Pianist
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2007
- Posts
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- 113
I just received these cans today. Bought them from a fellow head-fi'er for only $30 US shipped in the for sale/trade section of the forum. I was very surprised that nobody bought them before me. I guess most members here are not aware how great these are.
I owned German Maestro GMP 8.35 D which uses similar (or maybe even the same) drivers and really liked the sound, but those cost me over $200 US. I had to sell them within a few months to fund the purchase of another can since even though the sound was awesome, the coiled cable was very heavy and cumbersome and the headphones kept on sliding off my head. I read about the QP805 HS and knew that it uses a straight cable, which was exactly what I needed. Alas, the QP805 is out of production and is very hard to find nowadays. Thus, when I saw the FS add on the forum a couple of weeks ago for the QP805 HS selling for a ridiculously low price of only 30 bucks, there was no way I could pass on the deal.
The regular straight cable on these cans use is much lighter and a real pleasure to deal with compared with the one on GMP 8.35 D. It's much more suitable for moving around and thus for portable use. The plug is 1/4 inch though, which is the only complaint I have. When I received them I was expecting the sound to be about the same as GMP 8.35 D, but these actually sound even better to my ears!
Amazing. They also look almost brand new and the seller included also included two sets of earpads in perfect condition, which I think are Beyer pads.
They change the sound signature quite significantly. The thicker pads make the sound similar to that of GMP 8.35 D - warm, rich and enveloping with nice punchy bass. The thinner pads on the other hand, create a thinner, sharper and more analytical sound with better sense of speed, clarity and more treble energy. The treble is smooth and never harsh or sibilant when it is not supposed to be, but it is very revealing. Midrange are very natural - vocals sound spot on with these and crystal clear. Lows are tight, fast, punchy on demand and very, very detailed, arguably more so than on GMP 8.35 D, which are among the most detialed headphones I've heard in the low end.
At 100 Ohms these definitely need an amp. I am currently running them straight out of my Audigy 2 ZS and the bass sound a little mushy. I will pull out my MiniBox E+ and AMP3 tomorrow and will give these a more serious listen. First impressions are very, very positive though. I think I prefer these over sure SRH840 and the GMP 8.35 D with the stock pads even unamped. More impressions coming soon.
Note: The closest headphone to these that is currently in production is the 300 Ohm GMP 8.300 D, which can be bought on amazon for $229 + shipping if I am not mistaken. I am pretty sure that they share the same driver.
The regular straight cable on these cans use is much lighter and a real pleasure to deal with compared with the one on GMP 8.35 D. It's much more suitable for moving around and thus for portable use. The plug is 1/4 inch though, which is the only complaint I have. When I received them I was expecting the sound to be about the same as GMP 8.35 D, but these actually sound even better to my ears!
At 100 Ohms these definitely need an amp. I am currently running them straight out of my Audigy 2 ZS and the bass sound a little mushy. I will pull out my MiniBox E+ and AMP3 tomorrow and will give these a more serious listen. First impressions are very, very positive though. I think I prefer these over sure SRH840 and the GMP 8.35 D with the stock pads even unamped. More impressions coming soon.
Note: The closest headphone to these that is currently in production is the 300 Ohm GMP 8.300 D, which can be bought on amazon for $229 + shipping if I am not mistaken. I am pretty sure that they share the same driver.
