[I<3SQ]

Just got my DJ100's and FiiO L9 LOD cable today....I'm coming from the Equation Audio RP-22x, which I liked alot but my nephew broke them accidentally the other day. I was listening to some music and he came over and lifted the cup off my head so he could hear what I was listening to and the plastic extension cracked. It wasn't a clean break, just a couple cracks, but with my bug nugget it would be a matter of time. So my son called dibs on them and I bought the DJ100's, which I was considering strongly when I decided on the RP-22x's. 
 
My main setup is my PC: AudioTrak Prodigy HD2-->JVC UX-G70 mini system receiver-->Insignia NS-B2111 bookshelf speakers
 
My portable setup is an iPod Touch 3g 64gb-->FiiO E6
 
I like these over the RP-22x as they have a more balanced sound, but I miss how the RP-22x would massage my eardrums with the hard hitting bass notes. That's not saying these don't have bass, they have plenty, but they don't hit has hard as the RP-22x. I have had to turn up the volume on my receiver from 25 to 30 and had to bump up the bass on the EQ in iTunes a bit to get the output I wanted as the reason for using headphones on my PC is not only to not disturb the family when i'm listening to music but also to get a feel for how hard a song hits when i'm deciding what songs I want to add to my bass demo playlist as I have a pretty beefy system in my car and hate putting songs on my playlist that don't sound good in my car. The headphones give me a good idea as to the frequency of the bass and allows me to determine if it would sound good in my car. So on my PC setup, seems like it's gonna take some getting used to due to the decreased bass. I also have the ATH M50 ear pads which I haven't installed yet...I've heard they enhance the bass even more somehow. I just got the cans today so i'm gonna rock them stock for a while to get used to them before I change the pads.....
Whitney Houstons "You Give Good Love" just came on, man the vocals are so damn clean and clear. Very, very nice.
 
On my portable setup, I didn't even bother listening without the amp...I logged a couple hours with it and my RP-22x and was blown away at how hard it pushed them. This is my first headphone amp and now I see why you guys use them. So I can listen without it now. When I ordered the cans I had also heard about a LOD cable and never heard of one before but the word is that they bypassed the DAC on the iPod and provided much better SQ. So my first listen was with the regular headphone jack cord....sounded good. Then I hooked up the LOD cable and was blown away again. Huge difference! I'm sold...thanks for the suggestions guys, i'm happy with my choices.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Just got my DJ100's and FiiO L9 LOD cable today....I'm coming from the Equation Audio RP-22x, which I liked alot but my nephew broke them accidentally the other day. I was listening to some music and he came over and lifted the cup off my head so he could hear what I was listening to and the plastic extension cracked. It wasn't a clean break, just a couple cracks, but with my bug nugget it would be a matter of time. So my son called dibs on them and I bought the DJ100's, which I was considering strongly when I decided on the RP-22x's. 
 
My main setup is my PC: AudioTrak Prodigy HD2-->JVC UX-G70 mini system receiver-->Insignia NS-B2111 bookshelf speakers
 
My portable setup is an iPod Touch 3g 64gb-->FiiO E6
 
I like these over the RP-22x as they have a more balanced sound, but I miss how the RP-22x would massage my eardrums with the hard hitting bass notes. That's not saying these don't have bass, they have plenty, but they don't hit has hard as the RP-22x. I have had to turn up the volume on my receiver from 25 to 30 and had to bump up the bass on the EQ in iTunes a bit to get the output I wanted as the reason for using headphones on my PC is not only to not disturb the family when i'm listening to music but also to get a feel for how hard a song hits when i'm deciding what songs I want to add to my bass demo playlist as I have a pretty beefy system in my car and hate putting songs on my playlist that don't sound good in my car. The headphones give me a good idea as to the frequency of the bass and allows me to determine if it would sound good in my car. So on my PC setup, seems like it's gonna take some getting used to due to the decreased bass. I also have the ATH M50 ear pads which I haven't installed yet...I've heard they enhance the bass even more somehow. I just got the cans today so i'm gonna rock them stock for a while to get used to them before I change the pads.....
Whitney Houstons "You Give Good Love" just came on, man the vocals are so damn clean and clear. Very, very nice.
 
