[yvfed1]

 The information I'm looking for, particularly on the more expensive (for me) TH500RP's, is your general impressions of how they sound: the usual bass/midrange/treble stuff, but also some context & perspective on how they satify/fail to satisfy vs other headphones on hand. I'm very curious how planars sound vs dynamics (never heard a planar).

Well, TH500 is with me for few days now. I found it very much to my liking. Compared to Sens HD650, they sound brighter on the top - the HD650 "feels" rolled off in comparison. I found bass cleaner and better defined with Fostex but not dramatically. Midrange is very different between these two: Fostex sounds as having a bit elevated "presence region" around 4 Khz; I probably would prefer "warmer" mids of the HD650. Both have about the same volume from the same amps I've tried. Both are light and comfortable on my head, no preference here. With slight margin, I probably would prefer 500HP over HD650. Lastly, by the sounds of Fostex, I would not have guesses they are planar or anything different than a decent dynamic headphone. Overall, very good headphone in my view.

 

[Pharmaboy]

  Well, TH500 is with me for few days now. I found it very much to my liking. Compared to Sens HD650, they sound brighter on the top - the HD650 "feels" rolled off in comparison. I found bass cleaner and better defined with Fostex but not dramatically. Midrange is very different between these two: Fostex sounds as having a bit elevated "presence region" around 4 Khz; I probably would prefer "warmer" mids of the HD650. Both have about the same volume from the same amps I've tried. Both are light and comfortable on my head, no preference here. With slight margin, I probably would prefer 500HP over HD650. Lastly, by the sounds of Fostex, I would not have guesses they are planar or anything different than a decent dynamic headphone. Overall, very good headphone in my view.

 
Thank you, @yvfed1. This is incredibly helpful. It's one thing to read reviews--but you're living with these headphones, a different perspective.
 
This is one of the best things about Head-Fi: people who share information.       

 

[torpoise]

   
Not familiar with the Takstars, but I did get to demo the DT770 (16 ohm) recently and was really impressed.  I would probably get them if I wasn't already quite happy with my Philips A5 Pros and Yenonas.

Yeah, really liked the DT770s myself since they sounded good and were pretty comfortable. Need to try the Yenonas though. Probably going to by my next purchase.
 

   
I own the Takstar HD6000--essentially the same headphone design, just with a different headband and earcup swivel design (they're currently F.S. on Head-Fi).
 
Based on my experience w/the HD6000's, I have 2 simple/easy recommendations:
 
1. Burn them in. I typically burn in headphones 100-200 hrs on a mix of music, pink noise, and brownian noise. This will change the sound slightly, but for the better.
 
2. Most important: ditch the stock pads and put on Brainwavz HM5 "extra thick" pads--not hybrids. Velour is not a friend of "analytical" headphones such as this, for it tends to slightly decrease bass & slightly increase treble, neither of which is desirable here. Anyway, w/the pleather HM5s on, the HD6000's sound started to come together: more coherence, more bass, less treble, a little better soundstaging.
 
These aren't particularly "enjoyment" oriented headphones. I think they'd be more effective in studio playing/monitoring situations, as they're relative non-editorial.
 
But w/o question, they sound pretty lame until you do the "due diligence" outlined above.

 
Thank you for the great info. Going to purchase the Brainwavz HM5 since I've heard very good things about them. And you're quite right, they sound crappy right out of the box.

 

[Lurk650]

For me personally, I'd go with the LyxPro HAS-30 over the Yenona. Both are very good. The Lyx is a but more sleek and more refined sounding

 

[crabdog]

  Yeah, really liked the DT770s myself since they sounded good and were pretty comfortable. Need to try the Yenonas though. Probably going to by my next purchase.
 
 
Thank you for the great info. Going to purchase the Brainwavz HM5 since I've heard very good things about them. And you're quite right, they sound crappy right out of the box.

If you can get them at a good price the Yenonas are a great buy. I paid $35 during the 11/11 sale and can hardly believe the sound they put out (relative to that price). I'm using stock pads by the way because they're so comfortable and the sound is already good so don't see any reason to change them.

 

[Nachash]

I did not expected to receive a carrying case and all this stuff along with the HPs

 

[crabdog]

  I did not expected to receive a carrying case and all this stuff along with the HPs
 

Looks great. Can't wait for some impressions.

 

[Nachash]

Out of the box the sound is v-shapy, the mids looks scooped out but the details and the instrument separation are there. They don't look "cheap" but I don't like the fact that you can't remove/replace the pads.
 
