I've completed my review on this headphone and it is currently waiting to go live elsewhere first.  After a few days, it will be posted here.  This headphone is a real winner.  I am truly amazed by it.  This could be one of the best mid fi headphones ever made...

 
Please make sure to click that Like button at the bottom of the page, also drop a comment and feel free to ask questions if you have them!
 
AK120
 
I feel like there is an epidemic looming over the heads of most Hi-Fi audio music player designers.  Most just can't seem to get it right and so few end up with a solid performer, yet something actually portable.  You know...not a distant relative to that cinder block that has been sitting outside of my house for years?  I won't bore you with specification details in the beginning of this review, so I will start off with the conclusion first.  That is just how I roll.
 
The End Credits
 
The stock AK120 by Astell and Kern did not mesh with my ears, sadly.  Not that it was bad, I just didn't enjoy the sound signature at all with the headphones I currently owned.  There was just something about the tonality that really bugged me, I really disliked it and it was purely a matter of preference and nothing to do with lack of clarity or anything like that.  It had plenty of clarity and was certainly a few steps beyond it's little brother the AK100, as well as it's zombie mutant offspring cousin the iBasso DX50.  I just could not find anything I owned that meshed with the player, so off it was sent for modifying to Red Wine Audio.  Once I got it back, I realized that within 10 minutes of usage with the new modifications, the player would be one of the very few things I would try to take with me if the world were to suddenly end.  If the zombie DX50's suddenly became sentient and started to attack the Earth, I'd build a pit and fill it with my X-girlfriends, I'd train them in the deadly arts and force them to listen to bad headphones to inspire rage so that they can defend me in the zombie outbreak of the future.  Nothing better than ninja x-girlfriends at your side ready to throw themselves into ravenous zombie hoards...am I right?  No?  Ah well. 
For $1300US, this is a bit crazy and leaves me shaking my head as to where the world of portable players is going.  Question:  Is the price of the AK120 justified?  Yes and no would be my answer.  My wallet is screaming, my ears are singing.  So if you have the cash and want the only real PORTABLE Hi Fi Audiophile grade music player, go buy one.  Stop...wait a second, turn around.  Throw another $250 onto that and send it off to Red Wine Audio for the standard RWAK120 mod if you are primarily using custom inner ear monitors.  
 
Tone - Stock AK120
 
I did not enjoy it.  But, don't let that sway you from buying as there are a ton of people...the majority actually that really enjoyed the sound of the AK120.  I prefer a natural tone and it just so happens that I find the iBasso DX50/AK100 to produce a more dry sound signature with some hint of a coloration to it, whereas the AK120 seemed to have a more AKG house sound with a slight metallic sheen to everything, rounded edges that were not defined so well and everything just lacking overall on the CIEM's that I own.  I still found it dynamic, very clear and forgiving.  This was a problem with low impedance, the stock AK120 simply was not set up to drive very efficient and low impedance headphones well, which is why the experience with my JH16 FreqPhases sounded so lack luster.  This was the case on all the portable headphones I've played with recently, even the stunning  NAD HP50, something very easily driven and DEAD NEUTRAL in every way.  Even that sounded bland and lacking pre-Red Wine.  Directly fed into the Audeze LCD-3, the presentation is actually pretty great and highly enjoyable as a source when properly amped.  My NAD HP50 seemed to really dislike the AK120 and the entire experience was passable at best.  Not the fault of the HP50, it is an insanely incredible headphone that is very easily driven...but there lay the problem.  Most easily driven headphones tend to sound not so good with the stock AK120.  
 


Tone - Post Red Wine Mod
 
Huge improvement over the stock sound signature in my opinion, totally transformed into a different player entirely.  Via the JH16, the tone of the headphone went from very bad to one of the best sound signatures I've ever heard for this ciem.  Jet black background, finally properly driven due to the Red Wine guys messing with the resistors and improving the output efficiency.  The stock AK120 was too powerful and ended up working poorly with every custom monitor I owned as well as most of the higher tier portables with low impedance.  Something just didn't sound right.  Thankfully, Red Wine Fixed it...and I love it.  This is how it should have sounded and I really have to take points off for requiring a third party to set things straight.  The experience is highly natural, a lot like switching from an AKG K712 to lets say an Audeze LCD2.  The house sound signature changed completely for the better and everything is so much more well defined, articulated and dynamic due to the lack of a background fuzz with the stock AK120s higher output cap for low impedance headphones.  I would never recommend you do it, but for giggles I have plugged my ciems into larger desktop amps and the result was the same general tone.  Something was very wrong, over driven and receiving too much power.  The Red Wine Mod reduces the output impedance down to 1ohm and is now hard wired direct from the output stage to the headphone jack.  Such a seemingly simple thing fixed the dreadful performance the AK120 had with most earbuds.

 
Bass
 
The quantity of the bass bumped a bit after the Red Wine Mod but not much, I am not even comfortable saying it is there, but something inside me saying there was more bass than before.  If there really is, it's a small amount and I can attribute it to the clarity boost and the background of the player feeling much darker, thus allowing for more POP on the bass.  I found the stock bass highly satisfying and never boomy, artificial or boosted.  I enjoyed it very much and only that much more in post-mod.  It is rich and well textured but still a step behind the Hifiman HM901 and even the HM801 on the low end, both of which seemed more pure and solid but also less forgiving.  The AK120 bass seems softer, more gentle and not nearly as solid on my gear.  This is a great thing if you desire that type of a sound like I do.  I hate punchy bass.  I prefer that soft, lush and velvet like low end experience and I find it much more musical than most other hifi portable players.  Musicality seems lost in most of the expensive audiophile grade music devices.  I'm unwilling to allow musicality to take a hit just for the sake of accuracy, thankfully the AK120's low end is highly musical.  There are a few tracks from Jamie Foxx that and the Ministry of Sound that I really enjoy that worked out very nicely.  I'm not into the pounding bass thing, but I am into the heavily weighted feel of low end.  The softer and weightier, the more happy I become.  I pretty much got everything I've always wanted on the low end in the stock form of the AK120.  
 


The Mids
 
Very lush, very soft and forgiving yet again on the stock version, but more sharpened and well defined on the Red Wine version.  The tone of the stock AK120 ruined the natural midrange I often desire, so I was happy to hear the RWAK120 drastically improve the definition of darn near everything.  Vocals seem more clear as they are now properly driven and as a result sound noticeably sharper in a good way, they have just a little bit of bite to them, just enough to consider it highly engaging and never painful or annoying.  It's just right.  In fact, even the stock AK120 mid range was my favorite of the really expensive players that I've messed around with.  I find them really nicely set up and perfectly spaced, I've never felt they were overly intimate, nor have I once felt they were too distant or lacking. 
 
This is a vocalist Dap in my opinion, due to the entire experience being softer and more rounded on the edges.  Male or female, doesn't really matter, most of my vocal track favorites sounded incredible when the stock AK120 was used as a source and paired with an amp.  When used with the easier to drive headphones I own, the experience wasn't as nice.  It wasn't until Red Wine modified it for me that the experience leveled out and allowed the player to finally shine.  All that hidden potential is in there, hiding and beginning to be released.  You just have to pay $250 extra to get it out.  I think it is certainly worth it.  If you like the tonality of the JH customs or any similar sounding headphone, the Red Wine RWAK120 is a must.  It really meshes well with them and as I mentioned previously, the JH16 FR and RWAK120 is just about the best portable experience I've ever had.  
 


