[doctorjazz]

  Ending this year i too found my hallmark in sound the MX10s have proven to be above and beyound what i wanted in a headphone and i still want more. I have my eyes set on a set of Koss ESP-950 or some JVC VICTOR DX1000 or DX700s for next year!

Have you used/heard these Koss phones? Being planar, have me curious, how'd you describe them?

 

[DannyBai]

That was awesome doctorjazz, a very good read and impressions.  

 

[donedj]

i have the shure 1440s and they are the best sounding headphone I have ever heard - except sennheiser hd800.

 

[Libertad]

  Have you used/heard these Koss phones? Being planar, have me curious, how'd you describe them?

I have not heard a pair myself but from documented accounts of those on headfi who do have them they are described as being hyper detailed with a very realistic timbre and very musical. Not by technicality the most capable headphone ever but it compares nicely to the likes of the stax O2 HD800 DX1000 HE-400 and LCDs. Plus that lifetime warranty is something that im very attracted to

 

[doctorjazz]

OK, I can't stand these 6 hour silences, just posting to break it. If you go to the Deals Discussion thread, someone posted a link to a Craigs List ad for used ESP-950s in the $300-350 range, looked tempting.

 

[doctorjazz]

Of course, may no longer have the lifetime warranty used.

 

[neuromancer]

Comparison of Sennheiser Amperior, Beyerdynamic DT-1350, Martin Logan Micros 90. And Yamaha HPH-200 (or, how I spent my winter vacation)

                When I decided to do this, I had no idea what I was biting off. I had gotten the Yamaha, and was interested in how it compared to other on-ear purchases I had made recently (a thank you for depleting the bank account to the Deals Thread, now the Deals Discussion thread, and, as Wayne pointed out, soon to be the Discussions of the Deals Discussion Thread), so, I got my legal pad ready and started to take notes when I had a few spare minutes (I wound up just shy of War and Peace). I came to this expecting to be the spoiler…the HPH-200 was garnering universal ecstatic laudits, people were sacrificing their first born to get a pair, so, seeing how they were open (and I generally am in the minority who prefers closed), I thought I’d put my contrary $0.02 in. Didn't quite turn out that way, though. Listening was mostly through a Fiio X3, Cardas line-out cable, ALO National.
Tracks used:
Action Hero-Fountains of Wayne
Amelita-Court Yard Hounds
If It Takes All Night-Valley Lodge
Two Different Things-Caitlyn Cary and Thad Cockrell
B. B.'S Blues-Branford Marsalis
Put Me On Top-Aimee Mann
Waltz for Debby-Bill Evans
(a short listen to Wishin’ and Hopin’-Dusty Springfield; Doom-Ben Goldberg)
                OK, instead of going through my 8 pages of notes, let me say: I can (and am) live with any of these on ear phones. They all do well by the music, though the presentations are different.
                Sennheiser Amperior-I think this one edges out the others. It does great in the soundstage department, good, solid bass (slightly soft in comparison to the Miknos 90, but more in quantity). The high end is revealing, air between instruments is quite amazing, and the “jump” or “bop” factor (the thing that has me gyrating around the house, to the embarrassment of my family) is fabulous. Detail is really good, instrument timbre and presence are outstanding.
                Martin Logan Mikros 90-Another great set of phones. Stage wide, though not as wide as the others to my ears (though sometimes I’d not be listening for it, and be amazed at how good it got the sound of the venue). The darkest spaces between instruments, great tonal color, slightly less bass than the others in amount, but makes up for this with the most real bass, sharp edges, real defined notes in the bass, not a feel of a general note as many do. Highs, mid detail the best,of the group, really get a natural/real sound of the instruments, vocals, and space. Loses out slightly to the Senn in “jump/bop”, but barely. Also very finicky about how you wear it-like an iem, have to place it exactly right to get bass and full spectrum of music. The dedicated Head-Fi  thread has some folks describing their rituals for getting it placed properly. I’d say this is the one that gives the best feel of the original venue/recording, accurate and fun, nice combo.
                Yamaha HPH-200-As I mentioned, I’m generally not such a fan of open headphones. I think they often blanch out tone color in exchange for the wide soundstage they can produce. And, in fact, I do think the Yamahas lose a tiny bit in detail to the other three, and the space between instruments is not quite as distinct. I feel a slight overall darkness in the presentation. It does perform well in all the frequencies, though, good detailed treble, rich meds, bass present and impactful (though slightly loose, the other 3 detail better). Bass just jumps, though: the presentation rocks! It does do the wide soundstage thing great, and it was often hard to take it off and go to the next headphone, it’s really involving, with gobs of “Jump/bop” factor. Wishin’ and Hopin’ really grabbed my heart on these. When you got that, who gives a hoot about dark space between instruments! (until I go back to the Senns, which have space, detail, and “jump/bop” factor like mad!)
                Beryedynamic DT-1350-Wide soundstage, similar to Senns, details well but seems more clinical than the others. I hear a slight coloration in the sound, details abound but don’t come together as on the others, sometimes I felt the mids were slightly recessed. I’d say these headphones are more about the brain and less about the heart/booty.
                In terms of fit/construction…The Senns have a nice feel to them, plastic headband that feels solid, plush earpads, not too tight/good comfort. The Beyers  are similarly constructed, have a bit more clamping force, but as the headband is metal, I’d expect it can be stretched to the users comfort. The ML’s as I’ve said are unusual beasts, they have a thick, leather covered headband, have to be worn slightly in FRONT of the ear to get the best sound, and movements can throw them off and change the sound. Still, when all is aligned well, the moon and stars are just right, these sound incredible.
                The Yamahas just don’t feel as well constructed as the others, very plasticky. They have less clamping force, though, so I can see many will find them most comfortable. They have round velour pads, larger than the others, almost large enough to be over rather than on ears. On my ears, this felt odd on my lobes, and made it less comfortable than it would seem they should be (this is definitely a function of my small head and ear shape, and I’m sure works fine for many)  
                I guess I’m supposed to rate these in preference order now. OK, biting the bullet, really do like them all, but I’d have to drop the Beyers behind the others. I’d put the Senns slightly ahead of the pack, but the Yamaha and the ML are nipping at its heels.
               
















