Mini Review- Omni vs Blackwood



Ramble: Firstly I think it s cool that these are out on tour. More impressions! I let a fellow head-fier listen to the Blackwood and he really enjoyed them. I then sold my pair for whatever reason I came up with...prob had to do with my new car or something. Well when it was gone I missed it. Few closed headphones sound as controlled and linear as the Blackwood. It had a little less bloom in the midrange (though its mids are very contoured and not recessedd) than I like but it is a very even handed, smooth, headphone that is enjoyable for hours. However, this time the Blackwood will not be missed if it leaves and the Omni takes its place. Some felt the Blackwood wasnt an upgrade to the Vibro even though it had better technicalities, well you cant say that about the Omni. I miss the Vibros lush mids and engaging sig but the Omni is almost...almost the best of both worlds.



It IMO is more linear than the 3f though not as detailed and midcentric. Also without the treble peak, and slight midrange dip of the X(though I may take the X given the choice) but similar in bass response(not quite there but almost).



VS Blackwood (no plugs)

Bass ■ Very close in quantity and quality with the Omni sounding a tad cleaner, a hint more in quantity, more visceral, and just as tight . There are some songs where you cannot tell which has more but then others where the Omni does have more and hits harder. I mistook the Omni before, it did fine with boosting on the occasional song where the rumble wasnt mixed strong enough. It's not basshead level but def has a sub bass presence that gives it a foundation like the Lcd X does, but the same can be said about the Blackwood. Bass detail/texture is very similar. It seems as though the Omni may be a little more linear but I can't make a sure call. Niether have the midbass hump that I am guilty of liking but that would prob turn off a lot of ppl any way. This makes for a smokther transition into the ...



Midrange ■ I think the mids of the Omni take the magic away from the Blackwood and sits inbetween it and the robust Vibro. The results are more airy voices with the Omni having more life in them. There were times when I felt the Blackwood had a more rounded and heavier male vocal but then after further listening my brain burned in to the more lifelike projection from the Omni. I may prefer a piano note or two on the ZB but thats about it. I became wowed with the right song and cant find the "wrong song" ( maybe classical which isnt my thing). There is much to say about the semi open design here that enables the mids to breathe and not feel stuffy. After more and more ABing it became more and more evident that the Blackwood sounded boxed-in in comparison. Almost as if the singers were in a shorter room. The balance is pretty even and kinda reminded me of the momentum 2 I heard in the store. I hear the ZO as having a little more upper mids than the ZB. The *Sony MDR Z7 mids are a bit more lower mid centered and lack the treble of the Omni to make a voice project also its midbass that lacks impact clouds up the mids but both can be called natural sounding. The Omni would be more lifelike.



Highs ■ The highs of the Omni are a smidge more than the Blackwood but less messy. The Blackwood will exhibit a little more distortion than the ZO. Especially when things get busy. This as well seems to do with there being a higher ceiling if you will, than the ZB or more air/space for the crashes and cymbals etc to do their thing. I do however turn it down after listening for a while. Its not painful but this headphone is a little more exciting all around and does fine at lower levels. When I put the ZB back on it sounds dull at the same volume and I turn it back up only to remember the Omni treble is better executed and less bothersome even though it is just a little more. The Blackwood is outclassed here too but has an intimate smokiness to it that may be missed. Its also not a huge win for the Omni but enough to count.



Headstage/Openness/Imaging/Detail ■ If you can't tell by now the ZO is DEFINITELY more open sounding. Both headphones have nice soundstages. The Omni has a bit more height, slightly better depth, similar width, slightly better imaging, and similar resolution. I was expecting the Omni to curb stomp the Blackwood but the Blackwood holds its ground. I disagreed when CNet said the Blackwood wasnt detailed, the Omni may make a better case simply because its more transparent, nuetral, and is a Semi Open headphone. The soundstage reminds me of a wider Z7 now, whereas the ZB is mostly wide the *Z7 and ZO have more dimensions. Z7 The least wide but most dimensional. (From memory)



Of note....Hopefully Zach will remember which pads are which because I am confused. When I received my Blackwood I changed the pads of the Omni to resemble what was shipped already on the ZB and those pads are less dramatic looking. They dont seem oversized at all. They look great!



Well thats how I hear it...Blackwood owners dont feel bad... the differences besides the openness aren't huge ..you got a great headphone....no need to have a better one lol.