[RockStar2005]

Yeah exactly. When they compared the XZ3 to Note 9 (and others, though I think the others are unfair cuz they're 2017 phones), the XZ3 JUST missed beating the Note 9 ONLY really cuz of low light, which in some cases it was still better, just not on average. I think it was damn good, and the XZ2 P better, but with the XZ4/N1 having a triple lens setup + OIS (f'ing FINALLY! lol......this will improve low light shots per the experts) + better sensors + better software............I believe it will be a force to contend with! And I hope THIS TIME f'ing DxOMark ACTUALLY rates it. They haven't done a camera evaluation or analysis on ANY Xperia cameras since the XZ Premium, which came out like almost 2 years ago! Seriously, they better!

Yeah man............I had the phone for 2 weeks, so I can definitely verify that the XZ3's display was f'ing phenomenal! I'm sure the XZ4/N1's will be even better, even if it's not 4K HDR (just QHD HDR OLED, which is what the XZ3's was). I really hated having to return that phone. haha

Yeah recent articles said Sony Mobile got one of Sony's Camera Dept's TOP guys to come over to Sony Mobile to oversee how they implement them on their phones, and Don Mesa (top guy at Sony or Sony Mobile) even said they are "taking camera even more seriously now on their phones" as well. lol

Interesting video. But why they say XZ3 had a 4K HDR OLED screen? It had a QHD HDR (aka 2.5K) OLED. But everything else was on point!

 

[aertus]

Yeah exactly. When they compared the XZ3 to Note 9 (and others, though I think the others are unfair cuz they're 2017 phones), the XZ3 JUST missed beating the Note 9 ONLY really cuz of low light, which in some cases it was still better, just not on average. I think it was damn good, and the XZ2 P better, but with the XZ4/N1 having a triple lens setup + OIS (f'ing FINALLY! lol......this will improve low light shots per the experts) + better sensors + better software............I believe it will be a force to contend with! And I hope THIS TIME f'ing DxOMark ACTUALLY rates it. They haven't done a camera evaluation or analysis on ANY Xperia cameras since the XZ Premium, which came out like almost 2 years ago! Seriously, they better!

Yeah man............I had the phone for 2 weeks, so I can definitely verify that the XZ3's display was f'ing phenomenal! I'm sure the XZ4/N1's will be even better, even if it's not 4K HDR (just QHD HDR OLED, which is what the XZ3's was). I really hated having to return that phone. haha

Yeah recent articles said Sony Mobile got one of Sony's Camera Dept's TOP guys to come over to Sony Mobile to oversee how they implement them on their phones, and Don Mesa (top guy at Sony or Sony Mobile) even said they are "taking camera even more seriously now on their phones" as well. lol

Interesting video. But why they say XZ3 had a 4K HDR OLED screen? It had a QHD HDR (aka 2.5K) OLED. But everything else was on point!

how was the xz3 in the hand? Did it feel bulky? Or was i comfortable to hold.

I wish i could see the xz3 display everyone says its amazing but i wish i could see it in person even on videos it looks really nice. Xz3 is a great phone especially and only if you can get it on a big discount which it should be as all sony phones do so after a while it would be a good competition against oneplus6t.

at least this guy reviews sony phones
--------
HOLY crap IF TRUE
looks like sony might be going all out on the smartphone arena :O https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz4_specs_leak__65inch_oled_4400mah_battery-news-35301.php
https://www.gsmarena.com/rumor_sony_xperia_xz4_to_have_52mp_sensor-news-35312.php

holy crap. If sony mobile closes they will go down with a bang.

 

[RockStar2005]

how was the xz3 in the hand? Did it feel bulky? Or was i comfortable to hold.

I wish i could see the xz3 display everyone says its amazing but i wish i could see it in person even on videos it looks really nice. Xz3 is a great phone especially and only if you can get it on a big discount which it should be as all sony phones do so after a while it would be a good competition against oneplus6t.

at least this guy reviews sony phones
--------
HOLY **** IF TRUE
looks like sony might be going all out on the smartphone arena :O https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz4_specs_leak__65inch_oled_4400mah_battery-news-35301.php
https://www.gsmarena.com/rumor_sony_xperia_xz4_to_have_52mp_sensor-news-35312.php

holy crap. If sony mobile closes they will go down with a bang.

Ok here is the XZ3 vs. Mate 20 Pro comparison vid he promised. He did a really great job if you ask me. I really wish the XZ4/N1 gets a WIDE angle photo lens, but I don't think it will. That's one I feature I loved on my LG V30, and the Mate 20 Pro has it as well. I'd actually prefer that over the telephoto lens, but looks like the XZ4/N1's 3rd lens will be telephoto.

I thought it felt great actually (XZ3). I was VERY happy with that phone! No not bulky to me. Comfortable? Yes.

Well call some of the local Best Buy stores near you. At least one of them SHOULD have one available to check out on display. One by me usually gets the newest Xperias and displays them. Or if none, then try any other major electronics store near you like Frye's, New Egg, etc etc. Yeah it is amazing. That was a real strong point of the XZ3, the display. Yeah videos were nice too, which comes from being QHD AND HDR too, as well as OLED, which is much better now than it was in the past. Yeah for a discount it's great, but again, the camera wasn't great as I'd mentioned extensively already. Some ppl are more picky about the camera quality too than others, so if someone isn't, then it would be great I guess.

