Takstar HF 580
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Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Takstar for providing a review unit of the HE580. Rest assured that my impressions written in this review are my own personal thoughts and opinions and in no way influenced by outside parties.
Check out the Takstar HF580 on their website: LINK HERE
I am not an expert in this hobby nor claim to be an audiophile. I just love listening to music and am fond of writing articles.
Introduction:
The HF580 was released a few years back and received some hype due to it utilizing the same driver as a 600 USD planar wooden headphone. Everything matches – from the rated impedance and sensitivity, renders as well as the dimensions. Always seen at ~150 USD across multiple online platforms, does it offer off-the-charts value or is it a missed shot?
Asus X409 > KGUSS BH3 > Takstar HA101 > Transducer
It’s a planar, you need to amp the HF580 but it isn’t as bad as it seems and is relatively easy to drive.
Build and Comfort: Everything is metal except for the cups themselves. Really heavy but you get used to the weight after some use. Hifiman Deva and HE400se feel like toys after holding these.
Headband adjustment is of the sliding type, no scratchy feeling whatsoever, is very smooth and holds its place. The leather bit is acceptable enough and doesn’t feel cheap at all. Then this is where it goes leaning down – there’s not enough padding than what I would have liked for my head. Tolerable but I would have appreciated more. You start feeling it resting on your head after a few hours in. And the HF580 being particularly heavy doesn’t work with the light headband padding. The metal end bit at the end has a Takstar branding at the outside and L/R markings inside.
Cups themselves swivel a bit for that extra comfort adjustment (front-and-back). It’s in a piano black finish with the metal grill having a shiny silver outline. Personally speaking, it looks cheap and the cups are very fingerprint-prone.
Clamping force is of the stronger side.
Cable is attached – one each for L and R. I could have accepted every fault of the design if the cable was detachable, but alas, it isn’t. While it is usable, thick, long (at least 1.2 m), and has a metal jack (splitter is plastic), it just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like I have two garden hoses attached to the headphone. Hit the cable near the cup and you hear the two wires moving around inside. Good thing that a pair of female MMCX only costs 2 USD so it will definitely be something I’ll do in the near future. It does have strain relief with L/R markings so I’ll give Takstar that.
Earpads are of the thinner side but I didn’t experience my ears touching the driver. I personally prefer the cloth over the leather as it is more comfortable and plays better with the HF580. Cloth – airier, less harsh; leather – more V-ish, harsher. Foam retains shape. Choose based on preference.
Surprisingly, isolation and sound leakage aren’t as bad as the two other open-backs I have but still undeniably open-back. Below average for both.
NOTE: Very easy to do modifications, be it as simple as adding foam, or complex like drilling new vents, because the HF580 is held by screws without any glue that allows for easy opening and access to the driver/PCB/grill/cup.
Package: ¼" adapter. Paperwork. Manual. Cloth earpads.
Now, onto sound:
For this review, the headphone was not all stock. I did mods as well as changed to the cloth earpads with a listening volume of low-medium to medium. The mods were adding foam to the cup cavities and a layer of cotton behind the driver. Without them, upper midrange sucked really bad, both figuratively and literally (scooped/cupped/hollow/honky/sLoWed and ReVErbED-sounding).
Of the three planar headphones I have tried, the HF580 exhibited the most recessed upper midrange of all and just sounded so weird without EQ.
The foam served as a sort of acoustic dampener (don’t know the right term lol) inside the cup. There are pockets/cavities in the outline of the cup themselves and I just inserted the same protective foam from the HF580 box to smoothen/lessen unwanted resonance/echoing inside the chamber. Layer of cotton is to reduce bass quantity and further remove unwanted resonance.
Another tip I have read that improves the HF580 is to change earpads to the SendyAudio Aiva ones, about 35 USD on Ali or to a fabric earpad made for the HM5 for 8 USD.
---------
Bass: slams you hard, like face-to-the-wall, physical-feeling hard. I just have a love affair with the few planar drivers I’ve tried, they do something magical with the bass. It sounds solid and dare I say, dynamic. Close-to-neutral tuning with a hint of warmth, then add in the planar capabilities and it brings that weighty, engaging and satisfying bass experience. It also does not have that unnaturally fast decay (still fast, nevertheless) and is not the most open-back design which in turn provides sub-bass rumble, which definitely surprised me– that, my friends, is exceptional considering it’s an open-back. You can use the HF580 with any genre because of the bass response. That extension is also the reason why the bass “feels” so solid and weighty. Texture is well-registered without sounding analytical due to the tonality and control is retained all throughout the musical experience. The HF580 renders the most detailed bass of all transducers I have on hand. Checking with a sine sweep and the HF580 reaches sub-bass frequencies effortlessly without any rattle/distortion.
