Koss Pro DJ 100 - The Budget King
Nov 26, 2012 at 2:51 AM Post #1,246 of 2,344
Saw the TBSE1 at Tuesday Morning a while back and held off at $50 then happened to be in the plaza today and dropped by again. I thought they were sold out until I was leaving the store and saw there was one left on a shelf right by the door. For $37 I couldn't resist at that point and snatched it up right away. My buddies were with me and started joking about me owning to many headphones :)

Anyways, I gave these a brief listen not knowing what to expect. The initial soundstage and vocals coming out of these were a shocker, much better than I was anticipating for the $40 I spent. The bass presence was definitely still there as well. At the same time, the treble was a bit fatiguing.

I was going to save these as a gift for someone, but curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to hear these because of "the budget king" title. Now I might just end up keeping these for myself after listening. Although I'd probably give these a bit of a burn-in period to see if the sound signature adjusts.

Edit: The case and detachable cable is definitely a nice touch to the TBSE1, although I'd prefer not having the Tony Bennett signature on the cups and headband.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 1:50 AM Post #1,247 of 2,344
Quote:
Saw the TBSE1 at Tuesday Morning a while back and held off at $50 then happened to be in the plaza today and dropped by again. I thought they were sold out until I was leaving the store and saw there was one left on a shelf right by the door. For $37 I couldn't resist at that point and snatched it up right away. My buddies were with me and started joking about me owning to many headphones
smily_headphones1.gif


Anyways, I gave these a brief listen not knowing what to expect. The initial soundstage and vocals coming out of these were a shocker, much better than I was anticipating for the $40 I spent. The bass presence was definitely still there as well. At the same time, the treble was a bit fatiguing.

I was going to save these as a gift for someone, but curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to hear these because of "the budget king" title. Now I might just end up keeping these for myself after listening. Although I'd probably give these a bit of a burn-in period to see if the sound signature adjusts.

Edit: The case and detachable cable is definitely a nice touch to the TBSE1, although I'd prefer not having the Tony Bennett signature on the cups and headband.

lol although I'd prefer not having the Tony Bennett signature on the cups and headband.
I disagree, this it what Tony Bennett did for my Uncle Tilio when he was dying.
http://blogs.buffalonews.com/artsbeat/2008/12/tony-bennett-si.html
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 2:15 AM Post #1,248 of 2,344
So i tried moving my X-Fi Go Pro! away from my computer using a USB extension cord, and so far it's worked. There is no buzzing to be heard with the songs I have listened to so far. I will test movies next. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 2:36 AM Post #1,249 of 2,344
I will forever read the title as The Burger King.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 2:54 AM Post #1,250 of 2,344
Quote:
I'm using one I bought at Target called the GE Ultra Pro. It's clear and has silver shielding under it. It costs $9, but includes a special adapter to turn it into an RCA to Mini cable if needed.
This one seems to not tangle at all ever unlike the RCA one I also bought earlier.
I also scored a Cardas HP1 cable for it for $35, but I mostly use that for my amp from my DAC.
You can try some on Monoprice for dirt cheap, but make sure you don't buy the Premium versions. Those are WAY too thick.

The V-Moda cable works well also nice and light great construction, the angled 3.5 mm plug fits perfectly. When I am using my Ipod as a source the coiled wire was just too heavy.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 4:24 PM Post #1,253 of 2,344
Quote:
The V-Moda cable works well also nice and light great construction, the angled 3.5 mm plug fits perfectly. When I am using my Ipod as a source the coiled wire was just too heavy.

 
That's the problem I'm having with the stock cable as well.
 
Is this the V-Moda cable you're talking about?
 
 
And Tdock, is this the audio cable from Target you're using? 
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 4:38 PM Post #1,254 of 2,344
Quote:
Was able to pick up the TBSE1 today at Tuesday Morning (local store) for $40 (it was the normal $50 and then 25% off storewide sale today). 
 
I was able to spend more time in Best Buy this time listening to it's brother, the DJ200, and it seemed the system was hooked up properly this time, and I REALLY enjoyed the sound of the DJ200, so that was enough to make me spring for the DJ100. About to unbox them now and give them a good run. I'm expecting good things.
 
