[Roderick]

  Someone mentioned much earlier in the thread that these seemed to be an OEM, wired version of Pioneer SE-MJ561BT. Seeing the Oppo/iLike/Puro versions sent me on a little google safari...
 
This is not the first time iLike headphones have been identified as OEM versions of Pioneer cans. But I couldn't quite connect all the dots based on the iLike name alone. Long story short, I eventually found the missing link - Shenzhen Vtsonic. Here's their OEM listing for VT-H68B, the bluetooth version, and here's VT-H68, exactly the same as Dick Smith sell.
 

 
Vtsonic also has another headphone worth checking out if you have the change. Vt-h63. I know of two rebrands, exibel mhx10 sold by clas ohlson and john lewis spectrum sold by john lewis. I have the exibel version. Build quality is extremely good. Sound is bassy, too bassy for my tastes but luckily the headphones respond to eq really well. With proper eq exibels reveal their full potential. For 20euros those are a bargain. Unfortunately only for people in uk or scandinavia until someone finds a rebrand sold somewhere else.

 

[Xtralglactic]

Wow a Parrot Zik look a like!!

 

[Xtralglactic]

@JOHNNY LOLO well it just shows peoples preferences differ. One mans treasure is another ones trash or vice versa. This is what makes it all so interesting. It would be so boring if everyone has the same perceptions. Good luck on your headfi journey! 

 

[Petrol]

Tried again after burn in. No change in sound. Maybe my pair is defective, who knows.

Fair enough. Could be defective, could just be not to your tastes.
 

 
Vtsonic also has another headphone worth checking out if you have the change. Vt-h63. I know of two rebrands, exibel mhx10 sold by clas ohlson and john lewis spectrum sold by john lewis. I have the exibel version. Build quality is extremely good. Sound is bassy, too bassy for my tastes but luckily the headphones respond to eq really well. With proper eq exibels reveal their full potential. For 20euros those are a bargain. Unfortunately only for people in uk or scandinavia until someone finds a rebrand sold somewhere else.

 
Nice! These look like a slightly souped up version of the H68s to me. What you say about the bassiness and need for EQing makes me think they probably use the same drivers.
 
Edit: DS online sales seem to be a pretty regular occurrence lately, but prices vary wildly. Today's seem pretty good, H68s are $18.79 again and there's a bunch of other cans with good discounts http://www.dicksmith.com.au/promotions/hot-deals/audio-mp3/earphones-headphones

 

[Roderick]

Originally Posted by Petrol /img/forum/go_quote.gif

they probably use the same drivers.

Back of the drivers look the same as on h68 so you are propably right. H63's are really interesting headphones. Things they do right they do exceptionally well but unfortunately problems are also big.

+ Build quality. Pads are plush and nice stitching looks premium. Metal hinges. Comfortable for on ears. Good isolation. Detachable cable that has nice cloth covering. If parrot zik had an on ear version those would look and feel exactly like these. Got me thinking who makes headphone for parrot because they are of course manufactured in china.
+ Soundstage is big and imaging is awesome. Soundstage is biggest I've heard on on-ear headphone.
+ Bass, there is plenty of it and no signifant roll off at the bottom.
+ Doesn't mind being EQ'd

- Decay. Fast attack and slow decay makes these sound kind of weird sometimes.
- Reverbs. There are tons of those. I't depends on a track how bad it is. Sometimes it is ok, sometimes it is unlistenable.
- Nasality. Might be because of the reverbs but sometimes these have nasal tone of a $5 earbuds.
- Recessed highs

I wish I had time to try some mods. Bass can be tamed with closing the hole at the back of the magnet but I'd like to do something for the reverbs and lack of highs. Actually I don't mind a lot off bass but reducing it is unfortunately the easisest way to achieve cleaner sound. These really have potential. You can't really use eq for better timbre, soundstage or imaging...So I'm glad those are the things h63 allready does exceptionally well.


Is there a vt-h68 version available in EU? Or maybe in china with world wide shipping? Ilike,oppo,pioneer etc all seem to be bluetooth without even the possibility of wired use. Atleast I did not see a place for cable. And even if those had a place to plug in cable I'd like no bluetooth version. Extra stuff inside the cups could affect the sound quality anyway so I would be listening to a headphone that doesn't sound the same as the dick smith version you guys are enjoying.

 

[Petrol]

  Is there a vt-h68 version available in EU? Or maybe in china with world wide shipping? Ilike,oppo,pioneer etc all seem to be bluetooth without even the possibility of wired use. Atleast I did not see a place for cable. And even if those had a place to plug in cable I'd like no bluetooth version. Extra stuff inside the cups could affect the sound quality anyway so I would be listening to a headphone that doesn't sound the same as the dick smith version you guys are enjoying.

If you're really keen to get a pair, I would be happy to send some for cost + shipping. They're AUD$20 right now: http://www.dicksmith.com.au/audio-mp3/dse-premium-headphones-vt-h68-dsau-c1621 Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

[JOHNNY LOLO]

Just curious, what other headphones are you guys comparing these with?

