[jasswolf]

So what else... Takstar hf580 planars? I like those but wonky mids, Non detachable cables and poor weight distribution were a turn off. I could get it for 217€ locally. It's a decent deal. 150€ would be more appropriate all things considered but 217€ is okayish. Out of the box Hifiman he400se(ok, Chinese but more mainstream) is better but hf580 can be modded to sound better. That is big attraction in chifi for me - modding potential. If core product is good I don't mind some tweaking to get better value for money.

GoldPlanar Gl2000. Nice alternative for better entry level headphones such as he400se or dt880. Problem is that it should be 400€ cheaper.

I have also somehow missed Sendy Aiva but it is supposedly good. At 649€ it better be.

Takstar HF-580 is reasonable easy to tune, and that seems to be the key to it, as you're getting the Aiva driver in an unfavourable enclosure. Aiva v2 pads and dampen the driver with padding surrounding it inside the enclosure, and you clean up its issues supposedly. GoldPlanar's interesting products come in the form of their AMT and ribbon headphones.

I think Takstar, Superlux and the quality of IEMs in the price range have just driven away any serious competition. Now, the value is when HIFIMAN make breakthroughs, or when someone experiment with new drivers.

There's an affordable DIY ribbon headphone on Taobao (but you have to get a shipping service to remove the portable amp) if you can get past its bass resonance, as well as a DIY planar that is basically a tonally refined HIFIMAN HE-6 SE v2 for under $500 USD.

Basically chi-fi headphones have gone underground.

EDIT: fixed link for Allen Ribbon Headphone

 

[Roderick]

I had modded takstar hf580 on loan and it was terrific. Weird midrange resonance was still there to some extent but sound was balanced and subbass was intense. That sort of bass is something one can not get out of any affordable Hifiman regardless of mods or eq.

Oh man... For $500 I would buy that NAN-6 with Audeze style headband instantly if I wasnt too lazy to learn how to use taobao.

 

[filthyweeb]

isnt blon b60 is just rebranded blon b8 with "new looks" and double price?

 

[tutetibiimperes]

…but how does it sound (balance, imaging, soundstage…)?

No clue on that, I've been tempted, but not tempted enough to spend the money, I really don't need another closed back (though I've been really close to pulling the trigger on a brown Shure Aonic 50 after demoing them at Best Buy and being blown away at how great they sound).

Sure, it's pretty. I don't oppose sv01 in particular. I don't need headphones to match harman curve. I enjoy variety. For the sake of variety it would be nice if someone came up with moderately priced chi-fi headphone that is tuned for balanced signature. Sivga Phoenix was a step in that direction but it was muffled, congested and unfit for adult head. It is also more expensive than Beyerdynamic dt880, AKG K701 or Sennheiser HD6xx. Value for money used to be at core of chi-fi. It's just not there with Phoenix.

Recently I bought Tripowin H1. For allmost 200€ thats a bad joke. Not competitive even in sub 30€ segment.

GoldPlanar Gl2000. Nice alternative for better entry level headphones such as he400se or dt880. Problem is that it should be 400€ cheaper.

Speaking of expensive Chinese planars I've never heard Sendy Peacock or Timsok TS 1024 but from what I've red both are good candidates for worst "+1000€ headphones ever" award. I have also somehow missed Sendy Aiva but it is supposedly good. At 649€ it better be.

The GL2000 is a weird one in that launched with an incredible about of hype and then the sale/trade forums were immediately clogged with a ton of people trying to offload them.

I've been close to buying the Tripowin H1 a few times, I know Zeos hates it, but that's not necessarily a minus in my book as I've loved some other things he's hated, what don't you like about it?

I'm completely with you on the Sendy Peacock and Timsok headphones. Price points are just ridiculous on those. Hifiman can charge high price points because they've developed a reputation for excellent sound quality over the course of many years. It seems a lot of upstart Chinese brands are looking to jump right into that realm without doing the hard work of actually establishing a reputation for quality first.

 

[Roderick]

isnt blon b60 is just rebranded blon b8 with "new looks" and double price?

I hope not because b8 supposedly sounds good It's hard to say for sure. Keeping track of those Beryllium coated drivers is complicated. Looks and specs can match but drivers can still be different. Anyway the pads have fabric on them so it will sound different than b8 that has all pleather pads.

B60 is weird. I get the appeal. Great clarity and detail. Bad thing is that it was achieved by removing relevant parts of the midrange. Shouty, borderline shrill and everything has this helium like tone to it. If modded it could be nice. Build quality is excellent but headband and shallow wood cups resonate alot. That big headband is also kind of stupid because more sleek headband would make it more suitable for portable use. Suspension headband is kind of useless when headphones weight ~200g.