The DJ200 I tried does not have the treble issue others are complaining about. The only thing I thought was lacking was the bass. It seemed a little light, but I didn't trust their sources necessarily and it was NOT the best listening environment, so we'll see how this goes! For $40 I'm quite certain it is a steal though.
 
I do have to say that in a Black Friday crowd, the DJ200 (same size cups as DJ100) was able to block out a ton of noise, so I'm looking forward to good isolation.

 
Dang.  There were 5 of them hidden in a case by the register but they didn't have a yellow sticker and I didn't think they would ring up 25% off.  No one was at the register at the time so I just left them.  I would have jumped on them if I knew they were 25% off.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 4:55 PM Post #1,255 of 2,344
yeah they didn't have the yellow sticker at my store either so I thought the same thing at first but was prepared to pay $50 so it was a nice surprise bonus.

I used to have the same issue with the X-Fi Go Pro... I don't hear it on higher-impedance headphones though... the static/buzz is only apparent on 16 Ohm / low-impedance headphones, especially IEMs.
 
I am still not a fan of the quality though and am looking possibly into going for a U3 from Asus or an actual DAC

I also do not like the stock cable provided with the TBSE. Still looking for a good straight replacement cable. I bought one at RadioShack ("Pipeline" brand) and it's way too stiff so I'm going to have to return it. Might just go with a Griffin/Belkin cable, maybe one of the Flat Aux ones from Griffin.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 7:13 PM Post #1,256 of 2,344
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I take it back, the X-Fi Go Pro! is still buzzing... sigh. What a waste of $35. Can't even return it now.

 
I did warn about getting the regular Go! (SB1100) instead of the Go! Pro (SB1290), the former is a solid performer for its price, while the latter is more limited and has issues, like the buzzing you encountered.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 8:36 PM Post #1,257 of 2,344
Quote:
 
That's the problem I'm having with the stock cable as well.
 
Is this the V-Moda cable you're talking about?
 
 
And Tdock, is this the audio cable from Target you're using? 

 Yes That is the Vmoda cable I have been using. It works fine for me. Tyll from Inner Fidelity recommended them as a replacement cable for another HP so I had it already.
 
Nov 27, 2012 at 9:59 PM Post #1,258 of 2,344
Got myself an E17 and out of the box it didn't seem like it agreed with the DJ 100s. I slept on it and re-examined the E17 and it turns out by default gain was set to 6db. Setting it back to 0db seems to have fixed it. Now several episodes of my shows, a movie, and some hours of listening later I'm a happy trooper.
 
It's been a while since I used these cans, but I don't remember the bass being this... big.
 
Nov 29, 2012 at 1:48 PM Post #1,259 of 2,344
These are quite possibly the most uncomfortable cans I own. My ears feel like they've been crushed in a rugby scrum. They sound pretty nice, but god they are so horribly uncomfortable, might have to try and make myself some custom leather pads. The cable is also quite annoying, but that's easily fixed by reterminating the headphones with a detachable 3.5mm.
 
Nov 29, 2012 at 3:52 PM Post #1,260 of 2,344
@Tangster: Mine's in competition with my Grado sr60i's for most uncomfortable pair. Perhaps the most damning for it is the thing's weight - machined metal housing and coiled cable. It's sturdy, but damn does it feel like putting on a helmet. It's finally winter here so pads become a feature since my room is like an ice box all year round :V
 
Also, update, the big bass seems to have gone away. I dunno if I did anything or it was the things finally breaking themselves in which would be weird, since I have been using them nonstop since I bought them until about a month ago. With the E17 I get a more laid back sound rather than the sparkle I get with the E11's. I'm thinking of getting the E9 to complete my desktop setup but I'm not sure I have the right kind of headphones to benefit from it. The internal amp in the E17's seem to be more than enough for the DJ 100's. Unfortunately the lo-bypass works only for the E9 so no using it as just a DAC and adding in the E11.
 

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