With regards to your video.............. thanks for sharing! He made some great points there too. The Face Unlock on the 6T is def superior the Google one that Sony still uses, but having front-facing STEREO speakers is great too, plus no notch! (Though in reality the notch doesn't bug me all THAT much.)

And with regards to your 2 links..............yeah I'm reading diff info on the actual battery size of the XZ4/N1, and all of them are around 4000 mAh. If it's even 3900 or higher, I'll be very happy as the XZ3's was only 3300 mAh but still got a 90 hour battery life rating on GSM Arena, which I believe has the most accurate way of measuring battery life. I really like that I keep hearing 128 GBs of storage space and not 256. I personally don't need 256, and I know that would just drive the price up. 128 is PERFECT for me! lol As for the 52 MP camera, I've been hearing that too. But like the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro, the Sony Xperia phones will take that higher resolution pic and DOWNSAMPLE (NOT downgrade) it to like 10 MPs, but it will still stem from that original higher res pic. I think in most cases you won't be able to tell the difference from the original, but I've never done an extensive comparison, or at least not recently. lol

Oh and speaking of GSM arena.......they JUST posted a new preliminary specs page for the XZ4. Looks good, though I DEFINITELY will dispute the FS being rear-mounted. I am fairly certain after seeing many reliable leaks that it will be on the side like it used to be and WHERE IT BELONGS!! lol Oh and a SINGLE main camera?? GTFOHH!! lol No f'ing way!! Doesn't seem too reliable right now unfortunately, but I'm sure they will update it after MWC.

 

[RockStar2005]

https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_video_teases_phones_with_3d_tof_cameras-news-35343.php

"There are entertainment opportunities too, like shooting robots with finger guns (1:15). Such a phone can also help you shop (1:50) by giving you the exact dimensions of things you’re considering (e.g. will my iPad fit in this handbag?)."

That's pretty awesome, the shopping one.

 

[aertus]

my friend got the s9plus over the xz3 which i told him to get. Honestly i can't blame him not many people are gonna buy Sony when its priced so highly and still not the best phone you can get competitively. They either need to put more or undercut other companies like oneplus does.

Most of sony profits came from its movies and music industry. So it makes you wonder if there is still a future for sony electronics.

52mp sounds pretty crazy but i think sonys sensors, lenses on the xz4 is going to be the best in the world. and the software well we know they are getting the best from their actual camera division. Sony is pushing hard on a lot of things but sometimes i wonder if its a little too late.

 

[RockStar2005]

my friend got the s9plus over the xz3 which i told him to get. Honestly i can't blame him not many people are gonna buy Sony when its priced so highly and still not the best phone you can get competitively. They either need to put more or undercut other companies like oneplus does.

Most of sony profits came from its movies and music industry. So it makes you wonder if there is still a future for sony electronics.

52mp sounds pretty crazy but i think sonys sensors, lenses on the xz4 is going to be the best in the world. and the software well we know they are getting the best from their actual camera division. Sony is pushing hard on a lot of things but sometimes i wonder if its a little too late.

Yeah man. I would've told him the same thing. lol The camera killed it for me. Yeah, it was amazing for daylight outdoor shots and selfies, but indoor and low-light, nope. I see some of these camera reviews and I have to assume they are in Pro Mode b/c the quality is better than what I got. But F Pro Mode! lol I'm done with that stuff. I wanna just point & click, then go on with my life. lol

We'll find out aertus. I too worry it might be too late, but that doesn't mean it is for sure. One issue I'd like to see corrected is..............on the XZ3, in video comparison on YouTube, I've noticed a trend where the XZ3 tends to in MOST (but not all) cases overexpose light and/or skyline. Where another camera would not do that and you can see all the details of clouds, sun, etc, the XZ3 in most cases would overexpose those parts and the picture suffers for it overall. So I REALLY hope they make sure the XZ4 doesn't do that. We'll see. lol I'll DEF be checking reviews as soon as they're available, or just buy it and evaluate it myself.

In other news.............I LIKE this new term they've patented. It's catchy, and explains the significance of the 21:9 screen ratio all in one shot! Good marketing there Sony Mobile! lol

 

[RockStar2005]

21:9 ftw........................................

http://www.xperiablog.net/2019/02/18/sony-says-embrace-a-new-perspective-in-mwc-tease/

 

[akg fanboy]

Alight boys, I compiled a list of headphones I've used over the years and my thoughts/ratings about them. Will update if I get to try more out in the future.
Ratings are primarily based on sound and value proposition.


