[theangelboy]

Yes, @theangelboy, would you please share how you compare X00 and HF580. I was asking for comparison with TH900 as a proxy to X00's sound.

Okay, are there specific songs/albums/playlists/genres you want me to use for the comparison? If not, I will use my standard listening test playlist.

 

[therealbene]

Okay, are there specific songs/albums/playlists/genres you want me to use for the comparison? If not, I will use my standard listening test playlist.

I listen to quite a broad genre, my regular music includes blues like Norah Jones, rock music like Queen, classical music (orchestral & chamber).

But I'd be happy with your standard listening test playlist, I believe comparison using music you're more familiar with leads to better and more accurate comparison.

 

[theangelboy]

I listen to quite a broad genre, my regular music includes blues like Norah Jones, rock music like Queen, classical music (orchestral & chamber).

But I'd be happy with your standard listening test playlist, I believe comparison using music you're more familiar with leads to better and more accurate comparison.

Sounds good, I will work on the comparison tonight.

 

[theangelboy]

I listen to quite a broad genre, my regular music includes blues like Norah Jones, rock music like Queen, classical music (orchestral & chamber).

But I'd be happy with your standard listening test playlist, I believe comparison using music you're more familiar with leads to better and more accurate comparison.

Sorry, I meant to get to the comparison sooner but life got in the way. Anyway, here goes.

First, it's worth noting that both my X00 (PH) and HF580 are lightly modded. The X00 has the Lawton Driver dampening (NOT the cup part of the mod) and Dekoni Hybrid pads and my HF580 has Sendy Aiva pads. Second, this was my listening setup Laptop spdif out > Modi 2 Uber > THX-789 > Headphones.

TL;DR version
Basically, the X00 is very v-shaped and the HF580 is almost the complete opposite because it's rather mid-focused. I think for what you listen to, the HF580 is a better fit, actually, because midrange is pretty prominent for all the music you listed and the X00 is recessed there.

Bass
The X00 has more bass (no surprise there) and better slam/impact and even though biocellulose bass has more texture than regular dynamic bass the planar still has more texture and detail here and can move a lot of air if it's required. So the HF580 wins on detail, the X00 beats it in all other regards where bass is concerned.

Midrange
This is where the headphones really separate. The midrange on the HF580 is quite forward but isn't mushy or overly smooth, there is lots of detail here and it has a surprising bite. I suspect this is from some extra energy in the upper midrange. The X00 on the other hand sounds cold by comparison and vocals take backseat to everything else. Electric guitars also suffer at the hands of the X00 because it has too much treble and not a enough midrange to give them satisfying body. Acoustic instruments also have less life on the X00 since they sound so much more recessed. HF80 is the winner here, no question.

Treble
The 580 has less, the X00 has more. Neither of them sound like they have way too much or way too little. The X00 sounds colder overall but I don't know if that's because of the treble timbre or the recession of the midrange leaves the treble all by itself up there with no company. If any headphone that has less treble than the X00 sounds dark to you, the 580 probably also will, too. I didn't feel like either headphone was missing important details in this region but the X00 has more of it, if that matters to you, one way or another.

Soundstange/Imaging
Since both of these aspects are subjective, I didn't give these serious weight when I was listening. Both headphones have smaller soundstages but this is more a surprise from the 580 since it's open and the X00 is closed. I also didn't hear a clear winner in imaging during my listening test, since both do a pretty good job with it.

Conclusion
If you are looking to replace your X00 with the 580, it's not a good fit but I think they would compliment each other nicely. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up using the 580 more because it's a better fit the type of music you listen to.

Anyway, I hope that helps. Let me know if you want me to expound or clarify anything that I said. Stay safe and happy listening!

 

[jasswolf]

Always a great read from you, @theangelboy, thanks. Also, I can't help but notice another Takstar product has entered your signature... hope you're enjoying them!

 

[jasswolf]

Hadn't noticed that @crinacle had released their headphone rankings until yesterday, included are assessments of the Sendy Aiva and the Blon B20, which of course use the same driver in a different housing, but presumably with their perforated hybrid pads that many of us are keen on.

Rates them both as having great tonal quality but closer to middling soundstage and technicalities. Specifically describes the Blon B20 as a "darker planar version of the HD6XX/HD650/HD600, with equally closed-in staging and worse resolution", which matches up with what's displayed on the FR curves. Seems they preference the HD6XX as better (and better value) despite the bass roll-off.

Guess I'm going to have to demo the Sundara against the HD6XX to get a grasp on what I'm in for before I pull the trigger on the Takstars, but at least the suggestion here is that they are excellent value at $150, just not as complimentary to the HD6XX as I'd hoped.

 

[yawg]

Hadn't noticed that @crinacle had released their headphone rankings until yesterday, included are assessments of the Sendy Aiva and the Blon B20, which of course use the same driver in a different housing, but presumably with their perforated hybrid pads that many of us are keen on.