On my portable setup, I didn't even bother listening without the amp...I logged a couple hours with it and my RP-22x and was blown away at how hard it pushed them. This is my first headphone amp and now I see why you guys use them. So I can listen without it now. When I ordered the cans I had also heard about a LOD cable and never heard of one before but the word is that they bypassed the DAC on the iPod and provided much better SQ. So my first listen was with the regular headphone jack cord....sounded good. Then I hooked up the LOD cable and was blown away again. Huge difference! I'm sold...thanks for the suggestions guys, i'm happy with my choices.

 
Yeah, these are definitely not bass heavy for sure. Pretty close to me. I think even those that like a fairly decent mid-bass hump might not even like them. I think even the HD-600 has more mid-bass. After comparing the DJ100 side by side to the M50, I came to the conclusion that they have maybe 5% less bass than the white boxed M50. Just some random weird guess.
 
When I play games though, I'm pretty convinced they've almost got too much bass for gaming. In Bioshock 2 it's almost a distraction. There is also definitely no lack of treble for gaming. My K601 and the old HD-650 definitely seemed to be darker for gaming. Of course i'm even distracted by the mid-bass of the HD-600 in gaming, but with the HD-580 it's fine.
 
I don't know for sure if M50 pads increase bass, but just improve it. Some have said they did increase bass, but if so it's not enough to ruin it for or make any bass head happy. With a good setup, they're fairly balanced sounding with a slight edge to having a "fun" (for me) sound signature without being fatiguing.
 
Once you've listened to the DJ100 for a week or so you should do more A/B comparisons between LOD cable and the headphone out (to E6) of your Ipod Touch.  I actually have noticed zero improvement with the LOD cables on the Ipod Touch 2G or Sansa Fuze using the DJ100. Maybe my hearing is not as good as some.  When you compare them further, for me, the headphone out to E5 seems to make the mids much fuller sounding. Really impressive. The signature is also much smoother. I haven't figured out if it's due to the DJ100 liking the extra power from the internal Ipod amp or what. I also got the exact same results with my Sansa Fuze. I've also found that this method is the ONLY way to get my Q701 to sound even remotely decent using portable devices. I've come to the conclusion that the DJ100 is as hard to get to sound good as the Q701. Ok, I lied and that's not really true. I think....

 
I do have the Ipod Touch 2G though and it's a much older model. Most likely yours may sound a bit better or different. The E6 might also be much more powerful than my E5. I use the headphone out method with even my monster Total Airhead. Same with the E11.
 
Hopefully more people can try the DJ100 using LOD cables and then just headphone out to a portable (only!) amp. I prefer headphone out by far, but maybe i'm weird. The only time I use my LOD cable is when I connect my portable players to my Micro Amp or E9, which is almost never.
 
If those using a LOD cable ever discover a song that's slightly harsh or fatiguing on the DJ100, immediately try the headphone out method and see if sounds any better. I've just found that sometimes the DJ100 sounds a bit smoother sounding using the headphone out method. The "thicker" sounding mids are really nice. It's not due to some massive bass hump or anything.
 
BTW I got my Sony MDR-V6 pads in today. Unfortunately they were only $10 total for BOTH sides, so it appears they're generic versions. I should have known better, but it look like they're built well enough.

 

[tdockweiler]

After a week of using the stock pads I've switched back to the M50 pads. Huge difference. The mids really don't seem all that much less forward at all. I think pretty soon I want to do an HD-580 vs DJ100/TB review. This would be a pretty close fight and the HD-580's advantage would be that they're more open sounding and have a larger soundstage. The DJ100 isn't that much different from the HD-580 (doesn't sound like the HD-600).
 
The DJ100 is actually closer to the 580 than the 598 I think.
 
