NOTE: English is not my main language so i hope that you dont mind little typos here and there but i try to do my best to avoid them.
I havent heard of iSk until someone mentioned them and their HD9999-fheadphones on one tech forum. They are a relatively small and unknown brand originally from North America and as far as i know they are an OEM-manufacturer (meaning that they dont just rebrand products from other manufacturers). They are not really an headphone company and their main focus is on other studio equipments like microphones.
I were told that HD9999 are a pretty capable headphones for 60-70€/$ and owner compared them to this Beyerdynamic DT990s, a very reputable and famous headphones that cost double the price and said that in his opinion their sound is pretty close to them.
Off course i were pretty skeptic at first, how a company ive never heard of would make such a headphones especially at this price point. I checked Google and Youtube for reviews but i did find only 3 reviews in english including Head-Fi. I found that iSK-headphones are also pretty hard to find anywhere near where i live (Finland) but finally i found a store/seller from Aliexpress selling these for 60€ and decided to try them.
Because of lack of reviews i decided to tell my honest opinion about iSk HD9999 after using them for about an month.
Aliexpress seller: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gen...&terminal_id=82ae43bf53cf4c43af97812f8fccbb33
Technical parameters (copied from Aliexpress):
Speaker Diameter: Φ50mm
Impedance: 32Ω
Sensitivity: 96dB ± 3dB
Frequency Response: 8Hz-30kHz
Maximum power: 1500mW
Cable length: about 3 meters
Plug: Φ3.5mm + Φ6.3m
Contents:
They offer a nice carrying case with them. Its made of hard plastic and it feels pretty high quality, very nice that they included it. The seller also offered headphones with accessories only without the case which decreases the price a little bit but i wanted some ”eyecandy” to my shelf.
Inside the case you will find good amount of accessories including basic things like a manual and 3,5mm-to-6,3mm-adapter. What really satisfies me is that they included two cables (cable is removable), straight long cable and coiled shorter one. I tend to break my cables too often so now i dont have to order new ones instantly, thank you very much for these. I use the shorter one since its easier to keep them away and my desktop is already a disaster when it comes to cables. They use the same XLR-connector as AKG-headphones so even if you manage to destroy both of them finding a new ones is not a problem.
They also include a two pairs of earpads: they come installed with pretty high quality thick pads that feels extremely soft, almost like tiny (fake)leather earpillows. I want a pillow made of this material some day. Second ones are thinner and feel a bit cheap and harder on the head compared to them and i have to say that i prefer the thicker ones. I still appreciate that they included them, not too many headphone manufacturers do that.
Build and design
First thing you probably notice is that HD9999 looks exactly like AKG-headphones. I mean, change the branding and no one couldnt notice the difference when it comes to looks.They might look a bit bulky and heavy at first but in reality they are surprisingly light in weight and they dont feel like a helmet on your head.
”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” but i really like ”black and gold”-combo and AKG-style ”retrodesign”, they resemble me of AKG K240 which has probably inspired the design of these headphones.
They dont feel too cheap despite being mostly made of plastics with some metal finish around the earcups and on side of the bands as well. Those ”taps” on the earcups with text on them feel a bit cheap and that you can rip them off with a little effort but as long as they stay there during normal usage im not complaining about it. Not the sturdiest headphones out there, but they have a very flexible structure, you can actually bend these to a pretty awkward positions if you want to. They dont have a one adjustable band like most headphones do, instead of that they have the same kind of autoadjusting headband that is found in many AKG-headphones; earcups are connected to plastic-covered metal wires and a rubber ribbon.
Fit and comfort
While not being the most comfortable headphones ive tried with the thicker pads these definitely belong to the upper end. Thicker pads almost melt on your head like pressing your head against a pillow. Thanks to autoadjusting-mechanism wearing them is very smooth and i dont really feel need for further adjustments, sometimes i have to swivel the earcups for a little better fit.
