What I like Lear for is the constant desire for experiments. Starting with such "simple" things as custom headphones, they quickly grew to unusual hybrid models, and now with might and main are looking for new original solutions, such as, for example, the surround sound system NSS. While the NSS is still in the process of production, another of their concepts has already been released, .
Lear has long been engaged in custom headphones, made on the mold of the ear, and perfectly understand the shortcomings of such solutions. A potential buyer should find a laboratory in his city or nearby where he can make casts, then they should be sent by international mail to the manufacturer, then wait for their custom. In this case, the casts may not be as it should be (they are usually insured with pre-shipment of photos), they can get lost, and the customists can eventually sit down not quite successfully, and they will have to be sent to the refit, which is another month or two. Of course, in part the situation improves if the workshop manufacturing the custom is located in your country, but what if not? Another disadvantage of custom headphones - they are difficult to resell in the secondary market, because they are very individual.
Realizing all these disadvantages, many companies (though not all) sell their custom in universal enclosures, which must be used with conventional attachments. By the sound of "universals" most often lose to full-fledged custom, but they do not have the above disadvantages. In Lear, such models are highlighted in the Lear Universal Fit series, it was these models of LUF-BD4.2 and LUF-4F that I saw in my time. But now the company decided that they can offer something new.
The new headphones of the Lear Hybrid Fit series are equipped with replaceable "spouts" on the thread, so you can easily change the usual direct universal-style sound guide to a custom one, which is made on the impression of your ear. This, of course, will not give the same effect as a full caste, since the latter still takes into account the features of the auricle, but such a spout is much better than a universal nozzle in terms of sound insulation. In addition, when selling headphones, the custom part can be unscrewed and left to yourself, selling a universal option.
This time for experiments in Lear chose a budget model, the first in the series appeared one-driver headphones based on a dynamic radiator at a quite democratic price. Of the interesting features of the model is worth noting the bass control, the same as in the top model BD4.2.
Universal about 190 dollars, and a variant with custom spouts (the usual ones will also be included) - $ 270. In the latter case, you still have to make a cast and send it to Lear. There is also a delivery option, which includes additional universal nozzles with a filter that changes the sound, it will cost $ 220.
Following the saying "not to get up twice", Lear offers the same headphones in a completely versatile package for $ 260. After paying another $ 65, you can make custom in a soft silicone case that improves comfort and sound insulation.
Two more similar models on other emitters, AE1s for studio work and AE1b for musicians are also announced. Their output is expected in the near future.
Specifications
- Emitter: dynamic, 10 mm
- Sensitivity: 110 dB @ 1 mW (at the maximum position of the regulator)
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz
- Resistance: 33 Ω (at the maximum position of the regulator)
- Sound insulation: -26 dB
Packing and delivery kit
The outer box of headphones is quite ordinary, a dense black cardboard with embossed inscriptions looks quite restrained. But inside the buyer a pleasant surprise awaits, in Lear they decided to use a convenient metal jar with a screw cap as a "cover" for the headphones. It is made of mirror metal from the outside and soft green rubber inside. Externally very much like a jar for an expensive cream, but such a container is incredibly convenient for storing headphones and reliably protects them from all adversities.
In addition to the LUF-AE1d itself and the "jars" you get a screwdriver for adjusting the bass and a set of nozzles: small and medium single-flange, two- and three-flange, and 3 pairs of foam nozzles of different shapes and sizes. Another Lear put a microfibre cloth in the kit to erase fingerprints from all shiny surfaces.
Design and comfortable wearing
In appearance, LUFs continue the trend laid by the previous universal models of the company, it is still quite large headphones made of plastic, reminiscent of the form of custom models. Two main differences of the novelty are replaceable sound guides on the thread and an opaque chrome casing. In general, despite the rather large size, the headphones sit well, first of all to thank for it is a well thought-out shape of the case. Nevertheless, the owners of very small ear shells are better to try on these headphones before buying.
The model is designed for breezing, and it is unlikely to be planted in another way. The cable in this model is interchangeable, it looks similar to the excellent wires of older models, but it is made slightly simpler. Despite this, he almost does not get confused and is not inclined to the microphone effect (the so-called rustling that occurs in the headphones from the friction of the wire about the clothes) and looks very elegant.
The bass regulator is made in the form of a screw and is placed in the back of the headphones, a small screwdriver is included for adjustment. The controller has an approximate graduation from the dots, so it will not be possible to set the same value on both headphones. It rotates fairly tightly, but what will happen if the regulation is abused - I will not say. In my personal experience, this adjustment gets boring on the second day, and the regulator is in one of the positions most suitable for the listener.
