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I'll try that today.
NEW! Pioneer SE-MJ751 Bass Head headphones unboxing & impressions (updated)
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I hate that the 751 scratches easily. Mine has marks on the cups from the jack rubbing against it.
The bass did improved with the 751 ear pads on the 721, but not enough to justify the cost of each ear pads.
The bass did improved with the 751 ear pads on the 721, but not enough to justify the cost of each ear pads.
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Is that even possible? I usually have mine hanging on a rack, so other than an odd indentation in the headband padding, nothing signifcantly bad happens to it . . . although like all shiny things it is one hell of a fingerprint magnet.
Is that even possible? I usually have mine hanging on a rack, so other than an odd indentation in the headband padding, nothing signifcantly bad happens to it . . . although like all shiny things it is one hell of a fingerprint magnet.
smallrewards
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So, I am a little confused. If the 751 are def not as good as the xb700, overall, and the ath ws55 (i) is on par with or superior to the xb700, wouldnt the win go hands down to the ws55i if had for around the same price, when compared to the mj751?
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IMO, not really. Keep in mind that when you read "not as good" above, they are referring to the strength and depth of the bass response. This is because the entire Sony XB#00 series are bass heavy cans - and the SE-MJ751 (Steez 808) are claiming the same. However, all of that bass in those Sonys comes at a cost. In this case, that cost translates into recessed mids and somewhat muted highs. And while having ample quantities of shake-your-fillings-loose bass sounds damn exciting at first, the drop in mids and highs will make your oldies and classical sound like dookie. And since you also want to listen to TV shows, I can tell you that subtleties in dialog will be harder to perceive as well (though TV audio is pretty highly compressed these days anyway - but I am digressing). The point is - for what you want to hear - the SE-MJ751 is going to be better than the XB700 (IMO).
As for the SE-MJ751 vs the ATH-WS55, I haven't a clue.
But ultimately, your ears will be the best judge. Try to audition all three if you can.
IMO, not really. Keep in mind that when you read "not as good" above, they are referring to the strength and depth of the bass response. This is because the entire Sony XB#00 series are bass heavy cans - and the SE-MJ751 (Steez 808) are claiming the same. However, all of that bass in those Sonys comes at a cost. In this case, that cost translates into recessed mids and somewhat muted highs. And while having ample quantities of shake-your-fillings-loose bass sounds damn exciting at first, the drop in mids and highs will make your oldies and classical sound like dookie. And since you also want to listen to TV shows, I can tell you that subtleties in dialog will be harder to perceive as well (though TV audio is pretty highly compressed these days anyway - but I am digressing). The point is - for what you want to hear - the SE-MJ751 is going to be better than the XB700 (IMO).
As for the SE-MJ751 vs the ATH-WS55, I haven't a clue.
But ultimately, your ears will be the best judge. Try to audition all three if you can.
smallrewards
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yea, we are finally headed to tenjin tonight and I can hopefully really try some out. I really want the pro500..or 5mk2.....but the lack of removable cable and coiled cable will just look too ridiculous for my purpose, I fear. I don't care much about looks, but I guess some dignity has to be maintained. Will def do a lengthy careful comparison on classical between the 751 an 55i though
Edit....crap, my wifes friends stayed to late....looks like tomorrow morning. I am getting pretty pumped though. If this doesn't happen soon I'm going to spring for some esw9 and call it a day, lol. (jk)
Edit....crap, my wifes friends stayed to late....looks like tomorrow morning. I am getting pretty pumped though. If this doesn't happen soon I'm going to spring for some esw9 and call it a day, lol. (jk)
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Don't forget to play with the bass dial on the 751. It will radically change the overall tonal quality of whatever you're listening to. For Classical I'd leave it turned down - unless you're listening to something with a lot of cellos/harps/bassoons/etc. in which case I'd turn it up a bit. For oldies, maybe about 1/3 of the way up for most tunes, about halfway up for Motown stuff and Doo-Wop.
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For me, the two cans I plan on picking up next are the SRH840 (Shure) and the K701 (AKG) - but not necessarily in that order. And if can, I'd want to sneak in an HDJ-2000 in there. All depends on my budget - which tends to fluctuate.
Don't forget to play with the bass dial on the 751. It will radically change the overall tonal quality of whatever you're listening to. For Classical I'd leave it turned down - unless you're listening to something with a lot of cellos/harps/bassoons/etc. in which case I'd turn it up a bit. For oldies, maybe about 1/3 of the way up for most tunes, about halfway up for Motown stuff and Doo-Wop.
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Get the Q701 instead because it has detectable cable. I have one in Black and I love it.
For me, the two cans I plan on picking up next are the SRH840 (Shure) and the K701 (AKG) - but not necessarily in that order. And if can, I'd want to sneak in an HDJ-2000 in there. All depends on my budget - which tends to fluctuate.
