[jasswolf]

Looking forward to some early impressions on the sound signature for the ML850, @BenF!

 

[BenF]

Exciting news - Sabaj DA2 sounds exactly like SMSL Idea, retaining its synergy with Pro 82 and the O2 amp (1.0x/3.3x, in high gain) !

You can get it here for just 56$ - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32825193760.html
There are 81 pieces listed at this point, so you should be able to get one and experience the most natural sound Pro 82 can produce.
Don't count on the store actually having all the 81 pieces though - usually stores just put random high number as stock, so you better hurry!

I updated the DAC/Amp comparison post: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/t...discussion-thread.849965/page-5#post-13501419

 

[BenF]

Takstar seems to be venturing into the 7.1 sound with two new products:
Forge is GM200 with USB interface: https://en.takstar.com/product/type/3276.html


RISE is FLIT with USB interface: https://en.takstar.com/product/type/3275.html

 

[Noone025]

Jumped on the GM200, thanks. Will be waiting some weeks for them to arrive.
Looking forward to comparing them to other flatish with boosted bass fun closed cans in my arsenal.
Interested to see if the Rise, Flit and othes turn out to be champs, are we on a one trick pony or emerging player... Time will tell.

Cheers BenF for your input / guidance.

 

[klogg4]

I've received my GM200. Some thoughts that may be interesting to other forum users (tested on E-MU 0404 USB and Realtek ALC1220 on ASUS PRIME X470-PRO motherboard):

1. The amount of bass is RIDICULOUS!! That's not even funny! These turn any track into bass boosted! I'm not even sure if I like it in games - I even get too much bass in CS GO and Doom Eternal (though I get into a real psychomaniac in the latter because of Mick Gordon tracks and intense violence - love killing in these, and want to kill more!)
2. I used a duct tape to glue bass ports shut. The headphones turned into a great pair with a comfortable V-Shaped sound. This tonal balance definitely deserves a thumbs up from me: it's not realistic, but it's very deep and actually fits, you know, any music. I want to mention treble specially: it's shockingly good comparing to Pro 80.
3. Someone in this theme asked to compare Takstars with AKG K361/K371. I can compare GM200 with K361 BT which I purchased recently. And I think it's not surprise but K361 BT are much flatter than these GM200 (even with shut bass ports). This results in some interesting thinkings. K361 BT make you get used to their sound, but when you did, they start to amaze you with sound stage and, most importantly, toms and acoustic guitar sounds - they're like IRL! Sound is very realistic in AKG. On the other hand, I just loved GM200 right from the start, with bass ports shut they have that cozy V-Shaped sound that you definitely don't need to get used to: you just put them on and you immediately like them. That's why maybe they're not good for sound production purposes, but who cares, sound is good and that's all that matters.

Later I will try to find a perfect balance for games. I think I will leave bass ports shut but will tune system-wide equalizer a bit just for games. But I'm very satisfied with these cuz they're actually good for everything and they also have a mic.

P.S. Mic is good. But I get sound leakage from headphones into a mic channel - I think that's because of Y-split cable. The same problem as HyperX Cloud Cores.

P.P.S. The main thing I forgot to say: thanks BenF for all your advices and reviews!

 

[BenF]

Jumped on the GM200, thanks. Will be waiting some weeks for them to arrive.
Looking forward to comparing them to other flatish with boosted bass fun closed cans in my arsenal.
Interested to see if the Rise, Flit and othes turn out to be champs, are we on a one trick pony or emerging player... Time will tell.

Cheers BenF for your input / guidance.

I've received my GM200. Some thoughts that may be interesting to other forum users (tested on E-MU 0404 USB and Realtek ALC1220 on ASUS PRIME X470-PRO motherboard):

1. The amount of bass is RIDICULOUS!! That's not even funny! These turn any track into bass boosted! I'm not even sure if I like it in games - I even get too much bass in CS GO and Doom Eternal (though I get into a real psychomaniac in the latter because of Mick Gordon tracks and intense violence - love killing in these, and want to kill more!)
2. I used a duct tape to glue bass ports shut. The headphones turned into a great pair with a comfortable V-Shaped sound. This tonal balance definitely deserves a thumbs up from me: it's not realistic, but it's very deep and actually fits, you know, any music. I want to mention treble specially: it's shockingly good comparing to Pro 80.
3. Someone in this theme asked to compare Takstars with AKG K361/K371. I can compare GM200 with K361 BT which I purchased recently. And I think it's not surprise but K361 BT are much flatter than these GM200 (even with shut bass ports). This results in some interesting thinkings. K361 BT make you get used to their sound, but when you did, they start to amaze you with sound stage and, most importantly, toms and acoustic guitar sounds - they're like IRL! Sound is very realistic in AKG. On the other hand, I just loved GM200 right from the start, with bass ports shut they have that cozy V-Shaped sound that you definitely don't need to get used to: you just put them on and you immediately like them. That's why maybe they're not good for sound production purposes, but who cares, sound is good and that's all that matters.

Later I will try to find a perfect balance for games. I think I will leave bass ports shut but will tune system-wide equalizer a bit just for games. But I'm very satisfied with these cuz they're actually good for everything and they also have a mic.

P.S. Mic is good. But I get sound leakage from headphones into a mic channel - I think that's because of Y-split cable. The same problem as HyperX Cloud Cores.

P.P.S. The main thing I forgot to say: thanks BenF for all your advices and reviews!

