[trellus]

I didn't get a box, I got mine second hand from a fellow Head-Fi member, so I have no idea what version I have for certain, but it sounds like the version that has less bass to me -- it always puzzled me why it was compared to the TH900 which, I admit have never heard, but which are reputed to have SERIOUS bass... and I can say for certain I have cans that are way bassier than the Pro 82 I have.

 

[BenF]

How does that IQ sound with the Pro 82?
Does the new Sabre 9018Q2C chipset or any of the internal components make that much of a difference?

Sounds very good.
I will post a comparison with SMSL Idea and Sabaj DA3, but long story short - Idea can sound just as good standalone, as long as you max its volume and control the volume from the source.

 

[OscarPaz]

I didn't get a box, I got mine second hand from a fellow Head-Fi member, so I have no idea what version I have for certain, but it sounds like the version that has less bass to me -- it always puzzled me why it was compared to the TH900 which, I admit have never heard, but which are reputed to have SERIOUS bass... and I can say for certain I have cans that are way bassier than the Pro 82 I have.

Check your cable length.

 

[Humblepie]

Thanks for the article, now I understand the concept of balanced headphones. It's not only independent ground for each side.

In balanced connection there are 3 wires: signal +, signal -, and ground. So they use the signal + and signal - to drive the headphones and the ground as shielding. This will double the voltage entering the drivers.

It's almost the same with a transformer that has a center tap, but not using the center tap to double the voltage.

This balanced headphones only can be done using balanced input stage and amplifier. Regular input and amp will not make balanced headphones

To the drivers it is an independent ground. Done right though it is more than that from source to output. Which it is rarely done right with in consumer setups. Hence true "balanced" headphones should be using a +/- config and a ground. The amps and source as well as the electrical source ALL have to be balanced and shielded to in order to get any true benefit that is claimed by balanced headphone setup. All things considered, even if the slew rate is doubled, and a few other technical benefits occur, that doesn't mean the sound is affected if there is no negative effect generated over a proper single terminated setup. Applying a "solution" to a "problem" that doesn't exist isn't really solving anything.

Now, if you are using very high Independence speakers, long cable lengths, and more power than a typical home use headphone setup is doing, there is going to be some resistance and cross-talk issues with a single terminated setup. Balanced setups will work in those scenarios assuming the entire chain from source to output was setup correctly.

I know we had a tangent digression here in this thread, but basically pointing out there is little point in trying to make the Pro 82's a balanced headphone.

 

[LordZero]

Easy way:
1st batch - White cardboard box & 2.2m cable length,
2nd batch - Black cardboard box & 1.6m cable length.

Hard way:
Remove the pads and compare your driver to this image:

(Credit: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/takstar-pro-82).

Thanks so I received the first batch, the treble with fiio e10k don't seem that harsh. But was wonder, is the mids on the new version better?

 

[elkosith]

....there is little point in trying to make the Pro 82's a balanced headphone.

Yup, agree 100%.

Thanks so I received the first batch, the treble with fiio e10k don't seem that harsh. But was wonder, is the mids on the new version better?

From what I remembered from my nephew's Pro 82 (1st version) the mids were quite similar to mine (2nd version)

 

[BenF]

Goes up to 10dB difference, not good at all! May it be related somehow to the rattling noise on the left driver reported by some users before?

The treble is the same on both sides, so it's unrelated.

This agrees with impressions from people here. New batch has less bass and it doesn't behave so bright at higher frequencies..

The difference in bass response may be due to difference in pads' condition - Silver #2 was not used at all, unlike others.

Who knows what they measured there...

They measured a pre-production version of Pro 82. We'll know soon enough if they re-tuned it before the official release.

 

[BenF]

That might explain why I've experienced my Pro 82 as "bass light", and why others have noted that opening up the bass port all makes it boomy (they have the newer models?) while for me it makes it just right.

Neither version is "bass light", the only Pro 82 (out of 5 I'm measuring) that has audibly different bass level is Pro 82 Black #2 - to be measured soon.
Bass boost has the same effect on both versions. Fully opening it does make the bass boomy - maybe you like it that way? We all have different sound preferences.

 

[iancraig10]

This agrees with impressions from people here. New batch has less bass and it doesn't behave so bright at higher frequencies.

This is what Solderdude found when he directly compared the old and newer versions on DIY Audio Heaven. He preferred the newer version because of the differences in the treble.

 

[trellus]

Neither version is "bass light", the only Pro 82 (out of 5 I'm measuring) that has audibly different bass level is Pro 82 Black #2 - to be measured soon.
Bass boost has the same effect on both versions. Fully opening it does make the bass boomy - maybe you like it that way? We all have different sound preferences.

No, I don't open it up fully, just the middle position, to clarify. In the middle position, it doesn't at all sound boomy to me. Of the headphones in my signature, the only ones I'd describes as having boomy bass are the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 which are Bluetooth 'phones.

EDIT: to clarify, I missed one crucial word... "opening up the bass port at all", e.g., even moving to the middle position, is what I meant, in my original comment.

 

[OscarPaz]

I know we had a tangent digression here in this thread, but basically pointing out there is little point in trying to make the Pro 82's a balanced headphone.

Nice explanation of you all about the balanced connection. Certainly not a big deal to try over headphones, as it has been argued.

Still, I just find it intriguing why Takstar decided to use a 4-pole mini-jack.
What could be the point about it?

 

[BenF]

.... it always puzzled me why it was compared to the TH900 which, I admit have never heard, but which are reputed to have SERIOUS bass...

I think the main reason for comparisons with TH900(MK2) are the bass quality.
TH900MK2 has A LOT more bass, but it's quality it 10/10.
Pro 82's bass is flat compared with its mids, but it's 10/10 too, and extends just as low.

Although both are 10/10 in bass department, the bass itself is different:
TH900MK2 - great extension, very meaty with great decay
Pro 82 - great extension, less meaty (but not thin) super tight.

Both also have soundstage larger than you would expect from their respective form factors, and pretty great imaging (although TH900Mk2 needs to be modded for that).

Latest revision of TH900Mk2 was the inspiration for tuning Pro 82:

As you can see, Takstar has removed the excessive bass (but kept the extension) and made the mids far more linear.
A more balanced 1500$ TH900MK2 in a portable format with improved isolation for 65$ - could we ever ask for more?

 

[nraymond]

Still, I just find it intriguing why Takstar decided to use a 4-pole mini-jack.
What could be the point about it?

Hopefully they made it 4-pole to keep the grounds separate for the length of the cable to reduce crosstalk.

 

[BenF]

No, I don't open it up fully, just the middle position, to clarify. In the middle position, it doesn't at all sound boomy to me. Of the headphones in my signature, the only ones I'd describes as having boomy bass are the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 which are Bluetooth 'phones.

EDIT: to clarify, I missed one crucial word... "opening up the bass port at all", e.g., even moving to the middle position, is what I meant, in my original comment.

In the middle position bass isn't as controlled as without BB, but it's not nearly as boomy as with the fully opened BB switch.

 

[VonBoedfeld]

Hopefully they made it 4-pole to keep the grounds separate for the length of the cable to reduce crosstalk.

As you can see on page 78 of this thread, the ground of the drivers are separated.
I am driving the Pro 82 with a self made balanced cable on my Onkyo Granbeat.