[jwong]

How do the TAKSTAR PRO82 compare with the Beyerdynamic DT990 250 Ohm Edition? Just the extra price justify? Which should I get? I have a Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Advance DE sound card which has 180 Ohm output.

You asked in my for sale thread, but I'll answer here. These are completely different headphones... apples and oranges. The DT990 is open back. It will have a wider soundstage and a more airy feel, but will also leak sound. Are you looking for open or closed?

The Takstar sounds more detailed to me. The DT990 will have more bass, a sharper treble. It's not as revealing as the Takstar, but more dynamic and "fun", as long as the trebles don't bother your ears. Again, these are not similar headphones and a strange pair to be shopping against each other.

 

[piotrgt]

You asked in my for sale thread, but I'll answer here. These are completely different headphones... apples and oranges. The DT990 is open back. It will have a wider soundstage and a more airy feel, but will also leak sound. Are you looking for open or closed?

The Takstar sounds more detailed to me. The DT990 will have more bass, a sharper treble. It's not as revealing as the Takstar, but more dynamic and "fun", as long as the trebles don't bother your ears. Again, these are not similar headphones and a strange pair to be shopping against each other.

I have no preference when it comes to open or closed.

What about longevity? Is it true that the Beyerdynamic will last for many years? One owner has shown his 15 years old ones, and they are still going strong. Can the same be said about the never released of their headphones?
My previous Takstar HI 2050, as well as Superlux HD-668B have only lasted for two years....

 

[jwong]

Sure, Beyers can last many years. The Pro 82 seems well built, but I suppose the hinge could go bad. I've never had issues with either, but I suppose I'm not very hard on my headphones.

 

[piotrgt]

Sure, Beyers can last many years. The Pro 82 seems well built, but I suppose the hinge could go bad. I've never had issues with either, but I suppose I'm not very hard on my headphones.

So lets put things this way. Since they are both great, The Beyers will save my lots of money in the long run.
Say they last 10 years, so that's 120USD, and the Takstars are half the price so 60USD... so if I take things the cheaper way during the next 10 years, I will end up spending 300USD instead of just 120USD if I go with the Beyers.

Do you think I should go with the 250 or 600 Ohm version? My DAC can only output 180 Ohm...

If anyone else has something to add to this matter, then please feel free to do so.

By the way, do you or anyone else has any experience with DACs? Currenlty I am supper happy with my Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Advance DE. I got a second hand one for 40USD, and was wondering if it's worth upgrading to a iFi Zen DAC or a Creative Sound Blaster ZxR with DAC. Both around the 100-120USD price range. If I upgrade toone of these maybe I should go for the 600 Ohm Beyers (I can get them at the same price as the 250 ohm version)?

 

[BenF]

How do the TAKSTAR PRO82 compare with the Beyerdynamic DT990 250 Ohm Edition? Just the extra price justify? Which should I get? I have a Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Advance DE sound card which has 180 Ohm output.

In this post you can find comparisons of Pro 82 to many much more expensive headphones, including Beyerdynamic T1 and T90 (both are more advanced than DT990)- https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-13490895
Pro 82 competes quite well with headphones 10-20-30 times more expensive.

I doubt that this sound card would be able to show Pro 82's full ability, you'd be better off with one of the synergy combos listed here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...discussion-thread.849965/page-5#post-13501419

 

[piotrgt]

In this post you can find comparisons of Pro 82 to many much more expensive headphones, including Beyerdynamic T1 and T90 (both are more advanced than DT990)- https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-13490895
Pro 82 competes quite well with headphones 10-20-30 times more expensive.

So in the end it seems that both headphones are great, and Beyers DT990 are the way to go when it comes to longevity, as I'm 100% sure that the Pro 82's will most likely fail within the two years of ownership, just like most headphones.

However, after I have seen this video i have started to question the quality of the 82's... or maybe the reviewer is strange..

