[Hanzo]

Hey all,

I have Shure 840s and enjoy them, but lately I have been needing to listen to them for work for hours at a time. My primary issue with them is (well, weight of course, and) that my ears get so very hot wearing them. So the question: will the KossDJxxx be any better? I also have to listen to crappy recordings of user tests and worry a bit about sibilance. Sure they will sound crappy, and I can deal with that, but will they hurt by "showing off" how bad they are?

The for the input.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

Hey all,

I have Shure 840s and enjoy them, but lately I have been needing to listen to them for work for hours at a time. My primary issue with them is (well, weight of course, and) that my ears get so very hot wearing them. So the question: will the KossDJxxx be any better? I also have to listen to crappy recordings of user tests and worry a bit about sibilance. Sure they will sound crappy, and I can deal with that, but will they hurt by "showing off" how bad they are?

The for the input.

They aren't very comfy with stock pads. Not so sure about M50 pads. These 'phone are pretty revealing too. If you want something that's less revealing and extremely comfy, I would go with a Sennheiser, almost everything they sell are very comfy and have basically no sibilance (HD280 is not comfy at all).
 
Just my 2 cents.

 

[TrollDragon]

HM5 pads $18 shipped from mp4nation makes all headphones super comfy!

 

[peter123]

HM5 pads $18 shipped from mp4nation makes all headphones super comfy!

I agree but sometimes they seem to alter the sound to the worse. I'm pretty sure that I've tried them on the DJ100 just can't remember how it worked out. I can try again tonight if there's any interest.

 

[ratinox]

Speaking of replacement pads, has anyone around here tried Alpha Pads on the ProDJ's? Care to describe the results?

 

[tdockweiler]

  I agree but sometimes they seem to alter the sound to the worse. I'm pretty sure that I've tried them on the DJ100 just can't remember how it worked out. I can try again tonight if there's any interest.

 
Based on memory I didn't like them much at all. I think they made the DJ100 too dark. I didn't try them on the TB version though. I actually even tried to mod the HM5 pads to get the sound to improve with no luck.
 

Speaking of replacement pads, has anyone around here tried Alpha Pads on the ProDJ's? Care to describe the results?

 
Nope, but someday I will. They do look way too huge though.
 
I don't think there is a pad out there that can improve upon the M50 pads (for the DJ100). I hope someday I'll find something even better.
 
In an unrelated note I found an old beyerdynamic DT-220 closed headphone. It's said to be kind of mid-centric and I wonder how it compares to the DJ100. Too bad I have to recable it first. Scored it for $7.99, but didn't know it's cable was bad! Still keeping it.
 
I almost never heard of a beyerdynamic headphone being called "mid-centric", so this should be interesting..
 
I also am interested in hearing the DT-250 which is closed.
 
I want a closed headphone around $200 that actually sounds worth the asking price. Most of the stuff now is overpriced at $300 or so and seems more like a fashion accessory. Sure, I want my headphone to look cool but I don't want to pay a huge premium over that and the brand name.
 
Beyerdynamic headphones always seemed to have decent prices, just like AKG. Sennheiser...not so much.
 
I actually had an email yesterday that the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro was down to $100 on Amazon. That's crazy. Too bad my business is going downhill and I can't buy anything.

 

[Hairspray]

  No offence guys, but this headphone is vastly overrated. [...] 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 [..]

 
sorry tdock, but I couldn't agree more.
imo, those HP are sooo uber-rated.
they are far from a budget king.
for example, any Superlux I own ($25 or $30) sounds way-way better.
in fact, this thread is a complete mystery for me.
DJ100's timbre is horrible, imaging is way below average for a closed phone, same for articulation/separation..
and almost everything else, apart from the low bass reproduction (which is amazing imo)
i don't get it, really.

 

[Sam21]

I have several headphones, I made the KOSS my default headphone out of them. I think it is an amazing headphone. the mids are so front and detailed. I really enjoy them.

 

[Hairspray]

  I also am interested in hearing the DT-250 which is closed.
 

 
The Beyer DT 250 (the 250 ohm version, not the 80 ohm version) is one of the best closed HP ever made IMO.
(many Deutsche Grammophon engineers are using them for monitoring and mixing)
Amazing imaging and timbre. Hardcore neutrality.

 

[TrollDragon]

It was a tossup between the DT-250 250's and the German MAESTRO GMP 8.300 D Pro's when I was looking for a closed compliment for the DT880's. The GMP's won out but I would still like to hear the 250's one of these days.

 

[ratinox]

Hardcore neutrality.

That's a funny thing, you know. "Hardcore neutrality" isn't the same thing as "it sounds good to me".

 

[tdockweiler]

   
sorry tdock, but I couldn't agree more.
imo, those HP are sooo uber-rated.
they are far from a budget king.
for example, any Superlux I own ($25 or $30) sounds way-way better.
in fact, this thread is a complete mystery for me.
DJ100's timbre is horrible, imaging is way below average for a closed phone, same for articulation/separation..
and almost everything else, apart from the low bass reproduction (which is amazing imo)
i don't get it, really.

 
So...you don't like them. That's OK. I'm sure there are plenty out there who don't like them. Best thing to do is just move along already and let us enjoy our headphone.
 
