Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
NOTE: Below is my original post from 7/28/16 in "The Takstar, Technical Pro, Gemini Greathon, CyberX, Qpad Thread" thread (my apologies to those who expected Takstar impressions but got this instead)
I just tried a KILLER pair of inexpensive Chinese headphones, and honestly don't know where else to put this comment but here. A full review will probably be upcoming (these headphones justify it). The mfr's name is "YENONA," a name I'd never heard before a month ago.
I happened to see a picture of these headphones in Amazon.co.uk and began to read up on them (I was in Canada, and Amazon.co.uk pops up often in searches there). They interested me, so ordered them from ebay. Total cost, including shipping, was $78.58. Here they are, the "Yenona Adapter-Free DJ Headphones":
I thought they'd be garish up close (the cord certainly is), but they actually look understated and, apart from the chrome around the outside of each earcup, rather subtle. The 1st pair had a dead left channel, so after 3 weeks of drudgery (return them/get credit/reorder, this time from Amazon for just $59.99!), the 2nd pair arrived today. I'd never actually heard them, so plugged in one of my aftermarket cords, then plugged them into my Matrix M Stage HPA-1 with some trepidation. Would they work this time? Would they sound halfway-decent?
2 hours later, it was hard taking them off my head. These headphones are shockingly good--and that's with zero warmup, straight out of the box. I was totally unprepared for how good they are:
-- They have a somewhat warm sound, but it's not in-your-face. More of a welcome flavor than an over-powering coloration
-- They have real resolution, far more than I imagined inexpensive closed headphones could have. I was able to listen deeply into familiar recordings, and the details had subtlety & texture (this was the biggest surprise)
-- They also have real soundstaging--admittedly not as much as open headphones, but more than some closed headphones I've heard. There's real depth and space there (another surprise)
-- The bass is excellent, up & down the ladder. I heard "walking bass" played on both acoustic & electric instruments, and it's all there, sounding plump & real. Not sure about sub-bass; I'm not an EDM fan and may not have the right material for that. But every bass-rich reggae & studio pop/rock cut I tried sounds rich & impactful. The lows actually hit with these headphones--it's the opposite of a polite, recessed rendition of bass.
This does not comes at the expense of the mids, not at all. I began my listening with a violin concerto (a perverse impulse--it's the absolute last thing I expected to sound good on these 'phones)--and these 'phones aced it. The string sections (cellos, violas, violins) sounded amazingly good--and that's mostly midrange material. That's when I started really paying attention ("what the...?"). Treble is also very nice, a little bite when it's needed, otherwise a nice soft sheen. Just about perfect.
Almost forgot to mention comfort. The pads are soft & deep. I have a large head and had the earcups extended pretty far, but once I the distance was set, it felt very good. Clamping pressure is moderate. I forgot these headphone were on my head and just listened. I suppose eventually the soft foam of the earpads might become a problem. If so I'll try replacing the pads w/extra thick Brainwavz HM5s. But right now, it's all good.
So I have the Yenona's cooking on my FiiO 10K & will revisit them after ~100 hours. I never know whether a given pair of headphones will benefit from burn-in...some do & some don't. But if there's any upside at all with them, they'll become just about the biggest bargain of my recent audio career. More to follow.
