[deFiniLoGy]

Seems to me a nice impression about it
Have been searching in the web for reviews about this...
Thanks!!

 

[ssrock64]

Quote:

After having to return both the Sennheiser Momentum (small cups caused comfort issues) and the Sony MDR-1R (creaking and jack rattle due to poor build quality), I've been reading into the Mad Dogs.
 
The most important feature of a headphone to me is comfort. Having demoed or purchased close to a dozen units in the $200-300 range over the past few weeks, I'm shocked how often comfort is ignored by the manufacturer. Are Mad Dogs the kind of headphones you put on and forget about (like the MDR-1R)? I ask this because I see they weigh 400g, which is about double that of the 1R and Momentum, which I can't imagine that being comfortable. I need something to get me through several hours of listening at work.
 
A few more questions...
 
- how long is the 3.5mm cable?
- are these good for vocal trance and other electronic music?
- I'll be bringing these to and from work everyday -- do these run well driven by Macbook Air, or would I need a portable amp? If so, what pairs well with these?

First off, I'd just like to say that the MD would definitely be a sonic step up from both the Momentum and MDR-1R in terms of detail retrieval, soundstage, and accuracy. However, if you liked the presentation of those headphones in terms of electronica, you may find the MD to lack bass.
 
With the new Alpha Pads and a bit of stretching, they can be every bit as comfortable as the 1R, though it is accurate to say they're a bit more noticeable on your head because of the weight. However, I could wear them for hours without any significant issues.
 
I've actually run my MDs out of an Air, and while they don't measure up to how they can perform with a good DAC and amp, they're passable. If you want to make them shine, it shouldn't be too hard to grab a Modi/Magni combo or something simple like a uDAC2.

 

[Glow Fish]

Quote:

I live one hour from Mr Speakers but I just bought without listening first and I don't regret it at all. My M50s, while fun for some occasions, aren't even in the same league as my Mad Dogs.
There are pretty good reviews about what they sound like. I find them to be pretty accurate to what I hear. I suggest reading those over.
Its a lot of money, and a luxury for many of us, so do make a prudent decision.

 
I agree that the Mad Dogs are way above the M50s in quality.  By way above, I mean WAY above.  And for what its worth, with the Alpha Pads, they are one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever had.  The only headphone I have liked as much comfort wise is the Denon AH-D600 (which I also enjoy soundwise, much more than the unmodded D2000 I previously sold, though many on Head-Fi prefer the D2000s).

 

[JD1993]

How are the Mad Dogs w/ Alpha Pads compared directly to the HiFiMAN HE-400's, tho? (More specifically: imaging, soundstage, highs, mids, lows, comfort, and even tho the HE-400's are open-eared, isolation). Will I be able to take the Mad Dogs W/ Alpha Pads out on say a train or in a car and not have to blast my music beyond 65-70% to not hear anything outside?

 

[asdafaasda]

Quote:

 
The price for a pair of Mad Dogs, including shipping costs to Sweden (the cheapest option), customs fee and VAT is $440.
 
A pair of unmodded t50rp, including shipping costs to Sweden, customs fee and VAT is $169.

 
I don't want to discourage you from buying the mad dogs or anything, but since I have both a modded t50rp and the mad dogs, I could say that modded t50rps come very close to the mad dogs' frequency response, and even excels in some areas. However, the alpha pads are amazing, and easily one of the best alternative pads for the t50rp.
 

 

[Impulse]

Good news on the Alpha Pads; instead of shipping late March/early April they will ship end of next week, so the shortage will be less than two weeks.  We'll substitute a pad that will sound OK and will ship Alpha Pads to anyone who is shipped a headphone with the older pads, and you keep the old pads as spares.

Huzzah!

 

[ssrock64]

Quote:

How are the Mad Dogs w/ Alpha Pads compared directly to the HiFiMAN HE-400's, tho? (More specifically: imaging, soundstage, highs, mids, lows, comfort, and even tho the HE-400's are open-eared, isolation). Will I be able to take the Mad Dogs W/ Alpha Pads out on say a train or in a car and not have to blast my music beyond 65-70% to not hear anything outside?