Downside is that thicker pads can start to feel a bit hot after wearing them for a long periods of time but were talking about pretty long listening sessions, i may have to take them off once or twice in 1-2 hours to let my ears cool a bit but i dont think that its a problem in shorter sessions. Of course there is an option to change the earpads and experiment with different pads to make them more suitable for a long term usage.
Sound quality:
And finally the main thing, sound quality. As a monitor type of headphones HD9999s are fairly neutral, uncolored and analytical compared to more ”fun/relaxed” sounding headphones which can take some time to get used to if youre more familiar with ”casual-ish”sound signature. I would describe the sound to be clear, accurate and detailed with tint of warmth. Its certainly not ear-pleasantly smooth but not overly analytically harsh either but somewhere between them. Like a compromise between a strict studio session and a chilling jam on a bedroom although they lean a bit more towards the first one. To my ears they are not also very unforgiving for poorly recored/poor source materials but that can be expected from a monitor headphones.
I have used HD9999 mainly with thicker pads and i only quickly tested the thinner pads so i cant give a very accurate comparison and because of that review is based on thicker ones. Also keep in mind that the type of dac or an amplifier youre using might give you slightly different results, ive used these headphones with my Creative AE-5-soundcard.
Bass:
I actually really like the bass on these. With the thicker pads bass is slightly too emphasized to be described as completely neutral but its still very neutral compared to some all-about-bass-headphones out there. Its not the most tight or punchy bass which im not a big fan anyway (too thumpy bass almost makes my head hurt after listening for a while), its more softer type of bass and pretty well controlled. Sub-bass growls low and mid bass do give you a decent midbass punch when needed but dont expect these to be crazy bass cannons. But when using thicker pads these can be classified as a slightly bass-heavy headphones.
I enjoy listening to bass oriented music with these like electronics, R&B, funk etc. Bass is probably one of the strongest points of these headphones but im not a basshead so i cant say is it enough for someone who wants a lots of bass.
Mids:
HD9999 is clearly a V-shaped headphone (meaning that the lower and higher frequencies are slightly more pronounced than the mids) and to me mids are clearly the area where it sometimes struggles. Even if the mids are a bit recessed compared to other frequencies they are still presented accurately. Upper mids are quite good, all instruments from guitars to wind- and string instruments sound clear and detailed and female (and higher male) vocals sound clearly articulated, bright and slightly warm.
I can hear little ”ringiness” in the upper end, escpecially in high pitched vocals, kind of a resonance. Its hard to explain, but imagine that your watching a live show in the front row standing right next to speakers and you can kind of feel higher pitches go ”through your head”, i hope you get it. But these are made to give you a honest and lurid monitoring-type of sound so i cant really complain about that, thats kind of how their supposed to sound like. Besides the amount of that ringiness/resonance really depends on the track youre listening to. As i said, these are pretty unforgiving headphones. And if i really want to enjoy vocals or mids in general HD9999 wouldnt be my first choice anyway.
For me upper mids sound better than lower mids, in the lower end male vocals and heavy distorted guitars for example can sound a bit hollow and thin in comparison to upper mids and when listening to more downtuned and heavier genres like metal music guitars seem to kind of lack body and that chunky sound you need for that kind of music. Dont get me wrong, its not too serious and wont ruin overall experience with these headphones but its the reason why these headphones are not usually my first choice for listening to heavier metal music, of course it could be a lot worse too.
My feelings towards the midrange in these are pretty mixed, for me there is probably just as much things to like as to dislike. Maybe im just too used to my old trusty HD 598s always-so-smooth mids but their midrange is probably one of the best out there so i cant really compare them to HD9999. Midrange performance is a bit inconsistent but it still has its good moments as well.
Highs:
HD9999 propose highs most of the time very well with great clarity and detail creating that bright and clear sound signature. But when going very high sometimes they tend to be a bit sharp and sibilant in a way what almost hurted my ears when i used them for the first time but im getting used to it so its not that bad anymore.Just like the resonance in the upper mids this is also a very track depending thing. Highs are more consistent than mids but i would prefer them to be a bit smoother.
