Yep, I concur with the sentiments expressed above there. This thread has been enormously helpful. Thank you so much for your time and effort to record your thoughts so carefully and sharing them here. I feel like I can trust your comments a lot more than some reviews where the only criticism is the choice of latches on the carrying case.
After several years away from HeadFi and gleefully listening to speakers almost exclusively, a new job with an open office and extended commute pulled me back into the Game of Phones. I have spent the past several months haunting e-earphone and Yodobashi Camera. This thread and the Ranking List have really helped target some great earphones.
Just a few side notes to contribute…
1. My experience with the Solaris was similar to yours. I thought I was going to be quickly done with this process when I tried the demo model at e-earphone early on in the hunt. I purchased a second-hand pair, but my experience at home was a bit different than at the store. There was so much to like but the bass extension seemed lacking and some peaky brightness made move on from them. I always feel like I have to live with a pair of phones before I can really get a feel for them, but treble peaks in a demo usually get me to go to another model. I am wondering if there are indeed some sample differences or if my brain just settled in and didn’t care for the final result.
2. The JVC HW10000 don’t move me either. The imaging and sound stage are fantastic and they definitely caught my attention as something special when I first tried them. But the more time I spent time with them, the more I noticed an uneven treble response, an underwhelming bass, and the more they just sounded mid-tier. They do have some serious fans though. As always, YMMV.
3. Boy oh boy, qdc has a superb line-up. I would not really have paid attention to them without this thread and I am so glad I did. I am concerned I will have to deal with the forwardness of the treble in the long run, but the VX were absolutely mesmerizing and I now am waiting on a pair I bought from eBay.
I am hoping to settle on just one pair in the end, but man, I feel like a Berenstain bear trying to buy a new hat. (Spoiler Alert) He is at least able to walk out happily with his old hat. I was content with the Dorados or 335DWs for the odd occasion I wanted to listen to earphones, but now I have heard so many amazing individual aspects that I feel like I can’t settle until I find that unicorn pair that includes them all. Le sigh.
I hope this wasn’t a thread highjack. It all seemed to fit. Again, thank you for all the great work. I do hope you can keep it up!