Midrange: Majestic. It’s neutral without sounding cold because of the influence of the bass, but then the ethereal highs grant air. It’s good - like really, really, really good. The positioning is perfect – not too forward where it is in-your-face nor way recessed that it sounds drowned. Just right – you between the singer and the instruments, spending the best time of your lives. The midrange is highly resolving, delivering realism (THAT BITE AND CRUNCH WITH ELECTRIC GUITARS!) and subjective vocal emotion with every song. There is no bias towards male or female vocals and both sound natural. No roughness at all and just sounds effortlessly realistic. Highly textured vocals – I have now listened to female vocal bliss. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, this is endgame for me.
Treble: the brilliance, energy and air it brings without any fatigue and sharpness is my kind of treble heaven. This is possible because the lower treble is more relaxed compared to the further-up frequencies, avoiding said issues (including splash). But because of the planar driver, macrodetail, and microdetail in extension, is still registered and is resolving. Complimenting the warmer-than-neutral, weighty bass response and realistic midrange, it is just a very, very “musical” listening experience. Extension is endless (treble emphasis is on brilliance and air frequencies) and you will hear every nuance of the treble region, while maintaining articulation and control across the board. This is what I would describe as “ethereal” – treble perfection for my tastes. I don’t know why but there’s this lightness to it that just makes everything sound unbelievably airy. And my god do cymbals sound crisp.
----------
Timbre: with a little bit of modding, it sounds as natural and realistic as it can get, without any metallic/artificial tint.
Soundstage, Imaging, and Separation: Soundstage isn’t as “open” as I would have liked with the expectation that it’s an open-back (HF580 must be one of them semi-open backs). It’s more of an intimate and isosceles triangle-esque presentation where you are with the artists and their instruments compared to something more hall-like. This type of staging does work wonderfully with the signature. It has exceptional depth, height and layering considering it can be found for less than 150. That capability also lets it avoid being congested-sounding. There is nothing wrong with the imaging and spatial cues are focused and easily heard. Usual in this price bracket, the HF580 doesn’t experience any challenge keeping up with my playlist and lives in the penthouse – instruments are highly separated in presentation and everything is effortless to discern.
Detail-retrieval: Highly detailed pair but it doesn’t jump at you. You’re going to hear everything in the music without sharpness or fatigue. Benefits of a “TOTL” planar driver. Add in the resolution and OH BOY! This is like VR for your ears. The realism is exquisite.
----------
Conclusion:
IMO, just the fact that it shares the same driver as a 600 USD headphone makes it exceptionally worth-it for the price it sells for. Build, excluding the cups, is as premium as it can get for 150 or even less (excluding cup), and the tonality w/ mods is of the “balanced” side (using balanced because I don’t know how else to describe the signature). But, then again, you really need to do mods or EQ the upper midrange and increase it by a few decibels to be “correct-sounding.” Adding foam inside the cup cavities is optional but recommended. It also has attached cables, so there’s that. A positive view in that is that ALL of these “flaws” are fixable with relatively easy-to-do modifications. Think hard if you see the value in the Takstar HF580.
While others may see that the need to EQ and mod is a straight-up NO-NO, I see differently. The HF580 only needs a few dB more in the upper midrange frequencies (or lower the bass quantity) and
nothing else. After that, I don’t think anyone can say otherwise after listening to the HF580, MOST ESPECIALLY at the price it sells for.
NOTE: I have no idea if it was updated since its initial release. I asked Takstar but wasn’t able to get an answer (though I did ask a multitude of questions so maybe that one wasn’t noticed
)
THIS IS CURRENTLY MY ENDGAME W/ MODS!
UPDATED MOD (8/8/21): Stock cloth pads. Still attached cable. Foams still in the cup cavities. Now with a layer of cotton to further lessen unwanted resonance and as a side effect, lessens bass quantity, which then brings up the midrange, particularly upper midrange. Now there is no need for EQ.
