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Second impression: I tried them last night side by side with the Grados powered by the Powerbook. Wow! It was very very different than here at work. Which is strange, cause I used a G4 tower here at work so I assumed the quality would be pretty good.

The 7506’s are quite astounding, far and away better than the PX100’s when listened to on the powerbook. Much easier to compare with the SR80s and while distinctively different sounds, you can instantly tell they’re in the same ballpark.

The SR80’s, due to their openness, definitely have the edge on a bigger soundstage. For my initial rough comparison using only two songs, I found the SR80’s had more presence, a brighter high end and tighter low end. The presence really brings the music to you and it’s more intense and in your face.

The 7506s I would describe as smooth, the bass is definitely more prominent than in the SR80’s (which I thought wouldn’t be the case after trying them at work). The detail is all there, you don’t miss any high end detail, but it’s much less in your face. Like all the reviews read, it’s very much flat and nothing very prominent.

This comparison was done with a flat EQ in iTunes.

Very initial impression: These are not your regular cans. I can’t tell if they suck or if they’re really good.

One thing I can say is, these are not your typical headphones. I only have the PX100s to compare to (since I’m at work) but one thing I can say is they have a very different sound from anything I’ve listened to. I don’t know if I would use these for regular casual listening.

At first it seemed like there was no bass, and very sterile, but afterwards I realize the sound is better described as flat. These cans seem ridiculously brutal. You can hear everything. Nothing is over-emphasized. It also responds very well to EQ settings. I think this is what “studio” and “reference” are all about. If you want bass, you turn up the lower range on your EQ. You can turn up anywhere on the EQ and none of it sounds bad.. it just sounds “honest”. The bass isn’t in your face, but you can hear all the bass detail quite easily.

If I could make a preliminary comparison to the Grados, I’d say they have more emphasis on the mid-range than the SR80s’ more V-shaped sound (deep bass and crisp highs). I think the Grados sound better, but in regards to the production side of it I would say that if you can get your mix sounding good in the 7506, it’ll for sure sound good in the SR80s. Rather than monitoring it in the SR80s and then having it sound not so great in the 7506’s.

They definitely take getting used to.. after all the bass-heavy speakers and headphones. Music doesn’t sound as in-your-face with these. I’m listening to You are Good right now and I can hear everything across the range but it doesn’t feel as “intense” as when listening in the px100’s.