jant71
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2005
- Posts
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- 6,358
Yes, after getting a pair myself, I attempted to look the K422 up. Not on the US site so they had to be from Europe somewhere. Upon receipt, the only English on the package is under the British flag.
Anyhow, my pouch is a canvas pouch and not a not vinyl one. I also got the K430 on the same deal but have since sold them. My pair of K422 has a cord slider which I like but it really seems like an add on from parts they had on hand. A glossy plastic square that is about 4mm wider than the Y which is a rectangular, rubber and not as shiny.
My take on them is a bit mixed. I really think they sound more like a beefed up K430 and could still use a little more upper bass presence. My pair renders even male vocals with less weight, decay, and roundness of note than I would like. Missing a bit compared to my Cresyn 600's. The Q460 was done the best with the strongest bass that has quality. My pair of K422 has the right amount of bass for sitting at home. They lack the Q460 midbass power, the ES55 midbass thickness, the Cresyn, PX100-II, JVC S900, etc. that have a bit extra thickness down low that fades away outside against external noises. My pair of K422 get a bit bright when you crank that extra notch or two of volume and certain tracks prone to sibilance will exhibit it. Though any sibilance is minor enough that it should work itself out.
Unless they change and develop more bass or loss some treble they aren't breat for outside without adding bass EQ. Fine by me since I'm apt to use these around the house mostly. I'm tempted to try a pair of foam pads on them. The stock pads are letting more treble through and I also find them a bit scratchy(though that should wear away with use). I might sacrifice some stage size with flat foam pads but most open backed ultra-portables go that route. A closer driver and the volume goes down a bit which is good since these really leak out the back. A closer driver helps to counter the bass freq. loss of non-isolating thicker pads. I add a notch of bass using my Sony minidisc and that is my warmest sounding device and that is inside. Kinda afraid to try these with my Rocco P outside.
Don't get me wrong, they are very nice sounding phones. They can compete with my Cresyn and they seem as near as good as the ES55 minus some stage size. My pair is not a Portapro on steroids though. It sounds less like what the K420 was described to be. More like a KSC75 with a notch of treble added. My pair has clarity that is not far off from what I remember the K430 being. Sounds like the previous poster has one with a midbass hump that my pair never got
These are quite well balanced, well detailed, good extension both ways but the mids are a bit lacking/a bit dull sounding at the moment and they are not as full and fun sounding as my Cresyn portables are. I will be fair and run them in for a while but I think what I am missing may come with moving the driver closer to my ears.
A real no-brainer at $20 and I like them better than I remember liking the K430(at least this pair of K422) with my players unamped. A bit less "off" in the treble and nicely filled in bass. The K430 was a bit thin and too airy but had solid mids. I like both the treble and bass a bit better on the K422 but the mids are a bit distant sounding. If, through burning in or a mod, I can get the mids to make a better showing they will be just right.
Edit: I used to have a pair of pads but one got ripped up. I found the other one and decided to test it out. The bass has a bit more feel in the foam pad side and is softer on the stock side. Mids seem fine and up closer on the foam pad side. They seem more immediate and even a bit more lively on the foam side. I love the lower profile flatter fit as well. Grabbing a pair tomorrow for sure! The only question is Radio Shack for $8 and get a bigger set as well to try out on the Cresyn or just get a $3 - $4 pair of dollar store phones just for the pads?
Anyhow, my pouch is a canvas pouch and not a not vinyl one. I also got the K430 on the same deal but have since sold them. My pair of K422 has a cord slider which I like but it really seems like an add on from parts they had on hand. A glossy plastic square that is about 4mm wider than the Y which is a rectangular, rubber and not as shiny.
My take on them is a bit mixed. I really think they sound more like a beefed up K430 and could still use a little more upper bass presence. My pair renders even male vocals with less weight, decay, and roundness of note than I would like. Missing a bit compared to my Cresyn 600's. The Q460 was done the best with the strongest bass that has quality. My pair of K422 has the right amount of bass for sitting at home. They lack the Q460 midbass power, the ES55 midbass thickness, the Cresyn, PX100-II, JVC S900, etc. that have a bit extra thickness down low that fades away outside against external noises. My pair of K422 get a bit bright when you crank that extra notch or two of volume and certain tracks prone to sibilance will exhibit it. Though any sibilance is minor enough that it should work itself out.
Unless they change and develop more bass or loss some treble they aren't breat for outside without adding bass EQ. Fine by me since I'm apt to use these around the house mostly. I'm tempted to try a pair of foam pads on them. The stock pads are letting more treble through and I also find them a bit scratchy(though that should wear away with use). I might sacrifice some stage size with flat foam pads but most open backed ultra-portables go that route. A closer driver and the volume goes down a bit which is good since these really leak out the back. A closer driver helps to counter the bass freq. loss of non-isolating thicker pads. I add a notch of bass using my Sony minidisc and that is my warmest sounding device and that is inside. Kinda afraid to try these with my Rocco P outside.
Don't get me wrong, they are very nice sounding phones. They can compete with my Cresyn and they seem as near as good as the ES55 minus some stage size. My pair is not a Portapro on steroids though. It sounds less like what the K420 was described to be. More like a KSC75 with a notch of treble added. My pair has clarity that is not far off from what I remember the K430 being. Sounds like the previous poster has one with a midbass hump that my pair never got
These are quite well balanced, well detailed, good extension both ways but the mids are a bit lacking/a bit dull sounding at the moment and they are not as full and fun sounding as my Cresyn portables are. I will be fair and run them in for a while but I think what I am missing may come with moving the driver closer to my ears.A real no-brainer at $20 and I like them better than I remember liking the K430(at least this pair of K422) with my players unamped. A bit less "off" in the treble and nicely filled in bass. The K430 was a bit thin and too airy but had solid mids. I like both the treble and bass a bit better on the K422 but the mids are a bit distant sounding. If, through burning in or a mod, I can get the mids to make a better showing they will be just right.
Edit: I used to have a pair of pads but one got ripped up. I found the other one and decided to test it out. The bass has a bit more feel in the foam pad side and is softer on the stock side. Mids seem fine and up closer on the foam pad side. They seem more immediate and even a bit more lively on the foam side. I love the lower profile flatter fit as well. Grabbing a pair tomorrow for sure! The only question is Radio Shack for $8 and get a bigger set as well to try out on the Cresyn or just get a $3 - $4 pair of dollar store phones just for the pads?
