[conquerator2]

They are finally here!
First impressions are positive; The bass is exquisite top to bottom [strong down to 30Hz, audible down to ~18Hz!], very smooth sounding save for a peak from ~5.5K - 7KHz, [luckily manages to narrowly avoid the to me critical 4 - 5K range] which gives cymbals extra shimmer and spark [a bit unnatural IMO, but nothing major]. Treble goes audibly to ~14.5K, roll off starts around 13K. Separation is very good. Drivers matched properly, build quality better than I expected and the pads are incredible. I also managed to fit a slim profile Nuforce cable in, as I found the long straight cable kinky and annoying and the coiled one coiled
For under a hundred dollars, I don't think I have any right to complain; this is a seriously good headphone for the buck and because it has really good bass too, I sincerely hope it attracts lots of attention. It deserves it, bravo Status 

 

[Vatnos]

I was very curious what you'd think about them! Having heard a lot of higher end headphones up til now, how would you say the speed compares on the CB-1s? Obviously they're slower than electrostatic or planar but I'm wondering if they're comparable to higher-end dynamics or if there's something particularly slow about these?
 
The 6khz coarseness affects about 10% of my music library. Albums that are affected very negatively:
 
"Departure Songs" by We Lost the Sea - Post-rock is tough for a lot of headphones, since they have to be good at rock AND classical. This is the album that makes me wonder about the speed. It's a very dense arrangement at times. Feels like the CB-1s struggle and get congested on it. To be fair, none of my other albums do this.
"Mudhoney" by Mudhoney - Brightly recorded album, guitar harmonics are too grainy in that 6khz range you mentioned.
"De-Loused in the Comatorium" by The Mars Volta - The accentuated high-hats and cymbals on the CB-1 can get a bit much on albums like this, where once again the mix is a little bit too bright, and the album itself is fast, loud, and uncompromising. Eriatarka is also sibilant, but that song is sibilant on most headphones.
 
90% of my music library is fine. Albums that highlight the strengths of the CB-1s:
 
"Comedown Machine" by the Strokes - Creamy, savory mids. Shows off the guitar harmonics well. Tactile, playful use of the bass extension.
"The Complex" by Blue Man Group - This is the album I break out to impress people with a set of headphones generally. Lots of audio engineering tricks on it.
"Ege Bamyashi" by Can - Just a smooth funky use of the dynamic range on these. They tend to handle older quieter albums very well.
"Signify" by Porcupine Tree - Makes good use of the treble and soundstage while steering around the grainy frequencies mostly.
"The Shape of Punk to Come" by Refused - Grunge/Metal when it's well-recorded, tends to be great. Very emotional, not fatiguing. Poorly recorded, it tends to be awful on these.
"Gravity X" by Truckfighters - Warm album that spends most of its time in the frequency ranges that the CB-1s execute best.

 

[conquerator2]

  I was very curious what you'd think about them! Having heard a lot of higher end headphones up til now, how would you say the speed compares on the CB-1s? Obviously they're slower than electrostatic or planar but I'm wondering if they're comparable to higher-end dynamics or if there's something particularly slow about these?
 
The 6khz coarseness affects about 10% of my music library. Albums that are affected very negatively:
 
"Departure Songs" by We Lost the Sea - Post-rock is tough for a lot of headphones, since they have to be good at rock AND classical. This is the album that makes me wonder about the speed. It's a very dense arrangement at times. Feels like the CB-1s struggle and get congested on it. To be fair, none of my other albums do this.
"Mudhoney" by Mudhoney - Brightly recorded album, guitar harmonics are too grainy in that 6khz range you mentioned.
"De-Loused in the Comatorium" by The Mars Volta - The accentuated high-hats and cymbals on the CB-1 can get a bit much on albums like this, where once again the mix is a little bit too bright, and the album itself is fast, loud, and uncompromising. Eriatarka is also sibilant, but that song is sibilant on most headphones.
 