OPEN BACKS


AKG K240 (9/10)- Mini k7xx series, comparable to hd598, incredibly coherent and agreeable sound, crossover between a k601 and hd598. lacking a little bass, a little less treble than hd598
AKG K240 Sextett (8/10)- Not all that different from a normal k240, didnt spend too much time, didn't impress for the hype it held, a bit more bass than normal k240.
AKG K245 (6/10)- Not at all comparable to the k240 predecessor, a completely different headphone. Great bass, akg mids are gone, soundstage is very small. A shame to even call these open back.
AKG K601 (9/10)- 7xx series with a more mids in 2khz region but slight dip in upper mids region as trade off. A bit less soundstage and bass too. Just sounds fun and pleasant, if you like the b&o h6, wish the akg 7xx series had a tad more 2khz presence, this is for you.
AKG Q701 (10/10)- The best headphone under $700, change my mind. Soundstage is the widest of any headphone, only losing to the almighty hd800. A lot of headphones can have a wide soundstage, but very few can do it with the insane instrument separation the akgs offer. Tons of detail, not too fatiguing like a beyerdynamic, supreme upper mids, and a good amount of mid bass. Not for bass heads. K702 is basically the same headphone without bumps on the headband
AKG Q701 Bass Modded (8.5/10)- Adds more mid bass, I'd imagine it sounds similar to a k7xx or k712. Loses some air and soundstage. I much prefer the unmolested q701 in its natural form. Still a great sounding headphone with the same basic sound, but the trade off sacrifices some of the akg sound for the sake of bass. I am a big believer that "modding" headphones makes them sound worse than they were originally designed for.
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Beyerdynamic T1 (7/10)- Upper mids has a typical beyer dip, combined with sharp treble makes instruments unflattering to listen to when compared against the q701, it is like a more detailed q701 with the upper mids taken out, and a tad less soundstage. They are less musical but somehow also less reference as well.... It does offer superb imaging though, which the q701 by no means lacks. IMO, a downgrade.... sidegrade at best to the almighty q701.
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Grado SR80e (9/10)- Sounds great, amazing for metal, rock, classical, jazz. Treble can be fatiguing over time, but overall highly recommend. Soundstage is pretty small but doesn't sound anemic or congested like darker or v-shaped open backs. Much more engaging and balanced sounding than any anemic audio technica, if you love the AT msr7, the grados are an open back version of that but upgraded in every way possible, minus the anemic bass of the AT.
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Hifiman HE-560 (9/10)- Reference open back, the best quality bass I've ever heard and incredibly linear hard hitting bass, mids a touch withdrawn, and treble slightly north. Soundstage is very wide for a planar, only issue is the weight.
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Monoprice HR-5 open (7/10)- Think of the brainwavz hm5/other rebrands, but with more air due to the open back nature but surprisingly not a whole lot more soundstage, but more mid bass. Mids are not as intimate sounding, pretty solid for the price, however for the first time, I prefer a closed back over an open back. The closed back sounds less congested due to the more natural mid bass presentation and better sounding mids. I had high expectations thinking these would be an hm5 but better in every way, but this simply isn't the case. Pretty good headphone for the price on its own though.
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Philips SHP9500 (9/10)- This headphone is very similar to the hd598. I immediately liked it as soon as I put it on my head. The soundstage is a good size, treble has just enough air, mids/upper mids are slightly up front, bass is slightly above neutral and hits deep when the track calls for (it has more bass than q701). I was formerly opposed to trying this after people have said it's basically a mini hd600. But I remember owning the Philips s2 iem which had a great tonal balance, I gave it a shot, and after trying it, I must say anyone comparing it to the hd600 is dead wrong, these do not sound alike and the shp9500 is definitely the superior headphone. More detail, better mids, larger sounstage, less clamping force, more comfortable, third of the price. These are no longer in production so the price has been going back up again. But for the price of roughly $70 you can get these on sale, it's a no brainer. There is a peak around 9-10khz that can make cymbals abrasive sounding in certain tracks, but otherwise no issue. These are a must get as a first audiophile headphone, and are also supremely comfortable through long hours as a bonus, so ignore what everyone says about the ear pads as I rank these top 5 in comfort. After longer listening, I find myself constantly turning the volume up with these, even though the frequency response has no severe dips and the treble is actually a bit forward, the transparency is somewhat veiled sounding, especially noticeable in vocals.
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Sennheiser HD 598 (8.5/10)- Mini k7xx series, very coherent and agreeable sound, solid all around. Value proposition isn't there when a k612 or k7xx can be had for the same price or a little more.
Sennheiser HD 600 (7/10)- Slightly dark sounding, mids take a small step back, the slight treble drop off makes them the uncanny valley of not dark but not neutral either. Decent detail, but not anywhere near the hype these get
Sennheiser HD 700 (8/10)- The only v-shaped headphone I like, treble is definitely sharper than q701. mids are definitely dipped, bass hits with just the right amount added punch. Similar soundstage size to q701
Sennheiser HD 800 (10/10)- The end game headphone, nothing can touch it for soundstage and detail, it does everything right that the T1 failed to do, in a completely different league above hd700. Compared to q701, it has more treble and the mids are toned down. Bass quantity is similar, but quality is a completely different league. IMO, the only true upgrade to the q701. HD 800 > HD 800s. Feel like this is an old q701 vs q701 bass modded comparison again, sacrificing soundstage, air, and detail for some more bass just isn't worth it IMO.
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Sony MA900 (7/10)- Smooth, mellow, dark sound, with some muddy sounding bass. Not boomy, but definitely somewhat muddy in the mid bass section. Soundstage is impressively large for something so dark. Very light and comfortable but the headband does create a pressure point on the top of your head over time.
Sony MDR-F1 (5/10)- The shure se535 of headphones, no upper mids, no treble, no bass, sounds very dull and congested. Soundstage is very wide, maybe more than ma900 but less than q701. This taught me that too much mids is a bad thing, these are the definition of n-shaped sound. This is a podcast headphone, not a music headphone. Probably the most sensitive headphones of all time, even more so than some iems, this one needs a good source for sure. Comfort kings



