Takstar Pro 82/GM200 Review, impressions and discussion thread

Which headphones do you want Pro 82 to be compared with?


  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
Jun 16, 2018 at 12:08 PM Post #2,071 of 4,534
Jun 22, 2018 at 10:14 PM Post #2,073 of 4,534
It appears that "Music Huhu Store" is selling the first version with white box and 2.2m cable.
All pictures in reviews show the white box, including the latest one on June 16:
upload_2018-6-23_5-0-14.jpeg


I don't know where they got hundreds of Pro 82 v1, and why they didn't sell it during the "unobtanium" period last August-November.
If you want to experience the first version of Pro 82 (with more revealing treble), 59$ (after coupons) will get you one.
Just keep in mind they may run out of v1 at any moment and switch to v2.
So you may want to verify with the seller before placing the order.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TAK...onitoring-Music-Appreciation/32843865701.html

TakstarAudio does sell only v2 since 11.11
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...g-K-song-game-stereo-headset/32808454492.html

"New" vs "Old" Pro 82
 
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Jun 30, 2018 at 9:10 AM Post #2,075 of 4,534
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Jun 30, 2018 at 10:33 AM Post #2,076 of 4,534
Cant say anything for sure, but Mixcder E8 looks like another Pro 82-rebrand:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixcder-Cancelling-Bluetooth-Headphones-Microphone-Black/dp/B07DKWPFF4

https://www.techpowerup.com/245582/...eless-headphones-with-active-noise-cancelling

Off course there are tons of these wired- and wireless headphones with Sony-ripoff-design.

That doesn't look ilke a Pro 82 to me. Pro 82 is aping the aesthetics of the Sony MDR-1A. This Mixcder E8 is aping the aesthetics of Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 (with some minor adjustments, like diagonals on the sliders).
 
Jul 1, 2018 at 11:20 AM Post #2,077 of 4,534
More about xDuoo XQ-23

upload_2018-7-1_18-16-55.png


Wired:
Sounds very good with Pro 82, borderline "synergy" sound.
Not great with detail retrieval, but the sound is very lively/lovely, makes you forget about the details.

Volume buttons control volume level in Windows and Android (connected over USB)
In Windows, next/previous track buttons work in Foobar2000, but not in YouTube (in a browser)
In Android (connected over USB), next/previous track buttons work in YouTube and Deezer.

XQ-23 connected over USB to HTC 10 and Moto X4 with no issues.

Weirdly, if you connect XQ-23 to Windows in "off" state to a computer, it is recognized in "Playback Devices" and is used to play music, but there is no output.
upload_2018-7-1_19-11-39.png


It would make perfect sense if off/on switch would only affect Bluetooth, but it cuts off output from the wired connection too.
As a result, Bluetooth is always active when you listen to music over USB, and it sometimes introduces noise.

Another weird issue is that despite WM8955L supporting 24/96, XQ-23 is limited to 16/48.
http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/444/WM8955-8178.pdf

Bluetooth:
CSR8670 supports Bluetooth 5.0, but XQ-23 only supports 4.1.
https://www.qualcomm.com/products/csr8670
XQ-23 sounds great over Bluetooth, close to the wired quality, but the volume is lower. Probably because Bluetooth chip's output is lower than WM8955's.
Volume up/down buttons affect XQ-23's own volume, not smartphone's.
Next/previous track buttons work with YouTube and Deezer apps

My main issue with using XQ-23 as a Bluetooth adapter with a smartphone, is that it doesn't have a clip.
How am I supposed to use it as an adapter on-the-go?
xDuoo thinks you are supposed to hold it on your finger :frowning2:
upload_2018-7-1_18-20-1.png

C:\Users\Vitaly\AppData\Local\Temp\EverNoteTempDir\5509-41267cd932771660.png


Even a bigger issue than lack of clip, is the fact that XQ-23 turns itself off if no music is played for 3 minutes.
Let me reiterate - If you pause music for 3 minutes, XQ-23 will turn itself off!
If it wasn't for this issue, you could use XQ-23 to add Bluetooth to your car stereo or active bookshelf speakers, or to use with your headphones on a desktop.

Microphone is pretty good, voices come through clearly.

Wired+Bluetooth:
It has a neat feature, that is once again ruined by bad firmware.
If you listen to music over USB while connected to a smartphone over Bluetooth, XQ-23 will mute the USB input when a call/notification comes over Bluetooth.
Works great when I use Foobar2000 - XQ-23 will pause it for the duration of the call, and then resume - neat, right?

Doesn't work so great when I listen to YouTube in a browser while Foobar2000 is paused in the background.
YouTube is muted, but nor paused for the duration of the call. When the call is over, the Foobar2000 starts playing music (it gets the "resume" command) on top of YouTube...


Conclusion:
Despite its great SQ with Pro 82, due to many firmware/usability issues, I'll keep using other DAC/Amps and Bluetooth adapters over XQ-23.
 
