[Gaughtfried]

Anybody else try the foam inside out? I mean with the cloth part of the insert facing the driver and the foam facing your ear. I really like the sound change; it tames the bass and makes vocals more upfront. Definitly something to try.

 

[ghingus]

I just finished reading this post in its entirety. I'm going to recap the important points so others won't have to suffer as I have:

Sound

1. Characterized as smooth, non fatiguing, nice bass punch (borderline too much for some), nice mids, pleasantly rolled off highs, and most will say a very good soundstage for a closed can. This is not necessarily true out of the box. See next bullet point...
2. Burnin appears to be a major factor with these cans - 30-60 hours will tighten up the bass, improve the detail and soundstage, and just make the sound more balanced and smooth...one has attested that the sound is still improving after 500 hours.
3. They respond very well to EQing and are versatile in that way. Also, repositioning them over your ears can reduce/increase the bass.
4. Some feel removing the foam inserts in the ear pads improves the soundstage and detail, others feel it makes them too bright (or at least, not any better). It seems that more people like the sound with the foam insert taken out, though it is a close one. Whatever the case, the mod is easy and reversible and worth trying.
5. One person opened up the can, did a blutak mod, and then removed the tak after realizing they prefered the soundstage and fullness of sound before the mod.
6. All agree these are great for the price. Some like them better than cans 3 times the cost, others don't (one person considers them equal to his K701s, another prefers his HD555s to them). Some say their sound is similar to the K601s, with more bass punch but less detail. One has said they sound similar to the K340. A few prefer them to their ATH A500.
7. There is complete agreement that these kick the crap out of the K26p, all agree they are better than the K181DJs, and most prefer them to the HD 25-1s. All on this thread agree that these are the best choice for closed cans < $100

Comfort

1. Clamping pressure is a problem with these cans out of the box. To loosen them you must place the left and right ear pieces together, and then with the ear pieces between your palms, squeeze the headband together like tongs. Do this gently, and repeat until they are comfortable. It is counter intuitive, but it works and has been attested to multiple times on this thread.
2. Some have modded the underside of the headband to improve comfort (with a cut up mousepad, or bicycle helmet foam and velcro)
3. A very few have (perhaps just one person) found the headband to be too short.
4. They are supraaural, and some find their ears get a bit hot under the pleather pads. Others use them for workouts quite happily.

Portability / Isolation

1. Isolation is at least adequate, some say quite good. In any case, far better than open cans and worse than IEMs (kind of obvious, I know...but I'm just trying to recap the thread)
2. They are good for portable use except for the overly long cable. A few have shortened the cable, but most just deal with it.

Where to buy?
The best place to purchase these is on ebay. There is a seller by the name of fascinationproductions who will accept an offer of $55. Or you can buy them on buy.com, where with a $5 dollar coupon they become $53 after shipping. They are regularly $69 (at places like HeadRoom and such). I think I read that Tom Lee Music store sells them in Canada (Granville).

That's about all I can remember. Forgive me if I left something out or misinterpreted something, but this thread is a freaking monster, and I did my best...

...and yes (of course) I did buy them myself (how could I possibly resist, especially when I need some closed cans?). They should arrive any day, which pleases me very much.

Long post for a long thread. I hope this helps those of you just joining.

 

[Sodacose]

great post ghingus. i had been considering getting a pair recently and you just sold it.

my wallet thanks you.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

A very few have (perhaps just one person) found the headband to be too short.

That makes two. Headband IS extremely short for us big guys.

 

[PeterDLai]

Wow that was an excellent summary ghingus. I felt like I just read the entire thread over again in just a few minutes.

I think if this thread continues to grow, we're going to need to revert people back to that post.

 

[markl]

ghingus, that's a pretty good summary, but with some addendums/caveats from me anyway:

Quote:

pleasantly rolled off highs

Only until properly burned in (takes 150+ hours); after that, they are in pretty much perfect balance with rest of frequency response.

Quote:

They respond very well to EQing and are versatile in that way

Yes, in the sense that they will still sound good after EQ-ing them, as they have a great and realistic base sound. But no, in that over time, extra EQ-ing is (IMHO) unnecessary. Bear in mind most impressions we are reading in this thread were written on the first day. My K81s have more hours on them than most who have posted impressions thus far. I feel the frequency anomolies we all seem to agree that exist *at first* (over-ambitious bass that can distort and gently rolled highs), disappear with burn-in.

Quote:

Clamping pressure is a problem with these cans out of the box.

