[Cslrke]

Holypal Do you have an ivoc-100? I have a plenty of questions about them.

 

[peter123]

I heard the strap of the Dolphin breaks. Some say they break easily when used not normally. I can forgive this. Not every headphone can be extremely durable. But there are others who complain these broke after few months with normal use. All the stainless steel pieces and the strap is a junk... Such a shame.
But prove me wrong. A little piece of me still wants to buy a Dolphin. 

I see, all I can say is that my pair haven't broke and it's been pretty well used and traveled around the world.

First I used them as my traveling cans (and I do quite a bit of traveling) for about 1,5 years and after that my 11yo daughter has used them and they're still going strong. Of course this means nothing if you do get them and they brake......

 

[Holypal]

@Holypal Do you have an ivoc-100? I have a plenty of questions about them.

 
Hi. I just gave you an example that fits your needs. I don't have it. Do I recommend it? I have no clue.
 
It's very new. Began to sell in China last week. So I don't have a chance to listen to it. The retail price is less than $100. Some reviewers in chinese say the sound signature is neutral.

 

[Cslrke]

Hi. I just gave you an example that fits your needs. I don't have it. Do I recommend it? I have no clue.

It's very new. Began to sell in China last week. So I don't have a chance to listen to it. The retail price is less than $100. Some reviewers in chinese say the sound signature is neutral.

Do they mention the sound quality? How do these compare to some popular phone?
And the metalish materials are actually metal? The pads are pleather?

 

[Holypal]

Do they mention the sound quality? How do these compare to some popular phone?
And the metalish materials are actually metal? The pads are pleather?

 
I haven't seen any honest reviews yet.

 

[Roderick]

The Bosshifi B6 are definitely better sounding than the Yenona imo but it'd pretty much be mandatory to change the pads on them. I wouldn't recommend them for active use either since the metal bow on top of the headband carries a lot of sound.

With hm5 or whatever the pads you use on b6, how would you compare b6 against takstar pro80 or Don Scorpio dolphins? I Like stock msur n550(same as b6 but with better earpads)better than Pro 80 but i have not heard the dolphins.

 

[AleRx8]

So I spent a few first hours with Marantz MPH-2s. Here are some of my impressions, but bear in mind that I'm very non-experienced listener, so those may not be relevant in any way. Also I listened to them before burn in, so some things might be slightly different after that  


Headphones came in cheap and highly uninteresting box, which contained the headphones itself, three meters long 3,5 mm cable and 3,5 mm to 6,3 mm reduction. Cable has non-standard locking mechanism, which should work in the same way as Audio-Technica's M50x and others from the same series. That makes it harder to replace, as normal 3,5 mm cables don't fit. But this construction also makes it feel somehow firmer, so not necessarily a bad thing. And that's all what's in the box. I found the length of cable annoying at first, but then I figured out that this amazing feature makes me reach every corner of my small room with Marantz's on my head, so it's like having Bluetooth headphones





One of the things I was really worried about was the quality of build. Fortunately, it was nothing to worry about. To be honest, those headphones don't look very fashionable on images, but it's slightly better in real life. Construction is purely plastic, but looks better made than what I'd expect on 60 USD phones. It doesn't bend or do weird noises as my Noontec Zoro HDs, which is a big plus. Black and gold combination looks classy. It's also very comfortable, big enough for every type of ears. I don't think you'd want to wear those for ten hours straight, as ears get a little bit hot after a few hours, but that's how life with headphones of this construction works, not really Marantz's fault. It's not that big either, although you'd look a bit like idiot wearing those on the outside. If you still plan to do it, I'd highly recommend buying a shorter cable. Marantz's don't weigh much, isolation from the world is good. but not great.

 


Now the sound quality. I started with American Authors and their Pride. If you plan to listen to something from indie genre, those are for you. Bandjos and other unusual instruments sound great, there's a lot of fun and energy in it for me. Listening to House of Gold covered by Twenty One Pilots made me smile a little, the less instruments, the better joy from sound.
This is when I wanted to go song by song, telling you how every of them sounds, but that'd take me a lot of time and it wouldn't be very interesting for anyone.
So by genres:


Pop punk (A Day to Remember, As It Is, Blink 182, Bowling for Soup, old Fall Out Boy, Four Year Strong, Good Charlotte etc)

Sounds awesome with newer tracks, but those with a lot of layers (some songs from ADtR) would maybe benefit from a little less of bass. I am a basshead, so no problem for me, but if you are not on the same wave, you'll benefit from playing with equalizer or doing some mods. Songs of a questionable quality will sound... Well, questionable. Don't expect it to make old Blink 182 records sound marvellous, Dammit is made as it is, but pre-chorus in Feeling This will always sound wonderfully on those, I can guarantee that to you. And same goes for every pop punk artist who started in 90s or 00s. The newer track, the better it sounds on those, because newer tracks can really benefit from everything those phones can do. Bass really shines out when listening to Just Drive by Four Year Strong, it's really something. 
 