 

[piotrgt]

Pro 82 does come in 2 versions - "old" with 2.2m cable and 3.5mm/6.5mm adapter, "new" with 1.6m cable and no 3.5mm/6.5mm adapter.
TakstarAudio does add 3.5mm/6.5mm adapter as a gift to "new" ones.
The headphones themselves didn't change.

Strange, I have just checked online. All electronics stores in Poland have the first version (2.2m cable + adaptor).

What's up wih that.... How long do we have to wait till we get the revised version?

 

[Hal Rockwell]

I have no preference when it comes to open or closed.

What about longevity? Is it true that the Beyerdynamic will last for many years? One owner has shown his 15 years old ones, and they are still going strong. Can the same be said about the never released of their headphones?
My previous Takstar HI 2050, as well as Superlux HD-668B have only lasted for two years....

Can't comment on longevity since I don't have the DT990, but I do have an almost 10 year old HI 2050, without a scratch on them. Only had to replace the pads once.

So lets put things this way. Since they are both great, The Beyers will save my lots of money in the long run.
Say they last 10 years, so that's 120USD, and the Takstars are half the price so 60USD... so if I take things the cheaper way during the next 10 years, I will end up spending 300USD instead of just 120USD if I go with the Beyers.

Do you think I should go with the 250 or 600 Ohm version? My DAC can only output 180 Ohm...

If anyone else has something to add to this matter, then please feel free to do so.

By the way, do you or anyone else has any experience with DACs? Currenlty I am supper happy with my Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Advance DE. I got a second hand one for 40USD, and was wondering if it's worth upgrading to a iFi Zen DAC or a Creative Sound Blaster ZxR with DAC. Both around the 100-120USD price range. If I upgrade toone of these maybe I should go for the 600 Ohm Beyers (I can get them at the same price as the 250 ohm version)?

Forget about the DT990 600 Ohm version. It needs an extremely powerful amplification. No Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Advance DE, and no iFi Zen DAC, which is an obvious upgrade over the Audiotrack, will be able to drive them to their full potential.

Strange, I have just checked online. All electronics stores in Poland have the first version (2.2m cable + adaptor).

What's up with that.... How long do we have to wait till we get the revised version?

I doubt that any stores other than some stores on Aliexpress will carry the revised version, since all of them is unaware that there is a revised version.

 

[jasswolf]

So in the end it seems that both headphones are great, and Beyers DT990 are the way to go when it comes to longevity, as I'm 100% sure that the Pro 82's will most likely fail within the two years of ownership, just like most headphones.

However, after I have seen this video i have started to question the quality of the 82's... or maybe the reviewer is strange..

There are two versions, but that one doesn't look what he's observing there despite some distinct differences.

Here's an explainer on what the differences are: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/takstar-pro-82/

And this is graph that shows how that presents in frequency response (silver is v1, black is v2):

And then the waterfall plots:
Version 1

Version 2

Basically, version 2 has a better driver and a more relaxed tuning.

 

[BenF]

So in the end it seems that both headphones are great, and Beyers DT990 are the way to go when it comes to longevity, as I'm 100% sure that the Pro 82's will most likely fail within the two years of ownership, just like most headphones.

I am using my Pro 82s v1 for 3.5 years and v2 for 3 years,they have circumnavigated the globe a few times with me.
Beyers are sold by millions, so mathematically some will still work 10 years later, regardless of the average quality.

However, after I have seen this video i have started to question the quality of the 82's... or maybe the reviewer is strange..

This reviewer isn't strange, just average - doesn't do proper research, and posts reviews for the sake of posting.
His measurements are garbage above 4kHz, and show that this is probably a unit variance, not different versions:

Looks like he has two v1 headphones. In fact, they may be v0.9, judging by channel imbalance.

The difference between v1 and v2 is quite significant:

Strange, I have just checked online. All electronics stores in Poland have the first version (2.2m cable + adaptor).