I don't get this. I have a large head (to hold all that extra grey matter

) and these are extremely comfortable, and I wear them at the "7" detent, giving me many extra detents to play with. I do like a snug fit and I use them for exercise, so they need to hold firm, and the K81's are a dream for this. I never experienced discomfort with them, and if anything, the metal headband has bowed out with use, making them *slightly* looser than I'd like for my purposes. Anyway, I think the comfort/fit issue is over-blown.

Finally, I think the most important bullet point has been missed:

*The K81DJ has one of the most "natural" and realistic sound signatures of any headphone you can buy at any price. They sound like life. Instruments sound like themselves, voices sound like they emmanate from real live human beings. This is their main "trick", and one of the hardest things for headphones to get right, but that's sadly one of the things that many people miss, overlook, or take for granted.

 

[ghingus]

MarkL, thanks for the clarifications. You were one of the first to obtain these cans and your input is important.

In this vein, undoubtedly my summary isn't perfect so anyone else who has comments to improve or correct the summary, don't be shy. It won't hurt my feelings, and if there are enough things to add and correct I will go back and edit the summary so it is as accurate and useful as possible.

 

[cwuzer]

i just purchased a pair off ebay. 55 dollars.

thanks for letting us know they accepted that offer...i was planning on going with the "buy it now."

the anticipation begins...

 

[JMCIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl ghingus, that's a pretty good summary, but with some addendums/caveats from me anyway: Only until properly burned in (takes 150+ hours); after that, they are in pretty much perfect balance with rest of frequency response.

Even then, they will exhibit a slightly overweaning sense of bass - not objectionalble by any means, but certainly not natural.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Yes, in the sense that they will still sound good after EQ-ing them, as they have a great and realistic base sound. But no, in that over time, extra EQ-ing is (IMHO) unnecessary. Bear in mind most impressions we are reading in this thread were written on the first day. My K81s have more hours on them than most who have posted impressions thus far. I feel the frequency anomolies we all seem to agree that exist *at first* (over-ambitious bass that can distort and gently rolled highs), disappear with burn-in.

I would agree with Markl almost completely (chalk up any differences between us to personal taste). My pair have almost as many hours as Markl's do, and short of my K601's, I can't think of any closed back portable cans I'd rather listen to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl I don't get this. I have a large head (to hold all that extra grey matter ) and these are extremely comfortable, and I wear them at the "7" detent, giving me many extra detents to play with. I do like a snug fit and I use them for exercise, so they need to hold firm, and the K81's are a dream for this. I never experienced discomfort with them, and if anything, the metal headband has bowed out with use, making them *slightly* looser than I'd like for my purposes. Anyway, I think the comfort/fit issue is over-blown.

Agreed too. My head isn't what any sane person would call small, and after about a week of wearing, I never (repeat NEVER) noticed any discomfort while wearing the K81DJ's, even for extended periods of time. Markl, you are quite correct, the subject of comfort/fit is WAY overblown.


Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Finally, I think the most important bullet point has been missed: *The K81DJ has one of the most "natural" and realistic sound signatures of any headphone you can buy at any price. They sound like life. Instruments sound like themselves, voices sound like they emmanate from real live human beings. This is their main "trick", and one of the hardest things for headphones to get right, but that's sadly one of the things that many people miss, overlook, or take for granted.

Well..... given the sonics of the K601's, I don't think I can agree with you completely on this one. But, I will agree that the K81DJ's can sound like life - in the "fun" sense (but once again, let us write this off to personal taste as well). And you're right, it is one of the hardest tricks, especially with a low cost set of cans, to accomplish.

 

[newbalance]

Well, I just bought a pair, now my second pair of headphones coming out of this forum...im in trouble...anyhow i got them from Todd and am really excited to listen to these babies, at least so I can perform some reitterations and streatch this magnificent thread ever longer..
YYEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

um ok, im excited

 

[Quake1028]

My pair came today, but the damn mailman left them at the leasing office instead of in one of the big mailboxes

. Now I have to wait until I get home from work tomorrow night to try them out. I have the 501's coming on Friday, so I was hoping these would have a few nights alone.

 

[bnlsn]

They came. I listened. I enjoyed. I'm tired. Good night

 

[phatmat]

okay well i've read this whole thread

can anybody walk a newbie through cord shortening for this headphone? or can anyone in hong kong help me out and do it for me?

ps. thanks sonick for the tidbit of info

 

[JMCIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatmat okay well i've read this whole thread can anybody walk a newbie through cord shortening for this headphone? or can anyone in hong kong help me out and do it for me? ps. thanks sonick for the tidbit of info

www.sumajin.com

Look for the "Smartwrap"

Works like a charm

Just remember - he ships registered mail, so you have ot sign for the damn thing.

 

[murrmax]

I shortened my cord to about half the length, just unscrew the phillipshead screws and desolder cord cut and resolder.