[drmrwt]

my source is a toshiba laptop with on board sound and a samsung galaxy s1. i think i am better off with a DAC then?

 

[roma101]

Quote:

I have both the M50s and the M-80s. I like the M50s but love the M-80s. Get the M-80s!

 
Haha that's how I feel also. Gotta love how portable the M-80s are as well.

 

[drmrwt]

HRT head streamer or the fiio e17. which is a better dac? amp is just a plus point they have for me.

 

[drmrwt]

Oh NO! the M-80's went to 189$ today on amazon . i am weighing my options again.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Oh NO! the M-80's went to 189$ today on amazon . i am weighing my options again.

 
Heya,
 
Look at the Philips Uptowns. Found them for $60~80 on sale here and there. Equivalent to HFI580, M50, HM5 (but with more bass), but cheaper. Good build quality. Great isolation, good sound stage. More like the HFI580 than the M50 (in a good way).
 
By the way, the M80 is only $133 from Amazon warehouse.
 
Very best,

 

[drmrwt]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
Look at the Philips Uptowns. Found them for $60~80 on sale here and there. Equivalent to HFI580, M50, HM5 (but with more bass), but cheaper. Good build quality. Great isolation, good sound stage. More like the HFI580 than the M50 (in a good way).
 
By the way, the M80 is only $133 from Amazon warehouse.
 
Very best,

Hello MalVeaux,
 
wow the Uptowns seem really good for the price, I do not know how i missed them. the BQ is pretty good on those except the wire and the volume slider. I can not find many reviews of the Uptowns i guess they are new. To be honest will there be much difference in Sound Quality, if i go for the brand new M-80's or these? but then again if i am spending around 200$ i am sure there are better options then the M-80. on another note you suggested the HFI580 (loved by many) is yet another strong contender because i am happy with paying around 150ish. 200 is kinda stretching it.
 
The amazon warehouse has used ones i guess? IDK about the products condition and accessories though if it is used.
 
I am impressed with your vast headphone collection, I am sure with your experience you will be able to help me find the best pair for me. BTW out of curiosity are you a Doctor as well?
 
Regards,
 
DrShahab.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hello MalVeaux,
 
wow the Uptowns seem really good for the price, I do not know how i missed them. the BQ is pretty good on those except the wire and the volume slider. I can not find many reviews of the Uptowns i guess they are new. To be honest will there be much difference in Sound Quality, if i go for the brand new M-80's or these? but then again if i am spending around 200$ i am sure there are better options then the M-80. on another note you suggested the HFI580 (loved by many) is yet another strong contender because i am happy with paying around 150ish. 200 is kinda stretching it.
 
The amazon warehouse has used ones i guess? IDK about the products condition and accessories though if it is used.
 
I am impressed with your vast headphone collection, I am sure with your experience you will be able to help me find the best pair for me. BTW out of curiosity are you a Doctor as well?
 
Regards,
 
DrShahab.

Heya,
 
The Uptowns are pretty decent. They're not a giant killer or anything, but they are nice little audio devices. Full size, comfortable, good isolation, with a classy design (not too flashy, not too retro). I have the brown/black ones. Their signature is slightly "V" shaped in terms of frequency response. They are warmer than neutral, with a slight sparkle in the treble. Very similar to the DT770 and HFI580, a little warmer than the HM5/FA003. The HFI580 has stronger bass. The DT770 has better sound staging and is brighter with a little more mid-bass. The Uptowns have good extension, perform very well from top to bottom, able to do classical quite well while also doing dub well (in other words, it can do any genre justice). The drivers are big, they are angled in a deep cup (this helps with generating a wider sound stage in closed headphones; similar to S-logic and other attempts to increase space in a closed back headphone). My only grip with them so far is that the cable is thin, flat (doesn't coil which is the purpose), and fairly short (meant for a portable obviously). I don't use the controls on it since I use a discreet DAP+AMP setup for my portable (Fuze+E11). I picked the Uptowns up for $65 from a sale in the deals thread. They keep showing up with 1SaleADay and their affiliates at that price. Mine came in an upopened original sealed package, so it wasn't like it was a used return or something; if it was a refurb, I cannot even tell. But for less than half the MSRP, I went for it and it was absolutely a good deal. Even at $150 I think they're well worth the price tag, let alone the $65ish I paid. Listening to them, I can safely recommend them in the same league as the HFI580,  HM5, DT770, etc. If using at home, I would get an extension cable though.
 
