[raccoon city]

I'm way more into large & impressively built/scaled headphones than these small ones (ie, Fidelio X2s; ZMF Aeolus/Eikon/Ori). Can't explain it...too busy living it.

Could it be because of your freakishly large Frankenstein head?
I have one as well.

The only hats that fit me are the stretchy ones like beanies.
Baseball caps do not fit properly at all.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Could it be because of your freakishly large Frankenstein head?

Why, yes!

People focus too much on that "wrong brain!" event in my formative moments. They really should focus on the "wrong head" moment that preceded it.

As Miss Piggy said, "It ain't easy being green."

 

[westsenkovec]

11.11. is around the corner.
I was looking at these pimped Grados but from what I found out they are open and bass heavy. I already have that with my Fidelio X2.

Did anyone try these Fostex clones?
I don't know what I'm looking for. Maybe a closed back for work or planars?

Or save for Hickman Sundara?

 

[gourab1995]

TakstarMall ships to India for 20$:
https://takstarmall.com/collections...oring-playing-games-music-appreciation-pro-82

Not as cheap as AliExpress, but much cheaper than Amazon.

Appreciate you for bringing this up to my notice. Sometimes I think I should be a little more patient. The thing is, at this point of time, I looked up the graphs and reviews for the headphones in this price range. I decided I could up my budget a little and had a strong feeling about the Sennheiser HD599SE which i had already ordered at this point of time for around 100USD off of Amazon. Reached at my doorstep in 2 days from order date.

The experience has been a pleasant one right from the start. These headphones taught/reminded me, what brand value really gets you. For a brief time i was really hesitant in buying mainstream brands just because of the logic in my head saying, if these big brands can do it why can't others do it? For cheaper even. Being a former owner of the sonically capable Superlux 681EVO, which broke on me within a year despite being primarily used at home. These things reminded me why Sennheiser is Sennheiser. No untolerably peaky trebles or holes, strong mids and precise imaging with a circular soundstage. Even though mostly plastic, solid construction and very comfortable.

I thought i dont like mid-bass, and always preferred signatures with recessed mid-bass because usually, it makes the sound muddy. These do them so tastefully, i've changed my mind. That said, I do use a loudness correction filter in EqualizerAPO because the treble can get hot on longer listening sessions paired with the Fiio K1 on my laptop. With my newer Fiio M3K, no eq/filter is needed. Overall very clean, immersive and live sound as opposed to being just purely analytical.

Writing this happily listening to some chill psy-trance.

 

[Sebasistan]

What's

11.11. is around the corner.
I was looking at these pimped Grados but from what I found out they are open and bass heavy. I already have that with my Fidelio X2.

Did anyone try these Fostex clones?
I don't know what I'm looking for. Maybe a closed back for work or planars?

Or save for Hickman Sundara?

What's up with so many of these being sold without retail package... Seems fishy.

 

[Slater]

What's

What's up with so many of these being sold without retail package... Seems fishy.

Lower weight and less wasted volume = lower shipping costs and more efficient packing of items in a shipping container.

 

[Markolav]

11.11. is around the corner.
I was looking at these pimped Grados but from what I found out they are open and bass heavy. I already have that with my Fidelio X2.

Did anyone try these Fostex clones?
I don't know what I'm looking for. Maybe a closed back for work or planars?

Or save for Hickman Sundara?

Could you possbily send a link (or tell a model name) for that headphone on the right bottom corner?

 

[westsenkovec]

Could you possbily send a link (or tell a model name) for that headphone on the right bottom corner?

I have no idea. Try going to AliExpress and type headphone into the search. Maybe you'll find it.

 

[nabuhodonozor]

@Slater - You're saying those OpenHeart OH2000 have cheap driver in them . But like $50 kinda driver or something really bad ?

 

[Slater]

@Slater - You're saying those OpenHeart OH2000 have cheap driver in them . But like $50 kinda driver or something really bad ?

No, it's not really bad. It's just a very basic, budget mylar driver. It's not realistic to expect a high end driver in a $50 headphone, especially one where the all metal shell itself is worth 95% the cost of the whole package.

I more mentioned it because an easy way to upgrade it would BE to swap out the driver for a higher end driver.

 

[Pharmaboy]

What's

What's up with so many of these being sold without retail package... Seems fishy.

I tend to agree. It's a little too much like being buried "informally" (without a casket)--not that I would know.

 

[Sebasistan]

I tend to agree. It's a little too much like being buried "informally" (without a casket)--not that I would know.

