SoundMAGIC HP100/HP150 Review and Impressions Thread
Nov 28, 2015 at 6:46 PM Post #1,308 of 1,386
Hi-- I'm new to this thread, but not Headfi.
 
Can anyone speak to how the HP150 sound for gaming? I need a decent closed can-- for sound isolation, and these seem to be a good match. 
 
I'll be driving it for gaming with my Soundblaster X7. For music, I'll use my Oppo HA-2. 
 
Also, will the BoomPro mic work for  this can? I'm leary of proprietary locking mechanisms for headphone cables. 
 
Thanks!
 
Dec 14, 2015 at 6:07 AM Post #1,311 of 1,386
I have a big problem with the comfort of HP150, maybe someone can help. Simply put, the bottom of the left cup simply doesn't press firmly against the head!
 
The right side presses just fine, but on the left side only the top half of the cup presses against the head. This makes it hard to get a proper seal, makes the weight distribution feel incredibly off, and is just very annoying. Playing with the headband does not help as this is not an issue of fit. Changing the earpads (two different brands!) doesn't help either.
 
Any way I can solve this? This is so annoying that I just avoid this pair and use my other headphones.
 
Dec 31, 2015 at 3:04 PM Post #1,312 of 1,386
Hey I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a portable amp to pair with the HP-150s. I am going to be receiving them after the weekend I believe. I have the HE-560 modded for my desktop open back headphone but I wanted a full size for when away from the desk to pair with my DX90 dap and amplifier. I dont have a ton to spend on an amp but still anything sub 200 $ would be appreciated.
 
Jan 25, 2016 at 8:18 AM Post #1,315 of 1,386
Guys,

How is the treble quality compared to HE-400i and HE-560i??

Thanks

I do not own the HE-400i, But I have owned the HE-560i and that has been for a long while it seems now. I own the HP-150 as well which is a very good closed headphone I recently did a comparison to the Oppo Pm-3 which goes for twice the price. The treble on the He-560 you may know is airy, detailed, articulate, and has great tonality. The Hp-150 from a far lower price point is a great closed headphone with quick bass and decent prat, mid range is neutral and still very good, treble is airy for a closed headphone and detailed. I have to say that the Oppo pm 3 does midrange really well and has a nice tone, but as far as treble, and sound stage go to the HP150 as it is one of the best sound stages and overall detail across the frequency I have heard in the price range.
 
Jan 25, 2016 at 9:59 AM Post #1,316 of 1,386
I do not own the HE-400i, But I have owned the HE-560i and that has been for a long while it seems now. I own the HP-150 as well which is a very good closed headphone I recently did a comparison to the Oppo Pm-3 which goes for twice the price. The treble on the He-560 you may know is airy, detailed, articulate, and has great tonality. The Hp-150 from a far lower price point is a great closed headphone with quick bass and decent prat, mid range is neutral and still very good, treble is airy for a closed headphone and detailed. I have to say that the Oppo pm 3 does midrange really well and has a nice tone, but as far as treble, and sound stage go to the HP150 as it is one of the best sound stages and overall detail across the frequency I have heard in the price range.

Thank you for sharing, really appreciate it.

The reason I am asking about the treble is because I cant take sibiliance. I would like to enjoy my headphone for hours if I can.
I would love for a neutral/transparent sound but without the highs hurting me.. Especially since I will pair any headphone that I have with an Ibasso D14, which should be quite transparent.

Is HP100 for me? I can get it for about $178 here
 
Jan 25, 2016 at 6:13 PM Post #1,317 of 1,386
The reason I am asking about the treble is because I cant take sibiliance. I would like to enjoy my headphone for hours if I can.


I've only owned the HP150 not the HP100. I found the 150 to be a nice headphone, but rather bright. It definitely had it's share of sibilance. Not tear your head off sibilance, but definitely enough sibilance to make some older recordings sound bad. I found the sound to be overall rather fatiguing.

After some research, I messed around with some parametric EQ, which seemed to help quite a bit. They were still bright, but much more tame after the EQ. See my posting here with details:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/616201/soundmagic-hp100-hp150-review-and-impressions-thread/1215#post_11581778

Brian.
 
Jan 27, 2016 at 12:02 AM Post #1,318 of 1,386
Thank you for sharing, really appreciate it.

The reason I am asking about the treble is because I cant take sibiliance. I would like to enjoy my headphone for hours if I can.
I would love for a neutral/transparent sound but without the highs hurting me.. Especially since I will pair any headphone that I have with an Ibasso D14, which should be quite transparent.

Is HP100 for me? I can get it for about $178 here

 
I have owned the HP150 for about 3 weeks now. I probably have 35 hours on her at this point. I am also an owner of the AKG K612 Pro. When comparing the K612 and HP150, the two headphones sound rather different, but that is a story for another day. Regarding the HP150, it is somewhat bright in the upper mids and treble out of the box. However, after about 20 hours use or so, that aggression in the upper mids totally disappeared. When I first got the headphones, I used the following EQ set.
 
1 kHz -1
2 kHz -1
4 kHz -1
8 kHz -1
16 kHz -1
 
I used this for the first 15 hours or so. I then began to notice the mids smoothed right out, and warmed up some. At that point I changed the EQ to the following which I am using now.
 
8 kHz -1
16 kHz -1
 
To me, with this very slight EQ adjustment, this headphone is very musical and neutral sounding. The highs even at default are not what I would call sibilant. They are just one notch over- accentuated. With any EQ adjustment I tried though on the K612 and comparing it to the HP150, the HP150 is just a flat out better sounding headphone. Despite the HP150 being a closed headphone, it offers a more detailed and articulate presentation than the K612 does. I think you should get a pair. If like me, you find it just a hair too bright, just make that -1 adjustment, and you will be happy.
 
Edit: These headphones have a very nice sub bass presentation out of the box. Not at all boomy, and with a tight, controlled impact. Anyone who tries that -1 adjustment to the 8 to 16 kHz region will notice that it causes a mild bump in the mid bass area at right around 200 Hz as well.
 
Feb 2, 2016 at 3:05 AM Post #1,320 of 1,386
Hey I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a portable amp to pair with the HP-150s. I am going to be receiving them after the weekend I believe. I have the HE-560 modded for my desktop open back headphone but I wanted a full size for when away from the desk to pair with my DX90 dap and amplifier. I dont have a ton to spend on an amp but still anything sub 200 $ would be appreciated.


I don't know if this input is a bit late, but consider the JDS Labs C5 amp, excellent sound and looks in a very sleek package.
 

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