[DooberKnob]

  Argh I'm really torn between keeping either my A900x or Pro 80, and I was thinking it through, and is the Pro 80 technically better than the m50? Because if they were then it would make sense as to how both these headphones are sidegrades in my head, even though one costs $45 and the other $150... There was a review comparing the m50 and Pro 80, and said the Pro 80 was more accurate and the m50 was more "fun," but I'm someone who believes in EQ and the Pro 80's mid-bass responds well with EQ. 
 
The A900x is the opposite, however, its mids and treble have the least distortion and respond the best to EQ, while its bass is comparatively murky and hollow no matter what. However, on these forums and others the DT770 is considered a side-grade to the A900x, wheras they are a straight upgrade to the Pro 80, making me sway to the A900x. Because to my own ears, I simply don't know, they are both enjoyable and very different headphones, with the Pro 80 imo having the best and most accurate sound, with no EQ as well, but it is outright claustrophobic as compared to the A900x.

This seems like the classic closed vs. open dilemma.  If I had to choose, I would generally go with closed.

 

[peter123]

This seems like the classic closed vs. open dilemma.  If I had to choose, I would generally go with closed.

Eh, all those mentioned in his post are closed

 

[DooberKnob]

Eh, all those mentioned in his post are closed

Ah, I was thinking of the ad900x.

 

[peter123]

 
Ah, I was thinking of the ad900x.

No problem, I thought that might be the case 

 

[Disembodied]

Hello guys!
 
I'm home once again after a bit of travelling. Now I have both the Hi2050s and the Pro80s at home. While I can easily say that the Pro80s are very good (and probably the best headphones I've ever tried) they are a bit warm which makes them perfect for rock, metal, hardcore, electronic music and/or any bass-dependent type of music.
 
The sound is very clean and I like it, instruments are separated very well and you can hear many details, but vocals leave me somewhat unsatisfied though, they feel a bit "veiled". They also feel a bit left behind leaving much more room for the instruments. I believe they have only around 100 hours burn-in so maybe they need a bit more time. 
 
I was expecting songs from Queen for example, to have the vocals much more in front. These are my first impressions, but I might be wrong, I still haven't spent enough time with them.
 
Build quality is amazing though and the headband to me seems much more sturdy on the Pro80s (v2) than the Hi2050s.
 
I just listened to the 2050s a few hours yesterday and apart from a larger soundstage the sound is similar to the Pro80s. The sound is a bit "dry" though, probably because of the opened can structure, leaving not that much space for bass... Isolation is just enough for me and sound leak really isn't that bad, although people can hear a bit of what you're listening to.
 
Comfort-wise they are both very good with HM5 pleather/velour pads. 
 
My definitive opinion on both of these will probably be in a hundred hours of head-time or so. I hope I was clear enough and I'd really like to know if someone had these first impressions as well and how the sound eventually evolved.
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[theuprising]

@Disembodied Its not due to it being open, to my ears the Pro 80 was very dry before I amped it. Still great however.
 
Hey guys got the Fiio E07k, and from reading around, you're supposed to turn your system volume up to 75 and adjust listening volume with the amp right? Setting it up like this leads it to be very warm, setting system volume very high or low leads it to sound colder. The E07k is supposed to be a warm DAC/amp and I feel it has the greatest dynamic range setup this way, but I'm not sure.
 
First off the Pro 80's definitely get a soundstage increase with the amp and feel much less claustrophobic. However, the Fiio E07k I feel is an outright mismatch for the Pro 80's, as the headphone already tilted warm, and now the sub-bass is a bit overwhelming and eats a bit of mid-bass. Maybe EQ will remedy this?
 
But the amp benefited my A900x significantly more adding much more quantity and texture to the bass,  so its probably bye bye Takstar. But again, the Pro 80 is still an amazing buy for under 100 bucks.

 

[ginetto61]

Hello guys!
...  but vocals leave me somewhat unsatisfied though, they feel a bit "veiled". They also feel a bit left behind leaving much more room for the instruments.
I believe they have only around 100 hours burn-in so maybe they need a bit more time.  I was expecting songs from Queen for example, to have the vocals much more in front.
These are my first impressions, but I might be wrong, I still haven't spent enough time with them....

 
Hi i dont know if the pro80 have the same thick felt on the drivers like the hi2050 ...
if so removing it could improve transparency in the midrange and take out that veil on voices ?
I did it on my hi2050 and the transparency is improved a lot.
Now they are lying opened on my table ... i am worried to solder the new cables ... if only these nice people used better wiring these cans would have been a miracle.
I would like very much indeed to listen to them with a very top amp ... i would be curious to listen what level they can achieve.
They are quite ok and the sound improves with a better amp.  Good HPs indeed.
Regards,  gino

 

[Disembodied]

The Pro80s don't seem to have it. What are the downsides of the mod?

 

[ginetto61]

  The Pro80s don't seem to have it. What are the downsides of the mod?