Get the Q701 instead because it has detectable cable. I have one in Black and I love it.
Quote:
Oh the K701 doesn't? I just assumed it was a straight rebrand so that it would. Cool, thanks for the heads up on that one! Argh, still might be a while though. There are going to be many benefits down the line, but sometimes I really don't like the way being in a start-up limits my budget.
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+1 definitely. Smallrewards, whether you buy any given unit or not, spending some time with any given pair and sharing your impressions here at Head-Fi is going to help everyone. Just kind of a way to "give back" if you know what I mean.
Oh the K701 doesn't? I just assumed it was a straight rebrand so that it would. Cool, thanks for the heads up on that one! Argh, still might be a while though. There are going to be many benefits down the line, but sometimes I really don't like the way being in a start-up limits my budget.
Quote:
+1 definitely. Smallrewards, whether you buy any given unit or not, spending some time with any given pair and sharing your impressions here at Head-Fi is going to help everyone. Just kind of a way to "give back" if you know what I mean.
smallrewards
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will do, plans rechanged, wont be until monday now, at best...dang..
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Here's the part number to the iPhone control cable of anyone is interested. No price yet.
P/N WDV1013
Mike
P/N WDV1013
Mike
smallrewards
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Well, some initial impressions from me.
I got the Japanese version of the MJ751 yesterday. The differences in the two are- 1. No apple certified mic or control. 2. No carrying case. 3. No Steez branding.
The case would have been super. But those are the three reasons why my particular headphone currently cost 31 dollars less than the US model. 68 dollars currently in converted yen.
A couple of NONE SQ related notes-first impressions:
-The plastic is pretty hard and solid. This leaves me slightly worried that a drop could cause serious damage, however, it also does not have any plasticy squeeking that the other headphones I was considering had-ath sj55, ws55 and fc707. However, it lacks the flexibility of most monitor sets, like the athpro5mk2.c It can flex well after a little use, but not near 180 like the pro5, and not in 3 dimensional directions. No twisting on these.
-There is ocassionally a bit of static coming from the cable, but it s rarely noticed in the music, and is much better than plastic sqeeks. MUCH better than squeeky plastic.
-At first I felt that the comfort was the worst of them all I had tried on. The pleather does not breath at all, so in a hot environment swn teat is going to happen. It a little tricky to say how bad it really is yet though, as we dont use air conditioning at the moment here in Japan...and so my whole body is sweating, not just my ears. It also had a tight clamp on my right ear causing me some pain in the first 10 minutes. I left it stretched a bit overnight, and that helped quite a lot, still noticeable when I pay attention, but after about 40 minutes in the car with a brief nap I did not notice while listening to my music. I went back to yodobashi and retested against some other headphones, and felt that the comfort was on par, and slightly superior to, the ws55. Not anywhere near as nice as the pro5mk2 felt, but not over ears either. However, I believe once it is broken in it will be quite comfortable (I suspect it will loosen a bit with time), the biggest drawback being the pleather-but that is the case in all of the headphones i looked at. Leather-as I understand- has pores that allow for breathing, pleather does not.
-As I said, the plastic seems of higher quality plastic than that found on the ws55, or the ews9 for that matter, but the total lack of metal is troubling. The cover over the drivers is plastic, and the 3.5mm jack on the side of the left can is also plastic all the way up the actual connection. Hopefully that plastic will hold, if a short forms at the actual headphone due to poor construction of the female end...game over. Time will tell.
-While from a distance in the mirror I think I actually look a bit tougher with these guys hanging around my head or kneck, on close inspection the pleather is obviously of very low quality, and scream of china a thousand times over.
=========-
SQ first impressions. Note, I am not an audiophile. Though I think this may end up being the beginnig of some audiophilia-that will largely depend on what I stumble across in the thrift stores once I get back home.
My first song I listened to was
Smack that Ass by Akon. Nice bass, turned the dial all the way up for that one. Didnt notice any distortion, but this is not my usul music. Enjoyed it though, but would have been better while actually getting it on rather than walking around downtown in a bookstore.
Will hold off on any detailed analysis just based on what I am hearing alone, particularly given my inexperience and untrained ear. However, I did go back to yodobashi today to do some comparisons.
I could not compare with every headphone. They did not have the es55 out, and the pro models had the wires tucked so I could not disconect them. However, I did compare to several. For most of my listening I left the bass dial on factory settings. Of note:
I had the chance to do a close comparison to the ws55. I had a Norah Jones CD ripped in M4a format, so I focused on it for most close comparisons. On Seven Years, there was a significant difference between the two. The WS55 caused the guitar picking at the intro to seem a bit unclear and muddy. I might not have noticed it, but the picking was much more distinguised, separated and clearer on my MJ751. The vocals that followed seemed almost muffled in comparison on the ws55. Much clearer on the MJ751.
