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 11, 2020 at 1:20 AM Post #3,316 of 4,601
I haven't been following this segment of the headphone market closely, but has any headphone in the past couple of years come close to or surpass the pro82 in this price category? Or is the pro82 still king of the hill?
I have the same question.
 
Jun 11, 2020 at 9:24 PM Post #3,317 of 4,601
I haven't been following this segment of the headphone market closely, but has any headphone in the past couple of years come close to or surpass the pro82 in this price category? Or is the pro82 still king of the hill?

I have the same question.

I don't think we can expect another sub-$100 headphone that can compete with $1000+ headphones, it will be the king for a really long time.
Pro 82 is a miracle.

If you want to compliment Pro 82 with something bassier, you can go for GM200 - which more closely follows the frequency response of Fostex TH900MK2 (except for the treble peak): https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...scussion-thread.849965/page-197#post-15148815
 
Jun 12, 2020 at 2:59 AM Post #3,318 of 4,601
I don't think we can expect another sub-$100 headphone that can compete with $1000+ headphones, it will be the king for a really long time.
Pro 82 is a miracle.

If you want to compliment Pro 82 with something bassier, you can go for GM200 - which more closely follows the frequency response of Fostex TH900MK2 (except for the treble peak): https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...scussion-thread.849965/page-197#post-15148815

+1
Listening to the Pro82 versus the Grado's is a revelation of how inferior the Grado's really are.
Be surprised, be shocked at what a low budget headphone can produce.
All my Grado's are stored in a draw (retired) and have since gained dust since purchasing the Pro 82.
One of a kind.
:)
 
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Jun 12, 2020 at 1:08 PM Post #3,319 of 4,601
I'm curious about the Sivga SV004 and Sivga SV007.
 
Jun 12, 2020 at 1:12 PM Post #3,320 of 4,601
+1
Listening to the Pro82 versus the Grado's is a revelation of how inferior the Grado's really are.
Be surprised, be shocked at what a low budget headphone can produce.
All my Grado's are stored in a draw (retired) and have since gained dust since purchasing the Pro 82.
One of a kind.
:)
Are both of your Pro 82's v1?

I really would love to see your comparisons between Pro 82 and Grado RS1i and RS2i/e, as well as Stax L300.
Stax L300 and 009 are the only other headphones I own that can rival Pro 82's transparency and timbre.
 
Jun 12, 2020 at 2:22 PM Post #3,321 of 4,601
ok, I just ordered a set of Takstar Pro 82's from Walmart, which has them on sale for $50 with free shipping.

I'm tempted to order a second set.
 
Jun 12, 2020 at 3:59 PM Post #3,322 of 4,601
Are both of your Pro 82's v1?

I really would love to see your comparisons between Pro 82 and Grado RS1i and RS2i/e, as well as Stax L300.
Stax L300 and 009 are the only other headphones I own that can rival Pro 82's transparency and timbre.

Yes pro82 v1.

From memory, listening to grado with its open chamber creates a peak in the mid's / tops with very little neutrality(kinda hot). Bass is non existant on grados both in depth and texture of bass. Not so on takstar.

Even after listening to stax, I recall the fatigue when switching to grados for the A/B comparison. Grado were too shouty from memory.

Furthermore the small driver and cups in the grado make listening +15min uncomfortable with grado.

Yes they are stylish and aesthetically pleasing but the sound is inferior relatively speaking.

Listening to takstar, you hear neutrality in a closed chamber akin to the stax. To me that's tuned correctly.

Happy listening all.
 
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Jun 12, 2020 at 7:24 PM Post #3,323 of 4,601
Yes pro82 v1.

From memory, listening to grado with its open chamber creates a peak in the mid's / tops with very little neutrality(kinda hot). Bass is non existant on grados both in depth and texture of bass. Not so on takstar.

Even after listening to stax, I recall the fatigue when switching to grados for the A/B comparison. Grado were too shouty from memory.

Furthermore the small driver and cups in the grado make listening +15min uncomfortable with grado.

Yes they are stylish and aesthetically pleasing but the sound is inferior relatively speaking.

Listening to takstar, you hear neutrality in a closed chamber akin to the stax. To me that's tuned correctly.

Happy listening all.
Thank you!
Do all 3 Grados (RS1i/RS2i/RS2e) sound shouty with no bass?
These are quite expensive models, I would expect more from them.
 
Jun 12, 2020 at 7:38 PM Post #3,324 of 4,601
Thank you!
Do all 3 Grados (RS1i/RS2i/RS2e) sound shouty with no bass?
These are quite expensive models, I would expect more from them.

RS1i has the most bass at the expense of being hollow in the midrange and shouty with treble. Kind of U shape sound.
Sr80 and Rs2e similar sounds with more flat sound but lacking any real bass.
HF2 would be be closest to neutral but the hybrid cup has a shrill sound to the tops making it more fatigue. All 3 still can't match the bass of pro82.

They all have that classic grado sound.

For the novice, they'll do fine, but to the audiophile, it's way too much $$ for a product that looks great but lacks frequency balance. They are very shouty after listening to stax and pro 82.

The pro 82 has another card up its sleeve. The button boost on cups. Flavour for your taste. Want the top end midrange magic leave it off. Want the grunge electronic bpm dance sound go with middle switch.

Basically, you get it all with pro 82, whilst with grado you have to change other components to suit the headphones eg amp, dac etc.

Definitely prefer the former.

Happy listening.
 
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Jun 13, 2020 at 12:17 PM Post #3,326 of 4,601
Some USB DAC like the VE Odyssey HD or Hidizs Sonata S1 is enough to amplify "correctly" this model? My budget today is maximum 70$ and i don't believe can buy dedicated kit for now

Judging by the fact that you are asking about Type-C cable DACs, you are going to use Pro 82/GM200 with a smartphone?
If that's the case, you will be better off with a Bluetooth adapter, that can also be used as a USB DAC/Amp.

If you have access to Amazon US and don't mind spending extra 10$, EarStudio ES100 is the best sounding Bluetooth adapter at 80$ - https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24Bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B079NX5ZSS/
Shanling UP2 is 79$ right now, but it will be down to 73$ in 2 days, and you will be able to take another 6$ off with Select Coupons: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000008394295.html
FIIO BTR3K is 70$ right now, and you will be able to take 6$ off with Select Coupons: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000849710696.html
FIIO BTR3 is another good option at 52$: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32924363819.html
 
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Jun 13, 2020 at 8:08 PM Post #3,327 of 4,601
ok, I just ordered a set of Takstar Pro 82's from Walmart, which has them on sale for $50 with free shipping.

I'm tempted to order a second set.
Are you sure that they have v2? Because if it's not v2, it's v0.9 (v1 with quality issues), since proper v1 sold out in late 2017- early 2018.
 
Jun 14, 2020 at 2:28 AM Post #3,328 of 4,601
Are you sure that they have v2? Because if it's not v2, it's v0.9 (v1 with quality issues), since proper v1 sold out in late 2017- early 2018.
no idea
 

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