Canman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- May 13, 2003
- Posts
- 3,667
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- 14
How can a colored headphone sound so detailed and transparent? Furthurmore, how can a headphone that is considered colored offer the clearest window into a recording short of the Qualia and Senn HE-90?
The coloration of the R10 seems to come from its ability to make tones sound richer than they do with other headphones. This sense of richness isn’t exactly warmth in the classical sense: I’d even call the R10 on the brighter side of neutral (coming from the dark Omega II it is certainly brighter than I’m used to). The R10 is a fast and detailed headphone; harmonic textures and microdetails are rendered with astonishing ease. What amazes me is that the sense of richness and the clarity coexist at the same time. It’s like having your cake and being able to eat it too.
Another impressive trait is the R10’s seamless integration of left to right soundstage as well as bass, mid, and treble. When listening to the R10, one gets a sense of a large, cohesive soundstage. There are no concentrated spots where images seem to congregate. This gives music a three dimensional appeal; more so than even the Stax Omega II because the image is portrayed slightly in front of the head rather than in between the ears. This seems to be the work of angled drivers. In the same manner, when listening to the R10, the traditional characterization of bass, mid, and treble doesn’t come to mind because the frequency ranges meld so well together.
One lesson I have learned with the R10 is that it takes time to get familiar with different portrayals of music. The first couple of times I tried them I came away impressed but for some reason or another I never seemed to figure them out. It wasn’t until the last time I spent some time with them that it really hit me. This might be due to the fact that the R10 that I heard most other times was an older one and may have sounded different in the lower frequencies. I’ll have to do a comparison of the older version with mine now that I am more experienced with the R10.
Right now I am driving the R10 (serial no.1186, built in 2004) with a fairly maxed out Singlepower Maestro ZR and the Meridian G08. I am using a KenRad VT-231 driver and Sylvania VT-231 output tubes. I have tried using the Tung-Sol Roundplates as output tubes but so far I prefer the KenRad/Sylvania combo.
So is the R10 a colored headphone? I really don’t care. This combo just makes music. I totally get lost in it and lose track of time. Even tracks that I found slightly irritating before are intriguing. I’ve been going through that stage where one goes through their music collection, listening to everything as if for the first time. I liken the R10 to a narcotic: it has sedating and hypnotic tendencies, only it’s legal!
The coloration of the R10 seems to come from its ability to make tones sound richer than they do with other headphones. This sense of richness isn’t exactly warmth in the classical sense: I’d even call the R10 on the brighter side of neutral (coming from the dark Omega II it is certainly brighter than I’m used to). The R10 is a fast and detailed headphone; harmonic textures and microdetails are rendered with astonishing ease. What amazes me is that the sense of richness and the clarity coexist at the same time. It’s like having your cake and being able to eat it too.
Another impressive trait is the R10’s seamless integration of left to right soundstage as well as bass, mid, and treble. When listening to the R10, one gets a sense of a large, cohesive soundstage. There are no concentrated spots where images seem to congregate. This gives music a three dimensional appeal; more so than even the Stax Omega II because the image is portrayed slightly in front of the head rather than in between the ears. This seems to be the work of angled drivers. In the same manner, when listening to the R10, the traditional characterization of bass, mid, and treble doesn’t come to mind because the frequency ranges meld so well together.
One lesson I have learned with the R10 is that it takes time to get familiar with different portrayals of music. The first couple of times I tried them I came away impressed but for some reason or another I never seemed to figure them out. It wasn’t until the last time I spent some time with them that it really hit me. This might be due to the fact that the R10 that I heard most other times was an older one and may have sounded different in the lower frequencies. I’ll have to do a comparison of the older version with mine now that I am more experienced with the R10.
Right now I am driving the R10 (serial no.1186, built in 2004) with a fairly maxed out Singlepower Maestro ZR and the Meridian G08. I am using a KenRad VT-231 driver and Sylvania VT-231 output tubes. I have tried using the Tung-Sol Roundplates as output tubes but so far I prefer the KenRad/Sylvania combo.
So is the R10 a colored headphone? I really don’t care. This combo just makes music. I totally get lost in it and lose track of time. Even tracks that I found slightly irritating before are intriguing. I’ve been going through that stage where one goes through their music collection, listening to everything as if for the first time. I liken the R10 to a narcotic: it has sedating and hypnotic tendencies, only it’s legal!
