[Humblepie]

Yep, the earpads on the Akai suck. HM5's fit nicely though and sound nice too. The originals, being shallower, were also bassier to me if just only. Prefer the comfort and the sound with the HM5's.

Many that have heard the sound from these are amazed at how good they are. I am too for the price.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yep, the earpads on the Akai suck. HM5's fit nicely though and sound nice too. The originals, being shallower, were also bassier to me if just only. Prefer the comfort and the sound with the HM5's.

Many that have heard the sound from these are amazed at how good they are. I am too for the price.

Stock pads were bassier? That's interesting. My Marantz MHP-2s with stock pad sound somewhat elevated in the bass (a shallow elevation from sub-bass to mid-bass)...not nearly enough to be annoying or even change the sound of music. In fact, it's pretty much how I prefer recorded music to sound (ie, big/solid foundation, as you hear it IRL).

I was just listening to my Marantz MPH-2s the other night, for the first time in months. Was struck once again at how excellent they really are. If I didn't know what they cost, and I wasn't looking at them--just listening--I would get they cost $200 or so (they cost 1/4 of that).

They do just about everything quite well. I'm going to take them on vacation in August along w/my E10K. Put those together w/the laptop and music will be totally covered.

 

[Lurk650]

Yeah listened to mine the other day too. Full size I've been using the past few months are my M560. The Lyx really are great. Much better than M50 from AT

 

[Humblepie]

Yeah listened to mine the other day too. Full size I've been using the past few months are my M560. The Lyx really are great. Much better than M50 from AT

Well I have been on a pick up spree as of late on headphones. I have had a bunch of "gaming" sets in the past with all breaking and having SQ issues. Still I have a heart on for bang for your buck products as well as premium stuff. I have the M560, koss djpro 200, vmoda m100, monoprice 8323, hifiman 400i, logitech ue6000, akai 50x, philips shp9500, hyper cloud 2 (takstar pro 80 really), blue lola, bluedio turbine 3, and the symphanized wraiths 2.0.

I have coming the oppo pm3, sennheiser hd6xx, emu teaks, bosshifi b8, bosshifi b7, and griffin woodtones.

So far I haven't been too disappointed with any recent purchase yet. The least favorite would be the symphanized wraiths. They aren't as bad as gaming headsets, but they have a weak hollow bass that is a bit disappointing. As well as a janky build quality. Then again the Philips SHP9500 have a pretty low build quality as well as the headband keeps wanting to come off and not snap on anymore. Never took it off, just popped off as I was putting it on the stand one time.

If you were to ask my favorite so far it would be

M560 > 400i = shp9500 > akai 50x > vmoda = ue6000 = blue lola > koss djpro 200 = monoprice 8323 >> symphanized wraiths >>>>> bluedio turbine 3

While that is my list of preference, I would say that the difference between the m560 and even the 8323 in terms of preference is slight. Now the bluedio turbines... all I can say is I'm glad my wife likes and uses them instead of me.

Funny thing is that only the logitech ue6000 cans have the original earpads on them. I don't use any other can with the original pads.

My current wish list though is as follows to get:

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus
Monoprice Monolith M1060
Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Harmon Kardon AKG K545
Philips Fidelo X2
Msur n650
Bosshifi B6
ISK HF2050
ISK MDH8500
SuperLux 669B
Takstar Pro 82

Tate & Bauer HD 900R


I hope to have most of them in my possession in the next 6 months as funds allow. Then I'll start looking into bigger ticket items after that possibly. As I said I'm a bang for the buck kind of guy though.

 

[Lurk650]

I have the Cloud 2 running to my Astro Mixamp to my XB1. I like it but I know my voice chat is terrible. Considering either the new TB 700X when they come out or getting the VModa mic but idk think I'll be able to connect with the Mixamp

 

[Pharmaboy]

Well I have been on a pick up spree as of late on headphones. I have had a bunch of "gaming" sets in the past with all breaking and having SQ issues. Still I have a heart on for bang for your buck products as well as premium stuff. I have the M560, koss djpro 200, vmoda m100, monoprice 8323, hifiman 400i, logitech ue6000, akai 50x, philips shp9500, hyper cloud 2 (takstar pro 80 really), blue lola, bluedio turbine 3, and the symphanized wraiths 2.0.

I have coming the oppo pm3, sennheiser hd6xx, emu teaks, bosshifi b8, bosshifi b7, and griffin woodtones.

So far I haven't been too disappointed with any purchase yet. The least favorite would be the symphanized wraiths. They aren't as bad as gaming headsets, but they have a weak hollow bass that is a bit disappointing. As well as a janky build quality. Then again the Philips SHP9500 have a pretty low build quality as well as the headband keeps wanting to come off and not snap on anymore. Never took it off, just popped off as I was putting it on the stand one time.