I would like to thank Takstar for providing a review unit of the HE580. Rest assured that my impressions written in this review are my own personal thoughts and opinions and in no way influenced by outside parties.
Check out the Takstar HF580 on their website: LINK HERE
I am not an expert in this hobby nor claim to be an audiophile. I just love listening to music and am fond of writing articles.
Introduction:
The HF580 was released a few years back and received some hype due to it utilizing the same driver as a 600 USD planar wooden headphone. Everything matches – from the rated impedance and sensitivity, renders as well as the dimensions. Always seen at ~150 USD across multiple online platforms, does it offer off-the-charts value or is it a missed shot?
Asus X409 > KGUSS BH3 > Takstar HA101 > Transducer
It’s a planar, you need to amp the HF580 but it isn’t as bad as it seems and is relatively easy to drive.
Build and Comfort: Everything is metal except for the cups themselves. Really heavy but you get used to the weight after some use. Hifiman Deva and HE400se feel like toys after holding these.
Headband adjustment is of the sliding type, no scratchy feeling whatsoever, is very smooth and holds its place. The leather bit is acceptable enough and doesn’t feel cheap at all. Then this is where it goes leaning down – there’s not enough padding than what I would have liked for my head. Tolerable but I would have appreciated more. You start feeling it resting on your head after a few hours in. And the HF580 being particularly heavy doesn’t work with the light headband padding. The metal end bit at the end has a Takstar branding at the outside and L/R markings inside.
Cups themselves swivel a bit for that extra comfort adjustment (front-and-back). It’s in a piano black finish with the metal grill having a shiny silver outline. Personally speaking, it looks cheap and the cups are very fingerprint-prone.
Clamping force is of the stronger side.
Cable is attached – one each for L and R. I could have accepted every fault of the design if the cable was detachable, but alas, it isn’t. While it is usable, thick, long (at least 1.2 m), and has a metal jack (splitter is plastic), it just doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like I have two garden hoses attached to the headphone. Hit the cable near the cup and you hear the two wires moving around inside. Good thing that a pair of female MMCX only costs 2 USD so it will definitely be something I’ll do in the near future. It does have strain relief with L/R markings so I’ll give Takstar that.
Earpads are of the thinner side but I didn’t experience my ears touching the driver. I personally prefer the cloth over the leather as it is more comfortable and plays better with the HF580. Cloth – airier, less harsh; leather – more V-ish, harsher. Foam retains shape. Choose based on preference.
Surprisingly, isolation and sound leakage aren’t as bad as the two other open-backs I have but still undeniably open-back. Below average for both.
NOTE: Very easy to do modifications, be it as simple as adding foam, or complex like drilling new vents, because the HF580 is held by screws without any glue that allows for easy opening and access to the driver/PCB/grill/cup.
Package: ¼" adapter. Paperwork. Manual. Cloth earpads.
Now, onto sound:
For this review, the headphone was not all stock. I did mods as well as changed to the cloth earpads with a listening volume of low-medium to medium. The mods were adding foam to the cup cavities and a layer of cotton behind the driver. Without them, upper midrange sucked really bad, both figuratively and literally (scooped/cupped/hollow/honky/sLoWed and ReVErbED-sounding).
Of the three planar headphones I have tried, the HF580 exhibited the most recessed upper midrange of all and just sounded so weird without EQ.
The foam served as a sort of acoustic dampener (don’t know the right term lol) inside the cup. There are pockets/cavities in the outline of the cup themselves and I just inserted the same protective foam from the HF580 box to smoothen/lessen unwanted resonance/echoing inside the chamber. Layer of cotton is to reduce bass quantity and further remove unwanted resonance.
Another tip I have read that improves the HF580 is to change earpads to the SendyAudio Aiva ones, about 35 USD on Ali or to a fabric earpad made for the HM5 for 8 USD.
---------
Bass: slams you hard, like face-to-the-wall, physical-feeling hard. I just have a love affair with the few planar drivers I’ve tried, they do something magical with the bass. It sounds solid and dare I say, dynamic. Close-to-neutral tuning with a hint of warmth, then add in the planar capabilities and it brings that weighty, engaging and satisfying bass experience. It also does not have that unnaturally fast decay (still fast, nevertheless) and is not the most open-back design which in turn provides sub-bass rumble, which definitely surprised me– that, my friends, is exceptional considering it’s an open-back. You can use the HF580 with any genre because of the bass response. That extension is also the reason why the bass “feels” so solid and weighty. Texture is well-registered without sounding analytical due to the tonality and control is retained all throughout the musical experience. The HF580 renders the most detailed bass of all transducers I have on hand. Checking with a sine sweep and the HF580 reaches sub-bass frequencies effortlessly without any rattle/distortion.
