[JGOelfke]

My new set of QP400s showed up in the mail yesterday. For those of you who don't know, MB Quart was a German company who was closed down and moved to Japan a couple of years ago. Engineers started a new company named German Maestro which is now the equivalent of the original MB Quart headphone line. The QP400 was their flagship headphone and is more or less equivalent to the German Maestro GMP450 and the Charter Oak SP-1, an re-branded version of the headphone.
 
My roommate has a set of SP-1s and upon early listening, it sounds like the QP400s have a more powerful vocals and a wider sound stage, while the SP-1 beats the Quarts in speed and instrumentals. Both are outstanding headphones, nonetheless. We are planning on writing a rather sizable thread/review/comparsion on the two upon further listening, hopefully including some specific songs as well as overall impressions.
 
I would love to hear the GMP450s to compare even further, but that does not seem feasible right now. Anyway we will need to do much more A/B comparison before saying anything further. If anyone has heard any of these I would love to hear your opinion as well!

 

[R-Audiohead]

Edit: NAME moved to China after sold to Maxxsonics.
 
Same engineers who handmade everything in the original W. Germany Factory still work their magic at that factory.
 
MB Quart essentially gave the headphone line up after the move, and are all in the hands of German Maestro.
 
QP220 equiv to GMP220, QP250 equiv to GMP 250, QP400 is equiv to GMP 400, QP450 is equiv to GMP 450 etc....
 
The SP-1 was a branded MB Quart manufactured can equivalent to the GMP 450 Pro -with different markings and the nicest headphone box I've ever seen.
 
I have no idea how many were made (been trying to contact to figure it out) but the serial number of my SP-1 is 0042.  Supposed lifetime warranty I can mail into CharterOak.  Since it seems like no more of these even exist, I have no idea how/who will fulfill this warranty.
 
Just thought I'd add that

 

[JGOelfke]

Thanks, I knew there was something wrong with what I wrote, but I couldn't figure out what exactly it was.

 

[DjAmTraX]

Pictures please.... Where did you buy them, eBay?

 

[JGOelfke]

Sorry for the "interesting" pictures...my headphone stand is in the mail so I had to make do with just a desk. If you want to see anything else in particular let me know and I will post them. But yeah, I ordered them off eBay through the deal Sonic Electronix is having right now...$109 for the headphones. They came with just the headphone and the box that they are sold in.

 

[R-Audiohead]

I got the SP-1s a couple months ago... unfortunately for a lot more money
 
Still worth every bit of ~$300
 
Can't seem to find any.  I'll post pics of that if you'd like.  We plan on including pics in the write up.

 

[senndroid]

I've heard the SP1s as well as the 650s, and R-Audiohead isn't blowing smoke. The SP1s are in the same tier as my 650s, and that's saying something...because I REALLY like my 650s (yeah, I'm one of those). The SP1s are really detailed and neutral, not to mention comfortable. 
 
I want to hear the Quart 400s. For this price point, I'm really curious.

 

[DjAmTraX]

The SP1 is NOT the same as the QP400 right?  Is the QP400 better than the QP805HS?  I've been eyeing the 805HS.

 

[R-Audiohead]

 
Quote:

The SP1 is NOT the same as the QP400 right?  Is the QP400 better than the QP805HS?  I've been eyeing the 805HS.

 
The SP-1 is NOT the same as the QP400, correct.  The SP-1 is an equivalent to the MB Quart QP450....which in now made by German Maestro under the GMP 450.
 
The QP805HS is the unbreakable monitor headphone if I remember correctly.
 
The new equivalent made by German Maestro (same engineers, remember) I believe is the GMP 8.35D. it'll run you over 200 I believe.
 
I cannot verify that these are of the same quality as the SP-1/QP400/QP450 line, I can verify that MB Quart claimed the QP450 as their "flagship" and the QP400 was an open version of that headphone.  I know the same driver is used amongst the SP-1/QP400/QP450, and that the GMP 8.35D/QP805HS use a different driver than the aforementioned three.
 
Regardless, these guys don't get enough attention around here.  My guess is that if you could score yourself some old MB Quart cans leftover from the "move" for cheap ( I know they pop up, people sell them off for cheap because they can't push the name around like they can with other brands) you're probably gettting WAY more than what you paid for.
 
I know some QP220s for something stupid like 50 bucks were lurking around somewhere.  Take a look - GREAT headphone.

 

[JGOelfke]

Quote:

The SP1 is NOT the same as the QP400 right?  Is the QP400 better than the QP805HS?  I've been eyeing the 805HS.

