[peter123]

The AX35 and Somic MH415 have been pretty great pickups. Looking forward to Eric's impressions on the Astrotecs. Solid offerings for the price. 

And ax35 vs b3 pro?

 

[akarise]

  Well for me music surrounds you and immerses you fully, it seemingly can come from every direction depending on how it is recorded
Imaging is very natural and realistic, best way I can describe it. It is very accurate, but not pin-point sharp. Just extremely well done
No issues with upper mids/lower treble for me, I feel like everything is correct on these headphones. Sometimes I could do with more treble/airiness, sometimes I don't want anymore - weird huh
Slays the AD900x, especially in the bass department. But I do really like the AD900x/AD900. It's just a bit thin sounding compared to the fullness of the HE-500

 
Thanks nehcrow! Sounds like my kinda sound, will def jump on either the 560 or 400i. Just wish I knew how the imaging and soundstage compares to that of my Pandora Hope VI though, but so few people own them other than myself =/

 

[bhazard]

And ax35 vs b3 pro?

Needs equal burn in and playback time before I A/B them.

 

[peter123]

Needs equal burn in and playback time before I A/B them.

I understand, if you get the time after a while I'd really appreciate a short comparison.

 

[vlenbo]

A small comparison of the martin logans and the re700s
 
The martin logans do string instruments justice, I can definitely hear the strumming detail a bit better on them, and the clarity that comes from the strings of the guitar are phenomenal. I hear them in person, as if the player was there in front of me, but the re700s do it good as well, since it has a thicker, warmer sound to the strings. I'd like to say that the tonal balance on both are on par. The guitars are lifelike, just trying to impress all the listeners out there.
 
I'd give them this amount of clarity
 
Instrument clarity + Detail
 
Martin logans >> re700s
 
The re700s do fall behind, but not to the point where you'd agonize of the quality differences. Well you might, since the instruments sound cleaner and thinner on the martins, which helps you hear the strumming better on the logans.
 
However, there is one thing I was biased and people here MAY HAVE, been biased on.
 
Vocals.
 
Sure, they don't compromise on detail while being musical, but I am sorry to say that these are headphones that are less musical than the re700s.
 
Once you hear the re700s, you will KNOW the amount of musicality these re700s contain.
 
The vocals are more airy on the re700s, more open, more emotional than the martins. The martins make the vocals sound...a bit repressed in a sense, but still does a great job at capturing the emotion, but the re700s are two steps ahead. It does depend on the recording, but dang...the re700s do have a difference here...
 
Vocal quality
 
Re700s>>Martin logans
 
Bass quantity wise, the re700s wins against logans, but also have that tight bass like the logans.
 
Re700s>=Logans
 
The instrument quality goes to Logans, and accuracy goes to logans as well. The treble also goes a bit to logans as cymbals also have a bit more detail than the re700s. At least by .5 to 1 db.
 
[based on seven days]
 
Cymbals sound somewhat thin on the logans, and the re700s sound warmer and a bit thicker, lusher. However, the logans do beat the re700s in clarity and detaill on the cymbals by a small step. You hear a TSK on the logans, you hear a TTSHK on the re700s. It's not that big of a difference though, I can't explain it well just yet.
 
Cymbals, treble
Logans>=Re700s
 
 
 
 
Test song, my favorite ones of all.
 
    Ichiban_no_takaramono
 
Piano sounds better on the re700s than the martins as it has a bit more thickness to it, I definitely hear a small difference here. The martins don't lack behind though, they do well here. The bass sound intoxicating on the re700s, the martins do it well, but not to the amount of power as the re700s. I'm not saying bass cannon levels, but I do hear it more prominent than the martins. By 2 decibels.
 
I heard a different recording that had ONLY acoustics.
 

 
it's this one.
 
Don't get me wrong though, the martins do vocals justice depending the recording, like the first one for instance. It touched my heart hearing the best female sing to her hearts desire. The re700s opened it up a bit more and made it even better for me, making me a very happy guy. 
 