90% of my music library is fine. Albums that highlight the strengths of the CB-1s:
 
"Comedown Machine" by the Strokes - Creamy, savory mids. Shows off the guitar harmonics well. Tactile, playful use of the bass extension.
"The Complex" by Blue Man Group - This is the album I break out to impress people with a set of headphones generally. Lots of audio engineering tricks on it.
"Ege Bamyashi" by Can - Just a smooth funky use of the dynamic range on these. They tend to handle older quieter albums very well.
"Signify" by Porcupine Tree - Makes good use of the treble and soundstage while steering around the grainy frequencies mostly.
"The Shape of Punk to Come" by Refused - Grunge/Metal when it's well-recorded, tends to be great. Very emotional, not fatiguing. Poorly recorded, it tends to be awful on these.
"Gravity X" by Truckfighters - Warm album that spends most of its time in the frequency ranges that the CB-1s execute best.

Well, they are V shaped, that's something I've discovered relatively early, lots of bass, relatively smooth mids and the peak in the mid-treble. That said,, they are fast; I find them to sound quite open with good separation They don't quite match the Stax L500 that I owned [nothing in that price range does, though it had its shortcomings too] but they don't straddle super far off. I'd say they sound a bit similar to the Philips Fidelio X2, with just a bit more bass and what would overall be a really nice FR  if it weren't for that peak.
They certainly don't sound slow, the clarity is adequate despite the [over]abundant bass [how some people can say these don't have enough bass is beyond me!] but they don't quite match leaner and smoother open back headphones. 
 
The treble peak is an issue with modern and hotly mastered tracks. I'd wager it is an issue with more than 10% of my music. It does avoid the 4 - 5K range, where the peak would be much more catastrophic for me, though starting at 5.5K is cutting it dangerously close. My Sony MDR-MA900 have a peak in the 8K range and despite that it sounds very pleasant and smooth, which to me essentially means that a peak above 5K can be a good thing if done right. Still, I don't understand why even expensive audiophile headphones go for this. It's not desirable IMO and while it might lend extra edge and definition to instruments, this one trick pony tends to be absolutely destructive to vocal music [which oftentimes already has a slight 4K nudge added during mastering]. The only headphone with a nigh on perfect treble to my ears is the HE1 / new Orpheus. Honorable mentions go to Mr. Speakers, Focal and this here KOSS for managing a nicely linear treble response, if ever so slightly rolled off on the Mr. Speakers and more so with the KOSS. IMO. YMMV :}
 
I still think the CB-1 is a great headphone for the money, in some aspects it matches and eclipses the X2, though I wish the bass was just a tiny bit tighter and more controlled. For the money though, I am happy. It's the deepest bass headphone I've owned in a while and even if I don't particularly crave it I still enjoy me some nice bass here and there :]
 
Cheers!

 

[caly]

I just got in my own CB-1 yesterday and it sounds very nice. Sounds better to me than the M50X, and is much more comfortable too. Sucks that I missed the 25% off deal for Black Friday, but I can't complain with the current 20% off deal. With that discount I'm actually tempted to grab a couple more to give as gifts.

 

[Vatnos]

You know how there are warm amps and cold amps you can pair with warm and cold headphones?

Someone really needs to make an A-shaped amp for V shaped headphones. Has anyone thought of this? Surely someone's done it...

Strange that A-shaped sound curves are so rare in the wide world of audio. Koss Porta Pros are one of the few well known examples.

 

[Blazer39]

  Well, they are V shaped, that's something I've discovered relatively early, lots of bass, relatively smooth mids and the peak in the mid-treble. That said,, they are fast; I find them to sound quite open with good separation They don't quite match the Stax L500 that I owned [nothing in that price range does, though it had its shortcomings too] but they don't straddle super far off. I'd say they sound a bit similar to the Philips Fidelio X2, with just a bit more bass and what would overall be a really nice FR  if it weren't for that peak.
They certainly don't sound slow, the clarity is adequate despite the [over]abundant bass [how some people can say these don't have enough bass is beyond me!] but they don't quite match leaner and smoother open back headphones. 
 
