NEW! Pioneer SE-MJ751 Bass Head headphones unboxing & impressions (updated) - Page 4

Betcha couldn't wait to open it up right?  With all that built-in anticipation and concern over the blind purchase... totally understandable.  BTW, if you have reason to believe that your cable is defective (the static), I'd contact Pioneer support right away.  They may be able to send you a replacement quickly and easily.  Okay non-SQ thoughts first:

I totally want to be helpful you know that, but I ain't gonna be doing any drop tests on this thing.  =D  I can easily see how the SE-MJ751s could be tight for a lot of people, but it's all a matter of trade-offs I think.  Because the headband is snug and has pretty tight tolerances at the joints (particularly for a plastic unit), there are a host of benefits as well:  less slippage (particularly during motion and activity), less creaking (almost no creaking on mine even after two months of use),  and an overall more solid feel (which tend to make me worry less about them vs. cheaper built units).  I would imagine that, like you said, doing the bookshelf speaker thing more or less tames the headband.  I can tell you one thing, they're gonna fall off your daughter's head a lot less than other units.  And unlike some of the lower end units, there is actually a bit of headband padding.  As for the pleather thing, not much we can do about that.  At least it won't soak up sweat and develop a unique scent over time.  I think HiFiGuy tried switching some pads on it, but it thinned out the sound profile too much.  But as you've found out, the pleather does help a LOT in terms of isolation.  Overall, I am generally very appreciative of the higher quality plastic and build quality that Pioneer put into these cans.

Oh, you've definitely been bitten by the bug my friend.  It all makes sense as hearing is one of only five senses that we have.  We don't go around looking for crap glasses, bad-tasting food, scratchy clothing, or obnoxious odors right?  So why would we want to hear craptastic sound?  I'm continually surprised by people that spend hundreds on an iPod, and then live with the $2 buds that it comes with.  I usually just attribute that to low IQ.

LOL!  All this talk of Classical and Oldies and the first track is "Smack That Ass"???  I take it you were really curious about the bass dial.  Speaking of which, what is the "default" position out of the box?  It's been so long that I've forgotten.  I usually set it to the bail joint - which is about 60% - and then tune up/down from there.  I'll take your word for it on the A-T models, as I have very little experience with A-T models in general.  However, I am a pretty big fan of AKG's house sound.  So far I only have the K240S and K422 (both of which are open cans btw - which is why I did not suggest them to you) but I plan on adding a couple more AKG models to my toolbox soon.  In comparison, the 751's mids are clearly not as forward as most AKGs.  Some burn-in and general acclimation will help a lot, but they'll never be AKGs.  Curiously though, I do have several other Pioneer models that are much more mid-centric (SE-MJ591 & SE-A1000).  I like them both for different reasons, but the one drawback of both is that they have less bass extention than I would like - a little less junk in the trunk for fun listening sessions.  If I had to choose between keeping my SE-MJ751 vs my SE-MJ591, I'd take the 751 hands down.  The main reason for this is because - through EQing - I can bring out mids in the 751 far more easily than I can bring out deep lows in the 591.  Was the K450 part of your original short list btw?  I think we both agree that the 751 is far and away superior to the 721 you were orginally considering though.

Quick question for HiFiGuy, have you heard the WS55 or ES55?  If so, is there a pair that I have (that you know of) that would be a close approximation of either?  

I'm pretty happy with the dual-driver configuration they put out.  I have some other multi-driver stereo cans:  (a) dual 26mm drivers; and (b) 2 x 15mm drivers + 40mm driver.  The SE-MJ751 is clear and away the most balanced and versatile of the three.  Regarding the size of the drivers, I don't think that'd a factor at all.  Without doing into a discussion about power, frequencies, diaphragm movement, etc. I'll just point out that when you look at speakers you can see an obvious correlation between diameter and frequency output.  So nope, don't think larger mid-range drivers is a factor at all.  It just comes down to the way Pioneer tuned these.  If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can open up the 751 and mess with the crossover that must surely lie within.  Definitely do not think you'll need to amp it, though an EQ app for your phone (or messing with your DAP's EQ) might help.

P.S. - Don't worry about the whole "audiophile" thing.  I don't know of a single knowledgeable person here that throws around that label - or any kind of "status" for that matter.  Even post count is not a good indicator of expertise.  The basic underlying connection here is that we all just love music in our own way, and anyone's impressions are just as valid as anyone else's.  By sharing our experience, we all gain.  That's one of the things that makes Head-Fi great!

 

Neither did I, which is particularly disconcerting as I have the Steez version. 

hey, sorry, its too late to give a really good in depth response right now. However, I did want to say that I must of misread or misremembered something. I could have sworn that somewhere on a usa site it said that it came with a case. If not, then I guess that apple in-line mic makes all the difference? Plus a few coins for the Steez. I also thought they folded flat :) That is certainly not the case.

 

As to the comfort, still having pain on the right ear. Left is fantastic, could wear it all day, but my right gets real hurt for some reason. As long as they work for many years, use them when necessary in the future after upgrading, etc, then that is fine. If they only last 1 year, then totally not worth it.