This is probably the wrong place to ask about comparisons, since all the dedicated fans of the MD will be on this thread and all the dedicated fans of the HE-400 will be on that thread. However, here's a quick summary of what most have said between the two: The MD is a brighter, some say more neutral, headphone, whereas the HE-400 has a bit more low-end response. The MD has better imaging and better pinpoint accuracy, but the soundstage isn't as wide as the fully-open HE-400. Comfort opinions vary because the two cans are built radically different from one another in terms of earpads: the HE400 has thin velours reminiscent of Beyer or Sennhesier gear; the MD with Alpha Pads are more like the pillows of an XB500 or MDR-1R, for example.
 
Isolation will definitely not be any issue at all with the MD; they isolate fantastically well even with the old Dog Pads. The Alpha Pads make it even better. If you're considering your new cans for use on the train or in a public area, the Mad Dog definitely has an advantage to the hear-all, broadcast-all open design of the HE-400 (obviously).
 
Good luck!

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Will cost me a total of 2500NOK in total, need some good performing closed headphone so the price is worth it. And I bet that stuff in Sweden aswell cost much so the price is not bad when compared to other headphones.

 
Quote:

This is probably the wrong place to ask about comparisons, since all the dedicated fans of the MD will be on this thread and all the dedicated fans of the HE-400 will be on that thread. However, here's a quick summary of what most have said between the two: The MD is a brighter, some say more neutral, headphone, whereas the HE-400 has a bit more low-end response. The MD has better imaging and better pinpoint accuracy, but the soundstage isn't as wide as the fully-open HE-400. Comfort opinions vary because the two cans are built radically different from one another in terms of earpads: the HE400 has thin velours reminiscent of Beyer or Sennhesier gear; the MD with Alpha Pads are more like the pillows of an XB500 or MDR-1R, for example.
 
Isolation will definitely not be any issue at all with the MD; they isolate fantastically well even with the old Dog Pads. The Alpha Pads make it even better. If you're considering your new cans for use on the train or in a public area, the Mad Dog definitely has an advantage to the hear-all, broadcast-all open design of the HE-400 (obviously).
 
Good luck!

Indeed, my Mad Dogs compare well to my dt 880s :O which are my favorite CAN, the mad dog is ofc slighty warmer with a touch more meat in the bass and a little less tightness. N yes the sound stage is intimite on the Mad dogs lol, still for a can that isolates like it does It's really worth it
 
But I don't like it for ANY electronica genre... there's not even TIGHT bass or even enough LOOSE bass xD it's kinda in the middle. Nu Jazz however [which features some NICE synth bass lines] sounds MAGICAL on the Mad Dogs, seeing as Nu Jazz combines [in my eyes] Classical Jazz an Techo [elements] The mad dogs do really well. 
 
In addition I'm not a fan of comparing open and closed cans... as I always like open better, and I only have one TERRIBLE pair of closed cans [I suppose my Mad Dogs r my closed refrances xD] 

 

[Impulse]

This is probably the wrong place to ask about comparisons, since all the dedicated fans of the MD will be on this thread and all the dedicated fans of the HE-400 will be on that thread. However, here's a quick summary of what most have said between the two: The MD is a brighter, some say more neutral, headphone, whereas the HE-400 has a bit more low-end response. The MD has better imaging and better pinpoint accuracy, but the soundstage isn't as wide as the fully-open HE-400. Comfort opinions vary because the two cans are built radically different from one another in terms of earpads: the HE400 has thin velours reminiscent of Beyer or Sennhesier gear; the MD with Alpha Pads are more like the pillows of an XB500 or MDR-1R, for example.

Pads aside, wouldn't most people say the MD are more comfortable? Velour vs leather's a pretty subjective thing.

How thin are the HE-400 velours tho? I've only been exposed to like Beyer DT's (awesome) and AKG's (well, and Senn's lower end). My DT 880 pads are definitely not thin tho, it doesn't ever feel like they bottom out or apply much pressure. OTOH I've never had a headphone with pads as huge as Alphas, tried the HM5 a few times but I barely remember them.