(not the same Aimee Mann song, couldn't find that one, had to post something by her...)

Great comparison! I also have the excellent Anperiors and consider them to punch far above their current available price. Can't recall if you have the KEF M500 but if you do, how would you rate the Amperiors against them?

 

[doctorjazz]

I don't have them, have their iem cousin, m200, which I really like.

 

[neuromancer]

I don't have them, have their iem cousin, m200, which I really like.

Just ordered those myself! Just wondering if the m500 are worth it if I already have the Amps. The m200 sure seen to be well received. Thanks again!

 

[hapasam]

I ended up ordering the limited edition champagne FXT90 because I got them for ultra cheap (40$! in mint condition). If they don't please me i'll try out the gratitudes. I really couldn't pass out an opportunity to get 130$ IEMs for such a cheap price. 
 

 
 
Also I wanted to know if any of you guys tried the new CKS77X... especially since the CKS77 were loved by many. Are they just the CKS77 with a different cooler color scheme or do they actually have new drivers or something?
 
According to the AT website the CKS77X and CKS77 have the same size 12.5mm drivers, and the same frequency range. However they have an impedance that differs a little... could that signify that the interior design is any different? 
 
PS: Any eartips in particular that are great with the FXT90? Perhaps double or triple flanges for more isolation?

 

[ericp10]

I'm not interested, but Buydig.com has the W3 for $179 off if you use this code: 

MUSIC2MYEARS .  ​

 
I think that will bring the price to $170. Happy listening.

 

[Dsnuts]

CKS77X is very similar in sound to the CKS77. More forward mid range with similar bass and stage vs the CKS77. There are new iems that have passed those up in sonic ability for the same amount in price. If you are looking for big bass with good stage and detail I would go Audio Zero Basso iems instead.

 

[d marc0]

+1 on the Zero Audio Carbo Basso DX210. I still think they are very competitive bass IEMs for the price!

 

[hapasam]

  +1 on the Zero Audio Carbo Basso DX210. I still think they are very competitive bass IEMs for the price!

 
If I hadn't spent all my money on other stuff recently, i would have probably went for the new Carbo Doppio or Carbo Singolo which started selling november 30th. There are no reviews for them out yet, but hearing about how good the carbo tenore and carbo basso are, I think these should be very promising. 
I noticed none of you guys were talking about it on this thread since a couple months ago when they were announced so here's the recap.
The carbo singolo(BX510) have single balanced armature drivers and an aluminum body and a real carbon fiber coating and a 22 ohm impedance. they cost 9800 Yen (about 100 us dollars) on amazon Japan. The previous BX500 released in 2010 were great IEMs so there is reason to get excited about these. 
 

 
 
Now the carbo doppio (BX700)have dual balanced armature drivers and a similar aluminum + carbon fiber structure and an impedance of 12 ohms. they cost 16180 Yen (160 us dollars) on amazon Japan. 
 
 
Honestly they might be a piece of poo because god knows if Toshiba can make decent headphones, but these seem interesting as well. The toshiba RZE-S70 cost 7600 Yen (74 us dollars) and are also dual driver headphones with one 5.8mm driver and another big 13.6mm driver. For the low price considering their complex design, these could prove to be great. Also, while it might not prove anything the one review on kakaku.com is 5 stars. I would definitely try these out if I was in Japan.

 
 
 
Also, not really related to audio, but have you guys heard of the new dell 28 inch 4k monitor will cost UNDER 1000$!!!! Holy balls. 4k is finally becoming something I can own folks! Did I mention it covers 99% of adobe rgb? Holy crap i think i'm gonna pass out. 

 

[H20Fidelity]

With all the conversation of Yamaha's HPH-200 in this thread (considering how happy I was with it's performance personally) I've continued some research deciding to try Yamaha's flagship Studio Montior HPH-MT220. Like HPH-200 there isn't a terrible amount of information on them within our threads here, however those who have taken the plunge (again much like HPH-200) have all been greatly happy. This isn't really a budget headphone though running about $250 USD on amazon. Luckily I scooped one on eBay auction brand new for $120 AUD. Even though I own some expensive hybrid IEM's I still adore my Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitor and constantly looking for that upgrade. 

I'll let you guys know if they're indeed any good.

Here's the only real meat on them we have here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/658673/yamaha-hph-mt220-any-reviews