[peter123]

I'm loving the B8 more and more nowadays, I'm using my DT150 only for movies (because of the cable)

I was wondering though, all the hp mentioned (at least the one that I've read) are in the sub100 range. Are there any good chinese headphones in the $200-300 range? Because if a $80 sounds that good, I can't imagine what they can accomplish with more (especially when they don't have to bother with marketing)

I think that there's a challenge to compete in this segment due to the low prices of seriously good headphones such as Fidelio X2, HD6XX, K7XX/Q701, HE400i that are all available for $200-249 if you've got some patience. Even competing with the HD598 @$99 would probably be a challenge....

I hope we get some offerings trying soon though.

 

[AleRx8]

Hey guys, 

I'm looking for some help with choosing the right headphones for me and after reading everything in this topic, I've got some favorites. But I'm not sure which of them should I choose.

Most important points:

Price under 70 USD, the cheaper the better, but if it's worth it, then let's do it!
Good for metalcore, metal, pop punk, rock and other similiar genres
Fine bass and not very ball twisting heights
Premium-ish look, but that's not that important
Should be available on Aliexpress, as I'm not from USA and don't use Amazon

I'm not a musical purist, I know literally nothing about sound, I'm listening only from phone (LeEco Le Max 2), PC and iPod Touch 4G. I just want my songs to sound great, that's all. I currently have Noontec Zoro HD, but they're dying.

So, this is what I was looking at:

ISK HD9999 - I like the looks, but I'm scared of that too professional sound not being very interesting for me. Currently 66USD.
Meizu HD50 - 52USD
Yenona DJ - 40USD
ISK MDH9000 - 57USD
Bosshifi B7 - 67USD
Bosshifi B6 - 59USD
Langsdom VA800 - 65USD

I was also looking at Superlux and Takstar headphones, but according to reviews, they are quite uncomfortable. Not sure if that's really a problem, I won't probably use it more than a couple of hours in one sitting. If you've got any other reccomendations, I'll gladly listen.

Thanks a lot.

 

[trivium911]

Hey guys, 


I'm looking for some help with choosing the right headphones for me and after reading everything in this topic, I've got some favorites. But I'm not sure which of them should I choose.


Most important points:


Price under 70 USD, the cheaper the better, but if it's worth it, then let's do it!

Good for metalcore, metal, pop punk, rock and other similiar genres

Fine bass and not very ball twisting heights

Premium-ish look, but that's not that important

Should be available on Aliexpress, as I'm not from USA and don't use Amazon


I'm not a musical purist, I know literally nothing about sound, I'm listening only from phone (LeEco Le Max 2), PC and iPod Touch 4G. I just want my songs to sound great, that's all. I currently have Noontec Zoro HD, but they're dying.


So, this is what I was looking at:


ISK HD9999 - I like the looks, but I'm scared of that too professional sound not being very interesting for me. Currently 66USD.

Meizu HD50 - 52USD

Yenona DJ - 40USD

ISK MDH9000 - 57USD

Bosshifi B7 - 67USD

Bosshifi B6 - 59USD

Langsdom VA800 - 65USD


I was also looking at Superlux and Takstar headphones, but according to reviews, they are quite uncomfortable. Not sure if that's really a problem, I won't probably use it more than a couple of hours in one sitting. If you've got any other reccomendations, I'll gladly listen.


Thanks a lot.

I can only.comment on the mdh-9000s but i chose them over the hd-9999s as they dont extend as much in the treble and cause listening fatigue. The mdh9000s are amazing for the price, they are comfy aswell. They might not be fashion forward if thats what youre looking for. I think you may enjoy the 1more MK801 more though since they are more portable and better looking and the reviews said they are pretty good. I saw a link on alliexpress for like $75 canadian . The isks are the pinnacle of sound quality for the price though if you can get past the plasticky cheap look as they are not winning anyone by their looks. They are purely for function.

