DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 7, 2020 13:24:52 GMT -5
Quick review: Emotiva Airmotiv GR1 The new GR1 headphones arrived and this is my impression of them after about 90 minutes of listening. First, the packaging is very nice with a custom box and molded plastic carrying case. The case even includes a belt loop with a spring-clip carabiner in case someone wants to use these as portable headphones. The phones and cable nestle nicely into the case. The overall aesthetics of the headphones are very nice, with gunmetal finish on the metal parts, a wooden (apparently) ear cup and a custom Emotiva logo back plate. The head band pad and the ear cups are vinyl-covered memory foam. The ear pads are shaped for right and left use with a nice large marking inside the cup to remove all doubt about which one goes where. The perforated ear pads are removable so they could in theory be swapped with something made from velour or real leather if desired. The removable cable connects to the ear cups using standard 2.5mm connectors, so it could be swapped with any number of aftermarket cables if desired. The cable is super flexible, and I detected no significant microphonics when using the headphones. The ear cups are relatively small: the owner's manual says 2.25 inches inside diameter. Much smaller than the Sennheiser HD580 that I will compare to these, and even though I do not have what I consider to be large ears they did not go around my ears, sitting on my earlobes. The headband is easily adjustable and has a nice click to it when you move it through positions, indicating that it should stay where you put it. The headband pad is relatively thick. Comfort for me is marginal. As mentioned, the ear cups are too small for my ears. The GR1 is very light weight but the clamping force seems higher than normal. The weight of the phones was supported by clamping my ears rather than being distributed across the headband. After a 30-minute listening session I wanted to take them off, as my ears were both starting to hurt and to sweat. This may not be an issue to some users but to me it was a big negative as I tend to listen for long periods while working. So how do they sound? These headphones sound recessed, like there is a huge dip in the midrange, with over-emphasized bass. They sound like Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Compared to the overall neutral tonality of the HD580 the GR1 sounds like a home theater system with a subwoofer set +10db too hot. I wished I had an EQ to tone these down. The top end is nice, not shrill or fatiguing, but the big bass bump with recessed mids reminded me of an old set of Sony car stereo speakers. All bass and treble. Perhaps these will appeal to gamers or those listening to a movie on their phone. With their low impedance and super-high efficiency (105db) they are likely a perfect match for use with a phone or tablet. I could imagine that soundtracks with explosions or big bass effects would be killer on these. But unless you listen to primarily EDM I cannot recommend these. My 20+ year old Sennheiser were far superior in my opinion. Overall, some users may find these enjoyable and even lots of fun. They are not to my taste.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 7, 2020 13:25:27 GMT -5
Photo comparing size to Sennheiser HD580
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Nov 7, 2020 14:29:26 GMT -5
Quick review: Emotiva Airmotiv GR1 The new GR1 headphones arrived and this is my impression of them after about 90 minutes of listening. First, the packaging is very nice with a custom box and molded plastic carrying case. The case even includes a belt loop with a spring-clip carabiner in case someone wants to use these as portable headphones. The phones and cable nestle nicely into the case. View AttachmentView AttachmentThe overall aesthetics of the headphones are very nice, with gunmetal finish on the metal parts, a wooden (apparently) ear cup and a custom Emotiva logo back plate. The head band pad and the ear cups are vinyl-covered memory foam. The ear pads are shaped for right and left use with a nice large marking inside the cup to remove all doubt about which one goes where. The perforated ear pads are removable so they could in theory be swapped with something made from velour or real leather if desired. View AttachmentView AttachmentThe removable cable connects to the ear cups using standard 2.5mm connectors, so it could be swapped with any number of aftermarket cables if desired. The cable is super flexible, and I detected no significant microphonics when using the headphones. View AttachmentThe ear cups are relatively small: the owner's manual says 2.25 inches inside diameter. Much smaller than the Sennheiser HD580 that I will compare to these, and even though I do not have what I consider to be large ears they did not go around my ears, sitting on my earlobes. The headband is easily adjustable and has a nice click to it when you move it through positions, indicating that it should stay where you put it. The headband pad is relatively thick. Comfort for me is marginal. As mentioned, the ear cups are too small for my ears. The GR1 is very light weight but the clamping force seems higher than normal. The weight of the phones was supported by clamping my ears rather than being distributed across the headband. After a 30-minute listening session I wanted to take them off, as my ears were both starting to hurt and to sweat. This may not be an issue to some users but to me it was a big negative as I tend to listen for long periods while working. So how do they sound? These headphones sound recessed, like there is a huge dip in the midrange, with over-emphasized bass. They sound like Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Compared to the overall neutral tonality of the