[Dsnuts]

Quote:

I got mine. Not sure what happened, it had unbalanced sound -- right can was much louder. I confirmed it by plugging it into several devices. I had thought I got a defective one. But to be surprised, it sounded normal after a few minutes. I'm letting it burn in and will check it again tomorrow.
Regarding to performance, it's amazing! I could not tell much difference between this one and my Shure SCL4. It would need an amplifier to drive. My Ipod Nano was just not able to handle it.

That is a weird one. I hope that cleared out for you..Try giving them a serious listen tomorrow you are going to be even more impressed..

 

[omaplata]

Sounds like it's close between the HTF600 and SR850 for gaming, but do the HTF600's blow the doors off the SR850 for music? How about for music that's lighter on the bass(harmonica, acapella etc)?
 
*edit: nevermind, I seem to have found my answer earlier in the thread.

 

[oyster]

Finally got my hands on the Panasonic HTF600.
After 4-5 hours of use-
These are bass heavy with slightly muffled/veiled highs. Mids are forward,clear & not at all recessed. Overall the notes are very slightly thick,soft & fuzzy.
Soundstage is fine. It's taller but not as much wide as Shure750DJ. These sound quite airy & very smooth, no grain at all. Hence can be heard at loud volumes without any fatigue.
These have some shortcomings when compared to Shures but at 30$ i have no right to complain

Comparing these to similar cost headphones these absolutely murder both technically & musically Sony zx300, Brainwavz M2(earphones), Senn cx300II,Senn HD202, HD438.
These sound similar to ATH M50 as both are smooth & non aggressive with bumped mid bass. Although M50 is definitely more resolving but overall it dosen't justify the price difference.
Anyone planning to get M50 should consider the panasonic instead.

I plan to do a full comparison to the shure 750 only after 50 hours of use as others have recommended burn in.
I may not sound very excited & happy about these but i am not good at words. Out of my limited experience these excel everything except the shures.
Add to that these are way more comfortable & lighter than 750DJ. But the light weight comes at the cost of flimsy headband & overall plastic quality. Again, I AM NOT COMPLAINING!! YOU CANNOT DO BETTER FOR 30$.

 

[iceshark]

Wow I wasn't expecting them to be that big for some reason..., better buy some more banana holders.

 

[Assimilator702]

Quote:

I have the phones you guys mention. To me there is no comparison. The HTF600 clearly leave the previous budget cans behind..These would be a clear upgrade from those mentioned.. Assimilator702 who has both the HARX700 and the HARX900 and he now finds both of those lacking in comparison the his HTF600s...Spend some quality head time with these cans and there is no way you guys will think these cans cost thier price..
 
Forget the budget stuff.. These hand my M50, Sony xz700, shure srh440.. CALs  Their lunch and dinner.. I only wish the bass was as good on those as these HTF600s.

Yes I now find my HARX900 very lacking....I've now swapped the earpads and I find the HARX700 with the pleather pads are a nice upgrade...not so much for the sound but I love the way they feel. The HARX700 are more balanced with sufficient bass and clear but not extended highs....the HARX900 are very lacking especially in the midrange and treble extention. I can hear say the impact of a stick on a cymbal...but theres no top end extension and the overtones are supressed. It's almost like a lossless file is down graded to a 128 KB/S MP3 file.
 
The HARX700 provides a very satisfying listening experience....but the HTF600 is a notch up.....clearer more defined cymbals...better treble impact and a more full bottom end.....you could almost say the HARX700 are flatter overall which is a desired attribute  in any audiophile gear....while the HTF600 has it's own character which is something frowned upon in audiophile gear.....but the character that the HTF600 does impose ....to my ear.....is audiophile approved. I don't care what that implies...I smile every time I listen to them with any genre of music and thats what matters.
 
Until I try another can that does everything better I'm happy.
 
 
 

 

[iceshark]

I'm just curious to know- when did these headphones skyrocket in popularity? Did this thread start it all?

