[jwong]

Well if anyone wants to try the ZX1 and save a few bucks I've listed mine in the FS forum.

Great sounding phones for sure, but ultimately the build bugs me too much. I hope OKCSC puts these drivers in a new form factor and maintains the sound. The M2 are on-ears, so those are out for me. Technically the ZX1 are on-ear as well unless you swap the pads, but they're giant and practically pressure-free.

 

[larry piencenaves]

So I just bought the archgon delicato, cost me only 60$,

First impressions: Disappointed. muddy, vocals recessed and a bit smaller than I expected, the pads opening are small its almost on-ears. well I hope burn will help.

 

[ferez]

But seriously. Buy the OKCSC ZX1 for 70 dollar and tell me again how superior Western brands are to chi-fi. You. Are. Wrong.

Seriously. The ZX1 are out of this world. Buy them yesterday.

I'm curious how it compares to the Thinksound On2, since both are currently below $100.
@mbwilson111, IIRC you have both, can you give us your insight?

 

[ftoss]

Finally I’ve got my ISK MDH 9000 from Aliexpress. Definitely it’s a pair of decent sounding headphones. But under a number of enthusiastic comments from the thread I was expecting something out of this world. My fault. Well… bass is massive… a bit too much for me. Unfortunately it’s not as fast as I like. If you apply EQ settings and decrease bass level a bit mids would be ok. Not as great like Takstar pro 82 but pretty good. Treble sounds a bit excessive at 8 kHz (I have FR graph in the box) still polite. Nevertheless sound signature is dark. It reminds me my Creative Aurvana Live! and I’ll try to compare them on the weekend.

Well… I have to admit that I underestimate ISK MDH 9000. When I applied correct EQ settings I’ve obtained the sound I was looking for. Mids that were a bit recessed became quite vivid. Still punchy bass is retained.

I was surprised when A/B comparison with me favorite CAL showed that ISK is better almost in everything except sound stage. They have better bass extension and are more detailed. Yet there is only one drawback for me: they are a bit tight for my head. Hopefully I get used to.

I think ISK MDH 9000 might be not so good for atmospheric genres but they definitely are great for rock music.

 

[activatorfly]

Unless there are sound quality differences, I would recommend the OKCSC M2 (same drivers.) It's got a detachable cable that is very good quality (much better than the ZX1 cable from what I've seen,) and has a better build in general, not as derpy. It also comes with a soft/hard case that is very handy, and is even a couple dollars cheaper the last time I checked.

Maybe if the guy with both isn't sick anymore, he could directly compare the sound?

ZX1 are definitely very comfortable!

 

[Cyanogenmoded]

The Oneodio Elysium is good and great fun when you turn the highs in the EQ up. The Bosshifi B8 has clear vocals and a solid soundstage and punches way above its price compared to well known brands.

But seriously. Buy the OKCSC ZX1 for 70 dollar and tell me again how superior Western brands are to chi-fi. You. Are. Wrong.

Seriously. The ZX1 are out of this world. Buy them yesterday.

Hey bartig, you didn't talk much about the OKCSC in discord so i never got them in consideration.
Has anyone of you tried okcsc and the other popular options, are they the best?
I might get one which is relatively easy to drive though(will use op5)

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Hey bartig, you didn't talk much about the OKCSC in discord so i never got them in consideration.
Has anyone of you tried okcsc and the other popular options, are they the best?
I might get one which is relatively easy to drive though(will use op5)

@Cyanogenmoded are you into rooting your phones? If so then install Ainur Sauron and Viper4Android on your OP5. Tweaking viper settings can give you good enough amplification on your mobile and it also has a native DAC which should be able to drive OKCSCs

 

[Cyanogenmoded]

@Cyanogenmoded are you into rooting your phones? If so then install Ainur Sauron and Viper4Android on your OP5. Tweaking viper settings can give you good enough amplification on your mobile and it also has a native DAC which should be able to drive OKCSCs

Well everything has a native dac :/
I really doubt i will use viper, i don't want to neuter my battery life (maximum capacity is at 80%) if i get a spare phone then i might make it my dap.
TBH i found viper useless on my phone, and really didn't do much just to my Soundmagic e50c, time to check out it for ny TinAudioT2

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Well everything has a native dac :/
I really doubt i will use viper, i don't want to neuter my battery life (maximum capacity is at 80%) if i get a spare phone then i might make it my dap.
TBH i found viper useless on my phone, and really didn't do much just to my Soundmagic e50c, time to check out it for ny TinAudioT2

That's sad to hear. Viper+Ainur really liven up my Redmi Note 4. Ainur really enhances stock sound of your device and Viper acts as a good amp. Newer versions of viper are very light on battery thanks to Magisk.

