After reading all the posts I could find regarding the Monster Turbine Pro Cooper here in headfi and google, I took the plunge and ordered a brand new pair from onecall.com luckily, I called and they knocked off $140.00 from the retail price of $379! That's a brand new set complete with warranty.
I'll be using my trusty Practical Devices XM5 with BUF634's buffers and OPA627 op amp to drive the MTPC with an iTouch 32GB 3rd Gen Apple Lossless as a source then I'll be switching to AD8065 op amp to see which one I like best.
Hope I made the right decision I was hoping to save up for the shure se535 but most reviews says it's the same as the 530 with only a detachable cable and clear plastic castings as the main difference still I'd like to know how the two compares.
I don't think either would be bad. I've run both the Golds and Coppers out of older player in the fuze and the coppers out of my clip+. Neither player is optimal but that doesn't mean it is unbearable to listen to. I'm one of those people here (probably in the minority) who hears the difference of amp vs unamped but still goes without an amp for portability issues. Also I don't think you will need to crack either up to hear the bass. If you don't hear the bass at any volume that would be a cause for concern.
Hey Mochan - I know you have the Golds but we seem to have similar tastes so I'm directing this at you as you seem to pick gear that I want or have. Anyone else is welcome to comment if they have relevant experience. I tend to listen to a lot of rock, grunge, alternative and Miles and Coltrane. Reviews and suggestions indicate I will like the Coppers better than the Golds.
I want the Coppers for unamped use through my phone or ipod on the go, but now I'm starting to read more comments stating that an amp makes a significant difference. I feel the M50 does a good job unamped and I'm hoping for a similar level of performance. With the M50 unamped I can have the volume down fairly low and get some reasonable bass response or I can crank the volume for a couple of hours and not feel like my ears are ringing. With the SR80i's I came to the conclusion that they needed a semi-serious amp - I hated their performance unamped and even through an Onkyo and Denon receiver. Mainly because I had to crank the volume to get the bass or drum response I wanted and at that point my ears would be ringing for days due to the Grado's bright sound signature. I want to avoid getting a heavy duty amp for now and may revisit the Grado line at a later date.
So given my concerns, will I be happy with the Coppers or am I better off looking elsewhere since I don't want to carry a portable amp with me? Thanks for any help.
I think DFKT posted a graph showing its the highs that really get improvement from power based on how the human ear works. Since the Coppers are brighter than the Golds and MD's I could see them working better for you at lower volumes. It really comes down to a question of portability vs. detail at low volumes. You will get Bass unamped and perhaps at a lower volume but hard for me to say I would prefer that. Like you I have the M50's and while Bass is present at low volumes, the overall sound signature is not something I prefer to hear at that volume. If that makes sense.
I am using the Golds without a portable amp. Having an amp does help... I used a desktop Hybrid Amp actually (Dared MP5) and it improved the mid range by adding an extra sheen of warmth and some extra hardness down in the bass. But I did not miss it at all unamped out of a Nano 2G. And desktop amps completely outperform portable amps.
I am not 100% sure with the Coppers but I would bet you'll be plenty happy with them unamped. Especially since you're using a very nice Sony player.
Regarding the SR80i.... you probably needed it amped because you were missing the bass. While the SR80 has adequate bass, what really comes up is the bright and often sibilant treble. The way to fix this is to order the TTVJ Flat Pads which work wonders on the Grado Prestige Series' brightness. This was my first indication that I would want to keep the low end Grado, which had started to grow long in the tooth with its excessive brightness.
I then further modded the SR80 until it had all the bass I wanted:
Believe it or not, this is, or used to be, an SR80i. I like to call it the "GS800xb" nowadays.
Hey Mochan - I know you have the Golds but we seem to have similar tastes so I'm directing this at you as you seem to pick gear that I want or have. Anyone else is welcome to comment if they have relevant experience. I tend to listen to a lot of rock, grunge, alternative and Miles and Coltrane. Reviews and suggestions indicate I will like the Coppers better than the Golds.
I want the Coppers for unamped use through my phone or ipod on the go, but now I'm starting to read more comments stating that an amp makes a significant difference. I feel the M50 does a good job unamped and I'm hoping for a similar level of performance. With the M50 unamped I can have the volume down fairly low and get some reasonable bass response or I can crank the volume for a couple of hours and not feel like my ears are ringing. With the SR80i's I came to the conclusion that they needed a semi-serious amp - I hated their performance unamped and even through an Onkyo and Denon receiver. Mainly because I had to crank the volume to get the bass or drum response I wanted and at that point my ears would be ringing for days due to the Grado's bright sound signature. I want to avoid getting a heavy duty amp for now and may revisit the Grado line at a later date.
