Do you have any recommendations?
Chinese / Asian Brand Info Thread (On or Over Ear Headphones)
- Thread starter slowpickr
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HI friend, i'm more of an IEM person than a headphone person, so best to ask the rest if it is about CHIFI headphones purely. For CHIFI IEMs I can give some advise though.
What's your budget and sound preference/music genre preferences, I'm sure the others can chime in with their input!
Oh I'm already across the Tin P1, the upcoming Tin T4 and a few others to keep an eye on.
Would be interested in your thoughts on recent TWS options though... flat or slight v-shaped, EDM, rock, podcasts. Just standard recommendations for family and friends who baulk at Earpod prices.
But this isn't the thread for that, so I might tag you elsewhere when I get around to it?
I still am interested to hear your take on Chi-Fi over-ear and on-ear options if you have any!
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The only CHIFI headphone I have is the OKCSC ZX1. It's decent for its price of $50 - 60 USD. Over ear, open backed. The details, clarity and instrument separation are good but surprisingly for an open back, its soundstage is not that wide. In fact I have heard some other expensive IEMs that have bigger soundstge than it. It has non detachable cable and is quite filmsy too. Subbass is also not that good in extension and quantity, but that's not suprising for open back cans. But unfortunately, I'm a basshead and that part really bugs me out.
Compared to my other budget to midfi mainstream headphones that I have (Audio Technica M40X, Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, Beyerdynamic DTX 501 P), I wasn't too impressed with the OKCSC ZS1, YMMV.
Haven't tried other CHIFI headphones though, I'm more of an IEM guy as I said, so not the best person to ask. The others here should have better recommendations.
For TWS options, I only use the TRN BT20 bluetooth adapter. It has both MMCX and 2 pin variants. Haven't tried other true wireless buds/IEMs. The TRN BT20 is good cause u can just plug whatever existing detachable IEM u have to it and preserve the sound signature that u like from that IEM. Pretty cheap @ sub $30 USD, battery life ~ 6 hours. The sound quality and connection is outstanding, haven't had any disconnects so far and minimal hiss. There's an upgraded version called the BT20S that is water proof and has better connectivity and battery life.
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CoiL
Member of the Trade: Wood Audio Accessories & Modifications
* Superlux HD-668b (without modifications)
* Superlux HD-681 (red ring) (needs some modifications)
* Superlux HD-672
* Takstar Pro-80
Haven`t received my HD-672 yet (will take about month) but my HD-681 with some mods hits WAY above its price vs. sq point.
HD-672 should be improvement without any electronical modifications (amplitude correction filter).
My all time favourite HP is Fidelio X1 (don`t see/hear any need for upgrading with my gear matchup, sounds quite perfect to my ears).
I've already got a Samson SR850, which I believe is a re-tuned HD-681 driver to sound like a HD-688b, but with similarly god-awful pads. Tried them with Sonarworks and its model-specific profile, and it did a fantastic job of cleaning up their treble issues, far better than a regular EQ, but ultimately they need better pads and a lot of headband stretching and at that point the profile is a bit useless (especially when you opt for 30mm thick pads like I did).
I'm also aiming on getting the supposedly better QC'd and batched Takstar Pro 82 from AliE on 11.11 along with a Khadas Tone Board, then hopefully a JDS Atom on sale later this month (shipping is currently US$30).
To be clear, this is my current collection, in order of preference:
IEM:
Xiaomi Mi In-Ear Pro 2
KZ ZSN
On-ear:
OKCSC ZX1
Koss KPH30i
Koss KSC75X
Koss Porta Pro X with Yaxi pads (the pads clean them up and makes them very comfortable, but positioning the driver correctly is a chore)
Over-ear:
Hyper X Cloud Revolver (this was my starting point, and was a solid entry point at an equivalent of US$40)
Samson SR850 with pad change
I might look at options like the Sennheiser HD6XX and the Koss ESP/95x down the line as very solid mid-range entry points, but for now I'll settle with rounding out the collection of sound signatures I've gathered and replacing my Xonar DGX with something a little tastier.
Pretty happy with what's been gathered for the US $220 or so spent.
Do u like your OKCSC ZX1 compared to your Koss cans?
