gritzcolin
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2007
- Posts
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Well I was at a local electronics store and was able to unplug all the demo headphones and plug them into my ipod for some proper demos. So i set my ipod to play my favorite song to demo any headphone or loudspeaker which is Signe off Eric Clapton's Unplugged.
The Headphones I tried were
JBL Reference 420$140
JBL Reference 610$190
Bose Triport$130
Bose On Ear$180
Sennheiser HD215$100
Sennheiser PX100$50
The JBL 420's were the first can I tried out, they fit a little wierd took me a minute to get them on my head right. They are closed back and have quite delightful isolation best seal of all the headphones i tried. They have a weird design style to them not my cup of tea really but you know how these crazy kids are now a days. The cable is the same as the one on the JBL canal phones with the cloth "shield" it seemed pretty flexible so that was a nice touch. The build quality was fair they look a bit cheap but didn't feel like I'd be breaking them next week.
So I press play on the ipod and instantly I am just floored, I did not expect what came to my ears. The midrange was very well pronounced, the bass was tight and pretty impactful. The highs were a bit brighter than I really like but still performed well. I would definitely send a bass head after these cans, also for as bassy as they were it was still detailed enough to make me want to keep listening. I like bass but since I bought my HD580s I am far pickier when it comes to bass I hear, most loudspeakers and subs sound bloated to me anymore. Still these headphones sounded nice in that area to my picky ears. The midrange was more impressive than the bass. I could clearly pick out Clapton's fingers hitting the low E and all of the subtle details of his movement on the fret board. The highs like I said before a bit too bright for me but still good. I think these headphones can give the HD 555s and maybe the 595s a run for their money that is if you like the design of the JBL's I for one couldn't get past that for that kind of money.
Next were the Bluetooth brother of the 420's; The JBL 610 I didnt get to try it with the Bluetooth fancy pants setup since i don't own an iphone or ipod touch. It does come with a standard cord that is terminated 1/8 has the same cloth covering that the 420 has and plugs into the can via mini usb which screams "RECABLE ME!" It also has remote controls on one side for bluetooth use. It sounded the same as the 420 in every way so if anyone really wanted bluetooth headphones I'd imagine these would be their best choice even though i doubt it sounds as good like that.
Ahh the Bose Triports! Imagine yourself in a sewer pipe, you standing in the middle, at each end large speaker lets say an 18" guitar monitor with cheap horns, connected to each is a sufficient amp. Wait now it looks like someone hooked up a 25 band realistic equalizer pushed everything below 300hz all the way up and everything above that all the way down and turned the music on. Can you hear it? Those are Triports!
Bose On Ear headphones, surprisingly these sound worlds better than the Triports. Didn't get the Sewer effect but the bloated artificially "enhanced" bass remained not sure how they manage such consistency with bad sound. I suppose uneducated buyers would think that's how music should sound. Not a horrible headphone if it was $70 but for the $180 they charge you are better off getting the JBL's some Grado's or Senns (but not the HD 215's).
The HD 215 this was almost as bad as the ibuds that come with the iPod. I didn't listen long cause they sucked that badly. By far the worst Senn I have ever listened to. Infact if I was offered these or the Triports, I'd pick the Triports but only because you guys would be more likely to watch any video of me destroying something with a Bose label on it.
PX 100 These aren't bad headphones at all, I have the PX 200's and I really like them alot and better than the 100's. I have a rare shaped head that allows for a seal with the 200's so the bass is very nice on them. The 100's I found to be very similar to the iGrado's overall. They felt a tad loose on my ears so bass wasn't as good as I have read and not as good as the iGrado produces. The midrange is a bit more detailed than the Grado but the highs seemed to roll off too soon for my tastes. Overall a good headphone for the money but I still think if you can deal with the ear clip or neck band shoot for the Koss KSC75 or the iGrado before you pick these up. Although I know alot of you want to be stylish like Tay Zonday so perhaps if you like Chocolate Rain then the PX 100's are for you!