This kind of goes back to what I was ranting about. If price is right and tonality can be fixed with mods there could be great value waiting. When headphone allready cost 135€ potential value decreases. At that price I don't want a headphone that sounds like s*hit out of the box no matter how pretty it is.

I've been close to buying the Tripowin H1 a few times, I know Zeos hates it, but that's not necessarily a minus in my book as I've loved some other things he's hated, what don't you like about it?

Zeos got this one right IMO. Both sound and build quality problems. Bass is very light. There is some unit to unit variance because crinacles unit measured decent bass. It has to do with super thin baffle that does not propably seal with the earpads. Even If one could mod it to have more bass I don't see the point. It's not horrible technically but not great for the money either. Also the tuning paper at front of the driver limits modding possibilities. Without that dense paper treble would propably shoot to heavens.

 

[music_man]

I feel that the SIVGA 0021 and Loxjie D30 are deadringers for the ADI2 and HD820 combo! Pluss the Robin is much smaller and lighter. In other words I am extremely impressed with the combo for the price.

 

[Dobrescu George]

If you're looking for a high quality headphone with good comfort, a smooth, yet impactful sound, tons of details, and one that is pocket-friendly, then Linsoul Audio and BLON prepared something for you, with their WGZBLON BL-B60, or Blon B60 as it is called by most.

Comparisons with 3 other interesting headphones included, also my personal feelings on this 50mm dynamic driver headphone~

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/02/blon-bl-b60-dynamic-headphones-low-notes-jumping.html

 

[vsg28]

Coincidentally, I also just finished testing the BLON B60 and it's terribly tuned based on the marketing expectations not being met and also in general (see FR below). Don't bother with it, and I also have no idea how this is supposed to be pocket-friendly as the previous poster mentioned.

 

[music_man]

You know wat? The SV021 still sound as good as I say but they are baby headphones The soundstage is super compact They sound as small as they really are. Don't get me wrong, I think they sound fantastic. Just do not look to them for headspace. I guess to many people this simply qualifies them as absolute junk. I am not sure about that though. they have other nice traits. They are very wrong but still well behaved. Although they will not hesitate to distort. Look, they are $150. In that regard they still offer a lot of value IMO. For one thing they are well built and look real nice. I think they sound good to but I can see where most people will think they are outright rubbish as was the Phoenix. More of the same deal. I would tell most to steerclear and go with the DT770 if you are being pressed to spend $150. For the enthusiast I feel they have a very solid footing.

 

[akatsuki]

Takstar HF-580 is reasonable easy to tune, and that seems to be the key to it, as you're getting the Aiva driver in an unfavourable enclosure. Aiva v2 pads and dampen the driver with padding surrounding it inside the enclosure, and you clean up its issues supposedly. GoldPlanar's interesting products come in the form of their AMT and ribbon headphones.

I think Takstar, Superlux and the quality of IEMs in the price range have just driven away any serious competition. Now, the value is when HIFIMAN make breakthroughs, or when someone experiment with new drivers.

There's an affordable DIY ribbon headphone on Taobao (but you have to get a shipping service to remove the portable amp) if you can get past its bass resonance, as well as a DIY planar that is basically a tonally refined HIFIMAN HE-6 SE v2 for under $500 USD.

Basically chi-fi headphones have gone underground.

I can’t get that planar link to work. It is the Nan-6 right? I want to buy one.

 

[jasswolf]

I can’t get that planar link to work. It is the Nan-6 right? I want to buy one.

You need to create a Taobao account.

 

[gzbaga]

this is the r10 from china,it is the diy headset closest to r10 in appearance

I just measured these. Tuning is surprisingly neutral.

https://unheardlab.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/teaser-sony-mdr-z1r-z7m2-and-mutex-mdr-r10-replica/

 

[vsg28]

Ah I suppose I should share this here: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sivga-robin-sv021-closed-back-over-ear-headphones/

 

[Ruddy1]

我只是测量了这些。调音出人意料地中性。

https://unheardlab.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/teaser-sony-mdr-z1r-z7m2-and-mutex-mdr-r10-replica/

I just measured these. Tuning is surprisingly neutral.

https://unheardlab.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/teaser-sony-mdr-z1r-z7m2-and-mutex-mdr-r10-replica/

This is my rough measurement

 

[gzbaga]

This is my rough measurement

Neat. looks like QC isn't bad either.

Are you a manufacturer? Just wondering given what's on your work desk.