I mean for over-ear, AKG and HIFIMAN are starting to threaten that, but they would be trading blows in some respects.well, as far as I know, there are no better headphones under $100, so it should just keep getting longer!
Takstar Pro 82/GM200 Review, impressions and discussion thread
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BenF
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Sorry for the delay on the Nous review - on Monday I have found out that the player driving the headphones didn't have the power plug inserted all the way in, and ran out of battery long time ago 
Had to restart the process.
I will compare Nous with Flit, GM200, Pro 82 and Pro 81 (Pro 80 + HPAEC840 pads).
Should be interesting...
Had to restart the process.
I will compare Nous with Flit, GM200, Pro 82 and Pro 81 (Pro 80 + HPAEC840 pads).
Should be interesting...
With what models?
AKG K371, K361
Drop x HIFIMAN HE-X4
HIFIMAN HE-400SE 2021 (Stealth Magnet)
Sennheiser HD 560S should roll into that sub-$150 range soon enough too.
Most of them cost nearly 3x times as much as the Tasktar. I mean for that price you could get the Tasktar + BTR3K.
Do you think any of those headphones can match that combo?
Do you think any of those headphones can match that combo?
Yes, but the original post was about sub-$100, not $50.
The K371 is a straight upgrade on the Takstar Pro 82 v2.
Sebasistan
100+ Head-Fier
This is EVER SO SLIGHTLY off topic. I decided to get a pair of somewhat decent speakers for my PC and got a pair of the low-budget Edifier 1280T's on Prime Day. I thought I'd run them out of my ifi Zen DAC. But that didn't work quite too well. I guess powering speakers, even when they're powered, is a bit much to ask.
Enter my EL01/Little Bear P10 synergy chain. Actually works really well with that setup. Who would've known the little guy would be able to pull this off? Now I just have to make sure it doesn't just melt...
Enter my EL01/Little Bear P10 synergy chain. Actually works really well with that setup. Who would've known the little guy would be able to pull this off? Now I just have to make sure it doesn't just melt...
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
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Finally, the belated review of Takstar Nous!
TLDR: not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Build Quality:
Build is much better than FLIT's, feels less plastick-y, and with much higher quality pads.
The pads seem to be easily replaceable.
Not as good as GM200/Pro 82 overall though, still too much plastic.
Comfort:
Same as build - much better than FLIT, not as good as GM200/Pro 82 - the pads are very nice to touch (although I still prefer the Pro 82 ones), but they are a bit too thick, creating too much pressure around the ears.
Microphone:
The wireless microphone (built-in in the cups) is way too weak, unusable.
The wired microphone sounds good, but it's unusable too - the mute switch doesn't work! Imagine "muting" the mic to talk to someone, and everyone in your game hears you...
In short, both wired and wireless microphones are unusable - so much for a "gaming" headphone...
BTW, FLIT also had the same problem with non-muting microphone.
Takstar really should ramp up their QC of the microphones.
Sound Quality (wired):
The 50mm driver is tuned much better than the 53mm driver in FLIT.
Soundstage is as wide as GM200, perfect distance from the instruments.
Sound signature is not dark at all, just warmish - but still with plenty of good treble.
Vocal's timbre is pretty good, but not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Bass has more definition than FLIT, but is not as good as GM200.
Sound Quality (wireless):
Bad, just bad.
Bass becomes very boomy and muddy.
Sounds much narrower and darker, treble is gone.
There is barely enough volume on wireless.
Activating 7.1 on stereo music makes it much worse, as expected. Careful - there is no clear indication if 7.1 is on or off!
Windows volume is controlled by the volume buttons on the left cup.
Latency indeed seems to be low - under 100ms.
Conclusion:
Unusable as a gaming headset, even wired.
Overall, this is a very good sounding headphone over the wire, if it could keep the same SQ wireless, it could compete with the likes of Sony WH1000XM and Bose 35.
Unfortunately, it sounds horrible wireless - that "Bongiovi Acoustics Labs" crap is useless - why make a custom chip, when Bluetooth is capable of both much better sound quality and can deliver low latency?
Recommendation:
If you are looking for a headphone equally great for games and music, go for GM200 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33012705103.html
TLDR: not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Build Quality:
Build is much better than FLIT's, feels less plastick-y, and with much higher quality pads.
The pads seem to be easily replaceable.
Not as good as GM200/Pro 82 overall though, still too much plastic.
Comfort:
Same as build - much better than FLIT, not as good as GM200/Pro 82 - the pads are very nice to touch (although I still prefer the Pro 82 ones), but they are a bit too thick, creating too much pressure around the ears.
Microphone:
The wireless microphone (built-in in the cups) is way too weak, unusable.
The wired microphone sounds good, but it's unusable too - the mute switch doesn't work! Imagine "muting" the mic to talk to someone, and everyone in your game hears you...
In short, both wired and wireless microphones are unusable - so much for a "gaming" headphone...
BTW, FLIT also had the same problem with non-muting microphone.
Takstar really should ramp up their QC of the microphones.
Sound Quality (wired):
The 50mm driver is tuned much better than the 53mm driver in FLIT.
Soundstage is as wide as GM200, perfect distance from the instruments.
Sound signature is not dark at all, just warmish - but still with plenty of good treble.