 

[Cyanogenmoded]

That's sad to hear. Viper+Ainur really liven up my Redmi Note 4. Ainur really enhances stock sound of your device and Viper acts as a good amp. Newer versions of viper are very light on battery thanks to Magisk.

Sound mods can not be battery effecient, as it will be on the run for the speaker and all. Will give it a shot again i guess

 

[Barusu Lamperouge]

Sound mods can not be battery effecient, as it will be on the run for the speaker and all. Will give it a shot again i guess

Wish you luck! Happy listening

 

[Humblepie]

Unless there are sound quality differences, I would recommend the OKCSC M2 (same drivers.) It's got a detachable cable that is very good quality (much better than the ZX1 cable from what I've seen,) and has a better build in general, not as derpy. It also comes with a soft/hard case that is very handy, and is even a couple dollars cheaper the last time I checked.

Maybe if the guy with both isn't sick anymore, he could directly compare the sound?

Ask and Ye shall receive!!!

Okay I had a cold that progressed into a massive sinus infection. I've really been out of it for a few weeks due that. I finally am mostly sickness free and decided to finally do a comparison. I also had been up to this point swapping pads on the ZX1 to try to find another pad I like comfort wise and I also liked sound wise. My conclusion, there isn't one. The stock pads are perfectly tuned for the headphones and any other pad really makes them sound muddy, less detailed, and bad to me.

So direct comparison between the M2 and the ZX1. I did take the headphones apart. They ARE the same driver. Same numbers and looks as far as I can tell. That being said, the ZX1 sounds better with the stock pads. Those giant foam ear things just diffuse the sound enough to add a lot of meat to the sound. It makes everything more airy, impactful, and just overall better. The drivers are very bassy, and the setup of difussing that makes them sound right. They are ALMOST as good as my Focal Clears in sound. At least the ZX1s are. I am not lying when I say this. They sound that good to me in terms of presentation, clarity, and sound fullness. Timbre is like 99.5% identical to my Clears, and they are just a little extra pronounced on the treble and mid-treble region. They almost come across as a little shouty in direct comparison to my Clears, but do not sound sibilant nor fatiguing at all to me. That being said, the ZX1s are overall wonderful sounding headphones. I like the M2's as well, but they are not quite as good as the ZX1 in terms of sound quality. Build quality for an on ear I prefer the M2 though. Also with the M2 you are less likely to be mocked in public for wearing them unlike the ZX1. Comfort is about the same, but I prefer the headstrap of the ZX1 in terms of comfort. I just hate how the headstrap is attached with the ZX1 and mine are already starting to fray. They twist up and get wrapped into the little bronze "screw" they are attached to the headband with. It's only a matter of time before I try to figure out how to attach a new headband to the ZX1. That is the most disappointing thing about these.

In conclusion, ZX1 is better than M2 in sound quality overall. M2 is better in build construction. ZX1 is better in comfort. M2 is better in portability. That's my take on it.

 

[mbwilson111]

Also with the M2 you are less likely to be mocked in public for wearing them unlike the ZX1

Like anyone would ever wear the ZX1 in public... lol.

I'm curious how it compares to the Thinksound On2, since both are currently below $100.
@mbwilson111, IIRC you have both, can you give us your insight?

There is no point in trying to make such a comparison. One is a smaller on ear portable closed headphone... the other is a huge open over ear (in the sense that the pads are huge and practically engulf your face). They sound too different from each other to try to a/b compare them. This would be a similar situation to when I was asked to compare the Nighthawk and the ZX1. It just makes everything sound wrong.

Because they serve different purposes, you could just buy both.

 

[Slater]

Also with the M2 you are less likely to be mocked in public for wearing them unlike the ZX1.

Like anyone would ever wear the ZX1 in public... lol.

Anything is possible...people wear these bad boys in public (yes they’re real):

https://noisey.vice.com/amp/en_us/a...ss-headphones-massage-your-ears-and-look-cool

 

[mbwilson111]

Anything is possible...people wear these bad boys in public (yes they’re real):

Haha.. the wind would carry the ZX1 away...

What are those things?