I've been asking around in PMs about the same comparison, hadn't really gotten the impression that the MD were brighter (more neutral yes, but not brighter), but maybe I've just been focusing on the wrong comments. FR graphs seem to show the HE-400 has more treble emphasis tho.

Dunno, personally I intend to audition both pretty soon but I'm leaning towards the MDs atm! The impression I've gotten is that sound-wise it seems to be more about personal preference than anything...

Edit: not trying to argue your points btw, I wouldn't dare (not having heard them)... Just adding noise to the discussion I guess, based on what I've read lately.

 

[haquocdung]

There is a more about than the weight of a headphone will cause uncomfort of the head, you have to consider thing such as: weight distribution, clamping force, size of the pads, personal preferences, etc.
I have tried on other headphones such as Beyer & Sony & Sen, yes they are very light compare to Mad Dog when you first wearing it, but the fact that I am using my Mad Dog to watch movies without feeling any discomfort. Hope this help.
Quote:

After having to return both the Sennheiser Momentum (small cups caused comfort issues) and the Sony MDR-1R (creaking and jack rattle due to poor build quality), I've been reading into the Mad Dogs.
 
The most important feature of a headphone to me is comfort. Having demoed or purchased close to a dozen units in the $200-300 range over the past few weeks, I'm shocked how often comfort is ignored by the manufacturer. Are Mad Dogs the kind of headphones you put on and forget about (like the MDR-1R)? I ask this because I see they weigh 400g, which is about double that of the 1R and Momentum, which I can't imagine that being comfortable. I need something to get me through several hours of listening at work.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

There is a more about than the weight of a headphone will cause uncomfort of the head, you have to consider thing such as: weight distribution, clamping force, size of the pads, personal preferences, etc.
I have tried on other headphones such as Beyer & Sony & Sen, yes they are very light compare to Mad Dog when you first wearing it, but the fact that I am using my Mad Dog to watch movies without feeling any discomfort. Hope this help.

O gawd a Pioneer 2k, I'm so sorry for you JK [but I really hate that can]
 
Anyways , the mad dogs r comfy but they are WARM... OMG my ears r HOT. Still though the NICE Lamb Skin Leather is great! I mean TOUCH IT U GUYS, it does feel very nice! On ur fingers and ur ears
 
Although as I've said b4 I got a big head n alot of hair... so comfort has never translated badly for me, lots o hair and SKULL make most cans sufficently comfy, granted the dt 880s r nice n cool, but the mad dogs are OFC nice n warm q.q
 
but YAR they r COMFY. Also as for comparing to the He-400 how TIGHT is the He-400 I've had my eye on those for a while now to [seeing as I like Byer and hifiman...] LOTS o ppl compare he-400 as a IMPROVED dt 880 pro 600 [since the 600 is the warmest of them all] 

 

[MadMolly]

How thin are the HE-400 velours tho? I've only been exposed to like Beyer DT's (awesome) and AKG's (well, and Senn's lower end).

The pads are not as comfy as the pads on my dt990 and my q701.

 

[rewrite]

As a noob who's been pretty happy with AD700s, I got my MDs today and have to say I couldn't really tell the difference between the the two (apart from the obvious of open vs closed). I'm only running these on an Xonar DG, could this be why? I blew all my spending money on the MDs, so I don't really have any left for an amp or anything. Does anyone have advice? Also the MD clamp with my glasses kills my ears. I'm bad at this whole thing

 

[bracko]

As a noob who's been pretty happy with AD700s, I got my MDs today and have to say I couldn't really tell the difference between the the two (apart from the obvious of open vs closed). I'm only running these on an Xonar DG, could this be why? I blew all my spending money on the MDs, so I don't really have any left for an amp or anything. Does anyone have advice? Also the MD clamp with my glasses kills my ears. I'm bad at this whole thing

AD700 is a marvellous headphone.

 

[djevoultion]

Is there anyone that prefers the Dog Pads over the Alpha Pads?  -