Treble does roll-off in the very highest frequencies so youre not getting the most highest or detailed highs but still very bright sounding headphone overall. Not the best choice for treble-heavy music or treble-sensitive ears in my opinion. I still like that brightness they give for certain genres like trance and other EDMs.
Soundstage:
Better than in most of the closed-back headphones that ive tried. Not competing with open-backs but still pretty good. Thanks to wider soundstage i found these performing surprisingly well in gaming.
Conclusion:
Perfect headphones dont exist to me; there is (almost) always something you can improve and HD9999 is not an exception to this. Despite their small shortcomings i really do like the overall sound in them. But at the same time i think that they wont probably suit for everyone. As i mentioned before they are not the most ”fun” or ”musical” sounding headphones out there and in my opinion they are clearly made for specific type of listening. Podcasting, mixing, producing, even some gaming or basicly anything that requires you to hear everything as clear and accurate as possible.
Im not saying that music dont sound great through these headphones, thats my main purpose for them. Certain songs and genres sound better than the others, at least for me they are kind of a ”niche pick” when it comes to music, but when you really find that sweet spot its a very enjoyable experience, though sound signature still might not be right for everyone. Live recordings, instrumentals, electronic music, these are in my opinion the occasions where these headphones really start to shine. I listen my electronics mainly with these and they are probably my best headphones for that purpose but maybe not for someone else. After all ”good sound quality” is so subjective thing that i cant say for sure are these headphones for you but i hope this review helps you to make decisions.
HD9999 were a positive surprise and i have really enjoyed them so far and will certainly keep them. They are not perfect choice for everything but my other headphones are not either. For roughly 60€ (or 55€ if you minus the case) there is really nothing major to complain about and i can honestly say that these headphones offer more than enough for that money, way more than an average pair of 60€ headphones. I cant say anything about that DT990-comparison because i havent never tried them but i think that these cant be too far away. ISK is going to the right direction with these headphones and i can recommend to give these a try.
I havent heard of iSk until someone mentioned them and their HD9999-fheadphones on one tech forum. They are a relatively small and unknown brand originally from North America and as far as i know they are an OEM-manufacturer (meaning that they dont just rebrand products from other manufacturers). They are not really an headphone company and their main focus is on other studio equipments like microphones.
I were told that HD9999 are a pretty capable headphones for 60-70€/$ and owner compared them to this Beyerdynamic DT990s, a very reputable and famous headphones that cost double the price and said that in his opinion their sound is pretty close to them.
Off course i were pretty skeptic at first, how a company ive never heard of would make such a headphones especially at this price point. I checked Google and Youtube for reviews but i did find only 3 reviews in english including Head-Fi. I found that iSK-headphones are also pretty hard to find anywhere near where i live (Finland) but finally i found a store/seller from Aliexpress selling these for 60€ and decided to try them.
Because of lack of reviews i decided to tell my honest opinion about iSk HD9999 after using them for about an month.
Aliexpress seller: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gen...&terminal_id=82ae43bf53cf4c43af97812f8fccbb33
Technical parameters (copied from Aliexpress):
Speaker Diameter: Φ50mm
Impedance: 32Ω
Sensitivity: 96dB ± 3dB
Frequency Response: 8Hz-30kHz
Maximum power: 1500mW
Cable length: about 3 meters
Plug: Φ3.5mm + Φ6.3m
Contents:
They offer a nice carrying case with them. Its made of hard plastic and it feels pretty high quality, very nice that they included it. The seller also offered headphones with accessories only without the case which decreases the price a little bit but i wanted some ”eyecandy” to my shelf.
Inside the case you will find good amount of accessories including basic things like a manual and 3,5mm-to-6,3mm-adapter. What really satisfies me is that they included two cables (cable is removable), straight long cable and coiled shorter one. I tend to break my cables too often so now i dont have to order new ones instantly, thank you very much for these. I use the shorter one since its easier to keep them away and my desktop is already a disaster when it comes to cables. They use the same XLR-connector as AKG-headphones so even if you manage to destroy both of them finding a new ones is not a problem.
