[MexicanDragon]

So last week I bought some 200's and some 75's within an hour of each other. Started out being a good day. Well, my ultimate goal is to have everyone I work with have at least a decent listening experience, no matter what their budget. I passed around both sets of cans to some friends, and I just wanted to pass along the results. I haven't made my decisions yet...much more listening to do... but here we go.

Senn 497 owner:
KSC-75's for 30 minutes. Then the MDR-XD200's for about an hour and a half. Listened to Radiohead's Kid A on D-NE500. He liked the 75's, he was impressed with the 200's. I asked him how they compared to his 497's... and he said he'd have to have them side by side. Not saying they'll win, but for half the price (retail), being considered is a compliment.

Koss PortaPro2 owner:
KSC-75's ... thought ok. Probably fitment issues. XD200's, loved them. I asked her which she liked better between her PP2's (her wedding gift from me) and the 200's. No question, 200's win again.

Sony MDR-V150 owner (audiophile, formerly with competition car stereo for SQ, invited to IASCA World Championships):
He had them for about an hour and a half. I looked over, saw him rocking out. He listens to various rock and rap/hip-hop. He was listening to Jack Johnson, said the 200's added an extra octave over the 150's. Said the bass wasn't as prominent. He didn't, however, know about the music/movie switch at that point. He then listened to some various rap tracks, and was impressed (compared to mdr-v150's). He then asked me where I got them, and if they had any more in stock. He didn't try the 75's. He has a previous history with my old ksc-50's, and he really liked those, but they leaked WAY too much sound for his taste in music. (It bothered people around him. I have used grado's for a while...I just don't care about the people around me. If they complain, I let them listen to the grado's, then they get it, and put their Coby Noise Canceling (garbage) Cans back on).

Coby NC owner:
Blown away by both, but prefered the Sony's

Senn MX550 owner:
Didn't listen to them, but I got her to get some Senn MX buds, that's as good as it gets for her. Maybe I'll get her some new RadioShack cushions for christmas.


As for myself, I am enjoying both sets, and am thinking about retiring my SR-80's. I'm about to send them off for repairs (the only reason I bought these other cans, just to get me through two weeks at work). I'm seriously thinking about trading the 80's (+incentive) for some 225's, and just leave the grado's at home for some more serious listening.

I am having some problems getting the 75's to fit similarly on both ears. A different fit on each ear is slightly problematic. Plus, the clip on the right earpiece pops off occasionally, not a great sign, as far as the long run goes.


Well, there's some thoughts for you to devour. Enjoy!

**BRENT**

 

[the_villain]

very interesting review. A review in way of what different people say about cans is very interesting. Thanks.

 

[kramer5150]

nice survey type review.

You work group is pretty hi-fi conscious... IASCA finalist

Garrett

 

[MexicanDragon]

Hey.

Glad some people enjoyed it.

FWIW, I work for the post office, doing data conversion. Open 24 hours a day, and I'm on the wonderful 3rd shift. I actually get to see people from every shift, and I've worked with all of them, so I get a good mix of people, not just the crazy 3rd shifters.

I think its great when I take someone from a phillips CD player with koss UR-19's, to some porta pro 2's, to picking out nuances between my panasonic sl-ct580 and d-ne300 (which i sold for 30$ to pick up a d-ne500 for 40$). Her progress is coming along quite nicely. BTW, she is the one who picked the 200's over her PP2's.

With the original post, I just thought some people might like to know what things sound like from people who aren't obsessed with this stuff. I am obsessed with this stuff. I have 3 head-fi tabs open in Firefox. 3. I'm obsessed. Its worth it though, if just to get 1 person into some decent cans. I'm up to 3 right now. Oh yeah, spotted some MDR-G74SL's at work too. If I knew the owner, I'd try to czech them out. Maybe its time to make a new friend...

**BRENT**

 

[gshan]

Nice in-office review. The XD200s have mysteriously entered my Amazon.com shopping cart. Btw, where did you find them in store?

 

[MexicanDragon]

Hi ghsan, I got them locally at Target. 29.99$. This was in chattanooga, TN.

I don't know if I've commented on comfort, but I have a pretty big head, and they are VERY comfortable. They don't get warm hardly at all, and contrary to a few other reviewers, the headband isn't bothersome to me, in fact, it almost dissappears.

My main concern with them is an image problem. No, not aesthetic, but aural. The bass seems to come from below the rest. And part of it seems behind me, almost a 5.1ish effect. The mids seem recessed, this could be the "nasal" that other people comment about. But then again, mine have maybe 50 hours on them right now. I listened to the new NIN Dual Disc, cd portion off my d-ne500 last night, this is where i'm getting some of the impressions i just listened. One thing I noticed was that the soundstage is a bit wider than my grado's (but what isn't?), but it also seems like the bass is pushed forward, the mids a good bit back, and the treble falls somewhere in between. One part of this, however, is the image that the sony pcdp throws. First thing i noticed was the "elevated" image of the sony d-ne series. Compared to other sources, the sound seems to be on a riser, a few feet up at least.

Still... they're 30$ cans, and they do sound really good for that price point. Every person liked the 200's better than the 75's and/or PP2's. I think I like them better than the 75's as well. Scary to make a commitment like that. But when I'm listening to radio or book on tape...usually 75's. But when I want a CD... I dig out the 200's.

I guess this means I've thrown my thoughts into the mix now...

**BRENT**

 

[vulc4n]

cool, thanks for the review. I had some KSC-75s for awhile. They were the best sounding phones I've ever heard. I had issues with fit and eventualy sold them. Its nice to know that the xd200 is comparable or better than the ksc75. I'm thinking about just splurging for the xd400 though.

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MexicanDragon Hi ghsan, I got them locally at Target. 29.99$. This was in chattanooga, TN. I don't know if I've commented on comfort, but I have a pretty big head, and they are VERY comfortable. They don't get warm hardly at all, and contrary to a few other reviewers, the headband isn't bothersome to me, in fact, it almost dissappears. My main concern with them is an image problem. No, not aesthetic, but aural. The bass seems to come from below the rest. And part of it seems behind me, almost a 5.1ish effect. The mids seem recessed, this could be the "nasal" that other people comment about. But then again, mine have maybe 50 hours on them right now. I listened to the new NIN Dual Disc, cd portion off my d-ne500 last night, this is where i'm getting some of the impressions i just listened. One thing I noticed was that the soundstage is a bit wider than my grado's (but what isn't?), but it also seems like the bass is pushed forward, the mids a good bit back, and the treble falls somewhere in between. One part of this, however, is the image that the sony pcdp throws. First thing i noticed was the "elevated" image of the sony d-ne series. Compared to other sources, the sound seems to be on a riser, a few feet up at least. Still... they're 30$ cans, and they do sound really good for that price point. Every person liked the 200's better than the 75's and/or PP2's. I think I like them better than the 75's as well. Scary to make a commitment like that. But when I'm listening to radio or book on tape...usually 75's. But when I want a CD... I dig out the 200's. I guess this means I've thrown my thoughts into the mix now... **BRENT**

Great, more impressions! Hm, Sonystyle here in downtown doesn't have them yet, so hopefully I can get to Target this weekend.

The soundstage and mysterious 5.1 qualities sure seem interesting. I was hoping to use these for gaming. Definitely worthwhile for only $30.

Thanks again.

--

hm it's good that these definitely sound like true full sized cans in comparison to ksc-75s, but I'm going to need a pair of these $15 clipons for jogging.