[Markolav]

Does anyone have an idea how these compare to ISK MDH 9000?

 

[OscarPaz]

You are right. Takstar's own measurement of Pro 82 looks different from mine, but they do look a lot like another measurement I made.
Take a look at this (apologize for my graphical skills):

@BenF, what's exactly the difference (in conditions) between this and the other one you provided a few posts ago? Because if there's such a measurement variance in the bass region, perhaps we should blame the EARS equipment... (?). I just can't interpret these different results easily.

Before we move to actual measurements, I'd like to point out that Pro 82 is very sensitive to placement - moving it around can affect bass and high treble greatly

This fact agrees with my personal listening experience as well. Pro 82 are very comfortable and I hit play the second after they are on my head, however they were randomly placed. But I usually keep moving them, up and down, left and right, even very slightly, until I get to that sweet spot in position (and sound). I don't know if that's related to the somewhat elevated highs or to an OCD. The positioning I get to most frequently is with the headband fully closed (or just one in step open but only for one side) and with the earcups slightly rotated outwards, say about 10 degrees.

 

[BenF]

@BenF, what's exactly the difference (in conditions) between this and the other one you provided a few posts ago? Because if there's such a measurement variance in the bass region, perhaps we should blame the EARS equipment... (?). I just can't interpret these different results easily.

There is no variance, the bottom line is my exact measurement of TH900MK2 (each channel separately) that I published before, and the top line is the Takstar's own Pro 82 measurement they published with Pro 82's release:

 

[OscarPaz]

There is no variance, the bottom line is my exact measurement of TH900MK2 (each channel separately) that I published before, and the top line is the Takstar's own Pro 82 measurement they published with Pro 82's release

Ohhh!, sorry I didn't understand it properly because there were no legends/annotations on the graph. I thought that curve was a second measurement of Pro 82 and that you were now comparing against the manufacturer's.

I see the point now, but then how is it that your curve does not resemble the one provided by Takstar...? 1st vs 2nd gen Pro 82 difference? If I recall correctly, that FR graph comes from the manual in the old batch of Pro 82 (white box). Did they also silently update the plot in the new Pro 82 (black box)?

 

[BenF]

Ohhh!, sorry I didn't understand it properly because there were no legends/annotations on the graph. I thought that curve was a second measurement of Pro 82 and that you were now comparing against the manufacturer's.

Hope this image makes it clearer:

I see the point now, but then how is it that your curve does not resemble the one provided by Takstar...? 1st vs 2nd gen Pro 82 difference? If I recall correctly, that FR graph comes from the manual in the old batch of Pro 82 (white box). Did they also silently update the plot in the new Pro 82 (black box)?

Good be a difference between the 2 batches (after all, even Fostex re-tuned TH900MK2!), or maybe both batches are different from the pre-production unit they measured - we'll see soon enough.
Both batches have the same FR as above printed in the manual.

 

[weirdek]

I'll do a quick comparison between the Pro 82 and K712 which have been my main cans for about a month now. They're both running off the FX Audio X6.

Build quality: K712 wins, both are made out of plastic & some metal parts but the AKG's feel sturdier. For the price the Pro 82 has decent build quality.
Comfort: K712 is a bit more comfortable but to be honest both of them are one of the comfiest pairs I've used, not too much of a difference except the pads which are better on the K712.
Sound: Sub-bass isn't hard-hitting on either of them , K712 extends deeper and is more textured/detailed with slightly more thump. Lower mids sound warmer on the K712, vocals are more natural and lush compared to the Pro 82 which sound a bit hollow. Female vocals are probably the only region where the Pro 82s are even close. Highs are much brighter on the K712, everything is airier and more detailed but can get a bit piercing on badly mastered/excessively bright tracks, while the Pro 82 has a noticeable roll-off and sounds tamer. However the Pro 82 has nicely controlled highs considering their price.
Soundstage is miles better on the K712, which is to be expected since they're known for it. Imaging is better on the K712, but the Pro 82 does a good job at separating individual instruments and notes. Overall detail retrieval goes to the K712. The K712 is a really dynamic headphone which goes well with almost any genre and is really hard to find a fault in their sound signature.

So that's a comparison between a 250$ open headphone and a 70$ closed one. In my first impression I stated that the Pro 82 is the best sub 100$ headphone that I've heard and I still think it is. To be honest I prefer the K712 over the HD600/650, DT880, X2 and most of the popular mid-fi cans I've had the chance to listen to so the Pro 82 was fighting a losing battle. However for anyone who wants something portable, extremely comfortable and easy to drive which sounds really good for the price I highly recommend it. I haven't heard the ATH-M40x and SHP9500 which are most likely the real contenders to the Pro 82 so I can't comment on that. They do sound better than the Creative Aurvana Live and M50s to me.

 

[OscarPaz]

Hope this image makes it clearer:

Much better, thanks.