Vocal's timbre is pretty good, but not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Bass has more definition than FLIT, but is not as good as GM200.
Sound Quality (wireless):
Bad, just bad.
Bass becomes very boomy and muddy.
Sounds much narrower and darker, treble is gone.
There is barely enough volume on wireless.
Activating 7.1 on stereo music makes it much worse, as expected. Careful - there is no clear indication if 7.1 is on or off!
Windows volume is controlled by the volume buttons on the left cup.
Latency indeed seems to be low - under 100ms.
Conclusion:
Unusable as a gaming headset, even wired.
Overall, this is a very good sounding headphone over the wire, if it could keep the same SQ wireless, it could compete with the likes of Sony WH1000XM and Bose 35.
Unfortunately, it sounds horrible wireless - that "Bongiovi Acoustics Labs" crap is useless - why make a custom chip, when Bluetooth is capable of both much better sound quality and can deliver low latency?
Recommendation:
If you are looking for a headphone equally great for games and music, go for GM200 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33012705103.html
Last edited:
Have Takstar made any comment on the wireless performance? Seems like it needs a driver and firmware fix.Finally, the belated review of Takstar Nous!
TLDR: not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Build Quality:
Build is much better than FLIT's, feels less plastick-y, and with much higher quality pads.
The pads seem to be easily replaceable.
Not as good as GM200/Pro 82 overall though, still too much plastic.
Comfort:
Same as build - much better than FLIT, not as good as GM200/Pro 82 - the pads are very nice to touch (although I still prefer the Pro 82 ones), but they are a bit too thick, creating too much pressure around the ears.
Microphone:
The wireless microphone (built-in in the cups) is way too weak, unusable.
The wired microphone sounds good, but it's unusable too - the mute switch doesn't work! Imagine "muting" the mic to talk to someone, and everyone in your game hears you...
In short, both wired and wireless microphones are unusable - so much for a "gaming" headphone...
BTW, FLIT also had the same problem with non-muting microphone.
Takstar really should ramp up their QC of the microphones.
Sound Quality (wired):
The 50mm driver is tuned much better than the 53mm driver in FLIT.
Soundstage is as wide as GM200, perfect distance from the instruments.
Sound signature is not dark at all, just warmish - but still with plenty of good treble.
Vocal's timbre is pretty good, but not as good as GM200/Pro 82
Bass has more definition than FLIT, but is not as good as GM200.
Sound Quality (wireless):
Bad, just bad.
Bass becomes very boomy and muddy.
Sounds much narrower and darker, treble is gone.
There is barely enough volume on wireless.
Activating 7.1 on stereo music makes it much worse, as expected. Careful - there is no clear indication if 7.1 is on or off!
Windows volume is controlled by the volume buttons on the left cup.
Latency indeed seems to be low - under 100ms.
Conclusion:
Unusable as a gaming headset, even wired.
Overall, this is a very good sounding headphone over the wire, if it could keep the same SQ wireless, it could compete with the likes of Sony WH1000XM and Bose 35.
Unfortunately, it sounds horrible wireless - that "Bongiovi Acoustics Labs" crap is useless - why make a custom chip, when Bluetooth is capable of both much better sound quality and can deliver low latency?
Recommendation:
If you are looking for a headphone equally great for games and music, go for GM200 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33012705103.html
BenF
Headphoneus Supremus
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I don't think they monitor this thread, or Head-Fi in general...
peskypesky
1000+ Head-Fier
I bought some Edifiers last year (cost about $150). Returned them and got Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's. HUGE improvement. Better sound, subwoofer, and about three times the volume of the Edifiers.This is EVER SO SLIGHTLY off topic. I decided to get a pair of somewhat decent speakers for my PC and got a pair of the low-budget Edifier 1280T's on Prime Day. I thought I'd run them out of my ifi Zen DAC. But that didn't work quite too well. I guess powering speakers, even when they're powered, is a bit much to ask.
Enter my EL01/Little Bear P10 synergy chain. Actually works really well with that setup. Who would've known the little guy would be able to pull this off? Now I just have to make sure it doesn't just melt...
Oh, and I got the Klipsch on sale at Walmart for $89. I'm buying a second set the next time they go on sale.
Oh, I figured you were at least indirectly in contact with them via the vendor!
I would hope the wireless chip would include some level of DSP, so not only could the signal issues be fixed, but the tonality could be better crafted.
Hopefully they didn't opt for too low-power a solution (either in processing or energy), which might result in a lossy and low bitrate in order to maintain low latency.
Last edited:
Sebasistan
100+ Head-Fier
They're on sale for $69 right now (or at least, were yesterday).
I am however perfectly happy with the Edifiers. I simply have no room for a subwoofer here. But good to know for the future.
BenF
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I'll send the link to TakstarAudio and ask them to transfer it to Takstar, but there is no guarantee it will get to the right people inside Takstar.
The wireless chip from Bongiovi Acoustic Labs is absolutely horrid.
If Takstar would put the content of BTR3K (but with larger battery) into Nous, they would probably end up with the best audiophile wireless headphone on the market, and it could still cost under 100$.
That's just because of the following (quote from your link):
So effectively it's the same as setting global sample rate in pulseaudio.
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