M&O MOOH-BE00BT

Disclaimer: This is a review unit from Tom Wang from M&O Electronics, thank you.

This review is over the Beryllium Acoustic Bluetooth Headphone from M&O, also known as the M&O MOOH-BE00BT. This is my first review of a headphone with wireless capabilities, so this review will have a wireless/portability section added to it that I don't normally do.
These headphones have actually quite surprised me, they sound better than their price suggests and their extra fuctionality as a bluetooth headphone makes it even more impressive considering the price of these headphones which is $130. Actually they sound great, much better than I actually expected. First things first, let's go over the accessories, build, portability, and comfort of the headphone. These are similar to the RBH HP-2, but have been told they use a newer version of the beryllium-coated driver and some dampening changes, so technically these actually seem to be the better headphones. I haven't heard the RBH HP-2 so I can't comment on how they sound in direct comparison other than other peoples impressions are that they are very similar with the M&O being a bit smoother and more even.

*Note: Most of my impressions are based on the bluetooth via iPhone 7, I used wired very little on the headphone.



Accessories:
The M&O Berylllium Acoustic headphone comes with a hard shell carrying case to hold and contain the headphone and the cables. The headphone comes with an USB charging cable for the built in battery and a 3.5 to 3.5 cable for wired listening on the M&O headphone. The headphone cable isn't anything special as the focus of this headphone appears to be wireless listening. Upgrade cables are very easy to find as it's a very common type of cable and the connector is flush on the left earcup meaning any 3.5mm to 3.5mm can be used on this headphone.



Build/Comfort:
The build of this headphone is pretty good overall, the hinges and adjustment mechanisms are flush and move smoothly with no looseness, when it's adjusted it stays in place. There is some minor creaking with the headphone at times. The plastics used on the earcups do feel a bit on the cheaper side. The headband actually feels quite nice and the padding and padding material is nice. The earcups are soft and plush and seem of pretty good quality, the interior foam could be a bit denser but I have no comfort issues with the pads. The earcups do lay flat, but I do find you can only turn the cups only so much the other direction. The earcups have a metal finish with three little vents on the buttom of the metal plate on the earcups which works as a bass port, covering some or all of these will affect the sound. The wired connection is on the left earcup of the headphone, while the charging port and bluetooth buttons is on the right earcup. The earpads are easy to remove, though putting them back on can be a little bit of a challenge as you have to slowly feed the lip of the earpad into the groove. All in all build quality is on the good side and the headphone is well put together.

Comfort wise, I find the clamp slight on the strong side, not as strong as say the HD 6xx family and the pads are soft and plush and fairly deep with a nicely padded headband. The pads may be a little shallow as some people I know with ears that stick out a lot had minor gripes about, but the earpads are replaceable, so pad rolling may be in order for people with bigger ears. Overall I found the headphone very comfortable and easily wearable for hours, they don't seem to create any hot spots, there is a little bit of stuffiness but that's the norm for closed-backs with pleather earpads.



Portability/Wireless:
This headphone is not active noise-cancelling, any noise cancelling is passive from the headphone from being closed. These are the first wireless headphone I've ever had in my possession, so I can't comment on how the wireless connectivity compares to others in the market. The headphone uses a Qualcomm CSR8645 chipset and supports Bluetooth 4.0 and aptX. Sadly was only able to test out Bluetooth as none of my devices supported aptX as I am an Apple iPhone 7 user. Batter life is rated at 32 hours and my own testing has shown this figure to be accurate, I usually got a week without having to charge the headphone again as I use both wireless and wired. I have used the wireless functionality on this headphone more than wired. The headphone can be used both wired or wireless when it is being charged and the headphone can be used wired without any charge. When the headphone is charging a red indicater light comes on and it charges via a USB to USB Micro port in the right ear-cup. To turn on the wireless on the headphone, you press and hold the Play/Pause button on the right earcup until a blue light comes on and it will beep. To connect to the device you go to bluetooth settings on the device your using and look for MOOH-BE00BT and connect to that and the headphone will make an indication noise it's connect. The other two buttons on the right earcup are for volume control. Isolation of these headphones is about average for a closed-headphone.

The built in microphone for making calls, I found wasn't very good quality on my iphone, I don't know if it's because of bluetooth and lack of aptX or not. I found the range to be pretty good and I didn't have many problems with drop outs on my iPhone 7 when walking around while listening to the headphone. Portability gets an overall high rating for me. Sound quality on bluetooth is actually excellent, it has a lot of depth and sound very pleasing, I was satisfied with what I heard even with my rather picky ears. Compared to wired, there is a little bit of compression, but nothing bothersome in my ears.



Sound Quality:
Now to the section most people will be curious about, how do these headphones sound. To put simply very good with a warm tilt and a low-end emphasis compared to most headphones. The headphone manages to have very impressive bass without it bleeding into the mids and without any muffling to the sound, the sound is always clear and defined and the midrange is present. Overall the sound is well-balanced with a slight U-shape curve.



Soundstage, Imaging, and Detail:

The soundstage on the M&O is on the intimate side, largely due to the closed-back nature of the headphone, everything within the stage is well placed and clearly defined. The imaging is where I find is one of the aspects where this headphone shines, the image is very defined and there is a lack of a blur around the image, this renders the vocals and instruments to have a very pleasing depth to them that most headphones seem to struggle with, wasn't expecting such good imaging in this price range. The headphone also has a very black background and this makes the image pop out more and helps the depth of sound more. It's not going to have the same sense of scale as say an open-headphone but I don't find this headphone lacking in this area at all, it sounds natural here and doesn't give much of a closed-back effect soundwise, there is a slight closed-back effect but it's mild, it's better than the Sony MDR-1A and both Meze 99 headphones in terms of imaging. Since this headphone had proper depth to the sound, it took me a little longer than normal to analyze it.

In terms of detail, this headphone punches above it's weight, it has plenty of detail and it articulates both macro and micro dynamics with ease, it easily holds up to more expensive headphones in this aspect.

I have not tested the headphone on higher end gear much, I am unsure of how well this headphone scales up. But on portable devices and on wireless it sounds fantastic.

Speed, Dynamics, and Tonality:

This headphone is actually fast even compared to many headphones upwards to $300-500 range, I can't really get this headphone muddled or confused, this tells me this headphone is on the fast side with a very good transient response. The decay of this headphone is on the quick side. The entire sound range has excellent dynamics and plenty of body, this is not a thin sounding headphone by any stretch of the imagination, it's very much on the full-bodied side, especially due to that deep reaching and powerful bass response. Tonally, these headphones sound natural and don't sound artificial at all. There isn't really any notable tonal offness/off-pitchness going on as say in the Sony MDR-1A a headphone I also own. The tonality is more akin to what I'm used to in Beyerdynamics and nicer Sennheisers, which means it's very good. The sound on the M&O is also very addicting and has this subtle sweetness to the sound I find quite addicting. This is a very easy headphone for me to like. I'm a very tonally and musicality oriented person audio wise, outside of fatigue that's what I focus on the most at first. This headphone is neither dry or what I consider wet/fluid, it sits in-between.