 

[Assimilator702]

 
Quote:

These sound similar to ATH M50 as both are smooth & non aggressive with bumped mid bass. Although M50 is definitely more resolving but overall it doesn't justify the price difference.Anyone planning to get M50 should consider the panasonic instead.I

Although I've never heard the M-50 I always had the impression that they basically were what the HTF600 actually is.....but at a higher price that isn't justified. I've now scratched one more headphone off my to-do list after your comment and what DsNuts has said about the HTF600/M-50 comparison.
 
I still want to hear the M-50's to hear for myself what the hype is all about but I'm not itching to buy a pair....and deffinately not at $160.
 
I'd love to see Panasonic build a headphone that has better build quality.....even luxurious to a point...include pleather and velour earpads.....maybe use a better performing driver that takes nothing away from the HTF600 performance but adds to it and has a street price of $60....THAT would be a true true champion.
 
If they can do what they did for a street price of $30 I know they can do it.

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

Finally got my hands on the Panasonic HTF600.After 4-5 hours of use-These are bass heavy with slightly muffled/veiled highs. Mids are forward,clear & not at all recessed. Overall the notes are very slightly thick,soft & fuzzy.Soundstage is fine. It's taller but not as much wide as Shure750DJ. These sound quite airy & very smooth, no grain at all. Hence can be heard at loud volumes without any fatigue.These have some shortcomings when compared to Shures but at 30$ i have no right to complainComparing these to similar cost headphones these absolutely murder both technically & musically Sony zx300, Brainwavz M2(earphones), Senn cx300II,Senn HD202, HD438.These sound similar to ATH M50 as both are smooth & non aggressive with bumped mid bass. Although M50 is definitely more resolving but overall it dosen't justify the price difference.Anyone planning to get M50 should consider the panasonic instead.I plan to do a full comparison to the shure 750 only after 50 hours of use as others have recommended burn in.I may not sound very excited & happy about these but i am not good at words. Out of my limited experience these excel everything except the shures.Add to that these are way more comfortable & lighter than 750DJ. But the light weight comes at the cost of flimsy headband & overall plastic quality. Again, I AM NOT COMPLAINING!! YOU CANNOT DO BETTER FOR 30$.

They do sound better after burn in. But I am glad that you like them and can see the justification for the hype. It is always interesting to me to see how these stack up to others favorites..I do know one thing that certainly happens and that is these will grow on you..I can guarantee you that. The bass becomes a serious contender once burn in is done. I also encourage you to try the velours on them. The highs come out to play once the velours are on. Which was a complete surprise to me when I threw them on. For $30? They are nuts for the price.
 
Quote:

I'm just curious to know- when did these headphones skyrocket in popularity? Did this thread start it all?

Yes. I think I was the first person in the world to try one. I couldn't find a single review or anything on them. The specs looked good to me and I had previous Panasonics The HT770 that impressed me so I ended up trying these. First time I heard them after burn i was like Shocked.! Seriously. I had to write this thread and let others hear them. Malveaux was the 2nd person to get them and he also flipped his lid.. And here we are. These are only just beginning to get discovered. I thought they would be more appreciated here at headfi than anywhere else.. What Headfier wouldn't want a HP that cost $30 that sounds like a $150-$200 phone.?


Quote:

 
Although I've never heard the M-50 I always had the impression that they basically were what the HTF600 actually is.....but at a higher price that isn't justified. I've now scratched one more headphone off my to-do list after your comment and what DsNuts has said about the HTF600/M-50 comparison.
 
I still want to hear the M-50's to hear for myself what the hype is all about but I'm not itching to buy a pair....and deffinately not at $160.
 
I'd love to see Panasonic build a headphone that has better build quality.....even luxurious to a point...include pleather and velour earpads.....maybe use a better performing driver that takes nothing away from the HTF600 performance but adds to it and has a street price of $60....THAT would be a true true champion.
 