___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


CLOSED BACKS


AKG N90Q (9/10) The only closed backs I'd say are clearly better than the hm5. Compared against hm5, the bass extension is incredibly linear and the treble is a bit toned down. The best tonality in any closed back I ever tried, in fact, these are the only headphones I have ever tried closed or open that would have absolutely no benefit from EQing, EQing these are flat out useless. Everything is incredibly coherent, bass extends like no other and is dead flat with no drop offs, mids are flat and transparent, treble is detailed and flat. Genre master, everything sounds good on these. These succeeded in what the NAD HP50 missed when emulating the Harman frequency response target. These are a true reference headphone that does not require elevated bass levels, or forward treble to enhance detail, everything is there without emphasized frequencies, and that's how you know these are on a different level compared to most closed backs. The only downsides functionality wise, are the NC cannot be turned off and these cannot be used with a dead battery. They are also pretty heavy/not the most comfortable in the world. Sound wise, there are zero flaws, only issue is the soundstage is pretty small like with most Harman target tuned responses. There are 3 presets, normal, 2.1 and 7.1, the 7.1 mode actually sounds decent unlike any other surround mode I've tried, but I still prefer the normal or 2.1. With the largest 7.1 surround mode, they gain a noticeable amount of soundstage but they still are no soundstage kings. The headphones can also adjust the frequency to best match your individual earshape, to ensure they give you the best sound regardless of individual discrepancies. This is a great product with several mistakes in terms of executions. Sound wise, no compromises besides soundstage. If the best frequency tonality is what you're after, these are the end games, no questions asked.
AKG N60 NC (3/10)- Avoid; bass monsters, fairly muddy sounding, these are not akgs
AKG K72 (4/10)- Hollow sounding mids, borderline v-shaped, overall not worth it, even in its price range. Sure you can EQ it to make it sound amazing, but same can be said with almost any headphone with a decent enough driver.
AKG K551 (7/10)- Pretty good soundstage, lacks mid bass, treble is forward, not beyer/ultrasone forward but still forward nonetheless. Pressure point on top of head. A better msr7, but not miles better.
AKG Y50 (9/10)- These come in wired and bluetooth versions. These are probably the most underrated closed back akgs of all time. They sound amazing for the price, I had such low hopes after seeing how bad the rest of the closed back akg's, especially any modern post harman akg are. They are very cheap these days, and it's one of the few headphones where I put them on and my brain just said YES. I instantly fell in love with these. Soundstage is fairly good, incredible for an on ear, or maybe it's just the superb instrument separation akg is known for. Just buy these. Bass is strong but very controlled and still very coherent, everything is so coherent, clear sounding, mids are beautiful, and treble is forward but it isn't overly forward. This is the last "modern" akg headphone with the akg signature sound. If you could combine an akg with a grado, then morph them into an on ear closed back, you would spawn this headphone. They sound a bit worse in BT mode
________________________________________________
Audio Technica M50x (7.5/10)- Not a bad headphone, bass slightly emphasized, mids a tad withdrawn, treble is forward. dt770 has a larger soundstage
Audio Technica MSR7 (5/10)- Zero bass, very good mids, even better upper mids, sharp overpowering treble that becomes worse due to the lack of any bass. Think of the frequency response as a slope that just gets higher as you get into the higher frequencies. And as typical of audio technica, there is little soundstage too. Hard pass.
Audio Technica W5000 (8/10)- The frankenstein of a t1 and mdr f1. Bass is neutralish, sub bass drops off, mids are forward and nicely textured, upper mids has a fairly large dip, however, everything still sounds coherent for the most part, and no sharp annoyances or hollow sound, treble is somewhat north. Pretty sensitive, so needs a good source. The headband design of audio technica is terrible and offers little comfort. Do you hate it when headphones have a pressure point right on the top of your head? Well this will make 2 pressure points to distract you even further. With all that said, I like the sound. Audio technica really needs to make another headphone like this.
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Beats (3/10)- Mixr and solo 2/3; avoid, bass cannons, newer ones are less muddy but still have some mud nonetheless and the bass overpowers everything. no fun at all. Refer to meze 99 if you love bass but still love quality sound.
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Beyerdynamic DT 770 (9/10)- Excellent sounding, better than graphs suggest, u-shaped and balanced enough for studio
Beyerdynamic DT 1770 (7.5/10)- A dt770 with a bit better bass, still well within reasonable,. Mids are hollow sounding which enables probably one of the largest soundstage in a headphone you can get. Definitely not a reference or studio quality headphone, but pretty unique sounding.
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Brainwavz HM5 (10/10)- The best reference closed back headphone. Nothing sounds bad on this, it's neutral sounding without ever being boring. Soundstage is wide, the only thing to note is that most headphones have bass that spreads out wide, but the bass on these hit directly in the middle of the image. A unique trait to these headphones, not a good or bad thing, just something to note. They won't blow your mind away the first time you try them, but the more time I spend with it, and the more I compare it against others, the more I grow to love these headphones.
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Blue Satellite (6/10)- The noise cancellation is weak, bass is the dominate frequency, soundstage isn't very large, details are fine. Nothing spectacular. Overpriced for what it is.
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Bose QC 35 (7.5/10)- Not bad sounding, bass isn't as forward as some might suggest, forgot exactly how they sound but it was pretty balanced sounding and average. Didn't engage me nor disgust me. Noise cancellation is superb.
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B&O H6 (8/10)- Pleasant sounding, coherent sound, definitely colored, the upper mids are withdrawn which makes them short of perfect. These are pretty much on ear headphones, so they make your ears pretty warm, not exactly comfort kings