I mean, I would have said it's like that whole thing where people sell books with the front cover ripped off so they don't officially register as sold or however that went, but your version also works

 

[jasswolf]

11.11. is around the corner.
I was looking at these pimped Grados but from what I found out they are open and bass heavy. I already have that with my Fidelio X2.

Did anyone try these Fostex clones?
I don't know what I'm looking for. Maybe a closed back for work or planars?

Or save for Hickman Sundara?

Take a look at the Takstar Pro 82 and the Takstar GM200, with the Takstar HF-580 for a planar option (needs some basic mods). Would strongly recommend TakstarAudio and Takstar Official stores on AliE as there are a lot of variants that seem to be using cheaper enclosures or failed drivers (particularly for the Pro 82).

Away from that, Drop and HIFIMAN just released the HE-5XX, and while it's no Sundara, it's likely another value leader at its $220 price point.

No, it's not really bad. It's just a very basic, budget mylar driver. It's not realistic to expect a high end driver in a $50 headphone, especially one where the all metal shell itself is worth 95% the cost of the whole package.

I more mentioned it because an easy way to upgrade it would BE to swap out the driver for a higher end driver.

How is it against the SHP9500, the SV007 and the X2HR?

Would also appreciate a comparison in terms of clarity and tonality to the Oxygen, while respecting that the latter would have far more sub-bass and low bass.

 

[jasswolf]

The OKCSC ZX-1 is a weird one. I absolutely hated them out of the box, both looks (was expecting that) and the sound. They have a huge dip (>5db) in the lower midrange that sucks all the life out of the music for me. I tried to pad roll them with tried every pad that would fit (I have a lot, lol). I ended up settling with a cheap velour pad that I originally purchased for my 990 Pro but didn't use for them because they were far inferior to the stock pads. They looks similar to this llisting but I only paid $5 for my pair. This pad fixes the midrange and doesn't ruin the rest of the sound so I call that a win. Also, I know a talented quilter and she was nice enough to sew on a quilted headband cover. I still hate the cable but I can live with it. This is what they look like in their current form.

Cross-posting this for ZX1 users because I've just received similar pads and wanted to post some thoughts.

This styling definitely aids the midrange, both where it dips, but also where it peaks in the upper mids and comes off grainy. The graininess isn't gone, but in concert with the dampening of the lower treble, it's vastly more tolerable.

Unfortunately the side effect of all this is two-fold in my case:

1. there must be some taming happening at 5kHz because the soundstage seems to be somewhat more narrow, and in a headphone that already lacks a great deal in the upper treble this can leave it a bit lifeless at times; the existing treble detail takes a hit too

2. the area of bass bloat is shifted squarely on top of where kick drums reside, and it can completely destroy the enjoyability of some tracks

I say 'in my case' because the foam used in these pads is incredibly stiff, and I suspect that is contributing to both the heavy-hand on the treble dampening and bass boost. So the velour pad has a lot to contribute, and I suspect a combo with softer foam and maybe sheepskin leather would bring the lower mids in a bit.

Along with the pads came a couple of flat bits of foam for tuning, something I once wanted for a second set of ZX1s I originally intended to gift to a friend before I started revealing their many flaws. That set has the wrong dampening material in front of the driver, and while it has some better clarity in some aspects, it is absolutely grating in that 1.5kHz-4kHz range where this driver struggles.

It seems that you're always compromising with this headphone when it comes to detail level, basic tuning and pad rolling, and that probably reflects the driver inside probably not being suitable as a single driver solution (and thus not much of a headphone driver). With the OpenHeart OH2000 now appearing in this price range and the soundstage width of the Takstar Pro 82 and GM200 also around this price point, it's really hard to recommend this headphone any more.

That straight after that you have the AKG K361 @ $80 on sale and the AKG K371 @ $105 really dials down any value it has for those looking for a good entry-level can. Some might like the lower treble energy in certain situations, but I think it just winds up destroying upper-register female vocals in all modern and too many older recordings.

 

[westsenkovec]

Take a look at the Takstar Pro 82 and the Takstar GM200, with the Takstar HF-580 for a planar option (needs some basic mods). Would strongly recommend TakstarAudio and Takstar Official stores on AliE as there are a lot of variants that seem to be using cheaper enclosures or failed drivers (particularly for the Pro 82).

Away from that, Drop and HIFIMAN just released the HE-5XX, and while it's no Sundara, it's likely another value leader at its $220 price point.


How is it against the SHP9500, the SV007 and the X2HR?

Would also appreciate a comparison in terms of clarity and tonality to the Oxygen, while respecting that the latter would have far more sub-bass and low bass.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

This Sivga SV006 clone looks neat too.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_msLQ7c9

If i would buy the Sundara, I would probably buy them used.
I don't buy from drop.