If they can do what they did for a street price of $30 I know they can do it.

That is why we have to encourage others to get them. Once these reach a sold out state.. That just sends a message to Panasonic..
MORE PLEASE!!! If anything I will try n contact Panasonic to have them look at this thread and how it all started so they can give us more. You never know. It all starts with how popular a phone will get.  The M50 has lesser sound stage, constricting, and recessed mids compared to the HTF600s so in that regard the HTF600s are better. The bass is good on the M50s but I wouldn't put it on the same level as the HTF600s.. To me the HTF600 is a better phone.
 

 

[Marximus]

I owned the M50s twice at two separate times, and I found them kind of boring both times.  If the Panasonics are more engaging, this should be good.  Waiting for Wednesday!

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

I owned the M50s twice at two separate times, and I found them kind of boring both times.  If the Panasonics are more engaging, this should be good.  Waiting for Wednesday!

It will be like. You take off your headset and say to yourself.. I just payed what for this?. That would be a normal respond to it..Everyone should have one.

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

Sounds like it's close between the HTF600 and SR850 for gaming, but do the HTF600's blow the doors off the SR850 for music? How about for music that's lighter on the bass(harmonica, acapella etc)?
 
*edit: nevermind, I seem to have found my answer earlier in the thread.

I like both equally.. The SR850 for competitive play when you need a wider stage and precise ques.. The HTF600 has lesser stage but doesn't affect the 3D space and adds good helping heap of the bass notes so fully giving a more cinematic experience so single player games are just awesome fun with the HTF600s. The velours 100% for gaming.  The added comfort and the highs sharpened it sounds awesome for gaming music movies..

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Is there a huge decrease in bass with velour pads? I might give em a try, not that the pleather ones aren't good enough for me but if gaming for an hr+ it usually is a bit sweaty afterwards but I probably wouldn't enjoy any decrease in bass quantity/impact though.
 
EDIT: Then again I have no idea where to get these pads for a reasonable price in europe/finland... finding headphone pads isn't that easy in europe as in US.

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

Is there a huge decrease in bass with velour pads? I might give em a try, not that the pleather ones aren't good enough for me but if gaming for an hr+ it usually is a bit sweaty afterwards but I probably wouldn't enjoy any decrease in bass quantity though.

.I like what it does for the highs moreso and the bass is not affected to notice too much. I think the velours make the HTF600 sound a bit cleaner. Less pressure from the velours you get less vibration when you hit them low notes and add to the fact that they become pillows on your head with no sweat. It might affect your mod a bit..So I am curious to try the velours with the mod and see what happens. More hole plugging? Or less?

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I seem to have found them here http://www.thomann.de/fi/beyerdynamic_dt_250_ohrpolster.htm - note it says EDT 250 and not 200 like on amazon.com. Even found a finnish located site selling them for 15 EUR too. Hmm, they got bunch of holes on the underside, what if you'd cover those, I'd think that would probably result in better bass response. Basicly if I tape over the underside of those pads it should work nearly the same as using pleather ones.
 
I would enjoy what it does to highs probably as I do boost the highs just a tiny bit so I guess it's probably at quite similar level as when using those pads but decrease in bass is another story if that would be the case. The pleather ones  however doesn't seem to offer the best possible isolation as they are a bit stiff so I think there might even be a spot at the neck where the pads aren't quite making good contact against my skin and if the velour ones are softer that might work better.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Okay, you guys have my curiosity piqued.  I ordered a Panny 890-S yesterday.  We will see how they perform when powered by tubes.  I figure for the money the risk is low, I've had the K701 as my only full size headphone for a long time now and I figure if I don't like them for music the purported good bass response will make them useful for use with my digital piano at night or plugged into the tv for night time movies.  That, and I haven't bought a new headphone in ages and it just felt good to click the button. 

 
I don't expect them to even come close to competing with the K701 on any front, so my expectations are realistic, but here's hoping these cans are as impressive for the money as everybody seems to think they are.