Anyway Khadas tone board is a very good bang for buck DAC. I saw it at $84 USD (11/11 price), based on specs it beats most of the other more expensive mainstream brands:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ad-distortion-comparison-graph-for-dacs.4814/
The only thing is the Khadas tone board comes usually as a naked board (which doesn't pick up any electronic interferance despite being used next to my desktop). But I paid about 13 bucks to get a acrylic case made for it, to look asthetically better.
I think with Khadas tone board and JDS Atom, u are all set in the source department.
Good luck with your headphone hunt and better watch your wallet on 11/11!!!
I definitely appreciate that the Koss generally roll off the treble more and don't manage to be as sibilant, but the bass and mids are a tad cleaner on the ZX1 for most tracks. The presence boost with the Koss is really welcome at times for a different styling.
The ZX1 seems to be similar to Grados in that its strengths are live music and solid studio recordings ahead of EDM-leaning tracks. It's far from perfect, but it is fun, and has the widest soundstage of my current collection, though some of that may come down the giant over-ear fit? I'm sure with some headband manipulation I could make it into a better seal, but I suspect that would also make the treble more fatiguing.
I'm really impressed by the KPH30i's ability to clean up most terrible recordings and make them fun, but they'll get a bit too boomy at high volumes, and they are hit and miss for video/speech. Between that and the KSC75/KSC75X, you can cover a lot of bases on a budget. The KPH30i is also a lot easier to fit correctly than the other Koss staples, and are in less need of a mod or pad change.
I actually got the KPH before I got the Porta Pro and tried the Yaxi pads, and I honestly regret having bothered with the latter, but I have only had them a day or so. I mean I get why some people like them (only with the pad change), but they must have a much easier time getting them fitted and set than most people. For US$20 + delivery, just get the KPH30i at stock and embrace the simplicity of the design, and the slightly warm - and slightly veiled - sound.
So apparently my head's a bit narrow, and that's screwing with the tuning on these cans.
Pressing the HAS-30 closer to my head brings up the treble for some much appreciated detail - which probably explains why I liked the velour pads. It wasn't so much the material change as it was that the HAS-30 velours are thinner than the pleather. I've got some 22mm Dekoni pads coming in to try. Also have another stock HAS-30 coming in to compare against my modded one so I can finally make fair comparisons to other models.
Made three strong bends to the GM200 band, and the clamp is finally strong enough to make a good seal with the stock pads. Bass is~ adequate. I'd personally prefer a *hint* more sub-bass, but the rest of the bass is fine. Treble can be a bit harsh. Appreciated for detail/imaging in open-world games, but overall fatiguing when I just want to enjoy music. I'm tempted to try some of the foam inserts recommended for tuning the Pro 82, but curiously already found some foam sheets stuffed behind the pads. Also have some Sheepskin MSR7 pads coming in that I'll try swapping on.
Scored a cheap bluetooth OneOdio (the older Studio M with thinner pads, rather than the new Fusion or noise cancelling models), so assuming it's not a knock-off, looking forward to trying it and padswapping with the HAS-30 or Brainwavz pads.
Not chifi, but also got in a Sony MDR-1AM2, and not enjoying it at all. Fits fine, light and generally comfortable, but way too much bass for my taste, so I'll be returning or reselling locally. It's a shame, because I genuinely love the MH755 IEMs. Seems like I'm basically chasing the Harman Target, so I might give those new AKG K371 a try next.
Pressing the HAS-30 closer to my head brings up the treble for some much appreciated detail - which probably explains why I liked the velour pads. It wasn't so much the material change as it was that the HAS-30 velours are thinner than the pleather. I've got some 22mm Dekoni pads coming in to try. Also have another stock HAS-30 coming in to compare against my modded one so I can finally make fair comparisons to other models.
Made three strong bends to the GM200 band, and the clamp is finally strong enough to make a good seal with the stock pads. Bass is~ adequate. I'd personally prefer a *hint* more sub-bass, but the rest of the bass is fine. Treble can be a bit harsh. Appreciated for detail/imaging in open-world games, but overall fatiguing when I just want to enjoy music. I'm tempted to try some of the foam inserts recommended for tuning the Pro 82, but curiously already found some foam sheets stuffed behind the pads. Also have some Sheepskin MSR7 pads coming in that I'll try swapping on.
