Mikhail
Manufacturer Singlepower Audio Contributor Member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2003
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I’ve been listening to these headphones side by side for the last week and have some initial impressions of the Qualia 010 headphones VS. the Sony R10’s.
Both the R10’s and the Qualia 010 headphones are some of the finest dynamic headphones in existence. This is the impression that you get when you listen to them for an extended period of time. Yes, you do have to live with these headphones to become intimately acquainted. Both of these headphones compliment each other in many ways, and in some sonic qualities they sound similar.
The R10’s:
The R10’s offer the listener such an involving experience that it can only be improved with the actual performance right in the same room with you. The mid range and tone is king on these headphones. The bass can be very good with the proper amplification, but in most cases the bass response is challenging to get right. Soundstage is wide open, with instrument separation and positioning like no other headphones can create. The tonal quality of the R10’s is what makes them so involving. The rich texture, and refinement to the sound just draws you in and won’t let go until the CD finishes. Refined and supremely musical is the only way to properly describe the experience.
The Qualia 010 headphones on the other hand are much faster in resolving audio information fed into them. These headphones are fast, very fast. The mids and highs are pristine and have all the detail that you could possibly imagine. The lower registers are all there with the right amplification. At fist listen, the 010’s may sound a little thin, but with the right tubes and tuning the 010 can have so much bass that the headphones will actually vibrate to the bass response (modified a headphone amp to make the bass extreme). The tonal qualities the 010’s may seem analytical, and they really benefit from tube amplification to make them sound just right. The soundstage is nice and wide with good instrument placement, yet the R10’s just have better instrument separation in general.
The soundstage is wide with either of these headphones. The initial impression that you get when you put the Qualia 010’s on is that some aspects of the sound are similar to the R10’s, because it takes some mental adjustment to listen to either headphone. But, given some listening time, the differences become very apparent. The 010s are very open and extend, the soundstage is far beyond the normal perceived range that you get with any other headphones. Lots of similarities to the Stax Omega’s are apparent even from an initial listen to the 010’s. The speed is incredible and the high frequency extension is excellent. Given that the 010’s are so extended and extremely fast, yet analytical a bit, a set of tubes that produce mountains of tonal addition to the sound, and tube warmth are needed. I initially listed to both headphones with a Ken-Rad VT-231 and two Sylvania VT-231’s as output tubes on the Supra. This produced too much detail and not enough tonal refinement with the 010’s, but this combo is great with the R10’s. After some experimentation, I settled on the Tung-Sol round plate tube, and two Sylvania 6SN7W tubes. This combo is excellent with the 010’s. This tube complement adds lots of additional tonal goodness and smoothness that the 010’s really crave. The sound finally draws you into the music and gets that last bit of analytical sound replaced with an organic sound.
Overall, the 010’s are very good, detailed headphones. They represent a shift in Sony’s approach to the flagship headphones. It seems that they were aiming at very fast dynamics, a high level of detail, and a sonic signature that screams high-tech. In comparison, the R10’s are still the king of tone, and musicality. They are like a Stradivarius violin, whereas the Qualia 010’s are like a high performance digital instrument. This analytical sonic signature of the 010’s is one of the reasons that they go very well with tubes. They really require a good dose of smoothing and tonal adjustment to make them really sing. And, sing they will with right set-up.
Which ones do I prefer? They are different enough to warrant keeping both, but if I had a choice of only one pair, the R10’s would be it.
More impressions to come…..
Both the R10’s and the Qualia 010 headphones are some of the finest dynamic headphones in existence. This is the impression that you get when you listen to them for an extended period of time. Yes, you do have to live with these headphones to become intimately acquainted. Both of these headphones compliment each other in many ways, and in some sonic qualities they sound similar.
The R10’s:
The R10’s offer the listener such an involving experience that it can only be improved with the actual performance right in the same room with you. The mid range and tone is king on these headphones. The bass can be very good with the proper amplification, but in most cases the bass response is challenging to get right. Soundstage is wide open, with instrument separation and positioning like no other headphones can create. The tonal quality of the R10’s is what makes them so involving. The rich texture, and refinement to the sound just draws you in and won’t let go until the CD finishes. Refined and supremely musical is the only way to properly describe the experience.
The Qualia 010 headphones on the other hand are much faster in resolving audio information fed into them. These headphones are fast, very fast. The mids and highs are pristine and have all the detail that you could possibly imagine. The lower registers are all there with the right amplification. At fist listen, the 010’s may sound a little thin, but with the right tubes and tuning the 010 can have so much bass that the headphones will actually vibrate to the bass response (modified a headphone amp to make the bass extreme). The tonal qualities the 010’s may seem analytical, and they really benefit from tube amplification to make them sound just right. The soundstage is nice and wide with good instrument placement, yet the R10’s just have better instrument separation in general.
The soundstage is wide with either of these headphones. The initial impression that you get when you put the Qualia 010’s on is that some aspects of the sound are similar to the R10’s, because it takes some mental adjustment to listen to either headphone. But, given some listening time, the differences become very apparent. The 010s are very open and extend, the soundstage is far beyond the normal perceived range that you get with any other headphones. Lots of similarities to the Stax Omega’s are apparent even from an initial listen to the 010’s. The speed is incredible and the high frequency extension is excellent. Given that the 010’s are so extended and extremely fast, yet analytical a bit, a set of tubes that produce mountains of tonal addition to the sound, and tube warmth are needed. I initially listed to both headphones with a Ken-Rad VT-231 and two Sylvania VT-231’s as output tubes on the Supra. This produced too much detail and not enough tonal refinement with the 010’s, but this combo is great with the R10’s. After some experimentation, I settled on the Tung-Sol round plate tube, and two Sylvania 6SN7W tubes. This combo is excellent with the 010’s. This tube complement adds lots of additional tonal goodness and smoothness that the 010’s really crave. The sound finally draws you into the music and gets that last bit of analytical sound replaced with an organic sound.
Overall, the 010’s are very good, detailed headphones. They represent a shift in Sony’s approach to the flagship headphones. It seems that they were aiming at very fast dynamics, a high level of detail, and a sonic signature that screams high-tech. In comparison, the R10’s are still the king of tone, and musicality. They are like a Stradivarius violin, whereas the Qualia 010’s are like a high performance digital instrument. This analytical sonic signature of the 010’s is one of the reasons that they go very well with tubes. They really require a good dose of smoothing and tonal adjustment to make them really sing. And, sing they will with right set-up.
Which ones do I prefer? They are different enough to warrant keeping both, but if I had a choice of only one pair, the R10’s would be it.
More impressions to come…..
