Chinese / Asian Brand Info Thread (On or Over Ear Headphones)
Dec 6, 2016 at 1:01 AM Post #272 of 7,153
Good advice. I've read conflicting things about aliexpress here on Head-Fi...mostly along the lines of "they're trustworthy, but you'll be on Social Security by the time the package arrives."

I've heard some not-so-good things about GearBest, so I never bought from them, despite temptation to do so when I was shopping for my Swan M200 MKIII powered speakers (ended up buying them direct from the mfr). Then again, I also heard bad things about MusiciansFriend (where I just bought the Marantz MPH-2's ~1 month ago), and besides taking 10 days for the package to arrive (excessive for a stateside website), the transaction was perfect.

IMO an invaluable research tool for evaluating websites you're not familiar with is www.ResellerRatings.com. Just go there and put in the name or web address of the website in question, and up pops a summary/numerical rating for that site, based on user/buyer reviews collected from every source out there (ie, Amazon, Google, NewEgg--anyplace that collects lots of user reviews). Check it out.


Honestly with aliexpress both sellers i purchased from were great, shipped the items fast and what not...i still have yet to receive them assuming everything works as advertised but im sure i will let everyone know if one of the sellers tries to screw me (gotta love the leverage of the internet and free...ish speech lol). The shipping cant be blamed on aliexpress though because ive bought tons of items from china (im a huge fan of dragonwell loose leaf) but it generally takes a month or more to come in, sometimes less. Its just the nature of the beast, i also have placed orders for my Ecig hardware from fastech that have arrived in around 2 weeks. Regarding gearbest, i have purchased my 1more dual hybrids from them with zero issues, however the free shipping options take about a month which is why i suggest using epacket or at least registered because you get a tracking number. The other thing you have to consider is people tend to offer reviews and complain on the internet, where less are people inclined to post a good review. I know people who have been ripped off on ebay, where myself has had nothing but a great experience...maybe i just have horshoes up my ass haha.
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 1:03 AM Post #273 of 7,153
Anyone else have any thoughts/reviews on the Bosshifi b8's?

I'm trying to decide between these and the ISK MDH9000's. Both seem pretty solid, but I want the headphone with better audio quality, while keeping value in mind (but I care more about sound between these two than value, as the ISK's are half the price of the Bosshifi's)



I would also like to know, always wanted a wood headphone. The reason i didnt buy these is because i heard they were V-Shaped and other than that little reviews. Maybe you want to be or guinea pig on this? Lol
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 1:11 AM Post #274 of 7,153
Hello again, since my very first post on this platform didnt got noticed I just repost it. It also adds some infos to that LyxPro confusion.


Hey there, i've been following this thread and similiar ones to this for quite a while and I am intrigued by these relatively inexpensive mid to high quality china-headphones. 

In particular the iSK MDH9000. I'm very new to the headphones-topic and still figuring out the basics but i like to spend some money to buy a new pair of headphones. 

Being a user of a HyperX Cloud, which seems to be a rebranded Takstar Pro80 or  iSK HP 2011, i'd like to know if the iSK MDH9000 could be considered as an 'upgrade' to the headphones i have.

Furthermore i'm wondering if the LyxPro HAS-30 are really the exact same headphones as the iSK MDH 9000. On the outside they appear to be identical, expect for the branding of course. But on the inside im not sure that they use the same drivers.

iSK MDH9000:  Frequency Response Range: 10-30000Hz whereas the Lyxpro has a frequency response of : 15Hz - 26KHz


Can someone clarify that?


My research on the isks, also coming from hyper x clouds have confirmed they have a deeper extension of bass, more balanced, less bright and larger sound stage. Once i receive them soon i will be posting a comparison (if you wish to wait that is lol). Personally i bought them for a changed sound signature which i thought would suit me better since i dislike the peircing and slightly artificial sounding treble at times, aswell as recessed mids on the pro 80s. That said im not expecting better sound quality at this price point since im sure both are reasonably in the same class but just that the aformentioned personal cons that the pro 80s have are rectified.
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 1:09 PM Post #275 of 7,153
My research on the isks, also coming from hyper x clouds have confirmed they have a deeper extension of bass, more balanced, less bright and larger sound stage. Once i receive them soon i will be posting a comparison (if you wish to wait that is lol). Personally i bought them for a changed sound signature which i thought would suit me better since i dislike the peircing and slightly artificial sounding treble at times, aswell as recessed mids on the pro 80s. That said im not expecting better sound quality at this price point since im sure both are reasonably in the same class but just that the aformentioned personal cons that the pro 80s have are rectified.

