First off, a shout out to my new friends at MusicTeck. They have been a big help, so if you are thinking of making the leap, talk to these cats. Andrew had to set me straight. I own a pair of UE Premieres which have 21 BA drivers/side. They are alot of fun to listen to but you must apply EQ fairly liberally which according to many audiophiles can add distortion to the sound.
But by this time, I figured you have to tweak just about any phones to get a good sound from them. If that were the case then I would either tweak or just settle for whatever sound I get.
Needless to say, I was wrong. I'm an audio engineer. We EQ everything. Very few recordings exist without it. If, however, you wanted near perfect replay of said recording then you need a near perfect playback system.
There is something that's very close to perfect. I have even heard some reviewers say the Bird is the best pair of ANYTHING out there. Even the irrefutable Sennheiser HE-1 selling for $60K. I don't know if thats true but I bet it would be very hard to make a choice!
I can say this...I've heard many music systems of many types and so far, this tromps them all. I won't go into technical detail as its been done so well already. Mine is the search for the best sound on the planet. I found mine!
From the deepest lows at 20Hz on up, the Bird not only does sound but strangely, it tricks the brain into thinking its real. It can feel as if my whole upper body is vibrating with deep bass. I also suffer with mild tinnitus but have found that, for some reason, these don't bother me much at all. Maybe its low distortion or maybe because it's frequency response is so well balanced. They just sound good! So good that sometimes I think I hear a sound in the room only to find out it was in my ears. Yeah, the Birds are like that.
Everything sounds so new. Anything I play reveals new things I have never heard in recordings I've played hundreds of times. You will want to go back and listen to your entire library again! I know I do.
I want to include things I don't like about the Birds. Normally I would. With these, try as I might, I can't think of any. As I sit here listening to Al Di Meola, they just sound great. If I had to say, I would say they lean toward being more revealing and analytical than musical but yet very musical at the same time. I am powering mine with an A&K SP3000T which has both tube and op amp, currently running both at 50/50 with medium tube bias. Op amp for hair-splitting accuracy and tube for its life-giving warmth. Its here that I can alter the sound without EQ although I haven't heard many instances where I would need it but lets take Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for example. Its a very dark album, recording-wise imo. I would normally want to try using op amp only but I found that unnecessary because I can hear the highs clearly. The sound is recorded on the low side on loudness. But you can, if you want, change that. I just added more gain. Done.
Are these earphones for you? Yes, sure, but only if you can afford them. If you love music like I do and you care about quality alot then these should find their way into you life somehow. I wouldn't recommend them for the basshead or the casual listener. These are for someone wanting only the very best, someone who is serious about their music. Or who demands absolute perfection. These have had A+ ratings in every category except one - vocals! For which they are off the chart! Vocals alone make these worth buying. They are the pinnacle of what IEMs have to offer. Also, the fact that there is less hardware is helping keep prices down. The equivalent in headphones would be the Susvara or HE-1. Now we are above $50K. To get equivalent in speakers would probably set you back at least half a million!
My final word is: Get yourself a pair if at all possible. Sell your damn car, hell, sell the kids and wife if you must but never, EVER turn down The Bird!
Thank you Oriolus! For being the best!