HD580 the GR1 sounds like a home theater system with a subwoofer set +10db too hot. I wished I had an EQ to tone these down. The top end is nice, not shrill or fatiguing, but the big bass bump with recessed mids reminded me of an old set of Sony car stereo speakers. All bass and treble. Perhaps these will appeal to gamers or those listening to a movie on their phone. With their low impedance and super-high efficiency (105db) they are likely a perfect match for use with a phone or tablet. I could imagine that soundtracks with explosions or big bass effects would be killer on these. But unless you listen to primarily EDM I cannot recommend these. My 20+ year old Sennheiser were far superior in my opinion. Overall, some users may find these enjoyable and even lots of fun. They are not to my taste. Thank you for a very efficient, thorough and honest review. You’ve done this before, haven’t you? LOL 👍
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Post by brutiarti on Nov 7, 2020 14:53:12 GMT -5
Any info on brake-in time from Emotiva???
I listened a couple of songs and I didn’t detect a hot bass but I did find the midrange recessed.
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Post by brutiarti on Nov 7, 2020 16:22:47 GMT -5
Well, after listening more I personally found the following; For my small head they are perfect, size and weight. I remember having the Hifiman He-400 that weighted a ton. The sound signature is similar to my audio technica Ath40 but more refined. Definitely the bass and treble have more presence than the mids. In other words, they are fun to listen if you don’t want to be analitical. Definitely not HD600 type that are really well balanced. I think they are in the price range that should be but definitely not a giant killer. I don’t know if the sound will evolve with more use. I will keep listening and report back. PS: The sound is more balanced at higher volumes
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LCSeminole
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Res firma mitescere nescit.
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Post by LCSeminole on Nov 7, 2020 18:16:11 GMT -5
I'm not into headphones like I know many of you are, which is why I currently only have the Sennheiser HD600's. I'm wanting to hear more comparisons between the HD600/HD650's and the GR1's.
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Post by Cogito on Nov 7, 2020 18:30:49 GMT -5
Quick review: Emotiva Airmotiv GR1 The new GR1 headphones arrived and this is my impression of them after about 90 minutes of listening. First, the packaging is very nice with a custom box and molded plastic carrying case. The case even includes a belt loop with a spring-clip carabiner in case someone wants to use these as portable headphones. The phones and cable nestle nicely into the case. View AttachmentView AttachmentThe overall aesthetics of the headphones are very nice, with gunmetal finish on the metal parts, a wooden (apparently) ear cup and a custom Emotiva logo back plate. The head band pad and the ear cups are vinyl-covered memory foam. The ear pads are shaped for right and left use with a nice large marking inside the cup to remove all doubt about which one goes where. The perforated ear pads are removable so they could in theory be swapped with something made from velour or real leather if desired. View AttachmentView AttachmentThe removable cable connects to the ear cups using standard 2.5mm connectors, so it could be swapped with any number of aftermarket cables if desired. The cable is super flexible, and I detected no significant microphonics when using the headphones. View AttachmentThe ear cups are relatively small: the owner's manual says 2.25 inches inside diameter. Much smaller than the Sennheiser HD580 that I will compare to these, and even though I do not have what I consider to be large ears they did not go around my ears, sitting on my earlobes. The headband is easily adjustable and has a nice click to it when you move it through positions, indicating that it should stay where you put it. The headband pad is relatively thick. Comfort for me is marginal. As mentioned, the ear cups are too small for my ears. The GR1 is very light weight but the clamping force seems higher than normal. The weight of the phones was supported by clamping my ears rather than being distributed across the headband. After a 30-minute listening session I wanted to take them off, as my ears were both starting to hurt and to sweat. This may not be an issue to some users but to me it was a big negative as I tend to listen for long periods while working. So how do they sound? These headphones sound recessed, like there is a huge dip in the midrange, with over-emphasized bass. They sound like Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Compared to the overall neutral tonality of the HD580 the GR1 sounds like a home theater system with a subwoofer set +10db too hot. I wished I had an EQ to tone these down. The top end is nice, not shrill or fatiguing, but the big bass bump with recessed mids reminded me of an old set of Sony car stereo speakers. All bass and treble. Perhaps these will appeal to gamers or those listening to a movie on their phone. With their low impedance and super-high efficiency (105db) they are likely a perfect match for use with a phone or tablet. I could imagine that soundtracks with explosions or big bass effects would be killer on these. But unless you listen to primarily EDM I cannot recommend these. My 20+ year old Sennheiser were far superior in my opinion. Overall, some users may find these enjoyable and even lots of fun. They are not to my taste. At $300, Emotiva has a TON of competition from reputable and well established manufacturers. I wish Emotiva luck on this, but I bet this will be a very short lived product.