 

[AleRx8]

I can only.comment on the mdh-9000s but i chose them over the hd-9999s as they dont extend as much in the treble and cause listening fatigue. The mdh9000s are amazing for the price, they are comfy aswell. They might not be fashion forward if thats what youre looking for. I think you may enjoy the 1more MK801 more though since they are more portable and better looking and the reviews said they are pretty good. I saw a link on alliexpress for like $75 canadian . The isks are the pinnacle of sound quality for the price though if you can get past the plasticky cheap look as they are not winning anyone by their looks. They are purely for function.

Thank you, this is a really valuable opinion for me, that means HD9999 are out.
I'm not that keen on special looks, I plan to wear them often in public transport, and I don't want to be pointed at and called a freak. But portability also isn't the first thing I'm looking for. For example, my old Zoros are foldable and I folded them maybe twice, just to see it works.
But I'd like them to have that, I don't know how to say it... Better feel when you take them in hands. When I take the Zoros and push my fingers slightly against its plastic body, it makes weird noises and bends. I'd go with Yenonas as they look amazingly from price/performance ratio, but if their quality isn't good, that means a no to me. Mainly 3,5 mm jack should be done properly, as it's the thing that breaks down on most of my headphones. 
But I've got to say... Wow, that 1more thingy looks astonishing. But there's the dillema, they look great, but cost 80 dollars. If any of those cheaper ones are better musicaly, there's no point of paying more for those only for better looks.

My biggest concern is this. I look all over Aliexpress and I see all those headphones, and as a total noob, I'm like

"Meizu, their sound will be solid but not special, but they look well built. Yenonas are the cheapest but should play wonderfully for its pricepoint, but they are also not very well built. ISKs look like ugly toys, but should also play wonderfully." And then comes the Bosshifi and I'm like "OMG, they're wooden and they've got beryllium driver. Beryllium, that sounds so hyper space, that's got to be bazillion times better than everything else. And again, look at that wood!"

And then you'll probably come and say something like "Hey, beryllium is just a marketing trick and they sound even worse than the others, wood isn't good for headphones, and after all, in your genres any of those headphones will do, as those genres aren't very demanding."

So that's why I'm here, I don't want to fall for headphones just because of their good looks, when I could've bought cheaper and better sounding ones, but I don't want to overthink that as well. 
And thanks a lot, I'll wait a while if there are more people who have something to say, but MHD9000s are now favorable option.

 

[trivium911]

  Thank you, this is a really valuable opinion for me, that means HD9999 are out.
I'm not that keen on special looks, I plan to wear them often in public transport, and I don't want to be pointed at and called a freak. But portability also isn't the first thing I'm looking for. For example, my old Zoros are foldable and I folded them maybe twice, just to see it works.
But I'd like them to have that, I don't know how to say it... Better feel when you take them in hands. When I take the Zoros and push my fingers slightly against its plastic body, it makes weird noises and bends. I'd go with Yenonas as they look amazingly from price/performance ratio, but if their quality isn't good, that means a no to me. Mainly 3,5 mm jack should be done properly, as it's the thing that breaks down on most of my headphones. 
But I've got to say... Wow, that 1more thingy looks astonishing. But there's the dillema, they look great, but cost 80 dollars. If any of those cheaper ones are better musicaly, there's no point of paying more for those only for better looks.

My biggest concern is this. I look all over Aliexpress and I see all those headphones, and as a total noob, I'm like

"Meizu, their sound will be solid but not special, but they look well built. Yenonas are the cheapest but should play wonderfully for its pricepoint, but they are also not very well built. ISKs look like ugly toys, but should also play wonderfully." And then comes the Bosshifi and I'm like "OMG, they're wooden and they've got beryllium driver. Beryllium, that sounds so hyper space, that's got to be bazillion times better than everything else. And again, look at that wood!"

And then you'll probably come and say something like "Hey, beryllium is just a marketing trick and they sound even worse than the others, wood isn't good for headphones, and after all, in your genres any of those headphones will do, as those genres aren't very demanding."

So that's why I'm here, I don't want to fall for headphones just because of their good looks, when I could've bought cheaper and better sounding ones, but I don't want to overthink that as well. 
And thanks a lot, I'll wait a while if there are more people who have something to say, but MHD9000s are now favorable option.

