Zeroduke, Mitchell & Johnson didn't necessarily send them brand new, unplayed headphones. They may have been already broken in by M&J or even reviewed by one of the other reviewers first. Knowing how important break in is to M&J headphones, I wouldn't send a virgin pair out to reviewers. Would you? Nope, not betting on a reviewer having 200+ hours available to review 1 set of headphones properly. It costs far less to properly break in 10 pairs of phones for reviewers vs thousands for customers.
Great reviews. I like the parts that compare the different M&J models.
Zeroduke, Mitchell & Johnson didn't necessarily send them brand new, unplayed headphones. They may have been already broken in by M&J or even reviewed by one of the other reviewers first. Knowing how important break in is to M&J headphones, I wouldn't send a virgin pair out to reviewers. Would you? Nope, not betting on a reviewer having 200+ hours available to review 1 set of headphones properly. It costs far less to properly break in 10 pairs of phones for reviewers vs thousands for customers.
Great reviews. I like the parts that compare the different M&J models.
Then, I think that Mitchell & Johnson MUST do something about it. It is not acceptable to release a product for the customer to "enjoy" burning it in for 200+ hours, and depriving a reviewer of enjoying such a pleasant process and write comments about the evolution. That kind of comments could prevent future customers to return the headphones or throw them away.
By the way, I just bought the Meze 99 Classics. A beauty. No problem at all... surely the Meze will improve with time, but I am enjoying them right from the start. And that's the way it ought to be. GL2 are very nice headphones, but I never ever had to burn-in headphones for them to start sounding "listenable". Never before, with any brand. And I've got a lot of them.
Mitchell & Johnson Electrostatz headphones have sky rocketed in the press lately. The reviews are very positive. We knew this would happen all along. They are excellent headphones.
I read the review about the MJ2. Interesting indeed. There the writer mentioned the 200-hour burn-in, thou he didn't say it is mandatory. Now I am thinking of buying a pair of them. It seems they are quite different from GL2. (But I am keeping the GL2 because they are performing very nice now).
The MJ2 use a different bass driver vs the GL2 and are tuned differently. The MJ2 are more neutral in tonal balance with just the slightest extra warmth in the bass. They are more forward sounding with greater image focus and detail. Have both models and love both of them. I hardly listen to the Grados or Sennheiser HD600 any more. With the closed back noise isolation, even my IEM usage has dwindled at home.
My break in experience is the MJ2 sounded out of the box vs GL2. Others had a different experience. Get the MJ2. You will love them.
zeroduke, I haven't heard the JP1. They are labeled a DJ headphone. They also swivel. You can have 1 ear out in the open to hear the crowd. The MJ2 are audiophile tuned. This review does briefly compare the JP1 and MJ2.
Comparing the frequency response graphs from the two M&J boxes it appears to me that the electrostatz panels are about the same. The bass response is different. From reading reviews the MJ2 seems to be more detailed. Both use twin 3.5mm connectors so they can be used in balanced mode with an appropriate DAP and cable. My MJ2 are always run in balanced mode.
I have to say I really love my MJ2. Although in the beginning I didn't like them very much, they are my go-to headphones. One reviewer mentioned, that he creates playlists for the MJ2, because not all music sounds good. I can second that. I find the MJ2 not that forgiving. But good recordings provide for a fantastic listening experience. Regarding bass: I really like the dry, precise bass. It is indeed very detailed and not at all muddy as with my AKG240.
Someone (barondla?) asked about the case. I use it on a daily basis, because I take the headphones with me to work. I appreciate the case a lot. The compact size of the MJ2 was one of the reasons I decided for this model.
I got some Tate & Bauers (same as the M&J GL2) after seeing them posted in the Deals thread and these really are interesting. After initially hearing them I broke out my old Stax SR-60 electrets and wow, are they similar. The T&Bs have better bass extension (but about the same upper bass quantity) and their treble has more sparkle but the wonderfully textured, layered mids are virtually identical. They're definitely not basshead cans, but I'm not a basshead, I'm into detailed mids, so these are right up my alley. Sure, they don't have a luxurious feel, they aren't made from the highest quality materials, and the cups are cramped for over-ears, but I'm really enjoying these. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY18PRG
I got some Tate & Bauers (same as the M&J GL2) after seeing them posted in the Deals thread and these really are interesting. After initially hearing them I broke out my old Stax SR-60 electrets and wow, are they similar. The T&Bs have better bass extension (but about the same upper bass quantity) and their treble has more sparkle but the wonderfully textured, layered mids are virtually identical. They're definitely not basshead cans, but I'm not a basshead, I'm into detailed mids, so these are right up my alley. Sure, they don't have a luxurious feel, they aren't made from the highest quality materials, and the cups are cramped for over-ears, but I'm really enjoying these. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY18PRG
I didn't change the pads, but I did put a foam ring under them to elevate them a little, also I put a Sennheiser headband pad on them to make them a little more comfortable. Otherwise, I'm not planning any other mods at this time.
I got some Tate & Bauers (same as the M&J GL2) after seeing them posted in the Deals thread and these really are interesting. After initially hearing them I broke out my old Stax SR-60 electrets and wow, are they similar. The T&Bs have better bass extension (but about the same upper bass quantity) and their treble has more sparkle but the wonderfully textured, layered mids are virtually identical. They're definitely not basshead cans, but I'm not a basshead, I'm into detailed mids, so these are right up my alley. Sure, they don't have a luxurious feel, they aren't made from the highest quality materials, and the cups are cramped for over-ears, but I'm really enjoying these. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY18PRG
Magick Man, I wonder whether you have a sense of how they compare with the Stax SR-40. My old SR-44 set (SR-40 electret headphone and SRD-4 adaptor) gave my many years of happy listening before the electrec element gave in, and I wonder whether these Tate and Bauers sound similar. The SR-40 is an open design, while the Tate & Bauers is a closed one. Is the SR-60 open as well?
Here are the bass drivers of the Mitchell & Johnson GL2 and MJ2. The GL2 uses a clear dome and the MJ2 uses a fiber cone/dome shape. Different bass drivers and tuning change the sound profiles of the two headphone models.
Here are the bass drivers of the Mitchell & Johnson GL2 and MJ2. The GL2 uses a clear dome and the MJ2 uses a fiber cone/dome shape. Different bass drivers and tuning change the sound profiles of the two headphone models.
I didn't change the pads, but I did put a foam ring under them to elevate them a little, also I put a Sennheiser headband pad on them to make them a little more comfortable. Otherwise, I'm not planning any other mods at this time.
For $85, I couldn't help myself, I've followed your lead, Magick Man, and Amazon tells me they will deliver Monday. Thanks for sharing your impressions so far.
Magick Man, I wonder whether you have a sense of how they compare with the Stax SR-40. My old SR-44 set (SR-40 electret headphone and SRD-4 adaptor) gave my many years of happy listening before the electrec element gave in, and I wonder whether these Tate and Bauers sound similar. The SR-40 is an open design, while the Tate & Bauers is a closed one. Is the SR-60 open as well?
Like I said, the mids are very similar with a layered/textured presentation, but the Stax highs are more airy and diffused. Lower bass definitely has more of a kick with the T&B, and they have far better extension, where the Stax electrets pretty much cut off entirely around 55Hz.
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