[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I have the Creative Zen V Plus and was wondering if this could drive these headphones without an amp.  If not, then I'm considering buying this combo.
 
Koss Pro DJ100
Sansa Clip Zip
2x M50 Pads
FiiO E6 (any experience with this and the Clip Zip/Clip+ ?)

I would skip the Clip Zip and try to get the Clip+ (and a 16-32gb memory card!) or Sansa Fuze. The Clip+ sounds better than the Fuze to me, but supposedly they use the same chips.
I think the Clip+ measures better than the Clip Zip.
 
I don't know how well the Zen Plus will drive the DJ100, but it's worth a try. If the DJ100 has sloppy bass or is harsh and fatiguing, then it's amping issues.
 
I use and like the E5, but E6 should be similar. The Sansa Clip+ and the E5 is definitely a good match for the DJ100. If you use the Fuze, it's best to use the headphone out jack to the E5.
 
Believe it or not the Clip+ drives the DJ100 as well as my old Ipod Touch and Ipod Classic 3G, if not even better.
 
I think the Clip+ might be discontinued, but not sure. It's worth buying on Amazon if you can't find one locally. I paid only $30 for my 2g version (16gb MicroSD card!) and it's a steal.

 

[sunfizz98]

From what I read, the Clip Zip is basically an upgraded Clip+ (solved some problems that he Clip+ had). I would get clip+, but the clip zip (4gb) is already very cheap on amazon (~$31).  I just found out my brother has an extra Zune, so I'm hoping that has enough power to drive these headphones too.
 
Sources.
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64913

 

[tdockweiler]

Felt like a kid in a candy store today. My local Best Buy had about a dozen good headphones set up for listening in their pro audio department. Saw they had the DJ200 for demo and figured it would sound like garbage with their demo unit. It actually sounded quite good as long as you get a good seal with stock pads. If you haven't tried the DJ100/200 you can even bring in your own portable device and have a listen or use their own tracks.
 
The only difference with the demo unit and mine at all is that the demo unit seemed to have a bit less controlled bass than when using an amp. Mine sounds a bit different due to M50 pads. A lot more clear sounding and with more treble.
 
They also had the following for listening to:
 
Pioneer HDJ-2000
 
This sounded OK, but seemed to lack low bass. Pretty clear sounding, but seemed a bit congested. Not much of a soundstage. Mids seemed quite good and a bit forward. Kind of failed to impress me in any way. For $349 you think it would have been a bit better. Nice build quality. Male vocals seemed especially good on these. Not sure why.
 
Pioneer HDJ-1500
 
Very tinny sounding without much bass. I was kind of shocked! Didn't listen to this more than twice.
 
AIAIAI TMA-1
 
Awful! Sounded like listening to music while drowning in a pool of snot. Maybe my ears don't play well with the design. Sound clarity to me was like a 5/10. The Sennheiser HD-203 sounded clearer..what the heck. $200 for this?! Sorry if you like this and I won't judge it more until I could hear it in my house.
 
Sennheiser HD-203
 
Seemed OK for $40 (on sale)
 
Koss Pro3AA
 
Didn't listen to it much, seems to have a lot of bass and larger soundstage than stock DJ100 perhaps. Probably due to the larger pads. Overpriced at Best Buy. Treble seemed quite good.
 
HD-280
 
Out of all the headphones I liked this one the 2nd most. The annoying harsh Katy Perry song I heard on the DJ200/100 was there on the HD-280. Seems this might have better instrument separation without amping/dac than the DJ100 at the demo. I wanted to buy a pair but not at $99.
 
HD-380
 
Angled drivers and seemed slightly clearer than the 280, but could be due to having what seemed like less bass. The mids seemed less forward and felt as if there was a little more treble. I actually felt the HD-280 was fuller sounding and had better mids. Maybe not.
 
BTW that harsh Katy Perry song that gave my ears a fit was the worst on the HDJ-2000.
 
Nice that the DJ200 held up so well. Looks like I may need to give the HD-280 a try and compare it to  my KRKs and DJ100.
 
Since i'm bored, here's how i'd rank them in preference:
 
DJ200
HD-280
HD-380
HDJ-2000
Pro3AA
HDJ-1500 (the bass was the killer for me..weird)
HD-203
TMA-1

 

[velvetinidEA]

koss pro dj100
Great headphones. Very light and clear sound.
Now i need an amp and m50 pads
 
I had some discomfort after ~ 2 hours listening
but one thing is really bad - coiled cord 
wanna replace it to straight
 
any advice for new cable ?