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 8, 2020 8:00:33 GMT -5
Headphones are very personal and what I like may not be what you like. If I didn’t already have two pair I would try these out.
Not everyone liked the Audioquest Nightowl closed back that I have, but I love the neutral sound. I also love the different, more pronounced sound of my Audeze.
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Post by ctcarden62 on Nov 18, 2020 9:39:34 GMT -5
DYohn, I have to disagree with your characterization of the sound of the these headphones. They are not recessed in the midrange. What they are not, is over emphasized in the midrange. That in combination with the fact that they are not thin in the mid bass and bass region makes them completely different than the other headphones you mentioned. I do a lot of headphone listening and the GR1s are well balanced. They are very musical without sacrificing detail. To often high end equipment has boosted midrange because the designer thinks it makes the product more detailed. It does not, what it does do is render margainly or poorly recorded music unlistenable. To compare the GR1s to Beats is nothing more than trolling for reaction. The GR1s are in a different league, they are very revealing of source material and yet still satisyfing. The Sony TA-ZH1ES is a remarkable headphone amp and DA. It allows different filters to placed into the sound path depending on the recording quality. The GR!s are transparent enough to allow the listener to not only hear the difference in these filters, but to understand what they are doing. Everyone perceives sound differently, and your comments would lead me to believe that you prefer a more pronounced midrange, which the GR1s do not provide. What they do provide is a well balanced and enjoyable listening experience on all types of music with differing recording qualities. The GR1s are in a league well above their price point. Keep in mind they are not meant to be mastering headphones, they are meant for playback.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 18, 2020 10:05:38 GMT -5
DYohn, I have to disagree with your characterization of the sound of the these headphones. They are not recessed in the midrange. What they are not, is over emphasized in the midrange. That in combination with the fact that they are not thin in the mid bass and bass region makes them completely different than the other headphones you mentioned. I do a lot of headphone listening and the GR1s are well balanced. They are very musical without sacrificing detail. To often high end equipment has boosted midrange because the designer thinks it makes the product more detailed. It does not, what it does do is render margainly or poorly recorded music unlistenable. To compare the GR1s to Beats is nothing more than trolling for reaction. The GR1s are in a different league, they are very revealing of source material and yet still satisyfing. The Sony TA-ZH1ES is a remarkable headphone amp and DA. It allows different filters to placed into the sound path depending on the recording quality. The GR!s are transparent enough to allow the listener to not only hear the difference in these filters, but to understand what they are doing. Everyone perceives sound differently, and your comments would lead me to believe that you prefer a more pronounced midrange, which the GR1s do not provide. What they do provide is a well balanced and enjoyable listening experience on all types of music with differing recording qualities. The GR1s are in a league well above their price point. Keep in mind they are not meant to be mastering headphones, they are meant for playback. That's your opinion, thank you. I heard it differently. To each his own, and I do not think they are in a league above their price point. I beleive they are right in line with other headphones at their price point, many of which share the same V-shaped frequency response. But like I said, if you like them then you like them.
