RedHarlow
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2013
- Posts
- 255
- Likes
- 38
Well at least I got my 2,5 to 3,5mm adapter.
Takstar Pro 82/GM200 Review, impressions and discussion thread
- Thread starter BenF
- Start date
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
- Posts
- 4,498
- Likes
- 1,994
The TakstarAudio Store seems to have new stock, but in silver color only. They had one in black too, but some lucky buyer snatched it immediately.
You snooze, you lose.
You snooze, you lose.
Last edited:
skeletor_bass
Head-Fier
Hi BenF,
Thank you for comparison. I know it is already decided, but is it possible to do quick head to head, in terms of bass quantity & quality, between JVC HA-S680, HA-RX900 and Takstar Pro82?
Thank you for comparison. I know it is already decided, but is it possible to do quick head to head, in terms of bass quantity & quality, between JVC HA-S680, HA-RX900 and Takstar Pro82?
Last edited:
Tweeters
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2015
- Posts
- 191
- Likes
- 54
Any chance for the HD9999 comparison?
UNW209
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2012
- Posts
- 88
- Likes
- 28
I wonder if anyone has discovered that the 2.5mm socket is more than a simple choice from Takstar: It is balanced ready!
By taking a careful look at the circuit board, you will find that the ground is separated and the socket is 4pin instand of 3pin!
Even in that case, I will change it to a usual 3.5mm 3 pin socket for a more secure connection
By taking a careful look at the circuit board, you will find that the ground is separated and the socket is 4pin instand of 3pin!
Even in that case, I will change it to a usual 3.5mm 3 pin socket for a more secure connection
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
- Posts
- 4,498
- Likes
- 1,994
Sure, in 1-2 days.
Keep in mind, my HA-RX900 is modded - felt removed + PT.
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
- Posts
- 4,498
- Likes
- 1,994
HA-S680 vs Pro 82:
Quantity : S680 has a more accentuated bass (relative to the mids).
Quality: No competition, Pro 82 has a more full bodied bass with deeper impact and better control. S680 is embarrassing itself here - it's out of its league.
HA-RX900(modded) vs Pro 82:
Quantity: RX900 is slightly below Pro 82, maybe a dB or two.
Quality: Much closer competition than S680. Pro 82 still wins across all the mentioned points, but with much narrower (yet still significant) margin.
Last edited:
skeletor_bass
Head-Fier
Wow, i never imagined Pro 82 could compete with S680, in bass department.
Thank you, BenF - much appreciated.
Tweeters
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2015
- Posts
- 191
- Likes
- 54
So are the poll results being ignored now? Don't get me wrong I appreciate the comparisons you've done so far but more people have asked for comparisons between HD9999 and Pro 82 than either of those headphones. Doesn't have to be a page long, could you at least give us an idea of the similarities and differences?
Melfyce
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2016
- Posts
- 7
- Likes
- 10
I'll second that! A quick comparison between the HD9999 and the Pro82s would be nice!
RedHarlow
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2013
- Posts
- 255
- Likes
- 38
One month is over and still no headphones.
hames2014
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2014
- Posts
- 13
- Likes
- 2
Hello there,
So I just received my Pro 82's today, and as for sound, I love them, however the pads are just WAY to shallow. I also have a pair of Brainwavz pads but when I first tried to rotate the stock pads just to see if they are removable, they almost feel as if they are glued into place. I tried to slightly pull on one corner just to see if they come off, but I'm afraid to pull on them because I don't really feel a "grove/channel" where pads normally rest in. Can you give me some pointers on how to replace these pads? I just would hate to yank off the stock pads if I'm going to ruin this set. If you have any pictures, that would also be helpful. Please let me know, and thanks for your time.
OscarPaz
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2014
- Posts
- 209
- Likes
- 108
I’ve had the Takstar PRO82 for about six weeks now. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to listen to them as much as I would have liked to, so I was a bit reluctant to share any impressions without putting some more attention on its performance first.
I can say something now. In short: I like these headphones and for the price I think it’s a real killer; but I also found some quirks (as one would expect from a sub-100€ headphone).
Before going into this brief review, let me state that I am a complete newbie to the audiophile scene. In fact, this is my first “Hi-Fi setup” (so to say), together with a Mojo that I bought in advance—now pairing it with these headphones. In the past, I used to listen to IEMs (mostly Shure), but had no special interest in DACs/AMPs, etc. Perhaps because years ago I tested a DragonFly (old version) and wasn’t impressed by its output whatsoever. Oh!, and recently, before purchasing these PRO82, I also tried the BeoPlay H6 (2nd gen), which to me was an absolute fail sound-wise (too bassy, had to return it).
