[Lurk650]

 

[Pharmaboy]

 
Yep, that's them. I have a pair, too. Got them after giving away my Marantz MPH-2's (same headphone as this, but slight cosmetic & possibly sonic difference).
 
I'm now listening to these w/HM5 "extra thick" pad and a thin cotton-fabric liner inside the earpads. They sound pretty fine.
 
Probably going to get another pair of Marantz MPH-2's, as well. Loved their looks & sound.
 
Whoever the OEM of this basic headphone is (ISK? someone else?), it's a very competent, balanced sounding design for not much money.

 

[crabdog]

Found the Yenona (or a clone) on Taobao for $25


https://world.taobao.com/item/42211689164.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.anxdwW#detail
 
and a brown version for $17!
https://world.taobao.com/item/41855845160.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a312a.7728556.0.0.oVUVqK

 

[Pharmaboy]

  Found the Yenona (or a clone) on Taobao for $25


https://world.taobao.com/item/42211689164.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.anxdwW#detail
 
and a brown version for $17!
https://world.taobao.com/item/41855845160.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a312a.7728556.0.0.oVUVqK

 
I can't read a thing on that website---it's all Chinese symbols & can't find any way to display English.
 
But I certainly recognize these black Yenona's in the picture. That's the color/type I tried to buy twice--no luck. Both times I got the maroon/branded version w/goofy pepto bismol-color cable.
 
Never saw the brown version, though. No way to even tell who the mfr/brand is. These may be different headphones than the basic Yenona--not just because the pads are obviously different, but the earcups may be a bit shallower (hard to tell from pictures).
 
Either way, terrific find.

 

[Lurk650]

Ok, tried the HM5 pads on the Lyx. A bit more open sounding than the stock pads. Put the stock Lyx pads on the Yenona, no bueno IMO. Now to decide if I want Red HM5 pads for the Yenona or go with the Faux Leather and Velour hybrid HM5 pads

Gotta say though, the bass on the Lyx is very addicting

 

[Pharmaboy]

Ok, tried the HM5 pads on the Lyx. A bit more open sounding than the stock pads. Put the stock Lyx pads on the Yenona, no bueno IMO. Now to decide if I want Red HM5 pads for the Yenona or go with the Faux Leather and Velour hybrid HM5 pads

Gotta say though, the bass on the Lyx is very addicting

 
Yes, I've been messing around with pads on both the Lyx & the Yenona's. I would've happily left the original pads on the Lyx--except the Lyx, despite being 98% visually identical to the Marantz MPH-2's that I gave away, actually is subtly different: the pads in particular are not quite the same as the Marantz. The Lyx' pads seem to have a little  less foam inside, so the pleather outside of each pad "wrinkles"/creases when the pads are compressed--which didn't happen with the Marantz' pads, which appeared more "stuffed" with foam. Sorry if I'm babbling here, but the result of the more slack earpads on the Lyx, to my ears, was a slightly sharper treble (everything else about the Lyx is identical to the Marantz sonically, including that excellent, deep-but-well-restrained bass).
 
So I switched to the HM5 extra thick pleathers, which actually feel more comfortable than stock--they're amazing pads. And the Lyx' sound is now subtly different, as well...a little more space (imaging/sound location) & a bit more "air" in the treble. Lyx + HM5s still sounded a trifle sharp to me on transients, so I put a cotton fabric liner inside each earpad--and last time I listened, they sounded very good indeed.*
 
My pad experiments w/the Yenona have been less successful. I never planned to change those deep/comfy pads, but after a month or so, the Yenona's sounded quite a bit brighter to me (something I still don't understand). So I've now tried the Lyx pads on the Yenona (no good, as you point out); MrSpeakers alpha pads, which together with the fabric liner sounded rather good (but the fit was weird); and now HM5s on the Yenona's, too. I still haven't been able to "find" the original sound I loved from the Yenonas...probably will put back the alpha pads.
 
*I'm actually going to buy a 2nd pair of Marantz MPH-2's. Despite the Lyx being nearly identical physically, I remember the Marantz' being just a bit better sonically (plus I loved the way it looked). So I'll probably have to buy them from Japan or China (none available in the US) at more $$ than I paid for the 1st pair. If I get a new pair of Marantz and they are as good as my 1st pair, I'll sell the Lyx (such is the insanity of our hobby).