Metalcore (Asking Alexandria, old Avenged Sevenfold, Beartooth, Bring Me the Horizon, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk etc)

Well, I listened to I Won't Give In by AA once, I did it twice and wow, six listens later, I must really admit that it sounds wonderfully. THAT BASS. And same goes for Radiant Eclipse by A7X, BMtH songs... After listening to pop punk tracks, I was really worried about separation of tones in those, because there's usually even more of them in metalcore songs. I thought the bass will make the tracks muddy, but nothing like this happened, it doesn't even go over the singer's voice most of the time, so everything is still clear. Maybe it's because of metalcore being a newer genre, but those songs are really fun. I feel this is the way it should be listened to. Absolutely brilliant. Johnny's trilogy by Crown the Empire is pure joy. 


Rock (Foo Fighters, Guns 'n Roses, Hoobastank, Weezer etc)

This is where the bass can be annoying for someone. Not for me, but I can see that it will be. There are bands which definitelly shine with more bass (My Chemical Romance, Weezer) but for example GnR aren't one of those. If you are more into classic rock, you'd better look somewhere else.


Metal-ish (Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Bullet for My Valentine, Eluveitie etc)

And those are again genres which are generally better with a little of bass. A7X totally benefits from those headphones and never sounded better, but I can imagine that classic, older bands won't be that great. Guitars in Machine Head's songs are separated perfectly, making it sound very well balanced. Folk instruments sound a little beaten by bass in Eluveitie songs, so if you are into those kinds of interprets, looking mainly for those traditional instruments to shine, those are not for you either. 


Various (The Witcher soundtracks)

Wow. Just wow. After Eluveitie's songs, I really didn't expect something like this, but again, that bass makes some songs, mainly instrumental, sound so orgasmic. Love it, how those phones add to epicness. 





So this is it. As I said earlier, I'm not sure this all will be helpful to someone, but that's the way I see it. I think Marantz's and their clones are great for electronic music, pop, newer genres of metal and instrumental music. If you are into classic rock or other genres, where the bass is not very welcomed, then those are not for you. Well yes, you can play with the equalizer for a while, or mod them somehow, but there's no point in buying those headphones if you don't want to use its bass qualities.
The sound generally is fun, what I like about them are really nicely done highs even in songs which are really weirdly done in this way (I See Stars). I won't talk about the joyful bass again, a lot had been said earlier. Those headphones are great for the price, finely made, great sound. If I could change one thing, it'd be adding another cable in the box. Most of the clones (ISKs, RedLynx etc) have those, so maybe go for those.
I bought Noontec Zoro HD's a few years ago, as it had very good reviews. And they can't be compared against Marantz's, there's so much more richness in the latter's sound, I can't even believe those cost the same. They have different construction and use, but still... Incredible value for money with Marantz. It also benefits brutally from higher bitrate songs, 320kbps is a must. Difference wasn't that huge in my old headphones.
But again, I strongly advise to listen to other reviews and professional users. I never had better headphones on my head, so I've got nothing to compare those with.

And I want to thank all involved again for all of your suggestions and help, thanks to you, I made a good decision and good buy. I simply love them.

 

[trivium911]

  So I spent a few first hours with Marantz MPH-2s. Here are some of my impressions, but bear in mind that I'm very non-experienced listener, so those may not be relevant in any way. Also I listened to them before burn in, so some things might be slightly different after that  


Headphones came in cheap and highly uninteresting box, which contained the headphones itself, three meters long 3,5 mm cable and 3,5 mm to 6,3 mm reduction. Cable has non-standard locking mechanism, which should work in the same way as Audio-Technica's M50x and others from the same series. That makes it harder to replace, as normal 3,5 mm cables don't fit. But this construction also makes it feel somehow firmer, so not necessarily a bad thing. And that's all what's in the box. I found the length of cable annoying at first, but then I figured out that this amazing feature makes me reach every corner of my small room with Marantz's on my head, so it's like having Bluetooth headphones