Rates them both as having great tonal quality but closer to middling soundstage and technicalities. Specifically describes the Blon B20 as a "darker planar version of the HD6XX/HD650/HD600, with equally closed-in staging and worse resolution", which matches up with what's displayed on the FR curves. Seems they preference the HD6XX as better (and better value) despite the bass roll-off.

Guess I'm going to have to demo the Sundara against the HD6XX to get a grasp on what I'm in for before I pull the trigger on the Takstars, but at least the suggestion here is that they are excellent value at $150, just not as complimentary to the HD6XX as I'd hoped.

Got my Takstar today and am pretty disappointed. Very dark sounding though it could use a de-esser. Listening to it now via a FiiO Andes which sounds great with my BossHifi B8 and SIVGA equivalent. Resolution is good but the sound sig. is way too dark. I guess Takstar revised this model, mine has a cable that is connected to both earcups. So why is it fixed instead of having the possibility to change the cable??

Not good. Sorry Elly. Maybe I got a bad one ...

 

[theangelboy]

Got my Takstar today and am pretty disappointed. Very dark sounding though it could use a de-esser. Listening to it now via a FiiO Andes which sounds great with my BossHifi B8 and SIVGA equivalent. Resolution is good but the sound sig. is way too dark. I guess Takstar revised this model, mine has a cable that is connected to both earcups. So why is it fixed instead of having the possibility to change the cable??

Not good. Sorry Elly. Maybe I got a bad one ...

Did you try both included pads? I seem to remember the pleather pads being darker than the cloth ones. With Sendy pads it's definitely not a dark headphone. But it also sounds like you have a taste for aggressive lower treble which is what stood out ot me about my B8. Also, I'm not familiar with how well that FiiO is for driving planars but under-driving planars usually results in less bass, not a darker experience so it's probably not that.

Speaking of the cable, the HF 580 always has had a permanently attached cable that splits and runs to both cups. Is your cable different than that?

 

[yawg]

Did you try both included pads? I seem to remember the pleather pads being darker than the cloth ones. With Sendy pads it's definitely not a dark headphone. But it also sounds like you have a taste for aggressive lower treble which is what stood out ot me about my B8. Also, I'm not familiar with how well that FiiO is for driving planars but under-driving planars usually results in less bass, not a darker experience so it's probably not that.

Speaking of the cable, the HF 580 always has had a permanently attached cable that splits and runs to both cups. Is your cable different than that?

I can't imagine that other pads could change this sound sig in a significant way. I'm used to neutral equipment. Although the B8 is a bit bright the difference to my Takstar is extreme. Listening now to Time Shard with the treble on my Aspen +6. Don't know what this means, maybe not 6 dB but only 3 dB. The bass is great though, better and deeper than the B8. My reference is still my good old Stax Lambda Nova Signature though it lacks real bass.

The Takstar was not too expensive. You win some you lose some. I will keep it and buy some nice sheepskin earcups. I paid 132€ for the sheepskin pads for my Stax Lambdas. Big deal. Go figure.

 

[jasswolf]

I can't imagine that other pads could change this sound sig in a significant way. I'm used to neutral equipment. Although the B8 is a bit bright the difference to my Takstar is extreme. Listening now to Time Shard with the treble on my Aspen +6. Don't know what this means, maybe not 6 dB but only 3 dB. The bass is great though, better and deeper than the B8. My reference is still my good old Stax Lambda Nova Signature though it lacks real bass.

The Takstar was not too expensive. You win some you lose some. I will keep it and buy some nice sheepskin earcups. I paid 132€ for the sheepskin pads for my Stax Lambdas. Big deal. Go figure.

Where are you based?

If US - https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...one-replaceable-earpad?variant=19910738509886
If elsewhere - https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=617610669575
If you can't use Taobao - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000714597987.html

Keep in mind you want the perforated version (Aiva pads, not P-II). These are pads specifically tuned for this headphone, and they should help with the treble compared to the leather pads, the bass compared to the cloth pads, and the mids on both.

Otherwise yes, sheepskin would be an option to fix the mid-range, as would putting dampening material around the driver (such as memory foam from a cheap pillow) to minimise cup resonance. If you combined the Aiva pads with resonance dampening, you'd basically have a tuning between the Blon B20 and Sendy Aiva, and with more bass:

As you can see from Crinacle's measurements, you'd wind up with a bassy, planar version of the HD650, maybe with a tiny bit of air, so that's matching up somewhat with your experience, but the pads should definitely clean it up, and that simple resonance tuning could help a lot.

 

[yawg]

Did you try both included pads? I seem to remember the pleather pads being darker than the cloth ones. With Sendy pads it's definitely not a dark headphone. But it also sounds like you have a taste for aggressive lower treble which is what stood out ot me about my B8. Also, I'm not familiar with how well that FiiO is for driving planars but under-driving planars usually results in less bass, not a darker experience so it's probably not that.