Bass:

Now let's talk about the bass on this headphone. No need to hide this, this headphone packs a punch. The bass slam on this headphone is incredible and it does have a bit of a bass emphasis, the interesting thing is it doesn't really bleed into the mids at all, this isn't a mushy bloomy bass, this is a tight, clean, and impactful bass. This headphone definitely satisfies my inner bass-head. I started this hobby as a bit of a bass-head, some of that still remains. EDM listeners will love this headphone. Some people may find the bass a bit too much though.

Midrange:

Now let's talk about the midrange, how does it fare? The midrange is actually quite good, it has good dynamics and is present enough where I don't feel anything is missing or recessed, more akin to the subtle u-shaped curve you find in many Beyerdynamics where everything is clearly audible but it takes a slight step back. The mids are pretty much where they need to be. Vocals come off as clean and clear to my ears and are pleasantly full and present. The headphone is a bit sweet and musical sounding in the vocals and mids to my ears.

Treble:

This is where most headphones struggle in my experience, especially at lower price ranges. Does this headphone manage to do treble well? Yes I would say it does, it's clean and non-fatiguing and isn't what I would call too bright. There does seem to be a slight edge and brightness in the treble but nothing that is bothersome to me personally. The treble is clear, articulate, and seems to extend quite well, I don't find myself wanting for more or less treble and the treble has good dynamics to it. This is the first headphone I've heard below the $200 mark other than the HD 6XX that I found the treble or upper mids wasn't an issue in regards to fatigue.

Summary:

Overall I rate these headphones very highly, I don't give 5 star reviews lightly, but this headphone gets one from me due to it's excellent sound, good comfort, and value plus the added benefit of wireless functionality with excellent battery life. To my ears this is the best sounding closed-back that can be had for under $200 and honestly competes with more expensive headphones. Tuning wise this headphone will be better suited for people who like a punchy and strong bass and lively dynamics. Regardless of the tuning the actual quality of sound is excellent, I see a lot of pad rolling potential with these. In conclusion, I highly recommend these headphones on their sound quality alone, the wireless is just the icing on the cake. If your looking for a good portable and wireless headphone under $200, I'd say look no further.

Disclaimer: This is a review of a review unit of the Meze 99 Neo's.

Meze 99 Neo Review

The Meze 99 Neo is quite and attractive looking headphone that actually sounds quite nice as well. It's an excellent choice for a portable headphone and is best suited for electronic, energetic, and modern music genres as it has a slightly v-shaped sound in my honest opinion. I had two other headphones to compare the Neo's with, but not going to directly compare them much sound wise as the other two are open-backs and much more expensive than the Neo's but I will draw some comparisons between them. About my sound preferences, I personally lean towards more neutral headphones or slightly warm headphones overall as I have a very eclectic taste in music and like my headphones to play well with most any genre.

The specs of the headphones:
26 Ohm impedance
Sensitivity of 103dB at 1kHz, 1mw
Rated input power of 30mw
Max input power at 50mw
Weight without cable is 260g

Comfort & Build
The Meze 99 Neo is quite a comfortable headphone to my head, the headband mechanism is an auto-adjustable system similar to what is found on AKG headphones and headphones such as the Audioquest Nighthawk/Nightowl. The earpads have been notably changed from the original earpads found in the early Meze 99 Classics, earpads which I found too small and uncomfortable, the larger earpads are definitely a good design change on the Meze teams part even if it does change the sound signature a bit. I can wear the new earpads for hours without much discomfort, though some readjusting at times is needed for me so the Neo's get an B+ rating from me on comfort.

Build quality is something where the Neo's really shine in just like in the Classics, the heavily modular design, large amounts of metal, robust ABS plastic earcups, and a design that feels like it was made with longevity and durability in mind gives this headphone high marks for me. The cable also feels nice and I didn't really have any complaints with it on my usage of the headphone. This headphones gets an A+ in build for me at it's price range. The feel of quality of the build is closer to my Amiron Home and below the DT 1990 Pro. Next I am going to talk about the sound of the headphone. The ABS plastic earcups while not as pretty as the wooden ones on the Classics to my ears I feel they are more durable and make it honestly a more robust portable option overall than the Classics.

Sound:
Arguably the most important part of any headphone. So how do the Meze 99 Neo's sound? Quite frankly, they sound very good, they are a slightly more colored and slightly more bassy and sparkly sounding version of the Meze 99 classics which is more smooth sounding. Fidelity between the 99 Neo and 99 Classic's is the same, they seem to use the same transducer so it's more housing differences between the two.

Soundstage & Imaging:
The Meze 99 Neo's soundstage and imaging is honestly quite good, just like with the classics may be the best headphones in their category I have heard in terms of how spacious the soundstage is and how natural the imaging comes across. The 99 Neo's do have a mild chamber effect to their soundstage where you notice it at times but it's not really an notable issue for most tracks. Not sure how much is the new pads and how much is the different housing material compared to the 99 Classics. I'll give the soundstage an imaging a B+ rating overall.

Midrange & Vocals:
The midrange and vocals of the Meze 99 Neo's are overall quite good. There is a bit of a recession in the upper midrange which does take away from the presence of the vocals a bit and part of why I say the headphone is a little v-shaped sounding. The vocals sound natural but do take a bit of a step-back. The midrange overall is quite smooth and without any major issues. I'll give the midrange and vocals a B on the Neo's as I would personally prefer a bit more presence in the vocals and more balance compared to the highs and bass.

Treble:
The treble on the Neo's is quite non-fatiguing, non overly-sibilant, and overall quite pleasant to listen to, but it does have some extra sparkle to it which I feel does detract from it overall at times, but like any headphone with a slightly v-shaped sound this does lend itself well to to certain tracks and genres. The Classics with the original pads didn't have this extra treble energy and were smoother overall. Treble gets a B overall.

Bass:
The bass on the Neo's is quite prominent and strong with good impact, I would say it's a little too accentuated overall. This makes the bass very nice for EDM and some contemporary music but can be a bit of a problem with some other tracks as it can come off as a bit too much and maybe a tad bloated at times. Overall the bass also gets a B rating from me as I personally despite some excess as I found the bass of pretty good quality overall and quite fun with bassier genres.

Conclusion:
The Meze 99 Neo is a solid headphone in my books, while I personally would prefer to own the Classics for their more natural and smooth sound and honestly I'm a bit of a sucker for wood, I would be perfectly content with the 99 Neo's as a portable option and I would be less afraid of damaging them as I would be worrying about nicking the wood of the 99 Classics as I can be a little rough on portable headphones. The Neo's are incredibly easy to drive and can be driven with ease and authority out of most portable devices. If one listens to a lot of contemporary music and wants a nice robust portable closed-back the Neo's are on the top of my suggestions. The Classic's are for those who want a more natural and analog experience. The "Neo" name is quite fitting for these headphones. I do recommend these headphones and a must listen to those looking for a very efficient circumaural closed-back. A nice benefit to both the Neo's and Classics is there is no extra cost in buying an amplifier, etc. Whether one likes the Neo's or Classic's sound more simply comes down to preference.

