[Shure or bust]

Na from NYC. Hopefully the mic works.

 

[Bansaku]

  I picked up a pair of psb M4U 2's for $160 on ebay. I highly doubt Oppo pm3 is worth the $250 increase imo. I just bought a master and dynamic boom mic to test out with them. Should arrive soon.

Nice find!

 

[pbeg7]

I know right/you're welcome . They were rotting in my room so Im glad someone else will appreciate 'em . If psb ever makes an open back, sign me up.

 

[Murphity]

For anyone looking in the future, don't worry about the build quality. It's very, very solid, and if there were issues of cracking, it has probably been fixed now. The hinges and metal, so those are pretty solid, and the plastic is much stronger than it looks.

 

[ahmonge]

Waiting for the M4U1s to arrive. They will be powered by Fiio x5 II. My main can is a Stax 303, so I appreciate a neutral signature. I'll give my first impressions soon.

Thanks to all participants to this thread for the information provided.

 

[Vero Golf Champ]

Sold my M4U1 a couple of months ago as ultimately they were just too bass shy for my taste. Not easy finding cans which reconcile my basshead tendencies and audiophile desires for the money I want to spend. Unlike some I'm not a collector. I just want a handful of 'phones to meet my various listening needs.

Other than the soft bass and clunky plastic design I thought the PSBs were very good for what I paid (NZD200 / USD140). Good comfort and isolation and a great soundstage. As for build quality I handled them with kid gloves and didn't even fold them up, yet I noticed a tiny crack which appeared in the plastic headband. The Sonys in the pic below have also gone. They had bass for africa, but it lacked quality.

 

[Bansaku]

They had bass for africa, but it lacked quality.

 

Sorry to hear the PSBs didn't do it for you. As for the crack, I man-handle mine, even picking them up by one cup and plopping them down on my hard desk and the only visual abnormalities are from my laziness to wipe my fingerprints off. The problem with plastics is that it doesn't take much to mess things up during manufacturing and nobody would ever notice until someone's break's in the wild. I would have gladly paid extra to have the head band more like the NAD VISO HP50. 

 
 
I have to ask, did you edit the line I quoted? Perhaps I misread it before work but I don't recall seeing "lacked quality". Seeing the Sonys' sitting there in your pict and you mentioning they had bass for Africa, to me was "Challenge accepted". You see, them Sonys you have pictured are on demo at my work, and seeing how Africa has been a favourite song of mine since I was a wee one I just had to give them a listen during my break. One word: Barf! Ya, they had bass alright, but man was it garbage in quality. The Black Web on ears sitting a few headphones down, Walmart's house brand, had way better definition albeit greatly lacking in quantity. I do have to talk to someone at work because I realized that what is on demo has been on demo for a very long time! 

 

 

[Vero Golf Champ]

Maybe my PSBs were old stock manufactured before they fixed the issue with the plastic. I only paid NZD200 and recouped most of that when I sold them. Great cans, just not if you're a basshead.

I didn't edit the line about the wireless Sony MDR XB950BT. I mostly used them for walking the dog and other portable duties. Always had the bass boost on and for quite some time I thought they were fantastic. It was only after I got a decent home rig that I started to hear the issues such as looseness, distortion and reverberation. Better with bass boost off, but still not great compared to the hard hitting, deep, tight and well textured low frequencies I was getting from the SMS Street on ear. The big Sonys were pretty good in other respects I thought, and super comfy. You need a source with aptX and the correct launch sequence for optimum SQ. Plus I liked the way the headband was designed to hug the head, unlike the awkward looking Denon AH-D600s I picked up recently. No biggie as they're for home use.

 

[Murphity]

You probably did get them before they fixed it, but who knows. I'm pretty rough on my PSB M4U1, and they still look fine, except for the scratches. I also haven't heard of many recent buyers having the the plastic issue.

 

[ahmonge]

Does it mean that the HP breaks into pieces? Is the crack issue that bad?

 

[Murphity]

I'm going to be honest man, I don't know. If you're looking to buy it, then you don't need to worry. They've def. fixed the issue by now, and even if it does (somehow) come up, the warranty lasts 2 years. I think it's generally a small crack that spreads, at which point most people just send it back to be replaced.

 

[ahmonge]

I'm going to be honest man, I don't know. If you're looking to buy it, then you don't need to worry. They've def. fixed the issue by now, and even if it does (somehow) come up, the warranty lasts 2 years. I think it's generally a small crack that spreads, at which point most people just send it back to be replaced.

Thanks, Raymond. I've already ordered it and expect to get it today.

 

[ahmonge]

Well, my M4U1 are here! Getting to know each other. Just some initial impressions.

Great isolation and absence of leakage, exactly what I was looking for. My Fiio X5 II DAP runs them easily (High gain, volume level 45-55 out of 120) Clamping force a bit too high but not unconfortable. Soundwise I prefer to let them run for awhile before sauing anything, but there are strong and weak points out of the box. Anyway, much better than B&W P3, my current closed portable HP that will be sent to oblivion. I whish to thank all you head-fiers for your great informatn and help; without you I would not have found these great cans, almost unknown here in Spain.

 

[Bansaku]

Well, my M4U1 are here! Getting to know each other. Just some initial impressions.

Great isolation and absence of leakage, exactly what I was looking for. My Fiio X5 II DAP runs them easily (High gain, volume level 45-55 out of 120) Clamping force a bit too high but not unconfortable. Soundwise I prefer to let them run for awhile before sauing anything, but there are strong and weak points out of the box. Anyway, much better than B&W P3, my current closed portable HP that will be sent to oblivion. I whish to thank all you head-fiers for your great informatn and help; without you I would not have found these great cans, almost unknown here in Spain.

Good to hear! Looking forward to your impressions after breaking them in. I do highly recommend purchasing an upgraded cable; If you have been reading far enough back you know my gripe with the cheap no-thought pack in cable that is equal in quality to a Dollar-store 3.5mm interconnect. Just make sure one plug is sIim enough or made of a material that you can easily shave a few millimetres off, or drop me a PM and we can arrange for me to make you one.
 

 

[ahmonge]

Good to hear! Looking forward to your impressions after breaking them in. I do highly recommend purchasing an upgraded cable; If you have been reading far enough back you know my gripe with the cheap no-thought pack in cable that is equal in quality to a Dollar-store 3.5mm interconnect. Just make sure one plug is sIim enough or made of a material that you can easily shave a few millimetres off, or drop me a PM and we can arrange for me to make you one.

Thanks, Bansaku. I'll look into cables soon.