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Hifiman Edition S (3/10)- Awful v-shaped headphone that sounds incredibly congested even with the sharp treble. The open back just adds more mid bass and makes things more congested. The headband puts no pressure on the top of your head, a superb design, but very uncomfortable on the side of your head.
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KEF Space One (6.7/10)- I gave these a shot as I am a huge fan of the KEF sound in their speakers. This is basically a better MSR7 at a lower price; bass is much more present but still neutral, not boosted at all, yet not lacking like the msr7. What they failed at, is they tried to emulate the frequency response of their speaker line... it has the classic KEF speaker sound of great mid presence and beautiful upper mids, not too different from an AKG when comparing to the headphone world. The bass is fully present and not boosted at all, the problem lies in the fact that these are headphones, so the treble gets very irritating as the headphones are right on your head. The treble has a very sharp peak in the 6-7khz region and makes everything sound a lot more tinny/sibilant sounding than it should be. It also takes away from the body of the mids, and ruins what would have been a stellar headphone. EQ the 6-7khz region down and add a tiny bit more 1khz, and these suddenly become incredible headphones. The soundstage is small, not as tiny as the nad hp50, but still pretty far down there, and comfort isn't good either. These are only worth it if you are fine with EQ.
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Meze 99 /Neo (8/10)- This is essentially hi-fi beats, bass is the star of the show, but mids and treble are still fully present and well represented. Definitely the heaviest of bass around the corner, but without sounding muddy, not my cup of tea but if you want bass, this is it. Not as high quality as they may look, sometimes creaks when you put them on.
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NAD HP50 (7.5/10)- Exactly how Nad intended it to sound, a speaker like frequency response in a headphone, follows the updated Harman response curve well and in return ends up sounding very well. Soundstage is very small and bass is a tad north of neutral, mids sound somewhat hollow though. Overall very solid for the price.
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Sennheiser HD 598 CS (10/10)- Probably one of the best closed back headphones under $800. Closed backs in general have a very compromised sound compared to open backs, even the best closed backs are no match for a decent open back. The soundstage is artificial and mids are not natural sounding due to the design flaw of closed backs in general. The 598cs strikes some of the best compromise of soundstage and mids in a closed back, it has some of the best sounding mids implementation and still has a good soundstage; something closed backs have always struggled with (mind you it still isn't completely natural sounding but the best compromise I have heard on a closed back). Unlike a Shure product or the Sony mdr f1; headphones with good mids and sounstage, these do it in a way where it actually sounds good and without sacrificing treble/bass quality while doing so. A very free flowing and uncongested sound. To top it off, these are pretty lightweight and have very soft low clamp earpads. The distribution of weight is very even which make for a very rare and comfortable full sized closed back headphone.
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Sonus Faber Pryma (9/10)- These have a sound signature similar to the b&o h6, if you like the h6, you will love these. Unlike the h9i which changes the sound signature and adds more treble/bass, the pryma is more of the true upgrade to the h6. They actually fit fully over my ears unlike both h6/h9, and the soundstage is very good. These are the only closed backs I would rank as good if not better than the indisputable champ, the brainwavz hm5. For the MSRP for $600, these aren't anything to write home about, but for the price of $200 or less you can find them for, they are the only closed backs I can recommend over the hm5. The bass is amazing and extends very well without overdoing it like the meze 99, the quality of bass is definitely on another level compared to the hm5, the midrange is a tad more forward, the treble has a very audible dip in the 6-8khz region that makes vocals and electric guitars sound more relaxed than they should. They have the unique sound like the h6 where everything is just a tad fun sounding with a mellow but not detail lacking sound signature. Unlike KEF which failed to make their speaker signature in a headphone, Sonus definitely passed in emulating their speaker sound. These are fairly heavy for portable headphones at 320g and lack clamping force, and for that reason, the majority of the weight sits directly in the middle of your head and creates a bad hot spot. Comfort could definitely be better
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Sony WH-1000X M3 (6/10)- These have quite a unique sound "v-shaped" sound. The 2khz presence isn't withdrawn yet vocals sound veiled, they sound off and unpleasant. Even guitars just sound bad. Bass is forward and boomy, fairy muddy sounding. These stand no chance against even the qc35, these are consumer grade typical bass boomy headphones. NC is superb but that's as far as the positives go.
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Status CB-1 (9/10)- I'd call this the poor man's dt770 at half the price. Treble and mids are a bit more forward, so treble can get fatiguing a little faster. Build quality is terrible. However, for half the price and 95% of the sound, not much to complain. These are rebranded chinese oem headphones.
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Ultrasone PRO 900i (7/10)- U-shaped or maybe closer to v-shaped, but the withdrawn mids were still somewhat liveable due to the impressive s-logic soundstage, probably one of the widest soundstages in a closed back, maybe equal to the dt1770. Mids are hollow sounding, but not as much as the dt1770. Bass is very strong but not muddy, the major downside is that it has the most sharp fatiguing treble of all headphones listed.
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Koss KSC75 (10/10)- These are more of an ear clip than headphones. But for the price, just buy them, sounds better than any iem in its price category, let alone anything for this price. Everything sounds coherent, mids are great, bass is maybe a tad light, treble is a little forward, soundstage is surprisingly large. All in all, the best value you'll ever get for the money. And yes, these beat the highly praised VE Monks