Good be a difference between the 2 batches (after all, even Fostex re-tuned TH900MK2!), or maybe both batches are different from the pre-production unit they measured - we'll see soon enough.
Both batches have the same FR as above printed in the manual.

Waiting for your new measurements... I hope they will sort of match the curve published by Takstar... (?).
If so, then the difference between both batches is huge, at least in the lower frequency range, as pointed out by other contributors to this thread. If not, then Takstar doesn't care at all about giving faithful technical information to the customer, which is a lack of respect to the client.
Or in the worst case scenario, all these measurements from the EARS are useless or they (Takstar) don't know how to measure it properly.

 

[iancraig10]

Takstar didn’t even reply when I contacted them to ask about the code check that I did on mine. Neither confirmed or denied that it was a real one so it seems that they don’t take that seriously either.

I think it’s just an older version though but they could have confirmed.

 

[Miguelbazil]

I didn't get a reply on my side either, unfortunately. But I do agree, probably an older version. Still, I didn't expect much from their side. But as long as they sound the way they do, I'm perfectly happy.

 

[BenF]

I'll do a quick comparison between the Pro 82 and K712 which have been my main cans for about a month now. They're both running off the FX Audio X6.

Build quality: K712 wins, both are made out of plastic & some metal parts but the AKG's feel sturdier. For the price the Pro 82 has decent build quality.
Comfort: K712 is a bit more comfortable but to be honest both of them are one of the comfiest pairs I've used, not too much of a difference except the pads which are better on the K712.
Sound: Sub-bass isn't hard-hitting on either of them , K712 extends deeper and is more textured/detailed with slightly more thump. Lower mids sound warmer on the K712, vocals are more natural and lush compared to the Pro 82 which sound a bit hollow. Female vocals are probably the only region where they sound relatively similar. Highs are much brighter on the K712, everything is airier and more detailed but can get a bit piercing on badly mastered/excessively bright tracks, while the Pro 82 has a noticeable roll-off and sounds tamer. However the Pro 82 has nicely controlled highs considering their price.
Soundstage is miles better on the K712, which is to be expected since they're known for it. Imaging is better on the K712, but the Pro 82 does a good job at separating individual instruments and notes. Overall detail retrieval goes to the K712. The K712 is a really dynamic headphone which goes well with almost any genre and is really hard to find a fault in their sound signature.

So that's a comparison between a 250$ open headphone and a 70$ closed one. In my first impression I stated that the Pro 82 is the best sub 100$ headphone that I've heard and I still think it is. To be honest I prefer the K712 over the HD600/650, DT880, X2 and most of the popular mid-fi cans I've had the chance to listen to so the Pro 82 was fighting a losing battle. However for anyone who wants something portable, extremely comfortable and easy to drive which sounds really good for the price I highly recommend it. I haven't heard the ATH-M40x and SHP9500 which are most likely the real contenders to the Pro 82 so I can't comment on that. They do sound better than the Creative Aurvana Live and M50x's to me.

Excellent comparison, added it to post #2

I bought AKG712 Pro a year and a half ago, didn't open the package yet.
I just can't listen to open headphones most of the time, that's why I use Pro 82 way more often then modded TH900Mk2 or any of my Staxes.
Didn't really need another open headphone, my FOMO kicked in when I read that AKG may cancel 712 Pro.

 

[Ragh74]

I just placed an order for Black pro82. I've been follow this thread since The beginning and decided it is about the time I found out for myself how I like The pro82's.

Could you let me know where u got them?

 

[trellus]

Eh, I'll take my AKG K712 Pro over Takstar Pro 82 any day, unless I absolutely need isolation -- not even close.

 

[iancraig10]

Me too.

 

[weirdek]

Yeah, the K712s are my favorite headphones for a reason They're amazing for music, movies and gaming. I guess it really comes down to your budget and whether or not you need portability. I wouldn't commute with something like the K712s obviously. That's where the Pro 82s come in, they seal nicely and block a lot of background noise and sound really good for the price. Plus they don't even need an amp to sound good, whereas the K712s need an amp to shine.

It isn't really fair to compare them in that way, the K712 are a couple of tiers above them which is reflected in pricing.

 

[BenF]

Yeah, the K712s are my favorite headphones for a reason They're amazing for music, movies and gaming. I guess it really comes down to your budget and whether or not you need portability. I wouldn't commute with something like the K712s obviously. That's where the Pro 82s come in, they seal nicely and block a lot of background noise and sound really good for the price. Plus they don't even need an amp to sound good, whereas the K712s need an amp to shine.

It isn't really fair to compare them in that way, the K712 are a couple of tiers above them which is reflected in pricing.

The only "unfair" part is comparing a portable closed headphone with an open full-size one.
Pricing is often irrelevant - https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...headphone-frequency-response-and-retail-price