I don't think that the Tenore can compete with the sheer staging dimensions of a full sized open can obviously, but you'd be absolutely surprised by the accuracy, depth and size of the staging that it projects for something so incredibly small, especially with a good source. In terms of tonal balance I'd put the Tenore over the HD650 and the X1, it just gets very close to sounding right, and is really an exemplar in its price range and far beyond.
The Tenore is closer to a neutral/reference signature so it's more transparent/suits all genres. There's about close to zero masking of frequencies going on as a result of boosted this or that, they are just very, very clear. Just as an example, I can move from my K812 to the Tenore and not feel like I'm missing too much, or rather, I don't feel like I'm being slighted in terms of musical enjoyment. If I’m absolutely nitpicking, the weaknesses of the Tenore, to my ears are as follows:
Note weight- Compared to the absolute best stuff I’ve heard, like the LAB I, it doesn’t possess the proper amount of body/depth in notes to come across as absolutely convincing, though it’s really close. I suppose there has got to be a limit to micro dynamic drivers, and the Tenore’s seems to be an OEM part, very cleverly tuned to sound the way it does.
Macro/Microdynamics - Compared to the UERM/LAB I, the Tenore lacks absolute velocity/force in volume swings to truly, believably portray attack/decay. This is most noticeable in stuff like classical/jazz, and stuff like percussion, and honestly wouldn’t be an issue at all for the wide majority of listeners or people who haven’t heard better.
Sheer resolution - The UERM and especially the LAB I still pull away in terms of resolution. Vocals and instruments on the UERM and especially LAB I can be seriously, seriously convincing, not sounding like really good earphones, but honestly sounding like actual vocalists singing, and musicians playing to you. I know that’s a tired old sentiment but that’s kinda what you get when you shell out the crazy cash. It’s that final, teeny percentage of textural performance left over that actually allows you totally buy into the illusion. To the average consumer this is tantamount to insanity and the Tenore is able to hold its own against a great, great many number of sets and has nothing to be embarrassed of in the company of sets costing multitudes its asking price.
Absolute speed - The Tenore still can't disentangle the most chaotic of music in the same absolutely effortless fashion that the UERM does. Separation and bass texture is also better on pricier sets, but the Tenore is no slouch in sub bass texture and is quite speedy for a dynamic driver. However, something like the quickest of metal riffs, or double bass drumming will push it to the blurring point, but it still holds up admirably for the most part, just losing out in that crisp edge found in the TOTL sets
Staging/Layering - Imaging on the Tenore is excellent, and I feel the stage size isn’t an issue since it projects a sizable one, but in terms of portraying actual depth, it does get better. The Tenore has a strong central focus, and can easily follow left/right pans, so that actually isn’t an issue. I think the issue lies in its ability to portray layering from front to back, so it’s not the last word in dimensionality, sounding kind of flat against phones capable of managing holographic sound. Again, absolutely nitpicking.
I know this all sounds rather impossible for something that costs so little, but I've been through literally a dozen or so $1,000+ phones and I feel like the Tenore can hang with the best of em. In that sense, I don't feel that $60 is a "pretty good price”, I feel like it's a hilariously low price relative to other stuff. As I’ve said before, I think most importantly, the Tenore gets real world timbre across correctly, and is practically absent in grain, and that’s worth its weight in gold. I think perhaps people may find the Tenore somehow “unexciting” if they’re used to more bass/treble heavy phones, like your typical audiophile V/U sig, but the more time you spend with it, and the more genres you toss its way, the more you’ll grow to respect it, and I’d wager that you will find it increasingly difficult to listen to colored signatures as a result.
I think the final thing I want to express is that, in spite of having a lot of nice stuff to play around with, every time I return to the Tenore, I genuinely find myself wondering why it is that I need anything more than it. I don't think I can think of a better compliment than that really.