I was listening to the Buena Vista Social Club CD and basically Wowed by how good the soundstage (and sound) is on the DJ100 with that CD. With the stock pads it's just not quite as good. I've also discovered that one of the best cables for the DJ100 is the Belden 1192A which is only around $1 or so per foot. ALO SXC made them sound super clear, but I prefer the Cardas HP1.
 
One good cable is the GE "signature Pro" at Target for $9. It's see through silver and also includes an adaptor to convert it to an RCA to mini cable! I only mention cables because some may want to use a straight cable with their Tony Bennett version. I'm definitely making a longer Belden 1192A version when I have more time. Too bad it's really thick wire, but sounds good.
 
I think the problem with the stock pads is that often it's hard to get a good seal. Maybe this is what can totally change someone's impression of the sound. With M50 pads the sound is always the same.
 
I actually used them again last night until 5am!! This time it was straight out of my Sansa Clip+. Not a single complaint. I really do think the Clip+ must have more power than my Sansa Fuze, because the Fuze just isn't the same. Maybe I have an older Fuze that's weaker and measures much worse. The only problem is that the Sansa Clip+ battery drains super fast with the DJ100. I think I might bump the Clip+ into the "excellent" category of my review.
 
BTW I think there's something really weird about the mids of the E11. They're even less forward than using the DJ100 straight out of a Clip+ or ANY of my amps. It's not even hard to spot and I heard this with my 598 too. I mean it's not that bad and still quite good.
 
I think the DJ100, HD-580 and Q701 is a pretty good setup. After listening to the 580 and DJ100, the Q701 almost sounds a bit weird in comparison, but still good. I wear that with a nice amp and the ALO SXC cable, the TB sounds clearer than the Q701, but not just due to extra treble.

 

[doublea71]

These sound really good amped - shockingly good with a high-res + well-mastered recording.
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

These sound really good amped - shockingly good with a high-res + well-mastered recording.
 

Definitely agree. They even improve even further with a full desktop amp over a portable.
The E9 + M50 pads really gives them a nice soundstage. Even larger when I add the HRT MSII DAC into that.
 
Unfortunately my M50 pads have gone hard, but still comfortable. I don't know if I want to throw them into the washer. Might destroy them.
 
On the Buena Vista Social Club CD the DJ100+M50 pads is even more impressive than the HD-580. The 580's soundstage is only slightly larger with that recording.
 
Do you have M50 pads? I've found those give the DJ100 the edge with acoustic music and classical. Anything that has a larger soundstage in the recording.
 
BTW I've found out how to make the HD-600 sound very, very close to the DJ100 (except for it's upper mids). Like a DJ100 on steroids, but not quite as fun or as engaging. It involves putting a small circle of foam on the back of the driver near the round air vent. Covering it by about 90%. It chops the mid-bass down to neutral levels and majorly clears up the muffled sound. A little thinner sounding, but still very good. This little trick doesn't seem to change any other part of it's signature. I'm loving it right now, but still warmer than the DJ100. DJ100 still has more treble to my ears. I think this modded HD-600 is even more neutral than stock by far.
 
It's funny that i'm modding a $399 retail headphone to sound as good as something that's $50

 
Also..I've been up until 4am every night listening to the DJ100. No joke. It's been Clip+ or Fuze to Airhead. It always sounds best to my ears with the headphone jack. I've noticed that I had the DJ100 from a Fuze(not +) but it's perfect with the clip. Maybe they're not as similar as people say. I think the Fuze is slightly less powerful perhaps.
 
The E11 sounds like the Airhead somewhat, but the Airhead just has better mids and is much smoother sounding with more detail.

 

[doublea71]

I don't have the M50 pads and I can't find them here. I may get them when I head back to the States for an extended holiday.
 

 

[Zombie_X]

Yo Travis,
 
You know I have a different point of view on amping so I won't open that can of worms again 

.
 
I didn't like the M50 pads on the DJ100 that much at all. To me they made the headphone less fun. They didn't really improve the clarity but did give you more treble and less bass. It's too bad though..
 