What's up wih that.... How long do we have to wait till we get the revised version?

You don't have to wait at all, unless you want additional discounts
You can buy a v2 at TakstarAudio store here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808454492.html
On 11.11 the price will be down to 57.5$, and you can get a "6$ off 50$" coupon playing Energy Lab - reducing the price to 51.5$!

Most stores now sell v0.9, TakstarAudio is safe.

 

[piotrgt]

Basically, version 2 has a better driver and a more relaxed tuning.

Overall he was disappointed with the 50USD headphones.
They are artificial sounding, and tuned...
I really cant see how they (the v1 or v2) can be considered to be 200-1000USD headphone quality...

 

[jasswolf]

Keep forgetting to mention this, but Takstar now have an official Amazon US store. Likely won't help much for discounts (though I suppose we'll see this month), but where it does help, is with this: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/suggestions

I've already contacted the team at RTings and they've updated their Takstar suggestion listings to reflect those Amazon listings, so they'll have access to the Pro 82 v2, the GM200 and the HF-580 should they secure enough votes. They've been rollicking through their suggestion list during the pandemic due to the understandable popularity of headphones and earphones in this trying time, which makes it more likely than ever that they'll take a look at these units.

FWIW, it also looks like the Cooler Master MH751 will be in their next batch of purchases.

 

[jasswolf]

Overall he was disappointed with the 50USD headphones.
They are artificial sounding, and tuned...
I really cant see how they (the v1 or v2) can be considered to be 200-1000USD headphone quality...

You're disregarding a lot of what is being explained here, and a lot of what is in the thread. Everyone calls the original version quite picky, and there is clear evidence of crappy iterations of that original version that are substandard, especially considering the manufacturer themselves discontinued it years ago.

The updated version, which can clearly be measured and heard, corrects for this and offers a very well valued headphone for the price. The only other headphone I would recommend in this range with this quality level would be the AKG K361 when on sale for $80, but I would then just steer people to the AKG K371 on sale for $100-$110 for an even better headphone.

The reviewer offers the same alternative, but also says that for $50, this isn't worth it. The most ridiculous part of the review is that the DSP-altered recordings clearly sound more neutral on the AKG K361 'demo' than the untouched presentation, which is bizarre considering that up to 2kHz, they are some of the flattest headphones you can find.

 

[BenF]

Overall he was disappointed with the 50USD headphones.

I wouldn't put too much stock in an opinion of someone who mostly reviews Bluetooth boomboxes...
In fact, I would avoid reviewers altogether - they do minimal research required to post the review, and they can't say that a 60$ beats 600$ headphone, because it may hurt their chance of getting the next sample of an expensive headphone. Most reviewers rely on samples, and no manufacturer likes to hear how their expensive product isn't nearly as good as a much cheaper one.

They are artificial sounding, and tuned...

Pro 82 v2 doesn't have it's own sound signature. Its sound is totally dependent on your amp and DAC.
If you'll plug it into Topping NX4 DSD - it will sound unnatural, because that's how NX4 DSD sounds.
If you'll plug it into Sabaj DA2 + O2 - you will enter a blissful world usually reserved for high-end electrostatics.

They are artificial sounding, and tuned...
I really cant see how they (the v1 or v2) can be considered to be 200-1000USD headphone quality...

You should read opinions of audiophiles (not reviewers) who own both Pro 82 and much more expensive headphones: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...ns-and-discussion-thread.849965/post-13490895
Anyway, if you believe that price defines the quality of a headphone, you should just buy the most expensive headphone you can afford.

 

[ARPortugal]

Did you resolve the noise issue?
What are your impressions on P10 + El-D01?

Hey, i didnt have time to look at this. I am straight noob when it comes to this things, i have a friend who has some equipment and we are going to try some things to see if we can solve this. The noise only bothers me if im not listening to music. But so far im loving it. The major thing for me was the bass, without the combo it was not working for me, now its just purfect.