Beyerdynamic DT 480 - 25 ohm(with some mods)

 
This is a review of the Beyerdynamic DT 480, I believe the only other headphone that shares a driver with the DT 48, the original dynamic headphone. A headphone famed for it's transients, lack of grain, and detail but also quite mixed among people. I bought the DT 480 because I wanted a piece of headphone history, a headphone using a similar driver to the original dynamic driver and didn't want to deal with the horrible clamp and comfort of the DT 48. When first putting this headphone on in stock form, it has some atrocious resonance and glare and frequency response issues(almost no bass) but you also notice the headphone is grain-free, insanely dynamic, super fast, oddly good vocals despite it issues, and has some very impressive imaging. Let's just say it was very obvious there was some serious untapped potential. So I started modding and am still in the process of modding and fine-tuning the headphone but the results have been nothing short of shocking and I finally got them to the point where they sound good, really good. The goal of modding with these headphones is to get a good seal with the pads, preferably deep pads, get some internal dampening, and some dampening inside the pads while not covering the driver openings much. They are very easy to mod to sound good so it's a truly good headphone for those willing to mod and takes much less effort to make sound truly excellent than the Fostex T50RP and is much more efficient. These roughly 40 year old headphones deserve some love, hopefully more people will pick these up in time and work on modding them because unlike the DT 48 these can be easily modded and probably represent the best value in the headphone world. Note these are heavy, around 500g, so those who can't handle heavy headphones may have issues with these and these are fully-sealed headphones.
 
All I really did mod wise is add some foam inside the earcups. Stacked pads(stock on top of brainwavz) and taped them together and to the frame for seal reasons. Added some rolled tissue paper under both pads on each side. And some cotton inside the earcup with a hole in a middle to allow the driver opening to be unobstructed. 
 
Note: My mods are ugly(yes that's tape, it's for improving the seal, will tidy it up in time as it's a work in progress and a lot of experimenting is going on), it's currently only for sound and comfort reasons, in time I will fine tune it to make it more presentable though the headphone isn't pretty to begin with. Got a new phone, so should be a huge upgrade photo wise from previous reviews.
 


 

 

 
 
 
 
 
I'm going to put it out right now, these compare favorably to the Nighthawks, DT 1990, Elear, Amiron Home, T1.2, etc. In fact I actually rate them above those headphones. So what makes these headphones so good sound wise? I'll explain in review. I'm using the headphone on the Project Sunrise 3.1(Electro-Harmonix 12BH7 Cryo-treated) and a Sony UDA-1(DAC). 
 

Sound

This review is of a modded DT 480 and are not representative of a stock DT 480 in terms of bass presence, FR smoothness, etc. I'm going to focus on the inherent strengths of the headphone first, these only improve and/or become easier to notice with modding. My impressions of the bass, midrange, and treble of my pair will follow afterwards. These sound so good, the whole open vs closed thing doesn't really even matter.
 
Transparency: These headphones are simply the most transparent headphones I've owned, nothing even come close. In terms of transparency alone these are on another level compared to the Focal Elear, T1.2, DT 1990, Amiron, Nighthawk, HD 650, etc. These headphones have virtually no grain, in fact going to any of those headphones from these will make any of those sound a bit grainy. Vocals have absolutely no hint of harshness to them. You completely forget you're wearing headphones with these despite them being the most closed headphone I've owned. Coupled with a completely black background the sounds come essentially from nothing, no subtle hash, fuzz, or anything.
 
Dynamics & Body: These headphones have insane dynamics and body even in the virtually bass-less stock form. The sound especially the mids and vocals have a texture and body nothing I've owned has achieved, you literally feel the presence and shape of the sound, with a good seal that applies to the bass as well. It's scary how tactile these headphones can sound, especially at louder volumes. 
 
Imaging & Soundstage: The imaging on these headphones is truly excellent, in the leagues of say the T1.2 and Elear in terms of precision possibly better but it has a body, size, and robustness to the image the T1 and Elear just don't have. It's more akin to the DT 1990's imaging but it takes it even further with even more body. Soundstage is on the intimate side with tremendous depth. 
 
Speed & Transients: Amazing, it's essentially impossible to get these headphones to sound muddled or confused regardless of the complexity of the track. The DT 480 inherits the transient response from it's older cousin the DT 48.
 
Bass: When modded it has excellent impact, tactility, and control and extends easily in the sub-bass but I do find it does roll-off a bit in the sub-bass overall. Has a lot of physical presence and doesn't have the slightly bloated feel many modern headphones can have to the bass. 
 
Midrange: The midrange on this headphone is very raw and lively, a little on the aggressive side but also completely void of grain so I get absolutely no fatigue. Vocals have excellent presence and a very organic and analog nature to them, most headphones sound a bit gritty in the mids compared to these. 
 
Treble: Treble is actually very well extended and articulate, it extends just as well as my Amiron Home and DT 1990 but is cleaner and even smoother. This is one of the only headphones I've come across with truly grain-free treble.
 
Drawbacks to these headphones: These headphones still do carry a slight resonance and glare to them even after all my dampening, it's really bad in the stock form, but with them currently it's not an issue and doesn't really detract from the listening experience. Some people may also find this headphone a bit too raw sounding for their liking. This may be an inherent drawback with it's metal drivers, these headphones do use pure aluminum transducers and it's magnet and driver system is unique(only shared with the DT 48). When this headphone is overdriven the does distort in an odd fashion but that's above suggested listening levels or when underpowered. But positively I can't see you destroying these drivers, they are insanely robust and sturdy, they can take abuse I don't think any modern headphone can handle. Wouldn't be surprised if these are still working in another 100 years. 
 
Conclusion: These headphones are truly world-class and for the price I paid for them, $100 plus roughly $20 for the extra pads and miscellanous household goods for modding, these headphones may be the absolute best deal in the headphone world if one is willing to spend time with them, they are the single best investment I have made headphone wise. One thing these headphones have taught me, is that transducers haven't really improved all that much in modern headphones, in fact these have better drivers than most flagships. It's really just modern headphones are better realized and implemented. 

Meze 99 Classics Review
 
The Meze 99 Classics was sent to me as part of the review tour. Impressions of the headphone are based on a week of use. They are a headphone I've been curious about trying and seeing how they sound, the Meze 99 Classics sounded better than I ever expected. I tried the Meze on a variety of gear from my Sony UDA-1, Project Sunrise III(Toshiba D-getter 12AU7 tubes), Hifiman EF2A(6A5K GE tubes), Creative E5, and straight out of the iPad. The headphones I owned at the time of having the Meze 99's in house were the Audioquest Nighthawks, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Limited Edition, and the Sennheiser HD 650. I'm not really going to directly compare this headphone to them but rather just use them as a baseline in describing the Meze 99 Classics sound. The more in-depth aspects of the sound I may not fully describe properly as it has been a bit of time since I listened to them. Note: Sorry about lack of pictures and mediocre picture quality in this review, forget to back up all of my pictures. 
 

 
Build:
 
The build quality of the Meze 99 Classics is excellent, didn't see any plastic parts on the actual headphone itself, just metal, wood, and what I think is some sort of faux leather. The headband is self-adjusting like that found in AKGs and headphones like the Audioquest Nighthawk. There is no designation of right or left on the headphone so it all depends on what end of the cable is plugged into each earcup. The earcups are solid walnut, making it one of the better valued wooden headphones out there. I honestly wish there were more wooden headphones out there. The build has a nice feel and feels sturdy. Overall I would rate the build and quality of build very highly, somewhere between the HD 650 and the Audioquest Nighthawks(these being sturdier and more substantial feeling in the hands).
 
