[theblueprint]

Reading your description of the pros makes me feel like I made a mistake just getting the 3.2s.

In particular I wanted the Mad Dog's in the first place because I read the soundstage was really great for a closed headphone. Would you say that's the case? I plan to use them a fair amount as a gaming headphone. My AKG's for competitive and Mad Dog's for like single player stuff that could still benefit from decent positioning. And then music of course.

I'm supposed to be receiving them in the mail tomorrow. I suppose I could always just send them back for an upgrade.

 
Yup, in my review, I stated that the the Mad Dog 3.2 was definitely no slouch in regards to soundstage. Pretty impressive for a closed set of headphones!

 

[k4rstar]

Just ordered a pair of 3.2s. Was on the fence for the longest time but I just gotta get a pair before they're gone. 

 
Here's hoping I can have them by this time next week.

 

[HirschiAUT]

Hello fellow headfiers and mad dog owners

I am currently searching for a pair of closed headphones for portable use and considered taking a pair of mad dogs as long as they are available.

But i have some questions before i do that.

Since i will use them 100% portable on my daily commute (subway, bus) they need to seal very good.
Fot reference, i had audio technica ath-m50 until now, and i want the same or more sealing, will the mad dogs do that?

And my second concern is about the weight and size.
I am afraid they will be too heavy and bulky for portable use, so any thoughts on that matter is highly appretiated.
Maybe someone even uses them portable, that would be optimal

Greetings, Hirschi

 

[iamxLn]

not the best for portable use, they can run off your phone, but really need an amp to sound their best. isolation is excellent, but they are very bulky.

 

[HirschiAUT]

  not the best for portable use, they can run off your phone, but really need an amp to sound their best. isolation is excellent, but they are very bulky.

Thanks for your answer.
 
Amping is no problem because i plan on buying a portable amp to use with my FiiO X1 soon, probably the FiiO E12 or something similar.
 
My problem is that i have a HE-400i for home use and became so used to the "planar sound" that i would like to have that on the go too.
And there are not many options in that regard, especially when limited to ~300€ budget.
 
Maybe i can wait for a used Oppo PM-3 to pop up, as this should be way more portable, but will still be more than 300€ i guess.
MSRP of the Oppos in EU is 599€, just way too much for me...

 

[Dr Jekyll]

 
Thanks for your answer.
 
Amping is no problem because i plan on buying a portable amp to use with my FiiO X1 soon, probably the FiiO E12 or something similar.
 
My problem is that i have a HE-400i for home use and became so used to the "planar sound" that i would like to have that on the go too.
And there are not many options in that regard, especially when limited to ~300€ budget.
 
Maybe i can wait for a used Oppo PM-3 to pop up, as this should be way more portable, but will still be more than 300€ i guess.
MSRP of the Oppos in EU is 599€, just way too much for me...

I'm running them off of my X3ii while on-the-go and they can power them handily to the point of me having to turn the volume down in some songs. In some recordings you may find yourself needing more volume even at max (which they do run at 99% of the time) but I can live with it until I buy a new portable amp (open to suggestion, I have no idea what will beat the X3ii's output power for portable use). Plugged into Micro USB as an amp/DAC they provide the maximum amount of power that a USB hub can deliver. So buying any USB powered amps for them is pointless. I'm not sure if higher voltage USB ports provide them with more power (I am yet to test it) but I'll be sure to let you know. Overall, not as hard to drive as people say they are.

 

[HirschiAUT]

I'm running them off of my X3ii while on-the-go and they can power them handily to the point of me having to turn the volume down in some songs. In some recordings you may find yourself needing more volume even at max (which they do run at 99% of the time) but I can live with it until I buy a new portable amp (open to suggestion, I have no idea what will beat the X3ii's output power for portable use). Plugged into Micro USB as an amp/DAC they provide the maximum amount of power that a USB hub can deliver. So buying any USB powered amps for them is pointless. I'm not sure if higher voltage USB ports provide them with more power (I am yet to test it) but I'll be sure to let you know. Overall, not as hard to drive as people say they are.

Thanks for your reply, good to know that it is not crazy hard to drive

 

[mrspeakers]

Dear friends; as of this morning we have 17 Mad Dogs left to sell, after which that is the end of the line for the Mad Dog family!  The Mad Dog Pros are now sold out.  The lead time for the remaining Mad Dogs is approximately 4 weeks after purchase. 
 