 

As to the k450. It was not on my short list because I did not know about it. I certainly do now, and would love to own them. However, I am glad I did not know about them, as I would have probably pushed myself to buy it from an unknown seller on amazon japan to get close to my budget, and that would almost certainly mean fakes, even if fullfilled by Amazon.

 

Also, played around with the equalizer on my Dynabook-it has a pretty awesome sound system for a laptop-dolby digital surround, realtek, etc. At least to my minimum knowledge it is quite good. I found that when putting the EQ in Jazz mode, Nora Jones basically sounded the same that I remember her sounding on the AKGs, however, it is hard to say based on that memory

 

At the moment I dont have most of my oldies with me, or classical music. I have listened to some, but not enough to really say, and I wanted to play around with the EQ more on it anyway. Most of my on ear time has actually been watching river monsters late at night, lol (I usually only get 4 hours of sleep on work nights, so I am trying to get back into exhaustion mode before going home :) ) Been quite nice. The voice could be a little more predominant, but only when it is filming his audio on site. When his voice is dubbed in it sounds great and is plenty forward, so it may have to do with the limitations of the microphone they are able to get into location, and I just never noticed before-or the EQ on my tv is already compensating for that, just as treble mode does on my laptop. Either way, the action sequences sound freaking awesome. These are awesome cans for movies-imo, as I can adjust the bass level quickly depending on the type of show/movie or  even scene.

Whoa, didn't even know there was a reply.  I didn't get the subscription notification for some reason.  Hehe, yeah I didn't think there was a case.  You had me going there.  TBH, I think a sack that doubled as a microfiber cloth would be a great idea because this glorious shinyness is a freakin' fingerprint magnet.

 

As for the pain in your right ear, does it help if you put them on asymmetrically?  You know, shorter headband extension on the right, longer on the left?  That might reduce the pressure on the right by a little bit.  Does is only happen when you're also wearing glasses, or does it happen all the time.  Would you be opposed to different pads if it changed the sound quality/profile?  Not trying to get all up in your personal business.  Its just that it would suck if you had to live with this years on end.  I say years on end because the build in pretty solid.  I don't foresee them falling apart anytime soon.

 

I'm actually quite a fan of AKG's sound (at least from the two that I have).  Not exactly neutral or balanced, but very fun and rather exciting to listen to.  Hopefully, you'll be adding some to your collection soon enough.  Though if you've got the MJ751 EQ'd to sound similar, there's little rush.

Hmm, how permanent of dye? Definitely don't want black ears after a hot day - makes you look like the butt of a practical joke. If you did do it though, I would suggest something other than black. My 721 is black with black pads, doesn't look as slick as you might think. I'll post some pics when I get home.

EDIT: Gonna have to do it tomorrow. Pulled an all-nighter can got home a little late from work today so I'm totally beat. Was gonna try to do a mesh between the 751's band and the 721's pads.
Edited by warrenpchi - 7/12/12 at 10:25pm

Okay, so it doesn't look that bad... Excuse the crap camera and fingerprints, but it's a 751 with 721 pads photoshopped in.

 

 

You really don't like the white?  I kinda dig it.  Personally I'd go with Ferrari Yellow if I were to make a change, but that's just how I roll. 

 

LOL, yeah I think it will.  Even though pleathers have their pigments mixed in during fabrication, many high-grade pleathers are dye-friendly to a certain extent.  I would definitely do that deglazing step first though, as I think it would definitely help with dye adhesion (as opposed to penetration for genuine leather).  Also, going from white-to-yellow is easier than going from white-to-blank.  I know, you want black, I'm just sayin'...

 

BTW, Bryndana makes a product called Colorbond that you might want to take a look at.  You get a lot more color choices with them, and they stuff is made for pleather, vinyl, etc.

Yeah, leather dye is a bit like wood stain in that respect, need to account for the translucency factor.  Though I suppose that - like stain - you could do many, many coats to get the desired color.  Maybe the Colorbond would work better?

dang I had no idea you guys were still posting. Personally I hate the white, but whatever....not going to touch it myself.

the reason I posted today....I dropped them full head height, smack dab flat on the concrete, well drivers a split second early, then flat. You can barely see a few small white circles and a smudge of slight discoloration. They work fine, held up extremely, particularly foe being so solid.

 

Of course, can't let a thread die for no good reason!  Honestly though, basshead cans are popular these days, and I find these to be a worthy offering (definitely superior to Beats and XB??? from my experience).  So, the occasional bump for this thread is a good thing IMO.

 

 

Lol, so how do you wear the cans if your ears don't touch the pads?  I kind of like the white because its different.  It does require more cleaning though.  It's gross-looking when white things become less white because the first thing people think is "WTF is that crap that's making that white not white anymore?"

 

 

Oh em gee   It's a good thing you got these.  I'm not sure the A-Ts would have held up so well.  I know almost all mfgs do 1 metre drop tests, but I'm guessing you're significantly taller than that.

 

BTW, how's the right ear?

anybody see phelps sol republics? Which came first, the pioneer or the republics....forget about the dre. These babies were def copied from sol republic, haha...though sol did it better.