[number1sixerfan]

L3000 through the EC Studio B and Pacific. Just absolutely amazing. I think I tried them before (as shared in this thread) in a very limited timeframe, but have had an entire night with it and the R10. The texture of the instruments and vocals. The bass performance. Incredible.

Writing down a few notes. My (historical) love and devotion to the L3000 has been challenged so much in the new era. A lot to share once I get a handle on it all. Pros and cons. Still one of my favorites ever.

 

[number1sixerfan]

The Aperio reminds me of what the CRBN could've been (forget the price difference for a sec lol), or maybe even more importantly, what a CRBN successor could be . Wish I had both side by side. Good tonal balance, warmth but too aggressively warm (Aperio might be a bit warmer, but I would need them both to determine that definitively). Both a bit more intimate, with a standard sense of soundstage. Both are less 3d and holographic than what you expect from the TOTL stat offerings (Aperio a bit more 3d than the CRBN though).

But the Aperio manages to have better resolution and not feel limited overall despite sharing any of those qualities as the CRBN. From what I remember, and also using my other headphones I've already had with the CRBN as an additional reference point, the Aperio has better texture and fleshed out detail, and the bass is slightly better (it's also better than my other stats as well, CRBN is definitely good for a stat here).

The HE90 also isn't wildly holographic and it and the Aperios are probably dead even from what I can tell. The HE90 is more neutral in tone, seemingly a hair quicker and overall feels just a touch more perfect in terms of when listening. On the last part, I think the comfort of the HE90 (same as HE60) is likely a big factor. In addition to being as easy listening as it is, the comfort is a huge plus. There's a clamp and weight factor on the Aperio that keeps it from being "enjoyably comfortable", which I'd reserve for very few headphones to begin with.

Anyways, just sharing thoughts as I have them and time to do so.