I received my cans (the Ebony version) a couple of days ago and had a chance to do some extended listening with them last night. Other headphones that I own are Sennheiser HD800, HD600, and AKG K7XX. I don't have the balanced cable yet, so my listening was done through my Matrix M-Stage HPA-2 headphone amp.
My package arrived intact and I haven't noticed any issues with build quality.
The ebony cups are gorgeous and the headband and earpads are very comfortable. The earpads are a little bit small for my ears, but are not uncomfortable. I probably wouldn't have thought of them as small had I not been doing comparisons with my HD800's which are very spacious and super comfortable. Things did get a little warm, but they were really quite comfortable, so much so that I fell asleep with them on.
The best way I can describe the sound is "energetic". They are a more lively headphone than any of my others and have excellent detail and a nice soundstage. They don't have quite the same level of detail as my HD800's, and are a little "brighter", but that probably isn't a fair comparison for a couple of reasons. The first would be that the HD800's cost twice as much and the second would be that I didn't listen to them with the same headphone amp. The HD800's are set up with balanced cables and I listen to them through my Schiit Mjolnir, which is a better amp than the Matrix, although not by as much as you might think, given the price difference between the two units.
They are definitely in a different class than the AKG K7XX and Senn HD600 cans. Better build quality, more comfortable, and better sound all the way around.
Are the E-MU's twice as good as the AKG K7XX and HD600 headphones? No, but they are significantly better and I think worth the price. Are the HD800's more than twice as good as the E-MU's? Not even close. I would say that the E-MU's are much closer in build and sound quality to the HD800's than they are to the K7XX and HD600's. The sound is very different with the E-MU's being not quite (maybe 90%?) as detailed as the HD800's and more "forward", but I would be very happy listening to either for extended periods.
I have been letting the heaphones play for a couple of days to let them "burn-in". I'm a little skeptical about this phenomenon, and thought they sounded great right out of the box, but it can't hurt I guess.
I do have a couple of disappointments. The first is that the headphones were not shipped with the balanced cables I ordered. I have no idea when the balanced cables will show up.
Before I ordered the headphones, I asked Chan if a long cable was available, as I needed at least 15' to reach my listening position in my living room. He said:
" The current cable we supply is 3m or 15 ft.
Need to check further for the Balanced cable for yr equipment.
will get back.
rgds/chan "
When the headphones arrived, I plugged them in and they were about a foot short to reach my listening position. My first thought was that I had mis-judged the length I needed. I had the headphones on and went to get a coiled extension cord from a closet. It was stuck and i pulled on it and it sprung out and hit one of the cups and put a ding in it. To my dismay, I had damaged the beautiful cups before I'd even listened to them. This was of course TOTALLY my fault, I was irritated that the cord was not long enough and when the cable was stuck, I should have lifted what was on it instead of yanking it out, which would have prevented this from happening, but still...
Chan said it would be $120 for a replacement set of cups. I'm debating whether to live with it as-is, or replace the cup. I'm not sure how much the ding will affect resale value should I choose to replace them in the future.
I also should have caught the fact that 3M is NOT 15 feet, it is 9.8 feet. I measured the cable, and it is actually somewhere in between, about 12 feet.
I asked Chan about getting a longer cable after getting my headphones and he said they were pre-cut.
Had I known the cable was not long enough, I would have found one that was and had it when the headphones arrived. Now I'm trying to find one that will work. I think I have found one from Redco that will fit the bill for a very reasonable price. Thanks to the person that posted about this previously.
Overall I'm very happy with the fit, finish, and sound of the headphones. Chan has been really responsive to my e-mails and he did offer to waive freight charges for a replacement set of cups. Hopefully there are a couple of lessons learned for the next drop.
My package arrived intact and I haven't noticed any issues with build quality.
The ebony cups are gorgeous and the headband and earpads are very comfortable. The earpads are a little bit small for my ears, but are not uncomfortable. I probably wouldn't have thought of them as small had I not been doing comparisons with my HD800's which are very spacious and super comfortable. Things did get a little warm, but they were really quite comfortable, so much so that I fell asleep with them on.
The best way I can describe the sound is "energetic". They are a more lively headphone than any of my others and have excellent detail and a nice soundstage. They don't have quite the same level of detail as my HD800's, and are a little "brighter", but that probably isn't a fair comparison for a couple of reasons. The first would be that the HD800's cost twice as much and the second would be that I didn't listen to them with the same headphone amp. The HD800's are set up with balanced cables and I listen to them through my Schiit Mjolnir, which is a better amp than the Matrix, although not by as much as you might think, given the price difference between the two units.
They are definitely in a different class than the AKG K7XX and Senn HD600 cans. Better build quality, more comfortable, and better sound all the way around.
Are the E-MU's twice as good as the AKG K7XX and HD600 headphones? No, but they are significantly better and I think worth the price. Are the HD800's more than twice as good as the E-MU's? Not even close. I would say that the E-MU's are much closer in build and sound quality to the HD800's than they are to the K7XX and HD600's. The sound is very different with the E-MU's being not quite (maybe 90%?) as detailed as the HD800's and more "forward", but I would be very happy listening to either for extended periods.
I have been letting the heaphones play for a couple of days to let them "burn-in". I'm a little skeptical about this phenomenon, and thought they sounded great right out of the box, but it can't hurt I guess.
I do have a couple of disappointments. The first is that the headphones were not shipped with the balanced cables I ordered. I have no idea when the balanced cables will show up.
Before I ordered the headphones, I asked Chan if a long cable was available, as I needed at least 15' to reach my listening position in my living room. He said:
" The current cable we supply is 3m or 15 ft. Need to check further for the Balanced cable for yr equipment. will get back. rgds/chan "
When the headphones arrived, I plugged them in and they were about a foot short to reach my listening position. My first thought was that I had mis-judged the length I needed. I had the headphones on and went to get a coiled extension cord from a closet. It was stuck and i pulled on it and it sprung out and hit one of the cups and put a ding in it. To my dismay, I had damaged the beautiful cups before I'd even listened to them. This was of course TOTALLY my fault, I was irritated that the cord was not long enough and when the cable was stuck, I should have lifted what was on it instead of yanking it out, which would have prevented this from happening, but still...
Chan said it would be $120 for a replacement set of cups. I'm debating whether to live with it as-is, or replace the cup. I'm not sure how much the ding will affect resale value should I choose to replace them in the future.
I also should have caught the fact that 3M is NOT 15 feet, it is 9.8 feet. I measured the cable, and it is actually somewhere in between, about 12 feet.
I asked Chan about getting a longer cable after getting my headphones and he said they were pre-cut.
Had I known the cable was not long enough, I would have found one that was and had it when the headphones arrived. Now I'm trying to find one that will work. I think I have found one from Redco that will fit the bill for a very reasonable price. Thanks to the person that posted about this previously.
Overall I'm very happy with the fit, finish, and sound of the headphones. Chan has been really responsive to my e-mails and he did offer to waive freight charges for a replacement set of cups. Hopefully there are a couple of lessons learned for the next drop.