Meyvn
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2006
- Posts
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- 13
All right. So Mike (mulveling on Head-Fi) graciously leant me some of his time and his hospitality earlier today to give me a chance to listen to his great collection of high end dynamics. His collection of top of the lines is as follows: the Audio-Technica ATH-L3000, the Sony Qualia 010 and MDR-R10, and the JVC HP-DX1000. I would consider the former three firmly in the top spots; the latter is more in the neighborhood of the current production Sennheisers, Beyers, and AKGs, IMO. Keep in mind I listened to these generally with three genres each: classical, hard rock, and pop, so I'm not going to be able to give you full-blown reviews, but I think I got a decent view of what each of these are capable of.
First up was the Sony MDR-R10. Gave it a spin on classical first, then rock later. This was a very interesting one. I expected it when I saw it to be circumaural in the sense that your ears go inside the pads and they're cupped by them; not so. In actuality, it's more like they're just very big, VERY soft supraaural pads that cup your ears by way of the pressure from the headband. Still very, very comfy, though; second only to my very well worn in HD570 in that department. About on par with the SR-007, maybe a little moreso because these pads were more well worn in than the newer OII pads. The build quality of course was absolutely superb as well. Sonically speaking, the only thing I could possibly fault it for was a lack of bass impact. It wasn't missing any as far as amount is concerned, though. It was very detailed, very balanced, and had a great soundstage; you simply wouldn't know you were wearing a closed headphone if you simply heard the sound. I can see why a lot of people consider it the king; it reminds me a bit of the AKG K701, only with a more neutral midrange, and definitely more detail and bass. I told Mike that, surprisingly, I actually really liked these through rock, despite the fact that they did indeed shine more on classical music, and I'm sure by extension, acoustic stuff.
The ATH-L3000 was next. These fit quite similarly to the R10, actually, though not as comfy. They were also smaller than I expected, having seen the W5000 before, which is much larger. Again, excellent build quality. Even the wings had very nice leather on the undersides of them. They're also better looking in person for sure, as many others have said. I could tell Mike was protective of these, since he owned two pairs, as well as a set of spare drivers, and a rumored extra set of said drivers (hopefully) on the way. As far as the sound is concerned, I can definitely add to the list of those who think these are very, very bassy. What I can't add to is the list of people who think they're rock 'phones; I actually liked them better on the Hilary Hahn CD we played with them than the Mars Volta's De-Loused in the Comatorium, one of my favorite albums period. Where they really shined, though, was pop: Mike put in an 80s Madonna CD, and they were absolutely fantastic with it; the bass complemented the music perfectly. Couldn't have picked a better 'phone for the job. As far as the overall sound signature, I did find the mids a bit recessed, and I think this would've kept me from their overall enjoyment on much of the music I listened to. They were still fairly resolving, though, and the bass was fabulous for the right kinds of music (i.e. pop).
Next was Sony's Qualia 010. I just want to declare to the world: they fit me just fine, right out of the gate! Of course, I preferred the sound a LITTLE more when I pressed the earcups to my head a bit tighter, but it wasn't a 'make it or break it' change. They were a medium, for the record. Just like everyone says, these are fabulously detailed. Subtle nuances and all that. The highs are sparkling, without being harsh. I'd also like to say once for myself (and for all to read): these are NOT simply a better MDR-SA5000; they're a different league entirely. The bass on these things really is incredibly present. For some reason, since the detail is so heavily focused on, no one really talks about the bass, but there is a lot of it! I think these would go great with any well recorded rock. Something strange going on with the soundstage, though; it didn't quite feel as enveloping as I would've liked it to. It's hard to explain, but most headphones just have this, and the Qualia somehow didn't. No one else really talks about this enveloping, big feeling but me, though, so maybe it's just some crazy thing I have. Aside from that, they were really world class.
JVC HP-DX1000 was last, an afterthought, really. Figured it'd be a good idea for me to give it a listen to get more opinions out there. The short version, since I really didn't give it much time, is that it's definitely an audiophile grade headphone; great build quality, very light, VERY comfy, pretty looking, good sounding. They don't specifically lack anything, except that they sound a bit closed (whcih is expected of MOST closed headphones anyway), and they've got a major midbass hump which I found to be just a little too much for me. I'd rate them as a $300-400 headphone, not the higher prices they go for normally. But they're certainly not bad by any means; no reason to fear them simply because of their brand name. Also, it gives me confidence and encouragement that their next offering will be even better, so I'd stay tuned.