Both headphones can compete, I'm amazed, simply amazed. 
 
The martins do leave the re700s in the dust at the string department though.

 

[DannyBai]

   
Thanks for your impressions! So how is imaging? Is the soundstage very 3D, as in good width/depth/height, or are the instruments and vocals just spread out around you evenly? Do you have issues with the upper mids and lower treble that I've heard others complain about? And how do they compare to the AD900X (or AD2000X if you've heard it)? Sorry for the barrage of questions lol.

 
 

  Emotiva, Danny. Emotiva
I'm sure you can swing it instead of a new IEM purchase
The sound coming out of my HE-500 is outstanding! Virtually perfect

 
 

  Well for me music surrounds you and immerses you fully, it seemingly can come from every direction depending on how it is recorded
Imaging is very natural and realistic, best way I can describe it. It is very accurate, but not pin-point sharp. Just extremely well done
No issues with upper mids/lower treble for me, I feel like everything is correct on these headphones. Sometimes I could do with more treble/airiness, sometimes I don't want anymore - weird huh
Slays the AD900x, especially in the bass department. But I do really like the AD900x/AD900. It's just a bit thin sounding compared to the fullness of the HE-500

 
Definitely agree with nehcrow so thank you for the impressions.  I have zero issues with upper mids/lower treble also.  I wouldn't want anymore treble but possibly more airiness without increasing that treble.  The AD900X sounds more airy to me but also very thin compared and overall is slayed by the HE500's and even the HE400's are an upgrade IMO.
 
I've checked Emotiva's before but not thoroughly.  Which one would I shoot for?  I have the Yulong D100 MKII and Hifi-M8 so considering those, would the Emotiva's be an upgrade?  I'm also very interested in the Audio GD's, mostly the Compass 2.  Thanks nehcrow.

 

[bhazard]

   
 
 
 
 
Definitely agree with nehcrow so thank you for the impressions.  I have zero issues with upper mids/lower treble also.  I wouldn't want anymore treble but possibly more airiness without increasing that treble.  The AD900X sounds more airy to me but also very thin compared and overall is slayed by the HE500's and even the HE400's are an upgrade IMO.
 
I've checked Emotiva's before but not thoroughly.  Which one would I shoot for?  I have the Yulong D100 MKII and Hifi-M8 so considering those, would the Emotiva's be an upgrade?  I'm also very interested in the Audio GD's, mostly the Compass 2.  Thanks nehcrow.

I had the audio-gd NFB 11.32 and the Emotiva Mini-X. The Mini-X wins by a long shot, even over the Yulong, for $169. Pairs perfectly with the HE-500.
 
It's huge though.

 

[DannyBai]

  I had the audio-gd NFB 11.32 and the Emotiva Mini-X. The Mini-X wins by a long shot, even over the Yulong, for $169. Pairs perfectly with the HE-500.
 
It's huge though

 Awesome.  Thanks for the info.  I'll be checking into the Emotiva's and ask you guys when I find something.

 

[Grayson73]

 
I just received my Xiaomi Pistons from Inshoes and they sound terrible.  They also match some of the pictures of the fakes (page 1378).  Hopefully I can get a full refund.

Interesting.  Mine matched the pictures of the real ones on page 1378 and sound terrible.  I'll know for sure when the ones I ordered from ibuygou arrive.

 

[Grayson73]

  Ebay is anti-counterfeit. Mention it is a counterfeit, and you wont need to return it.

I mentioned that it was counterfeit and they want me to send it back to the seller for refund.