So given my concerns, will I be happy with the Coppers or am I better off looking elsewhere since I don't want to carry a portable amp with me? Thanks for any help.
BTW, I changed my tip choice from UE Silicon Tips to the Hippo Boom's double flange. This is the first time I encountered a double/triple flange and IEM combination that worked really well. My old UE Double Flanges never quite fit the Vanilla Turbines properly. But the Hippo Double Flange works great with the Golds, excellent comfort and increased isolation. I'm loving it!
I usually run my Coppers without an amp and never found the sound quality or anything to be very lacking. They do really benefit from a nice amp and when I run them from my Little Dot mkII they are noticeably better however, they are by no means bad or lacking without the amp. An Ipod or other portable player should be just fine for running them.
To put it simply, they benefit nicely from an amp but it is not needed by any means for the Coppers.
Yeah that M11. If you look at the Meelec sight the M9's are clear and look just like the 11's. The Booms seem to be the same but smoke. I could be wrong. Let me know what you think.
Like others said, coppers dont need an amp they already sound pretty good but with my iBasso D2 they sound superb. Keep in mind I'm not that impressed by them over other IEMS like the JVC FX500 unamped.
I'm still looking for the right tips to fit my ear, nothing fits right, the Medium gels are still a bit too large for my ears and puts pressure after a while.
What're these Supertips? Are they the ones that come with the MTPC stock or you have to order separately? Any other suggestions, I'm really having trouble with the fitment issues. in my UE's mediums fit me perfectly as well as in Denon's and even in JVC's.
Like others said, coppers dont need an amp they already sound pretty good but with my iBasso D2 they sound superb. Keep in mind I'm not that impressed by them over other IEMS like the JVC FX500 unamped.
I'm still looking for the right tips to fit my ear, nothing fits right, the Medium gels are still a bit too large for my ears and puts pressure after a while.
What're these Supertips? Are they the ones that come with the MTPC stock or you have to order separately? Any other suggestions, I'm really having trouble with the fitment issues. in my UE's mediums fit me perfectly as well as in Denon's and even in JVC's.
1-Gel filled, now in black, grey, white to differentiate size
2-Dense foam w/ a coating, now in black, grey, white to differentiate size (Hybrid Supertips)
You should have 10-12 pairs of Supertips I believe. If not PM Soundmatters12.
1-Gel filled, now in black, grey, white to differentiate size
2-Dense foam w/ a coating, now in black, grey, white to differentiate size (Hybrid Supertips)
You should have 10-12 pairs of Supertips I believe. If not PM Soundmatters12.
), and Chronos - Thanks for the feedback. I feel more comfortable going with the Coppers naked now. The Grado's were so bright to me that when I hear the Copper's referred to as bright, it makes me want to go another direction so I'm hoping that comment was just in relation to the Golds. My M50 purchase was an effort to get the bass I missed with the 80i and pull back from the bright treble. My more refined desire for the Copper is to gain a hair more bass and treble than the M50 and a bit more mid for added vocal impact - I really like the M50, but certain strong vocal tracks and guitar solos could have a better impact. Maybe a desktop amp will fix that in the future.
@ Mochan
I tried the 80i with flats with a Mini Cubed amp and also some 325's and came to the conclusion that either 1)Grado's don't suit me at all, or 2)I would need to invest in a perfectly matched amp for them to work for me which = too much trial and error, time and money. I do gotta give you props for the crazy mod though!
The Coppers are definitely tuned like a cross between the Grados and M50's. You might want more forward mids, but they are not recessed. The extra treble and brightness does brighten up the vocals though so they will be clearly present.
The Coppers are definitely tuned like a cross between the Grados and M50's. You might want more forward mids, but they are not recessed. The extra treble and brightness does brighten up the vocals though so they will be clearly present.
Good, then it seems i'm on the right track or close enough. It can be difficult to weed through all of the varied comments on the site. More so than any other forum I've ever used to research products before. I've researched camping gear, cars, tequilas, martial arts equipment, flashlights, poker, phones, computers, etc over the years but head-fi takes the cake. I'd buy the Coppers now if the controltalk versions were out. Thanks again for your help!
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