No offence guys, but this headphone is vastly overrated. Best under $200? The Fidelio L1 says hi..
Now I am not hating on these. They are very good, much better then the SR-80i, but I think that's the extent of their performance. They are better than the $40 I spent on them, but I would never drop more than $60 on them. They just aren't worth it IMO. I find my L1 to stomp them repeatedly then give them a big ole curb stomp. But for $40 they are an amazing value.
It's not really overrated. Not many people have really tried it yet. There's no huge fan-base of these compared to the M50 and others. Lots of reviews on Amazon however. I think it's up to 200 now!
So you don't like them..that's fine. Just move along already and find out something else you like. Mainly it's all due to how you hear things and personal preferences. I must have gone through a dozen or more headphone that were closed to find a favorite.
Since you seem to love the Beyerdynamic type sound, most likely you would not love these. IMO the DT-880 and HD-600 are the most overrated headphones ever made and I know you'll disagree.
I am on the search for something better under $200 (that "I" like, not you) that's closed, but no luck. I've given up. I do like the SRH-840 and the M50 is OK. The last one I tried was the K550 and that was a major disappointment. I returned it within two days. Even the KRKs were better.
M50 really is less balanced to me and isn't worth the $100-$150. It is however easier for some to like. I have no problems suggesting the M50 if you like that sound signature.
KRK KNS-8400 is good, but I accidentally killed mine. It does have a bit more treble than I like.
I refuse to buy any Philips headphone. What moron designs a headphone without being able to change the pads? Maybe Philips doesn't want us to mod their headphone or see the insides. $150 is too much for a headphone if you can't replace the pads. Philips needs to change this and then maybe i'd take them seriously. I lost trust in Philips when they had to go and release dozens of crappy MP3 players and then stop supporting them a month later. Look at what they did with the Uptown and Downtown.
BTW I would actually say these are better than the HD-650 and modded Q701. Don't care if anyone thinks i'm nuts. This is with the Headroom Micro Amp + Micro DAC or even a lowly O2. But that's major overkill. You can't really compare them since two of them are open. The DJ100 with M50 pads has better bass (including more extension) and is actually clearer sounding yet even fuller sounding in the mids. Obviously the DJ100 has a more closed in sound.
The stock excuse is that the Q701 is technically better, but I actually think it's driver is nothing special. I do love the Q701 though. Modded Q701 gets close to the DJ100 with M50 pad sound though, but still not as clear or full sounding. Make the modded Q701 have more low bass presence and fuller mids and you have the DJ100 +M50 pads sound (with a good amp/dac).
One last thing... there is a very real chance that the DJ100s sound can be worse if you have very large ears. Same could cause a huge variation between any smaller closed headphone.
To annoy even more people, the SRH-940 and K550 are a joke compared to the DJ100 at it's best
SR-225is is very good and probably comparable to the DJ100 in many ways (not when it comes to sound signature really).
I put the DJ100's driver itself at the same level as that of the SR-225i, Q701 and HD-650. The DJ100 driver is actually held back by it's stock pads and enclosure. I only know this because i've transplanted it several times and made it open.
An open DJ100 sounds like a warmer sounding Q701. Koss should have taken advantage of this, but they apparently hate open headphones!
EDIT: I just read the L1 is now discontinued. Good job Philips!