Used/refurb headphones from Amazon warehouse are great. I buy them all the time. They are usually just returns in flawless or near flawless condition. And the best is the 30 day return policy, no questions asked. I've bought a few and returned them without hassle at all.
 
As for your last question, I'm a cardiopulmonary specialist, generally staffing an ED here in Florida.
 
Very best,

 

[drmrwt]

Quote:

Heya,
 
The Uptowns are pretty decent. They're not a giant killer or anything, but they are nice little audio devices. Full size, comfortable, good isolation, with a classy design (not too flashy, not too retro). I have the brown/black ones. Their signature is slightly "V" shaped in terms of frequency response. They are warmer than neutral, with a slight sparkle in the treble. Very similar to the DT770 and HFI580, a little warmer than the HM5/FA003. The HFI580 has stronger bass. The DT770 has better sound staging and is brighter with a little more mid-bass. The Uptowns have good extension, perform very well from top to bottom, able to do classical quite well while also doing dub well (in other words, it can do any genre justice). The drivers are big, they are angled in a deep cup (this helps with generating a wider sound stage in closed headphones; similar to S-logic and other attempts to increase space in a closed back headphone). My only grip with them so far is that the cable is thin, flat (doesn't coil which is the purpose), and fairly short (meant for a portable obviously). I don't use the controls on it since I use a discreet DAP+AMP setup for my portable (Fuze+E11). I picked the Uptowns up for $65 from a sale in the deals thread. They keep showing up with 1SaleADay and their affiliates at that price. Mine came in an upopened original sealed package, so it wasn't like it was a used return or something; if it was a refurb, I cannot even tell. But for less than half the MSRP, I went for it and it was absolutely a good deal. Even at $150 I think they're well worth the price tag, let alone the $65ish I paid. Listening to them, I can safely recommend them in the same league as the HFI580,  HM5, DT770, etc. If using at home, I would get an extension cable though.
 
Used/refurb headphones from Amazon warehouse are great. I buy them all the time. They are usually just returns in flawless or near flawless condition. And the best is the 30 day return policy, no questions asked. I've bought a few and returned them without hassle at all.
 
As for your last question, I'm a cardiopulmonary specialist, generally staffing an ED here in Florida.
 
Very best,

Thank you for such a detailed and quick review of the Uptowns.I am really looking forward to these,
 
I do not have a decent source like a DAC/AMP, I think they are kind of hard to drive just with a smartphone and on board sound chip from a Laptop.
will you be kind enough to suggest a good dac/amp as a source, for future use as well in case i might want to upgrade? secondly will it be worth it? i was looking in to the HRT head streamer or the fiio e17 or a creative usb sound card, portability is not an issue as i will be using it mostly with my laptop.
 
Oh that is Awesome. Sir i am really impressed as you must be really busy yet you still carry on with your hobby. It is good to see a fellow doctor around here.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thank you for such a detailed and quick review of the Uptowns.I am really looking forward to these,
 
I do not have a decent source like a DAC/AMP, I think they are kind of hard to drive just with a smartphone and on board sound chip from a Laptop.
will you be kind enough to suggest a good dac/amp as a source, for future use as well in case i might want to upgrade? secondly will it be worth it? i was looking in to the HRT head streamer or the fiio e17 or a creative usb sound card, portability is not an issue as i will be using it mostly with my laptop.
 
Oh that is Awesome. Sir i am really impressed as you must be really busy yet you still carry on with your hobby. It is good to see a fellow doctor around here.

 
Heya,
 
The Uptowns will likely play fine from a smartphone/laptop. They are made to work from virtually anything, they're efficient.
 
I really enjoy the Sansa Fuze. Easy to use, good battery life, native FLAC support, easy toss in microSD card (32gig) that you can load up and swap if you want. Has line level output so you can output to an amplifier if needed (would not be needed for Uptowns). I pair it with my Fiio E11 amplifier (portable). I have them stuck together via velcro tape. This is strictly a portable setup. As for it being worth it, that's up to you. The Uptowns are made to be used with a smartphone (they have inline volume control, etc). I don't use a phone or anything for music, I keep it separate, I just like discreet things for audio. So to me, it's worth it. I also use different headphones that are not as efficient though. I use my DT770's more often as my portable (even though they're not really that portable, mine are portable and cable modded to be more portable friendly). Since portable is not your primary use, I wouldn't bother with this kind of setup.
 