However, when I played Feelin the Same Way they did not sound quite as muffled anymore on the ws55, and when she reached the second line, she kind of peaked and hit a high note. Her voice was not nearly so high in comparison to the background instrumentals, etc, on my MJ751. On the MJ751 she had sort of a raspy husky voice. It was clear, but her voice seemed more husky on the MJ751, unlike the ws55 where it kind of sparked at the end of the second and fourth lines. I got that same spark on the MJ751 when she sang "Same" on feeling the SAME way, but not in these other locations.
Noticing this, I then went to the AKG K450, which was also available for plugging in. I listened on the MJ751 again. Then when I took them off, for the first time, I realized how good the sound isolation is. While I was listening some joker came up behind me and started doing some ridiculous, and ridiculously loud, mixing on a DJ stand behind me. I didnt even notice until I slid them off my ears, whn it slammed into me like a brick wall. Very loud. When I put on the K450, the isolation was not very impressive, but when I hit play the music was noticeably louder than on my 751 (maybe it needs an amp? Def will be looking for a new cable in the thrift shops). This effectively drowned out the mixer as well as the isolation of the 751. The first thing I noticed SQ wise was that the vocals were much more foward. Again, the voice was not as husky, and the ends of the second and fourth lines really lit on fire. However, the instrumentals were really in the background. They were clear, but it was very voice forward compared to the mj751. I went back and forth, and it was consistent, even at bass all the way dialed down, the vocals never came forward on he MJ751 like they did on the k450.
Curious how it was supposed to sound, I hunted down some 300+ dollar ATH open back models in the back of the store, on each of these her voice sounded husky-like on the 751-and the balance was much more like the MJ751-voice clear and sparkly on the word "same"-but husky and dark with nuanced changes in tone and pitch at the end of the second and fourth lines-but not the heavy hit like I heard on the ws55 and akg 450.
Overall, the ws55 seemed flat in comparison, but I kind of liked the vocals and overall sound on the 450 more--however, the 751 seemed more accurate based on the open back testing.
Now, i also dipped and dodged through the store and compared to other random similarly priced items-5-7,000 yen. Most seemed much more muffled in comparison, though many were much more voice forward as well. I do wonder if this might be because the separate driver for mids and highs is so much smaller. It is entirely possible that the small sound is a direct cause of the smaller driver? However, it is also very detiled and clear in its price range, and may be exactly how it is supposed to sound for all I know. These are also bass head cans. So, there is that to consider
Overall, I suspect the es55 would have sounded better based on my previous testing of it, but am happy with my purchase given the detachable cable and sq at the moment. I will burn in for a few days and update if there is any noticeable change, or after i get an amp or better cable.
Remember, these are first day comparisons and impressions from a none audiophile. So, take it for what it is. An opinion.
I got the Japanese version of the MJ751 yesterday. The differences in the two are- 1. No apple certified mic or control. 2. No carrying case. 3. No Steez branding.
The case would have been super. But those are the three reasons why my particular headphone currently cost 31 dollars less than the US model. 68 dollars currently in converted yen.
A couple of NONE SQ related notes-first impressions:
-The plastic is pretty hard and solid. This leaves me slightly worried that a drop could cause serious damage, however, it also does not have any plasticy squeeking that the other headphones I was considering had-ath sj55, ws55 and fc707. However, it lacks the flexibility of most monitor sets, like the athpro5mk2.c It can flex well after a little use, but not near 180 like the pro5, and not in 3 dimensional directions. No twisting on these.
-There is ocassionally a bit of static coming from the cable, but it s rarely noticed in the music, and is much better than plastic sqeeks. MUCH better than squeeky plastic.
-At first I felt that the comfort was the worst of them all I had tried on. The pleather does not breath at all, so in a hot environment swn teat is going to happen. It a little tricky to say how bad it really is yet though, as we dont use air conditioning at the moment here in Japan...and so my whole body is sweating, not just my ears. It also had a tight clamp on my right ear causing me some pain in the first 10 minutes. I left it stretched a bit overnight, and that helped quite a lot, still noticeable when I pay attention, but after about 40 minutes in the car with a brief nap I did not notice while listening to my music. I went back to yodobashi and retested against some other headphones, and felt that the comfort was on par, and slightly superior to, the ws55. Not anywhere near as nice as the pro5mk2 felt, but not over ears either. However, I believe once it is broken in it will be quite comfortable (I suspect it will loosen a bit with time), the biggest drawback being the pleather-but that is the case in all of the headphones i looked at. Leather-as I understand- has pores that allow for breathing, pleather does not.
