[Saoshyant]

I guess one question is do you have any other headphones that might be a bit similar to the he400?

 

[Basilius]

  Did you receive your Pistons from inshoes?  Were they real or fake?

I just received my Xiaomi Pistons from Inshoes and they sound terrible.  They also match some of the pictures of the fakes (page 1378).  Hopefully I can get a full refund.

 

[Vain III]

TBContd

Can't wait for impressions!

My initial impressions went something like this:

 

[vlenbo]

My initial impressions went something like this:

Now I'm curious! I wonder what makes you say that..

 

[doctorjazz]

Too many headphones to tap into my phone... Internet is back on at home, could enter them later, but don't have any electrostatic, Sennheiser 650, Shure 1540, ML Mikros 90, Sennheiser Amperiors, AT A900x, more to come....

 

[vlenbo]

Too many headphones to tap into my phone... Internet is back on at home, could enter them later, but don't have any electrostatic, Sennheiser 650, Shure 1540, ML Mikros 90, Sennheiser Amperiors, AT 900x, more to come....

Wait till you hear my comparo of the at a900x against the re700s against the es700s. Tomorrow will be martin logan's headphone day with me and comparo.

 

[gikigill]

What do you think of the AX35 and Piston? I'm liking the AX35 so far. Very clear, slightly bright.

I would rate the AX35 over the Pistons, more body and a better lower end. The cable is very good and definitely a winner for the AX35.

AX35 wins this round.

 

[vlenbo]

Read it and was more than impressed. I might get this headphone later on, and the phillips x1 when it goes on sale. Thanks Vain!

 

[akarise]

HE400's are a great bargain at $299 if not wanting for the new ones. I'm not sure I will sell the HE500's for the new series yet.

 
Hey Danny, I've been considering getting the HE-560 in the future, so I'm just wondering what you think about your HE-500. I know there's a lot of impressions but I just wanted to hear yours since I'm more familiar with your tastes after following the discovery thread for so long haha.

 

[Vain III]

Read it and was more than impressed. I might get this headphone later on, and the phillips x1 when it goes on sale. Thanks Vain!

NP, really looking forward to how it opens up with burn-in. The only thing I dislike so far is that it has the airy distance of an open headphone. Obviously not full on because it's only semi-open, but it's definitely there. Listening to JT's Pusher Love Girl just demonstrates how butter smooth the mid-range is and the song really works with how the bass is set up. For my final review I'll probably also include how it preforms with games because I think the sound stage would really work well with FPSers.

 

[waynes world]

Initial Impressions SWF Style!

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Sauce: Y400 & Nexus 5 w/ FireyeDA via OTG
Music Selection: Evah thing mang



So, as I mentioned before, I bought these things off the Amazon Warehouse in "Like New" condition for around $40 bucks. For this price they are not: a steal, a bang for buck headphone, or a diamond in the rough. What are they? They're an absolute gold mine. I'm not sure what accessories come with the full packaging but I received a 1/4 inch adapter and the headphones. If that's all that comes with it for the regular packaging I can say that Fostex instead spent their money on sound quality. Another thing is that the TH-7BB won't be winning any design awards, nor will they be participating in head-fi's "Best Build Quality" category. The headphones are extremely light weight and the plastic makes them feel like they could break at any moment. On a positive note I do love when my headphones come in a matte black finish, they capture the semi-open look seamlessly, and the light weight makes them extremely enjoyable on the head. The clamping force is almost non-existent. Instead they sit on your head like pillows. The stock pads are semi comfortable, but--as they can be removed--they can probably be swapped with some other circular pads.



I've only had the opportunity to try a modded version of the T50RP a handful of times but what always captured me was how the treble just sung beautifully. I mean they managed to create an extension that was just far enough to be a smidgen oven sparkly but not enough to cause shrills or sibilance. The TH7-BB has that same signature treble. Not nearly as extended or as detailed, but still crisp as a piece of KFC chicken straight out of the oil.



I've been reading reviews that stated the mid-range was neither recessed or forward and for the most part I disagree. I feel like the vocals are slightly forward. Specifically I feel upper mid-range and female voices are more pronounced then the lower frequencies; while male vocals seem to be on a balanced level. I found this most prominent in songs by Florence & The Machine. Florence who has the vocal range of a Greek goddess was able to show me which parts of the mid-range I thought were more... shallow (for lack of a better word). This is, however, ever so slight and only plays up the intimate balance of the spectrum. The mid-range is also one of the smoothest that I've ever heard. The whole spectrum is sort-of laid-back. Not to the extent of the Momentum or L1--I wouldn't say the spectrum is dark--but it is pretty easy going.



Here is where things start to drop off. (bass drop, I kill me) The Mid-Bass is moderately recessed from the rest of the spectrum and can cause kicks to sound flabby. This means that bass can lack that punch that would normally benefit certain genres. It's not so bad that one couldn't listen to it, but if you're a bassist lover I would look somewhere else because it can get a bit muddy. SUB-BASS: RUMBLE RUMBLE WUT WUT. That is the best way to describe the sub-bass on the TH-7BB. These things dig just as deep as the Philip L1s. Even though the mid-bass sounds recessed dubstep and electro will actually sound really good because of the rumble effect caused when drops happen. Actually, I prefer the recessed because it creates a sort of pretend 3Dness when it comes to vocal electronica.



This is a semi-open headphone so you can expect the sound to be a bit airy, but it also gets the added benefit of a larger than average sound stage. The instrument separation is probably the best that I've heard for something under $100. This little guy can easily hang with the Philip L1, V-Moda M80, MDR-1R, ETC. He inherits a lot of traits from his older brothers in the RP line while being lighter and easier to drive. A mini T50rp? I don't know about that. I think the TH7-BB has a few tricks of it's own. I'm expecting the mid-bass to tighten up and the highs to become a bit smoother and open with burn-in.

My verdict? For >$80 USD

 
Nice impressions Vain III... and that's even in spite of them being SFW style! 

 
Man, are you ever getting me hyped for the awesomely modded T50RP's that are in my pipeline!

 

[doctorjazz]

Too many headphones to tap into my phone... Internet is back on at home, could enter them later, but don't have any electrostatic, Sennheiser 650, Shure 1540, ML Mikros 90, Sennheiser Amperiors, AT 900x, more to come....

Wait till you hear my comparo of the at a900x against the re700s against the es700s. Tomorrow will be martin logan's headphone day with me and comparo.

Looking forward to it...be checking it out tomorrow.
Vain, nice write up...

 

[doctorjazz]

So, from what I;m taking out of here, the sales on the HE 400 and others (which have actually been going on since the Christmas shopping season) have to do with these being discontinued soon and new models coming out to replace them...hmmmmm

 

[bhazard]

So, from what I;m taking out of here, the sales on the HE 400 and others (which have actually been going on since the Christmas shopping season) have to do with these being discontinued soon and new models coming out to replace them...hmmmmm

Yes, and Steve from CNET (who loves Hifiman) said they sound better.
 
Normally you can't trust reviewers, but he's a good guy.

 

[doctorjazz]

Yeah, met him a long time ago, NY Audiophile Society, nice guy.


But now, internet is on (man, it was like living in the 80's past 2 days), so.....I'M BACK!!!!

[/B


(guitar lovers, dig this from Central Africa Republic, must be late 70's-early 80's