The Highs
 
Oddly enough, I found the stock AK120 upper region to be superior and more enjoyable than the Red Wine version.  Why?  I've not a clue and was unable to figure it out.  The stock AK120 has the most beautiful and sparkly upper areas in a portable player that I've ever heard.  The HM901 sounds bland by comparison and the Colorfly C4 doesn't even come close.  It's beautiful and shimmering, exceptionally clear and very enjoyable.  I prefer a hint of brightness to it, with that magical sparkle quality.  Just a bit of snappiness to it, just like the midrange and far from painful or annoying.  The Red Wine version seems to tone everything back down to unwanted levels to my ears and I find myself always wanting that shimmer back.  The Stock sound signature of the player worked for only the upper region in my opinion, post mod I find it lack luster.  Still very clear, maybe more so than the stock version but still very natural and lacking any special qualities on the upper regions.  I find violins, screaming guitars and vocalists shoulder shrug worthy now, but I must bring back up the fact that the Red Wine mod really helped the Bass and the Mids significantly over their stock sound.  There is always a trade off...but the post mod upper region is still extremely clear and textured.  It is just lacking that bit of sparkle that I lust for and became something more natural.  
 
Sound stage.
 
The stock sound stage was very nice on this player, but I cannot say that the player had any special qualities in this regard.  It's an all star player with soundstage.  Good width, good height, good separation and good depth...but nothing is great.  Sadly, it's still not that good post modding and I think the HM901 certainly had a more realistic and layered approach to the stereo imaging, yet was about on par in width.  I find the presentation itself very enjoyable and more than satisfactory for portable needs.  As a Dac, you might want to look elsewhere for a better deal. Expect most qualities to be pretty good, but nothing truly amazing.  
 
Build, Software and Dac
 
The player feels rock solid in my hand and has a noticeably better build quality than any of the mid-fi level music players.  Nuked the iPods and even the iBasso DX50 for sure.  It is heavier than I originally thought it would be and I enjoy the overall grip I have while holding the player on the go.  It fit my hands perfectly and to be honest I thought the protruding volume knob on the side of the Dap would annoy me, but I was very wrong.  It offers great grip and is also solidly built.  I was worried about damaging the knob with continued usage over time but it never took a scratch over all this time.  The knob itself lays perfectly in between my middle and pointer finger when I hold the unit with my left hand.  This is pretty cool, actually.  I can toggle the volume knob and hold the player with one hand.  The same cannot be said for any other player with a natural approach to gripping and actually holding the player itself.  Awesome.  It comes with a cool leather carrying case for protection and seems very rugged, but is prone to scuffing.  It's stiff hard leather and seems to take damage quite easily.  A protective screen is a must for this player, thankfully it also came with one.  Overall, I think the build quality earns top marks and shines above most others.  It is wisely designed and not huge, it is my pick for the only real portable hifi music player.  Sorry Altmann, but you guy's don't even have a pause button on yours.
 
The Firmware and software seems solid, slick, easy and properly setup.  Everything has an easy access and hey would you look at that?  A home button, EQ, Presets, and oh my gosh is that a Playlist favorites feature on a hifi portable music player?  No...it can't be!?  Yep, it is!  Thank you Astell and Kern for being the only expensive hifi player who put a Playlist function that works perfectly into your product.  To date, this is my favorite OS on a digital music player.  I enjoy it very much and I find navigating all the menus a breeze.  The problem is that the player is capable of large storage with dual micro sd cards as well as an internal 64GB spacing.  So, if you wanted to browse your tracks via track listing, forget it.  It is going to take forever if you have a track that begins with a letter near the end of the alphabet. Thankfully, other menu search functions work nicely and as they should.  However, I want to see a "back to the beginning" function added to the scrolling experience windows, one that lets you skip from Z back to A instead of needing to scroll back up through all the alphabetized artists, tracks or albums just to get to the early entries.  Beyond that, I've no experience in general gripes, it's a great thing and stress free.
 
It isn't without bugs though, I've encountered minor freezing, slugishness and stuttering often, but nothing serious that required a reboot.  The player isn't quick on the draw and takes a long time to scan your library, 128gb of flac took about 15 minutes for me each time I ran the Library Scan.  The player also isn't fast to cycle through now playing tracks, there is certainly some hang time between each track if you are tapping track skip, too fast on that tap and you are likely going to freeze the player completely for a few seconds.  But again, it held firm and never once bricked or needed a manual override.  The player caught up and resumed playing usually within a few seconds of a freeze.  
 
**The Dac section is a big bonus for anyone looking for the entire package deal.  You can find comparable dacs for 1/3 the price in a full size, but none of them are portable in my opinion.  Some claimed a few HRT models were better, I disagree.  I found the dac section on the stock AK120 to sound very nice.  The high res track capabilities are also a huge plus.  I don't want to spend any more time on this section because this should stay a portable music player review and not a Dac experience review.  However, despite that sentiment the Dac is still good and I find no issues with it.  It sounds fantastic with my JH16s and NAD HP50.**
 
The After Credits Scene
 
All in all, Astell and Kern did a good job but need to really take a step backward and get off this ultra pricing for their portable players. Then again, so do all the other Hifi Dap makers.  iBasso reset the bar and bargain price to performance ratio and I hope everyone else tries to best them somehow.   The AK120, even modded is not 8x the clarity of the AK100 or the Ibasso DX50, despite having 8x the price tag.  You are paying a huge premium for a marginal upgrade, but still the best you can get in my opinion despite being 25% better than the AK100.  That 25% makes a big difference to me and if your wallet can manage it, I'd recommend it.   Boasting exceptional build quality, an excellent software experience, a free Dac as well as a portable music player, dual micro sd card slots and a great leather case included, I've nothing really to complain about.  It's a great player...it's the only wisely designed hifi player on the market beyond $1000.  Everything else seems oddly...not at all portable despite the claims of the product being portable.  Great job, Astell and Kern, but an even better job to Red Wine.
 
Thanks for Reading.  Please rate and comment if you enjoyed the read!
 
-24bit
 

preview spot for the Conductor SL review - 9018 chip 
 
 
 
 
 
Burson Conductor SL - 9018 Chip

I really wasn't at all ready for the differences between this chip and the 9018.  Stupidly, I didn't believe my peers who told me there was a night and day difference between them.  Having booted up the 1793 first when I received the Conductor SL, I of course enjoyed the hell out of it with my Denons and the K-712, but found it not to work well with the already gently colored and highly musical LCD-3.  Upon installation of this 9018 chip, I was simply awestruck by the pureness in the stereo image.  It is dead neutral and highly dynamic, noticeably more clear to me than the 1793 but also less colored and less lushious on the bass.   The low end on this 9018 is polar opposite of it's brother the 1793.  Proving eye popping clarity on the low end that sounds much more tonally balanced and solid.  The bass is fast and this chip effortlessly lets the utmost clarity of the LCD-3 shine through, full texture, full clarity, full impact.  Nothing short of shocking in terms of clarity and texturing.  Amazing.  This chip is certainly the one to use if you have a more balanced and more neutra or dry sounding headphone.  Now, despite that recommendation, the LCD-3 is really the wild card for me, as it's low end is already gently warm and the set in general is highly musical to begin with.  Those stock qualities mixed with the pure 9018 chip provide a blisteringly clear and dynamic presentation via the LCD-3.  Unreal.  

preview spot for my Conductor SL review on the 1793 chip
 
 
 
 

Burson Conductor SL - 1793 Chip

The original Burson HA-160 has been my absolute favorite amplifier...well, ever really.  Perfect amount of warmth, beauty and style in a small package.  Lacking the power to drive the greedy Planar Magnetics out there like the LCD-3 and similar, the HA-160 house signature faded out in the first incarnation of the Conductor, which was an amplifier that sounded more pure, less warm and offering a ton more wattage output over it's little brother the HA-160.  The 1793 is a blatant upgrade over the HA-160s dac chip.  It respects the original HA-160s amazing warmth and flavor and provides a hefty increase in overall clarity.  Warm headphone lovers should opt for this chip over the 9018 if that is what you prefer.  Expect a colored experience with plenty of that original HA-160 flavor and stlye.  Headphones like the Denon D-5000, the MrSpeakers Mad Dog 3.2, JVC-DX700 and any other slightly colored and warm, bassy headphone would be very at home with this version of the Conductor SL.  Nothing short of stellar with a relaxed upper region, an almost tube like euphoric feeling in the airiness and with a gentle coloration to the sonic experience, the 1793 will make musical headphones sound that much more musical, or even add musicality to a more neutral or dry sounding headphone like the LCD-2, Hifiman HE-500 and the AKG K-712.  The low end on this headphone works very well with basshead headphones like the Denon D-5000 and even adding a much needed warmth to my Denon D-7000, in turn providing a broad and silky smooth, lighter less precise bass experience with most headphones I've tested with.  