Comfort:
 
This is honestly where I find this headphone falls short for many people. Comfort was one problem I had with this headphone, the earcups were simply too small for my ears and thus rested on the outer part of my ears which caused discomfort after about 30 minutes, I also have a larger head than many people which made this a bit worse for me personally. Though changing the earcups will likely also affect the sound signature in a way that may hurt it's excellent tuning. People with smaller heads and ears shouldn't have problems with the comfort. I have found after spending a few days with them I got used to their comfort though.
 
Drivability:
 
These headphones are extremely easy to drive, in fact the easiest to drive of any headphone I've tested, in fact they sound really good directly out of my iPad Air 2, so much so I don't really feel the need for dedicated amplification for the Meze 99 Classics. 
 
Sound Quality:
 
This is the main focus of the review. Do they sound good? Yes, they sound very good and well worth their asking price. Of all my headphones, they sound the most like the Sennheiser HD 650, actually oddly similar in their tuning but also a bit different. They are full-bodied and warm sounding overall with nice punchy dynamics and good imaging. They are also very musical and euphoric making music listening a joy. The headphone is very well balanced and quite well extended in both the bass and the treble. Nothing really comes off as offensive or bothers me about it's sound.
 
Treble:
 
The treble on the Meze 99 Classics is neither too dark or too bright, they balance the treble out just right. The treble is articulate and quite refined. What struck out to me is the utter lack of excessive sibilance in the headphone, having heard headphones with similar levels of brightness I was expected to be hit by some mild sibilance around the level found on the HD 600. In fact they are one of the least sibilant headphones I've ever heard. Reminded me some of vintage headphones in this aspect, but without sounding old like a vintage headphone.
 
Midrange:
 
The midrange is very smooth and has excellent timbre and tone, simply the best midrange I've heard on a portable headphone. The midrange had a strangely addicting tone to it I really enjoyed and honestly miss. Vocals are smooth with good body and focus. A minor quibble I have found is that on some systems the upper midrange can have a slight nasally tone, but this is system dependent and likely fit dependent as well. There is no sense of hollowness in the sound of this headphone.
 
Bass:
 
The bass on the Meze 99 Classics is well extended and is quite punchy, doesn't quite have the extension of some headphones, but I can hear plenty low and the sub-bass can hit when called for. Seems to have a bit of a mid-bass emphasis, but not too much. The bass is one of the ways I find it the most different than the HD 650, it's more intimate and not as big sounding. And has a different tone to it, hard for me to describe, but I enjoyed it's bass presentation.
 
Soundstage/Imaging:
 
The soundstaging and imaging is very good on the Meze 99 classics, while the soundstage is on the smaller side, it's fully articulate and has good focus, things never sound cluttered on the soundstage despite it's intimate presentation. You will hear most everything on these you hear on the HD 650 for example just in a smaller and more close-up manner. 
 
Final Thoughts:
 
The Meze 99 Classics are simply one of the best portable headphones I've ever heard and are an excellent value for their sound, build quality, and looks. I am a sucker for wooden headphones and am heavily considering getting myself a pair in the future. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for an excellent closed-back portable headphone that is very easy to drive to the point where extra amps, etc. are not really needed with these. This makes them a tremendous value due to how easy they are to drive and their sound quality directly from portable devices, making them the most viable portable headphone I've used as everything else I tried required an external amp to show what they are capable of even if the headphone is supposed to be easy to drive. I was genuinely impressed with these headphones, I was expecting just a mediocre headphone but when I plugged them in and played music, a smile came across my face.

Overview:
 
The Sennheiser HD 650 is a headphone I've owned more than once and always seem to go back to and a headphone I'm very familiar with and have tried on countless different systems from low-end to summit-fi. In terms of systems I've owned, I mainly used them on mid-fi gear. This is a headphone I have owned 3 times now, because I always found something I liked about it, but there are a few issues that ultimately have caused me to let this headphone go in the past, and the only reason I currently own them is due to getting them from a friend. This review is quite positive overall, but I honestly find them a bit exaggerated in how good they are and I don't really find them to scale up as much as many claim. Basically I don't quite find these to be the giant killers they are often touted to be. 
 
Other headphones I currently own:
AKG K7XX
Audioquest Nighthawks
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Limited Edition
 
Gear I'm currently using on the HD 650's:
Project Sunrise III
Sony UDA-1(Amp/USB DAC/Optical DAC).
 

 
 
Gear I used to own and used extensively on the HD 650's:
Schiit Lyr 2
HRT Music Streamer HD
 

 
Build and Comfort:
 
This headphone is quite well put together, I would say it's about average for it's price range, but it is very modular which makes it very easy to fix and replace parts with. Comfort is good, but can be a mixed bag for some people. People with large ears that protrude may have issues with their ear-cups and their clamp may be a bit too much for those with large heads but it lessens with use.
 
Sound:
 
The main focal point of the review, it's going to be broken up in various sections. 
 
Tuning: The tuning of the HD 650's is one of it's strongest points in terms of it's sound quality and honestly the reason the headphone is so beloved by so many people. The tuning of the HD 650 is among the best among open headphones and it's very even and smooth, I find it has slightly too much presence in the upper mids on most systems to my ears and it doesn't have enough sub-bass. Other than those two small complaints it does amazing on the tuning. It has a euphoric and addicting tuning to it. I did find the bass to be a bit lacking in terms of definition and overall quality.
 
Imaging: This is where I start feeling a bit mixed on this headphone, it's just average in it's price range and I think some of it's competition do imaging much better overall, especially planars. The imaging has a slight smear and fuzziness to it overall which I finds ultimately prevents the sounds from having as good definition of instruments as it could, it does have an edge on imaging over the HD 600 though.
 
Soundstaging: This headphones has a moderately-large sized soundstage with quite good depth, decent width, and no issues with the center imaging. Notably bigger than the HD 600's soundstage but a smaller than the Nighthawks and K712s. I find the size around that of the DT 150, DT 990 LE, or K612. The soundstage isn't the most dimensional sounding, better than some headphones such as the K7XX which honestly lacks a bit of dimension and body to the sound. It doesn't give the really 3D holographic effect in it's soundstage like the DT 150 or Nighthawks did.
 
Detail: The detail on this headphone is just alright, like it's imaging it's just average. I find it somewhat lacking in detail compared to a lot of it's competition, especially planars.
 
Transparency: This is another aspect of where this headphone shines, you often just forget you are listening to headphones with these. I rank these as the 2nd best headphone I've owned in terms of transparency which is saying a lot. I rank them slightly above the DT 150 in this aspect as the DT 150's slightly uneven response can distract you from time to time. I rank them below the Nighthawks as I found I don't forget them quite as often as the Nighthawks as I find the HD 650's harsher and more brittle in the treble, nor have I ever gotten the same level of realism from the HD 650 as the Nighthawks.
 
Clarity: These headphones have quite good clarity, I would rank them above the AKG K712 and AKG K7XX in this aspect as the AKGs have a veil in the 2-3khz region of their sound. Compared to the DT 150 and the Nighthawks the HD 650's lack clarity and the HD 650's are somewhat smeared and fuzzy in comparison. I wouldn't call these headphones veiled or non-transparent though. The HD 650 sounds a bit fuzzy and gritty to my ears which I found takes away from a truly black background.
 