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 18, 2020 10:23:33 GMT -5
DYohn, I have to disagree with your characterization of the sound of the these headphones. They are not recessed in the midrange. What they are not, is over emphasized in the midrange. That in combination with the fact that they are not thin in the mid bass and bass region makes them completely different than the other headphones you mentioned. I do a lot of headphone listening and the GR1s are well balanced. They are very musical without sacrificing detail. To often high end equipment has boosted midrange because the designer thinks it makes the product more detailed. It does not, what it does do is render margainly or poorly recorded music unlistenable. To compare the GR1s to Beats is nothing more than trolling for reaction. The GR1s are in a different league, they are very revealing of source material and yet still satisyfing. The Sony TA-ZH1ES is a remarkable headphone amp and DA. It allows different filters to placed into the sound path depending on the recording quality. The GR!s are transparent enough to allow the listener to not only hear the difference in these filters, but to understand what they are doing. Everyone perceives sound differently, and your comments would lead me to believe that you prefer a more pronounced midrange, which the GR1s do not provide. What they do provide is a well balanced and enjoyable listening experience on all types of music with differing recording qualities. The GR1s are in a league well above their price point. Keep in mind they are not meant to be mastering headphones, they are meant for playback. That's your opinion, thank you. I heard it differently. To each his own, and I do not think they are in a league above their price point. I beleive they are right in line with other headphones at their price point, many of which share the same V-shaped frequency response. But like I said, if you like them then you like them. And this is why I said that headphones are so personal. One person hates and one likes. Need to listen before buying or having the option for review and return.
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Post by ctcarden62 on Nov 18, 2020 10:30:06 GMT -5
DYohn, thank you for the reply. I enjoy a good conversation. Obviously this is our individual opinions. I would like to say that these are not designed with a V-shaped response curve. That does them a disservice. They are much closer the the Harmon curve. I understand you used the V-curve as a generality, but it is inaccurate. These are much more sophistcated than that and have much more R/D in them. For years I have listened to mastering headphones and have yet to find a pair that sounds good on all music. My comments, while my opinion, are based on decades of listening to so called "Accurate equipment" which in the end is not musical. The GR1s are designed to be musical and high quality. Your review of the confort is very subjective as well. I have well over a hundred hours with the GR1s and have had no issue with sweating or comfort. Obviously person is shaped different, and your experience is different than mine.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 18, 2020 10:51:24 GMT -5
DYohn, thank you for the reply. I enjoy a good conversation. Obviously this is our individual opinions. I would like to say that these are not designed with a V-shaped response curve. That does them a disservice. They are much closer the the Harmon curve. I understand you used the V-curve as a generality, but it is inaccurate. These are much more sophistcated than that and have much more R/D in them. For years I have listened to mastering headphones and have yet to find a pair that sounds good on all music. My comments, while my opinion, are based on decades of listening to so called "Accurate equipment" which in the end is not musical. The GR1s are designed to be musical and high quality. Your review of the confort is very subjective as well. I have well over a hundred hours with the GR1s and have had no issue with sweating or comfort. Obviously person is shaped different, and your experience is different than mine. Since you seem to be speaking from knowledge beyond listening impression, do you have a set of test measurements to share? The only R&D these have behind them that can be inferred from the Emotiva marketing information is the graphene deposited plastic diaphragms. I am very familiar with that particular process (deposition on both metal and polymer substrates) and know it can be used to increase rigidity, and also to create areas on the substrate with differing compliance through masking, which can help focus a sound field into the ear cups and increase LF response. I assume this is what they specified. It is a process being used in China for several headphone manufacturers, most typically by Sivga. I have no knowledge of Emotiva's production partner making these. Do you have additional insight?
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Post by ctcarden62 on Nov 18, 2020 11:09:17 GMT -5
Dyohn, I have spoken with Dan L, extensively about the design and goals they had for the GR1s. That is how I know what type of sound curve they used for this product. As for the question about the diaphragm used, I did not ask about the manufacturing, my interest does not run in that direction.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 18, 2020 11:27:40 GMT -5
Dyohn, I have spoken with Dan L, extensively about the design and goals they had for the GR1s. That is how I know what type of sound curve they used for this product. As for the question about the diaphragm used, I did not ask about the manufacturing, my interest does not run in that direction. Design goal and production result are often two very different things. I have no doubt that Emotiva intended these to have a typical Harmon response curve. To my ears they did not get that. And yes, they sound, to me, exactly like the Beats headphones I used to own and gave to my son, and nothing like studio monitor headphones, and also nothing like the Sennheisers I used as comparison set because of their similar price point and design. Again, like I said in my review, perhaps they can be made to sound better by employing EQ, but I don't know.