The treble peak is an issue with modern and hotly mastered tracks. I'd wager it is an issue with more than 10% of my music. It does avoid the 4 - 5K range, where the peak would be much more catastrophic for me, though starting at 5.5K is cutting it dangerously close. My Sony MDR-MA900 have a peak in the 8K range and despite that it sounds very pleasant and smooth, which to me essentially means that a peak above 5K can be a good thing if done right. Still, I don't understand why even expensive audiophile headphones go for this. It's not desirable IMO and while it might lend extra edge and definition to instruments, this one trick pony tends to be absolutely destructive to vocal music [which oftentimes already has a slight 4K nudge added during mastering]. The only headphone with a nigh on perfect treble to my ears is the HE1 / new Orpheus. Honorable mentions go to Mr. Speakers, Focal and this here KOSS for managing a nicely linear treble response, if ever so slightly rolled off on the Mr. Speakers and more so with the KOSS. IMO. YMMV :}
 
I still think the CB-1 is a great headphone for the money, in some aspects it matches and eclipses the X2, though I wish the bass was just a tiny bit tighter and more controlled. For the money though, I am happy. It's the deepest bass headphone I've owned in a while and even if I don't particularly crave it I still enjoy me some nice bass here and there :]
 
Cheers!

if you had to choose between the X2 and CB-1, which one would u choose?

 

[conquerator2]

 
if you had to choose between the X2 and CB-1, which one would u choose?

That's actually a pretty tough question!
I've been liking the CB1 more and more. The bass has tightened up some.
I'd say the CB1 is a bit more balanced overall, the X2 has more presence in the vocals, but the overall frequency is more uneven.
The X2 has the advantage of being open, the CB1 is closed, which also has advantages like bass extension and still sounds fairly open.
Might be a toss up! The CB1 is cheaper though and seems to have more better matched drivers consistently [very good on my pair!].

 

[paulmazz]

The CB-1's are surprisingly good. They're really great for just relaxing and enjoying your music. They have more than enough bass, but you don't feel the impact like with planar drivers. The only problem I had with them was comfort. I bought them back when the had the angled pads and they would get hot and uncomfortable after 20 mins. I emailed James at Status and recommended the brainwavz hybrid pads. When I replaced them, I noticed the original pads had some foam over the drivers so I also used it with the hybrids. The new pads were a huge improvement, and didn't dramatically change the sound. They only seemed to sound a bit less intimate. A few months ago I gave them away to my brother when I started modding some T50rps and now I'm beginning to miss them.

 

[conquerator2]

They now come standard with deep. non angled pads FYI. Somewhat reminiscent of the Brainwavz pleathers. Well made!

 

[NightAntilli]

  They now come standard with deep. non angled pads FYI. Somewhat reminiscent of the Brainwavz pleathers. Well made!

Does that mean they've slowly and silently been updating the headphones based on feedback?

 

[Carson Wotell]

I've had my pair of cb1's for about 6 months now, and I'm very impressed with the sound but they have issues. One of the most noticeable issues is, sometimes the driver moves out of position and becomes the worst sounding headphone I've ever heard. If that happens you then have to jiggle them into place. another minor issue is that the glue holding the pads fell apart after three weeks of use in Arizona, so I had to glue them back together.

 

[overhaze]

Eh is anyone finding the earpads width a bit too small? Dept is fine but I'm having to wear them pretty far back to fit my whole ear in. Then again maybe thats just my giant Irish ears.

 

[MisterMudd]

Eh is anyone finding the earpads width a bit too small? Dept is fine but I'm having to wear them pretty far back to fit my whole ear in. Then again maybe thats just my giant Irish ears.

A little too small for me also. I find my earlobes resting ever so slightly outside the pad. That's said, it doesn't seem to affect the sound. I may try some larger pads in the future. This is one very good set of cans!

 

[overhaze]

Are any of the Brainwavz pads compatible with these?

 

[overhaze]

And and since I haven't said it in this thread yet these things are bloody amazing. Not just amazing for the price but amazing in general.