 
 
A preview spot for my LCD-3 review coming soon.  
 
This review will be extensive, in depth and as thorough as possible.   I don't want to bore you with specification and details in the beginning of this review, you can read the details afterward.  That is just how I roll.  #likeaboss
 
 
The End Credits

Every once in a while, the audio deities bestow upon us a very special product.  Praise worthy of the highest order, shining bright upon the summit of Mt. Audiophile.  No question or doubts in my mind that no other manufacturer of Hi-Fi products has been able to take over the Audiojunky community so effectively, efficiently and as quickly as Audeze has.  Seemingly overnight, the LCD-2 won the hearts and ears of the majority of those who listened to it.  A while back, decades in Audiophile years, the LCD-3 was released. To the shock and dismay of most of the other headphones out there, they had swiftly taken over the pack as The Alpha.  The Audeze LCD-3 experience is nothing short of incredible.  From top to bottom, no other headphone in existence that I've ever listened to has been able to sucker punch me with that much class and style.  T.K.O.  Done.  I give up.  Audeze wins.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
The AKG K-712 drivers are not the same as the previous K-Series headphones. I feel better having said that. Fhew. I don’t want to bore you with more specification information in the beginning of this review, so I will start off with the Conclusion first. You can read the details afterward. That is just how I roll…#likeaboss

 

The End Credits

AKG has created a mini masterpiece in my opinion. I enjoy this headphone a great deal and it will become my go to reference headphone for the time being. She is slick, sexy, well balanced and crazy comfortable. Top that off with an unpicky nature when it comes to amplification and you’ve got yourself a real winner. I consider this headphone one of the best multi-media headphones produced lately. I can’t believe I am saying this, but this AKG headphone can sound great with rock and moderately bassy tracks. If you are a fan of the Hifman HE-500 or HE-400 but are a bit troubled by their fatiguing sound and weight, grab yourself one of these K-712′s or at least attempt to demo one. You will not be disappointed. The K-712 is buttery smooth and soft on the low end with more quantity than the previous K-Series headphones in the past. AKG has done a great job and this headphone is a gorgeous testament to how well a headphone in the mid-tier price range can sound.

 

 

The Bass

I realize it is hard for people to accept the possibility that an AKG K-Series headphone can produce a solid low end. I know…crazy right? I was pleasantly surprised to hear the K-712 output very nice low end quantity with proper EQ functions in the mix. Certainly a few steps up in quantity over the K-701 or similar models. Don’t expect a Denon D-1100, D-5000 type low end or anything basshead worthy, but do expect a more than sufficient, well balanced and divinely executed low end. It seems the K-712 is a bit voracious when it comes to voltage despite its lowly 62ohm Impedance rating. I’ve noticed that with more power on a higher gain, the low end will reveal it’s true nature. Directly fed by my ALO International on High Gain, the experience is sufficient on the low end only with proper EQ of my portable source. Without it, the headphone sounds like a typical AKG headphone: lean on the low end and a bit thin overall. However, driven by my Burson Conductor SL the experience is exceedingly smooth and more than plentiful for me in sheer quantity so long as my source is capable of pushing solid low end. Broad and stark neutral, this headphone is a great contrast to something like the Audeze bass experience, which is much more focused and in your face, less broad sounding and much harder on the slam effect than the K-712′s softer tone.

 

 

The Mids

No one quality in this headphone stands out from the rest. V-shape is totally absent from this headphone, which to me is a great thing. I hate recessed midrange or either of the three major quality factors ( Bass, Mids, Highs ) appearing more prominent than the other two in a physical sense. This is a very linear experience throughout the spectrum, very flat and well balanced sounding. Exceptional for multimedia usage and gaming in general. Dare I even say this is one of the best gaming and media headphones I’ve heard in many years.

Vocals seem a bit loose and panicked in their upper most areas, nothing serious and for the price I consider them very well set up. Not too relaxed but also not truly forward. This is not a common trait for a headphone with a stereo image that tall and wide, typically this type of sound stage experience results in a more relaxed and pushed back vocal experience. Somehow, AKG avoided that and pushed the mids upward just enough to blend seamlessly with the Bass and Highs.


 
Tracks like Jamie Foxx’s – Why off his album titled Intuition result in an unexpected smooth and balanced sound signature that I was not at all ready for. Upon first listen, I expected this headphone to be a clone of the K-701 with some minor tweaks, but was pleasantly surprised when that midrange and low end seemed more powerful and tonally balanced together. Certainly not as aired out or separated as the previous models before it, however the K-712 seems to produce exceptionally smooth and buttery bass along with the majority of the midrange. My only gripe is that the upper most area of the midrange seem a bit nasal to my ears, producing a little too much bite and hiss on notoriously sibilant tracks you might have in your collection. If the track is sibilant, the K-712 will sound sibilant. It is not at all a forgiving headphone when it comes to the upper midrange and above.

 

The Highs

The major flaw of this headphone is certainly the upper region. I find it too unforgiving and too true to the track. It will sound sibilant and harsh if your track happens to sound that way, so do not expect a forgiving experience and soft natured upper regions on his headphone. Despite that, the highs are very responsive and require an excellent amplifier to properly tame. Properly tamed by my Burson Conductor SL using the 9018 chip, a Dac Chip that is one of the most beautifully dynamic and forgiving on the upper regions piece of equipment I’ve ever experienced, the entire K-712 journey on the upper region ends up inverting itself into a relaxed presentation. Summed up, use an amplifier known for stereo imaging qualities and very smooth, forgiving highs and you will be rewarded with a highly dynamic and tonally balanced experience throughout the entire audio spectrum.  Beautiful. So beautiful in fact, I stopped using my Sennheiser HD700 completely. I have no desire to use it now, as I enjoy the flavor and overall balanced sound signature of the K-712 even more.

 

 
Bonus: Can’t do better than the Burson Conductor SL in my opinion, the amplifier literally made my ears melt with its sheer awesomness and ability to mesh with anything I tossed at it. From the LCD-3 to the K-712, the Conductor SL made everything sound great. Everything.


 

 

Stereo Imaging

I can easily consider this K-712 a drastic improvement over the last generation of K-Series headphones, it really does seem more precise and more solid sounding than anything before it. With that, the stereo image separation takes a nose dive and turns into something more focused, more realistic and less splashy as the prior K-701 sounded. There is such a thing as having too large of a sound stage, as with that large stereo width comes the potential of the image sounding overly thin, stretched out and with a looming sense of ” something just isn’t right “. Thankfully, the K-712 fixed all of that and improved the sound stage quality in general, but lessened the overall width and separation by a fair degree. Expect a very nice stereo width with good separation qualities and good height, a solid low end combined with a solid midrange makes this headphone fairly well rounded. In fact, it might be the only well rounded AKG headphone I’ve ever heard.