 
IF the ISK MDH9000's really are identical to the Marantz Pro MPH-2's (I owned the latter, and believe they are identical...see below)--then you're in for a very pleasant surprise. I never heard the Takstar Pro 80's so can't comment on comparative sound. But I can tell you the Marantz' were amazingly good for the price. Right out of the box they sounded very balanced, competent, and unruffled, with excellent, deep bass when needed (but not overblown IMO). They changed relatively little after burn-in. Really, nothing to criticize except for soundstaging that's (at best) average.
 
I gave my Marantz' away, then was shocked to find they're no longer available. So I just ordered another identical rebrand, the Lyx Pro HAS-30's (they'll arrive tonight or tomorrow). Of the 5 nearly identical iterations of this design (ISK's, Marantz', Lyx-Pro's, Freeboss MDH9000's, and Stellar Labs), I've seen impedance & frequency range specs that vary slightly from one iteration to another. But honestly, I don't believe any of it...just looking at these 5 products, they're obviously the same headphone--the only visible differences are the name on the outside of earcup (and in several iterations, printed across top of the headband); and black vs silver coating on front/back of each hinge.
 
I'll bet they're all the same headphone. As soon as my Lyx Pro's show up, I'll find out if that's true.
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 7:32 PM Post #276 of 7,153
CONCLUSION: My Lyx-Pro HAS-30 ($49.99/Amazon) just arrived--3 days after I ordered them! (a record).
 
Here's what I see:
 
-- The packaging of these $50 headphones is beyond anything I could expect: a nice box, 2 cords (one is 3mm straight w/locking 3.5mm insert; the other is coiled), even a carrying case--flimsy, but they get points for trying
 
-- The headphones themselves are nearly identical to the Marantz. The only real differences I see are cosmetic: the Marantz' had a large, gold font brandname running across the top of the headband vs the Lyx' unbranded headband; of course different brandnames/different fonts appear on the outside of earcups; Lyx' w/a red line highlighting the circumference of outside of earcup vs Marantz' all black (or extremely dark brown...I really can't tell).
 
(I prefer the Marantz' bold, gold-on-black (text on pleather) color scheme, but both headphones are more than acceptable on visual grounds...)
 
The Lyx-Pro's may have slightly less memory firm in the earpads...the thick pleather outer skin seems a little "looser" on these pads than on the Marantz. I no longer have the Marantz so can't directly compare. Regardless, these earpads feel as good on my ears as the Marantz' did. If I get an itch to change pads, I'll just swap these pads for the Yenona's slightly softer/deeper stock pads (which I have off them because I switched to MrSpeakers Alpha pads).
 
-- Both the Marantz' and Lyx-Pro's have solidly built adjustable sliders for earcup distance from headband. The detents are very firm and not easily dislodged, a real plus (ie, you needn't readjust them every time you put them on--unlike some inexpensive headphones).
 
SOUND: cold (literally well below room temp), straight out of the box, these headphones sound extremely good, just as the Marantz' did, pre-burnin. Sound memory is tricky: I only listened to the Marantz' for 20" or so before starting burnin, but the overall sound signature appears either identical or so close it would be impossible to distinguish via blind listening test. The Lyx may be very slightly brighter in upper midrange/treble (50/50 on that)--but they sound more balanced and competent than they have any right to at this price.
 
I just began burnin, will go for 75-100 hrs. I know this practice is disparaged by some on Head-Fi, and I certainly can't "prove" it's worth doing. But in my non-scientific experience of burning in many devices (headphones & electronics) over the past 1-2 years, about 1 in 3 or 4 devices benefits from it, sounding different/better after burnin. The kicker is I can't predict which device is that 1 in 3 or 4 that'll benefit--so I burn everything in.
 
The Marantz' sounded slightly better after burnin, and I expect it to be the same with the Lyx-Pro's.
 
CONCLUSION: these ISK MDH-9000 rebrands offer very good value (based on sample of 2), and are so similar as to be indistinguishable by sound.
 
(Will report more on sound after burnin)
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 5:10 AM Post #277 of 7,153
Hmm, might get some headphones with detachable cables. 3.5mm 3 pole on either cup because the headphone stock cable on it has a mic. Not sure if it's CTIA or OTMP. But i assume I will need to get some 3 pole 3.5mm's if i am going to make my own non mic cable for it.
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 7:08 AM Post #278 of 7,153
I was looking for some active noise cancelling headphones, then on amazon there are some that look like these:
 

 
they go under different labels. like eonfine, sharkk and zoweetek. Luckily I got to test them in a shop  (different label) before buying one for 67$.
 