As R-Audiohead mentioned, the QP805HS is their indestructible headphone. I personally have not heard the 805HS, so I can't give much feedback on that.

The one thing I will say is that the 805HS is a closed headphone, while the QP400 is VERY open. For that reason, the little bit tighter clamping force, and the immense durability that is supposed to come with the 805HS, they would be a better portable headphone, but I'm not sure if portability or home use is what you're looking for.
 
For the price that Sonic Electronix is selling them at online though, you're getting a major deal. The QP400 is originally priced at 3x the online price now and so far seems worth every penny. One thing that I disagree with on the online description is that the QP400 isn't on-ear; rather it is circumaural, something I personally prefer.

 

[kkl10]

 
I have heard head-to-head the MB Quart QP 450 Pro and the QP 400, my short impressions can be found in the Charteraok SP-1/GMP 450 Pro review thread.
 
I'm very interested on your QP400 vs SP-1 write-up.
 
How are you guys finding that the two headphones compare to each other in terms of tonal accuracy?
Do both headphones show comparable performance in that regard?
Doesn't the QP400 show more natural tone and timbre?
Can you guys detect the coloration and ressonance in SP-1 due to it's closed back design?
How do both compare in tonal balance/frequency response?
 
I have the GMP 450 Pro and became frustated with it's closed sound, despite being considered a very open sounding closed headphone.
I got so frustated with the boxy sound signature that I decided to just open the damn can to see if I could do something about it... and that was all I needed to do! (I explain the procedure in the Charteraok review thread)
With the driver out of the enclosure I found that the sound was actually much better. (Still trying to take some pictures)
The closed back design shortcomings completelly vanished away, the tonal balance improved slightly, less brightness more neutrality, but above all, all sonic objects had now much more natural tone and timbre. It became much more transparent.
I was surprised to find that the transducer was producing a weightier bass when out of the enclosure. Usually it's the other way around: Closed = more bass / Open = less bass.
The sound quality improved so much that I think this driver was designed to sound it's best on a fully open enclosure... but I'm not sure and now I'm confused...
 
When I compared the QP 450 Pro and the QP400, the open QP 400 did not show such sonic advantages over the closed QP 450 Pro, actually it sounded even more bright and thin and with comparable tonal accuracy/color.
 
So I'm wondering what do you guys think about this...
 
JGOelfke, is that Beyerdynamic DT770 going to be included on the write-up? How does it compare to the QP 400 and SP-1?
 
Thanks!

 

[R-Audiohead]

I know that when we discussed the structure of the write up, we were going to keep it between the two (basically) Quart Phones.
 
My impressions of the beyerdynamics relative to the quart cans is that, while a sweet headphone, it is still in a tier just below the SP1/QP400.
 
JGOelfke may or may not agree, and he has more listening time with those headphones.  The presentation is undoubtedly different, with the two Quart phones being much faster and having a much snappier percussion and lighter low end.  The beyer's presentation is much more robust, but it does have some slight U character to it.

 

[kkl10]

Quote:

 
 
My impressions of the beyerdynamics relative to the quart cans is that, while a sweet headphone, it is still in a tier just below the SP1/QP400.
 
JGOelfke may or may not agree, and he has more listening time with those headphones.  The presentation is undoubtedly different, with the two Quart phones being much faster and having a much snappier percussion and lighter low end.  The beyer's presentation is much more robust, but it does have some slight U character to it.

Just as I thought, that's all I need to know about how's the DT770 in comparison to the MB Quarts.
Thanks, R-Audiohead!
 
In the meantime, I'm starting to take some pictures of my GMP 450 Pro transformation.
Keep an eye on the Charteroak thread for the next hours. ; )

 

[JGOelfke]

I would agree with R-Audiohead in terms of the DT770s also. They are much bassier and do have a slight U character and is definitely still a tier below. The bass is both cans is very tonal (in my opinion), but the 770s are a lot bigger sounding, which I prefer for rap and hip-hop. For certain songs I do prefer the sound of the Beyers just because of the full, warm sound that they have.
 
The DT770 does not have the speed of the QP400 or SP-1 either, although for just under $200 it does a great job.
 
I'll be sure to keep watch of your thread, and more to come on the comparison!

 

[R-Audiohead]

 
In the meantime, I'm starting to take some pictures of my GMP 450 Pro transformation.
Keep an eye on the Charteroak thread for the next hours. ; )

Definitely, I walked through the steps in text you posted and am quite curious. Pics will certainly make the mod easy to understand!  I look forward to it!
 
I'd be curious how it sounds in comparison to the GMP400