The K-712 sounds a lot like the Sony MA900, which itself is a fantastic value, one that I consider better for movies and media in general due to being feather light and more noggin’ friendly with respect to it’s simple headband. Liked the MA900? You are going to love the K-712. Despite the MA900 not having the excellent pinpoint accuracy and less clarity all across the board vs the K-712, it still remains, in my opinion, the best all purpose headphone ever produced.

This headphone still sounds like a typical AKG set of cans with regard to the overall coloration and presentation flavor, which is somewhere between natural and studio monitor. Hard to say what the real sound type is here because the sound signature drastically changed when I swapped my Burson Conductor SL’s 9018 chip for the very warm 1793 chip, which itself is an upgraded dac chip similar to the one in the original Burson HA-160. Depending on the headphone, you’ll want to swap out. No question the 9018 is more clear, dynamic and solid, but the overall warmth and coloration of the K-712 almost took on an Audeze house flavor with that 1793 chip in the mix: Natural and a bit warm on the low end. Where as with the 9018 chip, the K-712 tended to sound more like the Hifiman headphones. Nice to see this K-712 responds marvelously well to different amplification sound signatures. At 64ohm impedance, the headphone is very easy to drive and functions very nicely off my iBasso DX50 even on low gain, but I suggest trying to acquire a better source with regard to bass output to do the K-712 justice on the low end.

For some reason, more power and driving force equates to a better bass experience. Taken from an already smooth and lean low even via just my DX50 and ALO Internation for example, to one of the smoothest low end experiences with plenty of quantity that I’ve heard in years with the Burson. The bass quality rivals the Hifiman HE-500, which in my opinion has one of the most pure low ends in it’s price tier. I think the K-712 with proper amplification and dacs can achieve stunning clarity on the low end and mid range. Again though, watch out for that upper region as it is very unforgiving. Thankfully, the Burson really tamed it and toned it way down.

 

Final Thoughts

No doubt about it, the K-712 is a real winner in my book. I’ve been using it a lot with online gaming and movies in general. Recently, a petition appeared in some online gaming communities to have me banned from playing on my favorite servers. I can hear the enemy from so far away and with such precision due to that wide stereo image, that I often get kicked out of the game by the server owners who think I am hacking. I admit, on some instant replays after I get my easy kills, it does seem like I had some type of foresight to know exactly where said enemy will be appearing behind, popping up out of or jumping over. As a gamer, I’ve never been happier. I consider the K-712 one of the best overall gaming headphones to date and have enjoyed every second of usage with it online. The headphone is very pinpoint accurate and due to it’s light weight design at around 240grams, it can be worn indefinitely and easily for hours if need be during your late night gaming sessions.


 
Bonus: Borderlands 2 is an Audiophiles playland in digital format. If you are an audio junky, do not miss this game. It has some of the most dynamic and professionally rigged audio in all of gaming history. Highly immersing, highly engaging and accurate. Bullets, explosions and character interactions are beautiful and recorded with extreme love, affection and detail and the entire Borderlands pilgrimage is nothing short of stunning with the K-712.

 

Keep an ear out for movies with poorly recorded upper regions, as bullets, explosions and screams are just too painful on the K-712 to begin to bare for me in some bluray and dvd movies. Without the Burson or a good receiver in the mix, I tread carefully when it comes to media usage in general. No fault of the K-712, it is certainly the fault of the films sound editor failing to do his job properly most of the time. Sometimes, the treble can get too hot, so be careful with those action movies or Shia LaBeouf incessant screaming scenes.

Despite the lightweight design, AKG still hasn’t learned that the giant halo design is undesirable. The K-550 has a beautifully designed and simplistic headband with a similar sized earcup design, so I see no reason for reverting right back to the Dark Ages of Audio when headbands were designed the way most AKG headphones are. The upper region is too unforgiving and unreflective of it’s price tag and require a dac or amplifier that can tame it. However, all other sonic qualities remain gorgeous. The K-712 is beautiful, boasting exceptional smoothness on the low end, a highly immersing stereo image and is something that will make online gamers very happy. AKG will be releasing the K-812 very soon and I am certainly willing to fight someone over a pit of acid and spikes just to be among the first to hear or review it.

8.5/10 Great Job, AKG!

--------------------------------

Technical Specifications

GENERAL

Headphone type open
Audio Frequency bandwidth 10 to 39800 Hz
Sensitivity headphones 105 dB SPL/V
Max. Input Power 200 mW
Rated Impedance 62 Ohms
Earpads
Detachable cable yes
Cable Length 3 m
Earpads Replaceable yes

AUDIO INTERFACE

Type Screw-on Jack Combo (1/4″ and 1/8″)
Gender Male
Contacts 3-pin
Interface Finish Gold
DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT
Length 113 mm
Width 199 mm
Height 212 mm
Net Weight 235 g

My experience with the iBasso DX50 has been one hell of a wild ride. Many bumps in the road, trials and tribulations along the way but somehow, as if by the grace of the Audiophile Gods themselves the DX50 has finally evolved into something functional. By no means did it start out that way, but I don’t want to bore you with the details right in the beginning of this review. I will start off with the conclusion first, you can read the details afterwards.  That is just how I roll.  #likeaboss

 
 
The After
 
I am astounded by the overall clarity and dynamics the DX50 is capable of.   It sounds pretty much the same as the Astell & Kern AK100 to me, which itself sells for a blistering $700.  The $239 iBasso DX50 is the best overall value portable media device I have ever touched or have been made aware of.  Nothing even comes close to this type of a value...that is if you ignore the fact that it is also the buggiest and most glitchy portable music player ever.  In the Hi-Fi Dap world, this is a serious statement.  Most, if not all of the most expensive and popular "Audiophile" music players have one trait in common: an impaired User Interface.  Despite the near infinite failure of the DX50's Buggy Interface, the sonic experience itself has been nothing short of sublime.   Drunkenly stumbling into the portable music player world, it somehow managed to pull out a win.  Despite having the most needlessly rushed and imperfect launch of a portable music device that I have ever witnessed, the player sounds like a true heavy hitter. 
 

Bugs and Glitches 


 

Many people have experienced a vast array of problems, bugs and glitches along the way. Thankfully, I am not one of them and have only experienced a few minor bugs myself. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. Cyrus at iBasso and I seem to get along really nicely and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with the company. Due in part to making an impression upon them, I was able to snatch a DX50 early on before Batch 1 was made available to the public. I received mine just after Batch 1 was released for order and have experienced the player from the stock v1.0 firmware, all the way up to the current third firmware release titled v1.2. The Stock v1.0 firmware in Batch 1 was so buggy that I refused to use it after the first day, instead waiting for the next firmware update about a week later. Load times were excessive, constant freezing and a host of other issues that made the DX50 almost totally unusable.

Many people experienced excessive system crashes, freezes, connectivity issues and volume related problems. I personally experienced severe connectivity issues up until the latest v1.2 firmware release, forced to factory reset the player each and every time I wanted to add music to the internal drive or update the firmware. Once the DX50 was removed from my computer, it would not re-recognize again until the Factory Reset was performed. Daunting, to say the least. I’ve experienced only one serious system crash that forced me to pull the user replaceable battery out of the back side of the unit. Beyond that, I’ve experienced only a handful of random freezes that only lasted a few seconds to a few minutes.

I am extremely giddy over the idea that iBasso seems to care about these problems and is addressing them piece by piece with these firmware updates, but 3 firmware updates in less than a month should be a warning sign to the company that they did something wrong, rushed it and got too excited. Some companies tend to get overexcited at the idea of a multi-hundred page thread on the internet about their product even before it is ever heard by human ears. Take your time with it, make it right, do it right and put your finalized product out with a functional firmware and UI. Unfortunately, iBasso did not follow this formula and instead opted to push their product out before any trials were completed. Thankfully, the very first firmware update fixed a ton of issues and made the player usable, but still very unstable. 2 updates later, it still has some issues that need to be worked out but are only minor gripes to my ears. The Playlist function needs to be fixed immediately.


