[Orel]

Thanks alot for this, I was really happy with the "most recommended by sound signatures" you did for IEMs as it was really useful, think you could make one for these as well?

 

[ljokerl]

Added the Rock-It Sounds R-DJ
 

   
 
(B36) Rock-It Sounds R-DJ
 


 
Brief: DJ-oriented portable headphone from Rock-It Sounds

Price: $75.99 (manufacturer’s page)

Frequency Response: 20-20,000 Hz | Impedance: 64 Ω | Sensitivity: 114 dB SPL/1mW
Form factor: over-the-ear | Space-Saving Mechanism: N/A
Cord: detachable, ~4-6 ft, coiled, I-plug, detachable

Build Quality (8/10): No complaints here – the R-DJ is plasticky on the outside but its construction is no worse than those of many higher-end DJ headphones. The plastics are rubberized and pleasant to the touch. The headband has a wide metal band running through it and metal plates decorate the earcups. The construction is a little tough to fold up but in terms of durability should last the course. The coiled cable is detachable, terminated with an locking connector at the headphone end and an I-plug on the other side. It’s a bit heavy but still very much usable both at home and while on the move.

Comfort (8.5/10): The R-DJ clamps pretty tightly but has thick pads and spacious cups to it’s comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The pleather pads feature handsome white stitching (a-la Skullcandy Mix Master) and the headband pad is amply soft. Those who are sensitive to clamping pressure might be better off with Rock-It Sounds’ similarly-priced R-Studio model but on the whole the R-DJ is very comfortable.

Isolation (8/10): The well-sealing pads and good clamping force put the R-DJ on par with other DJ headphones, such as the Ultrasone PRO450 and Numark PHX, in this regard.

Sound (7.25/10): The sound of the Rock-It Sounds R-DJ is not atypical of a DJ headphone – the headphone has strong bass, slightly less prominent mids, and good treble energy. It’s a slightly v-shaped signature, but an enjoyable one for sure. I preferred the R-DJ to Rock-It Sounds’ similarly-priced R-Studio model for its tighter bass – the R-Studio may be a little less v-shaped in signature but its bass is boomier compared to the R-DJ.

The midrange of the R-DJ is slightly laid back but not overly recessed. The bass is tight enough that bleed is not an issue and while it wasn’t as clear as the rather more thin-sounding Sennheiser HD428, on the whole I did not find the R-DJ to be lacking in clarity for the price.

The treble of the R-DJ has good energy. It’s a little prone to sibilance, but only when sibilance is present on the track. The pricier Creative Aurvana Live! 2 is admittedly a little smoother and more refined, especially at high volumes, but it’s not hugely better than the R-DJ. The Monoprice 8323, on the other hand, is a little too dark in comparison to the Rock-It Sounds set.

The presentation of the R-DJ is pretty wide – almost on par with the HD428 but with better depth, making the Sennheiser unit sound overly distant in comparison. It makes the Monoprice 8323 sound overly closed-in and congested. The R-DJ is not the most precise headphone, but for a sub-$100 enhanced-bass DJ set its imaging is not bad at all.

Value (8.5/10). (MSRP: $75.99; Street Price: $76) The Rock-It Sounds R-DJ is my favorite out of the company’s latest releases, offering up a slightly v-shaped sound signature with ample bass. The sound is a little rough around the edges, but it has no major flaws and is easy to enjoy. The design, likewise, uses a lot of plastic but the R-DJ easily competes with pricier DJ cans in comfort, durability, and isolation. I even like the compact, easy-to-recycle packaging. Overall, an easy recommendation for a versatile DJ-style headphone.

 
 

  Thanks alot for this, I was really happy with the "most recommended by sound signatures" you did for IEMs as it was really useful, think you could make one for these as well?
 

 
It's on the to-do list, along with getting an interactive table up for the headphones as well. Wish I had a larger pool of reviewed headphones to pick from for a signature guide though 

 

 

[Orel]

Awesome review, thanks. Sounds like a good option for this kind of headphones, how do these compare to the HFI-450 in your opinion? Not that I heard them, but they're usually the go-to recommendation at about 110$ in Israel
And do you think Rock It Sounds ship internationally?

 

[Makiah S]

hE DOES/ IEMS AND Portables, sheesh lJoker your a busy man!
 
As an avid Audio Technica and Beyer guy, happy to see you felt the 2 flagships of my fav compnay where on par with the HD 25-1
 
actually I;ve listened to the HD 25-1... isolation scared the crap out me. And they sounded far to cramped in compared to the XB 700 I had at the time... it's for that reason I tend to avoid portable these days
 
although more on topic, I'm happy to hear the Grado iGrado is using the SR 60 drivers... I've contemplated getting one for use at the Gym, anyways what would oyu recommend with the iGrados "sport" headband but maybe more bass... I like the way the headbands fits, it's very work out friendly imo
 
anything else sound simmilar, additionally how is the Sound Stage on the 1350 in comparison to the XB 700? I'm still very much if need of a new Gym can, I used to run in my XB 700, but I could never Bench with it sadly...