(p.s. Mike, I'm pretty sure I left my hat at your apartment--let me know if you spot it).
First up was the Sony MDR-R10. Gave it a spin on classical first, then rock later. This was a very interesting one. I expected it when I saw it to be circumaural in the sense that your ears go inside the pads and they're cupped by them; not so. In actuality, it's more like they're just very big, VERY soft supraaural pads that cup your ears by way of the pressure from the headband. Still very, very comfy, though; second only to my very well worn in HD570 in that department. About on par with the SR-007, maybe a little moreso because these pads were more well worn in than the newer OII pads. The build quality of course was absolutely superb as well. Sonically speaking, the only thing I could possibly fault it for was a lack of bass impact. It wasn't missing any as far as amount is concerned, though. It was very detailed, very balanced, and had a great soundstage; you simply wouldn't know you were wearing a closed headphone if you simply heard the sound. I can see why a lot of people consider it the king; it reminds me a bit of the AKG K701, only with a more neutral midrange, and definitely more detail and bass. I told Mike that, surprisingly, I actually really liked these through rock, despite the fact that they did indeed shine more on classical music, and I'm sure by extension, acoustic stuff.
The ATH-L3000 was next. These fit quite similarly to the R10, actually, though not as comfy. They were also smaller than I expected, having seen the W5000 before, which is much larger. Again, excellent build quality. Even the wings had very nice leather on the undersides of them. They're also better looking in person for sure, as many others have said. I could tell Mike was protective of these, since he owned two pairs, as well as a set of spare drivers, and a rumored extra set of said drivers (hopefully) on the way. As far as the sound is concerned, I can definitely add to the list of those who think these are very, very bassy. What I can't add to is the list of people who think they're rock 'phones; I actually liked them better on the Hilary Hahn CD we played with them than the Mars Volta's De-Loused in the Comatorium, one of my favorite albums period. Where they really shined, though, was pop: Mike put in an 80s Madonna CD, and they were absolutely fantastic with it; the bass complemented the music perfectly. Couldn't have picked a better 'phone for the job. As far as the overall sound signature, I did find the mids a bit recessed, and I think this would've kept me from their overall enjoyment on much of the music I listened to. They were still fairly resolving, though, and the bass was fabulous for the right kinds of music (i.e. pop).
Next was Sony's Qualia 010. I just want to declare to the world: they fit me just fine, right out of the gate! Of course, I preferred the sound a LITTLE more when I pressed the earcups to my head a bit tighter, but it wasn't a 'make it or break it' change. They were a medium, for the record. Just like everyone says, these are fabulously detailed. Subtle nuances and all that. The highs are sparkling, without being harsh. I'd also like to say once for myself (and for all to read): these are NOT simply a better MDR-SA5000; they're a different league entirely. The bass on these things really is incredibly present. For some reason, since the detail is so heavily focused on, no one really talks about the bass, but there is a lot of it! I think these would go great with any well recorded rock. Something strange going on with the soundstage, though; it didn't quite feel as enveloping as I would've liked it to. It's hard to explain, but most headphones just have this, and the Qualia somehow didn't. No one else really talks about this enveloping, big feeling but me, though, so maybe it's just some crazy thing I have. Aside from that, they were really world class.
JVC HP-DX1000 was last, an afterthought, really. Figured it'd be a good idea for me to give it a listen to get more opinions out there. The short version, since I really didn't give it much time, is that it's definitely an audiophile grade headphone; great build quality, very light, VERY comfy, pretty looking, good sounding. They don't specifically lack anything, except that they sound a bit closed (whcih is expected of MOST closed headphones anyway), and they've got a major midbass hump which I found to be just a little too much for me. I'd rate them as a $300-400 headphone, not the higher prices they go for normally. But they're certainly not bad by any means; no reason to fear them simply because of their brand name. Also, it gives me confidence and encouragement that their next offering will be even better, so I'd stay tuned.
(p.s. Mike, I'm pretty sure I left my hat at your apartment--let me know if you spot it).