If you were to ask my favorite so far it would be

M560 > 400i = shp9500 > akai 50x > vmoda = ue6000 = blue lola > koss djpro 200 = monoprice 8323 >> symphanized wraiths >>>>> bluedio turbine 3

While that is my list of preference, I would say that the difference between the m560 and even the 8323 in terms of preference is slight. Now the bluedio turbines... all I can say is I'm glad my wife likes and uses them instead of me.

Funny thing is that only the logitech ue6000 cans have the original earpads on them. I don't use any other can with the original pads.

My current wish list though is as follows to get:

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus
Monoprice Monolith M1060
Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Harmon Kardon AKG K545
Philips Fidelo X2
Msur n650
Bosshifi B6
ISK HF2050
ISK MDH8500
SuperLux 669B
Takstar Pro 82

Tate & Bauer HD 900R


I hope to have most of them in my possession in the next 6 months as funds allow. Then I'll start looking into bigger ticket items after that possibly. As I said I'm a bang for the buck kind of guy though. I've pretty much decided to forg

Re: "Well I have been on a pick up spree as of late on headphones."

That may be the understatement of the century!

Your wish list is ~3X more headphones that I've heard in my entire life; add it to all the HPs you already have, or have on order (wow!).

I have a couple inexpensive Chinese HPs (Yenona's; Marantz MPH-2's); the always solid & enjoyable Fidelio X2s; and the ZMF Ori, which sounds (& looks) really special. I also have E MU Teaks on order (to arrive in next 2 weeks). To me, 5 headphones seems totally extravagant...my wife thinks I'm insane.

I went overboard on amps & DACs, though (multiples of each). So I guess each of us has his/her particular achilles heel.

 

[Humblepie]

Don't get me started on the amount of gaming headsets I have. Literally everything by Logitech, Razer, Corsair, Astro, Sony, Turtle Beach, and a few Afterglows. Maybe an odd ball or two brand I forgot. All of them are broken through normal use. Usually just after the 1 year warranty runs out. I take good care of my headphones. Wear them on my head when using them, and hang them up when not. Dont travel with them either. Not the gaming ones at least. No one but me touches them either. All the gaming ones broke on their own at some point. I will say I haven't owned any of the recent hyper x series, but I did buy one for a friend I owed a favor to and he wanted something nicer. But he wanted a gaming headset and not a headphone with a mod mic like attachment. So bought him a Hyper X cloud and got to play with it for a few days before handing it over. So I will say I'm a bit experienced in standard gaming headsets in terms of know what they sound like and feel like. Edit note: the hyper x clouds were fairly nice sound quality. Not the most comfortable cans but I have worn way worse.

The recent switch to good headphones only is within the last 4-5 months I would say. Picked all up all those listed Down the rabbit hole I go. I only did a few dac/amps. The Schiit Uber stack, FX-Audio Dac-X6, and the Cayin iDac6 and iHa6 amp. Although I probably going to sell the Cayin if it doesn't do something "magical" for the sennheiser hd6xx coming in December from massdrop. So far with what I have I don't notice much of a difference between the 3 setups I have with dac/amps sound quality wise. Now the power output they are all very different.

 

[Slater]

Don't get me started on the amount of gaming headsets I have. Literally everything by Logitech, Razer, Corsair, Astro, Sony, Turtle Beach, and a few Afterglows. Maybe an odd ball or two brand I forgot.
...
All of them are broken though through normal use.
...

Serious lack of longevity is the biggest problem with gaming headsets (even expensive ones like Astro etc).

It's actually what got me into headphones in the 1st place. I learned that you get better sound and build quality from a good pair of headphones, coupled with a good add-on mic like a ModMic or Boom Pro. It's the best of both worlds.

I don't know why manufacturers are so intent on building gaming headphones with such poor construction. I mean, sure - profits. But you know what I'm saying.

 

[Adide]

Hi guys.
Does anybody know if ISK HF2010 and ISK HP2011 are the same thing besides HF being open back and velour pads as oposed to HP closed-leather?
From FR they sure seem to be the same, the only difference being HF's elevated bass - there's a graphical comparison some here in the thread but can't remember seeing if the innards are the same.
I'm asking because I was wondering if HF is worth buying while already owning the HP - if they have similar signature (besides the elevated bass which for me is not a plus - I like HP's being so balanced sonically) I think it won't worth it and move to something different, for variety.
Thx.