Dynamics & Body: Dynamics and body I have found quite key in terms of achieve ultimate realism, especially with explosive and/or deep sounds such as drums, thunder, deep subtle rumbling, etc. Their somewhat rolled-off sub-bass does take a bit away from a more solid foundation of sound. I have found dynamics nad body to be heavily dependent on the system, I found the Lyr 2 with the HRT MS HD to of brought out a lot of dynamics and body on the HD 650. Dynamics and body are quite good on the HD 650's, about what I would expect from a good mid-tier headphone. It's not really going to create the sense of awe and power from it's dynamics like a very dynamic headphone such as the Nighthawks. Bass excursion is quite good, doesn't seem to audibly distort or break up easily and can crank out quite a bit of bass on certain systems.
 
Overall, I find the HD 650 an excellent headphone, it's the overall package that makes it a great mid-tier headphone to purchase and honestly would be one of my first recommendations to people. I don't consider this headphone a flagship by any stretch, but it really comes down to what people want out of their headphones. I think it has it's flaws mainly in it's imaging department, a bit of a lack of a bass foundation as well as some lack of quality in bass, some lack of clarity, and mediocre detail reproduction. I don't honestly think these are worth the MSRP as they are getting stiffer competition as time goes one, but if you get a good deal on these I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. 

Creative Sound Blaster E5 Review 
 
Disclaimer: This is a review unit I received from Creative Technology Ltd.
 
The Creative E5 is a portable DAC/AMP with tons of connectivity. I mainly used the device as a portable device with my iPad Air 2 connected via bluetooth, connected to my Lenovo Y50 laptop via USB or Bluetooth, or to my desktop connected via optical being used as a DAC for the Schiit Lyr 2. The device was mainly used with the Audioquest Nighthawk, but I also used the Beyerdynamic DT 150 and AKG K712 Pro extensively on the unit.
 
Features and Connectivity
 
This device has a crazy amount of features and connectivity, making it the most versatile portable audio device I've come across. It can be used as an USB DAC/AMP on a wide variety of devices from computers, phones, tablets, etc. It can connect to pretty much any device that has bluetooth. It can be used purely as a portable amp or a portable DAC. It can be used as an optical amp/dac, etc. The Creative Sound Blaster Control Panel has a lot of features such as EQ, various sound processing effects such as virtual surround, bass boost, crossover, crystallizer, etc. I mainly ended up using the virtual surround for gaming and the EQ for certain headphones. The mic sounds quite good in my testing and the various processing effects that change your voice have been quite fun to experiment with. The ability to connect two headphones at once has proved useful for comparisons of headphones. This is an excellent all-in-one device based on connectivity alone, so how does it sound? 
 


 
 
 
Sound
 
In the review I will drawing comparisons of the E5's DAC with the HRT Music Streamer HD and comparisons of the amp compared to the FiiO E11 and the Schiit Lyr 2. I'm not really comparing them, but rather using them as references for drawing impressions and conclusions about the E5's sound. I will also be commenting on bluetooth performance as a AMP/DAC combo. Crisp, clean, snappy, and impactful is a good way to describe the devices overall sound.
 
Desktop DAC(optical/USB): Note with optical there is no use of the Sound Blaster Control Panel. The Optical and USB setting sounds quite similar to each other but optical sounds cleaner and smoother. I found the USB to sound a bit fuller and warmer but also a bit rougher in the treble. Though with the Schiit Wyrd and Audioquest Jitterbug USB may actually sound better. Compared to the more expensive HRT MS HD I find the two devices to sound a bit different as DACs. The E5 has a snappier and somewhat leaner presentation while the MS HD has a more tubey/thick sound and has more solidity to the sound, though the E5 becomes a bit more like the HRT HD sonically via USB. The imaging of the E5's DAC is good and I find it quite 3-dimensional but doesn't quite have the sense of scale and size of the HRT HD. I would say the Music Streamer HD is the better and more refined DAC overall but not necessarily worth near double the price. Connected to my iPad Air 2 through USB it doesn't seem to have the same amount of fullness and dynamics compared to my desktop computer likely due to USB power differences.
 

 
 
 
 
Amp: The amp has a lot of power for a portable amp, reminds me of the FiiO E12 in terms of power but doesn't have that slight abrasiveness the E12(and E11) has in the upper midrange. The amp on the E5 sounds notably better than that on the FiiO E11. The E11 sounds mushy, soft, lacking dynamics, and lacking accurate imaging in comparison to the Creative E5. I find the amp to sound quite linear and neutral, it has good imaging and a good amount of heft and impact, especially for a portable amp. The amp compared to my desktop amp the Lyr 2 the E5 shows a bit of a lack of soundscape and image size as well as fullness and solidity to the sound.
 
Bluetooth: I mainly used the bluetooth function with my iPad Air 2. The bluetooth sounds better than I thought it would. It takes on a slightly warmer, softer, and less defined sound than when connected via USB or optical. I got a whole lot more use out of the bluetooth than expected as it sounded better than I expected. I haven't really compared different bluetooth devices before but I am quite impressed by my experience with the E5.
 
Conclusion
 
The E5 is an extremely versatile device and can be used in numerous different applications. For $200 I find it sounds great and should satisfy most people looking for an all-in-one portable audiophile package. For gaming audiophiles, college students, audiophiles on the go, and audiophiles on a budget I would recommend this device without hesitation. I found while this device doesn't sound quite as good as my desktop setup it's convenience, good sound, and versatility took a lot of time from my main desktop setup. I used it heavily on my iPad Air 2 and my Lenovo Y50 gaming laptop on the go, being a college student I actually found this device much more useful than I even expected it to be. For the price I think people will be hard pressed to find something better sound quality wise let alone with even near the same amount of features.

AKG K712 Pro Review
 
This is a review I have put off for a long time, I've owned the AKG K712 Pro for about a year now and have tried it on numerous systems. The source is a variety of uncompressed music files on the computer playing through Foobar2000. I'll try to keep this review short and simple, may try to update it later. To put it simply, the K712 is my favorite headphone I currently own, edging out the HD 650, HD 600, and DT 150.
 
The system consists of:
 
Schiit Lyr 2(high gain) w/ '89 Amperex Fat Bottle(Voskhod Rocket) silver shield tubes
HRT Music Streamer HD set at highest bitrate and lowest latency
Schiit Wyrd
Furman M-8X2 Power Conditioner
Ela Audio solid silver RCA to RCA Interconnects
Venus Audio Canare AKG cable
Ice Age Audio 10 AWG Cyro treated Power Cable(for amplifier)
Pangea Audio Silver-plated Copper USB cables
 
 
Build Quality and Comfort:
The build quality of the K712 is very good despite it's light weight. It's made of high quality plastics, feels solid in the hands, and seems to be a headphone that will age well, only concern is the elastic bands losing their elasticity over time. The K712 has a matte finish and feels quite nice to the touch. Comfort is excellent. The pads are plenty deep and the memory foam is very comfortable. I never had comfort issues with these headphones. The clamping is just right and doesn't seem to change much with use like it does with the HD 600/650 which I found to lose their clamp by a fair margin. 
 
Amping: 
This headphone is a pain to amp properly, it's just so picky due to it's revealing nature and the interesting presentation of dynamics that is typical of modern AKG headphones. This headphone has caused me a lot of frustration to amp properly but I finally got it right. These headphones need a lot of power to truly shine, we're talking orhto levels of current and a good deal of voltage swing, they become a completely different animal with a lot of power behind them.
 