Originally and on all pre-v1.2 firmware, the Add to a Playlist function appeared when you were navigating the All Music, Artist or Album directories. Once inside, you are forced to touch a very small album art icon next to the track name of any given song. Upon touching that area, a new menu would appear with the option to Delete the track or add it to a Playlist. If you improperly touched that tiny album art icon, it would enable the song to play in the Now Playing window from where there is no way to add that song to a Playlist. Firmware v1.2 finally brought the Playlist directory when previously where was no menu to enter to view your tracks or Playlists in the first place. Currently and thankfully we can now add tracks to the Playlist in the aforementioned navigation directories, however they are all still completely useless. Whoever coded this software, as it seems to be with every single Hi-Fi Dap on the market, tends to leave the Playlist / Favoriting function completely broken, impaired, missing or even unusable.   My advice to iBasso is to get on this quick and enable the larger Album Art inside the Currently Playing track window to open the Add to a Playlist menu. What is up with this broken Playlist function in most Audiophile music players, it is as if the very same engineer was hired by each company to code that area of the UI.

 
Hey, remember a while back in this review when I said the sonic quality was stellar? The DX50′s internal Dac is the very same WM8740 24bit ( lol ) audio sampling rate chip inside the equally great iBasso D42 Mamba revision. I had no doubt early on that this new music player would sound fantastic based on that specification detail. I wasn’t alone, a 100+ page thread appeared on the popular Audiophile internet forums months before the product was even released. Simply put, the WM8740 is highly regarded in the audio community and anyone who has ever heard it was well aware of what it is capable of. On a side note, the Fiio X3 shares the same chip yet sounds noticeably inferior to my ears than the DX50. Whatever other components are inside of this DX50, they are of a very high standard and work together wonderfully.

The stereo imaging on this little thing is fantastic and rivals the famous Hisoundaudio Studio V in many ways. While it doesn’t have the angelic stereo sound-stage depth the V is known for, it does however crush it in width and height, immersion and separation qualities. Nobody expected the DX50 to sound this open and spacious. Astell and Kern, are you paying attention?



The Bass

The low end quality and quantity of this product is good and more than acceptable for the price. The major downfall here is that the DX50′s customized EQ functions are basically useless and offer very little bass enhancement. You can crank that baby up to 88 miles per hour and not hear a lick of difference in the bass department over a flat neutral setting. The entire EQ area acts like a radiation zone. Nothing works right and it is a place that you don’t want to revisit after the first test or trial run. Summed up, the EQ area is almost totally non responsive. The flat neutral setting is the best. Stick with it, as the DX50 is simply not capable of pushing even nearly as much quantity on the low end as something like a Cowon J3. Don’t let this downfall bother you though, the stock bass output on the DX50 is still good, but if you are a bass head and don’t plan to run the DX50 through an amplifier, I would certainly avoid this product.

The experience has drastically evolved after each firmware update. On the stock 1.0 platform, the DX50 sounded lean on the bass, but snappy as well. Upon the first firmware update, the bass changed texture and became more broad and solid, clearly with an additional weightiness as well. Running on the current v1.2, the bass was again changed to yet more smooth, more solid and noticeably less snappy. This is a good thing that improved on an already good thing to begin with. All the changes were positive in my opinion, yet that EQ remained useless throughout each rendition of the firmware.

 


 
The Mids

As a reviewer, I am positively puzzled beyond imagining as to how to review the mid range of this Dap. When the unit arrived on the stock 1.0 firmware, the mid-range was extremely forward, tall and airy. Almost muffled were my first impressions with regard to clarity. Once again, similar to the bass experience evolution, the mids also evolved into a more relaxed, clear and solid feeling experience. I personally enjoy a forward mid experience, I like my vocals up close and personal. With the latest v1.2 firmware, the mids are noticeably more pushed back and in turn the stereo image seems shorter and wider than before. I am a bit saddened by this.

Now, despite all that, the overall clarity is excellent. The player remains quiet for most of my headphones and iems even on High Gain output. With High Gain active, the upper mid-range takes a nose dive in clarity and smoothness and turns into something a bit more snappy and a bit shaky. This is a common issue with High Gain modes on most amplifiers and music players that use a similar feature. Via my JH16 custom iems, the Low Gain setting is very quiet and smooth. I dare not increase the voltage output into the Medium or High Gain mode, as the DX50 on High Gain is powerful enough to drive my Audeze LCD3 and MrSpeakers Mad Dog Planar Magnetic headphones. Medium gain seems to be the most common switch I stick to, as it is almost equally quiet as the Low Gain but has the benefit of the higher output, however it is also not as shaky in the mids as High Gain seems to output with my LCD3 and Mad Dog. The switch from Low to Medium renders slightly more mid bloom in the vocals, making the artist seem a bit closer to you. Stick to Medium gain mode with a higher volume number instead of High Gain mode with a lower volume number. Seems to work out the best for overall clarity to driving power ratio.

Jamie Foxx’s – Why off his album titled Intuition is a highly engaging vocal experience in the mid range as well as the low end. This is one of my go to albums for testing ever since it was released back in 2008. It offers a wide variety of low end bass texturing and quantities and mirrors that variety into its mid range experiences. Jamie is an excellent vocalist and I enjoy his music very much. The DX50s more forward than relaxed mid range is accentuated and reflected backward by most tracks off this album. They work very well together, as will any tracks that are not overly forward or too distant in the mid experience. Exceptional clarity for the price of $239. Beautiful, potent, buttery smooth and very satisfying.

 

The Highs

Throughout each firmware update, I’d never found the upper regions to be a nuisance. Quality seemed to gently increase after each firmware upgrade and I shrug my shoulders at the overall upper region experience. While the Highs are not particularly amazing like the Hifiman HM-901 or the AK120 ( both of which are over 5x the price of the DX50 ) they are pretty much the same as the other major players in the price tier like the Fiio X3 and the HM-602. Both of which had a brighter than normal upper range with some sparkle and bite factor. It could be deemed overly snappy and forceful at times if your source track is more sibilant than flat. I wouldn’t call the DX50 forgiving or smooth on the upper end, but I am on the fence about calling it aggressive. Despite getting stuck on that barbed wire gate, the Highs are still fairly clear despite being a bit potent.

 

Final Thoughts 

The DX50 is clearly going to be an ongoing endeavor. This product is built on an Android platform, so expect Rockboxing to come along sometime in the future. Who knows how many more firmware updates will be needed to finalize the DX50 into a complete product, free of bugs and void of all quirky glitches and stress. I never expected this player to be half as great in sonic quality as it is, yet one that gives me the option of future large media storage expansion with the OTG input option via an external hard drive. USB Thumb drives increase in size much faster than MicroSD cards, right now you can land a 128gb USB Thummy for under $100, with proper driving power via a wall outlet, any compatible external drive should be fine. For the time being, we are all stuck with 64gb MicroSD cards and the internal 6GB or so hard drive space of the DX50. Dropping an extra Thumb drive capacity into the mix is mind blowingly awesome and a very appreciated function. This will be great for those who attend meets and wish to have a large storage device and enjoy showing off their gear to others. Being stuck with a small amount of music is never a good thing.

