Numark PHX issue

[Reticuli2]

These are really interesting headphones. Fast, delicate, neutral, extremely extended on top and bottom, tuneful, resolved, transparent, with only a little tizz in the highs (but that are not bright at all) and some resonance issues in certain mid bands. More musical than 7506, 7509, Ixos 1001, Denon 950, anything from Pioneer or Extreme Isolation. And it comes with two pairs of ear pads, three different cords, a pouch, and 2-3 year warranty (3 requires product registration). Comfortable, low weight, pretty.

Unfortunately, my pair seems to have terribly matched drivers. Overall, the right side is 2-3 dB louder than the left. There is also poor driver matching in terms of frequency response and phase accuracy, resulting in very poor imaging accuracy and soundstage width. The drivers were clearly not chosen based on frequency & tone sweeps and computer catalogs of individual driver responses, like Sony, Pioneer, Sennheiser, and Ultrasone seem to do.

I'm hoping someone can assure me this is just a fluke and they have a pair that does not exhibit this mismatched driver problem? Somebody?

 

[ericj]

You are probably the first ever person to mention this headphone on head-fi.

So i have only two things to say.

1: Your experience may be indicative of the general quality of Numark products.

2: You've got a warranty - return 'em.

 

[Reticuli2]

I got a swap from Numark/Alesis. Free shipping back and forth. This one is about 1dB to the left, now, but much better than the other, which I think was 3dB to the right. Considering I'm slightly to the right (uh...my ears, that is) it actually balances out about correct with most material. Well, it overcompensates slightly for my bit of hearing imbalance. Anyway. Everyone might want to check them out locally. Buy one, open it and test in store with an iPod, or something, and swap the cups to make sure you have one centered well enough for your taste. The swapping with a mono (or half pulled-out jack) elimates your own hearing from the equation. Under $70 for something with three different cords, spare plush earpads, and sound better than the Sonys, Ixos, or Pioneer DJ headphones? EXTRAORDINARILY sensitive. It makes the noise floor on my Edcor sound like someone's running an AC in the background, but the impedence curve's wankyness in the lower mids does tonally respond well to better amplification. The Numark PPD01 & PPD9000 mixers sound immaculate with it.