Nik
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks to BigD, Sovkiller and Rudi for helping me in the english translation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Qualia system"
... My memory still recalls the first red walkman I bought, very plasticky with a freebie headset. It didn’t cost much considering that the portable CD players were coming out in the market with a hefty price tag during those days. One of my habits was to always carry an audio gear which suited me like a comfy T-shirt. This long search for the audio nirvana began somewhat 20 years ago in 1985. At that time I didn’t spend much money on such equipment. How quick do we forget…the younger me, studying the classical guitar. After hours and hours of dedication to the learning of classical guitar, the natural desire of hearing the music also came along. When my studies ended, I began to play in concerts and was exposed to other types of music like rock, pop, jazz, etc. I was driven to search for the sonic perfection due to the guitar sound reproduction fetish. Many ways my ears were attuned to pick out the smallest detail in noise which in turn required extreme attention and taste.
Coming back to the tiny Sony Walkman, the search for performance improvement resulted in modifying the headset by inserting another driver thus changing the sound performance radically. During those days it was easy to find cheap headsets for replacement. Then I began to purchase headphones like Sony MDR-80. They were rather soft and small in looks, but quite potent for its appearance. Soon I realized the stuff I liked were full-size headphones in hi-fi stores, because many compact portables had their physical limits, but that brings another problem, most full-size cans were high impedance and rather inefficient. Therefore the headphone alone was not up to the task of what I was looking for.
Due to the higher technical demand of high-end models, I decided to look into amplification to drive these headgears. For the time being, I’ll say I’ve owned the finest headphones available in the market past 20 years. Be it dynamic or electrostatic. Ever since, my obsession and passion for this hobby grew whole heartedly. Gradually, my listening ears already were gaining in train and developed to the sensitive notes and details of the intimacy of the music played.
Before I go into the Sony headphones, I would like to describe the amplification section. The amp system was the fruit of long years researched and was dedicated to the highest range of electrostatic headphone rig. Furthermore, the amplifier was "custom" designed and calibrated to the technical and sonic aspects of such headphones. This system used vacuum tubes, among them, the Telefunken ECC803s which are rare and very expensive (near 700 euros a pair). As a result, the captured sound renders the most details yet very warm at the same time with powerful bass and refined sharpness.
At the age of internet explosion, today it is at our disposal to discover the latest novelty, the Sony’s announcement of "Qualia" series, which are ambitiously the no compromise products from this Japanese colossus. Keep in mind that the Qualia projects are executed in the "holds no bar" approach like the launch of 1989’s MDR-R10, the super headphones made of Zelkova wood aged 200 years, biocellulose membrane at the expense of 5 million lire (approx. US$3000). Strictly that tag was simply unthinkable for a pair of headphones at that time.
When the Qualia project was announced, the 010 MDR-1 claimed to have the best driver in a new radical format. My attention was caught on fire after looking at the actual and final production images. Its look heavily stylizes in extremely original and refreshing odd construction. After just a few days of my peaked curiosity, the relentless desire to "upgrade" tempted me beyond my appetite for these unknown headphones. Soon an act of courage followed into the unknown territory with conviction to buy the Qualia. Then I ordered one pair directly from Japan, since that was the only way to obtain them, and the long waiting began, also due to the customized and personalized headband made to fit like a glove on buyer’s head size. Along the purchasing order, came the measurement artifact, which was shaped in an arch to size the buyer’s head. In fact, the Qualia doesn’t have a regular headband type adjustment, but requires the perfect personal fit in order to optimize the musical note to your ears. Already given these product detail and service, my curiosity further climbed endlessly.
Nearly 2 months later, the MDR-1 finally arrived home. The packaging was simple, double-boxed cardboard containing the manual and an attractive aluminum stand (heavy and elegant where the headphones rest). The headphones were wrapped in a white silk sheet. I realized immediately that I was treated to the high-tech bliss, its weight at only 200gr!!! Imperceptibly feather weight with futuristic stylish design and odd ear cup configuration "ala-horn". I’ve never seen such kind of design in my life. The driver cone sits around my ears directly and wrapped around by the leather padding available in red or blue. It’s like having a car speaker sitting on top of your ear. The cable can be selected between 3 length options, 2, 3.5, or 5m. The transducers are angled toward the ears in advanced position what indicated a mandatory correct head position. The drivers must be perfectly aligned to the listeners’ ears for an accurate musical reproduction. The structure is made out of magnesium. The colorful cushions and nano-composite membrane are examples of new concept in headphone genre. As the driver is concerned, there are 4 cross sections joining at the magnet ring for more innovative engineering.