 
Actually i cannot tell precisely what are the differences, that for sure there are, in FR.
There is still the thin fabric connected to the ear cushions to protect the driver ... is not exposed i mean.
I am an admirer of the Grado concept and i would love to see a Takstar Grado like extremely, or a Grado with the Takstar drivers lets say
And in the Grado there is absolutely no felt

i am sure it would be fantastic, at least on a par with the original and better Grado.
I do not understand why simple and extremely smart concept are not ... followed

For instance ... i hate oval ear cups ... really ... it is a silly form.
Why not doing something like this ? this is perfect shape ... following the shape of the drivers (for this i hate also the Sennheiser ... )
 
http://dagogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/T90-mirror-715441.jpg
 
they even resemble to the Takstar hi2050 ... why not make round cups also for the Takstar ? why ?
Because then they would look too similar to the Beyer ? and maybe also sounding very similar ? at a fraction of the cost ?
The oval is a circle deformed ... is a deformation of a perfect shape.
We are heading for perfection of for deformation ???
It was not the Beyer amp to clone ... their HPs are

 
to end ... i do not see any particular downside to removing the felts.
I prefer much the sound without ... it is more alive like Grado HPs ... more presence.
I cannot perform any FR ... unfortunately
Regards,  gino

 

[Disembodied]

Well Gino, 
 
I, for example, am a big fan of the oval shape instead... Our ears are more oval-like than round-shaped as a circle. I love it when my ears can go entirely into the cups, it makes me feel more comfortable, isolated and well-surrounded. It's all a matter of preference but in my opinion they're largely better.
 
Anyways, I'll try to give them some burn-in first, then I'll see how much I like them with the felt on!
 
If anyone else could give me their opinion as well it would be appreciated.

 

[ginetto61]

  Well Gino,
 
I, for example, am a big fan of the oval shape instead... Our ears are more oval-like than round-shaped as a circle.
I love it when my ears can go entirely into the cups, it makes me feel more comfortable, isolated and well-surrounded. It's all a matter of preference but in my opinion they're largely better.

 
Hi and sorry maybe i have not been clear because English is only my 5th language ...

I should have attached my perfect HP just to clarify ... shape wise i mean
 
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii32/Afrikane/Stax/StaxSR-Omega_6479.jpg
 
who said that circular ear cups cannot sorround the ear ? i also love it  when my ears can go entirely into the cups, it makes me feel more comfortable, isolated and well-surrounded
It is a matter of size not shape
Look at the magnificient Audeze, HiFiman ... they are all circular and absolutely beautiful ...
if the circular ear cups are big enough they can sorround any "normal" ear
Do you mean that the best Beyerdynamic are not comfortable ? like the Tesla ?
 
http://cdn.head-fi.org/f/fd/fdb9c1d6_web.jpg

Anyways, I'll try to give them some burn-in first, then I'll see how much I like them with the felt on!
If anyone else could give me their opinion as well it would be appreciated.

i can tell you that also with the felt are ok.  There is no need to take it out.
Instead i hate much more the wiring .. that is what i am doing this weekend ... but this is very dangerous .. soldering the new wires on the drivers could ruin the delicate plastic membrane.
I hope one day all HPs will have something like the mini XLR of the AKG ,,, very very smart.
Regards, gino

 

[Disembodied]

No Gino, your explanation was fine. Don't get me wrong Rounded cups can be very comfortable, Beyers are an example of it, but they do require a bigger cup size if you want them to fit your ear completely. We all know that huge size also compromises portability and the looks of it when you're wearing them.
 
I find the Takstars to be somewhat "sexy" (or rather good looking) for a full-sized headphone, the overall size and design is good enough for it to be portable.
 
It's not a really big issue to me (as I rarely carry them around), but in my opinion the oval size reduces size and increases portability/outdoor aesthetics. 

 

[ginetto61]

  No Gino, your explanation was fine. Don't get me wrong Rounded cups can be very comfortable, Beyers are an example of it, but they do require a bigger cup size if you want them to fit your ear completely. We all know that huge size also compromises portability and the looks of it when you're wearing them.
I find the Takstars to be somewhat "sexy" (or rather good looking) for a full-sized headphone, the overall size and design is good enough for it to be portable.
It's not a really big issue to me (as I rarely carry them around), but in my opinion the oval size reduces size and increases portability/outdoor aesthetics.

Hi and perfect.
I always make the mistake to judge only from my point of view. Sorry.  
Yes portability is indeed an issue. I use HPs almost only at home ... for portable i use cheap pair of earphones not full size HPs
By the way the similarity of the headband of the Takstar and the one of the Beyer is impressive
This evening i will try the Beyerdynamic headband protection on the Takstar ... i am curious ...
Thanks again,  gino  

 

[altrunox]

Starting to think that the Pro 80 sounds too thin for some rock track, most red hot chilli peppers songs just don't sound nice from it 

 
Maybe I should blame the HM5 velour pads for it, or maybe I just prefer some extra bass + warmer sound of the HD681 Evo for rock...

 

[peter123]

Starting to think that the Pro 80 sounds too thin for some rock track, most red hot chilli peppers songs just don't sound nice from it :confused_face_2:

Maybe I should blame the HM5 velour pads for it, or maybe I just prefer some extra bass + warmer sound of the HD681 Evo for rock...

The velour pad does take away some bass, only you can decide if it's enough with the pleather pads