So I entered into this business with a lot of things to experiment with wrt combinations and their effect on sound quality: from the source (standard streaming rates, to lossless Red Book, to hi-res files), to the different players available (on the MacBook and on the iPad using CCK), to the DAC input connections (optical vs USB), to even the headphones switch (namely, that bass port which allows you to increase the low frequency response in the PRO82). Too much to play with
What do I think (so far) about the sound of the Takstar PRO82?
I believe these headphones are superb in the bass region. They go down to the deep ocean, it’s the first time ever that I was astonished from listening to “Limit to your love” by James Blake, for instance. Same can be said for almost any hip-hop or r&b or electronic song with a strong sub-bass line. In the default configuration (i.e. with the bass port totally closed), the lows are delicious. You can feel that they're always there, and certainly a bit above the mids as you can infer from the FR diagrams, but in a very controlled amount. It’s the configuration I like the most; nonetheless, I wouldn’t discard switching the bass port one position down to the +3dB boost. Actually, in recordings with less bass presence, I’ve found that in some cases setting the bass port to the middle position helps to improve male vocals, as it bleeds just a little bit into the mids and makes them sound more natural to me. It even helps a bit to equilibrate the lows when on the go (bus, train). The +6dB setting (i.e. with the bass port all open) is totally useless to my taste, it gets all the frequency spectrum blurred.
Speaking a bit of vocals above is where my first little complaint pops up. It’s been commented before that mids are recessed and it’s true. I’ve tried with many different great singers and only few times I felt dragged by their interpretation, like if they were whispering directly at my ears. Lorde’s voice in “Pure Heroine”, for instance, an album that I know well and that it's available in 24/96, sounds a bit buried between the somewhat elevated bass and the treble sounds. On average, it is more like listening to the performer a few seats behind the front row; it’s just a bit distant, but I’m missing something there. I also noticed the pitch shifted slightly towards the highs. That’s why in my experience opening the bass port by one notch, sometimes made the vocals sound more natural, especially for male voices, at the expense perhaps of a bit of clarity, but still worth it. In my opinion it also helps to equilibrate the bass and treble levels (or sound pressure, or output gain, I don’t know how to properly state it), with the mids obviously below that bar (V-shape). But I must stress here that this only works well if the song has moderate bass muscle, otherwise the spectrum gets too polluted with that +3dB bass boost (not worth it). A good example to apply this setting to is “Happy” by Pharrell Williams in its hi-res edition.
It’s in the highs where I find that some more improvement should be needed. Perhaps not in their resolution, which is good, but in their delivered timbre. Quite often I notice some notes sounding a bit unnatural, with a defined metallic character. Because of this, I don’t think it’s a headphone well suited to classical music. It’s subtle and nothing I can’t live with it though, but a more refined response would be awesome. I wonder whether this could be tweaked (softened) by the use of some foam pads inserted into the ear cup (?).
Regarding the soundstage or 3D representation of instruments and voices, I think it's ok but not great. Only few times I had the feeling that sounds were filling up the room or that I was positioned in the center of a sounding sphere. It is usually more like a left-right game between the ear cups, not very spacious. They can be perceived a bit closed sometimes (depending on the audio production, I guess).
Other aspects I do like are comfort and design. These headphones are very light and the clamping force is just about perfect to my head. I noticed this from the very first time I put them on and my opinion hasn’t changed over time. I use to wear them with the headband totally closed or adjusted just one click up. Regarding design, I have the black version and I think they have a simplistic, modern and sleek look, quite elegant indeed for such an inexpensive product. They are mid-sized while having ear cups with enough room to accommodate my ears very comfortably, so very convenient for portable use. Materials are ok for the price, I guess, although I have a little complaint about the pads: they can make your ears sweat a lot. Something that is expected from a sealed headphone, but perhaps a different material not interfering with the sonic of the headphones could have helped to alleviate this a little bit. (In Spain, now in summer, we reach temperatures above 100ºF and it’s a shame I can't barely listen to them for more than 30min). The cable is replaceable and isolation is quite good.
Hope all these comments are useful to the forum and that I didn’t misunderstood too many audiophile concepts or did make you feel confused about the performance of these headphones. Despite some of my negative comments, I truly think the Takstar PRO82 are an excellent buy (I will not return mine).
But in the end, everything in this field is so subjective… right?
Hasta la vista.
I can say something now. In short: I like these headphones and for the price I think it’s a real killer; but I also found some quirks (as one would expect from a sub-100€ headphone).
Before going into this brief review, let me state that I am a complete newbie to the audiophile scene. In fact, this is my first “Hi-Fi setup” (so to say), together with a Mojo that I bought in advance—now pairing it with these headphones. In the past, I used to listen to IEMs (mostly Shure), but had no special interest in DACs/AMPs, etc. Perhaps because years ago I tested a DragonFly (old version) and wasn’t impressed by its output whatsoever. Oh!, and recently, before purchasing these PRO82, I also tried the BeoPlay H6 (2nd gen), which to me was an absolute fail sound-wise (too bassy, had to return it).
