[Magicthyse]

How much noise do the Eggos (D22 I would be referring to) block? And what is the quality of the sound like?

Reason is, I'm looking to replace all of my gaming PC's phones.

I polled the guys who come around to my house for the occasional gaming sesh, and it turns out they don't like the KSC-50's much. So, it looks like I'll have to look for something else.

Adding more of the existing 497 is fine - It's a contender, but the double-cable arrangement is an issue - that's possibly the only thing really wrong with it.

The HD212 Pro is a V700-lite... Very bass-heavy, and needs quite a lot of tweaking of the PC EQ to make it sound good. It's fine once it's tweaked, but the overall sound doesn't IMHO lend itself to gaming. The same double-cable problem, and it's also a little too closed for my application.

The Beyerdynamic DT231 Galaxy (which is actually more or less the same price as the 497/212Pro here in the UK) has a single-sided cable and excellent clear, full-range sound - could almost be called an HD280-lite (without the standout isolation - this may be closed, but it doesn't isolate and it leaks - which is not a problem in this application).
Excellent response on all fronts - maybe a little weak in the mids because the highs and lows are more pronounced - but pretty good - in fact, outstanding for £40 or less.

The cheapest I've been able to find the Koss UR40 for is £55 (- and they haven't got it in stock yet), which is a bit much when you take into account the performance of the competing phones.

So as you might be able to surmise, the DT231 Galaxy is the favourite at the moment.

Which brings me back to the Eggos - they'll end up about the same price as the other phones once I've imported them. Can anyone provide any comparisons to the phones above?

 

[kenchi1983]

yep, the ksc50s are really not good enough for gaming when u plug into soundcard. they sound sometimes hollow.

but with sportas they sound very good from blaster live value.

 

[Magicthyse]

Oh no, it's not the sound they have a problem with - it's the method of fitting. Personally I think they do sound a little tinny as well but soundwise they're perfectly OK for their purpose.

 

[j-curve]

Eggos, eh? I think you'd be disappointed. Not that they're a bad 'phone. The D66 was on my shortlist for a while. It must be the most compact fully circumaural can on the market. You kind of plug your ears into it, rather than clamp it on your head. It's light, has the looks and has an ear-catching sound once you reduce the treble on your portable/source. The midrange colouration isn't offensive but it is noticeable and I thought it would slowly but surely drive me nuts, hence no sale. The D22 is a very similar package, but with a hinged plastic headband (no padding) and a Y-cable. However, the D22 hasn't the extension in the highs or the lows that the D66 has. Perhaps best described as a Streetstyle in an Eggo can. The enclosures appear to be identical on both models, excepting the colour. Isolation is poor, due to a whacko port which Sony says is meant to allow you to hear train announcements...

If you're looking to import something decent sounding and unique then I think you should go for the Pioneer SE-M570. You obviously have a way with salespeople so you're just the guy to twist the arm of a Pioneer rep, especially since it seems you can offer the lure of a multiple sale. Cost here is a mere 10% over the D22 price. I think they blow both the Eggos out of the living room, or off the train platform for that matter. [ie. not geekphones, and not increasing the frontal profile of the cranium by more than 50%

].

They are not immune to colouration, but it is lower in the range and less obtrusive than the Eggos. Construction is perhaps their weakest attribute. My ulterior motive is that I'd love to hear a second opinion on these cans. I've been on the brink of picking up a pair for a couple of months but I kind of got distracted. [Having rabid phone-amassers like you on Head-Fi actually helps me keep consumerism in check, so keep up the good work

]. I'm sure it's only a matter of time though, even if I have to wait for winter (best time of year for

).

By the way, I was surprised you ditched the A9X. I had the opportunity to hear one again yesterday and I think it is a presentable package for the price (well, the price here, at least). Was it just the looks that put you off?

 

[Magicthyse]

Quote:

Originally posted by j-curve By the way, I was surprised you ditched the A9X. I had the opportunity to hear one again yesterday and I think it is a presentable package for the price (well, the price here, at least). Was it just the looks that put you off?

I was even more surprised myself. The reason is due to the looks - I can't wear these outside. The sound, if you're prepared to wear them outside, is definitely worth the price of admission. The thing is that once I couldn't wear them outside, they became homebound - where I have what I think is a superior unit: The SR225. So they became redundant.

I've got a Beyer DT250-80 as a replacement, but it had a faulty driver and I had to send it back... I'm hoping that the high impedance is not a problem with portables. I really liked the general sound characteristic of the A9X on the portables so the DT250-80's had better be good (especially with everyone and their mother here seemingly pushing them for portable use). Lookswise, it's best described as 'inoffensive'.