On behalf of our team, and also on a very personal note, THANK YOU to the Head-Fi community for your support of the Mad Dogs over the least 3.5 years!  Without your support, encouragement, constructive feedback and thoughtful criticism, we'd not have been able to grow MrSpeakers to the company it is today.  
 
To those who purchase the last of these headphones, we hope they bring you years of pleasure (and yes, we will continue to offer upgrades and will give a long notice to everyone before that program ends).
 

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Thanks for your reply, good to know that it is not crazy hard to drive

No you get higher volumes, the differences is when pairing with the right portable amplifier that can put out decent voltage and power into lower resistance( impedance) will help bring the sound quality up and out, show you more of what the mad dogs are capable of as far impact, detail, and or resolution. If you are pairing with the Fiio X1, and are going to use an amp I would suggest the Fiio e12A which surprisingly can power up the other ortho's that I owned well enough to sound good, and imo sounds better than the E12( dui some different buffers, opamps, etc used on this specific model. There are other portable amps that of course will show more of the headphones sound quality, which even the Fiio e12 would help. 

 

[ghostnote]

I am probably thinking I will sell my maddogs 3.2's to fund some upgrades. Do y'all think that it's worth it to sell them now, or later?

 

[mrspeakers]

Hi everyone!  We are now officially sold out of Mad Dog and Mad Dog Pro headphones.  The end of an era, for sure! 

Thanks to everyone for their generous support of these products, we hope you have years of fun with them!
 

 

[Nick-s-f]

I've had my Pros for about a week and they are an awesome headphone, thanks Dan! They are the only thing I could find to rival my Nad HP50 or HD600 in a planar magnetic phone.

I have a question about the tuning dots, I noticed on the dots on the left and right drivers do not mirror each other. Not sure how to explain it; the slant of the dots is the same on both drivers, but the left driver dots point toward the back of the head while the right driver dots slant toward the front of the head.
 
Like this: Left looks like \ and right looks like \
 
I'm sure its correct (sounds like it to me), but does it matter if the same dot configuration does not mirror the other side?

 

[dakanao]

  I've had my Pros for about a week and they are an awesome headphone, thanks Dan! They are the only thing I could find to rival my Nad HP50 or HD600 in a planar magnetic phone.

I have a question about the tuning dots, I noticed on the dots on the left and right drivers do not mirror each other. Not sure how to explain it; the slant of the dots is the same on both drivers, but the left driver dots point toward the back of the head while the right driver dots slant toward the front of the head.
 
Like this: Left looks like \ and right looks like \
 
I'm sure its correct (sounds like it to me), but does it matter if the same dot configuration does not mirror the other side?

My Philips Fidelio L2 is a LOT better than the Nad HP50 that I used to own.

 

[dtsang2710]

I received my Mad Dogs last week and they are absolutely amazing, I love Red Hot Chilli Peppers on these! I sometimes even leave the cans on without music playing just because of the Alpha Pads. Anyways, I would like to ask what your thoughts are when comparing it to the Senn HD 600 since I've never heard an open can before and I'm considering pairing the 600s with my MDs, how would you compare the two sonically?

 

[erics75]

just got my mad dog pro upgrade back (from 3.2 w/alpha pads), and currently swapping back and forth between my coworker's 3.2. I've infected half my dept with headphone lust!
 
first, same smooth, dark sound signature as the 3.2, but with enhanced bass impact, and a slightly more open soundstage. highs are ever so slightly brighter, but I still would not say these are bright at all. just brighter than the 3.2.
 