 

[doctorjazz]

While I believe I was the first to mention the MLs on the Discovery thread, I've never said they are the second coming... I like them a lot, but, vlenbo said in his quick impression, I found them to have great bass quality, but less than I'd like in quantity. I even did a review of 4 on ear phones, ML, Sennheiser Amperiors, Bayer 1350, Yamaha HPH - 200, (about 1-2 months ago, probably 1000 pages back, can link to it when I get home if anyone would like). I rated the Amperiors first, had the Yamaha and ML 2 nd, 1350 last, the issue being bass. I still feel this is some kind of fit issue, as happens work iems, and I keep trying to get them optimized for bass. There are some times they're amazing... Other times I keep fidgeting with them, getting to get the magic back

 

[Vain III]

Finally moved the BBs to my burn-in station. I actually forgot I had them on my head and hadn't moved them over. First 20 hours is going to be blasting Mid & Sub bass heavy music (Dubstep, Electro, Rap) to try and tighten up that mid-bass flab and, hopefully, open the sub-bass up even more. Next 20 hours will be a combination of violin concertos, electric guitar/violin covers, and opera to really add some depth to those highs and then 10 hours of random vocalist music with a combination of female and male vocals. Occasional listens now and then.

 

[Dsnuts]

While I was browsing the sale forums I see one of these for sale. The AKG K545 The black ones are what I got..Basically these are an upgrade to the Onkyo ES-HF300 in sound..Both have a somewhat U shape sound with lovely bass but the AKG wins out in sheer space..These cans for being portable closed cans have some of the best stage I have heard..It is shockingly out of the cups. I just did an AB to confirm what I initially thought..Both have a really tight clean sound but the stage on these cans just wins out right over the Onkyos.
 
These things sell for $200 on razerdog..Already garnering a fan base for these..If you guys want a solid can for around $200..I wouldn't hesitate to try one..I was somewhat worried about these cans as I read they are like the K550s with bass but to my ears anyway they are easy to drive. Easy on the eyes. Solid detail and resolution..excellent imagery..Comfort with good build..Techincal yet musical. The sub bass is strong with this one with enough mid bass to have that impact you want out of your EDM yet detailed enough to enjoy a jazz quartet in full swing.. Extremely versatile tuning for guys that enjoy more than a few genres of music..I have them on now as I am listening to my DX50..A great portable can from AKG..

 

[bhazard]

  I mentioned that it was counterfeit and they want me to send it back to the seller for refund.

Write back to ebay in the case, and show the post showing the difference between real and fake, and take a pic of yours.
 
From ebay:
 
Counterfeit items
If a buyer suspects that an item is counterfeit and there are strong indicators that the item is counterfeit, the buyer isn't required to return the item to the seller. The buyer agrees to cooperate with us to ensure the proper disposal of the item. In these cases, we refund the buyer for the full cost of the item and original shipping, and the seller reimburses us for the refund. The buyer may not sell the item on eBay or elsewhere.

 

[Vain III]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

While I was browsing the sale forums I see one of these for sale. The AKG K545 The black ones are what I got..Basically these are an upgrade to the Onkyo ES-HF300 in sound..Both have a somewhat U shape sound with lovely bass but the AKG wins out in sheer space..These cans for being portable closed cans have some of the best stage I have heard..It is shockingly out of the cups. I just did an AB to confirm what I initially thought..Both have a really tight clean sound but the stage on these cans just wins out right over the Onkyos.

These things sell for $200 on razerdog..Already garnering a fan base for these..If you guys want a solid can for around $200..I wouldn't hesitate to try one..I was somewhat worried about these cans as I read they are like the K550s with bass but to my ears anyway they are easy to drive. Easy on the eyes. Solid detail and resolution..excellent imagery..Comfort with good build..Techincal yet musical. The sub bass is strong with this one with enough mid bass to have that impact you want out of your EDM yet detailed enough to enjoy a jazz quartet in full swing.. Extremely versatile tuning for guys that enjoy more than a few genres of music..I have them on now as I am listening to my DX50..A great portable can from AKG..

The white K545 looks so spiffy. One of my trade-skills is design (both graphic and industrial) so I do value looks in a headphone, not to the extent of sound, and I can say that those are some damn good looking headphones.

Is that frame plastic, metal, or metal wrapped in plastic?