Sound Quality:
 
This headphone can be a mixed bag sonically until you get them happy, they aren't as hard to get to sound right as some of the previous incarnations of the K7 family, but like all headphones in the K7 family they are very picky and honestly benefit from a good system. In my experience every little thing matters for the end result. This review is based on the system I currently use, results will vary depending on the system.
 
Bass: The bass on the K712 is nothing short of amazing to me, it's deep, well extended, has excellent slam, and has excellent excursion factor competing with the DT 150 in this regard. It's a very tight and quite fast bass, never ever seems to sound slow or confused in anyway. The bass has a lot of weight to it.
 
Midrange: You would think this headphone would be slightly recessed in the midrange based on the graphs but that is not the case at all, it's just as present as the mids on the HD 600/650 and very comparable, there are shocking similarities in the tuning and timbre of the mids between the K712 and the Senns leading to an absolutely gorgeous and beautiful sounding midrange that portrays vocals in a beautiful and pleasant manner. The mids are very clean and clear and full, they never ever sound hollow or recessed in anyway. 
 
Treble: The treble on these headphones is very revealing, it has more energy than those of the Senns but this creates a pleasant contrast to the Senns as the treble has wonderful dynamics and honestly sounds more natural in this region. Treble can be harsh and sibilant on certain systems, but on the right system they are very smooth and clean and not harsh in anyway, even smoother than that of the HD 650 surprisingly. The headphone has a small bit of air to it's sound, which is nice coming from the HD 600/650 and DT 150. 
 
Imaging/Soundstage: The imaging on these headphones is simply fantastic, very precise and gives an excellent sense of 3D realism. The soundstage is large and quite wide but also its circular and has plenty of depth and is quite tall. It isn't like the ovalish shaped soundstage found on the Q701. All imaging and soundstage complaints I had with previous K7 series have been fixed with the K712. This is the soundstage and imaging champ of all my headphones.
 
Transparency: This is a very transparent headphones, it's incredibly revealing of the system. And the headphones simply disappear from the head when listening to them.
 
Clarity/Detail: The clarity and detail of this headphone is simply exceptional. It's somewhat more detailed and resolving than the HD 600/650. The DT 150 is closer in terms of detail retrieval to the K712, haven't been able to figure out with is more detailed of the two. Though I would say the clarity of the DT 150 is a little better than the K712.
 
Dynamics: This is one of the standout features of the K712 and honestly a trait I have found with most AKGs, it's honestly why I became a fan of the AKG sound and it's also what makes AKGs so frustrating for me. The dynamics on the K712 are simply incredible, the headphone has an interesting ability to portray the dynamic information of the source in a way and magnitude that the HD 600/650 and DT 150 simply don't. This leads to quite drastic differences from different recordings. Some recordings sound extremely dynamic and others sound flat and lifeless. This can be heard on other mid-tier dynamics, but not to the same degree as the K712. It's as if the dynamic range is a bit compressed on the HD 600/650 and a lesser degree the DT 150 in comparison. 
 
Conclusion:
 
The AKG K712 is an excellent headphone and easily competes with other mid-tier dynamics in its price range. It's comfortable and lightweight. I haven't compared it much to planars as I don't own any other than an unmodded T50RP. If your willing to spend time with the headphone and come to appreciate it's sound and live with it's pickiness then the headphone is well worth the time and investment. But it may not be for everyone. The headphone is on the warm and lush side and may not please everyone. It's basically an evolution of previous K7 series and has many sonic traits of the HD 600/650 with an AKG flare to it and is an excellent competitor to the HD 600/650. I personally think it's a bit better than the classic Senns, but that ultimately comes down to preference and the system. 

The Beyerdynamic DT 150 is one of those headphones that for some reason is overlooked and ignored despite being one of the best mid-tier headphones one can buy regardless of open or closed. It's likely a couple factors relating to their very utilitarian appearance and the fact they aren't as easy to find find as Beyers other offerings. It's a shame these don't get much attention because these are in my honest opinion Beyerdynamic's best offering in the mid-tier range and may be Beyers very best closed-back overall. I'm going to explore in the review why the headphones are so great and why they can be compared to well-regarded mid-tier open-backs and be comparable or even surpass some of the mid-tier titans. I'm going to state it now, I think these are better headphones than the HD 600, DT 880, and Q701 in terms of audio quality. The only headphones I like as much or possibly more that I have tried extensively in the mid-tier section is the K712 and Annies. This review is over a variety of genres from folk, electronic, classical, rock, etc.
 
In the review, I'm using the Beyerdynamic DT 150 on a Schiit Lyr 2 with Amperex Fat Bottle 6DJ8 tubes. A HRT Music Streamer II+ as the DAC and AURIC RCA to RCA interconnects. 
 
Build Quality and Comfort: 
The build quality on these headphones is simply outstanding. It's made of incredibly tough ABS(I believe) plastic and a metal headband with a rubberish covering over it with a faux leather headband cover. These headphones are quite lightweight, weighing about the same as the HD 600 and K712. The earcups slide up and down on part of the metal headband and they pivot up and down quite a bit with some front and back pivoting. The cable is replaceable but oddly the cable terminates out of the right earcup instead of the left. Earpads are thick and deep and rectangular softskin. They get slightly hot but not as hot as protein leather. The pads feel a bit weird and take some breaking in so they seal properly, the sound won't be it's best until the pads break-in. Comfort wise I can wear them all day as long as it's not hot so comfort is good.
 
Sound:
The sound of these headphones is what these headphones are all about. They have so many things going for them. Overall they are on the warm and lush side and may be slightly dark to some. These are not for those looking for a light-and-airy type of sound. It's more akin to the HD 600s tuning though quite different sounding. These are overall laid-back and warm sounding. This is a system dependent headphone, like with any good headphones, results are going to vary quite a bit from system to system.
 
Clarity and Transparency: To start with, I'm going to cover this headphones level of clarity and transparency. These headphones are outstanding in this aspect, these headphones are incredibly transparent and are very clean and clear sounding. They have almost no grain to their sound, the HD 600 sounds a bit grainy, slightly stuffy, and veiled in comparison. You can listen to these at higher volumes than other headphones for extended periods of time without any listening fatiguing. You often forget you are listening to headphones and focus only on the music and sound, meaning they are very transparent. They are quite revealing of the system, meaning grainy components will sound grain through these headphones.
 
Tonality and Timbre: The tonality and timbre on the DT 150 is fantastic, nothing really sounds off except with problem recordings. It's a warm, lush, and euphoric tone and sounds exceptionally natural. Warm and lush systems may be a bit of a warmth overload with these headphones for some people. 
 
Soundstage and Imaging: For a closed-back the soundstage is large and well represented, it's slightly larger than the HD 600 in soundstage, there doesn't seem to be any imaging issues. In terms of imaging it's very clean and precise and has a very 3D sound to it, it makes other headphones sound a bit flat at times. 
 
Speed and Coherency: This headphone is plenty fast, it never comes across as slow sounding and it never gets confused even on faster passages. There is always a coherency, I've never heard this headphones coherency broken so to speak. 
 
Bass: The bass is heavy, thick, and robust leading to a very solid backbone to the sound. The bass can hit with real authority when called for. They sound of the bass varies from instrument to instrument but it does carry a bit of sound signature to it's bass moreso than say AKGs do. Overall it's quite clean and fairly tight and never seems to get confused or sound hollow. There are some songs where it can be a bit too much without getting used to.
 
