[waynes world]

  Well fellas, I should have the HP50 on my ears sometime tomorrow. I am really a fan of all things B&W (speakers-wise since the Nautilus 804s have been my home speakers for about 15 years), but MH's raving about the HP50 got me more curious. It seems to be on the same level at the P7 but $100 cheaper. So I said to myself, why not try it? Now, I'm interesting soul when it comes to sound signatures, because I see my see myself as an "audiophile basshead." Some say that doesn't exist, but I say we are here. I don't like an abundance of bass just for the sake of having goo-gobs of it, but I prefer my bass and mids to be stronger than my highs. Yet, strangely enough, I have enjoyed immensely the RE-400, RE-262, and W4. And I have the Fostex TE-05 and FAD Heaven V on the way to me now from Japan.
 
Headphones-wise, My favorites (in order of best and what I own now) are the Fidelio X1, ThinkSound On1, KEF M500, Onkyo HF-300, and WS99. All of those have good bass and mids. I have a feeling the HP50 might be a bit bass-lite compared to those, but I think I can deal with it as long as the bass is in there. I'm really more curious about the how the HP50 will compete against the M500. If I think the NAD is better than the KEF, then I just might sell my M500. MH kudos to you for getting me interested in the HP50. 

 
 
Awesome eric, looking forward to your impressions (on the HP50's, TE-05's and Heaven V's!).
 
On a related note, I listened to the P7's for a while at the local futureshop last night (off of my C3/BH). They were nice, but for me don't dethrone the M500's (I may be one of those guys who really loves the M500's mids). Next time I am out there though, I will bring my M500's along so that I can do some ab'ing on the spot. 

 

[ericp10]

Yes, M500s have great mids and bass, waynes world. That's why I know you would love the ThnkSound On1. It ups the ante, believe it or not. 

 

[krayziehustler]

  Yes, M500s have great mids and bass, waynes world. That's why I know you would love the ThnkSound On1. It ups the ante, believe it or not. 

I approve this message.
 
The Thinksound On1s made me get rid of my M500s.

 

[Trunks159]

   
Might be, Trunks, but I need "some" bass. lol

You'd be surprised by how much bass these have.  Just less than the FC300.

 

[ericp10]

 
I approve this message.
 
The Thinksound On1s made me get rid of my M500s.

 
 

 

[ericp10]

  You'd be surprised by how much bass these have.  Just less than the FC300.

 
 
I'm tempted. We'll see.

 

[coolguyalex]

  Well fellas, I should have the HP50 on my ears sometime tomorrow. I am really a fan of all things B&W (speakers-wise since the Nautilus 804s have been my home speakers for about 15 years), but MH's raving about the HP50 got me more curious. It seems to be on the same level at the P7 but $100 cheaper. So I said to myself, why not try it? Now, I'm interesting soul when it comes to sound signatures, because I see my see myself as an "audiophile basshead." Some say that doesn't exist, but I say we are here. I don't like an abundance of bass just for the sake of having goo-gobs of it, but I prefer my bass and mids to be stronger than my highs. Yet, strangely enough, I have enjoyed immensely the RE-400, RE-262, and W4. And I have the Fostex TE-05 and FAD Heaven V on the way to me now from Japan.
 
Headphones-wise, My favorites (in order of best and what I own now) are the Fidelio X1, ThinkSound On1, KEF M500, Onkyo HF-300, and WS99. All of those have good bass and mids. I have a feeling the HP50 might be a bit bass-lite compared to those, but I think I can deal with it as long as the bass is in there. I'm really more curious about the how the HP50 will compete against the M500. If I think the NAD is better than the KEF, then I just might sell my M500. MH kudos to you for getting me interested in the HP50. 

 
Love your taste ericp

. Good to hear that you like the RE-400, as they seem like a great option for a cheaper IEM (if they compete with the others you mentioned I'll be happy). I had the RE-Zero a while ago and though I liked them, I thought they were a bit base light (and very poorly made). The RE-262 sound signature has always sounded like the exact one I'm after (though the few design quirks and the fact that they need amping is why I held back) Also, how do you think the X1 will compare to the Fidelio L2?

Not more options! The On1s do seem impressive..

 

[ericp10]

   
Love your taste ericp

. Good to hear that you like the RE-400, as they seem like a great option for a cheaper IEM (if they compete with the others you mentioned I'll be happy). I had the RE-Zero a while ago and though I liked them, I thought they were a bit base light (and very poorly made). The RE-262 sound signature has always sounded like the exact one I'm after (though the few design quirks and the fact that they need amping is why I held back) Also, how do you think the X1 will compare to the Fidelio L2?

Not more options! The On1s do seem impressive..

 
I read someone that the L2 improves on the X1, but I read real quickly, and can't remember exactly how. At any rate, i'm not too anxious to replace the X1. It's very satisfying to my ears. The On1 is like a warmer, more natural sounding M500 with a bit more bass, and more clarity in mids. You really could easily have the On1 and M500, but you don't need both. I prefer the sound signature of the On1. It's just as detailed as the M500, but something about that wood.  And thank you coolguyalex. Happy listening!

 

[deltasun]

I approve this message.