I think most people buy/upgrade the pro for the bass, as that seems to be it's selling point. well the pro does not disappoint. if you're a hardcore basshead then no, these will not please. but for someone who likes balance AND bass, these fit the bill wonderfully. it's hard to quantify the bass difference, but all I can say is it seems to hit harder, dig lower, and resonate a bit more (slower decay, but we're talking very slightly slower). i think the resonance is due to the larger soundstage and cup material, but i'm guessing. texture is better reproduced on the pro as well. one of the most fascinating things about my alpha prime is it's ability to send my ears an image of the surface being struck. the texture is amazing. though the pro doesn't quite reach that level, it's still incredibly textured and detailed. if I never had my prime, I'd say they're the most textural headphones I've heard under $1000. yes that includes the dt1770, he400i/500/500i, and possibly lcd 2.2. its been ages since I've had them, but I did have my MD3.2 then and even the 3.2 sounded almost as textural as the lcd. yeah you can crush me on that one but I stand by what my ears heard. finally, the bass can sometimes get a touch boomy compared to the 3.2. I never thought the 3.2 was boomy. but after a few hours with the pro, boomy keeps creeping in my mind on some tracks. on others it's super tight and controlled. so lets chalk that up to my music, not the pro.
 
mids are still forward and rich. they don't seem AS forward as the 3.2. maybe the bass is bleeding every so slightly into the mids? I'm not sure yet, but I'm not complaining. these are NOT sloppy sounding or tuned headphones. I'm just hearing things in direct comparison to the 3.2. if I wasn't swapping back and forth I probably wouldn't be thinking this. vocals still sound amazing on the pro. they have a bit more heft and weight from the bass, but not oversaturated or unnatural sounding. though the bass is much more forward on the pro, the mids still are the signature frequency. they're just awesome.
 
highs are a touch brighter with more extension. they don't get sibilant at all though. but they have a bit more energy to them vs the 3.2. I'm really enjoying the highs, it's a nice departure from the rolled off highs on the 3.2. that being said, I might still say they're somewhat rolled off, just not as much as the 3.2. I don't like bright highs so I'm loving them.
 
soundstage is more open, and was immediately evident upon my first listen. it's wider, but probably of similar depth. great soundstage for a closed headphone, I have no complaints.
 
all in all I'm super excited about my pros. i'll miss the slightly darker 3.2, it's a bit more level sounding, more smooth and refined. the pro has a bit more energy and isn't quite as even in it's sound signature. but it's a really fun listen. I'm loving the extra bass impact, to me it was a very worthwhile upgrade.
 
let me give a shout out to Dan and his team. I'm a pest of a customer, I contact vendors a lot with (probably) stupid question and status update requests. his team was always very nice. A+
 
a quick comparison to my coworker's dt770 80 pro - well the mad dog pro is better in all regards. more detailed. smoother. bigger soundstage. better imaging. higher resolution. what surprised me was bass impact. I expected the dt770 to hit harder. and initially it did. but I realized I wasn't quite even on the volume. so I volume matched with my spl meter, and to my surprise, the pro dug deeper and hit harder. slightly, but it did. one thing I noticed when swapping between the pro and 770 was I thought I was as the same volume level just going with my ears, but when I got out my meter, I was at least 3-5db lower with the pro. and at that volume difference the 770's bass was harder. but when bringing up the volume on the pro, it was the harder hitter. what still confuses me though is the fact that my ears swear the pro is much louder when I use the meter to match. maybe my method? all I do is play an even test tone, with the meter bulb sitting in between the ear cups. anyhow that probably doesn't matter much.
 
finally, bass on the alpha prime vs the pro. well the pro appears to have the more prodigious bass, but honestly the prime is the bassier of the two. contradictory huh? yeah I thought so too. but here is what I'm hearing. with the pro, the bass is a bit dominant in the sound signature. you definitely know it's a more bass tuned headphone, even though it's far from a basshead set. the prime, in comparison, is infinitely more balanced and even toned. so the bass doesn't have the appearance of prominence. but when I play certain bass heavy tracks, the actual rumble and impact I'm hearing is superior on the prime. but the mids and highs are equal to it, so nothing really sticks out. make sense? yeah doesn't sound right to me either. but my eardrums insist they're getting hit harder by the prime than the pro, by a small margin.
 
anyhow just wanted to share my thoughts. and these are my thoughts/opinions, not fact. many will hear differently and that's good, that's what makes this hobby so fun. hopefully this will help those out there debating getting their mad dogs upgraded to the pro.
 
one final rant for Dan, please oh please come back to the sub $500 segment of the market with future products. I know you're killing it with the Ethers and upcoming electrostatic. but most people cant/wont buy a $1000+ headphone. and that's a shame, because your headphones are some of the best ever, and more people should have a chance to experience them.