[BenF]

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?

Welcome to the club!

The silver ones look more prestigious.

There are some stores that sell v0.9 (v1 that failed quality assurance), so it's best not to risk it.
DHL shipping to Philippines is only ~20$, and you should get it within 3-4 days - it's an express shipping.

If you'll use the 6$ coupon in the first post, the total cost will be only ~75$ for a guaranteed v2 with fast delivery.
You can also ask the seller to put lower package value to avoid customs.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808454492.html

EDIT: Pro 82 v2 always comes with a black box and a 1.6m cable

 

[BenF]

...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).
...

These are some really bad options for GM200.
EMU 0404 has more 1-star reviews than both 4- and 5-star reviews combined:

Realtek ALC1220 is very sensitive to noise from other components, which can bring dynamic range to under 40dB - https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/ag12dp/realtek_alc1220_vs_sound_blasterx_ae5_my_findings/

My laptop also has some kind of Realtek audio chip, and my new GM200 sounds plain horrible trough it - like a typical 60$ headphone.
With O2 + Khadas it sounds like a $1000+ TOTL headphone.

What you are hearing now in your comparisons with AKG K361BT is nowhere near GM200's true sound.
You absolutely need to upgrade your chain.

 

[klogg4]

EMU 0404 has more 1-star reviews than both 4- and 5-star reviews combined:

I'm having USB version, Windows drivers are bad but DAC is actually good in it. USB version is also different from PCI/PCIe card because it has a dedicated headphone amp, and it sounds great with high impedance HPs (beyers 250 Om for example). I mainly use it to playthrough and record my electric guitar and a bit of vocals, and it's really great for that, but I think it's no slouch for listening purposes either. Takstars and AKGs are both bad with it because of low impedance I think. That's why I wanted to buy O2 in first place - I think that pairing it with 0404 USB would give me everything I wanted.

About ALC1220 electrical sensitivity - it's noticable, but still I mainly compared HPs with low load on CPU and GPU (no gaming - only a foobar2000), so VRM didn't create noticeable electric noise that would affect the codec sound. With low load ALC1220 doesn't sound bad actually. It's a somewhat decent codec for a flat output to low impedance headphones.

No doubt I need a better soundchain at home, but I had experience with different DACs, and I personally think that headphones give much more difference than DACs. But that's just my opinion.

 

[BenF]

I'm having USB version, Windows drivers are bad but DAC is actually good in it. USB version is also different from PCI/PCIe card because it has a dedicated headphone amp, and it sounds great with high impedance HPs (beyers 250 Om for example)....

These horrible ratings were for the USB version: https://www.amazon.com/0404-USB2-0-Audio-MIDI-Interface/dp/B000IXNE3E#customerReviews

No doubt I need a better soundchain at home, but I had experience with different DACs, and I personally think that headphones give much more difference than DACs. But that's just my opinion.

TOTL headphones scale up greatly with better equipment.
AKG K361BT may not sound much better with a great Amp/DAC combo, but Pro 82/GM200 transforms completely.

 

[BenF]

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.

Not much can be done about this - TRRS 4-pole plug can only have a single ground when used for stereo+mic.
I tested GM200 with its microphone and Pro 82 with a mic cable on both my laptop and smartphone - leakage is very significant.
On the plus side, I can't imagine a scenario where I would be talking into a microphone while blasting some tunes

 

[klogg4]

These horrible ratings were for the USB

Did not read ALL the interviews, but most reviews I saw didn't include any complains about DACs themselves. Others aspects of 0404 USB are arguable but I love it for high impedance input which introduces no clipping to recording guitars and vocals, so it will definitely stay for me. And it would be cool if I could improve it, cuz monitoring through the other DAC is just meh idea when you work with ASIO. The only thing I can say for sure - it definitely needs another amp. But I will consider all variants of upgrade)

Not much can be done about this - TRRS 4-pole plug can only have a single ground when used for stereo+mic.

Yeah, that's a pity. I remember having a gaming headset with straight forward 2x3.5 minijacks so mic and headphones had separate grounds, and not a single sound leaked to the mic.

About blasting tunes - since they're gaming headsets, talking to your teammates during heavy firefight in CS GO is absolutely possible =) BTW as I mentioned games, I can say that positioning is very good in these. Like, you can hear footsteps in almost all good headsets, but it's easy to hear and feel the exact direction in GM200 without a single thinking, which is nice. I love playing in these.

