[elitiste]

Thank you Hot Pixel. I've heard about German Maestro but never gave it much thought because it is not very popular. Nevertheless, Acix gave it a big thumb-up: Quote:

The day I got the GMP 8.35 D...what a HUGE surprise!!! Monitor headphones, INDEED!! From the first moment that I plugged them into my soundcard, they just sounded perfectly balanced with a lot of power. The low is really warm and the bass is just enough to really pump the kick and the sub bass. And they do create the air of the sub feeling, which is really important to me as an electronic music producer. The highs are great. The percussion, snare, high hats, the whole drum section has such clear details with smooth highs, it really surprised me! Let's say it like this: they are more balanced than the K271, they are more bass controlled and with more open highs than the M 50 and they are not as aggressive as my previous Ultrasones, which I do love a lot. So, for me, this is the best combination for closed monitor headphones. The sound stage of these headphones is not too big. It's somewhere between the RS1 and the K271. I would consider it to be more of a forward sound stage, especially compared to my K 702. And this was exactly what I needed; a closed studio monitor headphone that I could really monitor the early stages of my mixes with a lot of warm, tight bass. They are not super fast and not laid back. They're steady, along the lines of the AKG, especially when I need a lot of dynamic pressure. At 35 ohms, the can be considered field monitors for DJ's and professional use, as in movie production, tv, etc. They can also work as portable cans for mp3 players or directly from the computer soundcard, more like a multi purpose monitor headphones. They don't really need an amp, but to plug them into my soundcard, I can just hear everything more clearly and the frequencies are more extended, especially at 24 bit.

IMO, the German Maestro GMP 8.35 D are really designed for studio. In other words, portability in terms of size, weight and collapsability, might be lacking. Aethetics also left something to be desired, IMO.

Finally, I heard from the Shure SRH840 thread that they might not be available until mid July! Just in time for the hot muggy weather to sweat up the earcups! I am not sure if I would be willing to wait that long now. Hopefully the healthy competition would force down the price on the M-50s even more.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elitiste /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you Hot Pixel. I've heard about German Maestro but never gave it much thought because it is not very popular.

I really love my GermanMaestro GMP250

Also a closed headphone, though not isolating enough.
Germa Maestro is formerly known as MB Quart.

 

[elitiste]

It's been quiet here for a couple of days... it's time to give this thread a little bump!

 

[Pianist]

Now that I received my GMP 8.35 D I can confirm that they are indeed technically quite a step up from the M50s. I'll be writing my own review on them soon. The detail that they produce in the bass and low mids is just incredible - light years better than on M50s and better than on my HD25s as well. However, they may sound a bit too lively and aggressive for some, as they emphasize those incredibly full and detailed bass and low mids. I prefer listening to them at low to medium volume and on sources with a neutral or laid back response.

 

[Hot Pixel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elitiste /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO, the German Maestro GMP 8.35 D are really designed for studio. In other words, portability in terms of size, weight and collapsability, might be lacking. Aethetics also left something to be desired, IMO.

Heheh, too true. That's German gründlichkeit for ya.
However; they are virtually indistructable, which would be a big plus for me if I were to consider portable phones. You can actually stand on them. Awesome construction. I don't know how the isolation is though. Might be rubbish.

[edit]You might want to take a look at the 8300... looks a bit sleeker IMO... specs aren't that far apart afaict[/edit]

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hot Pixel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Heheh, too true. That's German gründlichkeit for ya. However; they are virtually indistructable, which would be a big plus for me if I were to consider portable phones. You can actually stand on them. Awesome construction. I don't know how the isolation is though. Might be rubbish. [edit]You might want to take a look at the 8300... looks a bit sleeker IMO... specs aren't that far apart afaict[/edit]

Isolation is very good. Not quite as good as on HD25s, but still above average for closed over-the-ear headphones. GMP 8.35 and 8.300 are almost identical, except that the former is 35 Ohms and the latter is 300 Ohms and has a special pleather dust protection pads. The external housing is the same in both I believe. For portable use, the stock coiled cable is quite heavy, but you can ask the company to provide you with a replacement straight cable for some additional cost.

 

[Hot Pixel]

Thanks Pianist. I'm actually looking forward to your review. Doesn't happen alot for me.
Have you tried the 8300 as well? Or did you take a quick peek at the spec-cheet?

 

[milkweg]

I received my M50s yesterday. Sound quality is good and more neutral than my DT990pro but I prefer the SQ of DT990pro overall. M50 clamps quite tight and the cups are smaller than I was expecting for a circumaural headphone. I expect the pleather pads will make my ears sweat quite a lot in the summer too. I have big ears so these may not be issues for someone else. Decent headphones but won't be replacing my DT990pro any time soon. M50 I will mostly use for guitar practice.

