also trotted out a set of Philips Fidelio X1 headphones, they were more transparent than the P7s, but the Pandora Hope VI still outpaced the Fidelio X1 on clarity. As for comfort the Pandora Hope VI's considerable bulk was an issue for me, and the padded headband weighed heavily on my noggin. The Fidelio X1 was definitely the most comfortable of the three headphones. As always, comfort is highly subjective, so you might feel differently about the Pandora Hope VI's fit and feel.
As for sound quality on portable music players the Pandora Hope VI is awfully impressive. I was surprised that while it was brighter than the other headphones it never sounded harsh with reasonably well-recorded music. It's a closed-back design, but sounded spacious in ways that felt like an open-back headphone. The Kronos string quartet's recordings left no doubt that the Pandora Hope VI's high frequency detailing wasn't overdone or exaggerated, the strings' tonality was spot-on. Ty Segall's raucously fuzzed out "Twins" album was a blast, switching back to the mellower P7 sapped Segall's energy.