 

[BenF]

Lusya ES9038Q2M review:

Lusya ES9038Q2M has the same problem as Lusya "SA9023A + ES9018K2M" - over 75% volume it starts distorting heavily, even heavier than the cheap DAC. It's more noticeable on vocals.
When volume is lowered to under 75% - sounds very good, more transparent than the cheaper DAC, with a better timbre.
Sound quality is very good standalone, somewhere between the more expensive Sabaj DA3 and SMSL IQ.
Bass texture is almost just as good standalone as it is with O2.

Not as good as a DAC as Khadas, which is based on the same chip.

Drives Pro 82 at ~35% volume (same as the cheaper one).

Compared to Sabaj DA2, it produces better sound quality standalone, but it lacks synergy with Pro 82 and is 25$ more.
Good option for those who only seek a standalone solution and don't plan to invest in an amp later.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000083584931.html
.
I updated the DAC/Amp comparison post: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/t...discussion-thread.849965/page-5#post-13501419

 

[ragecndy]

I’m actually kinda shocked at the super boomy claims for the GM200, I got the “fake” version with no ports and white box, and after using it for a good while now, it basically sounds like a closed HD650/600 but with way better bass extension, not a big frequency boost really, just extension, maybe that’s actually the better one... I guess vocals are a tiny bit leaner but it’s damn close, wouldn’t call it V shape at all.

 

[BenF]

I’m actually kinda shocked at the super boomy claims for the GM200, I got the “fake” version with no ports and white box, and after using it for a good while now, it basically sounds like a closed HD650/600 but with way better bass extension, not a big frequency boost really, just extension, maybe that’s actually the better one... I guess vocals are a tiny bit leaner but it’s damn close, wouldn’t call it V shape at all.

@ragecndy - Did you ever confront the "Original Brands Market" store on Aliexpress for selling you the fake GM200?
@Mr.Dake - Did you ever confront the "MH Recording Music Store" store on Aliexpress for selling you the fake GM200?

Did anyone else buy GM200 from one of these stores and got GM200 in a white box and without the bass ports?

 

[ragecndy]

@ragecndy - Did you ever confront the "Original Brands Market" store on Aliexpress for selling you the fake GM200?
@Mr.Dake - Did you ever confront the "MH Recording Music Store" store on Aliexpress for selling you the fake GM200?

Did anyone else buy GM200 from one of these stores and got GM200 in a white box and without the bass ports?

No but you should get one to compare cause from what people say and your measurements, I suspect it’s the better version, maybe I got lucky with a weird batch, but like I said I find it comparable to my hd600s, haven’t heard the cooler master version though, might just be one of those but painted red...

 

[klogg4]

No but you should get one to compare cause from what people say and your measurements, I suspect it’s the better version

It can't be, they're gaming headphones which should give you elevated bass for easier identification of footsteps, so they SHOULD have bass ports considering how original Pro 82 sound like, and they can't be compared to HD600 in any way. Elevated bass of GM200 is an advantage - if it's flat, it's an inferior gaming headset.

 

[ragecndy]

It can't be, they're gaming headphones which should give you elevated bass for easier identification of footsteps, so they SHOULD have bass ports considering how original Pro 82 sound like, and they can't be compared to HD600 in any way. Elevated bass of GM200 is an advantage - if it's flat, it's an inferior gaming headset.

Yeah I was talking about them as general headphones, I find the mids/vocals almost as smooth and foward as sennheiser's 600 line, just with better bass extension (and closed), not boomy at all like people claim here, and the obvious difference with the version I have are the ports, so yeah I'm gonna claim it's probably the better version for music at least.

Also this is literally the first time I hear someone claim elevated bass helps for footsteps...

 

[nabuhodonozor]

Are "fake" PRO82's still in circulation ? Is $52 too cheap for them?
THIS shop seems to have mostly positive feedback

 

[BenF]

Are "fake" PRO82's still in circulation ? Is $52 too cheap for them?
THIS shop seems to have mostly positive feedback

MH Recording Music Store is known to:
1) Fake-ship Pro 82 - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...iscussion-thread.849965/page-30#post-13871997
2) Sell Pro 82 v0.9 - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...scussion-thread.849965/page-201#post-15202576
3) Sell fake/pre-production GM200 - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tak...scussion-thread.849965/page-209#post-15341809

This is literally the worst store to buy Pro 82 or GM200 from - stay away.

Here is a guaranteed Pro 82 v2 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32808454492.html
Check the first post for exclusive discount codes.

 

[nabuhodonozor]

so is there any seller other than offical Takstar store that is selling good ones ?