So I entered into this business with a lot of things to experiment with wrt combinations and their effect on sound quality: from the source (standard streaming rates, to lossless Red Book, to hi-res files), to the different players available (on the MacBook and on the iPad using CCK), to the DAC input connections (optical vs USB), to even the headphones switch (namely, that bass port which allows you to increase the low frequency response in the PRO82). Too much to play with
What do I think (so far) about the sound of the Takstar PRO82?
I believe these headphones are superb in the bass region. They go down to the deep ocean, it’s the first time ever that I was astonished from listening to “Limit to your love” by James Blake, for instance. Same can be said for almost any hip-hop or r&b or electronic song with a strong sub-bass line. In the default configuration (i.e. with the bass port totally closed), the lows are delicious. You can feel that they're always there, and certainly a bit above the mids as you can infer from the FR diagrams, but in a very controlled amount. It’s the configuration I like the most; nonetheless, I wouldn’t discard switching the bass port one position down to the +3dB boost. Actually, in recordings with less bass presence, I’ve found that in some cases setting the bass port to the middle position helps to improve male vocals, as it bleeds just a little bit into the mids and makes them sound more natural to me. It even helps a bit to equilibrate the lows when on the go (bus, train). The +6dB setting (i.e. with the bass port all open) is totally useless to my taste, it gets all the frequency spectrum blurred.
Speaking a bit of vocals above is where my first little complaint pops up. It’s been commented before that mids are recessed and it’s true. I’ve tried with many different great singers and only few times I felt dragged by their interpretation, like if they were whispering directly at my ears. Lorde’s voice in “Pure Heroine”, for instance, an album that I know well and that it's available in 24/96, sounds a bit buried between the somewhat elevated bass and the treble sounds. On average, it is more like listening to the performer a few seats behind the front row; it’s just a bit distant, but I’m missing something there. I also noticed the pitch shifted slightly towards the highs. That’s why in my experience opening the bass port by one notch, sometimes made the vocals sound more natural, especially for male voices, at the expense perhaps of a bit of clarity, but still worth it. In my opinion it also helps to equilibrate the bass and treble levels (or sound pressure, or output gain, I don’t know how to properly state it), with the mids obviously below that bar (V-shape). But I must stress here that this only works well if the song has moderate bass muscle, otherwise the spectrum gets too polluted with that +3dB bass boost (not worth it). A good example to apply this setting to is “Happy” by Pharrell Williams in its hi-res edition.
It’s in the highs where I find that some more improvement should be needed. Perhaps not in their resolution, which is good, but in their delivered timbre. Quite often I notice some notes sounding a bit unnatural, with a defined metallic character. Because of this, I don’t think it’s a headphone well suited to classical music. It’s subtle and nothing I can’t live with it though, but a more refined response would be awesome. I wonder whether this could be tweaked (softened) by the use of some foam pads inserted into the ear cup (?).
Regarding the soundstage or 3D representation of instruments and voices, I think it's ok but not great. Only few times I had the feeling that sounds were filling up the room or that I was positioned in the center of a sounding sphere. It is usually more like a left-right game between the ear cups, not very spacious. They can be perceived a bit closed sometimes (depending on the audio production, I guess).
Other aspects I do like are comfort and design. These headphones are very light and the clamping force is just about perfect to my head. I noticed this from the very first time I put them on and my opinion hasn’t changed over time. I use to wear them with the headband totally closed or adjusted just one click up. Regarding design, I have the black version and I think they have a simplistic, modern and sleek look, quite elegant indeed for such an inexpensive product. They are mid-sized while having ear cups with enough room to accommodate my ears very comfortably, so very convenient for portable use. Materials are ok for the price, I guess, although I have a little complaint about the pads: they can make your ears sweat a lot. Something that is expected from a sealed headphone, but perhaps a different material not interfering with the sonic of the headphones could have helped to alleviate this a little bit. (In Spain, now in summer, we reach temperatures above 100ºF and it’s a shame I can't barely listen to them for more than 30min). The cable is replaceable and isolation is quite good.
Hope all these comments are useful to the forum and that I didn’t misunderstood too many audiophile concepts or did make you feel confused about the performance of these headphones. Despite some of my negative comments, I truly think the Takstar PRO82 are an excellent buy (I will not return mine).
But in the end, everything in this field is so subjective… right?
Hasta la vista.
Peicille
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2017
- Posts
- 66
- Likes
- 25
The stock pads are actually latched into place via a plastic ring that the pad is connected to. The pads themselves have holes where the plastic ring attaches to it so you will have to remove the plastic ring. It's a simple clip on design so you will just have to dig your nails in between the pad and the cups and clip off the clear white plastic ring.
Users who are viewing this thread