Midrange: This is where this headphone truly shines, it's a beautiful, euphoric, present yet laid-back midrange. It's extremely clean and has a lot of vocal depth. Instruments and vocals sound spot on. The midrange is slightly dark and slightly warm overall. It's not quite HD 600 warm though. 
 
Treble: The treble is very clean and well extended, it reveals plenty of detail, has a small amount of air to it and doesn't sound slightly off in the treble like the HD 600 does. No bluntness or overly smoothing out in the treble. It's not sibilance and is almost never harsh(its only harsh on systems it has bad synergy with).
 
Conclusion:
The Beyerdynamic DT 150 is a headphone anyone looking for a high-quality closed-back or high-quality mid-tier headphone in general should consider, especially to those who want a warm musical sound with almost no grain. Those who like the HD 600 should like this headphone quite a bit despite their tonality differences from each other.

Sennheiser HD 545
 
I purchased these roughly 20 year old headphones around the same time I bought my AKG K712 Pro for $75 and because of that they never got as much use as they should. This is the first headphone I've owned of the Sennheiser HD 600 family, there are some notable differences in aesthetics and drivers, these are 150 ohm headphones instead of 300 ohms, the parts seem to be fully interchangeable with the HD 600/650s though. Now I am starting to spend more time with these headphones and they slowly became my second favorite headphones. I am using the Hifiman EF2A as an amp with GE tubes, the HRT Music Streamer II+, and I have tried a variety of genres, mainly electronic and acoustic.
 

 
Comfort:
Comfort is one of the standout points with these headphones, they are incredibly comfortable. Actually probably the most comfortable headphone I own. Think of a HD 600/650 with much less clamp and you basically get the HD 545s comfort. The headband causes no discomfort and and the pads are soft and gently hug the ears with a mild clamp. I would probably rate them around a 9.5 out of 10 in comfort for my ears.
 
Build Quality:
I would say these headphones are well put together, the plastic of high quality. These headphones are made in Ireland like the rest of the HD 600 family. The have replaceable cables, seems to use the same cable that is used in the HD 600. They are easily serviceable and don't require any tools to take apart, except getting the driver out of the housing. The one problem it has build quality wise has to be the channel dropout issue common with older headphones in the HD 600 family before they changed the spring material, the springs stretch out too much and the connection to the cable can become a bit loose causing occasional channel dropouts if you move around too much.
 
Driver and Housing

 
 
Sound:
 
The sound on these headphones is really enjoyable to listen to once you get used to their sound. It's rich and full sounding but also quite neutral. The soundstage on these headphones is rather moderate in size. I consider these headphones quite transparent.
 
Bass: I'm starting with the bass of these headphones. It's a warm and rich bass with good impact with a nice natural tone to it, but it has a couple drawbacks. First is the sub-bass roll-off, it doesn't seem to reach quite as deep as either of my AKGs. The other problem with the bass is that it seems to get a bit muddled and confused on more complex bass passages.
 
Midrange: This is where this headphone shines soundwise. It's a rich, full, and musical midrange that is quite forward. Vocals have great clarity, presence, lushness, and a naturalness to them that is really enjoyable to listen to. Some drawbacks with the midrange is that it may be a bit too forward for some and on some systems can sound a bit brash on some sounds such as horns.
 
Treble: The treble is quite present in these headphones, I wouldn't say it's bright, but it's definitely not dark. I would say the treble is a little more forward than my K612 although I don't think it extends up quite as much. Sibilants can be an issue depending on the system.
 
Soundstage: I'm a bit mixed on the soundstage, it's rather moderate in size but has good depth and is quite 3D sounding, despite having a smaller soundstage than my K612 it sounds bigger in presence. This could be because of amplification as I get the feeling my AKGs are a somewhat held back on my current system. There seems to be some oddities with the soundstage, something isn't quite right, maybe it's the 3 blob effect that is mentioned occasionally with the HD 600 family.
 
Conclusion:
Overall I rate these headphones highly and I feel they are a great headphone if you can manage to find them and get them for a lower price. The channel dropout is a bit of a problem with these older headphones, but it can be fixed. I have to say I am happy with these headphones but I think I am going to replace them with either the HD 650 or HD 600 in the future.

Hifiman EF2A Review
 
Overview:
This is my first headphone amp review and I'm just going to review the amp section of this headphone amp as the DAC is nothing special, a bit better than most computer or portable device DACs but is easily outclassed by any decent dedicated DAC or soundcard. I've had this amp for a while and I tried it with a variety of AKGs, Senns, Beyers, as well as a few other miscellaneous headphones. I fell in love with this amps sound from the get go and it was my first desktop amp. This is an amp I have owned twice, the first one died after a couple months of use but I later found it was a returned and defective unit and I was able to return it for a full refund with no shipping cost to me. I later got the Schiit Magni and I disliked how it sounded in comparison, the Magni was obviously a level below this amp and it became more obvious with a better DAC and headphones and this was confirmed when I got my second EF2A. I am using this headphone amp with the HRT Music Streamer II+ USB DAC set at 24/92 connected with Auric RCA interconnects. And the amp is mainly used with my AKG K712 Pro, AKG K612 Pro, and the Sennheiser HD 545. I have noticed there is a channel imbalance where the left become louder than the right at levels below my preferred listening level. This review is a bit of a work in progress, I'll add more later.
 

 
Tubes/Sound:
I did some experimentation with tube rolling. Much of how this amp sounds come from the tubes, so stating what tube I am reviewing based on and talking about the tubes traits in the amp is important for a review like this. I came to the conclusion the Radiotechnique(RTC) 5654RT tubes are the best sounding tubes I tried on the amp for most of the headphones I tried with the amp. The tubes generally run about $20 for a matched pair. The tubes have big and powerful dynamics, if you use a more intimate headphone like the AKG K240 MKII the dynamics may be too strong on some songs. There is a real sense of physical presence and tactility with the tubes, you don't just hear the sound/instrument, you feel and hear the sound/instrument with a life-like realism I haven't heard on any other tube or amp I have owned. There is a roundness, body, and depth to the sound that is something really special, especially in an amp this price. The tonal balance is also spot on but there some grain in the sibilants(I think this is more amp related than tube related). These tubes are clear and transparent with just a touch of pleasing warmth. These are incredibly musical and enjoyable tubes, especially with the AKGs I paired it with, the K712, K612, and K240 MKII. They also sounded good with the Sennheiser HD 545, Sennheiser HD 555, Sennheiser PX-100 ii, NVX XPT100, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, but the AKGs are just something special with this tube/amp pairing. The Sennheiser HD 380 Pro with these tubes in the EF2A is a horrible match, excessively closed-in, collapsed soundstage, and bad dynamics and was the first and only bad pairing I experienced with this tube/amp combo. The K712 is the best pairing I have heard on this amp, it's simply beautiful sounding with big powerful dynamics, a strong physical presence, transparent sound with a black background. It doesn't seem underpowered or held back at all given the RTC tubes are used.
 

 
 
Conclusion:
This is a great and versatile little amp given you are willing to invest in different tubes. It's a fun and musical sounding amp that doesn't lack power and pairs exceptionally well with some headphones. If you own AKGs similar to what is mentioned in the review and likely others this is probably one of the best amps out there for them under $200.

