Techfixation
100+ Head-Fier
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- Mar 8, 2015
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I had the chance to try a few more bass heavy headphones over the last couple of months including the B&O H8's, B&W P5's and more recently the Onkyo H500BT's.
I'll start with the H8's which I tested along side the H7's at my local B&O store; as I expected the build quality is outstanding and they're certainly one of the best looking headphones I've seen, they look great in black & tan!
Comfort wise they're pretty good with a decent clamping force on my smallish head (for me they could have been a touch tighter but for most Id imagine they'd be perfect), the ear pads are very soft and even with glasses they didn't seem to exert any unwanted pressure. Obviously trying them in store I wasn't able to test them over a prolonged period but I cant see anyone having too much trouble with them comfort wise. The only thing worth mentioning is that the headband padding wasn't very soft and although the headphones don't weigh a huge amount I could feel some pressure on the top of my head.
Now to the sound; I was actually quite surprised at how bassy they were, great depth with a good amount of weight! The bass was certainly boosted but they didn't sound overly boomy. The mids and highs were also quite present but they lacked a bit of warmth which is something I really look for in a set of headphones.
Unfortunately the ANC introduced quite noticable hiss and seemed to reduce the mids and highs making them sound less forward.
The H7's were very similar in most respects but really lacked the deep bass of the H8's so were quickly put down.
The B&W P5's again were very well put together and felt like a really premium product. They were very cushiony and had a more comfortable headband than the H8's but they did create a small amount of pressure from the cups when wearing glasses.
The sound was very similar to the H8's, perhaps a little warmer and a little less sub bass, and maybe slightly more rolled off highs.
Now to the Onkyo H500BT's, these were my latest purchase after reading some positive comments from 'Sonic Defender' recently. I heard of them a while ago when Giogio mentioned he was testing them but I'd been waiting to hear his comments, which sadly Im not sure we will ever hear now (please come back Giogio, we miss you!). I also have a high end A/V receiver from Onkyo which I highly rate so I was quite optimistic with how the H500BT's would perform....I wasn't wrong, they're now my favourite wireless cans by far!!
Firstly they have a very minimal look which I really like, and although they're mainly constructed of plastic they certainly don't feel cheap! They may not quite have the premium feel of the H8's or P5's but don't forget they're a fraction of the price, I actually paid £135 (new) here in the UK which is astonishing considering their performance!
They remind me a lot of the Philips Fidelio M2BT's which until now have been my favourite sounding bluetooth headphones out of the ones I've tested to date (here's a link to those reviews http://www.head-fi.org/t/746519/huge-comparison-of-almost-all-the-best-bluetooth-headphones-post-your-own-comparisons-here/1545 ). I think the Fidelio's may still just pip the Onkyo's to the post in terms of sound quality and signature but the philips are majorly lacking in other areas! They both render bass frequencies very well without eating into the mids and they both have a lovely warm, rich, clean signature which renders vocals beautifully. The Fidelio's certainly have a deeper sub bass but the Onkyo's were surprisingly close in this respect and they both have a nice punch to them with little sign of boosting. Where the Onkyo's couldn't quite match the sub bass of the Fidelio's they did out perform them with their highs, but again only just!
They may be very similar in sound signature but the Onkyo's really outshone the Fidelio's in almost every other respect! Although they're almost identical in size and shape I found the Onkyo's much more comfortable over a prolonged period, probably due to the fact that they have much less clamping force and seem to exert pressure in a much more forgiving way. The Bluetooth performance was also spot on with no hint of drop out and very minimal hiss which is a real bugbear of mine! The Fidelio's had very poor Bluetooth performance with regular drop outs and quite noticeable hiss, as well as an annoying buzz in the left earpiece on the two units I tested!
The Onkyo H500BT's have now replaced my Sony XB950BT's as my go to wireless headphones which says a lot as the Sony's have until now been the ones that have ticked the most boxes in the areas most important to me. Bare in mind though that my main use has been for movies which benefit from a signature that renders dialog in a certain way and means that I may prioritise certain aspects more so than if I was listening to music! I know there are many people who don't rate the 950's but after significant burn in and BillP's mods they still sound great with music too. However they always had a slight veil to them and although I loved their comfort, cleanness, sub bass, smooth rich sound and rock solid bluetooth connection I was always on the lookout for something more. The Onkyo's share many of 950's and Fidelio's positives but lack any of their negatives making them a truly special set of cans!!