At last, I’ve plugged the Sony into my dedicated amplifier specially made to cater the MDR-1 from Rudistor. Having known Rudi in the previous projects I surely remained more than satisfied with his collaboration on special-built amp for Qualia 010.
I would like to open the argument on the headphone amp, because it creates a thorny topic in this exploration. The dedicated amp is not available to the public being one of the first dedicated to the Qualia headphones. The amplifier manufacturer is amongst the most prestigious maker in Europe and America. Last 10 years there is no amplifier in the market which is adequate enough solely using typical feeding power for the new Sony headphones. The headphones were considered and used to be an accessory only to the main system, but in last decade the concept of headphones evolved much more exclusive, prestigious and expensive equipment in the audio line-up. I realized that, and I’m speaking from a passion and to those ‘headphone-philes’ who are in minority. However, there have been increasing quantitative and qualitative reviews released in this niche market. The best example would be the popular www.head-fi.org, an internet forum specialized in headphones, portables, and amplifiers which group about 30000 members from all over the planet.
In Italy, we do not have a high, nor mature interest on that topic, but I believe that it will catch on soon. Having said the extraordinary headphones in the market today, the dedicated amplifier to go along these headphones is a "must". Therefore, the necessary "custom" build will only enhance the performance and meet the specific criteria of the headphones character. I’ve arrived to conclusions to build a "custom" headphone amplifier for these specific reasons to maximize the potentials of the Qualia yet without any interference of the headphones personality.
It seems to me that Sony Qualia 010/Rudistor RP010 combination proves to be an outstanding and unparallel match, for almost any system in the world. The RP010’s look is unmistakably powerful, absolute minimalist and "no restriction" approach. Inside its beautifully polished lid cover, the "Hic sunt leones" logo prominently appears on the chassis, which means the boundary of Roman Empire in ancient Latin, it is really a nice touch to the finish, and hints the exclusivity of such product. The headphone jack is positioned on back panel, there’s a retro potentiometer which regulates the remote control in a millimeter precision. The simple elegant front plate contains a distinctive power switch and remote control sensor for the volume adjustment. The net weight is about 15 kg of solid state stage. The signal noise ratio or noise floor measured shows a very low -105 db, a real need for these extremely sensitive headphones that will let you enjoy all the details completely effortless. For more details and specifications you can visit their official website: www.rudistor.com where the RP010 is obviously one of a kind in the world till now. Remember that the amp is custom made; you may need to send an email inquiring the price and details you may want on the amp, to better serve your needs.
The Qualia 010 was a totally new headphones concept. I’ve found only one brief technical description in Japanese at http://www.eifl.co.jp/index/export/...ualiaframe.html (the frequency extension rate: 5 ~ 120 KHz). There are 4 people in the world who bought the headphones and I’m proud to say I was the first one to acquire this beauty (at that time, now there are a lot more people who owns it)
Finally, let’s talk about the sound: the balance and the neutrality are a crucial topic to me to consider any headphone system. In these attributes, the Sony is absolutely precise and correct even compared to my precedent electrostatic rigs driven by tubes. The Qualia outclasses the electrostatics in the impact department where it’s their Achilles’ heel: the high sensibility (100db) and the low impedance (70ohm). They conducted in a strong manner without damaging one’s hearing presence. Other incredible aspect is their transparency, again superior to the electrostatics which is their common strength. This overcome is the sensational innovation. The dynamic cans have always bettered in certain parameters, but are inferior to the electrostatic ones in respect to detail, transparency and neutrality. Being still dynamic phones, the 010 still outperforms the peculiarities of the electrostatics. If one must arrive in a short conclusion reflecting the sonic character, allow me to say these Qualia are hybrid between dynamic and electrostatic. But it’s really unique in its own way since the ideology is breakthrough technology and acoustic innovation. In summary, you get the best of the both worlds, the best of dynamic and electrostatic. Allow me to say this technological leap is notably prominent marking the evolution in headphones making.
For example, hearing the piano with electrostatic gave me smooth rounded yet full body sound. But in comparison to the Qualia, the piano became more natural, precise, musical and real. From the lowest to highest notes, the 010 never looses the body throughout the composition. The hammers of the piano sounds fully present and the slam is downright scary. I was taken by descriptive emphasis, but there seems to be an acoustic bass playing at the same time, and you feel the spacious and mellow yet full and vibrant noise in another plane. The beauty is that the power never corrupts the piano’s accuracy yet continues to sound exactly the same as before. Wow! It’s unbelievable to hear this much information effortlessly from one single driver. Simultaneously reproducing real-like messages is another feat in the MDR-1. Another great trait is its ability to portray the big soundstage in the head. Very realistic and well positioned dimension are the byproduct of this "headstage". Like those who listen to headphones, the headgears don’t need to be only studio monitor purpose. It’s more important to enjoy music which is replicated to full original live event. Not only picking out single notes, but the space, ambiance, and details altogether recreates the genuine musical experience in the specific time frame.