I'll admit that the DJ100 needs some better pads to be at it's best and I myself love it the most with a very specific setup. O2/Micro Amp + Modi is good for me. Sounds like your fix might have been M50 pads, but perhaps you tried those. The DJ100 is more closed in with stock pads. Even more so with no desktop amp/dac and large ears.
 
I actually think the timbre is perfect. Far better than even the HD-650 or Q701. HD-650 is pretty good though, but not as natural sounding as it could be. I actually think the TB/DJ100 with M50 pads is as natural sounding as you can get for cheap. BTW if these ever sound thin, that's not the headphone. You should either blame A) source/amp or B) the recording. Timbre is just a weird thing to comment on really. It's about as bad as complaining about lack of soundstage (or just depth) on a headphone when it's mostly the recording's fault half the time.
 
As always, the sound you get varies with different equipment, size of ears/ear holes and how much room you have in the pads. My idea is that if you have huge ears they'll sound much darker/congested. Heck, I don't even know if my ears are huge! I just know that the Creative Aurvana live was almost over ear for me!
 
I've had the Supelux HD-668B. People keep saying they're $30 or $20, but where can you get them for that? With shipping my HD-668B cost me nearly $60. HD-668B is decent, but it had recessed mids and a thin sound and lack of low bass. It all came down to sound signature preferences. Give me something that's an exact clone of the K240 Studio sound then it'll be OK.
 
If you don't love the DJ100 it's probably that you just prefer other sound signatures. This is nothing new really..
 
I do find it amusing when people say it's overrated. Almost nobody uses this headphone! I think it deserves to be as well know as the Porta Pro or KSC75. Maybe in 10 years we'll know if it was a success. Apparently Koss says it was for them (it's in a youtube video).
 
Not going to argue with "Best headphone" thing since there is no BEST headphone for everyone. It's the budget king for ME until I find something better. I have NOT found anything closed or open I like more. Even with the Q701/HD-650 around I use the TB more than both. Weird.
 
BTW you've posted that you disliked them probably a year ago and you're still reading this thread. I only remember because I think you had it with the O2 or something (which is a good pairing..at least with the Modi). You must have some interest in them still. Going to buy another pair?

 

[waynes world]

So tdock, how much of a difference do you feel the m50 pads make? I am slowly but surely appreciating the tbse's more and more every time I try them, and if the m50 pads take them to another level, then it should be done.

 

[tdockweiler]

So tdock, how much of a difference do you feel the m50 pads make? I am slowly but surely appreciating the tbse's more and more every time I try them, and if the m50 pads take them to another level, then it should be done.

 
It's really hard to say. It really depends on what you want to improve upon. Overall I'd say that stock pads hold back what the headphones capable of (even it's enclosure does!) and with M50 pads there is maybe a 25% improvement over stock. Does that seem excessive? Well, let's just say that it's a bigger improvement for ME than any cable upgrade or swapping between two neutral sounding amps. For reference, no headphone cable has ever made more than a 5% difference in sound. I don't believe headphone cables are snake oil at all. Pad changes are actually perfectly capable of RUINING a headphones sound, so again...25% is no big surprise.
 
Then there is the issue with the stock pads often making the DJ100 sounding a tad more dark/closed-in or slightly congested with weak portable players.
 
To get a more spacious sound with the DJ100 it requires both M50 pads AND a good desktop amp/dac. Even the M50 improved in this area with a good amp/dac, but that one is a little easier to drive.
 
There are some negatives with M50 pads, but I don't view them as negatives:
 
Stock pads possibly make the sound a little more forward in the low mids and with a more forward sound overall. With the 3 things above instruments seem more spaced out. It could be due to a tiny bit of extra treble. My idea is that just when you get more air in between your ears and the driver there is more treble. This could also be why some people have good results with stuffing the stock pads. Here's what's weird though...with the extra treble it doesn't magically make things sound thinner. The DJ100 always sounds full in the mids unless it's due to a recording. This is even on the O2!
 
BTW M50 pads are also a must have for gaming or anything that has a larger soundstage in the recording. The DJ100 stock wouldn't be my first choice for classical. With pad upgrades it's not any worse than my HD-650/Q701 with classical/acoustic music. No joke. Just more closed in obviously. DJ100 will NEVER have that very airy soundstage that some headphones have. Well, duh.
 
One good test I like is listening to the Buena Vista Social Club with a full desktop setup and the DJ100 and HD-650/Q701. The TB with M50 pads is way better than the rest here by far. It sounds the most realistic and the rest are much thinner too. You get a reduced soundstage but it actually sounds more accurate. I get similar results with stuff from Ali Farka Toure (acoustic guitar music with a good soundstage usually). The best headphone i've found for acoustic guitar music is the Audio Technica ATH-AD2000. For me that thing was like a mix between a Sennheiser and a K702. I didn't keep it because the pads went flat and the metal pressed against my ears! AD2000 does lack low bass though, but not like an AD700.

 

[eimis]

dj100 is an enjoyable headphone with m50 pads, they complement my q701 rather nicely. they also almost solve imbalance problem. my first pair had it and replacement still does. recabling didn't help at all.