At the end of the day, I found the DX50 to perform remarkably well. Despite the bugs in the system, the UI is slick, beautiful and simplistic. I rather enjoy it and the thought of a potential Rockbox UI swap in the future makes me overly excited. I will be recommending the player and ignoring the current list of system glitches, they are lessening with time and improving with each firmware update. A few more is needed to make the system perfect though. With great build quality, a nice LCD screen and a simplistic, pocket friendly power house design, the DX50 scores high clarity marks across the board. It is sleek, potent, wallet friendly and one of the best looking portable players I’ve ever seen. Highest overall audio quality to price ratio in the current portable music player world, no doubt about it. 9.5/10 for sound quality to price performance on the current firmware…was still a 9/10 in the dreadful v1.0 original firmware!

Current v1.2 firmware experience – 6.5/10
Original v1.0 firmware experience – 0.5 /10


 
 

 
  

JH16Pro Freqphase Custom In Ear Monitor
8 driver, triple bore design
10hz - 20 kHz
Impedance: 18 Ohms
$1149 
 
I once met Jerry about 10 years ago when he was still with Ultimate Ears.  At the time, I had no idea this man would eventually design one of the coolest, most shockingly yummy and satisfying headphone experiences ever.  Sonic Gold, my friends.  Sonic Gold, indeed.  I don't want to bore you with information in the beginning of this thread, so I will start off with the Conclusion first.  You can read the details afterward.  That is just how I roll...#likeaboss
 
 

 
The After
 
Audio FREQ's unite! The JH16 Pro Freqphase is scores high marks pretty much across the board. I highly recommend this monitor for anyone looking for a fun, highly musical, highly engaging, far from stark neutral experience. This is the stuff of the future, no question about it.  Something extremely personal and tailored for emotionally driven sonic experiences that can make or break your day.  After all, what is this hobby all about if not to enjoy music to the fullest potential imaginable.  Invoke something inside of you, escape from reality.  Sonic Drug Overdoses and Digitally allocated trips.  Getting lost for a few moments out of the day and forgetting the stresses in life, perhaps to mend a broken heart or slowly wallow into the deepest, darkest regions of space.  It is all about the musical journey, isn't it?  I can't speak for others, all I can say is that there are times when life can really get you...which headphone are you going to reach for when life knocks on your door?  The JH16 Pro is pretty much the best all arounder in the CIEM world that I am aware of. It is not the best, but it sure is one of the most fun and lively, most highly engaging and coherent experiences I've had in many years.
 
One for the money, two for the show...Hail to the King, Baby!  
 
 
The Before
 
 
A few years ago, the original JH16 was hailed as one of the best sonic experiences a human being can get in a custom inner ear monitor. ( CIEM for short )  Somehow, as if struck on the head with a bolt of lightning, or perhaps abducted by aliens, he was able to squeeze out the final 10% of what the elder JH16 was capable of:  He called it Freqphase.  It is Future Tech and in my opinion at the forefront of modern audio methodology, something that would be right as rain inside Captain Picards ears. Yes, the character was definitely an Audiophile and advocate of losing yourself in great music! 
 

 

 
Time Alignment is another term often used for what this "Freqphase" does.  Basically, all the sonic qualities from the lowest lows to the highest upper regions, all travel into the ear canal at roughly the same time.  In turn, everything sounds extremely coherent, effortless and down right tasty.  It is as it should be.  Most of you know this already so I won't go into detail on how CIEM's work. I predict that in the not too distant future, perhaps at the turn of the next decade, all headphones will employ their own version of this Freq'ed Out Time Alignment.  As cellular phones have advanced so far over the past generation, so too will Audio and Video products of all types.  Time Aligned audio equipment will become the social norm to the future youth of the world, they will be ignorant to the fact that we older Audio junkies had to wait for someone to finally get it right.  Don't feel bad.   Hi-Fi years are like reverse dog years, we've been in the dark ages for what seems like forever.
 
The JH16ProFR is not my favorite custom.  That title goes to my lovely UM Merlin.  Personal preference.  I prefer the tonality of the Merlin, but regard the JH16 as the Alpha of the pack. The JH16 trumps pretty much every Custom I have ever owned, and have I owned a few:  The original JH16 and 13, Westone ES5, Clear Tunes CT200, Livewire Triple, 1964 Earz, and lastly the Xfinity X3.  
 
 
 
The Gear
 

 
 
My primary home Dac lately has been the ALO International, prior to that it was the Matrix Mini.  Yes, I am a balanced snob.  I tossed my Matrix Mini into storage the instant I found out that it wasn't a true balanced design and that conversion from single ended to balanced was taking place inside of it.  I never dove deep into it, but once I heard my gear on the International I felt solidly enough to disregard the Mini indefinitely.  Sure, it sounded pretty darn good...but I'm a snob.  Remember?  More to come on the International soon, I will provide a link to a detailed review of it coming soon.  I also use a Black Dragon 3.5mm to ALO Balanced Interconnect from Moon-Audio. 
 

 

 
 
The Deep End
 
 
The Low End Bass Experience is positively sublime, solid, weighty and ever so satisfying...but only when properly fed the right source.  Out of my primary portables which include the AK120 and the Cowon J3 ( review of the AK120 also coming soon ) the low end is seriously lacking in potential liquidity and overall shock value.  With my HPL Balanced cable and International in Dac mode that is fed by Foobar2000 and the savory Real Bass Exciter DSP, the JH16 becomes a bass monster.  In more portable setups, something like this J3 > Black Dragon 3.5mm to ALO Balanced Interconnect > Internationals Balanced Output > JH16, the experience is shoulder shrug worthy at best to my ears.  Yes, it is quite special in this setup, but a substantial step down from a great Desktop setup.  Balanced or not, the JH16 sounded great and seems heavily dependent on source quality over amplification.  It is a light weight in my opinion and does not at all require anything more than Low Gain settings on most portable amplifiers.  When I am feeling Dubsteppish, I turn to the J3+International as my portable source due to that insane low end customization equalizer.  She hits hard and deep, but noticeably more chunky compared to one of the more upper tier portables.  For all other occasions on the go, I turn to the AK120 by itself. 
 
I wouldn't call the JH16 a Bass Head CIEM, but I would say that Bass Heads won't be upset by the lack of low end kick and rumble that is possible with the proper setup.  What I love about this Freqphase thing is that my original JH16 seemed to mask the mids noticeably more than the Freqphase version does when I feed it some low end EQ.  Got a Bass Booster on your portable source or amp?  No problem. The JH16 can handle it.  You get an ever so gentle warmness to it without morphing into something colored.  It is right on that border of typical Hi-Fi speaker setups but with a slight tint to make it both "Fun and Hi-Fi" at the very same time.  
 
Blue Sky's
 
Sure, most people rave about the Mids of this monitor, but hardly anyone raves about the upper regions.  Let me tell you something: I totally forgot Sibilance even existed when I first heard these.  The higher regions of the spectrum are absolutely, shockingly polite.  They retain solid bite factor without being overly forceful.  This is extremely rare with the customs that I have owned, only the ES5 in my opinion even comes close to this yet is still a light year away from the presentation quality of the upper areas.  Screaming guitars, violins and even harsh piano key strikes remain highly engaging without being harsh or too snappy.  ( Gosh, I hate when headphones make me wince.)  Thankfully, the JH16 remains extremely fun without being boring and while portraying supreme clarity all around.  All of the above applies to the Mid range and vocal experiences.  I need not say more about it. 
 
I have a gripe.  It is a small gripe...but still a gripe.  The JH16 is certainly not the most dynamic presentation in a custom you can get, but I will say again that it is probably the most coherent.  Your 10-2 o'clock range is extremely well focused but it remains far from the best monitor for stereo separation width and depth.  That reach out into space feel is not as eye popping as say the ES5 or the Merlin, nor is it as wide as the Merlin in this case, but those customs seem to lose something in the music in most tracks I listen to.  Something is missing, things seem too wide to be considered realistic.  ( Once again the JH16 Coherency reigns supreme in this area )  My gripe is the lack of stereo separation. The CT200 and the ES5 certainly beat the JH16 in airiness and separation of instruments...but lag behind everywhere else. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Most tracks off The Essential Michael Jackson collection were beautifully restored and cleaned up over their original CD release counterparts. Special music cues that cause my jaw to drop were mostly found on the vinyl to CD conversion and were mostly post-digital compression.  I enjoy the older analog sound to the more modern digital compression that is very common with recordings post 1990 or so.  
 
