[ArgBoston]

Fair enough, though I can't speak as to the quality of the raw drivers on the D9200. Which product mentions the N90Q?

The horn composite speaker is the same technology as in the OKCSC headphones, along with all of its issues.

The dual driver unit likely has either crossover or timbre issues (or both).

The Tiinlab unit has a deeper construction than most closed backs, so the soundstage might seem wide, but that also usually leads to mid and treble issues in an effort to provide balanced sound.

The cheap walnut item is definitely just a shell.

The MSR7 shell is just a shell.

And like I said before the planar looks remarkably like the Sundara, and almost costs as much.

The D9200 ones might be worth a look if that is the genuine driver, and the dual driver might be worth taking a shot at to see if crossovers have improved, but otherwise it's a bit iffy. Hope the feedback helped.

Sadly the D9200 drivers aren't authentic. The MSR7 is actually a replica of the original and not a shell. (Not sure if that's allowed here I'll remove if so.) Also, this seller claims to have a shell with N90Q drivers inside of them.

 

[Slater]

Found a bunch of interesting headphones on taobao if anyone would like to be the guinea pig .

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...8oOSn&id=605673005731&ns=1&abbucket=10#detail
Price: ~43 USD

Even if that’s just a shell, that’s a good deal for open headphone with wood cups and carbon fiber headband.

I wish there was an easy way for people in the US to order from Taobao

 

[xuan87]

I used to buy shells from taobao (because they're cheap) and fit in aftermarket drivers on them, like the Symphones drivers. Easy way to get a great sounding headphones that don't cost much.

Nowadays I'm so lazy that I'll buy a braided cable too, so i just have to solder the cable to the drivers hahaha.

 

[baskingshark]

I wanted to share a really good deal on a ChiFi headphone.

Xiaomi is apparently clearing out stock of the 2nd generation Mi HiFi wired headphone. Gold is the only color available.

The headphone was originally $100-$120, and is being sold for $39 with coupon code. Also, during Aliexpress sales, you can use coupon-fu to get it even cheaper.

It’s an on-ear, closed headphone. All aluminum build, 40mm graphene driver, and made for Xiaomi by 1More. It’s very compact on the head, fits well, is very comfortable to wear, folds up, and includes a hard carry case.

Note that this is the 2nd gen version. The 1st gen had a beryllium driver, a different style of fake mesh grille, and came with multiple earpads. I’ve never heard the 1st gen, so I can’t tell you how this compares.

The sound is V shaped, but it’s got good midrange that isn’t super recessed. I guess it could be considered mild V shaped or U shaped.

It reminds me a lot of the 1More H1707 Triple Driver (a $300 headphone), in sound tuning, build, and fit. It’s basically the little brother of the H1707, and I can definitely tell that 1More used the Xiaomi HiFi as a testing/proving ground for the more advanced/expensive H1707.

The Xiaomi even has a secret unadvertised passive radiator, identical to the one used in the H1707. Which I guess makes it a ‘dual driver’ using 1More’s questionable marketing nomenclature (eye roll lol).

The earpads are removable (twist locking), but they’re proprietary. However, 3rd party replacement pads are available on Aliexpress. I ordered a set to see how the quality compares.

Anyways, if you’re looking for a very well built, knock around headphone that has a closed design, consumer tuning, and that you can wear outside without looking like an idiot, it’s a heck of a good deal.

It is 32ohm, so just like the H1707 it scales well with an amplifier. It is drivable from a phone, but not to ear shattering levels.

The Aliexpress seller is “Mi CC Store”, and it’s genuine and factory sealed.

Thanks @Slater for the rec! My Xiaomi 2nd generation Mi HiFi has arrived.

Very sturdy and of impeccable build, comfortable clamp force. Mild V shaped in sound signature. Technical performance wise, it is average in soundstage, imaging, details. Good timbre for acoustic instruments. Easy to drive, but scales better with amping.

Will make a good daily beater set. Good for the price. I probably won't have bought it at full price at $120, but for the $37 I got it, that's a good deal IMHO. Thanks Slater once again for letting us know about this deal!

 

[BenF]

I don't remember cable lenght of the Pro82's I had. But I think it measured close to good version Pro82's. Can't check that right now. I've actually later bought used Pro82's. Don't know which version. It had only aftermarket cable. Ended up selling that too. Sounded the same as the first version.

Bummer, looks like you have ended up with Pro 82 v0.9 both times.

How people perceive sound is very subjective. There is a guy who thinks Martin Logan Mikros90 are comparable to his Focal Utopia and Hifiman He1000se. He is as right as you saying Pro82's are as transparent as TOTL stuff. Some people just have these holy grail headphones that match their perception of good sound precisely.

That guy may be completely right - not because his hearing is different than anybody else's, but because he isn't using the right chain for his Utopia.
When I auditioned Utopia for the first time, I was extremely disappointed, and rated it well below the much cheaper Elear.
A year later, in the same store I was listening to the same Utopia - and I was dumbfounded how great it sounded. What has changed? It wasn't my hearing...