 

[Lurk650]

Yeah the treble became too bright and the vocals recessed with the Lyx pads on Yenona. Idk how the hybrid pads will be, I guess I could always return for the red pads should I not care for them.

Listening to Tom Petty via Amazon music with the Lyx thru my S7 Edge and damn it sounds good!

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yeah the treble became too bright and the vocals recessed with the Lyx pads on Yenona. Idk how the hybrid pads will be, I guess I could always return for the red pads should I not care for them.

Listening to Tom Petty via Amazon music with the Lyx thru my S7 Edge and damn it sounds good!

 
I have to agree that the Lyx and the Marantz before it (apparently all the rebadged ISK9000's--same basic design) really sound solid, balanced, even across the frequency range. The bass managed to be authoritative & exciting w/o intruding on the midrange (not always true w/the Yenona's).
 
I don't know much about studio monitoring, but what I read about it, particularly as regards powered studio monitors, makes me suspect the Lyx/Marantz would make an excellent monitoring headphone. There the big requirement is even, uncolored reproduction across the entire frequency range--much less focus on soundstaging (the only real weakness of the Lyx/Marantz design IMO is they're average at best in that dep't).

 

[trivium911]

  
I have to agree that the Lyx and the Marantz before it (apparently all the rebadged ISK9000's--same basic design) really sound solid, balanced, even across the frequency range. The bass managed to be authoritative & exciting w/o intruding on the midrange (not always true w/the Yenona's).
 
I don't know much about studio monitoring, but what I read about it, particularly as regards powered studio monitors, makes me suspect the Lyx/Marantz would make an excellent monitoring headphone. There the big requirement is even, uncolored reproduction across the entire frequency range--much less focus on soundstaging (the only real weakness of the Lyx/Marantz design IMO is they're average at best in that dep't).

 
 
Hey guys do you have any links to the ISK HD9999 thinner pads? Or any other pads? The big stock marshmellow pads on the MDH-9000's seem to create too much resonating bass where i have to EQ it down. I heard thinner pads help with this though, this would make sense that thinner pads would help. 
 
UPDATE: Hey guys i just found a bunch of pinhole vents that i taped off on the MDH-9000. They Sound much more balanced now, like a ported subwoofer vs a closed subwoofer. Give it a shot guys, currently im using electrical tape...so looking for a more professional solution. Considering i have foam taped on the headband as they are too big for my head...they look pretty ridiculous right now lol. To help with the foam i bought a replacement Beyer 770 Pro headband, hoping that helps. Im not saying the bass ruins the midrange or anything it just gets fatiguing after a while and can sometimes sound boomy. I would rather tape the vents as that means less sound leakage aswell. Will try the hm5 velour hybrids aswell ans see what those sound like.

 

[Pharmaboy]

 

   
I have to agree that the Lyx and the Marantz before it (apparently all the rebadged ISK9000's--same basic design) really sound solid, balanced, even across the frequency range. The bass managed to be authoritative & exciting w/o intruding on the midrange (not always true w/the Yenona's).
 
I don't know much about studio monitoring, but what I read about it, particularly as regards powered studio monitors, makes me suspect the Lyx/Marantz would make an excellent monitoring headphone. There the big requirement is even, uncolored reproduction across the entire frequency range--much less focus on soundstaging (the only real weakness of the Lyx/Marantz design IMO is they're average at best in that dep't).

 
 
Hey guys do you have any links to the ISK HD9999 thinner pads? Or any other pads? The big stock marshmellow pads on the MDH-9000's seem to create too much resonating bass where i have to EQ it down. I heard thinner pads help with this though, this would make sense that thinner pads would help. 
 
UPDATE: Hey guys i just found a bunch of pinhole vents that i taped off on the MDH-9000. They Sound much more balanced now, like a ported subwoofer vs a closed subwoofer. Give it a shot guys, currently im using electrical tape...so looking for a more professional solution. Considering i have foam taped on the headband as they are too big for my head...they look pretty ridiculous right now lol. To help with the foam i bought a replacement Beyer 770 Pro headband, hoping that helps. Im not saying the bass ruins the midrange or anything it just gets fatiguing after a while and can sometimes sound boomy. I would rather tape the vents as that means less sound leakage aswell. Will try the hm5 velour hybrids aswell ans see what those sound like.