They probably need a little of burn in to stabilize, I'll wait for my final impressions. I don't think that I'm gonna return them.
 
 
 
I'm really interested in the Marantz Pro Mph-2 and those Status Audio headphones though...

 

[trivium911]

Out of the box the sound is v-shapy, the mids looks scooped out but the details and the instrument separation are there. They don't look "cheap" but I don't like the fact that you can't remove/replace the pads.

They probably need a little of burn in to stabilize, I'll wait for my final impressions. I don't think that I'm gonna return them.



I'm really interested in the Marantz Pro Mph-2 and those Status Audio headphones though...

Sorry i still need to post a review for my isk mdh9000/ marrantz mph-2. They are defiantely not v shaped though, but lean on the heavy and deep bass side. Overpowering for some genres but not bleeding into the midrange. The nice thing is they are VERY easy to mod, the bass in particular...they also have an awesome soundstage for a closed can. Also if you want more treble and less bass different pads change the sound drastically which is nice as it should be advertised as a tuning feature....it actually is simce the isk mdh9999 (model up) being more bright as im told comes with two pads. The shallow pads have a more balanced sound. Dispite a headband that is too large for my head (more modding) they are worth their price twice over.

 

[Vaga Liki]

I have the CB-1s and the Yenonas. The CB-1s sound great. Awesome clarity and good bass extension. Great cable.

The Yenonas are just massive. The packaging was really nice. They're muddier than the CB-1s and sound average but the thing I like about them is that the cup swivel isn't spring-loaded so I can rotate them so that most of the pressure from the pads is behind my ears.

They don't block out background sound well enough for use in a train or plane though. I ended up reverting back to my ZTE Axon 7 earbuds (I put some silicone eargrips on them so they stay in and isolate a bit better) for the plane because they're lighter and still have very good frequency response and clarity.

 

[Nachash]

Sorry i still need to post a review for my isk mdh9000/ marrantz mph-2. They are defiantely not v shaped though, but lean on the heavy and deep bass side. Overpowering for some genres but not bleeding into the midrange. The nice thing is they are VERY easy to mod, the bass in particular...they also have an awesome soundstage for a closed can. Also if you want more treble and less bass different pads change the sound drastically which is nice as it should be advertised as a tuning feature....it actually is simce the isk mdh9999 (model up) being more bright as im told comes with two pads. The shallow pads have a more balanced sound. Dispite a headband that is too large for my head (more modding) they are worth their price twice over.

Thanks, so it looks like the iSK HD9999 is actually better, too bad that I can't seem to find an European vendor.

I have the CB-1s and the Yenonas. The CB-1s sound great. Awesome clarity and good bass extension. Great cable.

The Yenonas are just massive. The packaging was really nice. They're muddier than the CB-1s and sound average but the thing I like about them is that the cup swivel isn't spring-loaded so I can rotate them so that most of the pressure from the pads is behind my ears.

They don't block out background sound well enough for use in a train or plane though. I ended up reverting back to my ZTE Axon 7 earbuds (I put some silicone eargrips on them so they stay in and isolate a bit better) for the plane because they're lighter and still have very good frequency response and clarity.

Thanks, I was wondering. Is the HDTwo completely out of stock? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

 

[trivium911]

Thanks, so it looks like the iSK HD9999 is actually better, too bad that I can't seem to find an European vendor.


Thanks, I was wondering. Is the HDTwo completely out of stock? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

"Better" is subjective i only mentioned they were a model up as on aliexpress the 9999s cost more. I looked at both and actually spoke to the ISK canadian rep and he said for general music listening the MDH-9000 is more suitable where the ISK hd9999 is more suited for a studio application, this was his personal opinions as he owns and sells both. My main reason for getting the 9000s over the 9999s is because i was under the impressions they can be a bit fatiguing and harsh at times which is the main reason i was not a huge fan of the pro 80s. Although i never got the opourtunity to listen to both people just seemed to like the 9000s more for their gentle highs. Yes the 9999s cost slightly more when buying from china (the 9999s actually cost less through isk canada) the ones i thought were better for me was the 9000s, plus they fold and are more compact.