Overall the JBL's were very surprising. If you can get past the looks of them they are a very good bang for the buck! I suppose thats what you get when you are affiliated with AKG you learn a thing or two about headphones!
The Headphones I tried were
JBL Reference 420$140
JBL Reference 610$190
Bose Triport$130
Bose On Ear$180
Sennheiser HD215$100
Sennheiser PX100$50
The JBL 420's were the first can I tried out, they fit a little wierd took me a minute to get them on my head right. They are closed back and have quite delightful isolation best seal of all the headphones i tried. They have a weird design style to them not my cup of tea really but you know how these crazy kids are now a days. The cable is the same as the one on the JBL canal phones with the cloth "shield" it seemed pretty flexible so that was a nice touch. The build quality was fair they look a bit cheap but didn't feel like I'd be breaking them next week.
So I press play on the ipod and instantly I am just floored, I did not expect what came to my ears. The midrange was very well pronounced, the bass was tight and pretty impactful. The highs were a bit brighter than I really like but still performed well. I would definitely send a bass head after these cans, also for as bassy as they were it was still detailed enough to make me want to keep listening. I like bass but since I bought my HD580s I am far pickier when it comes to bass I hear, most loudspeakers and subs sound bloated to me anymore. Still these headphones sounded nice in that area to my picky ears. The midrange was more impressive than the bass. I could clearly pick out Clapton's fingers hitting the low E and all of the subtle details of his movement on the fret board. The highs like I said before a bit too bright for me but still good. I think these headphones can give the HD 555s and maybe the 595s a run for their money that is if you like the design of the JBL's I for one couldn't get past that for that kind of money.
Next were the Bluetooth brother of the 420's; The JBL 610 I didnt get to try it with the Bluetooth fancy pants setup since i don't own an iphone or ipod touch. It does come with a standard cord that is terminated 1/8 has the same cloth covering that the 420 has and plugs into the can via mini usb which screams "RECABLE ME!" It also has remote controls on one side for bluetooth use. It sounded the same as the 420 in every way so if anyone really wanted bluetooth headphones I'd imagine these would be their best choice even though i doubt it sounds as good like that.
Ahh the Bose Triports! Imagine yourself in a sewer pipe, you standing in the middle, at each end large speaker lets say an 18" guitar monitor with cheap horns, connected to each is a sufficient amp. Wait now it looks like someone hooked up a 25 band realistic equalizer pushed everything below 300hz all the way up and everything above that all the way down and turned the music on. Can you hear it? Those are Triports!
Bose On Ear headphones, surprisingly these sound worlds better than the Triports. Didn't get the Sewer effect but the bloated artificially "enhanced" bass remained not sure how they manage such consistency with bad sound. I suppose uneducated buyers would think that's how music should sound. Not a horrible headphone if it was $70 but for the $180 they charge you are better off getting the JBL's some Grado's or Senns (but not the HD 215's).
The HD 215 this was almost as bad as the ibuds that come with the iPod. I didn't listen long cause they sucked that badly. By far the worst Senn I have ever listened to. Infact if I was offered these or the Triports, I'd pick the Triports but only because you guys would be more likely to watch any video of me destroying something with a Bose label on it.
PX 100 These aren't bad headphones at all, I have the PX 200's and I really like them alot and better than the 100's. I have a rare shaped head that allows for a seal with the 200's so the bass is very nice on them. The 100's I found to be very similar to the iGrado's overall. They felt a tad loose on my ears so bass wasn't as good as I have read and not as good as the iGrado produces. The midrange is a bit more detailed than the Grado but the highs seemed to roll off too soon for my tastes. Overall a good headphone for the money but I still think if you can deal with the ear clip or neck band shoot for the Koss KSC75 or the iGrado before you pick these up. Although I know alot of you want to be stylish like Tay Zonday so perhaps if you like Chocolate Rain then the PX 100's are for you!
Overall the JBL's were very surprising. If you can get past the looks of them they are a very good bang for the buck! I suppose thats what you get when you are affiliated with AKG you learn a thing or two about headphones!
