[JamesMcProgger]

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* cough * Shure 440 * cough *

excuse you sir  

 

[dailysmoker]

yep you pay 200 bucks just for the name dr dre  and now ludacris has his own jay-z  p diddy and some even joined forces with skullcandy i mean why do they not team up together with A brands....? or maybe they should stay away from cans at all huh....haha

 

[ljokerl]

 
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Nice. Bit surprised that they don't even bother competing with their own headphone's bang for buck. Do you plan on reviewing some Bose cans too? It may help some young head-fi -ers in convincing their friends that the audio community does not think it's "the best". I really like the conclusion btw. 100% agreed.

I was going to borrow a pair of Bose OEs from my brother but haven't gotten around to it. There's about a dozen cans on the to-do list anyway.


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Nicely put Joker, hopefully it will bust some audio myths.
 
The monster beats look like a rip off. i wouldnt mind paying 80$ for them, maybe 100$ if the ANC works as good as it suppose to. they look nice, but that is about it. ... 275?! wow, one can get a serious headphone for that money.. 
 
and whats the deal with the specs? are they scared someone might find out something or maybe they dont know its own headphone specs...?

I expected the Studios to be way better than the Solos based on what I've read but they just aren't. I mean they are better on the whole but they have the same exact flaws. 
 
Monster has never published the specs of its products. It's not customary but I don't really have a problem with it. Considering Monster's target market, it's actually quite understandable since the average shopper has no idea what the numbers mean. As I see it, manufacturers have two choices when it comes to dealing with the pseudo-savvy consumer - lower the dB cutoff point for the frequency response the way Sony and JVC do, ending up with ridiculous numbers sure to catch anyone's eye, or not publish the specs at all. 
 
 

Quote:

yep you pay 200 bucks just for the name dr dre  and now ludacris has his own jay-z  p diddy and some even joined forces with skullcandy i mean why do they not team up together with A brands....?

You mean like AKG Quincy Jones Signature? 
 
Way I see it, cans are cans. If a manufacturer can put an artist's name on them and sell more without making the price unreasonable, all the more power to them. If the headphone is poor to start with, no celebrity endorsement will save it.

 

[Seidhepriest]

Bose? Monster? /me carefully treads around in a heat-resistant suit...

 

[K.J.]

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 There's about a dozen cans on the to-do list anyway.

Is the TMA-1 on that list?

 

[EndlessMike]

OP, you have to try the Beats Studios.
 
I hear they are actually good but overpriced.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

OP, you have to try the Beats Studios.
 
I hear they are actually good but overpriced.

Can you read the title of the thread?

 

[mcnoiserdc]

Well, I hated the muddy music changing solo, but for me Beats Studio is decent... I'm surprised joker finds it just a bit better than the solo...

 

[ljokerl]

 
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Bose? Monster? /me carefully treads around in a heat-resistant suit...

Originally, the idea was to give newcomers a point of reference but I really don't mind reviewing that stuff. There's plenty of garbage made by 'audiophile' brands as well.

 
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Is the TMA-1 on that list?

Sadly, no.
 


Quote:

Can you read the title of the thread?

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Well, I hated the muddy music changing solo, but for me Beats Studio is decent... I'm surprised joker finds it just a bit better than the solo...

Lol I rated them higher originally but the ANC hiss started driving me up the wall. I am probably more sensitive than most people but I don't think I could live with them. Say what you will about the Solo but at least they don't do that... Also, the Studios are not exactly crystal-clear either - just a bit better than the $40 Senn PX90 I've been using (while the Solos are just a bit worse) so not really good enough for $275.

 

[neverover]

Hey guys,
 
I had read your reviews carefully and I was looking for a headphone for mainstream pop songs (Kesha, gaga, and the likes). Which one suited the most for that genre? Because pop nowadays have a very bad engineered songs. They tend to have low bass and over-pierced high. I used to listen to them with Sennheiser MX980, but I found the bass to be lacking much and the highs is a bit too much. I had tried the HD 25 II but it can handle the songs highs. So now, I narrowed my choices to B&W P5 and Creative Aurvana Live. Or is there any other options? I won't use them with any amplifier as it would be portable (this excludes M50 for its telephone cable) and will be put inside my small postman bag.
 
Thanks

 

[Napilopez]

 
Quote:

Originally, the idea was to give newcomers a point of reference but I really don't mind reviewing that stuff. There's plenty of garbage made by 'audiophile' brands as well.

Amen to that.

Anyway Joker, though I know you might be backed up and spending money on a lot of headphones is... expensive, just thought I should suggest you check out the Samson SR850 or Superlux 668B(apparently they share the same driver and definitely have very similar housings) if you get the chance. I wrote some quick impressions on the Samson earlier on the full size forum. They're available for just $37 on Amazon, and around 50-60 in most other places, but they easily compete with every headphone under $200 I've tried. If you guys check out
 
Though they are easily driven, whether or not they're portable is a bit of a stretch, as they don't isolate tremendously, the cable is a bit on the longer side and the headphones are rather large(they look like AKG Sextetts). They are meant to be studio monitors, after all.

Still, I feel like many people look to this thread for guidance, not necessarily caring if the headphones are extremely portable, and so I should inform them of what I think is a tremendous value. The Samson's have a frequency response that's just a bit on the V-shaped side of things, but all frequencies are clearly presented. Overall the sound signature reminds me of the M50 from memory, although I haven't been able to compare directly. Sufficiently close to neutral while still being very fun.

Simply put, they put out quality sound you would not expect from the price. But it's not just the frequency response, and it's not just the psychological impression the low price makes. They handily beat out the Denon D1100s I recently bought. Although I can see some preferring the super-energetic frequency response of the Denons, in terms of quality I think it's really quite clear the Samson's win. I can hear detail in the treble that I simply could wasn't present at all with the Denons, despite the highs being much more in your face with the Denons. The less exaggerated bass is more textured to my ears, extending as low and more linearly, while still retaining hefty impact for any genre. The mids are smoother on the Samsons. The imaging is better, the soundstage is wider, the presentation is more transparent. I honestly cannot think of one area of sound where the Denon's "win" in terms of audio quality.
 
Obviously this is just one model I'm comparing the Samson to, but it is a highly acclaimed one which I thought beat out its venerable predecessor, the D1001. I don't want to compare the Samson to the M50 too much because I haven't A/Bd them and won't be able to for a while, but at least out of my gear I'm willing to say they are on the same tier. They're comfortable and the build isn't too shabby either.

 

[tyoung8]

Or to cut it short... Joker would you be able to review the Samson SR 850 please?  

  Or the even cheaper Superlux 681? 

 
http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-hd668b/
 
Thanks.

 

[Napilopez]

Or to cut it short... Joker would you be able to review the Samson SR 850 please?  

  Or the even cheaper Superlux 681? 

 
http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-hd668b/
 
Thanks.

Hahah thanks for that, my excitement got the best of me. I'd send him mine to review if I had anything else to use at the time.

 

[EndlessMike]

My bad; I actually meant the Beats Pro.
 
OP you gotta try Beats Pro.
 
Quote:

Quote:

OP, you have to try the Beats Studios.
 
I hear they are actually good but overpriced.

Can you read the title of the thread?

 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

you mean there are 3 kinds of beats? and one more expensive than the other?! ....
 
and as much as I like my Superlux HD668b, i dont think it qualifies as a "portable" headphone