listens I have had in a while despite their clear deviation from neutrality. Yes the Technics are definitely not "flat" but I mean that in a good way. There appears to be a slight upper bass hump that subjectively would likely obscure the lower bass in a less than ideal setup. Female vocals are presented up front and forward in a way that enhances detail in this area. However there seems to be a dip in the upper midrange to lower treble transition that pushes some instruments a little further back in the mix than they should be. Upper treble extension apoears to be good, but perhaps could sound slightly disconected on some systems. Tape hiss is noticeably accentuated. Staging is also good, but since I am less concerned with this than many appear to be I'll leave it at that. However nothing I have said takes away from my enjoyment of these cans.

Somewhere along the line in this hobby some appear to have become obsessed with technicalities as opposed to just enjoying the overall voicing of the unit and accepting it for what it is. The Technics apoears to be an honest expression of the way the lead designer hears or wants to hear music as opposed to an attempt to match sone target response.

One final comment: the What HiFi review savages this headphone giving it only 2 stars. While one cannot argue with the subjective impressions of the reviewer (I have to assume they heard it as described) I must question the weight they have applied to each noted issue. When taken as a whole these cans are definitely a much better listen than their rating suggests. I can only assume that either my impression is too preliminary (I was told my unit was a display demo so I have no idea how well they have been broken in) or the What HiFi reviewer's listening chain (including their ears) was not ideal.

Hope this has been helpful. Now back to listening ....

 
Another pride owner here. I bought it from a friend of Japan last month at a rather little discount from the original price.
Can you tell me how much did you pay for this masterpiece?

 

[brams]

PM sent.
 
 
One other thing to add:  the main coloration of this headphone is a metallic sheen in the upper mid-range which also creates a bit of an edge on some vocals and tends to mask some low treble detail.  With a neutral amp it is not too offensive, but I could see some being put off by this trait.
 
Despite that I'm really loving this headphone though ... it's a nice complement to what I already have and the build quality is probably the best I have seen!

 

[S-O8]

Interesting reading this thread. I am just considering going for these headphones. I listened once and loved them + I can get them at a hugely discounted price through a friend. Very tempting ! They remind me of an Audeze EL-8 closed ... but better ! At £900 no way ... at the price I can source them for ... maybe

 

[SHAMuuu]

Interesting reading this thread. I am just considering going for these headphones. I listened once and loved them + I can get them at a hugely discounted price through a friend. Very tempting ! They remind me of an Audeze EL-8 closed ... but better ! At £900 no way ... at the price I can source them for ... maybe

It looks super attractive, but i don't get its technology. If I remember at Innerfidelity they mentioned the small driver kicks in at 40kHz.
"
This is the about-to-be-released Technics EAH-T700 (~$1300) dual-driver, "Hi-Res Ready", circumaural, sealed headphone. The sound was quite good...stunning for a dual driver. Of course, the thing I didn't know until after my little listening session was the second driver cross-over point is at about 50kHz!!! It's very hard to tell in the picture, but all the sparkly stuff around the driver elements is a kind of fine fuzz damping material intended to keep high frequency resonances at bay. "

Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2016-day-2#IJeIGetGfcrCUDCD.99

Ok 50KHZ. Is it just to get the Hi-Res sticker on the box. Whats the difference b/w the Panasonic RPHD10 which are 1/5 of cost? It looks awesome, the drivers and chassis thats for sure

 

[GREQ]

What people tend to ignore or assume is some kind of pseudo audiophile nonsense, is that our ears and bodies can also feel frequencies beyond our hearing.
When I compared this headphone directly with the HD5, I was surprised at how the super tweeter seemed to give more air and nuance to the treble frequencies. This was something I felt, and not necessarily heard.

 

[TPSRA]

Man only 10 pages, what a underrated headphone!
I was looking for a closed can and I would choose this one over the Th900 on most of my tracks....
WhatHiFi really know how to screw people up with their s**tty review don't they..

 

[Beagle]

I got to demo these yesterday. Yuck. Sculpted, bright, colored sound. And $1500 to boot. You could buy three better sounding headphones for the same price. IMHO of course.

