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Review 3 of 5 Summary:
well, I finally tried these yesterday at LIVE2000 show where Senheiser presented their full range in action. The stand was a little noisy, but reasonably acceptable for listening purposes.
I've been using my HD600s with MF X-PSU + X-CANs for over a year now and I thought (until yesterday) that this was a pretty good quality standard, sort of a reference for myself. Well in fact it is, but... It's just like the feeling when you get used to hi-fi and suddenly discover real hi-end sound. You simply can't say that Orpheus is "better" or "much better" than generally available models - that sort of statement would sound like an insult... for it's miles away from the closest contestant. Having said that I acknowledge that I may sound a little radical here and my final opinion would be formed after testing another lower-end electrostatic model from Senhzr and other brands. But anyway, I tell you , it was a shock, real and pleasant one- something that made me write this report.
Bodywork - well built, lots of wood; headset turned out to be much bigger than I expected - very "roomy" inside which may contribute (together with electrostatic nature of the device) to surround effect and openness of the sound; very comfortable; Amp looks just great, but it gets really hot ! gain of the volume control is weak - that I disliked - and you can't play music really loud.
Sound - very hard to comment on that. I'd just say - REAL. I listened some test CD with different tracks on it and just couldn't stop listening. I actually turned around couple of times for I thought that the voice I heard was coming from someone standing behind me, while there was no one there. Very real. I wish I had couple of my own CDs to give it a real test. It's hard to say how Metallica would sound on it, but anything vocal or instrumental sounds awesome.
Value - that's a tricky point and here are my thoughts. Orpheus gives you listening pleasure comparable to one you get from 20-40k full system... for less than 15k. That's not too bad at first sight. Add 5-10k for a top-notch playback system and cables - you're somewhere near 20k already... hmmm and that's what you spend for just listening your music for yourself in silence, alone. Unless you're real headphones freak (or, possibly, your room is too small or you don't care about the money at all or... some other personal reason) this deal can hardly be called a bargain. Personally, I was left thinking about what's better - best headhones ever or nice full system ? The right answer is "both" .. yeah :-), but I'd probably start with the system first and then move on to Orpheus, not vice versa. A bit of saving, a bit of patience and we'll all be there.
So, in a nutshell - very rare, stylish and dear top-quality toy for real headphone lovers. Overall rating 4 due to value issues
p.s. CD players used : Myryad MC100 with HD600s and MCD500 with Orpheus Strengths:
magic sound, great looks, well built Weaknesses:
read review Similar Products Used:
HD600
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