1clearhead has posted impressions comparing various models of isk. He personally uses the 9999 thin pads on the mdh-9000s and he prefers them over the hd-9999s. I didnt want to replace the pads and they seem a bit hard to find so i applied cotton in the ear cups behind the driver and they now sound more balanced and also have the stock big cushy headpone pads which are actually more comfortable than the hm5 pads btw. Some others have said the bass was quite engaging for them and not overpowering, either way very fun and easy to tune the bass so it shouldn't be a concern. When you remove the drivers you notice a large cavity that houses the driver and all the empty space, this is where i put the cotton. I put a flat 1-1/4" round facial cotton chunk in the back of the housing and a single cotton ball unrolled and worked around the edges of the housing. After installing the driver back in, you also notice that the driver has perforations surrounding the driver that allows air to pass through, im sure this is what helps with the sound stage aswell as the deep bass. After the cotton mod, you dont lose that deep bass but rather more controlled and about 2 notches quieter. To each their own, some people say the bass is overpowering others say its great, my point is dont let it dictate your purchasing decision as its easy to change either way.

 

[mysacisanorange]

Q

 

[Pharmaboy]

Yeah, I don't know what's up with my shipment. still not here. Last updated on the 28th with the statement that it has arrived in Canada

I would contact status, but the email says to message DHL with any shipment concerns if the package has not arrived by the estimated date. The thing is, I didn't receive an estimated date.

 
Maybe all this is happening just because you happen to live in Canada, not the U.S. Maybe Status Audio responded totally differently to Canadian customers...and maybe DHL is known to be so awful/unpredictable that S.A. routinely doesn't update customers who'll receive their headphones via DHL.
 
Still, this doesn't add up for me:
 
-- I have received more customer support outreach (and very quickly after purchase) from Status Audio than any other vendor I can recall.
 
-- The same day I ordered the headphones (Thurs 12/29th) I received an email confirming the order
 
-- The next day, I received 2 emails, the 1st saying they'd been shipped & the 2nd giving me a UPS tracking number
 
-- I've received 2-3 follow-up emails since. The latest is today (I'm scheduled to receive the headphones from UPS today) about impending delivery.
 
-- One of the emails was from "Steve" in customer support, replying to an email I'd sent them regarding best addresses to use when shipping.
 
So unless the headphones mysteriously fail to reach me (unlikely; the UPS tracking number works, and one of my neighbors is the UPS deliveryman for this street), I have to say this is pretty amazing customer support.
 
Given all that, it looks like Status Audio dropped the ball in not giving you a tentative delivery date and not following up in between.
 
If I were you, I'd call them and say you're not happy to be kept "in the dark" about scheduled delivery.
 
This company is obviously capable of excellent customer service...the trick is for you to get them to send some of that your way.

 

[Pharmaboy]

UPDATE: The Status Audio CB-1 headphone arrived today. Straight out of the box (packing is spare but sufficient), and literally cold, they sounded amazingly good.
 
After 5-6 hrs of burning in, they warmed up and sounded a little different/better--quite balanced, composed, with no frequency range exaggerated. The bass in unobtrusive until there's some in the music, then it's all there. More burn-in is underway (too early for big sound conclusions).
 
What's weird is how similar the CB-1's design is to the Marantz MPH-2 & LyxPro HS-30: they're physically similar in dimensions, also rather similar in sound. Besides the (IMO) somewhat muted and respectful color scheme of the CB-1's, the differences I can see so far are:
 
1. The CB-1 has somewhat less absolute extension on the headband sliders. I have a very large head and the CB-1's fit me comfortably, but the earcups are extended to the max. In contrast, the Marantz MPH-2 & LyxPro HS-30 also fit very comfortably but (in my case) have a some range of extension left over. The CB-1's may be a better fit for people with small heads.
 
2. The padding on the underside of the CB-1's headband is very comfortable--perfect. The padding on the Marantz MPH-2 & LyxPro HS-30, less so (though it's not a real issue--they're still quite comfortable).
 
3. And the CB-1's seem to have a bit less clamping pressure--they're just about perfect: not too much or too little pressure. The Marantz MPH-2 & LyxPro HS-30, on the other hand, have just a bit more pressure IMO.
 
My 2nd pair of Marantz MPH-2's arrive on Mon. 1/9th. If they work properly &sound as good as I remember the 1st pair did, I'll probably sell the LyxPro.
 
And if the CB-1 continues to sound like a near clone of the other 2, I'll probably end up selling those, too. No sense having 3 sonic clones.
 
Plus I still have the Yenona's--still playing around with fabric inserts to the HM5 pads on those, tweaking the treble. They're great headphones, physically lighter & somewhat more "fun" in sound profile than the Marantz MPH-2 & LyxPro HS-30; I'm still trying to get them back to sounding as fine as they did at the start.