So, it arrived today.
This headphone is a good example of 'terrible in picture, awesome in real life'. Very well-finished. Simple yet luxurious feeling.
Very interesting. I understand Tyll's comment on 'thick' sound. The catch is while it is indeed a bit thick sounding, yet it is crystal clear to my ears. No muddy sounding like most of typical <$200 headphones.... but have to hear more.
Overall warm headphones, but somehow high goes very high.
Very comfortable headphones with little pressure. Right now I am out of the home so I can't make detailed comparison right now.
*Update: It's been 5 days I've been using headphones, feeling more than enough to make judgement. Here is a short review.
1. Possible dealbreaker : 1) The most serious concern is that the headphone's headband is small and limited. See the picture below. All three headphones' headbands have been extended to max.
For reference, I have to extend the Audeze headband almost all the way down (both sides) to fit. There are probably people who have bigger head than me... the headphone might not fit at all.
Fortunately, the cup itself is big enough to cover the whole ears. It has definitely more room than VISO HP50 (yes, despite HP50 looks bigger) and Sennheiser momentum.
2. Ugly points : 1.) Mid-bass to low-mid emphasis is evident, and it might bother some people who do not like such sound signature.
2.) Rather poor range of accessories. It comes with just a headphone, a short cable, and hard-shell case. No adapter, no in-line mic, no spare cable, etc. Saving grace is that I like hard-shell case more than just a bag that most of headphones come with these days.
3. Good points :1.) That mid-emphasis is very gentle, does not ruin other frequencies much, and is helpful to somewhat defeat the outside noise. Probably due to this and general warm-sounding, this headphone is completely fatigue free for me.
2.) Earpads are very comfortable memory foam with pleather. I might liked more if the pads were fabric or velour, but I still like them.
3.) The headphones isolate well (average) and do not leak sound as well.
4.) While it may be too small, the headphones are very small, compact and very easy to carry. It is foldable.
4. Very good points1.) Sound. Very good, very clean to my ears. While it is warm, it does not necessary hide details.
2.) While high is not as strong as bass, it is very extended fully-realized.
3.) Extremely lightweight with appropriate clamping force.
4.) Build quality is superb and flawless. The plastic is rubber-coated, hinges and cup surfaces are made of metal.
Overall, the sound shape is very lean, generous U shape. I definitely think it is better than M50, and surely a lot better than momentum.
Also being lightweight is a big factor- I used several studio-DJ headphones (SRH840, M50) and what I found was that they were way too heavy to use when moving around (walking, taking subway, etc).
I am not sure whether I write a full review on Head-Fi, but this is definitely very good headphone, deserving some attention and love.