They also include a two pairs of earpads: they come installed with pretty high quality thick pads that feels extremely soft, almost like tiny (fake)leather earpillows. I want a pillow made of this material some day. Second ones are thinner and feel a bit cheap and harder on the head compared to them and i have to say that i prefer the thicker ones. I still appreciate that they included them, not too many headphone manufacturers do that.
Build and design
First thing you probably notice is that HD9999 looks exactly like AKG-headphones. I mean, change the branding and no one couldnt notice the difference when it comes to looks.They might look a bit bulky and heavy at first but in reality they are surprisingly light in weight and they dont feel like a helmet on your head.
”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” but i really like ”black and gold”-combo and AKG-style ”retrodesign”, they resemble me of AKG K240 which has probably inspired the design of these headphones.
They dont feel too cheap despite being mostly made of plastics with some metal finish around the earcups and on side of the bands as well. Those ”taps” on the earcups with text on them feel a bit cheap and that you can rip them off with a little effort but as long as they stay there during normal usage im not complaining about it. Not the sturdiest headphones out there, but they have a very flexible structure, you can actually bend these to a pretty awkward positions if you want to. They dont have a one adjustable band like most headphones do, instead of that they have the same kind of autoadjusting headband that is found in many AKG-headphones; earcups are connected to plastic-covered metal wires and a rubber ribbon.
Fit and comfort
While not being the most comfortable headphones ive tried with the thicker pads these definitely belong to the upper end. Thicker pads almost melt on your head like pressing your head against a pillow. Thanks to autoadjusting-mechanism wearing them is very smooth and i dont really feel need for further adjustments, sometimes i have to swivel the earcups for a little better fit.
Downside is that thicker pads can start to feel a bit hot after wearing them for a long periods of time but were talking about pretty long listening sessions, i may have to take them off once or twice in 1-2 hours to let my ears cool a bit but i dont think that its a problem in shorter sessions. Of course there is an option to change the earpads and experiment with different pads to make them more suitable for a long term usage.
Sound quality:
And finally the main thing, sound quality. As a monitor type of headphones HD9999s are fairly neutral, uncolored and analytical compared to more ”fun/relaxed” sounding headphones which can take some time to get used to if youre more familiar with ”casual-ish”sound signature. I would describe the sound to be clear, accurate and detailed with tint of warmth. Its certainly not ear-pleasantly smooth but not overly analytically harsh either but somewhere between them. Like a compromise between a strict studio session and a chilling jam on a bedroom although they lean a bit more towards the first one. To my ears they are not also very unforgiving for poorly recored/poor source materials but that can be expected from a monitor headphones.
I have used HD9999 mainly with thicker pads and i only quickly tested the thinner pads so i cant give a very accurate comparison and because of that review is based on thicker ones. Also keep in mind that the type of dac or an amplifier youre using might give you slightly different results, ive used these headphones with my Creative AE-5-soundcard.
Bass:
I actually really like the bass on these. With the thicker pads bass is slightly too emphasized to be described as completely neutral but its still very neutral compared to some all-about-bass-headphones out there. Its not the most tight or punchy bass which im not a big fan anyway (too thumpy bass almost makes my head hurt after listening for a while), its more softer type of bass and pretty well controlled. Sub-bass growls low and mid bass do give you a decent midbass punch when needed but dont expect these to be crazy bass cannons. But when using thicker pads these can be classified as a slightly bass-heavy headphones.
I enjoy listening to bass oriented music with these like electronics, R&B, funk etc. Bass is probably one of the strongest points of these headphones but im not a basshead so i cant say is it enough for someone who wants a lots of bass.
