[doctorjazz]

Sounds good, been curious about them, also seen higher priced Philips, wonder how they compare to the known models. Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[1ofamillion]

I'm not sure if this an appropriate place to post this, but I've been thinking about purchasing a portable amp. I was thinking about the FiiO E12, or something similar to the price of it (100-150). Any suggestions? The E12 looks and sounds promising, but I am not too sure what to get lol.

 

[nick n]

have a read here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/644363/c-c-bh-portable-headphone-amp-80-hours-from-a-single-charge-buyer-review

 

[1ofamillion]

  have a read here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/644363/c-c-bh-portable-headphone-amp-80-hours-from-a-single-charge-buyer-review

 
Hmm, interesting. I'll look into it

 

[Vain III]

So it snowed today and I do what I do every time it snows.. go shopping. I just got back after walking--yep I didn't take my car on this 16 mile journey--from home to TJmaxx to Panera to Ross to Walmart and back home. I'm happy to announce that I bought some TDK ST750's @ Ross for only $18.75. I was going to give up on the bargain hunting when I saw this black box sitting at the back of the headphones rack. I reached back there and it had pretty much no packaging on the outside with the exception of a TDK logo. I opened it and the only thing that were inside the box were the headphones. No pouch, no batteries, no packaging, just the headphones. So I took it over to the cashier and she was so nice to offer me a 25% discount on it.

 

[nick n]

SCORE! Congratulations.

 

[esteebin]

Yamaha-HPH-200BL-Headphone $88 on amazon

 

[waynes world]

  I'm not sure if this an appropriate place to post this, but I've been thinking about purchasing a portable amp. I was thinking about the FiiO E12, or something similar to the price of it (100-150). Any suggestions? The E12 looks and sounds promising, but I am not too sure what to get lol.

 
Nick suggested the C&C BH. I agree. Both the E12 and the C&C BH are great.
 
C&C BH:
- much smaller and much more portable
- smaller size means that it physically pairs up better with many devices
- ridiculous 80 hour batter life
- has a vodoo "SF" switch that magically opens up the soundstage
- works amazingly well with most iems or close headphones where opening up the soundstage is beneficial
- doesn't work quite so well with some open headphones (sound becomes a bit "loose")
 
Fiio E12:
- still portable, but really it's a bit big for it imo
- 8-10 hour battery life
- my "version 1" has an incredible bass boost which really just boosts the sub-bass. Unfortunately the production versions have a more traditional bass boost, but it's still quite good
- very powerful and can push very power hungry headphones
- narrows the soundstage slightly, so works really well with open headphones that already have a wide soundstage

 

[nick n]

Wayne don't forget on the C&C there is also the bass boost switch, and two headphone inputs, one normal and one with I think 75 ohm resistance in it.

 

[Don Lehrer]

 Yamaha's flagship Studio Montior HPH-MT220. 
 

 

 
Those look nice, can´t wait to hear more about them

 

[Vain III]

Nothing SQ wise to report yet on the ST750 as I haven't really started the burn-in process just yet, but I will say that there is something shocking about how much these things don't isolate. I would swear that they were an open back headphone, but I don't see any ventilation at all. They use hex screws to hold the headphones together so I'm waiting on my new set of screwdrivers to get here and see if I can find out why they're leaking so much.

 

[doctorjazz]

Nothing SQ wise to report yet on the ST750 as I haven't really started the burn-in process just yet, but I will say that there is something shocking about how much these things don't isolate. I would swear that they were an open back headphone, but I don't see any ventilation at all. They use hex screws to hold the headphones together so I'm waiting on my new set of screwdrivers to get here and see if I can find out why they're leaking so much.

Thank goodness you posted...after 18 hours with no post, I was feeling like I was going to have to post something stupid, useless or worse to break the silence...
 
 

 

[sacrifice13]

So the postman dropped off some gifts for me today
 

 

 
 This is the new ATH-S500, and the ATH-IM50. I only got a brief moment to listen to them before I put them away for Christmas, but to say I'm impressed would be an understatement. I am a self-proclaimed AT fanboy, but the value on both of these is incredible. Got both of them for around $100 (shipping not included) and for that price I am a very happy man. 
 
IM50:
I expected the build on these to be a but plasticky, but they are actually very sturdy, and the cord is much better quality than the rest of the AT's I own (thank god). These have a similar sound to the CKM500, but everything is much more spacious and rich, without any harshness in the highs. They have a very full sound to them, mids are upfront and the bass has a great punch. Vocals are very smooth. If I have any complaints, it would be that the highs sound a slightly laid back, but this could improve with burn-in. Very good value.  
 
S500:
I imagine these were released to compete directly with the JVC S500. I haven't heard those but I do have the S400, and the ATH-S500 sound much better. They are very well-built as well, and surprisingly comfortable. The sound is pretty bassy, but the bass is quality and goes really deep. Mids are forward, like most AT's, and treble has nice sparkle. I expect the bass to tighten up a bit with some burn-in, but for around $40, they are a steal.
 
I'll report back after Christmas to note any changes in sound, but for now I am very happy with both models.
 
Some more pics:

 

 
Happy listening, guys!

 

[waynes world]

  So the postman dropped off some gifts for me today

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

 

 
 This is the new ATH-S500, and the ATH-IM50. I only got a brief moment to listen to them before I put them away for Christmas, but to say I'm impressed would be an understatement. I am a self-proclaimed AT fanboy, but the value on both of these is incredible. Got both of them for around $100 (shipping not included) and for that price I am a very happy man. 
 
IM50:
I expected the build on these to be a but plasticky, but they are actually very sturdy, and the cord is much better quality than the rest of the AT's I own (thank god). These have a similar sound to the CKM500, but everything is much more spacious and rich, without any harshness in the highs. They have a very full sound to them, mids are upfront and the bass has a great punch. Vocals are very smooth. If I have any complaints, it would be that the highs sound a slightly laid back, but this could improve with burn-in. Very good value.  
 
S500:
I imagine these were released to compete directly with the JVC S500. I haven't heard those but I do have the S400, and the ATH-S500 sound much better. They are very well-built as well, and surprisingly comfortable. The sound is pretty bassy, but the bass is quality and goes really deep. Mids are forward, like most AT's, and treble has nice sparkle. I expect the bass to tighten up a bit with some burn-in, but for around $40, they are a steal.
 

I'll report back after Christmas to note any changes in sound, but for now I am very happy with both models.
 
Some more pics:

 

 
Happy listening, guys!

 
Nice! Thanks for taking one (or two) for the discovery team!
 
Now all you need to do is to throw them both on the burner until Christmas, and you'll really be set!

 

[1ofamillion]

  Yamaha-HPH-200BL-Headphone $88 on amazon

Annnnnnnnnnd their $150 again lol. I was curious about the listings on Amazon, so I looked at them. A seller is trying to sell them for $630! It gave me a nice chuckle XD