-As I said, the plastic seems of higher quality plastic than that found on the ws55, or the ews9 for that matter, but the total lack of metal is troubling. The cover over the drivers is plastic, and the 3.5mm jack on the side of the left can is also plastic all the way up the actual connection. Hopefully that plastic will hold, if a short forms at the actual headphone due to poor construction of the female end...game over. Time will tell.
-While from a distance in the mirror I think I actually look a bit tougher with these guys hanging around my head or kneck, on close inspection the pleather is obviously of very low quality, and scream of china a thousand times over.
=========-
SQ first impressions. Note, I am not an audiophile. Though I think this may end up being the beginnig of some audiophilia-that will largely depend on what I stumble across in the thrift stores once I get back home.
My first song I listened to was
Smack that Ass by Akon. Nice bass, turned the dial all the way up for that one. Didnt notice any distortion, but this is not my usul music. Enjoyed it though, but would have been better while actually getting it on rather than walking around downtown in a bookstore.
Will hold off on any detailed analysis just based on what I am hearing alone, particularly given my inexperience and untrained ear. However, I did go back to yodobashi today to do some comparisons.
I could not compare with every headphone. They did not have the es55 out, and the pro models had the wires tucked so I could not disconect them. However, I did compare to several. For most of my listening I left the bass dial on factory settings. Of note:
I had the chance to do a close comparison to the ws55. I had a Norah Jones CD ripped in M4a format, so I focused on it for most close comparisons. On Seven Years, there was a significant difference between the two. The WS55 caused the guitar picking at the intro to seem a bit unclear and muddy. I might not have noticed it, but the picking was much more distinguised, separated and clearer on my MJ751. The vocals that followed seemed almost muffled in comparison on the ws55. Much clearer on the MJ751.
However, when I played Feelin the Same Way they did not sound quite as muffled anymore on the ws55, and when she reached the second line, she kind of peaked and hit a high note. Her voice was not nearly so high in comparison to the background instrumentals, etc, on my MJ751. On the MJ751 she had sort of a raspy husky voice. It was clear, but her voice seemed more husky on the MJ751, unlike the ws55 where it kind of sparked at the end of the second and fourth lines. I got that same spark on the MJ751 when she sang "Same" on feeling the SAME way, but not in these other locations.
Noticing this, I then went to the AKG K450, which was also available for plugging in. I listened on the MJ751 again. Then when I took them off, for the first time, I realized how good the sound isolation is. While I was listening some joker came up behind me and started doing some ridiculous, and ridiculously loud, mixing on a DJ stand behind me. I didnt even notice until I slid them off my ears, whn it slammed into me like a brick wall. Very loud. When I put on the K450, the isolation was not very impressive, but when I hit play the music was noticeably louder than on my 751 (maybe it needs an amp? Def will be looking for a new cable in the thrift shops). This effectively drowned out the mixer as well as the isolation of the 751. The first thing I noticed SQ wise was that the vocals were much more foward. Again, the voice was not as husky, and the ends of the second and fourth lines really lit on fire. However, the instrumentals were really in the background. They were clear, but it was very voice forward compared to the mj751. I went back and forth, and it was consistent, even at bass all the way dialed down, the vocals never came forward on he MJ751 like they did on the k450.
Curious how it was supposed to sound, I hunted down some 300+ dollar ATH open back models in the back of the store, on each of these her voice sounded husky-like on the 751-and the balance was much more like the MJ751-voice clear and sparkly on the word "same"-but husky and dark with nuanced changes in tone and pitch at the end of the second and fourth lines-but not the heavy hit like I heard on the ws55 and akg 450.
Overall, the ws55 seemed flat in comparison, but I kind of liked the vocals and overall sound on the 450 more--however, the 751 seemed more accurate based on the open back testing.
Now, i also dipped and dodged through the store and compared to other random similarly priced items-5-7,000 yen. Most seemed much more muffled in comparison, though many were much more voice forward as well. I do wonder if this might be because the separate driver for mids and highs is so much smaller. It is entirely possible that the small sound is a direct cause of the smaller driver? However, it is also very detiled and clear in its price range, and may be exactly how it is supposed to sound for all I know. These are also bass head cans. So, there is that to consider
Overall, I suspect the es55 would have sounded better based on my previous testing of it, but am happy with my purchase given the detachable cable and sq at the moment. I will burn in for a few days and update if there is any noticeable change, or after i get an amp or better cable.
Remember, these are first day comparisons and impressions from a none audiophile. So, take it for what it is. An opinion.
Quote:
LOL, all of these "initial" impressions from the dude that thought I was going overboard? Okay, Ima get back to you about the above, but I just have one quick question...
What is this case of which you speak of kind sir, for mine eyes have yet to behold such a wonder?
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