Introduction
Finding a great isolating closed headphone has been my white whale for years. I’ve gone through the B&W P7, NAD Viso HP50, Denon D2000, Fostex TH-X00, a modded Fostex T20RP, modded XB950BT, and a Beyerdynamics T5p in my hunt. Every closed headphone I’ve tried had their own weaknesses and it became a game of trying to find out which tradeoffs I was willing to accept.
When I saw hype about the Cascadia Audio Talos, a new T50RP mod, I was intrigued. Most T50RP mods I’ve tried, like the Mr. Speakers line, disappointed me in the treble. The Talos was a v-shaped, fun T50RP tuning -- unique, and more affordable than most T50RP mods. This was the first bright T50RP mod I’ve seen, so I needed to see if they had nailed the treble properly.
I purchased the Talos a week ago and I’ve spent a lot of time with them now. I’ve been using them as my daily drivers at home and work.
Long story short, the Talos is a bargain at its current price of $250. It’s a delightful headphone that works great in the home or office. The bass slams hard, the treble shines through, and they have all of the markings of a great v-shaped headphone.
My Biases
My daily driver for the past several years has been the HD800. I’ve used various mods on it, but I am currently using it with equalization to level out the treble peaks and boost the sub-bass. These are my reference most of the time.I tend to enjoy deep, extended, and even emphasized sub-bass. I like treble both neutral and emphasized, but I am bothered if the treble is too recessed or recessed with peaks. The DT990 is too hot in the treble for me, but I enjoy almost everything from darkness of the Audeze LCD-2 pre-fazor to the bright HD800 stock.
Build Quality and Comfort
Cascadia Audio replaced the stock pads on the T50RP with Brainwavz hybrid pads -- velour on the head, pleather on the side. These pads are very plush and big. Combined with the medium clamp of the T50RP headband, these are some of the most comfortable pads I’ve worn on a closed headphone.There is a leather headband on the headphones under the stock headband. Thanks to the headband, the headphone distributes its weight more uniformly than a stock T50RP. The Talos has some heft to it, but the headband makes them very comfortable for a heavier headphone.
The headband adjustment is the normal T50RP sliders. It’s a simple and effective system. You push the headband up to the right height on both sides and that’s it.
Other than that, these feel like a standard T50RP. They’re built solidly and have a removable cable. They do use stickers for branding, but it’s a minor aesthetic detail. I personally use the V-Moda Audio Only Cable with them, but they come with an orange angled short cable and a black 1/4in longer cable.
Sound Impressions
For a $250 closed-back headphone, the Talos sounds great. They’re very fun sounding, but maintain a tasteful v-shaped tuning. The DT990, for example, is a fun and v-shaped headphone but overdoes the treble. I had to mod my DT990s to be a bit more subdued to enjoy them, but the Talos are great without mods.Most planar headphones have linear, extended bass, but the Talos opts for an emphasized punchy mid-bass. If you’re a basshead, you’ll love the Talos’ impact. The sub-bass is a few dB quieter than the mid-bass, but still rumbles strongly. The bass quality is solid, but not phenomenal. The bass is a bit looser and warmer than the bass on the NAD Viso HP50. The bass presentation is more musical than tight and detailed. That said, the bass quality is quite controlled, just not top of class.
The Talos presents more natural mids presentation than most T50RP mods I’ve heard. Due to the v-shaped tuning, the mids are a bit recessed, which can be noticeably heard when listening to a select few female vocalists. That said, the mids are clean and have a rich tonality to them. Overall, I find the mids to be competitive with other closed-back competitors in its price bracket.
The treble is unlike any other T50RP mod I’ve heard so far. It’s very bright and forward as part of the Talos’ fun sound signature. I normally find T50RP mods to be too dark, so it’s a welcome change. It’s bright, sparkly, but doesn’t run too hot and provides solid detail and air. I don’t find the Talos to be fatiguing despite the bright tuning.
The soundstage isn’t the widest I’ve heard from a closed back headphone, but it is above average. The Fostex TH-X00 and the Beyerdynamic T5p both cast a wider image, but the TH-X00 is more expensive and leaks much more sound and the T5p is a significantly more expensive headphone as the Beyerdynamic closed flagship.
The Talos sounded great out of every amplifier I’ve tried and don’t seem to be very source dependent. I have to crank my amplifier a bit to get these to a good volume. Although they can work out of a mobile device, I strongly suggest pairing them with an amp. I personally found even the Fiio E10k was sufficient.
Closed Back Comparisons
Vs. TH-X00
The Fostex TH-X00 had more sub-bass slam and slightly cleaner bass than the Talos. The mids clarity was roughly the same, but I didn’t notice any dips in the mids. The upper midrange on the TH-X00 struck me as being a bit more emphasized and shouty, but the Talos was brighter in the treble. The TH-X00 had a wider soundstage, but it also leaked a lot more sound and isolated much worse. On a technical level, the TH-X00 trumped the Talos, but the Talos’ superior isolation is why I use it in the office.Vs. NAD Viso HP50
Like the TH-X00, the HP50 trumped the Talos in terms of sub-bass extension and bass clarity. Noticeably, the Talos sounded more open and had a more air-y sound than the HP50. I preferred the treble presentation on the Talos, as parts of the treble sound recessed on the HP50.Both headphones isolated very well, but the HP50 was much less comfortable. The HP50’s pads are thin and presses the headphones against my ears. The Talos’ pads were much more thick and soft and stopped the drivers from pressing against my ears. The HP50’s headband touches your head at a point, placing all of the headphone’s weight on the very top of your head. To contrast, the Talos suspended headband distributes the weight better across your head. Even though the HP50 was the lighter headphone, I found the Talos to be much more comfortable, both on the ear and on top of the head.
Vs. Beyerdynamic T5p
The T5p and the Talos are both very comfortable headphones. The T5p is much lighter than the Talos and has bigger pads, but the pads are less plush. Overall, they're both supremely comfortable over-ear headphones. My T5p has a more lean sound signature. Both the Talos and the T5p have resolving mids and treble, but the T5p definitely edges out the Talos in terms of bass quality. The bass is tighter and more defined, while the Talos is a bit looser. The soundstage on the T5p is wider is wider than the Talos, although that should be expected given the price difference ($1000 vs. $250).Talos - Summary
The Talos delivers a killer listening experience without being picky about source. It’s not quite a super resolving, detailed reference headphone . . . but it’s also $250 fun closed headphone, rather than a flagship reference. Sure, the bass could be tighter or the mids a bit more full, but . . . it’s a $250 fun closed headphone. For that price, these are wonderfully detailed and transparent. Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find a better closed headphone for even $500. Personally, the Talos have dethroned the NAD Viso HP50 as my isolating closed back headphone of choice.
Cascadia Audio has done a great job with their first headphone and I look forward to seeing what headphones they bring in the future.