Thanks for the review. I read it on headfonics but like you demand. I will comment at here to let you know that I really appreciate your review. The Mad Dog or the Alphad Dog is on my list now but I just have a Jdslabs C421. I ask someone and they said that C421 does not drive Mad Dog in justice but not bad at all. I think I have to accept that but may be 70% of the power of Mad Dogs is enough for me.
Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
LoveKnight
24Bit
Why fix what isn't broken? If you enjoy your setup or feel it to be enough...well then you can't possibly ask for more 
That is a great thing and makes me feel good to know you feel satisfied. Considering the price of the C4120 and the C5, they are great bargains.
That is a great thing and makes me feel good to know you feel satisfied. Considering the price of the C4120 and the C5, they are great bargains. 
Magdumper
Good thorough review. I just got these today and I am very satisfied after my hours of listening today. I decided on this headphone because I was searching for a good closed back headphone with similar qualities to the he-500s I use and love at home. I was just wondering what your comparison would be when comparing the Mad Dogs directly to the he-500s, to see if they line up with my own, as you didn't really talk about the he-500 at all in the review. Btw I use an nfb 11.32 amp/dac for my he-500s, and because I plan to use the Mad Dogs for portable use, an iphone 4 -> fiio e12 for the Mad Dogs, if that has any value to you. Enjoyed the read.
24Bit
Sure, no problem Magdumper.
The HE-500 is certainly the more clear headphone all around, especially on the low end and upper end. The Bass on the HE500 has more texture capability, as out of my Burson Conductor SL it seems to shift in bass type with the swapping of either dac chip. It sounds warm with the 1793, stark flat dry neutral with the 9018. It is also snappier with more bite, where as the Mad Dog seems to be less thumping. I feel the Mad Dog low end to push more of a stretched out, less solid feel to the bass as well.
The Mids on the Mad Dog are not as clear as the AKG K712, which are very close to the HE-500 mids to me and by that fact I would say the Mid vocal experience is much better on the HE-500. However, the HE-500 mids are more relaxed and more recessed by comparison to the forward midrange of the Mad Dog. Vocalists and instruments have physically defined presence on the Hifiman and less so on the Mad Dog. The Upper regions of the Mad Dog pale in comparison to the Hifiman in every way, in my book.
The sound stage of the Mad Dog is much more enjoyable, more wide and less tall. It is also less dynamic in depth than the Hifiman, however the mid bloom effect and forwardness the Mad Dog projects makes the stage more intimate and to me at least, more enjoyable by a long shot over the Hifiman. The MadDogs are also more comfortable, with better instrument separation and airiness in the stereo imaging. It is also better for media and gaming with slightly better pinpointing for FPS gaming.
Hope that helps!
-24bit
The HE-500 is certainly the more clear headphone all around, especially on the low end and upper end. The Bass on the HE500 has more texture capability, as out of my Burson Conductor SL it seems to shift in bass type with the swapping of either dac chip. It sounds warm with the 1793, stark flat dry neutral with the 9018. It is also snappier with more bite, where as the Mad Dog seems to be less thumping. I feel the Mad Dog low end to push more of a stretched out, less solid feel to the bass as well.
The Mids on the Mad Dog are not as clear as the AKG K712, which are very close to the HE-500 mids to me and by that fact I would say the Mid vocal experience is much better on the HE-500. However, the HE-500 mids are more relaxed and more recessed by comparison to the forward midrange of the Mad Dog. Vocalists and instruments have physically defined presence on the Hifiman and less so on the Mad Dog. The Upper regions of the Mad Dog pale in comparison to the Hifiman in every way, in my book.
The sound stage of the Mad Dog is much more enjoyable, more wide and less tall. It is also less dynamic in depth than the Hifiman, however the mid bloom effect and forwardness the Mad Dog projects makes the stage more intimate and to me at least, more enjoyable by a long shot over the Hifiman. The MadDogs are also more comfortable, with better instrument separation and airiness in the stereo imaging. It is also better for media and gaming with slightly better pinpointing for FPS gaming.
Hope that helps!
-24bit
Magdumper
I agree with pretty much everything you said, but I have only listened to the Mad Dogs for around 15-20 hours, so my opinions may change. I still overall definitely enjoy the HE-500s over the mad dogs If I could only choose one just based on their sound. My only gripe with the Mad Dogs really is like what you said, their highs can be a little lacking at times (on some songs with very fast high synths and intricate beats, they sound a little metallic, on others they are fine). Even though the lows and mids are a little different on both of these headphones, I appreciate both of them and am overall very happy with this headphone so far. The only genre of music I feel I'd sometimes want to eq my he-500s is with certain hardstyle tracks (bass boosting slightly), but I don't feel the need to do that whatsoever with the Mad Dogs. I too also play FPS games where positional audio is very important like dayZ, arma, bf3 etf so I will have to try out the Mad Dogs there, I didn't think they could be better than the HE-500s in that aspect really haha. I almost solely listen to electronic music too so keep that in mind. Thanks for the response!
