Long story short - end game?
Short story long -
Cons
- soreness at around 2 hours due to shell size
Pros
just about everything else imo
Bass
- quantity AND quality, rumble is present without making mids muddy or distorted
- floor toms, cellos, low synths just envelope the scene
- bass drums have much authority, texture and slam
Mids
- pianos and guitars sound accurate yet velvety
- female vocals sound fine and smooth on relaxed genres(Mai Yamane, L'Imperatrice) where the BAs are focused on just the lead
Trebs
- crisp but not fatigueing, despite warmth they still manage to not lose detail
- audience noise(clapping, cheering, whistling, etc) is placed far away but still clearly discernable on live tracks
- cymbals, chimes, snares, shakers are fast and snappy without overstaying welcome
Imaging and staging
- most tracks play like a concert hall due to the decay and minor reverb on the lows
- live tracks sound almost like you actually are on the concert grounds
- separation and depth is excellent, you can clearly discern where the instruments are placed, and each instrument is distinct and clear
- some instruments get sent to the back of the stage like winds and some male vocals, especially on big bands/jazz ensembles
Accs
- included Noir cable retails separately for around 140 USD, so the total of this unit sans the cable might just be 600 if they just shipped it with a less expensive stock cable. Feels nice though, hefty and tangle resistant compared to cheaper cables
- tips are ok. Some foams and some silicones included but prefer to use the grippy Sednas
- cleaning cloth is nice, same material as ones that come with glasses
- puck case is ok
Misc
- despite driver variety and count on each side, they're not difficult to drive (listening volume at 20-25 on low gain on Shanling M3X) and no discernable distortion at high volumes
- the 3.5mm and 4.4 balanced adapters do not lock in, need to avoid pulling the cable when switching sources as it just leaves the plug in the source
- neutral sources will bring out the Origin's warm tuning although a bright source might make this a bit neutral if you prefer that.
- highs greatly diminish with a warm source, not recommended to pair with a class B | A/B amp or anything with tubes (personal reference: Cambridge Audio AXA35) unless you NEED to have more bass
- glossy finish on the faceplates is a fingerprint magnet but they look like a Van Gogh painting. oddly enough, much like the galaxy depicted, the stars are still visible but not super sparkly. i'm essentially reaching here with the visual analogy
the blind buy was worth it. Christmas came early for me, it seems
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