The HD600 bass is quite unique and I find the headphone in general much more engaging than the DJ100. I really would add foam behind the driver as it choke the driver. Plus the HD600, IMO, is more neutral than the very warm DJ100. I've always found the DJ100 to have more bass impact than the HD600. They have a warmer midrange as well, well maybe not, but it's close.
 
Speaking of the Airhead, did you know that it also has boosted bass? It has a warmer and bassier tone than neutral. 
 
Quote:

Definitely agree. They even improve even further with a full desktop amp over a portable.
The E9 + M50 pads really gives them a nice soundstage. Even larger when I add the HRT MSII DAC into that.
 
Unfortunately my M50 pads have gone hard, but still comfortable. I don't know if I want to throw them into the washer. Might destroy them.
 
On the Buena Vista Social Club CD the DJ100+M50 pads is even more impressive than the HD-580. The 580's soundstage is only slightly larger with that recording.
 
Do you have M50 pads? I've found those give the DJ100 the edge with acoustic music and classical. Anything that has a larger soundstage in the recording.
 
BTW I've found out how to make the HD-600 sound very, very close to the DJ100 (except for it's upper mids). Like a DJ100 on steroids, but not quite as fun or as engaging. It involves putting a small circle of foam on the back of the driver near the round air vent. Covering it by about 90%. It chops the mid-bass down to neutral levels and majorly clears up the muffled sound. A little thinner sounding, but still very good. This little trick doesn't seem to change any other part of it's signature. I'm loving it right now, but still warmer than the DJ100. DJ100 still has more treble to my ears. I think this modded HD-600 is even more neutral than stock by far.
 
It's funny that i'm modding a $399 retail headphone to sound as good as something that's $50

 
Also..I've been up until 4am every night listening to the DJ100. No joke. It's been Clip+ or Fuze to Airhead. It always sounds best to my ears with the headphone jack. I've noticed that I had the DJ100 from a Fuze(not +) but it's perfect with the clip. Maybe they're not as similar as people say. I think the Fuze is slightly less powerful perhaps.
 
The E11 sounds like the Airhead somewhat, but the Airhead just has better mids and is much smoother sounding with more detail.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

I didn't like the M50 pads on the DJ100 that much at all. To me they made the headphone less fun. They didn't really improve the clarity but did give you more treble and less bass. It's too bad though..
 
Plus the HD650, IMO, is more neutral than the very warm DJ100. I've always found the DJ100 to have more bass impact than the HD600. They have a warmer midrange as well, well maybe not, but it's close.

 
X2

 

[Zombie_X]

Oops had a typo in my post, I meant to say HD600, not HD650.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Oops had a typo in my post, I meant to say HD600, not HD650.

 
I figured.

 

[dragonxx21]

Hey, I'm interested in these and wondering if this would be a good buy. I've been looking for a set of closed headphones for about 65% gaming 35% music. I do plan on using them outside my home so how are these things for portability, and do they leak a lot (I assume not since they are closed)? Another set of headphones I'm interested in are the KRK KNS-6400's which you mentioned as well. How do these stack up to them? You also mentioned these do require amping, would an E6 amp be sufficient enough to drive these?

 

[tdockweiler]

Anytime Zombie_X says something, I always seem to disagree. I think him and I are totally opposites when it comes to hearing how things sound

I'm glad it never turns into an i'm right and your wrong argument!
 
The M50 pads for me seem to improve the sound clarity quite a lot. I mean, less bass you say and more treble? Why wouldn't it somewhat? The problem with the stock pads is that one day they sound great and the next day it's a bit different. It took me a year to realize this and stretching out the pads to find this out. The sound can be totally different depending on the seal with stock pads. With stock pads, classical music can sound a bit more congested and it's imaging doesn't seem to be as good. I've found this last part rather weird and don't know how on earth that's possible.
 