 

[Humblepie]

Speaking of which, the Oppo PM3s, Bosshifi B7, Bosshifi B8, and some Philips A1pro/27s came in.

Damn they all sound good. I've been comparing them and here are my notes in comparing all 3.

First off, soundstage on pretty much all of them suck. The B7's are suppose to be semi open, but the soundstage is marginally better at most.

Now for the individual details I can share for each. First the A1's:

The A1s are on ear type, but one of the better sounding on ear types I've heard next to grados (don't own a grado but have heard them). For $20 that they were on sale, I would say they were a steal. I just hate their proprietary cable and connection. Ugh on that. Also they are on ear, so they aren't ideal for my comfort level. The band goes from real small to pretty big in adjustments. This is cool because it is the first headphones my 3 year old can actually first correctly on his head. Not that I let him wear headphones much, but he is always trying to imitate me. Still from a comfort perspective they are decent with mildly tight clamping force.

Sound: Good bass thump. Bit of rumble for bass decay but it's very slight. Sub bass is there too. Mids are forward and treble is a bit pronounced. Doesn't take much to drive them. Nothing sounds veiled or recessed. Might be a tad rough on treble for some, but I like them. Treble is the brightest of all the 4 I'm listing here. Closer to V shaped, but with the mids not really being recessed they sound like a hard U shape is what I can describe.

Bosshifi B7:

Comfort is nice, but the stock pads are not really around the ear. They certainly touch and may cause some issues with people. Mids are extremely forward. Treble there, but not harsh. Bass is tighter than the A1. Not as punchy though. Bass is deep and sub bass is there. Easy to drive. Nothing seems recessed or veiled to me. Overall very nice sounding. Otherwise these cans feel and way more expensive than the $50 I paid. Fairly light clamping force, less than the A1, but more than the others.

Bosshifi B8:

Why is the headband on these like half an inch longer than the B7? The band is frikking huge! Also, I'm not sure if mine was crosswired, but my right is left and my left is right on these. They are very comfortable though. The earpads are bigger than the B7's, not as big of an opening as the PM3s, but my ears do get inside these all the way. They do touch a bit inside though. Sound wise they have a bit more bass impact than the B7's. Same tightness on the bass though. Treble is brighter than the B7s. Making it more U shaped where the B7's sounded more mid forward. They are both U shaped sound wise, but the B7's sound flatter overall. The B8's are certainly brighter. but just slightly less bright than the A1s.

Oppo PM3:

The bossshifi headbands feel like they are trying to copy the Oppo PM3 headband and come really close. Not quite, but close. Seriously close. Earpads on the PM3s are bigger. These are very comfortable overall to me. I touch still slightly inside, due to my big ears, but not enough to bother me. They are slightly harder to drive than the other 3 so I have to turn of the volume a bit. The PM3's are certainly warmer and mostly flatter in comparison to the other 3. Everything seems where it should be. Nothing is forward. Smooth is all I can do to describe them. Neither mids nor treble is forward. Which means if listening fatigue is a thing for you then these would be least potentially fatiguing of all 4. Otherwise bass is tight, no rumble, and blends right into the mids properly. The do sound the "best" of the 4, but just barely to me. This part is very subjective here I'm going to admit. The smoother and warmer signature is just a bit more what I like. Reminds me of my broken in M560s (open config) without the soundstage. Edit: just looked at the frequency response graph on the PM3's from innerfidelity and glad what I hear is what matches up to the measurements. The PM3's are bit more rolled off on the highes, but aren't bad at all on it. Just not nearly bright or harsh on highes as many other HPs are. The other 3 I reviewed are much more pronounced on the highes than the PM3's, but not by a whole lot.


Seriously all 4 are spectacular cans. In a blind I would have believed the bosshifi were $300-$500 cans like the Oppos. Except the cross wired B8's. Seriously What is that crap China! It doesn't affect the sound, but it just peeves me a bit. Heck even the A1s sound like $100+ cans. I'll have to listen to these more. The Oppos I picked up from a fellow member so they have some burn in too. The others are literally brand spanking new though. They will probably sound even better with some burn in, but holy crap they sound damn refined now. Paid about $50 for each bosshifi and $20 on the A1s. Regret nothing on those.