Sony MDR-MA900 Review
 
In the past I compared the Sony MDR-MA900 to the then similarly price AKG K612 Pro. I'm doing this review because I have the MA900 in my possession for a certain amount of time and I came to a better understanding exactly why I felt the way I do about the MA900 compared to the K612. I currently use the K712 as my main headphone but it is quite different sounding than the MA900 and I feel the MA900 is better compared to my HD 545 and K612 than the K712. The systems I am reviewing the headphones on is the HRT Music Streamer II+ as the DAC and both the Hifiman EF2A(with stock tubes, RTC tubes, Siemens tubes, GE tubes, and RCA tubes) and the FiiO E12 as well as many other sources such as my laptop, iPod Touch 5th Gen, etc. This is going to be a relatively short review as I'm going to get to what I like about the headphone and what I think it does well and what I don't like about and what I feel it falls short at.
 
I'm going to state this now while the amps have minor impact on the sound, it's not really going to make or break the sound like it does on my other headphones. The sound does get cleaned up some with better systems but nothing that drastic as say what happened to my now dead Sennheiser HD 555 which honestly outclasses the MA900 when amped well, the HD 555 has since been replaced by the superior yet older HD 545. As long as the DAC is good enough quality it sounds relatively similar on anything. This likely has to do with the impedance resistor and in fact most of my issues with this headphones sound may be related to it. The problem with the lack of scalability is that the higher you scale up the gear the worse this headphones sounds comparably to other headphones.
 
Pros:
Comfort: This is the standout benefit of this headphone, it's just a featherweight with very mild clamp but is also secure on the head. There is an amazing sense of breathability and they can be worn for hours easily. Some minor quibbles with the comfort is the pads take some getting used to, the headband is sort of small so it may bother some at first, and it needs to be adjusted so the ears don't really touch the drivers.
 
Tonal Balance: I think one of the best things about this headphone is it's tonal balance, it has a very nice tonal balance, neutral and laid-back with a slightly warm touch to it, which makes it an pleasing and musical headphone that does well with most genres of music and it's a bit on the forgiving side so this makes it good for a variety of recordings.
 
Build Quality: Contrary to initial reports and suggestions I find the build quality of this headphone to be really good from the actual housing design to the cable itself. The lightweight build suggest heavy cheap plastic use, but this headphone felt well-built from when I first had it in my hands, it also has a good amount of magnesium alloy in the outer grills and yolks, the headband pad area also seems to be reinforced with metal. The cable was a concern for actual worry at first and it does seem to lack some strain relief on the plug but the cable is far sturdier than it appears and it retains no memory, the pair is about a year old and has had the cable run over numerous time with a computer chair and the cable shows no marks of scuffing, the headphone has also been dropped a few times with no marks or anything. These things seem to be built to last.
 
Soundstage Presentation: This headphone has an amazing soundstage presentation, it has one of the most speaker-like soundstages I've ever heard from a headphone and that's something truly special about this headphone. If someone is looking for a speaker-like sound, it doesn't become much more speaker-like than the MA900.
 
Easy to Drive: This headphone takes very little work to make it sound how it should or it's best because it sounds relatively similar on just about anything with the biggest improvements seeming to come from the DAC. This is a wonderful headphone for those who don't want to fiddle with amplification.
 
Cons:
Transparency & Clarity: This is what I found to be the headphone biggest and most notable flaw and it's what led me to let it go. All other flaws are relatively minor compared to this one, so I'm going to just focus on this con of the headphone in the review. I'm just going to state it simply this headphone is veiled and grainy. There is a veil and grain throughout the entire sound. This wasn't a big deal when I first got the headphone, but after a while and especially after getting other headphones and upgrading my system more this problem became a bigger and bigger deal. The constant grain that seems ever present in the range, mostly midrange prevents this headphone from having a black background and seems to mask some of the more subtle musical cues and details in a recording. Once I started appreciating and grasping refinement and things such as transparency, a black background, musical depth, etc. better; I started to like this headphone less and less to the point where I have trouble listening to it. I believe it's simply a case where my standards and preference of sound causes me to stop being able to appreciate this headphone much anymore.

This is a brief review of the K612 Pro, to my ears it's my favorite and the best headphone under $200. I'm using a Hifiman EF2A as an amp and an ASUS Xonar DX as a DAC.
 
Build Quality: The K612 is a well-made headphone and feels solid in my hands. Only gripe is the cable isn't detachable but it's not really something I'm worried about as the cable quality is good and I take good care of my headphones.
 
Comfort: This headphone was comfortable from the beginning to me but the stiff pads did bother me after a bit. A few weeks of use and the pads soften up and become much more comfortable. I have no complaints about the leather headband, there are no bumps and is plenty big enough to distribute weight well.
 
Amplification: This headphone must be amped and have good synergy for it to reach it's full potential. If it's underamped it may clip a bit in the sound and sounds lifeless, dull, and flat sounding. People buying this headphone need to go in knowing it needs to be amped. It seems to respond the best to warmer sounding systems.
 
Soundstage: I personally find the soundstage on the large side on this headphone, while it's not huge, it's not really what I call medium sized either, just simply large. The soundstage has good width and the depth and height aren't bad either.
 
Imaging: The imaging of this headphone is very accurate and precise, this headphone excels imaging. You have a very good idea where the instruments are located and there is good separation.
 
Bass: Bass when the headphone has good synergy is very textured and detailed, extends unusually deep for an open headphone and has a large and powerful presence with plenty of impact.
 
Midrange: The midrange on this headphone is what some may consider forward, it's delicate, precise, has good dynamics, and just sounds very natural and organic. It's just beautiful sounding.
 
Treble: This headphone is rather sensitive in terms of it's treble response from system to system. It is detailed and revealing, so flaws of the recording aren't hidden. It's quite accurate but can have sibilance issues with some recordings and systems and some systems the 2-4khz region may be a bit too present which can lead the headphone to sound a bit hard and dry on some systems. It has a good and accurate treble, it is slightly rolled off at the very upper registers and doesn't have a lot of air like some other open-backs but it's not lacking air by any means, it's just not an airy headphone.
 
Conclusion: The AKG K612 Pro is an excellent value for what you pay and is an excellent headphone for people seeking a neutral and linear response. It's among one of the most neutral I have heard and is a real treat if you are willing to work with it to bring out it's potential. The headphone is rather sensitive and is very transparent for it's price. It's a headphone that needs a good system behind it that synergies well with it.

I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to headphones and audio, so forgive me if I'm not good at reviewing or explaining things. The Sony MDR-MA300 is a surprisingly good headphone for a really cheap price. I bought them for comfort reasons and the fact they are open, but I couldn't find much on them in terms of audio quality so I was taking a chance with these. Turns out they beat my expectations in terms of audio quality and they are very comfy.
 
I have been using these with my FiiO E11 on high power and high gain. I find I quite like their mid-range and their treble. The headphones themselves have I don't know exactly what to call it, but a somewhat sweet tone to it. The bass was kinda flabby when I first got them, it has improved some, but it's still not the best, the bass is not as good as my Brainwavz HM5s. It has a decent soundstage. I found these headphones do quite well on movies and video games and they sound good on most music, I find them quite good all around.