If this task was already very difficult with speaker driver, can you imagine it with a set of headphones? Despite the physical limitations of headphones, I assure you that you will find yourself immersed in the real-like atmosphere sitting in the first row of the theater. The rendered music is very lively if I was in the middle of excited crowd during crazy rock manifesto! Its intimacy is so deep that you can feel the purity and accuracy of the studio recording as well. Its fidelity is nail-biting impressive. Going through the recorded registries, the difference is subtle observing the given recording, but not judging the system itself. To sum up, the system does NOT sound warm, cold, soft or edgy. It just presents the way the CD was recorded. After listening 4 months compared to other dedicated headphone system, my final impression is that the Sony/Rudistor combo does not prefer one kind of music. Usually my previous finding is that most headphones have a weakness in certain kind of music. For instance, I would say that the electrostatics excel in the classic and chamber music. That’s life… I still can’t tell you if Sony is more adaptable to classical, jazz, hard rock, and etc. Simply it surpasses all types of music from grand symphony orchestra to delicate American "songwriter" acoustic guitar.
To avoid misunderstanding, I wouldn’t recommend this kind of system to those searching for particular sound expression, but to who demands next to the highest level of equipment. Whoever wants a great audio system does not have to spend this much amount of money. Importantly, the rest of the feeding chain like source, cables, etc must synergize with the headphone/amp combination because these factors influence and modify the headphone neutrality as well. Please note that the amp and headphones alone will not compensate the short comings of source and cables. Additionally, this combo remains to require many tuning and attention to its full potential. The MDR-1 and RP010 combo proves to remain extremely musical, but sometimes brutally revealing and sensitive when there’s poor recording. Also when mated with tapes, or mixed disco, mini-disc, or compilation records, the Sony/Rudistor team showed some lackluster. Therefore don’t blame it on the set-up alone.
The Qualia 010 are a justifiably and reasonably expense. The unit cost is fixed at $2600 and the RP010 runs little higher, but for me this system replaces the traditional loudspeaker arrangement where I like to think I’ve saved some money…
Nicola Alfonsi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Qualia system"
... My memory still recalls the first red walkman I bought, very plasticky with a freebie headset. It didn’t cost much considering that the portable CD players were coming out in the market with a hefty price tag during those days. One of my habits was to always carry an audio gear which suited me like a comfy T-shirt. This long search for the audio nirvana began somewhat 20 years ago in 1985. At that time I didn’t spend much money on such equipment. How quick do we forget…the younger me, studying the classical guitar. After hours and hours of dedication to the learning of classical guitar, the natural desire of hearing the music also came along. When my studies ended, I began to play in concerts and was exposed to other types of music like rock, pop, jazz, etc. I was driven to search for the sonic perfection due to the guitar sound reproduction fetish. Many ways my ears were attuned to pick out the smallest detail in noise which in turn required extreme attention and taste.
Coming back to the tiny Sony Walkman, the search for performance improvement resulted in modifying the headset by inserting another driver thus changing the sound performance radically. During those days it was easy to find cheap headsets for replacement. Then I began to purchase headphones like Sony MDR-80. They were rather soft and small in looks, but quite potent for its appearance. Soon I realized the stuff I liked were full-size headphones in hi-fi stores, because many compact portables had their physical limits, but that brings another problem, most full-size cans were high impedance and rather inefficient. Therefore the headphone alone was not up to the task of what I was looking for.
Due to the higher technical demand of high-end models, I decided to look into amplification to drive these headgears. For the time being, I’ll say I’ve owned the finest headphones available in the market past 20 years. Be it dynamic or electrostatic. Ever since, my obsession and passion for this hobby grew whole heartedly. Gradually, my listening ears already were gaining in train and developed to the sensitive notes and details of the intimacy of the music played.
Before I go into the Sony headphones, I would like to describe the amplification section. The amp system was the fruit of long years researched and was dedicated to the highest range of electrostatic headphone rig. Furthermore, the amplifier was "custom" designed and calibrated to the technical and sonic aspects of such headphones. This system used vacuum tubes, among them, the Telefunken ECC803s which are rare and very expensive (near 700 euros a pair). As a result, the captured sound renders the most details yet very warm at the same time with powerful bass and refined sharpness.