For home use with the laptop, I would say if you have the dollars to throw away, the Fiio E10 is an excellent start for a DAC/AMP for any headphone short of the very inefficient ones. It's a nice step up from using onboard chipsets like in your laptop. Beyond that, if you really want to get an upgrade, it will cost serious coin. At that point, I would start looking at things like the NFB12.1, StreamerII + discreet amp (like Asgard, LittleDot series, etc), etc. Tons of options when you get into that range. I would try to find some used ones here on the forum, you can get better deals that way.
 
Very best,

 

[automaton]

I am in a similar situation to the OP-- leading contenders right now are the dt 770 250, M-80, and I have been checking out the akg K272 as well. Would consider adding the Phillips as an option. I have an e5 amp for the office and a good soundcard at home.
 
Based on everything I've read, the 770s are the lead contender. Will be used for mostly electronic/industrial. The feature set of the M80 is appealing, but for me the biggest priority is sound quality. Looking to stay around the $150 mark, and willing to buy refurb from places like amazon. 

 

[DemonFox]

Quote:

Heya,
 
Ultrasone PRO 750 & HFI 580
Denon D2000
AudioTechnica A900X
M-Audio Q40
 
Very best,

 
Hey MalVeauX,
 
So knowing your post I understand all the other recommendations but the a900x is a new one that I haven't head to much about. What about them would makes them good for electronic/Dubstep/Hip-Hop etc. From what I've read so far they have a better overall sound than the m50's but I havent been able to find specifics explaining why that is. I ask because I'm basically looking for the same thing. But I want a closed back can under $600 somewhat portable 250ohm or less that can play that type of music and still sound amazing in the process. I was thinking the T70 until I read your review that said that had weak bass so that was a killer for me. Also I sold my Pro 900's so is there anything else in that range of bass but with better soundstage or at least better highs and mids. lol Sounds like the perfect headphone I know but just curious if I'm leaving something out or need to put a new can on my radar.  

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

 
Hey MalVeauX,
 
So knowing your post I understand all the other recommendations but the a900x is a new one that I haven't head to much about. What about them would makes them good for electronic/Dubstep/Hip-Hop etc. From what I've read so far they have a better overall sound than the m50's but I havent been able to find specifics explaining why that is. I ask because I'm basically looking for the same thing. But I want a closed back can under $600 somewhat portable 250ohm or less that can play that type of music and still sound amazing in the process. I was thinking the T70 until I read your review that said that had weak bass so that was a killer for me. Also I sold my Pro 900's so is there anything else in that range of bass but with better soundstage or at least better highs and mids. lol Sounds like the perfect headphone I know but just curious if I'm leaving something out or need to put a new can on my radar.  

 
Heya,
 
The A900X is a nice closed back headphone that does a lot of what things like Denon does with closed backs, while keeping amazing mids. The A900X is not overly bright, it's pretty smooth and relaxed, but not without detail. The mids are excellent, vocals are realistic, natural, and not distant at all, the mids are not recessed in a way that harms instruments and vocals, the bass does not bleed in a detrimental way here which is quite an accomplishment for a warm headphone. The bass is higher than a normal audiotechnica, it's a very warm headphone, the mid-bass has a bump up, so it sounds bassy/warm, the sub-bass is controlled, deep, textured, and really can slam and provide impact for all kinds of playback (from some Hanz to some Dub, the bass is true). The A900X has a good seal so you don't have to worry about it not sounding right based on seal/fit (unlike the K550). It's not a lifeless, dry headphone. It's a warm, lush headphone with very good natural vocals/instruments, great sound stage for a closed headphone, smooth treble without fatigue, it's not too bright, but it's not dark either, and a bass ability that is excellent even for electronic music, it's not anemic, but it's not overly boomy either. It's only fault is that it's a very light headphone, and doesn't feel like it would survive you sitting on it, and the pads are not the most comfortable, but it's not an uncomfortable headphone (simply by comparison, a Denon is more comfortable to me). But that's subjective. It generally runs $180~220 here and on Amazon, for that price, it's simply excellent for someone wanting a closed headphone that is very capable in all regions.
 
Very best,

 

[automaton]

Hey MalVeauX,
How do the 900x sound compared to the DT 770/880?  900X is a little more, but based on what I've read it has the most balanced sound of the 3.  Where have you seen it in the $180 range?   
I appreciate your posts, they are really informative.  Thanks.