 

[Roderick]

-

 

[Bark Snarly]

I've compared the DS ones to Mdr 1r-mk2 and B&W p7, I found the DS cans had a better balance in the lows, mids and highs but they didn't have the same quality in the same department that the other headphones had and you could tell they needed some damping in the cups. I found them pretty dang impressive for $20 though, I might take a swing at modding them again sometime too.

Currently I'm using the oppo pm-3 the most out of my headphones and there's nothing the DS cans do better, they get completely blown out of the water in every category... Oppos are good value for money at their high price of 400usd.

 

[Roderick]

Thanks to a helpful fellow head-fier, I managed to get a pair of vt-h68. Like it was previously speculated, it does seem that exibel mhx10 and vt-h68 share the same driver. I did not remove the drivers from the housing, but back of the drivers looks identical. Interestingly the headphones sound very different.
 
Mhx10 is a lot darker, vt-h68 have overall better balance between lows, mids and highs. Actually tonality of vt-h68 is allmost identical to what I wen't for when I eq'd exibels. Unfortunately for vt-h68 the more natural tonal balance is the only thing they are better than exibels.
 
Soundstage is clearly bigger on exibels. And it's not just that DS headphones have not so impressive soundstage, those completely fail in taking the music out there, instead of sounding like two speakers next to my ear. I listen to a lot of stuff with drastic stereo separation (hendrix, beatles etc) and DS is not good for that kind of music at all. When singer is on the left, and guitar on the right the end result with DS is quite bad. Exibels create more speakerlike sound field. DS sound what you would expect from a $20 on-ear headphone.
 
DS have a metal plate inside the earcups. That helps in creating more clarity to the sound. I've added metal to the cups with many  headphones I've modded so I know exactly how it affects the sound. Even though it helps in bringing out the highs and overall clarity, it leaves an unwanted track. With closer listen, the sound is not natural. There is a metallic sounding backwave which is more obvious with certain songs than others. Highs get a bit splashy, upper mids  get sharp...and sometimes you can even hear a faint echo.
 
Even though Exibels have major problems with excessive bass, the timbre on midrange and highs(even how recessed those are) is close to perfect. DS sounds like an unfinished prototype in comparison.
 
If I were to sum it up, I'd say that exibels are a bass heavy headphone with quite muddy sound but underneath there is a world class headphone which needs to be digged up. DS on the other hand sounds more impressive out of the box but with closer listen emphasized stereo separation, lack of soundstage and metallic nyances in sound make it bit mediocre in the long run.
 
Talking about build quality... People who have been impressed by the build quality of VT-h68 should really check out the exibels if possible. It is no contest. Cushioning on the earpads of DS is some traditional fluffy foam, Exibels have memory foam. Pleather on exibels is really nice, on VT-h68  material more like a thin layer of fabric appearing like pleather. Exibels have nice stitching on the pads, something you see on more expensive headphones. DS pads are like 30cent pads you can buy from aliexpress. 
 
Earcups  on DS are indeed metal, those feel bit plasticky but those are a real thing. Exibels cups are plastic with rubberish coating. Really nice, but I give DS an edge here.
 
Cable on DS is really basic, nothing special and the way it connects to the headphones feels a bit cheap. Exibels have a nice cloth covered cable, metal cover on buttons and next to connectors and connecting the headphones to the cups gives that satifying click  
 
Hinges are nice on both. Metal... But Exibel hinges are more polished and have stepped system on adjusting the headband. Stepped system with numbered settings it is a lot easier to adjust the headband on exibels than it is on DS. 
 
How you like the design is a matter of opinion but better built with parrot zik look a like design makes Exibel a lot more pleasing to the eye Imo.
 
All in all I feel that Exibels are clearly the flagship model, despite the lover model number- VT-h63 vs h68.  DS are a nice headphone for the price. Not more though. You can't really eq away the metal resonances, but you can eq extra bass of exibels. That + clear differences in build quality + same price = Exibels are better of the two, it's not even a close call.

 

[Kiwigeezer]

DSE are currently giving these away in NZ at the moment -$20. I bought another pair and tucked them away. 
 
Never really appreciated how much I like these phones until a couple of days ago when, tempted by a special on the Audio Technica ATH M40X phones I bought a pair. I was completely and utterly underwhelmed frankly. I suspect there's quite a major 'Emperor's new clothes' mystique around the M40X's -if you believe the reviews (there are many) they are the best head-phones built to a particular price point ever, end of story. I found them to be unmusical, boring and wholly lacking in bass, like my Grado SR60's without the charm. They went back the next day. I value mids then highs most, but want some bass to provide balance. 
 
I appreciate that what we like in a pair of headphones is purely subjective, but even through my Fiio E5 amp the Audio Technicas were (for me) just completely unengaging -they would never get my toes tapping. Just as an aside, in terms of efficiency they sucked also, output volume at about 60% compared to the VT H68s. 
 
The VT H68s aren't without their faults but by golly, they sound great, and at $20 a pair...

 

 

[Xtralglactic]

Sad to see the Dick Smiths is closing down. Mr Ruslan Kogan bought them at the last minute but will maintain an online presence only I think. Massive bargains in store and online... I asked if there were more VT H68's as I wanted another pair but apparently they became popular in the last couple of months so they were all sold out...