Black Friday shoppers!!!

Well, my bargain headphones arrived this morning, and they are the real deal - not fakes, not grey imports, nothing amiss.

Initial impressions on the ear were mixed - they seemed light on bass, quite bright and 'in your face' but with a fantastic soundstage. Build quality is top notch - brushed metal finish, and gloriously soft ear pads.

Coming home this afternoon, I read a few more reviews online whilst playing with them and most reviews said similar - - they need burning in for up to 50 hours before they are at their best.

True enough, as the first 90 mins wore on, they got better and better - then I had to go out.

They weren't bad when put back on, but still seemed a bit plain and lifeless, and still lacking 'something' in the bass range, and also seemed a bit 'shy'. So, about an hour ago, I dug out my faithful Sony QS amplifier (back when Sony amps were the dogs dangly bits - not a cheap bit of kit in its day), connected my laptop to the amp and am sat here listening to Kenny Rogers through it at the moment about an hour and a half later.

All I can say is these headphones are utterly stunning. They want to be driven, they need to be burned in, and they need decent source material and amplification - - give them that, and they will reward you in spades. The bass is not overpowering (bassfreaks who want to listen to the latest rap or dance tracks, look elsewhere), but it is perfectly balanced and plumbs depths I never even knew headphones could reach - seriously. They adore country/folk/acoustic/rock/pop and vocals; still get a wee bit muddled when pushed on some of the less well recorded stuff, but they are getting better at that all the time. Oh, and Freddy Mercury appears to be alive and well - he was singing in my living room about half an hour ago

I know their trick now - they draw you in, make you listen, and then they unleash everything they have. Absolute bargain.


















Did I mention that I really like them

 

Oh, they were not £26.99 @Jenny namaste - that was the remote control switches (bargain 1); these were £99, down from £250 and I can certify that they are definitely £250 worth of headphones. Hotel California is currently blowing my cobwebs away - not heard it this good for quite a while.

Yes, there is definitely a God - worth every penny, and I am sat here pottering on GC with Mrs C pottering with her recipes sat on the other end of the couch; first night that I haven't bothered with work in ages....

 

Don't think so!