I definitely haven't experienced that much less bass at all. Just a tad less forward mids (like 1%), but it's worth it for slightly more treble. At first I thought it had less engaging/fun mids, but now I don't think this is really true. Actually, I don't even think there is really that much more treble. It just feels like this is how the DJ100 was supposed to sound. Classical and acoustic music just isn't the same with stock pads. Some people have said the M50 pads INCREASE bass, but I didn't think so really. If the bass is really reduced very slightly, it wouldn't bother me. The bass with the M50 pads is perfect to me. In gaming there is zero lack of bass for me. In Bioshock 2 with the DJ100 and M50 pads there's almost too much!
 
I've always hated the bass on the HD-600. It has quite a large mid-bass hump (IMO) that it makes everything sound slightly muffled, especially in games. Once you use foam behind the driver, you'll see that it really clears up and actually sounds even MORE neutral. The HD-600's mids stock make me sleepy. I don't know why it does this, but on any amp it's mids are just totally not fun for me at all. I actually consider the HD-600 to have rather lifeless mids, yet they very full sounding, but almost too much so for me. The HD-580 has much better (and more engaging) mids and sounds clearer too. I like it's more forward upper mids. I really don't believe it has any extra cup resonance. People can say it does, but I certainly can't hear it. The HD-580 might top the 598 as a favorite I think.
 
I don't find the HD-600 to be neutral really, but pretty close. HD-580 seems more neutral. I think it's due to the HD-600's mid-bass hump and slightly less than neutral treble. The DJ100 has more forward upper mids, very slightly more treble and better bass IMO. I don't ever find the DJ100 to be very warm. Slightly warm, but not like a Sennheiser (thankfully). It's not even as warm as the HD-598 to me. It reminds me more of how the Sextett is. Very full and realistic sounding instruments. Never too thin or lacking. I actually can't stand very warm headphones. That's actually why I don't love the HD-600. The HD-650 is even worse and it's mid-bass annoys me. The 598 has the perfect amount of warmth. The HD-580 is pretty close to what I like.
 
I've had the Airhead for 3 years and find it does give some headphones a tiny bit of extra bass. I don't find it colored enough to change ANY headphone. It doesn't make the DJ100, Q701, KRK KNS-8400 or Koss A/250 any warmer or bassier. The E11 is actually warmer i've found and ruins my HD-598 for some reason. I love the mids of the Airhead. Much better than those of the E11. I actually don't even know if this extra bass thing is true. It sure doesn't sound like it. I guess the best thing about the Airhead, is that I can't even figure out it's sound signature! It's never messed with any of my headphones at all. They all sound good from it. I think the E11 sounds like a major downgrade in comparison. The Airhead is worth every penny to me.
 
The HD-600? It doesn't give it any extra bass i've found. If it did, i'd be not using it. My impressions of the HD-600 are from many different amps. I even tried them on the Asgard and that was pretty good for them. I disliked that amp on anything from AKG. It's nice with the D2000 and HD-600 though.
 
BTW the Airhead is supposedly better for higher impedance headphones i've heard. I imagine if you use an IEM or super easy to drive headphone it may alter the sound signature and make it sound too bassy. Luckily i've not experienced this with any (yet). I don't know if this is true. Could be all non-sense.
 
Also..when I tested the HD-600 vs the DJ100 in gaming, it felt like the DJ100 had slightly less mid-bass. Somehow the mid-bass doesn't bother me as much as that of the HD-600. The mid-bass quantity on the 580 is PERFECT. Slightly less than the HD-600 and they have the same driver..
 
I guess I'm really weird and love the HD-580, but not the HD-600. Most say they're 100% identical, but there's no way. It's the grill I guess. Same driver. The modded HD-600 is sounding great right now. If it blows up, oh well. It's hardly likely to happen since it's still open and has room to breath. I haven't covered those "edges" near the round circle. With the mod, the HD-600 sounds pretty crystal clear to me.
 
 
Quote:

Yo Travis,
 
You know I have a different point of view on amping so I won't open that can of worms again 

.
 
I didn't like the M50 pads on the DJ100 that much at all. To me they made the headphone less fun. They didn't really improve the clarity but did give you more treble and less bass. It's too bad though..
 