Speaking of the cable, the HF 580 always has had a permanently attached cable that splits and runs to both cups. Is your cable different than that?

I can't imagine that other pads could change this sound sig in a significant way. I'm used to neutral equipment. Although the B8 is a bit bright the difference to my Takstar is extreme. Listening now to Time Shard with the treble on my Aspen +6. Don't know what this means, maybe not 6 dB but only 3 dB. The bass is great though, better and deeper than the B8. My reference is still my good old Stax Lambda Nova Signature though it lacks real bass.

The Takstar was not too expensive. You win some you lose some. I will keep it and buy some nice sheepskin earcups. I paid 132€ for the sheepskin pads for my Stax Lambdas. Big deal. Go figure.

Where are you based?

If US - https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...one-replaceable-earpad?variant=19910738509886
If elsewhere - https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=617610669575
If you can't use Taobao - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000714597987.html

Keep in mind you want the perforated version (Aiva pads, not P-II). These are pads specifically tuned for this headphone, and they should help with the treble compared to the leather pads, the bass compared to the cloth pads, and the mids on both.

Otherwise yes, sheepskin would be an option to fix the mid-range, as would putting dampening material around the driver (such as memory foam from a cheap pillow) to minimise cup resonance. If you combined the Aiva pads with resonance dampening, you'd basically have a tuning between the Blon B20 and Sendy Aiva, and with more bass:



As you can see from Crinacle's measurements, you'd wind up with a bassy, planar version of the HD650, maybe with a tiny bit of air, so that's matching up somewhat with your experience, but the pads should definitely clean it up, and that simple resonance tuning could help a lot.

I'm in Holland. My choice after reading this whole thread would have been these two. I drive the Takstar with my Andes outside and on my desktop the Andes is docked in the FiiO desktop amp that delivers ample juice. Both ways it sounds OK. Not sure yet if I prefer the sound with extra gain and lower volume or no gain with max. power. When the Andes is docked I guess it doesn't matter.

 

[jasswolf]

I can't imagine that other pads could change this sound sig in a significant way. I'm used to neutral equipment. Although the B8 is a bit bright the difference to my Takstar is extreme. Listening now to Time Shard with the treble on my Aspen +6. Don't know what this means, maybe not 6 dB but only 3 dB. The bass is great though, better and deeper than the B8. My reference is still my good old Stax Lambda Nova Signature though it lacks real bass.

The Takstar was not too expensive. You win some you lose some. I will keep it and buy some nice sheepskin earcups. I paid 132€ for the sheepskin pads for my Stax Lambdas. Big deal. Go figure.


I'm in Holland. My choice after reading this whole thread would have been these two. I drive the Takstar with my Andes outside and on my desktop the Andes is docked in the FiiO desktop amp that delivers ample juice. Both ways it sounds OK. Not sure yet if I prefer the sound with extra gain and lower volume or no gain with max. power. When the Andes is docked I guess it doesn't matter.

Strongly disagree on the impact of pad rolling, particularly on a planar:

https://dekoniaudio.com/tag/blog/

Take a look at what Dekoni can manage with the right effort. Pads make huge difference with bass tuning, and perforations help a lot with the highs. Sheepskin and hybrid pads can also be used to tune up the mids (through change in driver position, dampening and resonances), which on the HF-580 seems to most resemble the Aiva, so they need a little work.

For €15, I would get the Aiva perforated pads ordered from Taobao, and give them a try. The M1060C sheepskin is the next choice, but you'll need to tape them down in order for them to work well. I'd get both and see where you wind up.

 

[yawg]

Strongly disagree on the impact of pad rolling, particularly on a planar:

https://dekoniaudio.com/tag/blog/

Take a look at what Dekoni can manage with the right effort. Pads make huge difference with bass tuning, and perforations help a lot with the highs. Sheepskin and hybrid pads can also be used to tune up the mids (through change in driver position, dampening and resonances), which on the HF-580 seems to most resemble the Aiva, so they need a little work.

For €15, I would get the Aiva perforated pads ordered from Taobao, and give them a try. The M1060C sheepskin is the next choice, but you'll need to tape them down in order for them to work well. I'd get both and see where you wind up.

Thanks a lot. I'm getting into the sound signature of these cans. Using the standard pads the Takstar came with. Treble on my Andes +2, bass flat, gain +6, not docked but OTG. Quite impressed with some old DAT tapes I tried. Yello anyone? Trisan? Old but good (Neil Young). But still the sss of the singers sound strange. They have a device called de-esser in the recording studios...

 

[yawg]

I'm not happy with the new cable. It's now connected to both earcups but why is it fixed? It's too long, too heavy. The phones should have good mono connectors. Then you could use nice cables like these.

 

[jasswolf]

I'm not happy with the new cable. It's now connected to both earcups but why is it fixed? It's too long, too heavy. The phones should have good mono connectors. Then you could use nice cables like these.

New cable compared to what, the HI-3050 version? The HF-580 has always had an attached Y cable.