Yeah the MDH-9000's are a bit more portable than the HD-9999's as they have folding cups. I did speak with the ISK canada rep and he said he only uses the 9999's for monitoring and the 9000's for listening to music. I think they look like ugly toys aswell but i did not buy them for their looks.I would not wear them on public transport as i have IEMS for that. I dont ride public transportation though mostly just flights and i would use these on a flight but would probably switch off to my IEMS that have better isolation depending on the ambient noise.. Not sure about the bosshifi's i read some reviews that claim they are V-shaped which is not what i want since i have issues with sibilance in treble and listening fatigue. I have never heard the Bosshifis although i would be curious to look more into these. Regarding the technology what i have learned is that it really depends on how they are tuned and implement the technology. Take Sennheiser for example where they have the HD600/HD650 using dynamic drivers, alot of people love those. Im currently torn between those and the hifiman 400i planar magnetic. Technically the planar technology is better than dynamic and cost's more, but all those mentioned headpones are in a similar price range. People have owned both and some people prefer one or the other regardless of the technology it has so it comes down to how they are tuned and personal opinion. If it were me looking for strictly portable gear i would have looked for something like 1more's or something else like that since the 9000's are somewhat portable but long chords and bulky size suggest's they are better for at home use...geared for a DJ perhaps. The 9000's do look pretty ridiculous on my head i think, however i see people walking around with Beats studio full size at the gym which are ugly in my opinion. Bottom line is they dont care so neither do i, the ISK's are really no more bulky than the beats studios. The only reason i got the ISK's is because my sennheisser 598's are not great all the time as they disturb my wife when she is sleeping, lol. I didn't want to spend alot on closed cans either since i have other pairs to listen to at home, but find myself using these more often than not. 

 

[peter123]

AleRx8

The Bosshifi B6 are definitely better sounding than the Yenona imo but it'd pretty much be mandatory to change the pads on them. I wouldn't recommend them for active use either since the metal bow on top of the headband carries a lot of sound.

 

[mysacisanorange]

Q

 

[Pharmaboy]

  Hey guys, 

I'm looking for some help with choosing the right headphones for me and after reading everything in this topic, I've got some favorites. But I'm not sure which of them should I choose.

Most important points:

Price under 70 USD, the cheaper the better, but if it's worth it, then let's do it!
Good for metalcore, metal, pop punk, rock and other similiar genres
Fine bass and not very ball twisting heights
Premium-ish look, but that's not that important
Should be available on Aliexpress, as I'm not from USA and don't use Amazon

I'm not a musical purist, I know literally nothing about sound, I'm listening only from phone (LeEco Le Max 2), PC and iPod Touch 4G. I just want my songs to sound great, that's all. I currently have Noontec Zoro HD, but they're dying.

So, this is what I was looking at:

ISK HD9999 - I like the looks, but I'm scared of that too professional sound not being very interesting for me. Currently 66USD.
Meizu HD50 - 52USD
Yenona DJ - 40USD
ISK MDH9000 - 57USD
Bosshifi B7 - 67USD
Bosshifi B6 - 59USD
Langsdom VA800 - 65USD

I was also looking at Superlux and Takstar headphones, but according to reviews, they are quite uncomfortable. Not sure if that's really a problem, I won't probably use it more than a couple of hours in one sitting. If you've got any other reccomendations, I'll gladly listen.

Thanks a lot.

 
My background for answering this:
 
-- I own the Yenona's
 
-- + 2 iterations of the ISK MDH9000 (virtually identical rebrands): the LyxPro HAS-30's and the Marantz MPH-2's
 
-- I love bass (quality + quantity, not just quantity)
 
-- And I can't stand peaky/shrieky treble/upper midrange (ie, too much sibilance; more emphasis in upper registers than lower ones, etc)
 
MY VOTE (answer to your question): get the ISK MDH9000 or any of its clones.
 