Scored a cheap bluetooth OneOdio (the older Studio M with thinner pads, rather than the new Fusion or noise cancelling models), so assuming it's not a knock-off, looking forward to trying it and padswapping with the HAS-30 or Brainwavz pads.
Not chifi, but also got in a Sony MDR-1AM2, and not enjoying it at all. Fits fine, light and generally comfortable, but way too much bass for my taste, so I'll be returning or reselling locally. It's a shame, because I genuinely love the MH755 IEMs. Seems like I'm basically chasing the Harman Target, so I might give those new AKG K371 a try next.
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
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Your narrow head is quite a curse, it makes you hear the opposite of the measurements. The measurement head is simulating an average-sized head (like mine), so I hear pretty much what I measure.
Yet your narrow head makes you hear very differently - you have to bring HAS-30 closer to your head to hear some detail in treble, even though it has a 5kHz peak 10dB higher than GM200 - which you find harsh.
GM200's subbass is just "adequate" for you, even though it's HAS-30 crashing 10dB from 50Hz to 20HZ, while GM200 even gains a little in that area.
...So I overlayed the MPH-2 (Orange) over BenF's GM200 (Red) and Pro82 (Green) chart:
You may have better luck with IEMs/earbuds - headphones are just not a good fit for you. Bummer...
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It's the pads. Couldn't get a proper seal, and swapping them onto the bass-heavy 1AM2 produced a similar anemic sound.
Figured maybe a bit more pressure on the pads would help, so about five cotton balls later:
(Cotton balls split in half, five halves under each pad in hopes of applying even pressure).
Suddenly found all that missing bass. I'll listen for a few days before giving another opinion.
As for the comparison to the HAS-30, it wasn't really possible to give a fair one, since my personal model was fairly heavily modified, so I was looking forward to comparing to the stock model that arrived today. However, the one that arrived has no sound in the left driver, so it'll be a while before I can compare. If it was just an electrical issue, I'd fix it, but there's some flex/pop in the left driver film when I wear/remove the set, so I think it's physical damage.
EDIT: So apparently these OneOdio Studio Wireless M are the wireless-only model, which might explain why they were available for <$20. I know both variants of branding have been used before, but it's a bit odd seeing "OneOdio" on the box and instructions, but "OneAudio" printed on the headphone itself.
Initial reaction is~ not bad. Nice seal right out of the box. I'll do more testing over the next few days. Disappointed at the lack of aux input - Bluetooth latency means these are a no-go for at least one of my use cases, and I already have an ES100 for wireless listening at work.
Figured maybe a bit more pressure on the pads would help, so about five cotton balls later:
(Cotton balls split in half, five halves under each pad in hopes of applying even pressure).
Suddenly found all that missing bass. I'll listen for a few days before giving another opinion.
As for the comparison to the HAS-30, it wasn't really possible to give a fair one, since my personal model was fairly heavily modified, so I was looking forward to comparing to the stock model that arrived today. However, the one that arrived has no sound in the left driver, so it'll be a while before I can compare. If it was just an electrical issue, I'd fix it, but there's some flex/pop in the left driver film when I wear/remove the set, so I think it's physical damage.
EDIT: So apparently these OneOdio Studio Wireless M are the wireless-only model, which might explain why they were available for <$20. I know both variants of branding have been used before, but it's a bit odd seeing "OneOdio" on the box and instructions, but "OneAudio" printed on the headphone itself.
Initial reaction is~ not bad. Nice seal right out of the box. I'll do more testing over the next few days. Disappointed at the lack of aux input - Bluetooth latency means these are a no-go for at least one of my use cases, and I already have an ES100 for wireless listening at work.
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Ok guys, I'm new to the world of chi-fi, for a budget of 300 dollars, what can I get from a chinese brand that sounds far better than my current AKG q701s
https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK
https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK
mbwilson111
Headphoneus Supremus
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I am surprised. My ZX1 has a massive soundstage.
I gotta go back later to have a listen to it again. Last I used it was 2 - 3 months ago. Maybe I got a lemon?
mbwilson111
Headphoneus Supremus
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I need to listen again too because I thought mine had plenty of sub bass and that bass in general was incredible... but also detail, stage... all of it. Now you have made me wonder. Not sure which sources I was using at the time. I don't keep notes on these things
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