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Post by rbk123 on Nov 18, 2020 11:42:23 GMT -5
CTC seems to have a lot of pride equity invested in his GR1's.
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LCSeminole
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Post by LCSeminole on Nov 18, 2020 12:45:49 GMT -5
DYohn, I have to disagree with your characterization of the sound of the these headphones. They are not recessed in the midrange. What they are not, is over emphasized in the midrange. That in combination with the fact that they are not thin in the mid bass and bass region makes them completely different than the other headphones you mentioned. I do a lot of headphone listening and the GR1s are well balanced. They are very musical without sacrificing detail. To often high end equipment has boosted midrange because the designer thinks it makes the product more detailed. It does not, what it does do is render margainly or poorly recorded music unlistenable. To compare the GR1s to Beats is nothing more than trolling for reaction. The GR1s are in a different league, they are very revealing of source material and yet still satisyfing. The Sony TA-ZH1ES is a remarkable headphone amp and DA. It allows different filters to placed into the sound path depending on the recording quality. The GR!s are transparent enough to allow the listener to not only hear the difference in these filters, but to understand what they are doing. Everyone perceives sound differently, and your comments would lead me to believe that you prefer a more pronounced midrange, which the GR1s do not provide. What they do provide is a well balanced and enjoyable listening experience on all types of music with differing recording qualities. The GR1s are in a league well above their price point. Keep in mind they are not meant to be mastering headphones, they are meant for playback. Hey Chris, first of all welcome to the Lounge, always good to have new members that have meaningful insight to add. It seems apparent you have a more focused interest in headphones from your four posts thus far. I've taken your insight with the GR1's as quite useful in my case so thanks for the input. I will say however, that I doubt Dyohn's comparison of the GR1's and Beats was "trolling for a reaction", nor did I take it that way either. When you've been on the Lounge a bit, I think you'll find his posts to be straight forward but honest, and his contributions to the Lounge invaluable. Again, welcome to the Lounge and look forward to your contributions as well.
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Post by badsarge on Nov 18, 2020 17:53:19 GMT -5
DYohn, I echo LCSeminole's assessment of your contributions. After rereading this thread, I am curious of the associated equipment you utilized to drive the GR1s. I have a Schiit Jotenheim and a pair of HiFiMan 400s, The combination is polite. Not what I would consider a world beater. But alas, 36 years in the military definitely takes a toll on one's hearing.....
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Nov 18, 2020 19:10:50 GMT -5
DYohn, I echo LCSeminole's assessment of your contributions. After rereading this thread, I am curious of the associated equipment you utilized to drive the GR1s. I have a Schiit Jotenheim and a pair of HiFiMan 400s, The combination is polite. Not what I would consider a world beater. But alas, 38 years in the military definitely takes a toll on one's hearing..... I drove them from two sources. First test was simply plugged into my PC sound card to simulate a typical home user's experience, and second was driven off my AudioValve Solaris headphone amp. The signal chain for that test was my Linux-based music server running Roon Core, ethernet hard wire to a Sonore Ultrarendu, USB to a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC and balanced analog to the Solaris. I listened to a variety of my favorite music including rock and jazz.
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Post by garbulky on Nov 18, 2020 19:33:16 GMT -5
DYohn, I echo LCSeminole's assessment of your contributions. After rereading this thread, I am curious of the associated equipment you utilized to drive the GR1s. I have a Schiit Jotenheim and a pair of HiFiMan 400s, The combination is polite. Not what I would consider a world beater. But alas, 38 years in the military definitely takes a toll on one's hearing..... I drove them from two sources. First test was simply plugged into my PC sound card to simulate a typical home user's experience, and second was driven off my AudioValve Solaris headphone amp. The signal chain for that test was my Linux-based music server running Roon Core, ethernet hard wire to a Sonore Ultrarendu, USB to a Schiit Yggdrasil DAC and balanced analog to the Solaris. I listened to a variety of my favorite music including rock and jazz. Ummm..... how about some pics and a review of that AMP?!
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