For reference these are the songs and tests I listened to compare with:

Chainsmokers - Something Just Like This
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
Bass Outlaws - 3 Kinds of Bass
Evanescence - My Immortal
Linkin Park - In the End
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
Justin Timberlake - Can't stop the feeling
Yosi Horikawa - Wandering
DragonForce - Through the Fire and Flames
RichaadEB - Running in the 90s
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
Elle King - Exs and Ohs
Butch Clancy's Dub step remix of Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
Metallica - Hardwired
D-Operation Drop - Liberation
Prodigy - Breathe
Lumineers - Ho Hey
Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve (live)
Glenn Cambell - Southern Nights
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
DearVR - Virtual soundstage test

All were 320kbps or Flac 24/96

Screenshot of the HPs hanging out. http://imgur.com/a/JkIsG

Couldn't get them all hanging in that screenshot as I don't have enough hooks. So some I took on my dusty desk. Ignore the pet hair Oh and those are dead logitech gaming headsets in the back I was intending to try to fix.

 

[waveriderhawaii]

Hey guys and gals. Looking for some $20 over the ear headphones. Gonna be using them on my computer to play Starcraft and watching some Youtube videos. Don't need anything special. Would like something sorta easy to drive as I may be using the onboard sound, which isn't bad, on my ASRock Z270 Extreme 4 with Realtek ALC1220. So far looking at these two - Superlux HD681, TAKSTAR HD2000. Also and considering the Monoprice 8323 which I have owned and are totally awesome. Suggestions?

EDIT: Isolation isn't an issue as I live alone.

 

[Slater]

Hey guys and gals. Looking for some $20 over the ear headphones. Gonna be using them on my computer to play Starcraft and watching some Youtube videos. Don't need anything special. Would like something sorta easy to drive as I may be using the onboard sound, which isn't bad, on my ASRock Z270 Extreme 4 with Realtek ALC1220. So far looking at these two - Superlux HD681, TAKSTAR HD2000. Also and considering the Monoprice 8323 which I have owned and are totally awesome. Suggestions?

EDIT: Isolation isn't an issue as I live alone.

Philips SHL-3300

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/r...-headphones-most-underrated-headphone.697813/

 

[minhmap859]

Bosshifi B8:

Why is the headband on these like half an inch longer than the B7? The band is frikking huge! Also, I'm not sure if mine was crosswired, but my right is left and my left is right on these. They are very comfortable though. The earpads are bigger than the B7's, not as big of an opening as the PM3s, but my ears do get inside these all the way. They do touch a bit inside though. Sound wise they have a bit more bass impact than the B7's. Same tightness on the bass though. Treble is brighter than the B7s. Making it more U shaped where the B7's sounded more mid forward. They are both U shaped sound wise, but the B7's sound flatter overall. The B8's are certainly brighter. but just slightly less bright than the A1s.

Sheest, my pair has the same problem too! I had complained and sent them back for exchanging, because not only it was crosswired, the drivers are also mismatched! But boys ain't it sounds nice! I personally think it's tonality is very good for the price, but bingo on the u-shaped though: instruments sound very nice one these, especially violon. Still, because the b8 has angled drivers, if you reverse it to match left-right, the soundstage and imaging will be all ****ed up, so it would be more prudent to have it fixed...well, as long as you didn't found out its drivers are also mismatched in the progress. ;P
Still, I had heard people said that the b7 is the more colored one with lots of bass and such, and there is also graphs that indicates that B7 is quitee more u-shaped than b8, so...yeah, I blame faulty china QC, as always.
Edit: Okay, I was wrong: the b7 really is less v-shaped than the b8, as least accord to the freq graph I just rechecked.

 

[Humblepie]

Sheest, my pair has the same problem too! I had complained and sent them back for exchanging, because not only it was crosswired, the drivers are also mismatched! But boys ain't it sounds nice! I personally think it's tonality is very good for the price, but bingo on the u-shaped though: instruments sound very nice one these, especially violon. Still, because the b8 has angled drivers, if you reverse it to match left-right, the soundstage and imaging will be all ****ed up, so it would be more prudent to have it fixed...well, as long as you didn't found out its drivers are also mismatched in the progress. ;P
Still, I had heard people said that the b7 is the more colored one with lots of bass and such, and there is also graphs that indicates that B7 is quitee more u-shaped than b8, so...yeah, I blame faulty china QC, as always.

The problem with sending them back is the shipping cost makes it no longer a deal. I could more than likely ordered from a US distributor off Amazon although they charge more on Amazon.

 

[minhmap859]

Indeed, sending them back is only the last choice: if you can, you should fix it yourself and whatsnot: only in unfixable case like mine (drivers mismatching) you should have to send it backs.
Still, it stills cost me 15 bucks to send it back, and add that to the fact that i will probably want them to ship by aliexpress premium (which is probably another 10$), it had cost me around 35 bucks in shipping alone, and I even bought mine at the 75 bucks hard price and not the 58$ one so.... yeah, this definitely isn't a deal anymore.