Mids:
HD9999 is clearly a V-shaped headphone (meaning that the lower and higher frequencies are slightly more pronounced than the mids) and to me mids are clearly the area where it sometimes struggles. Even if the mids are a bit recessed compared to other frequencies they are still presented accurately. Upper mids are quite good, all instruments from guitars to wind- and string instruments sound clear and detailed and female (and higher male) vocals sound clearly articulated, bright and slightly warm.
I can hear little ”ringiness” in the upper end, escpecially in high pitched vocals, kind of a resonance. Its hard to explain, but imagine that your watching a live show in the front row standing right next to speakers and you can kind of feel higher pitches go ”through your head”, i hope you get it. But these are made to give you a honest and lurid monitoring-type of sound so i cant really complain about that, thats kind of how their supposed to sound like. Besides the amount of that ringiness/resonance really depends on the track youre listening to. As i said, these are pretty unforgiving headphones. And if i really want to enjoy vocals or mids in general HD9999 wouldnt be my first choice anyway.
For me upper mids sound better than lower mids, in the lower end male vocals and heavy distorted guitars for example can sound a bit hollow and thin in comparison to upper mids and when listening to more downtuned and heavier genres like metal music guitars seem to kind of lack body and that chunky sound you need for that kind of music. Dont get me wrong, its not too serious and wont ruin overall experience with these headphones but its the reason why these headphones are not usually my first choice for listening to heavier metal music, of course it could be a lot worse too.
My feelings towards the midrange in these are pretty mixed, for me there is probably just as much things to like as to dislike. Maybe im just too used to my old trusty HD 598s always-so-smooth mids but their midrange is probably one of the best out there so i cant really compare them to HD9999. Midrange performance is a bit inconsistent but it still has its good moments as well.
Highs:
HD9999 propose highs most of the time very well with great clarity and detail creating that bright and clear sound signature. But when going very high sometimes they tend to be a bit sharp and sibilant in a way what almost hurted my ears when i used them for the first time but im getting used to it so its not that bad anymore.Just like the resonance in the upper mids this is also a very track depending thing. Highs are more consistent than mids but i would prefer them to be a bit smoother.
Treble does roll-off in the very highest frequencies so youre not getting the most highest or detailed highs but still very bright sounding headphone overall. Not the best choice for treble-heavy music or treble-sensitive ears in my opinion. I still like that brightness they give for certain genres like trance and other EDMs.
Soundstage:
Better than in most of the closed-back headphones that ive tried. Not competing with open-backs but still pretty good. Thanks to wider soundstage i found these performing surprisingly well in gaming.
Conclusion:
Perfect headphones dont exist to me; there is (almost) always something you can improve and HD9999 is not an exception to this. Despite their small shortcomings i really do like the overall sound in them. But at the same time i think that they wont probably suit for everyone. As i mentioned before they are not the most ”fun” or ”musical” sounding headphones out there and in my opinion they are clearly made for specific type of listening. Podcasting, mixing, producing, even some gaming or basicly anything that requires you to hear everything as clear and accurate as possible.
Im not saying that music dont sound great through these headphones, thats my main purpose for them. Certain songs and genres sound better than the others, at least for me they are kind of a ”niche pick” when it comes to music, but when you really find that sweet spot its a very enjoyable experience, though sound signature still might not be right for everyone. Live recordings, instrumentals, electronic music, these are in my opinion the occasions where these headphones really start to shine. I listen my electronics mainly with these and they are probably my best headphones for that purpose but maybe not for someone else. After all ”good sound quality” is so subjective thing that i cant say for sure are these headphones for you but i hope this review helps you to make decisions.
HD9999 were a positive surprise and i have really enjoyed them so far and will certainly keep them. They are not perfect choice for everything but my other headphones are not either. For roughly 60€ (or 55€ if you minus the case) there is really nothing major to complain about and i can honestly say that these headphones offer more than enough for that money, way more than an average pair of 60€ headphones. I cant say anything about that DT990-comparison because i havent never tried them but i think that these cant be too far away. ISK is going to the right direction with these headphones and i can recommend to give these a try.
