[SonyFan121]

That part about "top grade leather headband and earcushion" is a flat out false advertising. Both are just plain old cheap pleather.

Yes I agree. Sound quality is what matters most to me, so I hadn't really considered that. Truth is these kinds of headphones are really designed for studio/DJ use, so comfort is not a priority. I do however find them very comfortable, and can wear them for 3-4 hours without having to take them off.
These kinds of headphones are usually disposable to me, I must've gone through at least 12 or 13 different studio headphones in the last 3 years (Audio Technica ath-m50x,msr7,Roland RH-5, Ultrasone HFI-780, Beyerdynamic DT770....the list goes on) but there is something different about the sound of the NW-9000 that makes me want to keep them.

 

[Slater]

Yes I agree. Sound quality is what matters most to me, so I hadn't really considered that. Truth is these kinds of headphones are really designed for studio/DJ use, so comfort is not a priority. I do however find them very comfortable, and can wear them for 3-4 hours without having to take them off.
These kinds of headphones are usually disposable to me, I must've gone through at least 12 or 13 different studio headphones in the last 3 years (Audio Technica ath-m50x,msr7,Roland RH-5, Ultrasone HFI-780, Beyerdynamic DT770....the list goes on) but there is something different about the sound of the NW-9000 that makes me want to keep them.

In the club, those fragile ISK clones would have lasted 3 nights tops. The breakage-prone hinges and plasticky build would not hold up.

They would be OK for ‘home DJ’ use, like remixing or something.

I wish I had the Philips A5 Pro back in the day, as they are the most indestructible cans I have ever used (great sound too). I could kick them down a flight of steps and into a highway to be run over, and they would just laugh it off.

 

[SonyFan121]

What on earth do you have to do to break the hinges?! My NW-9000 is built like a tank! I've dropped mines twice and nothing happened. The gimbals on the the headphone are very strong. I can swivel the cups very far, twist and turn them as much I want and they don't break. They are not made of steel but a very tough plastic.
The NW-9000 is absolutely ideal and built to last in a nightclub environment.

 

[Pharmaboy]

That part about "top grade leather headband and earcushion" is a flat out false advertising. Both are just plain old cheap pleather.

True.

But then there's the plain old cheap-but-good sound of all the ISK MDH9000 clones...

 

[Slater]

What on earth do you have to do to break the hinges?! My NW-9000 is built like a tank! I've dropped mines twice and nothing happened. The gimbals on the the headphone are very strong. I can swivel the cups very far, twist and turn them as much I want and they don't break. They are not made of steel but a very tough plastic.
The NW-9000 is absolutely ideal and built to last in a nightclub environment.

This is just a small sample of broken hinge photos I've collected. These are from just a few Amazon reviews, and does not even represent all of the clones (most of the photos were from the Akai Project 50X reviews, but the flaw is with all of the clones). They all break in almost the same exact way.

I discuss the design flaw in more detail here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chi...-ear-headphones.822184/page-333#post-14616040

They wouldn't last any any night club I ever worked at, after a few tumbles off the mixer and onto the concrete floor.

Don't get me wrong; I love their sound and they are great cans. I'm just saying 90% of the headphones that companies advertise as "DJ headphones" would not stand up long-term in a real DJ night club environment (at least the ones I was ever at). Maybe in the posh night clubs you see depicted in Hollywood movies and TV shows (where everything is padded with red pillows and fabric).

 

[Roderick]

They look like regular HM5 but with a wood cup instead. I am not a fan of the sound from the closed version of the HM5 headphone.

They definately have a similar design but without a doubt hm100 is improved version...at $199 that was to be expected. Driver size increased from 42mm to 50mm. So it is not just retuned hm5 in a wood housing.


For a low (sub $50) price I've enjoyd hm5 clones alot over the years. However I never liked the treble on hm5. Toned down treble can be nice but hm5 feels like it allmost has nothing going on at some of the higher frequencies. Hm100 is a brighter headphone so that issue is gone.

 

[Bartig]

So the Bosshifi B8 is pretty good... but I find them to be 'nothing really special pretty good'.

Do you recognize that? That the bass, mids, highs and soundstage are all really OK, but you just miss a certain sparkle? A stand out factor?

You all have that with some headphone or another, right?

 

[HungryPanda]

The only headphone I have sold is the B8 as it never fitted me well, I have quite a few wooden headphones anyway

 

[quisxx]

Also not a fan of the b8

 

[Humblepie]

So the Bosshifi B8 is pretty good... but I find them to be 'nothing really special pretty good'.

Do you recognize that? That the bass, mids, highs and soundstage are all really OK, but you just miss a certain sparkle? A stand out factor?

You all have that with some headphone or another, right?

Want some sparkle to it? Add a stretched-out, half cotton ball to the inside back of each cup. Tape two small rectangular blocks of sorbethane to the tuning paper on the left and right side of the driver. Enjoy!

 

[Slater]

Want some sparkle to it? Add a stretched-out, half cotton ball to the inside back of each cup. Tape two small rectangular blocks of sorbethane to the tuning paper on the left and right side of the driver. Enjoy!

Sorborthane on the front or back side of the tuning paper?

 

[raccoon city]

That part about "top grade leather headband and earcushion" is a flat out false advertising. Both are just plain old cheap pleather.

I thought it was very comfortable protein leather...
Maybe it's cheap, but I really like it.

EDIT: Isn't protein leather much nicer than polyurethane leather?

 

[Humblepie]

Sorborthane on the front or back side of the tuning paper?

Backside of the baffle inside the cups. Just a little thin rectangular piece to cover a good portion of the tuning paper on each side. There should be more paper on the top and bottom that should be left alone. Once you try it, you'll think you did a magic trick

 

[Slater]

I thought it was very comfortable protein leather...
Maybe it's cheap, but I really like it.

EDIT: Isn't protein leather much nicer than polyurethane leather?

Oh, it’s a very nice pleather. Super soft and supple. Not stiff and plasticy feeling, like some pleather pads/headbands can be.

I was just pointing out that they shouldn’t advertise it as genuine leather, because there are people that actually want true genuine leather (cowhide, sheepskin, etc).

In the past I have bought 3rd party ear pads that were advertised as genuine leather (even verifying with the seller beforehand), and what I received turned out to be plain old regular synthetic ie pleather ear pads. I didn’t want pleather pads, I wanted LEATHER pads.

That’s like advertising artificial cherry flavoring as genuine ie natural cherry flavoring. No, it’s artificial, so just call it that so as to not confuse people that may be allergic to artificial flavorings.

Pleather pads aren’t bad per se, just like artificial cherry flavor. But calling it genuine leather or genuine cherry flavor is bad, misleading, and false advertising.

See what I mean?

 

[raccoon city]

I do see what you mean.