Thanks – good to know!

Yes – I did not mean that the IO-12 comes close to the X9K, or even the HD800S – but as you wrote in an earlier post, it reminds to it... I guess we simply love the IO-12 for what it is, and that’s (in many cases) enough.

Just listened to Bubbles by Yosi Jorikawa with the IO-12, the HD800S and a Stax SR-X9000 that I purchased second-hand a few weeks ago (I’m listening to it with a SRM-700T amplifier borrowed from a friend). Retail price for the Stax combo is about 10 times that of the IO-12. With the Stax, the...

I enjoy listening to the new Dali IO-12. Of course it has less detail and separation than my SR-X9000, but it does not sound too different in my view. Soundstage is somewhat comparable. I mostly listen with noise reduction switched on, but others prefer it with ANC switched off (see...

I just bought a used X9000 and am now wondering how old it is. Can anyone tell me what the current serial numbers of newly delivered units are? Mine is 220X.

Thanks – much appreciated summary even if off-topic! And it is not even completely off-topic because of your comparison with the IO-12 ...

Well put! My dream would be a Stax SR-X9000 for 1000 Euro with a wireless option and 30 h battery life. I’m almost sure that we’ll have something like that in about 10 years (probably not e-stat, though). But I also agree that for some people, some circumstances, and some music, the resolution...

I love my IO-12, but I don’t understand the comparisons with electrostats... When I want to really try and grasp what happens in the music, I still feel the need to switch from the IO-12 to the HD800S. And last weekend I listened to the Stax SR-X9000 for some hours. I’m afraid the difference...

The most important question is of course: does anybody know what IO means?

I ordered those and yes, with a bit of pressing, the IO-12 fits in, but you have to squeeze the earpads a bit, right. I don't know if I can stand that with my still new IO-12 ...

Thanks, very interesting! For me, it will probably be Level 0 for the moment, but only out of laziness.

I had the opportunity to compare the IO-12 with the Solitaire T in a shop that has about all important headphones on the planet (at least the ones below 10k Euros). I know this is a totally unfair comparison because it was only 15 min and because I’m owning the IO-12 and am used to it, but...

Interesting, thanks for your thoughts (both zolkis and angelom). I've often wondered why manufacturers engineer headphones so that they deliver the optimum sound after 40 hours, 200 hours, or two years (or whatever) of running-in. Wouldn't it be better for sales figures if the optimum sound...

Did you make measurements before vs after run-in, on this or another headphone? Or are effects of run-in barely measurable? Well I guess if I’d search I’d find a lot of discussion about run-in on head-fi.

Ok, maybe I’m not a prog rock fan either. I agree to what you say about self-indulgent (for me, another example of that attitude would be Dream Theater). But I’m a big fan of the four bands you mentioned. There are also prog rock artists who refuse being called prog rock, like Steven Wilson. And...

That’s funny, I’m also quite a prog rock fan, but like you, I never fell in love with Rush and Yes, although I’ve tried several times ...

Exactly my thoughts. As soon as there’s a HD600 or 650 wireless, I’ll buy them.

Yes, I noted that, too. The reason might be that I play violin, and that’s already enough high frequencies, so I might prefer a slightly relaxed treble in headphones ... but I listen not only to classical music, also to prog rock, jazz, funk, and occasionally black metal or the like. I found...

I agree to all of what you wrote; for me, my HD800S and HD650 still define how music should sound via headphones. But one reason is surely that I now have listened to them for 8 years! Maybe in another 8 years, the IO-12 will define how music should sound for me. Well, who knows what progress...

For those who haven't seen it yet: Maukey has ranked the IO-12 1a), soundwise! https://www.head-fi.org/threads/side-by-side-comparison-airpods-max-b-o-h95-dali-io-6-b-w-px8-ml-5909-m-d-mw75-focal-bathys-and-more.958727/

I've never listened to the HD800, but it seems the HD800S has much less of a treble peak. At least in my pair, the treble sounds rather silky; honestly the treble in my IO-12 sounds a bit hard in comparison. But of course my HD800S is from 2016 and was played almost every day, while my IO-12 is...

I wonder whether there are any published measurements / graphs to back up such personal experience about burn-in? Or maybe measurements will not be sensitive enough anyway? Another thing is that I wonder whether bluetooth is really worse than cable in a measurable way, or at least whether people...

Thanks, interesting, I’ll try them when I can find them somewhere – but they are about double the price of the HD800S. I’d be curious to hear what you say about the IO-12 in this regard!

I've had the IO-12 at home for a week now. I'll compare them with two other headphones I'm using daily: the Momentum 4 and the HD800S. I was actually searching for a bluetooth equivalent to the HD800S, or at least some portable headphones that come close to them. And the good news is the IO-12...

Using an external DAC with the IO-12 switched on makes little sense, because the IO-12 DSP will again digitalize the signal and convert it back to analog using its own DAC. Thus the only way to hear an external DAC is to go completely passive, i.e. to use an analog cable connection and switch...