 

[doublea71]

You could probably send them off to an experienced DIYer and have them re-cabled, but you may end up spending more on the mod than the headphones. If you like the sound, you may find the mod worth it. Some might argue that they aren't worthy of spending additional $ on, but not the guy who posted immediately above you! With some lighter, non-coiled cables (silver, perhaps?) and a decent amp, I imagine they sound very impressive.
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

You could probably send them off to an experienced DIYer and have them re-cabled, but you may end up spending more on the mod than the headphones. If you like the sound, you may find the mod worth it. Some might argue that they aren't worthy of spending additional $ on, but not the guy who posted immediately above you! With some lighter, non-coiled cables (silver, perhaps?) and a decent amp, I imagine they sound very impressive.
 

 
Yeah the regular DJ100 isn't worth recabling. You either have to remove the volume switch or drill holes in order to recable it. Drilling holes into the metal is a pain. With the TB you can use any 3.5mm cable you want. Of course the benefits are less due to the internal wiring still being there.
 
I recabled my DJ100 with Canare, Mogami, Belden and even an HD-650 cable and it totally wasn't worth the hassle. Canare on the DJ100 was the worst.
 
I like ALO SXC the most on my Tony Bennett, but it's not worth it for 95% of people. I imagine any silver plated copper will give similar results.
 
I really want to try making a detachable cable for my TB out of Monoprice Cat6 wire

$3 or so for 6"
 
Also, it seems that if you use a wire on the DJ100 that's too thick it messes with the sound in a negative way. Very weird.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I would skip the Clip Zip and try to get the Clip+ (and a 16-32gb memory card!) or Sansa Fuze. The Clip+ sounds better than the Fuze to me, but supposedly they use the same chips.
I think the Clip+ measures better than the Clip Zip.
 
 

Actually, they measure pretty much the same....
http://rmaa.elektrokrishna.com/Comparisons/Sansa%20Clip%2C%20Clip%2B%2C%20Clip%20Zip%20-%20No%20Load.htm 
http://rmaa.elektrokrishna.com/Comparisons/Sansa%20Clip%2C%20Clip%2B%2C%20Clip%20Zip%20-%2032%20Ohm.htm
http://rmaa.elektrokrishna.com/Comparisons/Sansa%20Clip%2C%20Clip%2B%2C%20Clip%20Zip%20-%2016%20Ohm.htm
 
And since the Clip+ is discontinued, if I was buying one now I would get the Zip , so I would know the battery was still somewhat fresh.
I've had Fuzes, Clips, Clip+'s, and Zips, so I'm familiar with them all.

 

[mahger]

I see that many people say that these arent great with classical. Does it greatly improve for classical with the m50 pads and an e6 amp?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

I see that many people say that these arent great with classical. Does it greatly improve for classical with the m50 pads and an e6 amp?

I think so, but for a larger soundstage, I'd suggest the E11. That seems to be one of the benefits of the E11 over the E5. Not sure how it does that, but that's what my ears heard.
 
If anyone is interested in trying the DJ100/200, Best Buy has them up for demo in the pro audio department. IMO they sounded as clear as the HDJ-2000 and HD-380.
 
The only headphone I really liked there was the DJ100 and HD-380 (which seemed too pricy for the plasticy build quality).
 
HDJ-2000 seemed a bit weird at times

 

[Canuck99]

Tdockweiler, which do you think is better for classical without an amp, the DJ100 or the KNS8400? Its for my dad and he will not use an amp, tookme 3 months to get him to learn to use his ipod classic and learn to charge it up by himself.

He listened to my TBSE and said it had tight bass and great clarity (he isnt into headphones but is used to high end speakers)

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Tdockweiler, which do you think is better for classical without an amp, the DJ100 or the KNS8400? Its for my dad and he will not use an amp, tookme 3 months to get him to learn to use his ipod classic and learn to charge it up by himself.
He listened to my TBSE and said it had tight bass and great clarity (he isnt into headphones but is used to high end speakers)

 
Unamped and without M50 pads, probably the KRK KNS-8400.
 
The KNS-8400 does have a lot more treble than the DJ100 so some may prefer that.
 