I've made up my mind and will be replacing the MDR-V700 with the Pioneer HDJ-1000 as soon as it's available in the UK (2 weeks maybe).

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the Pioneer. I'll ask - it'll be 4 phones and my total budget is £200 for the 4.

I had a feeling about the D22's - I'm presuming that they're probably brighter than the MDR-G72SL for example? The reason I was asking about the sound blocking was that I don't want them to isolate too much - so that's not a problem. But the lack of top-end detail would be a problem, if the D22's really are G-series equivalents in terms of sound - none of those phones (for social reasons I imagine) have any top end to speak of.

 

[bdb55]

I've got the D22's, but unfortunately not any of the other 'phones you mentioned, so I can't compare them. I think the D22's are good for the price. The only other 'phones I have to compare them to are Ety 4Ps. The biggest difference is the Etys have way more detail and deeper, clearer bass. But then again, the Etys cost six times as much. The eggos look cool folded up and are very portable, but I don't know if you're going to like the way they look on your head. They barely cover your ears and it looks like your wearing...eggs

 

[j-curve]

Quote:

j-curve (unselfconsciously quoting self): ...a whacko port which Sony says is meant to allow you to hear train announcements...

"Mind the Gap".

 

[j-curve]

Oh, about the Pioneer HeyDJ-1000 phones, I just saw that they are targeting sales of 66,000 units per year, of which only 12,000 are for domestic consumption.
Don't those guys over there let you demo anything? From what I've heard you could go horribly wrong taking a random pick from Pioneer's range.

 

[j-curve]

Quote:

Seen at http://www.geocities.com/magicthyse/headphone.html#d22 Magicthyse: Someone told me that these are similar to the Street Style phones in sound - actually the Eggos are very different with more emphasis on the voice-range (mid) and higher frequencies in comparison.

Hmmm, I wonder who that "Someone" could be. Although I never A/B tested the D22 versus a Streetstyle I stick by my comments earlier in this thread because that was my impression at the time. Neither phone has high or low extension worth mentioning, so they both end up being mostly mids. I actually said "Perhaps best described as a Streetstyle in an Eggo can", inferring the midrange colouration of the D22 which I had mentioned in an earlier thread. Our frames of reference may not be identical either. When I refer to a Streetstyle I'm thinking mostly of the G63 where I assume for you it's the G72. Still, of the phones you reviewed I would be surprised if the phone which sounds most like the D22 was not the Streetstyle.

Don't get me wrong - I think your reviews are a valuable resource which obviously took significant effort and investment to prepare. If you disagree with my appraisal of a headphone you can post your views wherever you like, but when you link Head-Fiers to your webpage it becomes a bit circuitous. Why not post here directly? A quick search brings up nothing by you regarding how Eggos sound.

No hard feelings, and I've done you a favour by posting your link again.

 

[Magicthyse]

Well - the reviews weren't written for head-fiers, it was written more for Minidsc/PCDP users on other boards.

Head-Fi is a great resource, but there is a heck of a lot of BS, "I bought this so it must be the best", blatantly biased opinions, etc to filter out.

The idea was to bring reviews by one person on a range of phones into one place and for a specific purpose - music on the move in urban areas. The reviews would be objectified (ooer, a Bushism) for this purpose and for the bulk of the target audience (under-25, rock/rap/alt/metal/etc).

I've just occasionally posted the links here because I was too lazy to write the same thing again. I'm not sure why I stuck that in, it was probably filler

I bet you were hopping around after that, right? "My headphone honour has been besmirched! I challenge you to a bout of ritual tea-drinking! First guy to the john loses! Ah yes, please to put on this W100 with running water noise also"

I can change it if you like.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magicthyse Head-Fi is a great resource, but there is a heck of a lot of BS, "I bought this so it must be the best", blatantly biased opinions, etc to filter out.

Personally, I think you've got it backwards, Magic. I used to be a frequent member of a couple of the MD boards, and there is where you get the uneducated "I bought it so it must be the best" mentality. The Head-Fi crowd is generally *much* more educated about products, especially headphones, and I've found them, as a whole, to be much more willing to criticize their own equipment than on any other board I've visited (especially the MD boards).

 

[Magicthyse]

It's way better MacDEF - After all, it's a headphone board - you'd expect a higher quality of opinion. But there is still a lot of what I remarked.

Also I am aware that the review is incomplete - An MDR-7506/V6 has to be in there, I know. I will get around to it.