Pharmaboy
Headphoneus Supremus
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.
RE "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."
For an "inexperienced listener," you really can get it done! These comments are excellent, not to mention more detailed than is often the case here. You spent time checking these headphones out physically & sonically, and that is so helpful here.
I'm really nuts about these Marantz MPH-2's. They've become my favorite headphone. I don't find the bass to be particularly emphasized compared to some other headphones I've heard...IMO it's shelved up a very modest amount, but that's OK because it's quite even (across entire bass range, not just a narrow portion) and the bass doesn't intrude on the mids at all.
I've listened to every genre of music in my collection, including vocal, classical, world music, hip hop, reggae on the Marantz'. While it may not be the headphone you'd purchase just for classical symphonies or chamber music, I found it "lets the music through" very well in all genres. Usually I just forget about the headphones and "hear into" the music.
Like @peter123, I tried HM5 "extra thick" pleather pads--not on the Marantz's, but on their nearly identical clone, LyxPro HAS-30's. That was pretty interesting: the bass became slightly less prominent, but gained impact. In fact, the headphones, which already sound very dynamic, became even more dynamic. The downside of the HM5's was that brightness slightly increased--really noticeable because the LyxPro HAS-30's/Marantz' have such ideal, non-peaky/bright highs. I addressed that with a cotton fabric insert at the base of each HM5, and the result was impressive...those headphones kicked like a mule with any significant bass or music dynamics was present.
I have an "endgame" pair of planars on order, and no doubt they'll blow my mind and be the best headphones I've ever heard. But somehow I doubt the Marantz' will ever sound inadequate by comparison...they're just too good for that.