Midrange: Majestic. It’s neutral without sounding cold because of the influence of the bass, but then the ethereal highs grant air. It’s good - like really, really, really good. The positioning is perfect – not too forward where it is in-your-face nor way recessed that it sounds drowned. Just right – you between the singer and the instruments, spending the best time of your lives. The midrange is highly resolving, delivering realism (THAT BITE AND CRUNCH WITH ELECTRIC GUITARS!) and subjective vocal emotion with every song. There is no bias towards male or female vocals and both sound natural. No roughness at all and just sounds effortlessly realistic. Highly textured vocals – I have now listened to female vocal bliss. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, this is endgame for me.
Treble: the brilliance, energy and air it brings without any fatigue and sharpness is my kind of treble heaven. This is possible because the lower treble is more relaxed compared to the further-up frequencies, avoiding said issues (including splash). But because of the planar driver, macrodetail, and microdetail in extension, is still registered and is resolving. Complimenting the warmer-than-neutral, weighty bass response and realistic midrange, it is just a very, very “musical” listening experience. Extension is endless (treble emphasis is on brilliance and air frequencies) and you will hear every nuance of the treble region, while maintaining articulation and control across the board. This is what I would describe as “ethereal” – treble perfection for my tastes. I don’t know why but there’s this lightness to it that just makes everything sound unbelievably airy. And my god do cymbals sound crisp.
----------
Timbre: with a little bit of modding, it sounds as natural and realistic as it can get, without any metallic/artificial tint.
Soundstage, Imaging, and Separation: Soundstage isn’t as “open” as I would have liked with the expectation that it’s an open-back (HF580 must be one of them semi-open backs). It’s more of an intimate and isosceles triangle-esque presentation where you are with the artists and their instruments compared to something more hall-like. This type of staging does work wonderfully with the signature. It has exceptional depth, height and layering considering it can be found for less than 150. That capability also lets it avoid being congested-sounding. There is nothing wrong with the imaging and spatial cues are focused and easily heard. Usual in this price bracket, the HF580 doesn’t experience any challenge keeping up with my playlist and lives in the penthouse – instruments are highly separated in presentation and everything is effortless to discern.
Detail-retrieval: Highly detailed pair but it doesn’t jump at you. You’re going to hear everything in the music without sharpness or fatigue. Benefits of a “TOTL” planar driver. Add in the resolution and OH BOY! This is like VR for your ears. The realism is exquisite.
----------
Conclusion:
IMO, just the fact that it shares the same driver as a 600 USD headphone makes it exceptionally worth-it for the price it sells for. Build, excluding the cups, is as premium as it can get for 150 or even less (excluding cup), and the tonality w/ mods is of the “balanced” side (using balanced because I don’t know how else to describe the signature). But, then again, you really need to do mods or EQ the upper midrange and increase it by a few decibels to be “correct-sounding.” Adding foam inside the cup cavities is optional but recommended. It also has attached cables, so there’s that. A positive view in that is that ALL of these “flaws” are fixable with relatively easy-to-do modifications. Think hard if you see the value in the Takstar HF580.
While others may see that the need to EQ and mod is a straight-up NO-NO, I see differently. The HF580 only needs a few dB more in the upper midrange frequencies (or lower the bass quantity) and
nothing else. After that, I don’t think anyone can say otherwise after listening to the HF580, MOST ESPECIALLY at the price it sells for.
NOTE: I have no idea if it was updated since its initial release. I asked Takstar but wasn’t able to get an answer (though I did ask a multitude of questions so maybe that one wasn’t noticed
)THIS IS CURRENTLY MY ENDGAME W/ MODS!
UPDATED MOD (8/8/21): Stock cloth pads. Still attached cable. Foams still in the cup cavities. Now with a layer of cotton to further lessen unwanted resonance and as a side effect, lessens bass quantity, which then brings up the midrange, particularly upper midrange. Now there is no need for EQ.
****If you have other questions/concerns with the headphone mentioned, feel free to message me****
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