You are both welcome!
@klogg4 - what DAC/Amp are you using with GM200? I suspect that the sensation of too much bass is created by your chain, which fails to control the bass.
Boomy bass may create the illusion of more bass, while a tighter, better controlled bass would sound more neutral.

 

[elNan]

Are the Takstar Shades and the GM200s the same headphones?

 

[BenF]

Are the Takstar Shades and the GM200s the same headphones?

Yes

 

[jasswolf]

I've received my GM200. Some thoughts that may be interesting to other forum users (tested on E-MU 0404 USB and Realtek ALC1220 on ASUS PRIME X470-PRO motherboard):

1. The amount of bass is RIDICULOUS!! That's not even funny! These turn any track into bass boosted! I'm not even sure if I like it in games - I even get too much bass in CS GO and Doom Eternal (though I get into a real psychomaniac in the latter because of Mick Gordon tracks and intense violence - love killing in these, and want to kill more!)
2. I used a duct tape to glue bass ports shut. The headphones turned into a great pair with a comfortable V-Shaped sound. This tonal balance definitely deserves a thumbs up from me: it's not realistic, but it's very deep and actually fits, you know, any music. I want to mention treble specially: it's shockingly good comparing to Pro 80.
3. Someone in this theme asked to compare Takstars with AKG K361/K371. I can compare GM200 with K361 BT which I purchased recently. And I think it's not surprise but K361 BT are much flatter than these GM200 (even with shut bass ports). This results in some interesting thinkings. K361 BT make you get used to their sound, but when you did, they start to amaze you with sound stage and, most importantly, toms and acoustic guitar sounds - they're like IRL! Sound is very realistic in AKG. On the other hand, I just loved GM200 right from the start, with bass ports shut they have that cozy V-Shaped sound that you definitely don't need to get used to: you just put them on and you immediately like them. That's why maybe they're not good for sound production purposes, but who cares, sound is good and that's all that matters.

Later I will try to find a perfect balance for games. I think I will leave bass ports shut but will tune system-wide equalizer a bit just for games. But I'm very satisfied with these cuz they're actually good for everything and they also have a mic.

P.S. Mic is good. But I get sound leakage from headphones into a mic channel - I think that's because of Y-split cable. The same problem as HyperX Cloud Cores.

P.P.S. The main thing I forgot to say: thanks BenF for all your advices and reviews!

Thanks for the comparison! RE: the K361 vs the GM200, would you say the timbre is off, or it's just bass-boosted? Because if it's the latter, then perhaps it has much more in common with the K371, which closely follows the Harman curve, and thus differs from the K361 mostly in the sub-200Hz range.

From @BenF's measurements, if we take the Takstar Pro 82 as flat, it looks like there is the +3 dB boost for the 90-250Hz range compared to said target, which is pretty impressive in a $50 headphone. If you want to go from something more akin to reference values, then it's not as bad, because the Pro 82 has a few dips in the bass and sub-bass FR curves, though there is a clear mid-bass hump that bleeds over into the mids.

 

[klogg4]

Thanks for the comparison! RE: the K361 vs the GM200, would you say the timbre is off, or it's just bass-boosted?

It's both to me. Like, GM200 is a V-shaped HP, (that's what I hear at least), but on top of V-shape I get a huge bass boost. If I put duct tape on bass ports, it's just V-shape (they STILL have more bass and more treble than AKG). If that's not what they're supposed to sound like, then it must be connected to how pads interact with me (they isolate sound perfectly, + my ears are a bit far from speakers which may be the problem). Doubt that DAC+amp will make huge difference in this department, though I only had E-MU 0404 USB and Realtek ALC1220 at that moment (Realtek sounded better - I think that's because of high impedance of headphone output in E-MU).

K361 BT are definitely much flatter, sound stage is no doubt much wider and instrument separation is better. The only three things I dislike about them are: 1. High mids are shouty in a lot of tracks, 2. They have a bit more sibilance issues (YES, they have less treble yet still more sibilance, GM200 are really impressive in this department), and 3. They're boring sometimes Dream Theater - Panic Attack sounds just like I want in GM200 but it sounds very uninspired in AKG.

 

[klogg4]

Actually, the biggest problem with GM200 is the mic. To be more exact - the problem is in a common ground between a mic and headphones. It's a stupid design in my opinion. Sound leakage from output to mic channel is noticable. Volume regulator is useless because of this, cuz if you make maximum output from PC into the headphones and adjust volume by a regulator, the sound leakage will be just insane.

 

[BenF]

Funny story - in late January I went on a 2-month vacation. When I came back home, I couldn't find my GM200 anymore...
I was pretty sure I didn't take it with me this time - only Pro 82 v1, Pro 82 v2, and a couple dozen IEMs/earbuds.
I searched my home and my office - can't find it anywhere. Eventually I gave up and ordered another one, which I received today!

I'm sure that eventually I will find the first GM200 somewhere - it's not the first time I couldn't find a headphone for months.
I guess this is the risk you have to take when you have ~250 headphones in your collection

 

[OscarPaz]

I guess this is the risk you have to take when you have ~250 headphones in your collection

Please, post a picture of this!

 

[BenF]

Please, post a picture of this!

It's just a lot of boxes stuffed inside several closets in my home and office - nothing to show, really...

 

[Jparco]

Hi, just new here I was looking to buy 82 pro I have done all my research and decided that this should be my first, the problem is i can't use AliExpress in my country because of shipping cost issue but we have other online shop that sells them from china and and i see the photos in the reviews its the black box ones, my question is that all black box a V2? And what color do you preferred the silver or the black?