dbi Pro700: first impressions

[Almoxil]

I've got a pair of brand new dbi Pro700s today, and have been listening to them out of my Cowon S9 for some hours. Really great performers for the price ($29.99 + S&H off eBay). The pads and headband are very comfortable, and they're very tough, made to last.

After these few hours, I can say their sound is very clear and clean (not a tiny bit of boominess or muddiness to the sound, although not as clear as my HFI-550 right now), they have great bass (both quality and quantity), and a kind of flat sound. I'm very surprised with the SQ coming from these cans. And they react very well to the sound enhancements of my Cowon S9 too. They do rock, metal and related genres very well.

The only con I have against them is the armored cable, which is heavier than the HPs. But I'm nitpicking here.

If you're after a pair of great sounding budget HPs, these should be on the top of your list. As of now, their rank among my other HPs is:

1 - Ultrasone HFI-780;
2 - Ultrasone HFI-550;
3 - dbi Pro700; (slightly less clean sound than the 550s, but they were $90 cheaper, so it's still a great score)
4 - AKG K271 MKII;
5 - Alessandro MS-1;
6 - M-Audio Q40;
7 - My ATs...

Lets see what happens after some burn-in...

 

[ourfpshero]

i have long recommended the dbi pro700. they normally go for 180$ and only factory direct. they are based on the mbquart hi solid housing but use dbi's own drivers. the sound on these i describe as a large ksc75. for $40 shipped they are an absolute steal.

i put denon ahd2000 earpads on mine!

 

[Acix]

For better open and clean sound + sound stage you can change the pads with the GMP pads. or just make a hole in the pads felt.

 

[ourfpshero]

the pads they come with are the same vinyl pads with very thin screen as the maestros. the ones you saw pictured from me were modded by me for comfort (my ears touched)

 

[Zathan]

Just received mine today
No comment yet, I haven't listen very much. First impression is flat and clean sound

 

[The Other Allen]

Ordered a pair of these off Ebay and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. Love my KSC75s and hope these are indeed a full size equivalent pair.

 

[Almoxil]

After spending quite some time listening to my DBIs, I came to the following ranking:

1 - Ultrasone HFI-780;
2 - dbi Pro700;
3 - Ultrasone HFI-550;
4 - AKG K271 MKII;
5 - Alessandro MS-1;
6 - M-Audio Q40;
7 - My ATs...

I put them above my HFI-550 considering the overall value. At $30 + shipping fees, they offer more comfortable padding, tougher construction, a shorter cable (although one could mod the 550s with a shorter cable) and comparable sound quality (the 550s sell for around $110). Also, they react very well to EQ'ing and sound enhancements which is, IMO, another plus.

Any other impressions on those?

 

[silentmeloud]

Got mine today.
Good cans, but a little bit agressive on highs (after ety er4p especially). Hope to lose it with burn in. Do midrange great!!! My repost & comparsion to HFI-580 will be next week!

 

[Almoxil]

If you find the highs on the dbi aggressive, you can tame it with some EQ (they react very well to EQ'ing). I, for one, am very comfortable with their highs -- Ultrasone fan here.

 

[ourfpshero]

the mids and highs on the dbi can best be described as full and meaty , not airy and tinkly. also this headphone responds very well to eq and amping

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ourfpshero /img/forum/go_quote.gif the mids and highs on the dbi can best be described as full and meaty , not airy and tinkly. also this headphone responds very well to eq and amping

Did you find them flat?

 

[ourfpshero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you find them flat?

not very. kind of forward/aggressive along the spectrum, along the likes of a denon ahd2000, just slightly sweeter mids, less bass and soundstage. not a smile shaped eq by any means, but an in-your-face presense that increases with amping.
i hope this makes sense.

 

[FlurryShuffle]

I am wondering if anybody can compare DBI PRO700 with ATH-M50.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ourfpshero /img/forum/go_quote.gif not very. kind of forward/aggressive along the spectrum, along the likes of a denon ahd2000, just slightly sweeter mids, less bass and soundstage. not a smile shaped eq by any means, but an in-your-face presense that increases with amping. i hope this makes sense.

I need to compare them to my GMP 8.35, and to get more experience with the dbi drivers. Your description it's in the right direction, the 8.35 driver is clean sounds with a good resolution, nice balanced and great details.

If the sound it's to much sharp for you you can go for the 8.35 custom pads.
The pads with the felt.

 

[1Time]

I am very close to buying the DBI Pro700 headphones. Seems like such a great deal for ~$40 shipped (eBay). Only thing holding me back from pulling the trigger is I really don't need any more headphones... lol.