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Jul 3, 2018 at 10:53 AM Post #2,079 of 4,534
After a thousand years of waiting and choosing (not quite tho) I've received my first audiophile combo: Takstar Pro 82, DAC xu208+dsd1796 (from aliexpress). Can actually recommend this DAC.
SAOMAI-XMOS-XU208-APTX-Bluetooth-CSR8670-Coaxial-Optical-fiber-USB-DSD1796-Digital-Audio-Dac-Headphone-Amplifier.jpg


I have Sennheiser hd280pro (old one), HD518, HyperX Cloud and Razer Kraken to compare with. Gonna have a few words on these headphones.

First one is hd280pro (I would call it just "s#%^") that broke after a year of listening (one driver is dead).
-You may ask, "Where's the earpads leather of that quality brand headphones?"
-I answer, "On my floor".
HD518 just sounds bad to me (I know you can fix it to make sounds closer to hd598 with the same driver but anyway).
Thank you, Sennheiser. Have a nice day.

Krakens are garbage so there's nothing to talk about. I bought it only because of USB. Have to notice that my head is too big so I broke it 3 times (btw Razer RMAing it everytime).

HyperX Cloud are the first headphones I like.
I would say pro 82 sounds more clear than Clouds but the best part of pro82 is the bass (It's the boss). I really happy with how Queen sounds now.

There's one problem of pro 82. It's build quality. Headphones are looks too easy to break.
One of my height regulators is weak so one side pops out when I shake headphones a little bit (maybe you know the way to fix that?).
I've heard you can't remove earpads because It's glued... So sweet (sweat)... (btw Clouds come with the "summer" earpads and I like it so much)

Other things are said already. So that's all. Cya.
 
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Jul 5, 2018 at 8:26 PM Post #2,080 of 4,534
Breaking news!!!

As I was going through my stock of materials to use to tune my new TH-900MK2, I came across these foam disks, still in the original packaging:
Thin & Thick Inside Foam Disk Ear Pads For HD545 HD565 HD600 HD650 Headphones
Thin & Thick Inside Foam Disk Ear Pads For K240 K241 K270 K271 K272 Headphons
Update:
These are the foams on Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Thi...-HD565-HD600-HD650-Headphone/32601752052.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...0-HE300-HE400-HE400i/2961104_32824443199.html


I have originally bought the oval ones ("HD650" model) to tune Pro 80, and the round ones ("K272" model) to tune Hifiman HE-400, but never did anything with them.
Until today...

The oval ones seems to be an almost perfect fit, maybe just a bit too long:


Round ones are perfect length, but are too wide:


Both of these listings state 2mm and 4mm width.
The oval ones are actually 3mm and 4mm, while both pairs of the round ones are 2.5mm - but one of them is made from exact same material as the oval ones, while the other one is made of a much more porous material:


The left one is made out of the same material as the ovals (pretty dense), the right one is the more porous one.

I didn't want to take the pads off, so instead of placing the disks between the driver and the pad, I showed them inside the pads.



First, I tried the "thin" (3mm) oval one.
WOW
:ksc75smile:
Bass - Slightly less controlled, but still tight enough and with a longer decay
Mids - No longer recessed! Vocals sound so much better! Yet it doesn't have the small thin veil that B8 has. Timbre is perfect.
Treble - Slightly less accentuated, but just as clean and as well extended.
Soundstage - Due to a decrease in treble, a bit smaller
Clarity - It no longer has the same estat-like clarity, but still probably is the best closed headphone in that department.
Overall, It's not mid-forward as B8 yet, but it's no longer U-shaped either. "Neutral" and "Balanced" are the best ways to describe it.

Then, I tried the "thin" ("porous") round one - it was easier to shove inside the pads than the oval ones.
Double WOW
:ksc75smile::ksc75smile:
Bass - Somewhere between the "oval" one and the original
Mids - Vocals sound very close to the "oval" one, maybe 1dB less forward. Still perfect timbre.
Treble - Same as the "oval" one
Soundstage - Almost as big as the original
Clarity - Better than with the "oval" one, almost unaffected.
Overall, I like it more than the "oval" one, because it retains the best characteristics of Pro 82 - its clarity and bass, while improving the mids.

I highly recommend anyone with Pro 82 to buy both oval and round ones.
I can't guarantee that you'll get the same combinations of width/materials, but you will have enough tuning possibilities by using different width/material/shape (alone or in combination) to get the signature you want.
Even placement (under/inside pads) or orientation (for the oval ones) can have an effect - have fun tuning!


P.S. If you will place them inside the pads, trimming a few mm will make it easier.

Is this mod corresponds to the first or the second batch of the PRO 82?

And how do I remove the pads to try different ones? - The space between the baffle and the cup seems so tight.
 
Jul 6, 2018 at 8:53 AM Post #2,081 of 4,534
Jul 6, 2018 at 1:11 PM Post #2,083 of 4,534
I'm not asking about the pads specifically for this mod. I just want to try different pads to see how it affects the sound.

Some people in this thread did play around with other pads, but I don't remember anyone reporting improvements in SQ.
Pro 82 pads are not designed to be user-replaceable, you are risking losing perfect seal.
 

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