This is my favorite inexpensive-but-good headphone design at the moment. I'll be gifting my LyxPro's to a friend, keeping the Marantz MPH-2's. Listen to the latter nearly every day. It has become my "go-to" headphone. The bass is really excellent, but not overdone; midrange quite clear & "present," but not hyped; and the treble is extremely listenable, lots of detail but not bright at all.
 
The Yenona's are also excellent, but slightly different--a little more V-shaped frequency range, weigh a little less. Very fun, but IMO not as balanced & dependable as the ISK MDH9000 design, day in, day out.

 

[Pharmaboy]

I forgot to ad (in my opinion you should get the ISK MDH9000's): after owning 2 iterations of this design, I really like their looks. The Marantz MPH-2 version is my favorite headphone (in my collection) right now, if I consider looks alone.
 
Some people don't care for the look of this design, but it totally works for me.
 
By contrast, last week I got the Status Audio CB-1 (a re-badge of the Somic V1), and the looks aren't nearly as nice IMO.

 

[Brian Coffey]

Can anyone compare the Superlux hd668b to the ISK MDH9000 for me?

 

[AleRx8]

  Yeah the MDH-9000's are a bit more portable than the HD-9999's as they have folding cups. I did speak with the ISK canada rep and he said he only uses the 9999's for monitoring and the 9000's for listening to music. I think they look like ugly toys aswell but i did not buy them for their looks.I would not wear them on public transport as i have IEMS for that. I dont ride public transportation though mostly just flights and i would use these on a flight but would probably switch off to my IEMS that have better isolation depending on the ambient noise.. Not sure about the bosshifi's i read some reviews that claim they are V-shaped which is not what i want since i have issues with sibilance in treble and listening fatigue. I have never heard the Bosshifis although i would be curious to look more into these. Regarding the technology what i have learned is that it really depends on how they are tuned and implement the technology. Take Sennheiser for example where they have the HD600/HD650 using dynamic drivers, alot of people love those. Im currently torn between those and the hifiman 400i planar magnetic. Technically the planar technology is better than dynamic and cost's more, but all those mentioned headpones are in a similar price range. People have owned both and some people prefer one or the other regardless of the technology it has so it comes down to how they are tuned and personal opinion. If it were me looking for strictly portable gear i would have looked for something like 1more's or something else like that since the 9000's are somewhat portable but long chords and bulky size suggest's they are better for at home use...geared for a DJ perhaps. The 9000's do look pretty ridiculous on my head i think, however i see people walking around with Beats studio full size at the gym which are ugly in my opinion. Bottom line is they dont care so neither do i, the ISK's are really no more bulky than the beats studios. The only reason i got the ISK's is because my sennheisser 598's are not great all the time as they disturb my wife when she is sleeping, lol. I didn't want to spend alot on closed cans either since i have other pairs to listen to at home, but find myself using these more often than not. 

I agree on the transport topic, I also use my Pistons normally, but those headphones would be more for days when I'm waiting in between my school lectures. Sometimes it's a couple of hours and I don't find earphones comfortable for more than a few mins, so I'd have those new headphones in my bag all day. And if I could choose between in ear and over head, it's always the latter for me, so I'd use them in public transport, but it's not like for hours every day, so having bigger headphones and longer chord is not a problem. Actually I'd prefer it over the shorter one, because when I plug it in PC in the evening, I'll definitelly need more than 1.2 m to make it comfortable. That's why I like coiled chords, they can be anything you want them to be.
Thanks for the clarification. As I said earlier, I know literally nothing about headphones, and even less in English, as it's not my native language. I tried to find, what exactly V-shaped means. If it means what I think it means, then if I'll listen to by example Ten Thousand Feet by I See Stars (apparently I can't send links, it's the Live music video version on youtube, at time 1:46) on v-shaped headphones, my brain will try to leave my head because of the high tones, am I right? Because that's exactly what happens on my Pistons, and if that's the case, I'd prefer not this type.

 

@AleRx8

The Bosshifi B6 are definitely better sounding than the Yenona imo but it'd pretty much be mandatory to change the pads on them. I wouldn't recommend them for active use either since the metal bow on top of the headband carries a lot of sound.

