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Bjorn

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Everything posted by Bjorn

  1. I pulled the trigger and bought one. New toy and all, but man I’m really loving the sound of this thing. Finally a not-fucking-around, dead serious ultra High-end dynamic driver headphone that isn’t cheaply built and/or uncomfortable. This is how an expensive headphone should look and feel on and off your head. I know a LOT of effort went into that Beryllium driver, but its shocking to me just how smoothly, accurately and realistically it can convey every little harmonic and dynamic swing of an orchestra, from deep bass to the highest of highs. I’d even go as far as saying I’ve never heard treble so smoothly extended and cleanly and naturally textured from any transducer that I can remember. The 007s might have the ultimate upper hand on the mids and deep-bass (altough this is, amazingly, definitely no slouch) but on dynamics, treble coherency and ultimate resolve I rank the Utopia as a superior performer personally. A fine recording of Verdi’s Requiem Dies Irae popped up earlier and the dynamics actually scared the crap out of me, while every little component in the recording was kept clear as day and separated in a free floating three dimensional space. The sound isn’t thin or lean at all, it’s lively, powerful and authorative and ready to fight should it be called upon to do so. This is the best dynamic driver headphone in the world to my ears and, all things considered, somewhat deserving of its high price relative to cheaply built crap a la Hifiman and Abyss. I’m just blown away by its capabilities, and it achieves this driven from a Chord Mojo should you want to stay ”portable” with something like just an iPad and Tidal HiFi.
  2. Didn’t check for it I’m afraid, but it’s very possibly the same. The Sennheiser spokesman did say this set is moving around the northen contries.
  3. I agree on many of your impressions on this. I also had a lengthy listen recently in a quiet environment. Took some eye-candy photos as well. The build quality, fit and finish of it all is top notch naturally. The marble case really is nice. Tried lifting it, succeeded just barely. This fucker is 25 kilos! Nice hefty metal remote included in the set. No issues with comfort here, the headphones felt light to me and the headband is HD 800 style but with more padding so no stress on the top of my head. The sound is very articulate but definitely felt a little stiff and sterile to me. I much prefer the warmer, more I guess “euphonic” tone of the SR007 which just makes vocals sound more alive and present. The bass surprised me though, the HE1 has tremendous bass impact and extension. It just begs to be turned up as the large drivers almost vibrate your skull but without a single trace of resonance.
  4. Bjorn