Billie Jean Highlights:  Shockingly engaging drum taps at the very beginning of the track that are followed by an airy low end.  Vocals presented in a middle ground effect that is closer to forward than laid back, but still mid-ground to my ears.  The clarity throughout the entire spectrum is top tier and unrivaled, in my opinion, with the JH16 and compared to other customs I have owned.  Stellar, but still more enjoyable on the LCD2 and the Merlin, both known for excellent low end oomph and lush presentations.
 
Can You Feel It:  Due to the last few years of my Audiophile life being devoted to Planar Magnetics, I had forgotten how well this specific track was recorded back in the day.  Wide, Spacious and dynamic.  A perfect setup for the JH16 and significantly more enjoyable in terms of dynamics and an overall spacious yumminess compared to the likes of my LCD2 or HE-6.  Noticeably less grain on the JH16 than these two headphones via the International as my Dac.  Always nice to not feel like a level 100 Kingler isn't Vice Gripping my head while I listen to my tunes.  
 
 

 
Another great Album that is overlooked by the majority of my local friends and fellow Audio Hobbyists would be the Jazz Audiophile Voices Collection.  What a fantastic barrage of sonic bliss that spans from the 1940s all the way into modern times.  Due to the golden mid range and supreme clarity of the JH16 Pro, this is one of my favorite albums to listen to.  Most of these tracks are void of clutter, are slow paced and focus on the voice more than the instrumentals softly playing in the background.  A fantastic vocal experience.  I have found that tracks with focus on a vocal track and lean on the low end bass seem to play equally as nice on my portable rig as they do on my desktop setup.  This is not the case with most genres, but in particular, Jazz seems seems to be one of the better genres to listen to on the go with portable rigs that are not ultra high end.  Even the AK120 doesn't seem to have the same dynamic presence my desktop rig has, sure it is grand, but not stellar and reaching into the heavens.  Thankfully, I am a Jazzophile and most of my music collection is filled with this type of music.  I'm a product of the 40s in my mind.  Born into the wrong era it seems.  Most of my favorites are from that swinging jazz and ice berg lounge type of big band feel.  These Voice collection albums are excellent.  Definitely check them out if you get the chance.  The JH16 is the only headphone outside of the Stax 009 that I want to use with Jazzy Genres...
 
 

 
Ah here is where the fun begins, at long last.  Despite most of my tunes referencing the old school Jazz genres, I do enjoy a wider but still random and splashy laundry list of other genres.  I've been known to rock out with Metallica, heck I met Lars a while back...he smelled kinda funny but it was awesome to see him play 5 ft away from me.  I do blues, rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, soul. I can handle rock, pop, country, heavy metal, fusion, hip hop, rap, Motown, operetta, show tunes. In fact, I even listen to polka! However Caribbean is a type of music, I regret to say, which has not been, is simply not, nor will ever be a part of my repertoire. Ahem...moving on.  I've lately gotten into the Dubstep thing.  I'm sorry, Nonstop is a genius and I just can't stop watching some of his videos.  I thought it impossible, but I'm enjoying the really hardcore Dubstep scene from artists and bands like Watch The Duck's.  The beats and lyrics are so catchy and fun.  I enjoy Skrillex and find the bass Drops to be moderately enjoyable in comparison to my Merlin for example.  Which for this genre especially, seems on par with my LCD2.  Yummy Bass at its best without a doubt, but lacking that envelopment.  Something about this genre just does not go over to well with the JH16 to my ears.  Lindsey Stirling's - Crystallize is a track I enjoy very much and I just can't enjoy it as much with the JH16 as I do with my LCD2 or Merlin's.  It just doesn't sound right.  This is subjective of course, but I feel the JH16 low end to be more reference with excellent deepness than warmth or envelopment.  It is solid bass, but not expansive, which is the type of tonality to the low end frequencies that I seem to prefer for anything Bass oriented that is not an upright bass or invoked in a classical track from bassy instruments.  It does the job well, but not great for tracks highly centralized to Bass in general.  This is definitely more of a rocking out custom than a bass head custom.  Something to enjoy most genres and performing very well, but definitely lacking a bit for bass-centered music...still supremely clear though! Believe it or not, I just want more bass out of the JH16 on the go and hoped it would respond much more deeply on my portable rig.  On my desktop rig that low end seems more plentiful but that is due to some DSP usage I think.   On the go, however, things are not up to my standards, especially not after keeping the UM Merlin as my primary portable.
 
For everything else, I feel comfortable in placing my customs in my inventory box for storage for a while.  I personally wanted the JH16 Pro's low end to be a bit more warm and expansive, wide and enveloping.  Instead, its more precise, solid and supremely clear.  I wanted more texture, more off a wild tendency to it, but that is just my two cents on the subject, pretty much everything else is untouchable to my ears.  
 

 
-24bit

Copied from my original review on Headfonics.  If you would be kind enough to post a comment after reading my review, I would greatly appreciate it. 
 
 

 
Every once and a while, the Audiophile universe manifests something that is truly worthy of praise in the highest regard. Something to be revered and able to strike with sufficient power far beyond it’s own weight class. I believe that the Mad Dog by Mr.Speakers happens to be one of those rare gems. I don’t want to bore you with information in the beginning of this review, so I will start off with the Conclusion first. You can read the details afterward. That is just how I roll…#likeaboss
 
 
The After
 
 
There have been many attempted revisions, remastering’s and modifications of the Fostex T50RP over the years. Some have succeeded in the endless pursuit to squeeze the life out of the T50RP for all its worth, others have ended in absolute disaster after being strapped to a rocket ship and blasted off into space, never to be heard by human ears again. My heart goes out to any aliens who might stumble across them floating somewhere out there in the void, tumbling forever in the vast emptiness that eventually coalesced with other rejected T50RP mods, creating an autonomous-sentient life form hell bent on the destruction of all things. Thankfully, MrSpeakers has spawned an incredible modified T50RP in their Mad Dog. With great pleasure, I would like to say this headphone has made it into my top 5 favorite headphones of all time. Dare I even say it is one of the best closed back headphones ever produced. It is highly engaging, mid forward and boasting incredible value in terms of well-roundedness. From multimedia usage with movies and gaming, to classical and back again . The Mad Dog is one of very few headphones out of dozens I’ve played with over the past few years alone that I wish to keep for myself…and that is really saying something considering the recent wave of Planar Magnetic Masterpieces that were released in recent times. This headphone is not a specialist, it does everything well. In terms of overall price to performance, it is one of the highest ranking headphones ever produced in my humbled opinion.
 