The HD600 bass is quite unique and I find the headphone in general much more engaging than the DJ100. I really would add foam behind the driver as it choke the driver. Plus the HD600, IMO, is more neutral than the very warm DJ100. I've always found the DJ100 to have more bass impact than the HD600. They have a warmer midrange as well, well maybe not, but it's close.
 
Speaking of the Airhead, did you know that it also has boosted bass? It has a warmer and bassier tone than neutral. 
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Hey, I'm interested in these and wondering if this would be a good buy. I've been looking for a set of closed headphones for about 65% gaming 35% music. I do plan on using them outside my home so how are these things for portability, and do they leak a lot (I assume not since they are closed)? Another set of headphones I'm interested in are the KRK KNS-6400's which you mentioned as well. How do these stack up to them? You also mentioned these do require amping, would an E6 amp be sufficient enough to drive these?

What sort of portable device? I like them out of my Sansa Clip+, but I need to crank them to 95% volume usually. On the Fuze and my Iaudio 7 they sound rather fatiguing, so that's why an amp might help. The E5 or E6 is perfect.
 
The DJ100 will have more bass than the KNS-6400, more forward mids and LESS treble. The DJ100's treble (for me) is very non-fatiguing with a good amp. Even on some garbage tracks it's quite easy on the ears.
 
The 6400 can be thinner sounding than a lot of other headphones, including the 8400. I love it, but not everyone will. It's an analytical studio monitor and NOT forgiving at all with bad or low quality tracks. Some find it totally non-musical, but not me. The 8400 some people prefer. If you have a Guitar Center around you can demo them maybe. Best Buy has the DJ200 for demo.
 
The KRKs are really kind of too awkward for use in public IMO.
 
I prefer the DJ100 to the KRKs.

 

[dragonxx21]

Quote:

What sort of portable device? I like them out of my Sansa Clip+, but I need to crank them to 95% volume usually. On the Fuze and my Iaudio 7 they sound rather fatiguing, so that's why an amp might help. The E5 or E6 is perfect.
 
The DJ100 will have more bass than the KNS-6400, more forward mids and LESS treble. The DJ100's treble (for me) is very non-fatiguing with a good amp. Even on some garbage tracks it's quite easy on the ears.
 
The 6400 can be thinner sounding than a lot of other headphones, including the 8400. I love it, but not everyone will. It's an analytical studio monitor and NOT forgiving at all with bad or low quality tracks. Some find it totally non-musical, but not me. The 8400 some people prefer. If you have a Guitar Center around you can demo them maybe. Best Buy has the DJ200 for demo.
 
The KRKs are really kind of too awkward for use in public IMO.
 
I prefer the DJ100 to the KRKs.

It'll primarily be used with my laptop with a stock sound card and an iphone 3g (which I just use as an ipod). Would the DJ100's need amping with that? How are the KRKs awkward? You mean like looks? Unfortunately I don't have a guitar center near me but I do have a best buy so I could definitely demo the DJ100s.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

It'll primarily be used with my laptop with a stock sound card and an iphone 3g (which I just use as an ipod). Would the DJ100's need amping with that? How are the KRKs awkward? You mean like looks? Unfortunately I don't have a guitar center near me but I do have a best buy so I could definitely demo the DJ100s.

Laptop soundcards seem to vary a lot in soundcards. I guess some might be OK, but mine is garbage and it's not that old. The Iphone 3G should be perfect. From what I remember, the Ipod Touch 2G I have drove the DJ100 well enough.
 
The KRK is a bit awkward in public for me because it looks like it could fit king kong and has that square headband type look. Like on my head there is 2" of space on each side. If you have a larger than normal head, it would be OK. I don't care about how my headphone looks in public, but the KRK has a weird headband that tries to be a good fit for nearly everyone. Better for those with a massive head I think! It's not loose on my head at all though.
 
The DJ200 for demo is in the pro audio department and you can actually connect your iphone to it and compare it to the others. Mine has the HDJ-2000, HD-280/380 and lots of other stuff.
 
I guess if it's a bad match with your laptop, Best Buy is good about returns. The laptop should drive it well enough, but my headphone jack is VERY noisy.