Sound insulation model - typical for the form factor and depends on the choice of nozzles, for example, the complete three-flange nozzles perfectly isolate the external noise, although comfort with them is not particularly high. In general, choosing the nozzles for yourself, you can achieve a very good balance of insulation and convenience, so you can wear LHF-AE1d for a long time.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening:
- Yulong DA8 and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as a DAC and amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Fiio X5-2 and Cayin N6 as portable players
- VSonic Gr01, Dunu Titan 1 and Dunu DN-2000J as headphones for comparison
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours.
The presence of the bass adjustment allows you to change the headphones from the "all wildly hums" state to "no bass at all", while different tips allow you to adjust the HF to achieve a suitable sound. I settled on a version with round foam nozzles and a bass winded somewhere a little less than 3/4 of the maximum.
Headphones are quite critical to planting, for example, I did not have all the complete single-flange and double-flange attachments, they do not cornyly provide complete isolation, and for these headphones this is very important. The kit lacks a wider version of single-flange attachments. Given the sensitivity to planting, I would seriously think about custom spouts for them or a fully custom version.
The Lear sound was quite successful, with the correct tuning LHF-AE1d can compete on the "level" (I do not like this word) with most modern single-turn dynamic headphones, including hits like Dunu Titan 1 and HiFiMan Re600. The only question is that not everyone can like this very process of tuning, because even relatively small deviations from the optimal settings make the sound very controversial.
In the version that I screwed myself, the headphones are obtained with a slightly darkened melodic pitch and AFC, close to the traditional V-shape.
The bass is very dense, which is typical for dynamic radiators, but it is very fast, there are very few distortions on the bass, so they sound quite naturally and legibly. To depth and quantity I have no special fault-finding, although, of course, this is not a basshed model. More precisely, AE1d can be wound up to an impressive amount of bass, but this will already lead to creeping on the mid-range and dull hum instead of bass. Even more amusing earphones sound in the minimum position of the regulator, there are no low frequencies at all as a class. So the secret of the cool lowercase of this model is the selection of the position of the regulator and the correct landing.
Middle frequencies are good for dynamic headphones, but not prohibitive. For me, the midrange among the dynes is, perhaps, HiFiMan Re600 and then AE1d did not last long (although not critical). The legibility of the MF is very good, as well as the speed, but against the background of the reinforcement drivers there are visible slight traces of softening of the sound, although it is clear that for headphones around $ 200 this is clearly not critical, and some tracks are even good for some tracks. Surprisingly well this model copes with positioning of sources and working off of volume, the imaginary scene is good in width, in depth - average. The vocals sound nice, there is no special inclination to unnecessarily emphasize the sibilants, but if they are in the record, you will hear them.
The upper frequencies are slightly quantified, but this is compensated for by their resolution, so the RFs are well visible and well read. Everything that belongs to this range seems to be slightly overshadowed, although if you reduce the bass with the knob and add volume - you can get the typically bright sound that Japanese producers love so much. In general, here you can also vary the sound to your tastes.
On the Internet, I met the opinion that the headphones benefit from a cable change, but I can not check this version, and I do not believe in such statements without proof.
Compatibility
Headphones were originally designed for good sources, so use them with different tablets and smartphones - there is not much sense. They, of course, are not so capricious as the reinforcement models, but why good headphones connect to a source that will not reveal their potential?
The quality of the AE1d recordings is very critical, the album mastering shows them poorly. The model has no pronounced genre preferences, although I would recommend it more for non-orchestral music, there may not be enough HF quantitatively.
Nile - 4th Arra of Dragon. Virtuosos that brought brutal death to a new level of technicality, the last couple of albums somehow do not please mastering. The release of 2009 is the last one, I do not want to find fault with it, and this track is one of the strongest records from it. The second half with chanting on the background of denting blastbitov - a good test for the resolution of headphones, and this modelka passes it without problems.
Iron Maiden - Heaven Can Wait. I continue to rejoice at the remasters from Onkyo as a child to a new toy. The old recordings of the album "Somewhere in Time", at my hearing, were too bright and very lightweight, but now the drums have acquired greater physicality, and the bass simply fascinates with its parts. These Lear headphones help to reveal this complex melody in all its facets.
Juno Reactor - Final Frontier. Yes, these headphones also know how to electronic music, especially if the music is smart and well-recorded. In this track there is an insert with the noise of cars on the street, in these headphones it sounds so realistic that when I listened to this track on the move, I tried to get off the place where I stood so as not to get under the wheels. Bass, who is so fond of electronic music, is also quite happy.
conclusions
A very unusual concept, providing the buyer a lot of opportunities for tuning and finishing the sound to the desired level. For those who are ready to spend time on this same tuning, the solution is excellent. By the way, I would advise you to pay attention to the custom version of this model, their price is just a gift on the background of most custom solutions of other companies, and the comfort and convenience of CIEM is still a different level compared to universal models.
The article is based on materials .
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