Wishlist/Considerations to try in the future:
Mysphere 3
Akg k812
Akg k1000
Audeze lcd xc
Audeze el-8
B&o h9i
Koss esp950
Shure srh1840
Mrspeakers products

 

[RockStar2005]

Alight boys, I compiled a list of headphones I've used over the years and my thoughts/ratings about them. Will update if I get to try more out in the future.
Ratings are primarily based on sound and value proposition.


OPEN BACKS

AKG K240 (9/10)- Mini k7xx series, comparable to hd598, incredibly coherent and agreeable sound, crossover between a k601 and hd598. lacking a little bass, a bit less treble than hd598
AKG K240 Sextett (8/10)- Not all that different from a normal k240, didnt spend too much time, didn't impress for the hype it held, a bit more bass than normal k240.
AKG K245 (6/10)- Not at all comparable to the k240 predecessor, a completely different headphone. Great bass, akg mids are gone, soundstage is very small. A shame to even call these open back.
AKG K601 (9/10)- 7xx series with a bit more mids in 2khz region but slight dip in upper mids region as trade off. A bit less soundstage and bass too. Just sounds fun and pleasant, if you like the b&o h6, wish the akg 7xx series had a tad more 2khz presence, this is for you.
AKG Q701 (10/10)- The best headphone under $700, change my mind. Soundstage is the widest of any headphone, only losing to the almighty hd800. Tons of detail, not too fatiguing like a beyerdynamic, supreme upper mids, and a good amount of mid bass. Not for bass heads. K702 is basically the same headphone without bumps on the headband
AKG Q701 Bass Modded (8.5/10)- Adds more mid bass, I'd imagine it sounds similar to a k7xx or k712. Loses some air and soundstage. I much prefer the unmolested q701 in its natural form. Still a great sounding headphone with the same basic sound, but the trade off sacrifices some of the akg sound for the sake of bass. I am a big believer that "modding" headphones makes them sound worse than they were originally designed for.
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Beyerdynamic T1 (7/10)- Upper mids has a typical beyer dip, combined with sharp treble makes no instrument flattering to listen to compared against the q701, it is like a more detailed q701 plus withheld upper mids and a tad less soundstage. IMO, a downgrade.... sidegrade at best to the almighty q701.
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Grado SR80e (9/10)- Sounds great, amazing for metal, rock, classical, jazz. Treble can be a bit fatiguing over time, but overall highly recommend. Soundstage is pretty small but doesn't sound anemic or congested like darker or v-shaped open backs. Much more engaging and balanced sounding than any anemic audio technica, if you love the AT msr7, the grados are an open back version of that but upgraded in every way possible, minus the anemic bass of the AT.
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Hifiman HE-560 (9/10)- Reference open back, the best quality bass I've ever heard and incredibly linear hard hitting bass, mids a touch withdrawn, and treble a bit forward. Soundstage is very wide for a planar, only issue is the weight.
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Monoprice HR-5 open (7/10)- Think of the brainwavz hm5/other rebrands, but with a bit more air due to the open back nature but surprisingly not a whole lot more soundstage, but more mid bass. Mids are not as intimate sounding, pretty solid for the price, however for the first time, I prefer a closed back over an open back. The closed back sounds less congested due to the more natural mid bass presentation and better sounding mids. I had high expectations thinking these would be an hm5 but better in every way, but this simply isn't the case. Pretty good headphone for the price on its own though.
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Sennheiser HD 598 (8.5/10)- Mini k7xx series, very coherent and agreeable sound, solid all around. Value proposition isn't there when a k612 or k7xx can be had for the same price or a little more.
Sennheiser HD 600 (7/10)- Slightly dark sounding, mids take a small step back, the slight treble drop off makes them the uncanny valley of not dark but not neutral either. Decent detail, but not anywhere near the hype these get
Sennheiser HD 700 (8/10)- The only v-shaped headphone I like, treble is definitely sharper than q701. mids are definitely dipped, bass hits with just the right amount added punch. Similar soundstage size to q701
Sennheiser HD 800 (10/10)- The end game headphone, nothing can touch it for soundstage and detail, it does everything right that the T1 failed to do, in a completely different league above hd700. Compared to q701, it has more treble and the mids are toned down. Bass quantity is similar, but quality is a completely different league. IMO, the only true upgrade to the q701. HD 800 > HD 800s. Feel like this is an old q701 vs q701 bass modded comparison again, sacrificing soundstage, air, and detail for some more bass just isn't worth it IMO.
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Sony MA900 (7/10)- Smooth, mellow, dark sound, with some muddy sounding bass. Not boomy, but definitely somewhat muddy in the mid bass section. Soundstage is impressively large for something so dark. Very light and comfortable but the headband does create a pressure point on the top of your head over time.
Sony MDR-F1 (5/10)- The shure se535 of headphones, no upper mids, no treble, no bass, sounds very dull and congested. Soundstage is very wide, maybe more than ma900 but a bit less than q701. This taught me that too much mids is a bad thing, n-shaped sounding but supremely light and comfortable. This is a podcast headphone, not a music headphone. Probably the most sensitive headphones of all time, even more so than some iems, this one needs a good source for sure.