 

[Il Mostro]

I can co-sign on the M50's. Fairly neutral, punchy without being obnoxious. Very good isolation. Not super comfortable but more than live-able. If you have a big head, these might not be to your liking. They are fine right out of my iPod but are better amped. I would stay away from a robust amp with these -- the TAH is a good match IMO. Dock---->line out---->amp, of course.

That said, the D1001's are much more comfortable and *definitely* sweeter/more musical whether driven directly from my iPod or from an amp. Sound leakage is only marginally less with the D1001's but isolation is noticeably better with the M50's. I got the M50's for the combination of isolation/leakage factors (mostly air travel).

All in all, not remotely close to hi-fi but not bad sounding at all. My 2 cents. YMMV.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now that I received my GMP 8.35 D I can confirm that they are indeed technically quite a step up from the M50s. I'll be writing my own review on them soon. The detail that they produce in the bass and low mids is just incredible - light years better than on M50s and better than on my HD25s as well. However, they may sound a bit too lively and aggressive for some, as they emphasize those incredibly full and detailed bass and low mids. I prefer listening to them at low to medium volume and on sources with a neutral or laid back response.

Pianist, I'm glad to hear that you like them. I'm happy that I'm not the only one that owns and appreciates them. And yes, you're right about the bass and low mids, they're very detailed and probably the most loud headphones that I've had experience with. But it's nice to know that there is room for more volume, and sometimes in the studio, it's necessary.

It would be nice if you could report on the "Serious About Audio" thread. I'm looking forward to your review, particularly vs. the M50.

 

[elitiste]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now that I received my GMP 8.35 D I can confirm that they are indeed technically quite a step up from the M50s. I'll be writing my own review on them soon. The detail that they produce in the bass and low mids is just incredible - light years better than on M50s and better than on my HD25s as well. However, they may sound a bit too lively and aggressive for some, as they emphasize those incredibly full and detailed bass and low mids. I prefer listening to them at low to medium volume and on sources with a neutral or laid back response.

Thanks Pinanist. I would be looking forward to the review as well. Do you intend to compared them to the M50s?

Another question I have for the German Maestro owners is: are they collapsable/foldable, like the ATH-M50s? It doesn't look that way from the pictures.

 

[elitiste]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Mostro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got the M50's for the combination of isolation/leakage factors (mostly air travel). All in all, not remotely close to hi-fi but not bad sounding at all. My 2 cents. YMMV.

Hi Il Mostro, I am glad to hear that you find them suitable for air travel. I would be using them during air travel as well.

Can I trouble you to elaborate a bit more on why do you consider the M50s "not remotely close to hi-fi?" What do you exactly mean?

 

[lgn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Mostro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can co-sign on the M50's. Fairly neutral, punchy without being obnoxious. Very good isolation. Not super comfortable but more than live-able. If you have a big head, these might not be to your liking. They are fine right out of my iPod but are better amped. I would stay away from a robust amp with these -- the TAH is a good match IMO. Dock---->line out---->amp, of course. That said, the D1001's are much more comfortable and *definitely* sweeter/more musical whether driven directly from my iPod or from an amp. Sound leakage is only marginally less with the D1001's but isolation is noticeably better with the M50's. I got the M50's for the combination of isolation/leakage factors (mostly air travel). All in all, not remotely close to hi-fi but not bad sounding at all. My 2 cents. YMMV.

Thanks for your input. M50 and D1001 are the top two that I might go with for my secondary headphones.
I am also in the same situation and have the k702 looking for a pair of other cans to use. I already have the portapro and px100 and they do well for a portable and cheap alternative.

 

[elitiste]

Could anybody tell me where the ATH-M50s are made? I heard they are made in Taiwan?

 

[Il Mostro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elitiste /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi Il Mostro, I am glad to hear that you find them suitable for air travel. I would be using them during air travel as well. Can I trouble you to elaborate a bit more on why do you consider the M50s "not remotely close to hi-fi?" What do you exactly mean?

Hi-Fi to me is my Martin Logan CLS's (driven by various big-balls tube amps) + Kinergetics SW800 tower subs (driven by Kinergetics KBA 75 Class A SS amp) with Kinergetic SW 800 Platinum Crossover. Source: Resolution Audio Cesium Transport --> DAC: Twin (balanced) Resolution Audio Quantum DAC's (the old 20 bit <best sounding> stuff). My Favorite Source: Oracle Mk III with Benz Micro H2 and SME IV arm currently at Brooks Berdan for his last table mod (no more parts for this) and arm re-wiring.

Some of the best *music* I have heard was from old bookshelf speakers in a place serving a good facsimile of Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches in, of all places, L.A. Like Dr. Tim said "set and setting". Music isn't about the minutia -- which is why I dig the M50's.