The Thinksound On1s made me get rid of my M500s.

Two days old and just really enjoying them.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[waynes world]

Two days old and just really enjoying them.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
You on1 fanboys are killin' me.

 

[snip3r77]

Well fellas, I should have the HP50 on my ears sometime tomorrow. I am really a fan of all things B&W (speakers-wise since the Nautilus 804s have been my home speakers for about 15 years), but MH's raving about the HP50 got me more curious. It seems to be on the same level at the P7 but $100 cheaper. So I said to myself, why not try it? Now, I'm interesting soul when it comes to sound signatures, because I see my see myself as an "audiophile basshead." Some say that doesn't exist, but I say we are here. I don't like an abundance of bass just for the sake of having goo-gobs of it, but I prefer my bass and mids to be stronger than my highs. Yet, strangely enough, I have enjoyed immensely the RE-400, RE-262, and W4. And I have the Fostex TE-05 and FAD Heaven V on the way to me now from Japan.

Headphones-wise, My favorites (in order of best and what I own now) are the Fidelio X1, ThinkSound On1, KEF M500, Onkyo HF-300, and WS99. All of those have good bass and mids. I have a feeling the HP50 might be a bit bass-lite compared to those, but I think I can deal with it as long as the bass is in there. I'm really more curious about the how the HP50 will compete against the M500. If I think the NAD is better than the KEF, then I just might sell my M500. MH kudos to you for getting me interested in the HP50. 

I tried hp50 and m500. Pretty similar sound but m500 is better and with better design since I'm using it on the go.

 

[ericp10]

Great thing about ordering from amazon, If I don't like it or if the Hp50 sounds too much like the m500, back it will go.

 

[deltasun]

You on1 fanboys are killin' me.

Join us...

Great thing about ordering from amazon, If I don't like it or if the Hp50 sounds too much like the m500, back it will go.

Just be careful. If you do this too much, you could get flagged and banned.

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
MH, if you were only considering sound quality (i.e. not looks, comfort, etc), and you couldn't have a dedicated desktop rig (i.e. your home rig and portable rig had to be one and the same), what would you go for? How does something like the T5p stack up against these more modestly priced phones? Have you heard many high-end universal or custom IEMs, and how do you think they compare? What would be you ultimate portable?

If I wasn't looking into bigger closed headphones like the T5p, I'd go with the LCD-XC and the TH-900s (oh wait...I did 

....but none of these 3 headphones are anything I would consider as "portable"). I haven't gone into customs...biggest reason is too risky. If I don't like them, hard to resell. You can, but the resale value tanks.
 
 

  Well fellas, I should have the HP50 on my ears sometime tomorrow. I am really a fan of all things B&W (speakers-wise since the Nautilus 804s have been my home speakers for about 15 years), but MH's raving about the HP50 got me more curious. It seems to be on the same level at the P7 but $100 cheaper. So I said to myself, why not try it? Now, I'm interesting soul when it comes to sound signatures, because I see my see myself as an "audiophile basshead." Some say that doesn't exist, but I say we are here. I don't like an abundance of bass just for the sake of having goo-gobs of it, but I prefer my bass and mids to be stronger than my highs. Yet, strangely enough, I have enjoyed immensely the RE-400, RE-262, and W4. And I have the Fostex TE-05 and FAD Heaven V on the way to me now from Japan.
 
Headphones-wise, My favorites (in order of best and what I own now) are the Fidelio X1, ThinkSound On1, KEF M500, Onkyo HF-300, and WS99. All of those have good bass and mids. I have a feeling the HP50 might be a bit bass-lite compared to those, but I think I can deal with it as long as the bass is in there. I'm really more curious about the how the HP50 will compete against the M500. If I think the NAD is better than the KEF, then I just might sell my M500. MH kudos to you for getting me interested in the HP50. 

Most excellent! Looking forward to your impressions!

 

[ericp10]

So the HP50 has been on my ears for about 20 minutes now. With no burn in (and I'm a staunch believer in burn in), hmmm, I must say these sound pretty darn nice. I think MH stated (forgive me if I'm wrong ) that it's not too cool or warm, but leans on the warm side. Whoever made that statement, I find it to be true with the HP50. Bass is not prominent (it's more balanced in the mix), but there is definitely plenty of it, and it goes low. This was one of my major concerns. Yeah, the outer red shell is plastic, but that doesn't bother me. I think it's a very well-made headphone and appealing to the eye. And it's quite comfortable to me with my eyeglasses on. And love that it allows you to plug int he cable from either side of the earphone. 
 
The mids and highs are fantastic to my ears (and I'm not a great lover of highs, but these are fine). While I hear some similarities, I don't think these sound exactly like the M500, but I'll do some A/Bing when I get home. I can say that the HP50 is - without burn in - just as good as the M500 and On1, and I expect it to get a lot better. It may also be the most comfortable to out of the three to my ears (On1 a close second). On1 has more bass than both, but it's not overdone. I think if the P7 is close to the HP50's sound (just with more bass), I don't need it. and this hasn't made me want to sell the M500 yet. We'll see. But I'm quite please at the moment. I think these are keepers.