One of the things I was really worried about was the quality of build. Fortunately, it was nothing to worry about. To be honest, those headphones don't look very fashionable on images, but it's slightly better in real life. Construction is purely plastic, but looks better made than what I'd expect on 60 USD phones. It doesn't bend or do weird noises as my Noontec Zoro HDs, which is a big plus. Black and gold combination looks classy. It's also very comfortable, big enough for every type of ears. I don't think you'd want to wear those for ten hours straight, as ears get a little bit hot after a few hours, but that's how life with headphones of this construction works, not really Marantz's fault. It's not that big either, although you'd look a bit like idiot wearing those on the outside. If you still plan to do it, I'd highly recommend buying a shorter cable. Marantz's don't weigh much, isolation from the world is good. but not great.

 


Now the sound quality. I started with American Authors and their Pride. If you plan to listen to something from indie genre, those are for you. Bandjos and other unusual instruments sound great, there's a lot of fun and energy in it for me. Listening to House of Gold covered by Twenty One Pilots made me smile a little, the less instruments, the better joy from sound.
This is when I wanted to go song by song, telling you how every of them sounds, but that'd take me a lot of time and it wouldn't be very interesting for anyone.
So by genres:


Pop punk (A Day to Remember, As It Is, Blink 182, Bowling for Soup, old Fall Out Boy, Four Year Strong, Good Charlotte etc)

Sounds awesome with newer tracks, but those with a lot of layers (some songs from ADtR) would maybe benefit from a little less of bass. I am a basshead, so no problem for me, but if you are not on the same wave, you'll benefit from playing with equalizer or doing some mods. Songs of a questionable quality will sound... Well, questionable. Don't expect it to make old Blink 182 records sound marvellous, Dammit is made as it is, but pre-chorus in Feeling This will always sound wonderfully on those, I can guarantee that to you. And same goes for every pop punk artist who started in 90s or 00s. The newer track, the better it sounds on those, because newer tracks can really benefit from everything those phones can do. Bass really shines out when listening to Just Drive by Four Year Strong, it's really something. 
 

Metalcore (Asking Alexandria, old Avenged Sevenfold, Beartooth, Bring Me the Horizon, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk etc)

Well, I listened to I Won't Give In by AA once, I did it twice and wow, six listens later, I must really admit that it sounds wonderfully. THAT BASS. And same goes for Radiant Eclipse by A7X, BMtH songs... After listening to pop punk tracks, I was really worried about separation of tones in those, because there's usually even more of them in metalcore songs. I thought the bass will make the tracks muddy, but nothing like this happened, it doesn't even go over the singer's voice most of the time, so everything is still clear. Maybe it's because of metalcore being a newer genre, but those songs are really fun. I feel this is the way it should be listened to. Absolutely brilliant. Johnny's trilogy by Crown the Empire is pure joy. 


Rock (Foo Fighters, Guns 'n Roses, Hoobastank, Weezer etc)

This is where the bass can be annoying for someone. Not for me, but I can see that it will be. There are bands which definitelly shine with more bass (My Chemical Romance, Weezer) but for example GnR aren't one of those. If you are more into classic rock, you'd better look somewhere else.


Metal-ish (Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Bullet for My Valentine, Eluveitie etc)

And those are again genres which are generally better with a little of bass. A7X totally benefits from those headphones and never sounded better, but I can imagine that classic, older bands won't be that great. Guitars in Machine Head's songs are separated perfectly, making it sound very well balanced. Folk instruments sound a little beaten by bass in Eluveitie songs, so if you are into those kinds of interprets, looking mainly for those traditional instruments to shine, those are not for you either. 


Various (The Witcher soundtracks)

Wow. Just wow. After Eluveitie's songs, I really didn't expect something like this, but again, that bass makes some songs, mainly instrumental, sound so orgasmic. Love it, how those phones add to epicness. 





So this is it. As I said earlier, I'm not sure this all will be helpful to someone, but that's the way I see it. I think Marantz's and their clones are great for electronic music, pop, newer genres of metal and instrumental music. If you are into classic rock or other genres, where the bass is not very welcomed, then those are not for you. Well yes, you can play with the equalizer for a while, or mod them somehow, but there's no point in buying those headphones if you don't want to use its bass qualities.
The sound generally is fun, what I like about them are really nicely done highs even in songs which are really weirdly done in this way (I See Stars). I won't talk about the joyful bass again, a lot had been said earlier. Those headphones are great for the price, finely made, great sound. If I could change one thing, it'd be adding another cable in the box. Most of the clones (ISKs, RedLynx etc) have those, so maybe go for those.
I bought Noontec Zoro HD's a few years ago, as it had very good reviews. And they can't be compared against Marantz's, there's so much more richness in the latter's sound, I can't even believe those cost the same. They have different construction and use, but still... Incredible value for money with Marantz. It also benefits brutally from higher bitrate songs, 320kbps is a must. Difference wasn't that huge in my old headphones.
But again, I strongly advise to listen to other reviews and professional users. I never had better headphones on my head, so I've got nothing to compare those with.