At the age of internet explosion, today it is at our disposal to discover the latest novelty, the Sony’s announcement of "Qualia" series, which are ambitiously the no compromise products from this Japanese colossus. Keep in mind that the Qualia projects are executed in the "holds no bar" approach like the launch of 1989’s MDR-R10, the super headphones made of Zelkova wood aged 200 years, biocellulose membrane at the expense of 5 million lire (approx. US$3000). Strictly that tag was simply unthinkable for a pair of headphones at that time.
When the Qualia project was announced, the 010 MDR-1 claimed to have the best driver in a new radical format. My attention was caught on fire after looking at the actual and final production images. Its look heavily stylizes in extremely original and refreshing odd construction. After just a few days of my peaked curiosity, the relentless desire to "upgrade" tempted me beyond my appetite for these unknown headphones. Soon an act of courage followed into the unknown territory with conviction to buy the Qualia. Then I ordered one pair directly from Japan, since that was the only way to obtain them, and the long waiting began, also due to the customized and personalized headband made to fit like a glove on buyer’s head size. Along the purchasing order, came the measurement artifact, which was shaped in an arch to size the buyer’s head. In fact, the Qualia doesn’t have a regular headband type adjustment, but requires the perfect personal fit in order to optimize the musical note to your ears. Already given these product detail and service, my curiosity further climbed endlessly.
Nearly 2 months later, the MDR-1 finally arrived home. The packaging was simple, double-boxed cardboard containing the manual and an attractive aluminum stand (heavy and elegant where the headphones rest). The headphones were wrapped in a white silk sheet. I realized immediately that I was treated to the high-tech bliss, its weight at only 200gr!!! Imperceptibly feather weight with futuristic stylish design and odd ear cup configuration "ala-horn". I’ve never seen such kind of design in my life. The driver cone sits around my ears directly and wrapped around by the leather padding available in red or blue. It’s like having a car speaker sitting on top of your ear. The cable can be selected between 3 length options, 2, 3.5, or 5m. The transducers are angled toward the ears in advanced position what indicated a mandatory correct head position. The drivers must be perfectly aligned to the listeners’ ears for an accurate musical reproduction. The structure is made out of magnesium. The colorful cushions and nano-composite membrane are examples of new concept in headphone genre. As the driver is concerned, there are 4 cross sections joining at the magnet ring for more innovative engineering.
At last, I’ve plugged the Sony into my dedicated amplifier specially made to cater the MDR-1 from Rudistor. Having known Rudi in the previous projects I surely remained more than satisfied with his collaboration on special-built amp for Qualia 010.
I would like to open the argument on the headphone amp, because it creates a thorny topic in this exploration. The dedicated amp is not available to the public being one of the first dedicated to the Qualia headphones. The amplifier manufacturer is amongst the most prestigious maker in Europe and America. Last 10 years there is no amplifier in the market which is adequate enough solely using typical feeding power for the new Sony headphones. The headphones were considered and used to be an accessory only to the main system, but in last decade the concept of headphones evolved much more exclusive, prestigious and expensive equipment in the audio line-up. I realized that, and I’m speaking from a passion and to those ‘headphone-philes’ who are in minority. However, there have been increasing quantitative and qualitative reviews released in this niche market. The best example would be the popular www.head-fi.org, an internet forum specialized in headphones, portables, and amplifiers which group about 30000 members from all over the planet.
In Italy, we do not have a high, nor mature interest on that topic, but I believe that it will catch on soon. Having said the extraordinary headphones in the market today, the dedicated amplifier to go along these headphones is a "must". Therefore, the necessary "custom" build will only enhance the performance and meet the specific criteria of the headphones character. I’ve arrived to conclusions to build a "custom" headphone amplifier for these specific reasons to maximize the potentials of the Qualia yet without any interference of the headphones personality.
It seems to me that Sony Qualia 010/Rudistor RP010 combination proves to be an outstanding and unparallel match, for almost any system in the world. The RP010’s look is unmistakably powerful, absolute minimalist and "no restriction" approach. Inside its beautifully polished lid cover, the "Hic sunt leones" logo prominently appears on the chassis, which means the boundary of Roman Empire in ancient Latin, it is really a nice touch to the finish, and hints the exclusivity of such product. The headphone jack is positioned on back panel, there’s a retro potentiometer which regulates the remote control in a millimeter precision. The simple elegant front plate contains a distinctive power switch and remote control sensor for the volume adjustment. The net weight is about 15 kg of solid state stage. The signal noise ratio or noise floor measured shows a very low -105 db, a real need for these extremely sensitive headphones that will let you enjoy all the details completely effortless. For more details and specifications you can visit their official website: www.rudistor.com where the RP010 is obviously one of a kind in the world till now. Remember that the amp is custom made; you may need to send an email inquiring the price and details you may want on the amp, to better serve your needs.