The noise cancelling is a joke. I tested in a shop with music, some background noise and a tv on lowest volume 10 meters away.
ok, they dampened the background noise a little so that I now could listen better to sales peoples conversations,also i could listen to dialog on the tv 10 meters away. These should be called voice enhancers.
 
For comparison I tested 3 versions of bose from cheapest to latest with bluetooth and here everything went away and it was just the music.
 
Funny reading those "honest" reviews for free headphones on amazon after testing it.
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 7:31 AM Post #279 of 7,153
  I was looking for some active noise cancelling headphones, then on amazon there are some that look like these:
 

 
they go under different labels. like eonfine, sharkk and zoweetek. Luckily I got to test them in a shop  (different label) before buying one for 67$.
 
The noise cancelling is a joke. I tested in a shop with music, some background noise and a tv on lowest volume 10 meters away.
ok, they dampened the background noise a little so that I now could listen better to sales peoples conversations,also i could listen to dialog on the tv 10 meters away. These should be called voice enhancers.
 
For comparison I tested 3 versions of bose from cheapest to latest with bluetooth and here everything went away and it was just the music.
 
Funny reading those "honest" reviews for free headphones on amazon after testing it.

I'd say for noise canceling you are much better off going with mainstream brands like Bose, Audio Technica, etc.  I have the ATH-ANC9s and am happy with them.  Good sound, good comfort, good noise canceling performance and can be found for reasonable prices.  All the reviews state Bose is best for ANC; not so much for sound quality.
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 7:45 AM Post #280 of 7,153
yes, if i want noise cancelling ill go for one of those brands. Just had to test this one since a local shop sell them under their own brand.
They sell for (converted) 178usd, and that is way overpriced for something like this. Probably worth 60$
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 10:31 AM Post #281 of 7,153
Can't help but chip in ... last post god knows when.
 
I ordered the same(?) one re branded with IdeaUSA S204 AtomicX over at AE for less than 50bucks ... read some reviews over the net and it's not too bad for the $$.
 
Seller claimed that it's Noise Isolation Earphone ... not noise cancelling. Block some noise BUT still can hear some noise .. background noise, I assumed.  
 
I'm looking for one like it to use on the go.
 
Still waiting for it though ...
 

 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/iDeaUSA-S204-Foldable-Over-ear-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphone-with-Mic-Apt-x-Noise-Isolation-Earphone-for/32717459920.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.vtXfJ5
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 11:31 AM Post #282 of 7,153
I'd say for noise canceling you are much better off going with mainstream brands like Bose, Audio Technica, etc.  I have the ATH-ANC9s and am happy with them.  Good sound, good comfort, good noise canceling performance and can be found for reasonable prices.  All the reviews state Bose is best for ANC; not so much for sound quality.


I second that on bose.......you basically are payin for their anc technology and also for the after sales support not for its sound. But, no disappointment as it serves the purpose.
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 11:47 AM Post #283 of 7,153
  Can't help but chip in ... last post god knows when.
 
I ordered the same(?) one re branded with IdeaUSA S204 AtomicX over at AE for less than 50bucks ... read some reviews over the net and it's not too bad for the $$.
 
Seller claimed that it's Noise Isolation Earphone ... not noise cancelling. Block some noise BUT still can hear some noise .. background noise, I assumed.  
 
I'm looking for one like it to use on the go.
 
Still waiting for it though ...
 

 
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/iDeaUSA-S204-Foldable-Over-ear-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphone-with-Mic-Apt-x-Noise-Isolation-Earphone-for/32717459920.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.vtXfJ5

I did not test the sound quality that much, since it took 6 minutes to get it to pair with bluetooth ( the shop was full of discoverable bt devices) but the soundstage seemd ok but the noise cancelling version is not worth it. Its ok if you want to make conversations seem louder and more clear.
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 12:29 PM Post #284 of 7,153
Here's one I read from an phone forum ... most reviews I read seems to agree that it has a decent enough sound.  Well, for a few bucks shy of 50, I ordered one to try ... haha!!
 
http://androidforums.com/threads/review-of-ideausa-atomicx-s204-bt4-0-w-apt-x-wireless-headphones-w-pics.938417/
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 12:58 PM Post #285 of 7,153
  Here's one I read from an phone forum ... most reviews I read seems to agree that it has a decent enough sound.  Well, for a few bucks shy of 50, I ordered one to try ... haha!!
 
http://androidforums.com/threads/review-of-ideausa-atomicx-s204-bt4-0-w-apt-x-wireless-headphones-w-pics.938417/

Ha, ha that review is from Head-Fi's own @twister6 .  Let us know what you think of them.
 

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