And I want to thank all involved again for all of your suggestions and help, thanks to you, I made a good decision and good buy. I simply love them.

 
 
Great review, however i would have to politely disagree about not buying these if you intend to mod them. Change the pads for more shallow pads OR line cotton in the ear pads if one needs to reduce the bass. The beauty of these is midrange and no V Shape to be found aswell as natural sounding treble and deep extending bass, when either of the mods are done the bass is just more balanced but extends just as deep. Its tough to find headphones that sound as good as these for the price, the only thing i did not appreciate as much as you is the bass quantity, but as mentioned simple mods fix it and in my opinion i believe especially now after the mods and with my ears...the sound is VERY hard to beat for the price. 

 

[peter123]

With hm5 or whatever the pads you use on b6, how would you compare b6 against takstar pro80 or Don Scorpio dolphins? I Like stock msur n550(same as b6 but with better earpads)better than Pro 80 but i have not heard the dolphins.

I use them with pleather HM5 pads. I've got a problem with them sounding quite hollow without any added dampening in the cups so I've placed some Dynamat in there as well as some glassfiber filling and I'm still playing around with the quantity. This also seem to bring the midrange more forward. They might very well be my favorite closed back headphones but there's something weird with this hollowness that sometimes makes them sound unnatural. This is nitpicking though given their price but still irritating that I can't really put the finger in it and do something about it.

I haven't used the Dolphins for a long time so I can't really say how they compare but like I said I'd probably rate them above the Pro80's and all other closed headphones that I own for that matter.

A really nice find but they need some easy to do changes to perform their best for my taste.

I ordered my pair for $65 and they were marketed as the MSUR N550 but what I got was the Bosshifi B6 so I complained and got a $15 refund so for $50 spent you won't get much complaints from me

 

[crabdog]

Anyone seen these Bluetooth phones from MEE Audio?
 
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/MEE-Audio-MATRIX3-AF68-DN-Bluetooth-AptX-AAC-Wireless-Over-the-Ear-Headphones/1994049_32787213345.html

 

[Lurk650]

AleRx8 you are the only other member I've seen reference the Witcher 3 soundtrack lol. I bought #3 so I got the CD with it, ripped in flac and its on my Opus. Freaking fantastic, epic songs

 

[crabdog]

@AleRx8 you are the only other member I've seen reference the Witcher 3 soundtrack lol. I bought #3 so I got the CD with it, ripped in flac and its on my Opus. Freaking fantastic, epic songs

Aww Lurk I guess you didn't read my latest review haha.

 

[Lurk650]

Aww Lurk I guess you didn't read my latest review haha.

Haha haven't been on the site too much lately. Besides quickly to PM. Which review is it for?

 

[crabdog]

Haha haven't been on the site too much lately. Besides quickly to PM. Which review is it for?

beyerdynamic T5p 2nd gen in the bass paragraph. I got that soundtrack based on your recommendation ages ago 

 

[AleRx8]

@AleRx8 you are the only other member I've seen reference the Witcher 3 soundtrack lol. I bought #3 so I got the CD with it, ripped in flac and its on my Opus. Freaking fantastic, epic songs

Well, this is a little OT, but you should try the other games as well, I personally loved the first one, my favorite game of all time, I think you can even get it for free when participating in Gwent beta. And soundtrack sounds great to me too. But it's completely different, can't be really compared to the other two games. The first one is quite modest and more ambient too, not so epic but very honest. That was back in the days when CD Projekt RED was just a small studio, and you can really feel that they had lower budget, but there's a lot of love in the game, and it can be heard in the soundtracks too. Those are probably not the songs you'd like to listen to normally, but they make me fell very emotional when hearing it in the game. The second game is my least favourite, as it leans very much towards classic US RPGs, but the soundtrack is halfway to epicness which graduates in the third installment of the series. The third game is a masterpiece by gaming and sound measures. I think that this soundtrack would be liked even by music critics, so great, so epic. And the books are very good too, mainly the first two. And that's all I'll say about The Witcher, I promise