Thank you. What's wrong with the pads? And are there beter ones on B7 and B8? I can't find any reviews, what are the differences between those? I surely read something about B6s having the best sound of all three, but it doesn't seem right, considering the price point.
 

   
My background for answering this:
 
-- I own the Yenona's
 
-- + 2 iterations of the ISK MDH9000 (virtually identical rebrands): the LyxPro HAS-30's and the Marantz MPH-2's
 
-- I love bass (quality + quantity, not just quantity)
 
-- And I can't stand peaky/shrieky treble/upper midrange (ie, too much sibilance; more emphasis in upper registers than lower ones, etc)
 
MY VOTE (answer to your question): get the ISK MDH9000 or any of its clones.
 
This is my favorite inexpensive-but-good headphone design at the moment. I'll be gifting my LyxPro's to a friend, keeping the Marantz MPH-2's. Listen to the latter nearly every day. It has become my "go-to" headphone. The bass is really excellent, but not overdone; midrange quite clear & "present," but not hyped; and the treble is extremely listenable, lots of detail but not bright at all.
 
The Yenona's are also excellent, but slightly different--a little more V-shaped frequency range, weigh a little less. Very fun, but IMO not as balanced & dependable as the ISK MDH9000 design, day in, day out.

Thanks a lot, this really helps me, looks like we're +- on the same sound wave. So Yenona is out, MDH9000s look like a winner, although I'm still not really impressed with their looks. No love for the Meizu's here, so they're out too. What about MSUR 350, can it compete with those headphones? And anybody who can compare Bosshifi vs MPH-2 rebrands? I really like those wooden designs, but you are all telling me to go with ISKs, so I'll probably give up And how are the MPH-2's rebrands in terms of quality of build? 


And big thanks to all of you, you are all so nice and helpful, I'm impressed. I always thought that music enthusiasts will be cruel to total newbies, but this is quite the opposite. If only guys on Android forums were as nice as you

 

[trivium911]

@AleRx8 
 
So a V-shaped sound is basically a recessed midrange emphasizing the bass and treble. V Shaped signatures are not always sibilant but more often than not they are and they are usually on cheaper headphones. Some people like V shaped and your average consumer will like this sound. A good pair of balanced headphones should re-create the music the way it was recorded, not emphasizing the bass or the treble. Alot of V shaped sound signatures can sound artifical and tinny in the upper treble which is not the way the artist intended the music to be heard.With emphasized treble it tends to give a false sound that makes people believe they are hearing more detail, when in fact its often a way to make cheap headphones sound better. The MDH 9000's are a good example of how you can extract better detail from your music without emphasized treble. Also when it comes to emphasized bass, when its done poorly bass can sound muddy and boom and drown out the other frequencies such as found on most beats headphones and even Bose. Bose sound OK but are highly overpriced for what they are. This said most consumers obviously prefer the beats and the bose sound otherwise these products would not be selling. 
 
Also on the Marrantz Mph-2 we believe these are identical rebrands to the ISK MDH9000s so pick your poison. Build quality is So-So, plastic and cheap feel but make up for it in sound. They dont ever feel like they are going to fall apart and at least the headband is reinforced with metal, but overall construction is sort of cheap...the same can be said about some $500 Sennheiser models though and its probably to keep the weight down to make them more comfortable.    

 

[peter123]

AleRx8
The pads on the B6 has some kind of "bass lens" inside them that totally mess up the sound. Can't remember right now if it's even possible to remove it without breaking the pads....