 

[ljokerl]

  Awesome review, thanks. Sounds like a good option for this kind of headphones, how do these compare to the HFI-450 in your opinion? Not that I heard them, but they're usually the go-to recommendation at about 110$ in Israel
And do you think Rock It Sounds ship internationally?

 
The HFI-450 was pretty decent but always sounded a little too dark to me. I sold it for that reason. The R-DJ may be a little less smooth but in terms of tonal balance I think they are better – they certainly don’t leave me wanting. From what I remember of the HFI-450 bass quantity/depth and (lack of) midrange emphasis should be similar.
 
And yeah, Rock-It ships internationally for sure.
 

  hE DOES/ IEMS AND Portables, sheesh lJoker your a busy man!
 
As an avid Audio Technica and Beyer guy, happy to see you felt the 2 flagships of my fav compnay where on par with the HD 25-1
 
actually I;ve listened to the HD 25-1... isolation scared the crap out me. And they sounded far to cramped in compared to the XB 700 I had at the time... it's for that reason I tend to avoid portable these days
 
although more on topic, I'm happy to hear the Grado iGrado is using the SR 60 drivers... I've contemplated getting one for use at the Gym, anyways what would oyu recommend with the iGrados "sport" headband but maybe more bass... I like the way the headbands fits, it's very work out friendly imo
 
anything else sound simmilar, additionally how is the Sound Stage on the 1350 in comparison to the XB 700? I'm still very much if need of a new Gym can, I used to run in my XB 700, but I could never Bench with it sadly...

 
Busy and with an enormous backlog..
 
The HD25 has a smaller stage than many other portables. The iGrado was very good except the fit, which didn’t work for me. I will always prefer the SR60 for that reason. I haven’t listened to other behind-the-neck sets for fear that they wouldn’t be any more comfortable, though the set that came with my early-2000s Walkman CD player did not hurt my head the way the iGrados do.
 
The XB700 has a pretty large soundstage – without the ability to compare them directly I would say the DT1350 is less capable in this regard. There are a bunch of promising new portables that I tried at CES – Senn Momentum, Sony MDR-10R, MEElectronics Atlas, Scosche RH600, and Phiaton Fusion all sounded good to me, but I don’t know how many (if any) I’ll get a chance to add to this thread (more info here)
 

 

[MDFMK]

Got the CAL 2's some time ago.  My first pair, unfortunately, was a dud - I'm not sure what was wrong, but the left cup never sounded as if it had a seal.  Bass depth/impact wasn't there and somewhat shrill...definitely not what I was expecting!  Very frustrating considering the same thing happened to me with the Meelec M-Duo not so long ago.  Fortunately, Amazon made replacement/return painless.
 
The replacement pair was just right, however.  Good, solid bass and an energetic but fairly smooth top end with a very reasonable amount of detail overall.  Then there's the comfort - they can be worn for hours without any sort of fatigue.  The Ultrasone HFI-580 is a head vise in comparison.  All said, I'm pretty impressed; the CAL 2's are great consumer cans and they'd be one of my top recommendations to the average listener looking for an alternative to Beats and the like.

 

[ljokerl]

Oh, man, the comfort. I hardly want to take my CAL2 off. 

 

[Darknecron]

  Oh, man, the comfort. I hardly want to take my CAL2 off. 

 
Better than the CAL 1's?

 

[ljokerl]

   
Better than the CAL 1's?

 
Pads are a little fatter but overall about equal. I loved the fit of the CAL1 as well. 

 

[threi]

Have a Superlux HD668B, I really like the sound quality but there are just two things bugging me a little about it:
1. The highs are sligtly too harsh.
2. The low end (not so much midbass but more sub bass) is slightly lacking.
 
I am aware that its a pretty decent analytical headphone for the money but i feel like my ideal headphone would be something (very) slightly warmer. I have enough bass monster headphones to know that i'm not looking for something that is overly boomy though.
 
After doing some research apparently the headphones that come the closest (within my budget) are:
1. Superlux HD681 EVO
2. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S
3. JVC HA-RX700
Im not asking which i'd like better, but rather how each of these three compare to the HD668B (sub-bass, mid-bass, mids, treble, soundstage)
 
(I remember about 3-4 years ago i was in this thread looking at Cobys and JVC Flats haha)

 

[Darknecron]

  Have a Superlux HD668B, I really like the sound quality but there are just two things bugging me a little about it:
1. The highs are sligtly too harsh.
2. The low end (not so much midbass but more sub bass) is slightly lacking.
 