The first time I used the Beyerdynamic A2 amplifier, which had plenty of power for Utopia, but wasn't a good match musically.
The second time I used the Cayin iHA-6 with a tube pre-amp, a combination that worked great with Abyss, so I tried with Utopia too.
All TOTL headphones are very sensitive to the chain that feeds them, doesn't matter if you paid 60$ for Pro 82 or $4000+ for Utopia/Abyss.
I own 6 headphones in the $1000+ range, and I can make any of them sound mediocre if I want
Unfortunately, some of them don't even need extra help...

If he has listened to his Mikros90 on a chain that made them sing, and to Utopia on a bad chain, he may be 100% right in his judgement - but only until he runs Utopia on its "synergy" chain.

I'm kind of jealous. I wish I found a $50 headphone that to my ears would outperform $5000 headphones. I could get rid of my expensive headphones and get something not hifi related instead.

It's not just me. Read these reviews, comparing Pro 82 with Fostex TH-900, Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart, Sennheiser 800/6xx, Beyerdynamic T90, Monoprice M1060, Denon D7000, Beyerdynamic T1, Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany, Focal Clear, NAD HP50, Sennheiser HD600/598, Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Open-Back, Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed, AKG 712 Pro etc:

Comparison with Fostex TH-900, Fostex TH-X00 Purpleheart, Sennheiser 800/6xx, Beyerdynamic T90 (by Ahmadfaizadnan)
Comparison with Sony MDR900MA, Phillips X2, Monoprice M1060, Denon D7000, Beyerdynamic T1 (by J Mirra)
Comparison with Philips X2 (by OscarPaz)
Comparison with Sony MDR-1A and Beyerdynamic DT-1350 (by Myrra)
Comparison with Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany (by Heavyharmonies)
Comparison with AKG 712 Pro (by Weirdek)
Comparison with M40x (by Joshuadapitan)
Comparison with Sony MDR-1A (by Tysun)
Comparison with Neumann NDH20, Focal Clear, Sendy Aiva, NAD HP50, Sennheiser HD600/598 (by sov73811)
Comparison with Focal Clear, NAD HP50, Sennheiser HD600, Koss KPH30i, Koss KSC 75, Audeze Mobius, Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Open-Back, Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed (by sov73811)

And keep in mind, these people weren't even using the synergy combos for Pro 82....

Nevertheless... There is of course that 1% change that my perception of Pro82's would change with some another version and different system. So I checked if Takstar Audio aliexpress store had stock on pro82's and turns out shipping would cost $14.27. It's just standard aliexpress shipping. Is it because of Corona or have sellers at Ali decided to start ripping of people? Takstar store is not the only seller with inflated shipping fees.

If from now on I have to start paying for shipping from China I'm done with chi-fi. Not going to pay €50 for headphones +€15 for shipping +2,5€ for post processing here in Finland and potential 24% VAT. No way in hell.

Universal Postal Union has cancelled the cheaper tariffs they had for China. Have you noticed that ePacket option has disappeared completely?
The tariffs will rise 164% until 2025.
This has nothing to do with Aliexpress. Good luck finding incredible price/performance deals in your local stores

 

[germanium]

In the price range of the X2HR? Takstar HF-580 with Aiva pad from Sivga. USD $150ish during sale at AliE before coupons, then $12-$25 for the pads depending on where you buy, with Taobao being the cheapest. The ZX-1 is solid, but dependent on genre due to its peaks and troughs (EDM tends to suffer, for example), and can also suffer with a bright or even flat source.

After that you're better off looking at regular recommendations in that price range rather than Chi-Fi:

Fostex T50RP MK3 - $130-$150
Drop x Sennheiser HD58X - $170 (goes down as low as $130, October-December)
Drop x Sennheiser HD6XX - $220 (goes down as low as $180, October-December)
Drop x HiFiMAN HE-4XX - $160 (goes down as low as $120, October-December)
HiFiMAN HE-400i - $139-$169 currently

The Drop collaborations can go down a further $20 if you're a first time user of the site. Those are all fairly well-described headphones on here, of which I'd mostly look at the HD6XX and the T50RP in general terms, but perhaps the HiFiMAN options for bass response.

There's just not a lot of stand-out options in the Chi-Fi market compared to the above, but there seems to have been plenty of solid development done in the last 12 months (HF-580, Aiva, B20 for planar, Helios for dynamic drivers). It all comes down to what you're trying to get out of the headphone with its bass. If it's strong and fairly clean bass, then the Takstar would be worth a try, but it's with somewhat dark treble and potential issues in the mids (the pads help with this), so you may find the HD6XX a better experience despite the bass roll off.

I've picked through people's thoughts on a lot of open-back and closed-back ChiFi headphone options over recent memory, and it doesn't seem to get much better than the Takstar Pro 82 and the HF-580 in the sub-$250 range. The ZX-1 is an experience worth trying, but if you need a daily driver I'd defer to those Takstar models or work through the list above.

It's rare to see any open back push far past flat bass, let alone the kind of presentation I suspect you're seeking (Harman neutral). As I understand it, beyond bass quantity the X2HR don't really hold up against other options in their price range, and are mostly discontinued anyway.

I have the Goldplanar GL600's and the have an excellent bass & sub bass & are open back.