    Mr Speakers Aeon

    I love mine. Don't know about the earlier pre-production models but the one I have exhibits only a slight "closed chamber" soundstage, what I mean by that is that you will immediately notice you're listening to a closed headphone if you came from living with a great open one like I did, or you compare side by side. It is, imho, not distracting once you get used to it. That is a huge praise for a closed can, as I've never heard one I even really liked before. But just like Tyll put it, with the foam inserts these are darn well balanced with controlled bass and no immediate annoyances anywhere even as you go up in the treble. Just a very nice, "right" sounding headphone that also happens to be really solid and lighweight. It doesn't resolve quite like my STAX but because it isolates well, it brings out details in low-level ambient noise that would easily be obscured with the STAX. It's nice to sit on the balcony in the summer and get some sweet tunes. Not that we get much of summer in Sweden...
  5. Gotta say, don't know about the open-back ones but the Aeons are pretty darn good. I didn't know a closed-back headphone could sound so not-closed back.
  6. Had a second listen.. damn these two Focals punch like there is no tomorrow. Dynamics are awesome and bass reach is great. They are very clean and rich/full sounding, the sound is very upfront and not very wide. Did notice the Utopia can be a little bit hard/shouty in the treble at higher volumes. My STAX doesn't do that, it's more natural. Would call the Focal bright-ish rather than bright, but O2 owners need not bother I think. The Elear kinda won me over though. It's not as refined and textured as it's blingy big brother but oh my does it rock when you turn up the volume. It's quite surprising really how fucking hard that thing slams. I want one for general use around the house
  7. Is the BHSE still considered the top Omega driver or has the general consensus shifted towards the more recent KGSSHVs? Feels to me like the Blue hawaii is yesterday's news. Back when the 009 was introduced everyone was talking about it. Maybe it's just different shades of purple. Haven't listened to either one so I can only speculate.
  8. I like him. He seems very thorough and presents enough thoughtful arguments to earn being taken seriously. And I like his no-bullshit, concrete take on audio perception. If you're not sure whether or not you're just imagining things, just leave the space blank. That being said, his reference system is after all tuned by ear if I'm not mistaken, so I wouldn't look at it as more than a well respected person's subjective take - which he himself states it is - and not worry too much about the specifics. I really appreciate the effort he's putting into it though. Will be nice to see the upcoming group debate.
  9. I've only really had one lengthy session with it (though a good one), but it's certainly the best dynamic available in my opinion. I can see how some find it bright (I can't say I did, and I find the 009 bright) but the natural resolution and top-bottom coherency are just marvelous. The HD800S by comparison sounds much less natural, less clear and sub-par in the bass. I want another listen...
  10. Shangri-La super tweeters = HE-1000 earpieces on feet? Are they serious?
  11. HEY GUYS LOOK. Genius up here ^ just sent me this: Not only does this fucktard have zero clue what he's talking about, he's *actually* referring to the similarly daft jokers at whathifi to make a point. Gosh, and here I was thinking a human being couldn't get any more stupid... EDIT: Also, mod please feel free to delete some of these comments. This fine thread deserves better. Just had to share that one.
  12. What's funny is that Astrofuck PM:d me recently bragging about his expensive shit and mentioned this ^ somewhere also.
  13. I have to admit I fell asleep reading that, but the amount of commitment on display here definitely deserves a LIKE
  14. That's some funny ass shit coming from the guy who uses a tube dac to make his 009 sound right.
  15. The guy apparently responsible for the product marketing of Focal's three new headphones is called Rob Follis, a PR consultant. He has a website where you can find this photo, as well as others also included in the official press release.
  16. When you've teamed up with Naim and agreed to show their name in the product photo, but really you don't give a flying F about their shit.
  17. Right, right. My bad. I do recall it runs at a higher spec than a traditional KGSS though. Anyhow, the O2 through my admittedly "modest" rig still sounds better than anything else I've listened to as far as headphones go (apart from, maybe, the Utopia), so I suppose that's always something. Another quick note regarding the Utopia, it really did seem to change a little bit depending on how far forward/back you position it around the ears, getting marginally richer sounding when positioned more forward. Not unusual per se, but something to be aware of.
  18. I don't doubt. That's why I'm not going to start an O2 vs Utopia debate. Someone with a KGSSHV (or even better) rig will have to do that. It would sure be nice to hear comparisons from someone who does, because I'm a little on the fence about whether to invest more in the O2 or go back to dynamic (i:e Utopia). Both ways would cost me about the same considering I'd need a new, balanced source for the KGSSHV:s and a swell Utopia amplifier will be much easier on the wallet. Tyll (who DOES have a KGSSHV on hand) did say he preferred the Utopia and I agree on his opinion that the e-stats sound a little hazy up top when compared to it. That is actually exactly what I found as well, and what struck me first about the Utopia. Which is funny, as I've never thought that way of the O2 before. Gah... decisions
  19. Neither have I, sadly. There just isn't a way for me to experience such a combination without $$$ out blindly. And that's not a move I'm comfortable making, so my modified 717 will have to do. While I am well aware it's not the best available and the O2s might leap ahead with a heavy-duty KG amp, it does sound significantly better than a stock 717. I had both next to each other and the stock 717 sounded dynamically dull, a little thicker in the bass and kind of veiled compared to mine. It's basically just a matter of the caps being swapped out for far superior ones but caps do matter. I have no hopes for the 009 though as I think it's too bright/thin and you'd need to change things quite significantly for it to sound right IMO. The Utopia seems like a much wiser bet to me.
  20. Yep, they're awesome. Hasn't been a lot to be excited about since the HD 800 came out, but this is one exception for sure. While the Elear is very nice and enjoyable on its own, the Utopia breaks new ground. I simply haven't heard a more balanced, nuanced and coherent sound from a headphone... ever. Treble seemed absolutely spot-on. Very, very impressed.
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