___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


CLOSED BACKS


AKG Y50 (10/10)- These come in wired and bluetooth versions. These are probably the most underrated closed back akgs of all time. They sound absolutely amazing, I had such low hopes after seeing how bad the rest of the closed back akg's, especially any modern post harman akg is. They are incredibly cheap these days, and it's one of the few headphones where I put them on and my brain just says YES. I instantly fell in love with these. Soundstage is fairly good, incredible for an on ear. Just buy these. Bass is a tad above neutral but still very coherent, everything is so coherent, clear sounding, mids are beautiful, and treble isn't too forward. This is the last "modern" akg headphones with the akg signature sound.
AKG N60 NC (3/10)- Avoid; bass monsters, fairly muddy sounding, these are not akgs
AKG K72 (4/10)- Hollow sounding mids, borderline v-shaped, overall not worth it, even in its price range. Sure you can EQ it to make it sound amazing, but same can be said with almost any headphone with a decent enough driver.
AKG K551 (7/10)- Pretty good soundstage, lacks mid bass, treble is forward, not beyer/ultrasone forward but still forward nonetheless. Pressure point on top of head. A better msr7, but not miles better.
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Audio Technica M50x (7/10)- Not a bad headphone, bass slightly emphasized, mids a tad withdrawn, treble is forward. dt770 has a larger soundstage
Audio Technica MSR7 (5/10)- Zero bass, very good mids, even better upper mids, sharp overpowering treble that becomes worse due to the lack of any bass. Think of the frequency response as a slope that just gets higher as you get into the higher frequencies. And as typical of audio technica, there is little soundstage too. Hard pass.
Audio Technica W5000 (8/10)- The frankenstein of a t1 and mdr f1. Bass is neutralish, sub bass drops off, mids are forward and nicely textured, upper mids has a fairly large dip, however, everything still sounds coherent for the most part, and no sharp annoyances or hollow sound, treble is somewhat north. Pretty sensitive, so needs a good source. The headband design of audio technica is terrible and offers little comfort. Do you hate it when headphones have a pressure point right on the top of your head? Well this will make 2 pressure points to distract you even further. With all that said, I like the sound. Audio technica really needs to make another headphone like this.
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Beats (3/10)- Mixr and solo 2/3; avoid, bass cannons, newer ones are less muddy but still have some mud nonetheless and the bass overpowers everything. no fun at all. Refer to meze 99 if you love bass but still love quality sound.
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Beyerdynamic DT 770 (9/10)- Excellent sounding, better than graphs suggest, u-shaped and balanced enough for studio
Beyerdynamic DT 1770 (7.5/10)- A dt770 with a bit stronger bass, mids are hollow sounding which enables probably one of the largest soundstage in a headphone you can get. Definitely not a reference or studio quality headphone, but pretty unique sounding.
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Brainwavz HM5 (10/10)- The best reference closed back headphone. Nothing sounds bad on this, it's neutral sounding without ever being boring. Soundstage is wide, the only thing to note is that most headphones have bass that spreads out wide, but the bass on these hit directly in the middle of the image. A unique trait to these headphones, not a good or bad thing, just something to note. They won't blow your mind away the first time you try them, but the more time I spend with it, and the more I compare it against others, the more I grow to love these headphones.
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Blue Satellite (6/10)- The noise cancellation is weak, bass is the dominate frequency, soundstage isn't very large, details are fine. Nothing spectacular. Overpriced for what it is.
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Bose QC 35 (7/10)- Not bad sounding, bass isn't as forward as some might suggest, forgot exactly how they sound but it was average. Didn't engage me nor disgust me. Noise cancellation is superb.
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B&O H6 (8/10)- Pleasant sounding, coherent sound, definitely colored, the upper mids are withdrawn which makes them short of perfect. These are pretty much on ear headphones, so they make your ears pretty warm, not exactly comfort kings
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Hifiman Edition S (3/10)- Awful v-shaped headphone that sounds incredibly congested even with the sharp treble. The open back just adds more mid bass and makes things more congested. The headband puts no pressure on the top of your head, a superb design, but very uncomfortable on the side of your head.
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Meze 99 /Neo (8/10)- This is essentially hi-fi beats, bass is the star of the show, but mids and treble are still fully present and well represented. Definitely the heaviest of bass around the corner, but without sounding muddy, not my cup of tea but if you want bass, this is it. Not as high quality as they may look, sometimes creaks when you put them on.
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NAD HP50 (7.5/10)- Exactly how Nad intended it to sound, a speaker like frequency response in a headphone, follows the updated Harman response curve well and in return ends up sounding very well. Soundstage is very small and bass is a tad north of neutral, mids sound somewhat hollow though. Overall very solid for the price.
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Status CB-1 (9/10)- I'd call this the poor man's dt770 at half the price. Treble and mids are a bit more forward, so treble can get fatiguing a little faster. Build quality is terrible. However, for half the price and 95% of the sound, not much to complain. These are rebranded chinese oem headphones.
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Ultrasone PRO 900i (7/10)- U-shaped or maybe closer to v-shaped, but the withdrawn mids were still somewhat liveable due to the impressive s-logic soundstage, probably one of the widest soundstages in a closed back, maybe equal to the dt1770. Mids are hollow sounding, but not as much as the dt1770. Bass is very strong but not muddy, the major downside is that it has the most sharp fatiguing treble of all headphones listed.
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Koss KSC75 (10/10)- These are more of an ear clip than headphones. But for the price, just buy them, sounds better than any iem in its price category, let alone anything for this price. Everything sounds coherent, mids are great, bass is maybe a tad light, treble is a bit forward. All in all, the best value you'll ever get for the money. And yes, these beat the highly praised VE Monks


Wishlist/Considerations to try in the future:
Mysphere 3
Akg k812
Akg k1000
Akg n90q
Audeze lcd xc
Audeze el-8
B&o h9i
Koss esp950
Shure srh1840
Mrspeakers products

Welcome back AKG! Glad to see you posting here again.

