Quote:
That's fantastic Val, great update!
I'm with you, but this thread is enough to make one invent an alternate etymology for the word
fantastic.
Tried the cobalt-blue Amperiors at the Apple Store today and was more disappointed with their construction than the sound. Now that I'm reminded of the Ionic sheen of the HD-25, I'm amazed that anyone would compare them to the V-Moda headphones I've heard so far. I liked the HD-25s, and can see using them casually, but their signature has nothing to do with the M-80s. It's a bright flat sound which is just detailed enough for part-reference listening (if you're trying to make out the line played by the second violin, you can probably hear it with these). I auditioned them with classical and jazz but no electronic music whatsoever, because I could tell these were not really meant for bass-enhanced, bad or affected mixes unless you're listening with a view to correcting them. I thought they went rather well with the sound of the iPhone 4 (all sizzle and no thump), though I tried them with a few other sources, too.
I can't see compensating for the naked iPhone 4's signature because it's designed to mimic classic audiophile frequency emphasis without actually having an audiophile-quality DAC or amp. As such, I thought the Amperior did quite well with the iP's Mahler/Tilson Thomas demo recording, which was originally done for SACD and features so much tinkling and stratospheric glee it could be the sonic equivalent of rush hour for the constellations in an overpopulated skyline.
Next to the B&W P5s, the Amps were thinner in the upper mids, but that isn't the point when you're auricling a Bach partita for solo violin.
The metal accent is nice, and the cobalt (or silver) cups are sleek enough not to pose an issue for listeners who wish to commute incognito. But the crudely pressed halves of the plastic headband reminded me that the HD-25 is meant to come apart like a Lego skyscraper and there's no point in adding pseudo-luxurious metal to that aesthetic. These headphones should be nondescript, made entirely of plastic and ready to be taken apart and reconstructed. If something breaks, you're covered, and if they're stolen, the loss won't devastate your checking account.
V-Moda's headphones are built to entirely different ends. You can remove certain parts for aesthetic or ergonomic reasons, but the construction is meant to be permanent, just as the HD-25 has a level of subtlety in its sonic pragmatism that not every listener gets. I never did get a straight story on the cracks that were said to form near the screws of the original LPs, but for the short time I owned them, my pair seemed nigh-indestructible.
Thanks, Apple Store. You've saved me a few weeks of needless experimentation.