When you give the DJ100 a good amp, the soundstage is much larger than the KNS-8400 I think.
 
The bass on the KNS-8400 might be disappointing for some, but I don't mind it. It's enough for me at least.

 

[Canuck99]

Thanks - I bought my TBSE on your recommendation and its a great headphone - I use it wih the M50 pads and a PAV2. I will look for a used KNS-8400 for him in the forums. Thanks for your help.

One last question, different sound signatures aside, in terms of detail and clarity, do you consider the ATH M50 a sidegrade or an upgrade to the DJ100? I have wanted one for a while, but now I have the Koss TBSE it may not be a step up for me, I may need to spend a lot more and eventually look for something else. I dont know if it is just me, but I buy headphones and then sell them to get something better, keeping only a few I really like along the way. Same with amps now - I have more coming in the mail. Strangely I have no desire to just spend tousands and get an awesome setup right now - I am enjoying the journey.

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Thanks - I bought my TBSE on your recommendation and its a great headphone - I use it wih the M50 pads and a PAV2. I will look for a used KNS-8400 for him in the forums. Thanks for your help.
One last question, different sound signatures aside, in terms of detail and clarity, do you consider the ATH M50 a sidegrade or an upgrade to the DJ100? I have wanted one for a while, but now I have the Koss TBSE it may not be a step up for me, I may need to spend a lot more and eventually look for something else. I dont know if it is just me, but I buy headphones and then sell them to get something better, keeping only a few I really like along the way. Same with amps now - I have more coming in the mail. Strangely I have no desire to just spend tousands and get an awesome setup right now - I am enjoying the journey.

I consider the M50 to be a sidegrade (same as SRH-840/940 and KRKs). Some may consider it an upgrade, but I certainly don't. I guess it depends on the sound signature someone likes.
 
I prefer the more forward mids of the DJ100/TB and consider it a little more fun to listen to than the M50.
 
Honestly I don't know if the DJ100 is clearer than the M50. I want to say yes, but I haven't compared them in months. In terms of detail, they're pretty much dead even I think. Both also seem to improve in this area with a good computer DAC. Despite what some say, both the DJ100 and M50 also improve with amps.
 
With the M50 being probably $150 now, I don't think it's worth the extra money unless you're in a studio or need a different sound signature with more bass and treble.
 
The reason I didn't keep my newest white boxed M50 is that it's mids just didn't do it for me, but I do like the M50 quite a lot. It also had maybe 5% more bass than what I prefer.
 
People probably think i'm nuts, but I really do think the TB/DJ100 competes well with some $150-$200 CLOSED headphones in most areas. Listening to the dozens of models at Best Buy next to the Dj200 was even more proof of that. Only headphone that sounded as clear as the DJ100 to me there was the HDJ-2000 and HD-380. Those were $200 and $349(!!).
 
It's really amazing how clear the DJ100 sounds (when well amped) for $55. I used to think my KRK KNS-8400 had more detail, but now I think I was just fooled.
 
BTW have you heard the Grado SR-225i? I think fans of the DJ100 might like it. I know I do. Been kicking myself forever for selling it and "upgrading" to the SR-325i. Gave up mids for more bass and treble! No thanks!

 

[sunfizz98]

I'm a bit on a tight budget, and need some help deciding which one I should get first. I'll be testing the headphones with my zen V plus and the zune.
 
DJ100 with m50 pads, then the Fiio E6 amp or the amp first and then the pads?
 
Also looking for a good place to buy the m50 pads. I live in USA.

 

[Bee inthe Attic]

Quote:

I'm a bit on a tight budget, and need some help deciding which one I should get first. I'll be testing the headphones with my zen V plus and the zune.
 
DJ100 with m50 pads, then the Fiio E6 amp or the amp first and then the pads?
 
Also looking for a good place to buy the m50 pads. I live in USA.

if you're on a tight budget, don't jump ahead of yourself with the purchases.
grab a DJ100 and see how you like it first. if all sounds great, then no need to buy anything else.
if the pads feel uncomfortable, then buy the M50 pads first.
(buy.com has them for $20 shipped: http://www.buy.com/prod/audio-technica-replacement-ear-pads-pair-for-ath-m50-ath-m50s/227418127.html)
 
after that if you still feel like getting an amp, go for it. though i don't think you'll notice any significant differences with an E6 amp (although the bass boost on it is nice).