 
Interesting comments about the ISK MDH-9000's bass. I've had 2 versions of the same exact headphone & found the bass w/stock pads to be very very good. But as everyone says on Head-Fi...YMMV.
 
I actually tried angled pads on these headphones (MrSpeakers alpha pads), and the results were bad: less bass, more treble, and the balanced sound these headphones are capable of sort of went away.
 
However, I allso tried the non-angled HM5 extra thick pads (link below) on these headphones and that totally works. The comfort level is better, the bass sounds really solid/impactful, and the treble is airier & slightly elevated vs stock (I addressed that w/a cotton/fabric insert). Overall it sounds very good IMO:
 
http://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/pleather-headphone-pad
 
BTW, if you ever consider HM5 angled pads for this or any equally-sized headphone, I doubt they'd work. I did the math on height vs width in mm vs inches, and found the HM5 angled pads are only 80mm wide, considerably narrower than the ~96-98mm width of the earcups' baseplates. That's something like 5/8" too narrow; I wouldn't try it.
 
The HM5 non-angled pads are 90mm wide, which does fit reasonable well, since the height is 110mm (a little longer than needed)--so when you put these on the ISK's, you'll actually stretch them out of their normal oblong shape to make them fit the round earcup. It's a good fit.
 
FYI, I never messed with pads on the Marantz MPH-2's (nearly identical visually to your ISK's)--but on the also nearly identical LyxPro HS-30's, I found that (quite unusually), the earcup's baseplate lacks that little 1/2" notch/cutout that allows pads to be threaded on. This forces you to physically stretch the earpad's attachment fabric/fold more than you otherwise would--ie, pulling it entirely around the baseplate, then "backing it off" bit, section-by-section, so the fabric will drop into the narrow groove where it goes.
 
My point is: be careful & go slow so you don't tear that fabric. I've done that before, and it's not a good thing...that earpad probably can't be used anymore.

 

[trivium911]

Interesting comments about the ISK MDH-9000's bass. I've had 2 versions of the same exact headphone & found the bass w/stock pads to be very very good. But as everyone says on Head-Fi...YMMV.

I actually tried angled pads on these headphones (MrSpeakers alpha pads), and the results were bad: less bass, more treble, and the balanced sound these headphones are capable of sort of went away.

However, I allso tried the non-angled HM5 extra thick pads (link below) on these headphones and that totally works. The comfort level is better, the bass sounds really solid/impactful, and the treble is airier & slightly elevated vs stock (I addressed that w/a cotton/fabric insert). Overall it sounds very good IMO:

http://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/pleather-headphone-pad

BTW, if you ever consider HM5 angled pads for this or any equally-sized headphone, I doubt they'd work. I did the math on height vs width in mm vs inches, and found the HM5 angled pads are only 80mm wide, considerably narrower than the ~96-98mm width of the earcups' baseplates. That's something like 5/8" too narrow; I wouldn't try it.

The HM5 non-angled pads are 90mm wide, which does fit reasonable well, since the height is 110mm (a little longer than needed)--so when you put these on the ISK's, you'll actually stretch them out of their normal oblong shape to make them fit the round earcup. It's a good fit.

FYI, I never messed with pads on the Marantz MPH-2's (nearly identical visually to your ISK's)--but on the also nearly identical LyxPro HS-30's, I found that (quite unusually), the earcup's baseplate lacks that little 1/2" notch/cutout that allows pads to be threaded on. This forces you to physically stretch the earpad's attachment fabric/fold more than you otherwise would--ie, pulling it entirely around the baseplate, then "backing it off" bit, section-by-section, so the fabric will drop into the narrow groove where it goes.

My point is: be careful & go slow so you don't tear that fabric. I've done that before, and it's not a good thing...that earpad probably can't be used anymore.

