swbf2cheater
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2009
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- 121
( specs taken from dealsdirect )
Not too long ago, I was roaming ebay aimlessly in the late at night when I came across an auction for a mint condition Philips SBC HP 1000 set of headphones with all originals. I was very upset over not having sufficient funds in paypal to bid on it, as the auction only had about an hour and half left. I continued my surfing and was very depressed,as this is a set ive always wanted to own and never listened to before. About an hour later, a family member got up to go to work and came to sit here in my living room. They asked me why i seemed a bit down and I explained, this auction for headphones ive always wanted and are rarely ever listed is about to end, and for a crazy low price. To make a long story short, they loaned me $ and I sprinted to the 24-hour grocery store and picked up a paypal greendot card, added the funds, and bid on this item with 5 minutes left. I won. I was so happy, many reviews said this can was almost as good as the Sennheiser HD580. Well, they were right...sorta
Lets start with packaging. The box is gorgeous inside. The headphones rest right on this soft fabric that has a mold underneath to fit the headphones. Not much else to say, its a basic looking box on the outside, as soon as I opened it i was surprised to see something like that inside...had no clue it was that nice
So lets talk about aesthetics and comfort. In my opinion they are among the best looking cans ever. I've drooled over them for years. The entire set is made of a very thin feeling plastic. It feels very hallow and I see why people say it could break easy. I wouldn't go as far as some others say though, in that it will just randomly pull a Vegeta on me and yell
ITS OVER 9000!!!! and then explode into a ball of flame. Seems like if you dont toss them around they will be just fine. Definitely a substandard quality in the plastics used though. The Grills also feel kind of gradoish, easily bent metal. They are semi open. ANGLED DRIVERS JUST LIKE THE AD700s
*I will be comparing them to the HD580 and the ad700s, as this hp1000 seems like the illegitimate son of both
Having said that, the earpads are a 10/10 in comfort. They are equally as comfortable as the AD700 pads but these are actually circumaurial and do not just cover your ears and a hefty amount of your noggin as the audio technica ad700s do.
They are extremely soft and have a great amount of give. There is almost no clamp what so ever. The ad700s have more clamp factor. They also share the flying wing design. Here in lay a small gripe. The set is heavier than the Ad700s by a solid 25% or so. That headband is a strong piece of metal, the entire top end of the headphones are very heavy, much more heavy than the cups and bottom area so it feels clunkier than the ad700s. The pads on the wings are also not as comfortable or well padded as the AD700 and are attached to a FIXED HEADBAND ADJUSTMENT system. You will notice buttons on each side that you need to press to adjust your band to your liking. The center does not separate like the ad700 do.
If I had to rate them on a scale of 1-10 in terms of comfort, Id give them a solid 8/10. If that headband were a bit lighter and gave a little more, this could very well be the most comfortable set ever made. I'dgive the ad700s a 8.5/10. Both of them evaporate on your head after a few minutes.
Overall Sound quality is excellent. They are a bit more clear sounding than the AD700s. A common statement is that they are closer to the HD 580s. In terms of sound quality, this is untrue. In terms of presentation, this is more true than false. They are VERY Sennheiserish. They are not as forward as the AD700, but they are closer to the HD580 in sound stage, balance and overall presentation. It also changes very well with different amps ( more on this later)
The bass is warm and fuzzy and very much to my liking. It is not exaggerated in the slightest. It's got a hell of a lot more bass than the AD700, but not as much as the Hd600 did. This set is one of the most nicely balanced sets I've ever used in this budget range ( sub $150 ) It is incredibly laid back and and immensely enjoyable. Relaxing. You will never say there is too much of anything going on. Coloration is again, very sennheiser. Direct comparison with the ad700 proves its not nearly as colored sounding.
Soundstage is beautiful and large, very spacious but one thing that I immediately noticed was there is significantly more layering in the HP1000 than the AD700s. Meaning depth in field ( audio ) in front of you. It does not extend as far up or to the side as the ad700, but its got better depth. The stage is less tall than it is wide, but still very wide. I think this soundstage is PERFECT ( for me at least anyway ) Im in love. Its just right. Its not too big and separation is sublime.
Classical, Rock and Metal sound fantastic. Impressive even considering this price tag.
Mids and highs are lush for the lack of a better word, very smooth and again, very forgiving and relaxing. Nothing sticks out more than the other ( highs mids and lows ) at least to my ears. The highs thankfully are not shrilling, and i really do not know what else to say except its not at all fatiguing. High hats and clap sounds are very punchy with a lot of kick to the point of almost needing to blink slightly if volume is set too high.
This set, and a few others that will go unnamed do not have correct ohmage rating. There is no way this set is 32ohm. Neither are the AD700s. both of them are lacking heavily direct from a sansa fuze, something that plays my 32ohm phiaton ms400 with ease and with a lot of kick and volume. The HP1000 is harder to drive than the ad700s, direct comparison with the same gear ( ibasso d1 + fuze/Foobar2000 + flac ) shows the Philips noticeably harder to drive, the same songs compared will sound less loud and have a lot less kick on the HP1000s. The Ibasso D1 by itself in portable mode is not nearly enough to maximize your experience. However, when its hooked up to my pc, the sound improved greatly. The Stage was noticeably wider and more spacious....just like the HD580 would do
I am not too happy about the input into the can, it only supports a 2.5mm adapter. I had hoped it was a 3.5mm as people said it took a standard jack...it doesnt. It also has a bayonet locker like the shures have, a 10ft ribbed for your pleasure jet black cord. The adapter heads on the ad700 and hp1000 are very similar and look and feel almost identical.
Overall I am extremely pleased with them and pray they dont break as easily as people say. They are basically the offspring of the Sennheiser HD580 in terms of presentation, and the AD700 in terms of design. I love them dearly.
The sound quality is not as good as the hd580, and its not as large sounding as the ad700, its stage is a different shape completely. The set was discontinued YEARS ago.
9/10