The Qualia 010 was a totally new headphones concept. I’ve found only one brief technical description in Japanese at http://www.eifl.co.jp/index/export/...ualiaframe.html (the frequency extension rate: 5 ~ 120 KHz). There are 4 people in the world who bought the headphones and I’m proud to say I was the first one to acquire this beauty (at that time, now there are a lot more people who owns it)
Finally, let’s talk about the sound: the balance and the neutrality are a crucial topic to me to consider any headphone system. In these attributes, the Sony is absolutely precise and correct even compared to my precedent electrostatic rigs driven by tubes. The Qualia outclasses the electrostatics in the impact department where it’s their Achilles’ heel: the high sensibility (100db) and the low impedance (70ohm). They conducted in a strong manner without damaging one’s hearing presence. Other incredible aspect is their transparency, again superior to the electrostatics which is their common strength. This overcome is the sensational innovation. The dynamic cans have always bettered in certain parameters, but are inferior to the electrostatic ones in respect to detail, transparency and neutrality. Being still dynamic phones, the 010 still outperforms the peculiarities of the electrostatics. If one must arrive in a short conclusion reflecting the sonic character, allow me to say these Qualia are hybrid between dynamic and electrostatic. But it’s really unique in its own way since the ideology is breakthrough technology and acoustic innovation. In summary, you get the best of the both worlds, the best of dynamic and electrostatic. Allow me to say this technological leap is notably prominent marking the evolution in headphones making.
For example, hearing the piano with electrostatic gave me smooth rounded yet full body sound. But in comparison to the Qualia, the piano became more natural, precise, musical and real. From the lowest to highest notes, the 010 never looses the body throughout the composition. The hammers of the piano sounds fully present and the slam is downright scary. I was taken by descriptive emphasis, but there seems to be an acoustic bass playing at the same time, and you feel the spacious and mellow yet full and vibrant noise in another plane. The beauty is that the power never corrupts the piano’s accuracy yet continues to sound exactly the same as before. Wow! It’s unbelievable to hear this much information effortlessly from one single driver. Simultaneously reproducing real-like messages is another feat in the MDR-1. Another great trait is its ability to portray the big soundstage in the head. Very realistic and well positioned dimension are the byproduct of this "headstage". Like those who listen to headphones, the headgears don’t need to be only studio monitor purpose. It’s more important to enjoy music which is replicated to full original live event. Not only picking out single notes, but the space, ambiance, and details altogether recreates the genuine musical experience in the specific time frame.
If this task was already very difficult with speaker driver, can you imagine it with a set of headphones? Despite the physical limitations of headphones, I assure you that you will find yourself immersed in the real-like atmosphere sitting in the first row of the theater. The rendered music is very lively if I was in the middle of excited crowd during crazy rock manifesto! Its intimacy is so deep that you can feel the purity and accuracy of the studio recording as well. Its fidelity is nail-biting impressive. Going through the recorded registries, the difference is subtle observing the given recording, but not judging the system itself. To sum up, the system does NOT sound warm, cold, soft or edgy. It just presents the way the CD was recorded. After listening 4 months compared to other dedicated headphone system, my final impression is that the Sony/Rudistor combo does not prefer one kind of music. Usually my previous finding is that most headphones have a weakness in certain kind of music. For instance, I would say that the electrostatics excel in the classic and chamber music. That’s life… I still can’t tell you if Sony is more adaptable to classical, jazz, hard rock, and etc. Simply it surpasses all types of music from grand symphony orchestra to delicate American "songwriter" acoustic guitar.
To avoid misunderstanding, I wouldn’t recommend this kind of system to those searching for particular sound expression, but to who demands next to the highest level of equipment. Whoever wants a great audio system does not have to spend this much amount of money. Importantly, the rest of the feeding chain like source, cables, etc must synergize with the headphone/amp combination because these factors influence and modify the headphone neutrality as well. Please note that the amp and headphones alone will not compensate the short comings of source and cables. Additionally, this combo remains to require many tuning and attention to its full potential. The MDR-1 and RP010 combo proves to remain extremely musical, but sometimes brutally revealing and sensitive when there’s poor recording. Also when mated with tapes, or mixed disco, mini-disc, or compilation records, the Sony/Rudistor team showed some lackluster. Therefore don’t blame it on the set-up alone.
The Qualia 010 are a justifiably and reasonably expense. The unit cost is fixed at $2600 and the RP010 runs little higher, but for me this system replaces the traditional loudspeaker arrangement where I like to think I’ve saved some money…
Nicola Alfonsi