If you look at your headphones do you notice about 6 pinholes on the outside of the cup under the bracket for each ear peice? This is the bass venting ports i mentioned. When i closed those off they made the bass perfect. Im not saying the bass was bad, it sounded great just a little overpowering is all after a little while of listening. Like i have a ported 12" dc powered car sub in my head, lol. Its cool at first but gets tiring after a while which is why i blocked off the vents.

 

[Pharmaboy]

If you look at your headphones do you notice about 6 pinholes on the outside of the cup under the bracket for each ear peice? This is the bass venting ports i mentioned. When i closed those off they made the bass perfect. Im not saying the bass was bad, it sounded great just a little overpowering is all after a little while of listening. Like i have a ported 12" dc powered car sub in my head, lol. Its cool at first but gets tiring after a while which is why i blocked off the vents.

 
You're right. I just looked at my LyxPro HS-30's w/a strong light and a magnfying glass and finally identified these holes. Great catch!!
 
I just read your posts about this an am a little confused. Please help me understand what you've posted:
 
1 - Do you block all 6 holes on each earcup?
 
2 - How do you block them? Is that the foam & tape you mentioned?
 
3 - And the bass improved after doing this...how? It went down? It went up?
 
4 - Re your analogy of sealed subwoofer vs ported: which is which? Is the bass on these headphones like sealed subwoofer bass after ports closed off--or before?
 
That analogy hits home for me because I have sealed subwoofers and greatly appreciate the quality of bass from the vs ported (ie, tighter, more musical than ported--which admittedly can get louder and go deeper, but still don't sound musical to me).
 
Re stock bass of LyxPro HS-30's/Marantz MPH-2's, I really like it. Didn't think it needed fixing. But my mind is open to any change that would make it even better.
 
If blocking these vents is a good thing to do, I'll also have to try blocking just 3 of the 6. But looking at these tiny vents located deep in a grooved area of plastic, it's hard to imagine a good way to block them.
 
(thanks for listening)

 

[Lurk650]

Yeah I'm in love with the bass of the Lyx.

BTW, got the Hybrid HM5 today. They are the same as the regular pads just with Velour reading on your head so should keep you cooler. I put them on the Yenona.

Quick AB between the Lyx and the Yenona, the Yenona is easier to drive (Opus volume 120 vs 130) and is a bit brighter.

EDIT: Well that's weird, let my Lyx play regular music for a little over and hour at 120 and now I don't feel the need to go higher in volume. Maybe it's that the Yenona are brighter at 120 so it sounded as if the Lyx needed more power

 

[Toothless]

I need help translating, or just summing the main points of this ISK HD9999 review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ekFLFqyl-Q
Just tried the Somic V2/Status Audio OB1 at the local audio store. Surely an upgrade to the Somic MH463 soundwise: less boomy and more controlled bass, less grainy high, less muddy mid, better imaging, even with the leatherette pads. Soundstage is still quite closed-in and lacks depth though. A bit better than Takstar HI2050 and Superlux HD681/668 imo.

 

[Pharmaboy]

  I need help translating, or just summing the main points of this ISK HD9999 review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ekFLFqyl-Q
Just tried the Somic V2/Status Audio OB1 at the local audio store. Surely an upgrade to the Somic MH463 soundwise: less boomy and more controlled bass, less grainy high, less muddy mid, better imaging, even with the leatherette pads. Soundstage is still quite closed-in and lacks depth though. A bit better than Takstar HI2050 and Superlux HD681/668 imo.

 
I've researched the ISK HD9999's in the past. They appear to be a relatively faithful copy of one of the AKG K271 MKII's. I owned a pair of AKG K553's at one time and found  its  sound to be quite off-putting--I sold them--so I passed on the HD9999's in the belief they're an AKG-271 clone. However, based on what little I've been able to find on the HD9999's, perhaps that judgement is hasty. It may be that the HD9999's tamed the overly "clinical" sound of the similar AKG model, and actually sound better generally.
 
This string has more comments in one place on the HD9999's than anything else I've seen (judge for yourself). Warning: this comment thread veers deeply into discussion of ISK microphones, so the headphone comments become more occasional, pg-by-pg:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/1030466-isk-pro-audio-low-end-heaven.html