I now have my Sony XB950's available for sale if anyone's interested? They're in pristine condition having never been taken out of the house. As mentioned I've carried out BillP's mods and I think they now sound pretty awesome!
I'll start with the H8's which I tested along side the H7's at my local B&O store; as I expected the build quality is outstanding and they're certainly one of the best looking headphones I've seen, they look great in black & tan!
Comfort wise they're pretty good with a decent clamping force on my smallish head (for me they could have been a touch tighter but for most Id imagine they'd be perfect), the ear pads are very soft and even with glasses they didn't seem to exert any unwanted pressure. Obviously trying them in store I wasn't able to test them over a prolonged period but I cant see anyone having too much trouble with them comfort wise. The only thing worth mentioning is that the headband padding wasn't very soft and although the headphones don't weigh a huge amount I could feel some pressure on the top of my head.
Now to the sound; I was actually quite surprised at how bassy they were, great depth with a good amount of weight! The bass was certainly boosted but they didn't sound overly boomy. The mids and highs were also quite present but they lacked a bit of warmth which is something I really look for in a set of headphones.
Unfortunately the ANC introduced quite noticable hiss and seemed to reduce the mids and highs making them sound less forward.
The H7's were very similar in most respects but really lacked the deep bass of the H8's so were quickly put down.
The B&W P5's again were very well put together and felt like a really premium product. They were very cushiony and had a more comfortable headband than the H8's but they did create a small amount of pressure from the cups when wearing glasses.
The sound was very similar to the H8's, perhaps a little warmer and a little less sub bass, and maybe slightly more rolled off highs.
Now to the Onkyo H500BT's, these were my latest purchase after reading some positive comments from 'Sonic Defender' recently. I heard of them a while ago when Giogio mentioned he was testing them but I'd been waiting to hear his comments, which sadly Im not sure we will ever hear now (please come back Giogio, we miss you!). I also have a high end A/V receiver from Onkyo which I highly rate so I was quite optimistic with how the H500BT's would perform....I wasn't wrong, they're now my favourite wireless cans by far!!
Firstly they have a very minimal look which I really like, and although they're mainly constructed of plastic they certainly don't feel cheap! They may not quite have the premium feel of the H8's or P5's but don't forget they're a fraction of the price, I actually paid £135 (new) here in the UK which is astonishing considering their performance!
They remind me a lot of the Philips Fidelio M2BT's which until now have been my favourite sounding bluetooth headphones out of the ones I've tested to date (here's a link to those reviews http://www.head-fi.org/t/746519/huge-comparison-of-almost-all-the-best-bluetooth-headphones-post-your-own-comparisons-here/1545 ). I think the Fidelio's may still just pip the Onkyo's to the post in terms of sound quality and signature but the philips are majorly lacking in other areas! They both render bass frequencies very well without eating into the mids and they both have a lovely warm, rich, clean signature which renders vocals beautifully. The Fidelio's certainly have a deeper sub bass but the Onkyo's were surprisingly close in this respect and they both have a nice punch to them with little sign of boosting. Where the Onkyo's couldn't quite match the sub bass of the Fidelio's they did out perform them with their highs, but again only just!
They may be very similar in sound signature but the Onkyo's really outshone the Fidelio's in almost every other respect! Although they're almost identical in size and shape I found the Onkyo's much more comfortable over a prolonged period, probably due to the fact that they have much less clamping force and seem to exert pressure in a much more forgiving way. The Bluetooth performance was also spot on with no hint of drop out and very minimal hiss which is a real bugbear of mine! The Fidelio's had very poor Bluetooth performance with regular drop outs and quite noticeable hiss, as well as an annoying buzz in the left earpiece on the two units I tested!
The Onkyo H500BT's have now replaced my Sony XB950BT's as my go to wireless headphones which says a lot as the Sony's have until now been the ones that have ticked the most boxes in the areas most important to me. Bare in mind though that my main use has been for movies which benefit from a signature that renders dialog in a certain way and means that I may prioritise certain aspects more so than if I was listening to music! I know there are many people who don't rate the 950's but after significant burn in and BillP's mods they still sound great with music too. However they always had a slight veil to them and although I loved their comfort, cleanness, sub bass, smooth rich sound and rock solid bluetooth connection I was always on the lookout for something more. The Onkyo's share many of 950's and Fidelio's positives but lack any of their negatives making them a truly special set of cans!!
I now have my Sony XB950's available for sale if anyone's interested? They're in pristine condition having never been taken out of the house. As mentioned I've carried out BillP's mods and I think they now sound pretty awesome!