 

[brams]

They are very sensitive to source, improve with time, but definitely lean toward the brighter side of reality. Nevertheless, with a bright source or equipment I can't argue with your impressions and would expect these to be a love/hate listen.

Having said that my enjoyment improved significantly when everything in the chain was right ... to the point that I now reach for these more than any other of my much higher ranked cans. They don't sound "better", but their coloration is enjoyable (at least to me). Surprisingly I find that live, amplified music tends to be more on the bright side than many have become accustomed to in the audiophile world ... at least on the speaker side.

At the price I paid (remove the leading digit from your number and you're still high but in the ballpark) I consider them a steal!

 

[S-O8]

I got to demo these yesterday. Yuck. Sculpted, bright, colored sound. And $1500 to boot. You could buy three better sounding headphones for the same price. IMHO of course.

I don't find them bright ... they are not like Grado's. I really like them and they do seem to be improving with time nicely. On the brighter side, yes, but with my set up I am more than happy ... along with the fact I got them for €428 !

 

[AxelCloris]

Cleaned up some recent posts. We appreciate everyone keeping their discussion within the Posting Guidelines. Thanks all.

 

[vcmusik]

I know this isn't a popular headphone, but I personally had an epiphany moment just now where I've been experiencing the quirky sound qualities that everyone else has, but I did also own a Sony MDR-Z1R and realized that they use an identical cable system. Ended up trying the upgraded Kimber Cable with the T700 and I have to say, I personally never thought cables should have an effect on the overall sound quality but there was a clear difference in clarity and presence. For those of you that own both headphones (or a MDR-Z7 if not a Z1R), this is definitely worth a shot to breathe a little new life into an otherwise quirky but still enjoyable headphone.

 

[TPSRA]

I don't find them bright ... they are not like Grado's. I really like them and they do seem to be improving with time nicely. On the brighter side, yes, but with my set up I am more than happy ... along with the fact I got them for €428 !

Bright side yes, but sculpted, colored and $1500, something was seriously wrong with the auditing place, or him.

 

[brams]

Actually I think this was exactly the signature they were going for, especially if used with a typical rolled off, slightly closed in, mid-tier headphone amp or dap.

As sculpted as it is this can continues to grow on me over time; I probably reach for these as often as I reach for my Utopias. The signature deviates from neutral in a fun way not unlike my modded th900s. As a result it will likely stay in my collection for a long time. The notion that all cans need to target neutrality to be enjoyable escapes me.

 

[S-O8]

Actually I think this was exactly the signature they were going for, especially if used with a typical rolled off, slightly closed in, mid-tier headphone amp or dap.

As sculpted as it is this can continues to grow on me over time; I probably reach for these as often as I reach for my Utopias. The signature deviates from neutral in a fun way not unlike my modded th900s. As a result it will likely stay in my collection for a long time. The notion that all cans need to target neutrality to be enjoyable escapes me.

I have 3 pairs of headphones sitting out by my amplifier ... Utopia, Clear and these Technics !

Stored away but to be fair within easy reach are Grado GS1000e, PS500e, Oppo PM-2, Oppo PM-3 ... and finally Audeze EL-8 (Open).

The fact the Technics sit out with the Focal's says a lot for them. I have punchy with the Utopia, superb with the Clear and then a closed in but excellent option with the Technics

 

[brams]

I know this isn't a popular headphone, but I personally had an epiphany moment just now where I've been experiencing the quirky sound qualities that everyone else has, but I did also own a Sony MDR-Z1R and realized that they use an identical cable system. Ended up trying the upgraded Kimber Cable with the T700 and I have to say, I personally never thought cables should have an effect on the overall sound quality but there was a clear difference in clarity and presence. For those of you that own both headphones (or a MDR-Z7 if not a Z1R), this is definitely worth a shot to breathe a little new life into an otherwise quirky but still enjoyable headphone.

Does the Sony cable reduce the "sizzle" colouration in the treble?