 

 
 
The Gear
 
MrSpeakers Mad Dog ( A Fostex T50RP Modification )
Hifiman HE-500 / Audeze LCD-3 / JH16
ALO International / Burson HA160 / Schiit Lyr
iBasso DX50 / Cowon J3 / Hisoundaudio Studio V
Cables by Moon Audio
 
 
The Lows
 
Planar Magnetic driver designs typically output a more solid wall of bass with a liquid like texture. The stock, unmodified T50RP was lean on the low end bass experience and did not respond very well to Equalization. The Mad Dog responds very nicely to low end EQ via Foobar2K’s Real Bass Exciter DSP ( which is a simple, free downloadable add on for the Foobar software that offers a much greater bass output than the stock EQ function ). With this, you can really test what is possible with the low end of your headphone or speakers. Shockingly, with light toggling of the bass output switch you can alter the Mad Dog from a generally intermediate low end quantity headphone into a bass-heads delight. The bass is capable of becoming very tenacious, very solid and weighty with proper amplification and a bassy source. This headphone is more dependent on source low end quantity than high voltage output, but still remains a fairly inefficient set of headphones that require a high gain voltage. Via just my ALO International and iBasso DX50 combination for example, the low end experience is heavily lacking but still well within the realm of being lean even on high gain. Due to the exceptional bass output potential, I’d suggest a Cowon product to better achieve a sturdy low end. In Dac mode, the International really doesn’t have the low end to even remotely begin to do the Mad Dog bass quantity justice, so that is where the Real Bass Exciter DSP becomes a high value component to the setup. With just a minor increase in bass output, you get enveloped in a yummy but firm low end experience. Truly remarkable in terms of the way the bass is portrayed and exuded, so very solid, smooth and powerful without being overly baring or snappy. Gotta’ love that Planar Magnetic Bass. So tasty!
 
 
 
 
 
 
  The Addicted To Bass LP is naturally a bass heads dream come true that mostly focuses on heavy Dubstep, fast
  pounding bass and a beautifully scenic vocal experience. Definitely something you’d want to check out if you are
  into the Dubstep scene. Tracks like Take My Breath Away, for example, really make this headphone shine and
  reveal it’s true nature: something geared for a highly musical, fun and addictive experience. So satisfying and
  never upsetting on the low end.
 
 
 
 
The Mids
 
 
I am impressed by how realistic and well defined the mids and vocals are in this Mad Dog. Well defined in regards of body, weight and overall presence. Most other headphones in this price tier will bow before it’s vocal experience, I can’t name a single headphone in the sub $500 world that can touch it in terms of both clarity and how well the vocals are physically reproduced inside the stereo image. Exceptional definition and forwardness. This is not a relaxed, laid back headphone. Instead, the forward presence of the mid range excels in overall engaging qualities. Due to excellent stereo image height this headphone offers, vocal experiences within the Mad Dog are extremely intimate, more like sitting near the artist instead of a front row experience in headphones known for a wider sound stage. Stereo-image height is very important to the mid range experience, in my opinion. Of course, the mid range is not as clear as something like my Audeze LCD-3 for example, nor are the mids as physically definable in the void of the stereo image, but they are sure good enough to cause the overall value of the LCD-3 and Hifiman Planar Magnetic’s to drastically depreciate in value.
 
 
 
 

Cynthia Harrel’s Snake Eater ( Camouflage Version ) is an exceptionally forward and spacious track off the Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater OST and happens to be one of my favorite songs. The experience via the Mad Dog is visceral, highly dynamic and eerily spacious in stage-depth. The entire album is jam packed with excellent recordings and highly dynamic vocal experiences that really make the Mad Dog Shine. Also Check out the Essential Michael Jackson Collection if you are into Pop Vocals. This collection is composed of restored hits from the King of Pop that sound beautiful in comparison to their original CD releases, shining brightly via the Mad Dog’s phenomenal mid range.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Bonus: Borderlands 2 is rare in the video game industry and highly regarded for its phenomenal
sound production.  This game caters to Audiophiles and whoever lead the sound design team needs to be praised and given an award of some type. ( Perhaps a free high end headphone for their excellent work, but not my headphones. I’m super stingy and will defend my audio gear to the death! ) This game is heavily dependent on sound-scape and staging qualities but is also highly centralized on character voices and interactions. The overall quality is unprecedented and something to not be missed if you are an Audiophile Gamer. With the Mad Dog, the entire Borderlands 2 pilgrimage is simply gorgeous. Truly, this game is an Audiophiles Playland. From Bullets to character interactions, the experience is heavily reliant on stereo image and sonic depth of field. Summed up, The Mad Dog is one of the best multimedia and gaming experiences in it’s price tier.
 
 

 
 
The Ups and Downs
 
If this headphone has one flaw, it would be the upper region. While not particularly amazing, it certainly isn’t lacking either. I consider it to be a tad out of place with the rest of the headphone in terms. For my tastes, its a bit bright and snappy with cymbal high hats and fast piano key strikes. Treble heads look elsewhere if that is your thing, but know that the Mad Dog’s upper regions are still highly engaging and fun. I find them to provide a smooth experience so long as the track isn’t fast paced. Cymbals and piano keys in a faster genre seem to bleed and fuse together a bit too much for my tastes. I consider this to be a small gripe due to the original unmodded T50RP upper region boasting a noticeably inferior upper area experience. Mr.Speakers properly dampened the drivers, something that was sorely lacking on the original Fostex T50RP.
 

 
Takehito Yamada’s Kingdom Hearts Piano Collection is by far my favorite instrumental album along with the Final Fantasy X Piano Collection. Both are absolutely stellar, but one of my favorite tracks off either album would beDearly Beloved. A highly vibrant but slow, emotional track. It breaks my heart that this track is only just over two minutes in length due to showcasing the type of upper regions the Mad Dog works best with. Slow paced piano key strikes have an excellent and realistic sonic decay rate, in turn providing a deep, fatigue free experience. The Upper region of this headphone is indeed a bit bright as I’ve mentioned, which seems to get a bit smeared during a fast paced jazz piano track for example. However, slow to moderately paced listening tracks in the classical or jazz genres will suit this headphone nicely. Screaming guitars also are highly engaging, as are violins and flutes. Once again, the Mad Dog is showcasing it’s well roundedness by handling most genres nicely.
 
 

 
 
Sound staging and Comfort
 
Combined with a spacious amplifier like my Burson HA-160, the Mad Dog performs on a grand scale with regard to the stereo imaging depth. That reach out and touch the artist value is high on this headphone and to my surprise ended up testing extremely well with online gaming and FPS shooters. Borderlands and Battlefield are video games that are extremely immersing and engaging in the sound staging departments. Bullets whizzing by, characters speaking from a distance, sneaking enemies just around the corner are easily placed and spotted, even if they are not visible and happened to be hiding, unseen behind a wall hoping to take you out by surprise. No need to worry about those sneak attacks of your best friend trying to stab you in the back, the Mad Dog has excellent spacial placement of sounds. You will hear them coming. I believe this headphone to have one of the best, if not the best sound stage depth in its class, excellent height and average width. The experience seems set up for those who enjoy intimacy in their presentation qualities.
 
The Alpha pads are very plush and comfortable, offering a great deal of physical give and an excellent feeling of your ears sinking into the lambskin pads themselves. Comfy and cozy. The Mad Dog provides a very good airiness to the presentation with decent instrument separation. Scalability is phenomenal. Going from my International in Dac mode to something like my Burson HA-160 is quite a step up in dynamics, adding a fantastic and very needed warmth to the low end over the closer to sterilized feel of the low end via the International alone.
 
 
End Credits
 
Is this the end, or just the beginning? MrSpeakers has a new model coming out very soon called the Alpha Dog. Promises of a superior product over the Mad Dog seems absolutely insane and excites me greatly that there is even more potential goodness to squeeze out of the T50RP drivers. If MrSpeakers says they can do it or have already done it, I have no trouble blindly trusting them and placing my pre-order immediately if that option were available. I’ve not been this impressed with a headphone in a very long time and I can’t find any problems with it. The headphone is great to lounge around the house with and enjoy movies and gaming, as well as high quality music of almost any genre. Not many headphones out there can boast such qualities, yet one that costs only $299? My goodness, no question about it. The Mad Dog is my favorite mid tier closed back headphone of all time. Highly musical, highly engaging, highly responsive and useful in multiple media applications. Coming in a variety of cable options, the Mad Dogs scores a rare 9/10 Value.
 
Thanks for reading.
-24bit