 

[ArgBoston]

Finally managed to get in contact with yo-tronics. I messaged them on alibaba and they were willing to sell me a pair of their planars. I'm going with the KP-1200 for now, the KP-2000 is a beauty but it's out of my price range. Here is the prices for those interested:

KP-1200: USD $259
KP-1800: USD $299
KP-2000: USD $660

 

[Pharmaboy]

Finally managed to get in contact with yo-tronics. I messaged them on alibaba and they were willing to sell me a pair of their planars. I'm going with the KP-1200 for now, the KP-2000 is a beauty but it's out of my price range. Here is the prices for those interested:

KP-1200: USD $259
KP-1800: USD $299
KP-2000: USD $660

That KP-1800 looks very nice. Is that the one you're getting?

I hope so...can't wait to read your impressions of the sound.

 

[Slater]

I wanted to share a really good deal on a ChiFi headphone.

Xiaomi is apparently clearing out stock of the 2nd generation Mi HiFi wired headphone. Gold is the only color available.

The headphone was originally $100-$120, and is being sold for $39 with coupon code. Also, during Aliexpress sales, you can use coupon-fu to get it even cheaper.

It’s an on-ear, closed headphone. All aluminum build, 40mm graphene driver, and made for Xiaomi by 1More. It’s very compact on the head, fits well, is very comfortable to wear, folds up, and includes a hard carry case.

Note that this is the 2nd gen version. The 1st gen had a beryllium driver, a different style of fake mesh grille, and came with multiple earpads. I’ve never heard the 1st gen, so I can’t tell you how this compares.

The sound is V shaped, but it’s got good midrange that isn’t super recessed. I guess it could be considered mild V shaped or U shaped.

It reminds me a lot of the 1More H1707 Triple Driver (a $300 headphone), in sound tuning, build, and fit. It’s basically the little brother of the H1707, and I can definitely tell that 1More used the Xiaomi HiFi as a testing/proving ground for the more advanced/expensive H1707.

The Xiaomi even has a secret unadvertised passive radiator, identical to the one used in the H1707. Which I guess makes it a ‘dual driver’ using 1More’s questionable marketing nomenclature (eye roll lol).

The earpads are removable (twist locking), but they’re proprietary. However, 3rd party replacement pads are available on Aliexpress. I ordered a set to see how the quality compares.

Anyways, if you’re looking for a very well built, knock around headphone that has a closed design, consumer tuning, and that you can wear outside without looking like an idiot, it’s a heck of a good deal.

It is 32ohm, so just like the H1707 it scales well with an amplifier. It is drivable from a phone, but not to ear shattering levels.

The Aliexpress seller is “Mi CC Store”, and it’s genuine and factory sealed.

$33 - Xiaomi Mi HiFi headphone (after sale price and coupons)
$6 - 3rd party Mi Hifi earpads from Aliexpress; stripped for their plastic mounting brackets
$3 - Generic Grado Bowls from Aliexpress (perfect fit)
$0 - True open backed mod and driver retuning
————————
Total = $44
Bang for buck = $Priceless

 

[baskingshark]

$33 - Xiaomi Mi HiFi headphone (after sale price and coupons)
$6 - 3rd party Mi Hifi earpads from Aliexpress; stripped for their plastic mounting brackets
$3 - Generic Grado Bowls from Aliexpress (perfect fit)
$0 - True open backed mod and driver retuning
————————
Total = $44
Bang for buck = $Priceless

Thanks @Slater for this rec, I've been using the Xiaomi Mi HIFI headphones this week and it is super comfy. Good timbre, technicalities average to above average. I'm actually using it more than my other mainstream cans like the Audiotechnica M40X and Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros.

How does the 3rd party Mi HIFI earpads affect the stock sound signature?

 

[Slater]

Thanks @Slater for this rec, I've been using the Xiaomi Mi HIFI headphones this week and it is super comfy. Good timbre, technicalities average to above average. I'm actually using it more than my other mainstream cans like the Audiotechnica M40X and Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros.

How does the 3rd party Mi HIFI earpads affect the stock sound signature?

The pads are actually very close to the stock pads. The only difference is that the foam isn’t as slow rebounding as the stock pad. But other than that, they’re identical to the original pads.

 

[baskingshark]

The pads are actually very close to the stock pads. The only difference is that the foam isn’t as slow rebounding as the stock pad. But other than that, they’re identical to the original pads.

Ah so they don't affect the sound signature? I quite like the stock sound signature, consumer friendly, and not fatiguing.

 

[Slater]

Ah so they don't affect the sound signature? I quite like the stock sound signature, consumer friendly, and not fatiguing.

No, they sound like the stock pads from what I remembered. I didn’t try them long though. Since I was primarily buying them to harvest for the mounting rings, I did a brief listen and fitment check before I tore them apart.

 

[Pharmaboy]

"...before I tore them apart." (insert "speechless" emoji)

 

[Slater]

"...before I tore them apart." (insert "speechless" emoji)

When you’re a creative type of individual, it’s actually quite therapeutic to just tear stuff apart sometimes

Like in the movie Office Space, when they smashed the fax machine they hated because it would always jam paper haha