I am aware that its a pretty decent analytical headphone for the money but i feel like my ideal headphone would be something (very) slightly warmer. I have enough bass monster headphones to know that i'm not looking for something that is overly boomy though.
 
After doing some research apparently the headphones that come the closest (within my budget) are:
1. Superlux HD681 EVO
2. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S
3. JVC HA-RX700
Im not asking which i'd like better, but rather how each of these three compare to the HD668B (sub-bass, mid-bass, mids, treble, soundstage)
 
(I remember about 3-4 years ago i was in this thread looking at Cobys and JVC Flats haha)

 
I highly suggest these for comparison as well.  They are a cheaper, yet upgraded, rebrand of these well-known Monoprices, which are constantly compared to the Panasonic HTF600.
 
By "upgraded," I mean they have velour pads and, a sturdier cable, and aluminum side-plates.

 

[threi]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it (although quick research shows that headphone is not quite as cheap in Canada)
 
I forgot to mention that played around with EQ settings and roughly what i'm looking for in a headphone is the 668B but with:
 
around +2dB to +5dB at 20Hz-60Hz
around +1dB at ~150Hz
midrange the exact same
around -2dB to -5dB at 2KHz-20KHz
 
 
...i guess i could just as easily keep my HD668B EQ'd instead of getting a new headphone, but I like to experiment haha.

 

[Darknecron]

...i guess i could just as easily keep my HD668B EQ'd instead of getting a new headphone, but I like to experiment haha.

 
IKR...that's why I have 8 headphones:
 
Panasonic HTF600 - Good
CAL! - AMAZING
JVC HA-S500 - bad, even with mods / EQing.  Not capable of detail.
Marley EM-JH020-MI - Terrible...until you mod / EQ them, to hell.  Then Very Good / Amazing
NVX XPT100 - UNFRIGGINBELIEVABLE
Koss KSC75 - Good for the price
NXG NX-HTDJ - Very Good
Koss KTXPRO1 - Good for the price (better than KSC75, terrible compared to NX-HTDJ)
 
Nothing compared to Joker though. 
 
 
EDIT:  The NX-HTDJ are cheaper on Ebay.

 

[ljokerl]

  Have a Superlux HD668B, I really like the sound quality but there are just two things bugging me a little about it:
1. The highs are sligtly too harsh.
2. The low end (not so much midbass but more sub bass) is slightly lacking.
 
I am aware that its a pretty decent analytical headphone for the money but i feel like my ideal headphone would be something (very) slightly warmer. I have enough bass monster headphones to know that i'm not looking for something that is overly boomy though.
 
After doing some research apparently the headphones that come the closest (within my budget) are:
1. Superlux HD681 EVO
2. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S
3. JVC HA-RX700
Im not asking which i'd like better, but rather how each of these three compare to the HD668B (sub-bass, mid-bass, mids, treble, soundstage)
 
(I remember about 3-4 years ago i was in this thread looking at Cobys and JVC Flats haha)

 
I haven't tried the HD681 but I think the HTF600 fits your needs pretty well - it's less bright than the 668B and has a more filled-out low end. The RX700 sounds a bit muddy compared to the 668B but the HTF600 should do quite well in clarity, detail, and even soundstaging.
 

   
IKR...that's why I have 8 headphones:
 
Panasonic HTF600 - Good
CAL! - AMAZING
JVC HA-S500 - bad, even with mods / EQing.  Not capable of detail.
Marley EM-JH020-MI - Terrible...until you mod / EQ them, to hell.  Then Very Good / Amazing
NVX XPT100 - UNFRIGGINBELIEVABLE
Koss KSC75 - Good for the price
NXG NX-HTDJ - Very Good
Koss KTXPRO1 - Good for the price (better than KSC75, terrible compared to NX-HTDJ)
 
Nothing compared to Joker though. 
 
 
EDIT:  The NX-HTDJ are cheaper on Ebay.

 
Holy crap that's cheap. If they sound the same as the Monoprice set that would be impressive. I've always preferred the HTF600 to the Monoprice though... the latter just sounds congested to me. 

 

[Darknecron]

 
Holy crap that's cheap. If they sound the same as the Monoprice set that would be impressive. I've always preferred the HTF600 to the Monoprice though... the latter just sounds congested to me. 

 
Yep, they are actually cheaper on amazon in the US ($15.70 after shipping).  The first pair I got was defective...everything under 120hz came out of the left earpiece...very strange.  Some kind of impedance mismatch / not enough winds on one of the drivers?  No idea.  I'll be pissed if the second set is defective as well...costs half the headphone's price to send it back.
 
If I get  a good pair, I will do a somewhat-thorough comparison with the HTF600.  The NX-HTDJ's velour pads probably have an effect on their sound, in comparison with the Monoprices (they are the same OEM headphone).