Yeah, the annoying part is the inability to terminate a DIY cable with either a 3.5mm with a threaded 1/4" adapter *or with the twist-lock 'wings' on the earcup end of Equation and Fostex headphones.

And all but about 1 diy 3.5mm connectors won't fit in the earcup socket - and the one that will is of questionable quality.

If it were only about making it shorter, you could just lop off whatever length and reterminate - but then you lose the unique convenience of equation's right-angle w/ threaded 1/4" adapter.

The hd485 cable should fit, and won't twist-lock, but probably won't just fall out for no reason either. I'm not sure if it's actually shorter, and doesn't have the right-angle connector either.

Thanks for the write-up.

Kind of reminds me when Goldrings were the interesting new topic a while back.

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Well, I'm home now and currently listening to them amped with my Headfive and the highs have definitely improved by a lot. Wow, big difference all around in the sound. Everything sounds much more lush and crisp. Better instrument separation and tighter bass as well.

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Well, that's both good and discouraging news...Good because the RP-15MCs sound great with an amp, discouraging because I wouldn't be using an amp with them portably...and then good again because it might mean I can hold onto my cash just a little while longer...


EDIT: luckybaer, I was thinking the same thing.

The HD485 cable fits easily in the RP-21 earcup.

The barrel of the HD485 earcup-end connector is actually narrower and designed for a deeper socket than the Equation cable, so it sorta can't help but fit.

The HD485 cable is also about two inches longer than the RP-21 cable, so, if the RP-15mc cable is the same as the RP-21 cable, the HD485 cable is Not Shorter.

I want some info. What would sound better. My Sennheiser HD580 with 600 grills and 650 cable with my amps stated below. Or a better amp and some re-cabelled Equation RP-21's? Also the cable uses a 3.5mm input right? Cause I could sell my Sennheisers and probably scrounge together some cash to get a nice amp. I could also sell my MS1's but I wouldnt get as much.

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Awesome. Thanks for testing this out, ericj!

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Maybe not, but a bit cheaper to hack apart...especially for the uninitiated cable modder.

That's actually why i have hd485 cables - i need to recable some old single-entry headphones and i prefer the threaded adapter. And I'm a cheap person.

sennheiser though . . . . is gonna get an earfull from me tomorrow.

Last monday the box shows up, has all the $3 cables and $2 adapters i ordered, but where are the $13 earpads?!

"we'll get those right out to you"

Yeah. Right.

Rp-21 very aesthetic.
Website is very well done.
Dunno why I wanna call bluff.....
Oh sh!t , is that copper colored plastic....

TimxSally, I would wait for some more reviews and user experiences with the RP-21s so that we can get a better idea of the relative quality before selling your HD580s. Just my opinion.

Yeah. Im sort of rethinking now. My HD580's are really awesome. Makes me wanna by some HD650's but my mom would go nuts.

RE: SHORTER CABLE

One option for some may be to go back to the dealer and order a coiled cable. The X22 comes with a coiled cable that, when relaxed, is about 42 inches long. It is a larger diameter cable(than the stock RP-15 cable) and is terminated in a 90 on the amp end of things. I put this cable on this morning and it is nice with "perhaps" some slight tweak in the sound ' to early to tell'.

Thot? maybe a possible cable up-grade is simply to put the RP-21 cable on the RP 15??

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I was PMing Sybrsound about cable differences, actually, and he essentially said the thinner gauge was used on the RP-15MC to keep the price lower and to maintain the 32 Ohm rating. No comment on differences in sound quality, but he did state that he personally uses the thicker cable. dandi, do you still have all three headphones? Could you post your impressions from the cable swap if you decide to perform it? My suspicion is that it won't make much of a difference, if any, but that's easy enough to test.

Question about the coiled cable: how much does it weigh down the headphones? I find the coiled cable on my MDR-V6, for instance, to pull a little too much for consistent portable use.


EDIT: Also, what's your personal take on the high-end roll-off of the RP-15MCs unamped? Do you find the highs lacking on that particular set as others here do? How do they compare to the highs of the RP-21 unamped?

There has been a ton of talk already about the RP-21 and the RP-15 but the 22X hasn't been getting much attention. I'm a little confused about the impressions that others have given about the 22X. The phrase "sweet listen" is a bit ambiguous.

It sounds like the 22x is basically just the RP-21 with an extra ring of padding and a silver paint job. From the impressions listed here it does sound like this extra padding changes the bass frequencies somewhat. From the initial comments from the OP it sounds like the 22x has a slightly less forward presentation than the RP-21.

It would be great if somebody with both sets of cans (dandi?) could do a detailed comparison. I'm wondering if its worth the extra $20 to get the 22x's instead of the RP-21.

Also Dandi, after having the whole range for a few weeks what is your preference?

RE: Cable? from epithetless
cable swapping from the RP-21 to the RP-15, to my ear, does make a subtle difference in the RP-15's sound signature. I will not make any iron clad statements about this and hope someone more inclined toward this will share their opinions. This kind of A/B thing makes me a little crazy. I am not sure my ear can adjust and memory plays such a big part it's subtle for me. Other's/you may have a better ability for this than I. I hear a little more richness in the SQ perhaps a bit more blending of frequencies (a good thing)creating a smoother presentation (sorry technical term). Not quite as much a feeling of lightness and airiness perhaps. Maybe I can spend a little more time on this later, but for now those are my impressions from listening for a few minutes this afternoon.RE: coiled cable weight, good point the cable is just coiled not shorter so it must have approximately/exactly the same weight as the straight cable. I guess you could ball up the straight one so it was about 42 inches long and get kind of an idea on this. I don't use my 15's around town just at my computer. RE: High end roll off, I have not experienced this I think there is very good high end reproduction. I listen to a lot of my music in wav. on CD, with aSony D-34 or Marantz 67se mostly, this could make a difference?My feeling would be this may be more a source issue than the headphone. RE: comparison between the 15's and 21's they are much alike in sound signature IMHO. That being said the 21 is in a whole different class. Both sound very good to my ear un-amped. If I were thinking between the two I would get the 21's if the SQ was my main concern. If portability, size a more understated appearance while on the head in public were my concerns then the 15's. I don't mean to sound like a complete poster child for this line of headphones but I must say they are really a great product.

RE:X-22's ? from Ic3Floe
I think I gave my impressions pretty clearly in the OP. The RP-22X is a different sounding headphone than the 21 for sure. Dave at Equation will have to tell us if there are differences in design other than the ear cup. What ever the design differences they work to create a uniquely different sound than the 21's. As posted above I really like the 22X because of my musical preference I find myself going to them the most. That being said, I would feel no hesitation in recommending the RP-21 to anyone with any musical taste. I would strongly advise anyone to listen to the X-22 before buying. In the case of the Equation line of headphones I believe it is a mistake to 'equate' paying an extra $20 or paying less for the 15's with SQ or build quality or getting a better headphone. These headphones were made for the working Musician and Sound Engineer each model is designed with a unique purpose and each is designed very well IMO. Listen to them if you 'can' and make your choice. If you cannot the RP-15's or the 21's what ever you decide will bring a smile to your face and your wallet/purse will like it too, the X22 deserve a test drive first. I have tried very hard not to compare the Equations with other brands of headphones. I just didn't want to go down that road. But if it helps you, I think the X22 has more of a Grado like SQ.