[airomjosh]

TakStar-80
Closed cup, coiled cord, the cord not upgradable w/o soldering.
The ear-pads cover your ears if they are of average or below average size.

Just received mine today and without burn-in they are making a very strong first impression.

They come in a music shipping style case, foam inserts, bullet-proof packaging for the price closer to what $250 cans come packaged in. Velour carry bag and the usual 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter. The band and cup holders are metal, the cups very good looking hard plastic. Good clean bass, very good extension on tympani and kick drums and bass guitar, a bit of a veil on the lower mids and upper bass, less treble detail and smaller sound-stage than the SuperLux house sound, not the ultimate in far treble extension.

Sound-stage for a closed-ear can is very good.

This all with no burn-in, first hour out of the case.

My customary burn-in and break-in shall commence and more notes to follow.

looking forward to read your comparisons with CAL

 

[marone]

 
So for indoor use, it seems like HD5500 > Pro 80 > HD6000?

Depends on the type of sound you are going for.

HD6000= Boosted bass, recessed midrange, boosted highs

Pro 80 = Most neutral, with a dip and peak in the low-high/high region

HD5500= Boosted bass with a continuous roll off. Excellent for EDM.

They all sound good, so pick the one that best suits you, or own them all. I don't really want to get rid of any of them.

Your three basic sounds

HD6000 = 'V'-shaped sound for hip-hop and rap, those who like the bass and treble up.
Pro 80 = 'Neutral' sound for audiophiles, classical music, those who prefer flat sound.
HD5500 = 'Basshead' sound for bassheads, EBM, electronica, those who prefer bass.

 

[skkanduri]

a few questions: 
 
are the takstar pro 80's the same as the gemini hsr 1000? if not what is the difference? 
 
I have been stuck over whether to buy a gemini hsr1000, jvc s500, or a takstar hd5500. Which one is preferable, or is there a better closed can in this price range I am not aware of? 
 
any help would be much appreciated as i'm sick of deciding over which headphone to buy. thanks

 

[Taveren]

  a few questions: 
 
are the takstar pro 80's the same as the gemini hsr 1000? if not what is the difference? 
 
I have been stuck over whether to buy a gemini hsr1000, jvc s500, or a takstar hd5500. Which one is preferable, or is there a better closed can in this price range I am not aware of? 
 
any help would be much appreciated as i'm sick of deciding over which headphone to buy. thanks

 
Yes they are the same, only rebranded.
 
It will have to depend on your preference. what type of music do you prefer to listen to? then check the post above yours for a guide on which is most suitable.
 
cheers 

 

[Fluxeration]

Hi, i recently made a thread and I was recommended the HD5500. Any idea where I can buy them online (not ebay) or in store (Winnipeg)?

 

[peter123]

Hi, i recently made a thread and I was recommended the HD5500. Any idea where I can buy them online (not ebay) or in store (Winnipeg)?

Check out mp4nation I think they've started selling Takstar.

 

[pilvince911]

I've just bought the HD5500 yesterday from mistertao.com :
http://www.mistertao.com/beta/pages/item/35557589222.html
 
If you want it straight and simple here's the cheapest I've found so far :
http://www.lightinthebox.com/takstar-hd5500-ergonomic-stereo-excellent-soundproof-super-bass-3-5mm-monitoring-on-ear-headphone-with-6-3mm-adapter_p853852.html
 
The taobao option will make you save ~20$. Looking forward to try those since they've been praised around here.

 

[marone]

looking forward to read your comparisons with CAL

On first listen, once an honest level matching attempt is performed, the Pro 80 is a better version of the CAL!

Very similar SQ signature, just a little bit more performance in each area that the CAL classic version 1 excels in.

Less of the mid-range, mid-fi, bloom 'cheat' that cheap cans use to 'sound better'.

I used my home rig with multiple ODAC's, SS and valve amplification.

 

[BluePhoenixHD]

Anyone mind giving me their impressions on Comfort with the Gemini? Considering getting it. Plan on using it for long sessions.

 

[airomjosh]

On first listen, once an honest level matching attempt is performed, the Pro 80 is a better version of the CAL!

Very similar SQ signature, just a little bit more performance in each area that the CAL classic version 1 excels in.

Less of the mid-range, mid-fi, bloom 'cheat' that cheap cans use to 'sound better'.

I used my home rig with multiple ODAC's, SS and valve amplification.

Thanks for the reply. 
 
Kinda O.T , you described the Edifier 840 a CAL! clone. Just want to ask if you checked them and if they share the same drivers? Thanks.

 

[marone]

On first listen, once an honest level matching attempt is performed, the Pro 80 is a better version of the CAL!

Very similar SQ signature, just a little bit more performance in each area that the CAL classic version 1 excels in.

Less of the mid-range, mid-fi, bloom 'cheat' that cheap cans use to 'sound better'.

I used my home rig with multiple ODAC's, SS and valve amplification.

Thanks for the reply. 

Kinda O.T , you described the Edifier 840 a CAL! clone. Just want to ask if you checked them and if they share the same drivers? Thanks.

No I haven't. I will put it on my to-do list.

 

[onlynormalone]

a few questions: 

are the takstar pro 80's the same as the gemini hsr 1000? if not what is the difference? 

I have been stuck over whether to buy a gemini hsr1000, jvc s500, or a Takstar's hd5500. Which one is preferable, or is there a better closed can in this price range I am not aware of? 

any help would be much appreciated as i'm sick of deciding over which headphone to buy. thanks

I had the JVC S500 and comfort was a bit of an issue but they were a great portable. Being a bit of a basshead I felt the S500 was a little under my bass expectation though. Replaced them with the 5500 as I gave the S500 to my dad. The 5500 is a comfortable over the ear, that folded, I could change the cable (to a shorter one) when needed and had deep bass. The Pro 80 was a nice can that I tried but the design doesn't fit into my moving about. How will you be using your head phones?

 

[torro32]

Had anyone tried hd2000?

 

[Me x3]

Yes. HD2000 are not on pair with HI2050 or Pro80 in terms of sound quality. Neither in terms of built quality.
Anyway, not terrible headphones, and really cheap. They don't have much bass, sub bass is lacking. They sound pretty clear and detailed but timbres are not really convincing. Their highs and upper mids tend to sound a bit unrealistic and isolation is not good. Confort is good and this are pretty light weight. I think they are still a good pick under 25 dollars. Nowadays my pair is modded (wooden cups and detacheable cables) They look pretty cool, have more bass and still confortable (but heavier for sure). I don't use them. I will probably try some more mods in the future.

 

[bhazard]

Here is my Foobar EQ setting based off the response chart for the HD5500. It tightens up the sound a bit, aiming for more neutral mid/mid highs.
 
Let me know what you think.
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5T6Py-VlhbGOVdlTGNZanN3U0k/edit?usp=sharing