That is one hell of a list there! I'm sure ppl reading this will find it very helpful.

Note: The reviews above are made with NO EQ'ING involved. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that. Cuz the Beyer DT 1770 Pro to me is a 10 but I EQ'd mine. Without EQ I would have to give it no less than an 8.5 myself. Overall though, this is a fantastic list!

 

[akg fanboy]

Welcome back AKG! Glad to see you posting here again.

That is one hell of a list there! I'm sure ppl reading this will find it very helpful.

Note: The reviews above are made with NO EQ'ING involved. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that. Cuz the Beyer DT 1770 Pro to me is a 10 but I EQ'd mine. Without EQ I would have to give it no less than an 8.5 myself. Overall though, this is a fantastic list!

LOL. This is my reaction when I sense rockstar getting angry

 

[RockStar2005]

http://www.xperiablog.net/2019/02/2...triple-camera-and-4k-hdr-oled-display-leaked/

4K HDR OLED? Hell yeah!!

As long as the battery is over 4000 mAh, I'm PERFECTLY FINE and welcome a 4K HDR OLED screen!!!!!!! And I def prefer "1" over "XZ4" anyday. lol

 

[RockStar2005]

how was the xz3 in the hand? Did it feel bulky? Or was i comfortable to hold.

I wish i could see the xz3 display everyone says its amazing but i wish i could see it in person even on videos it looks really nice. Xz3 is a great phone especially and only if you can get it on a big discount which it should be as all sony phones do so after a while it would be a good competition against oneplus6t.

at least this guy reviews sony phones
--------
HOLY **** IF TRUE
looks like sony might be going all out on the smartphone arena :O https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz4_specs_leak__65inch_oled_4400mah_battery-news-35301.php
https://www.gsmarena.com/rumor_sony_xperia_xz4_to_have_52mp_sensor-news-35312.php

holy crap. If sony mobile closes they will go down with a bang.

I LOVE this article. lol

 

[akg fanboy]

sony fanboys unite! LMAO
I am actually a sony fanboy in terms of their actual cameras. The A7 line is hands down the best cameras under $3000, no questions asked, very good value. The only problem is the lack of a viewfinder that can face the opposite direction that canon/nikon offers.

and as for sony mobile? IDK what the hell they did, but obviously they ain't as bright as the camera division LOL. Literally because the low light always suffers VS the competition.

Sony quote:
" three 12-megapixel cameras will provide us with much better quality than one 48-megapixel camera"

That's what I've always said since day 1, but sony always insisted in stubbornly sticking to their 21mp sensors, they eventually switched to a new 19mp sensor, but it was still tiny compared to the competition with much larger 12mp sensors. Now sony finally plays catch up with last gen.... dunno. the camera setup is identical to s10+, nothing more. If sony wants to win, they need to price lower, or bring their actual camera division into this (what happened to the pixel shift tech on the A7R?), because so far, it has been a yawn. Nokia on the other hand, a much smaller company that has been on hiatus forever, nailed it with the nokia 9. Shows who is thinking right

 

[aertus]

https://www.androidauthority.com/sony-smartphone-cameras-quality-962358/

“Even though we’re one company, there are still sometimes barriers that Alpha doesn’t want to give Mobile certain things, because all of a sudden you have the same as what a 3,000 pound camera’s got,” Marsh told the outlet.

dang so finally SOny admitted this. Something we've kind of been speculating for a while Sony mobile having issues with collaborating with their music, pro camera, and im guessing perharps even display sectors. I think Yoshida has been forcing and making great strives for all the different branches to collaborate with together. I feel like they are in right in that they dont want to compete with their premium brands. That's why they should make something better than competition but not up to the level of their premium goods

Sony has the technology to outdo Huawei in phones but all this time they were holding back intentionally. The collaboration with Light is going to be an insane game changer.

Right now there is nothing wrong with Sony technology wise. I think what Samsung has shown us just how much money and talent they have when it comes to design they are probably employing an insane amount of designers or are hiring the best designers. Because im sorry to say this but the s10 lineup just looks way better than this tall as display ratio.

heck even a 19:9 like Samsung would have been perfect no need for such tallness. Oneplus will be showcasing a 21:9 aspect ratio and watch them somehow do it better than sony. Sony just needs better design team period so they can get something that appeals to a wide audience. I feel like they are intentionally making SOny mobile fit into a niche market.

 

[akg fanboy]

Even if they applied their own camera division tech, it would not come close to surpassing their own high end cameras. That makes no sense, with that logic, the rx100 compacts would be on par with the A7 full frames. Yet that is not the case, the rx100 with a 1" sensor is completely outmatched by the A7. Now a phone camera with an even tinier sensor and tiny lens..... yeah apply the math there.... Seems to me that sony just doesn't care about their mobile division and made a quick excuse

The collab with light seems more like a marketing stunt more than anything else, they have not showcased anything regarding this "light collaboration." The light camera called L16 was terrible, yet nokia somehow managed to do it right, seems to me that nokia just had a superior processing method, with their custom ASIC and mobile experience. Sony on the other hand is using 3 sensors of all different focal lengths, this means the pictures cannot be combined for 1 high quality image, the way nokia does it. It simply means sony can apply a bokeh effect, which every other phone already does. Think about it again, the camera setup is identical to the s10. The nokia 9 uses 5 identical sensors with all identical focal lengths, they didn't do that for no reason, clearly there's a reason that was required, and it's to stitch 5 exact photos for 1 higher quality one.