 

[AleRx8]

  @AleRx8 
 
So a V-shaped sound is basically a recessed midrange emphasizing the bass and treble. V Shaped signatures are not always sibilant but more often than not they are and they are usually on cheaper headphones. Some people like V shaped and your average consumer will like this sound. A good pair of balanced headphones should re-create the music the way it was recorded, not emphasizing the bass or the treble. Alot of V shaped sound signatures can sound artifical and tinny in the upper treble which is not the way the artist intended the music to be heard.With emphasized treble it tends to give a false sound that makes people believe they are hearing more detail, when in fact its often a way to make cheap headphones sound better. The MDH 9000's are a good example of how you can extract better detail from your music without emphasized treble. Also when it comes to emphasized bass, when its done poorly bass can sound muddy and boom and drown out the other frequencies such as found on most beats headphones and even Bose. Bose sound OK but are highly overpriced for what they are. This said most consumers obviously prefer the beats and the bose sound otherwise these products would not be selling. 
 
Also on the Marrantz Mph-2 we believe these are identical rebrands to the ISK MDH9000s so pick your poison. Build quality is So-So, plastic and cheap feel but make up for it in sound. They dont ever feel like they are going to fall apart and at least the headband is reinforced with metal, but overall construction is sort of cheap...the same can be said about some $500 Sennheiser models though and its probably to keep the weight down to make them more comfortable.    

Wow, that's a lot of information, you are really helpful, thanks a million times. I know about the Marantz, I actually found them here in my country (Czech republic) even a little bit cheaper than MDH9000s on Aliexpress (54 USD) which, according to all the reviews and your impressions, is a steal. And I find them a bit prettier than ISKs, so that's a good thing too. So if there isn't anyone to persuade me to go different way, I'm going for them tommorow. I'm still a little bit scared quality wise, but it should be all right, as you said, even 10x more expensive headphones are built similiarly. So thank you again.

 

@AleRx8
The pads on the B6 has some kind of "bass lens" inside them that totally mess up the sound. Can't remember right now if it's even possible to remove it without breaking the pads....

That's really good to know, thanks for the impressions. I'm not planning to mod the headphones in any way, so those are not for me.

 

[Pharmaboy]

 

Wow, that's a lot of information, you are really helpful, thanks a million times. I know about the Marantz, I actually found them here in my country (Czech republic) even a little bit cheaper than MDH9000s on Aliexpress (54 USD) which, according to all the reviews and your impressions, is a steal. And I find them a bit prettier than ISKs, so that's a good thing too. So if there isn't anyone to persuade me to go different way, I'm going for them tommorow. I'm still a little bit scared quality wise, but it should be all right, as you said, even 10x more expensive headphones are built similiarly. So thank you again.

 


That's really good to know, thanks for the impressions. I'm not planning to mod the headphones in any way, so those are not for me.

 
My pick of all the ISK MDH9000 clones is the Marantz MPH-2. IMO it's easily the best-looking of the 5-6 nearly identical iterations of this design. I don't even mind the brandname "Marantz" on the flat outside of each earcup & on the top of the headband--it's a dark gold text on black background. Classy-looking to me.
 
IMO you shouldn't be scared, quality-wise. I've now owned/listened extensive to 3 examples of this design:
 
-- 2 X Marantz MPH-2's: I like the 1st pair so much I gifted it to my brother; then bought myself a second pair -- both are perfect, sound identical (ie, very good)
 
-- 1 X LyxPro HAS-30: The pads look a little less filled w/memory foam, which concerned me at first. But these sound exactly like the 2 Marantz's...couldn't tell them apart if my life depended on it.
 
3 headphones, all work perfectly. I'd say your odds of getting a good pair are pretty good!
 
And btw, IMO there's no need to mod these headphones, though one other Head-Fi'er on this thread has done so and really preferred that (ie, change pads to Brainwavz HM5s + stuff some insulation in the earcups).
 
I tried the HM5 pads on my LyxPro HAS-30's, and found it interesting: the already excellent bass had even more ipact, and there was a little more soundstaging. BUT (there's always a "but"...) the upper midrange & treble, which had been perfect IMO w/stock pads, became brighter. I was able to tame the brightness ~90% by putting fabric inserts on the inside of the HM5 earpads, and the sonic result was impressive (though the HM5's were not quite as comfortable as the stock pads).
 
2 days ago I pulled the HM5 pads off the LyxPro's and put back the stock pads, and realized: these sound so damned good, I never reallyl needed to replace pads in the first place.