[RERO]

  The one thing I couldn't get over about the original Momentums was their size. They felt like an uncomfortable hybrid of on-ear headphones and almost-over ear headphones

 
I'm quite lucky that they fit on my ears over ear. Just barely though, gotta tuck it in just right.
Unusable with glasses though.

 

[danmlr]

I'm actually grateful for this thread since i learned about the mass drops here first. 

 

[DiscoProJoe]

What do the latest Beats Studio Wireless and the Sennheiser HD 650 have in common? Their headphone drivers bottom out with the beat and go "snap, crackle, pop," like Rice Krispies when using my extreme EQ presets and Cayin C5 portable amp!
 
And this is without any audible clipping from the amp or EQ.
 
Beats can't handle the beat!!! 

 

 

 
At least the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0, Beyerdynamic T5, and Oppo PM-3 "only" put out a bunch of bad driver distortion with my setup, instead.

 
My beloved V-Moda M-100s just keep on kickin' some major butt. Great power handling, good sensitivity, and excellent maximum excursion capability (i.e., "X-max").
 
The second-place finisher at my local Hi-Fi headphone shop (in terms of my tastes) has been the B&O H6 (or H7, I can't remember which one). Very good sound, but their bass & treble aren't quite as good as on the M-100.
 
The Hifiman Edition X also sounded decent, but its lack of portability, sensitivity, and sonic privacy were huge drawbacks. Not to mention the weird magnets that mess up the sound if people are standing or sitting next to you, such as on a crowded subway.
 
Those are my two cents, anyway.
 
Beats can't handle the beat!!! 

 

 

 

 

[Atavax]

  I don't think HiFiMAN is a particularly good example...
They're usually associated with good sound, but usually followed by "fragile earphones" and "cheaply build headphones".
Audeze isn't that great on build too, though I'm not sure with the newer series.
Audio-Technica is driven by the M50 meme.
 
Sennheiser is pretty big on marketing on the past few years as well. But since 2009, they haven't release an exciting product that is relevant to enthusiasts... the $300 to $500 segment.
The Momentum and Urbanite lines were desperate attempts to take a piece of the Beats market.

as someone who has two hifiman headphones: what? Especially the HE 400; its built like a tank. I feel like i could bash someone's skull in with it.
 
There are no perfect headphones, we can find faults in any pair, the point is that there are brands that rely on word of mouth throughout the audiophile community and there are brands that rely more on marketing, and the latter is looked upon as negatively by audiophiles for the most part. With Sennheiser and Sony being exceptions; really because they market their lower end solutions, but their higher end cans rely on word of mouth.

 

[inthere]

I think I've had my Hifiman He-500 for 4 years now, they're solid as a rock. Definitely not fragile or cheaply made imo.

 

[RERO]

Guess you guys have not fondled with the HEX and HEK...

 

[god-bluff]

Guess you guys have not fondled with the HEX and HEK...

What is the meaning of this?

Are they fragile or 'built like a tank'

For true tank like build you need the original 'Panzer' Beyerdynamic DT150. Dating back to the Cold War they are designed to withstand a direct nuclear strike.

 

[akg fanboy]

What is the meaning of this?

Are they fragile or 'built like a tank'

For true tank/panzer build you need the original 'Panzer' Beyerdynamic DT150. Dateling back to the Cold War they are designed to withstand a direct nuclear strike.

I have an he560... I can say the build quality is not great, the plastic hinges that hold the earcups are made of an incredibly cheap plastic and the headband is also plastic. The right hinge has more tension than the left hinge which makes the headphones feel even cheaper. I can understand if they are affordable headphones but the he560 had an MSRP of $900, the $300 he400s is also a headphone criticized for it's build quality, they honestly look like a $100 pair of headphones.

 

[god-bluff]

I have an he560... I can say the build quality is not great, the plastic hinges that hold the earcups are made of an incredibly cheap plastic and the headband is also plastic. The right hinge has more tension than the left hinge which makes the headphones feel even cheaper. I can understand if they are affordable headphones but the he560 had an MSRP of $900, the $300 he400s is also a headphone criticized for it's build quality, they honestly look like a $100 pair of headphones.

Well they are made in China like Beats and most other headphones nowadays

Quality headphones are handmade in Germany or... Ireland!

 

[dazzerfong]

Well they are made in China like Beats and most other headphones nowadays

Quality headphones are handmade in Germany or... Ireland!

​Made in China isn't a problem: they can achieve good QC if they wanted to. However, don't think it's on the top of their list of concerns.

 

[Atavax]

i think they were trying to reduce the weight and increase the comfort of wearing planars. Like my HE400 is pretty light prior to their latest gen, and even those could easily cause upper back discomfort with extended use. My 560 doesn't cause any issues though and i haven't had any issues with durability despite me not really being all too gentle with headphones in general. Are there other lightweight high end planars we can really compare Hifiman's 560s to in terms of durability?

 

[akg fanboy]

  i think they were trying to reduce the weight and increase the comfort of wearing planars. Like my HE400 is pretty light prior to their latest gen, and even those could easily cause upper back discomfort with extended use. My 560 doesn't cause any issues though and i haven't had any issues with durability despite me not really being all too gentle with headphones in general. Are there other lightweight high end planars we can really compare Hifiman's 560s to in terms of durability?

I am in no way against the use of plastic, my favorite hd800 and q701s are made of mostly plastic. The hinges that hold the earcups could have been made of a metal though like the beyerdynamic t1, a lightweight metal such as a magnesium alloy could really boost the perceived build quality without adding weight, if nothing else, they could have at least used better plastics as seen on the hd700/hd800. The $100 he350 uses the identical hinge as the (used to be) $900 he560, I am just saying they could have tried a bit more for the asking price. The audeze el8 uses plastic as well and looks much more premium in that regard.

 

[ccdan]

 

Interesting to hear they're better than Solo 2s...always heard they were wonky and not as good as the Solo 2s. Will take a listen next time I'm in a store. Is there a way to listen in 'passive' mode or is NC always on?

Cans that the Studio 2's would be competing against in my world...

Senn HD558 got for $119 but go for $80-100 now
Beyer DT770 for $140
AKG Q701 for $145
Beyer DT990 for $149
Denon D600 for $150

Soon...Senn HD6XX for $199 (drops mike)

 

Yes, NC is always on, but it's not much of a problem. 
 
Most of those cans need amping, some of them serious amping - which is another cost to consider, as most people don't have a headphone amp. 
 
Denon D600 are a lot more expensive in Europe(usually >300 eur) but $150 seems a bit unrealistic even for the US. 

 

[GearMe]

Yes, NC is always on, but it's not much of a problem. 

Most of those cans need amping, some of them serious amping - which is another cost to consider, as most people don't have a headphone amp. 

Denon D600 are a lot more expensive in Europe(usually >300 eur) but $150 seems a bit unrealistic even for the US. 

Bummer about the 'NC always on'...makes it a non-starter for me. That said, I saw some new ones recently for $119 but they're back up to $139. I expect they'll be at $119 or less for Black Friday. If so, I'll probably buy them, listen for a few weeks, and them pass them on to my son like I did the Solo 2's.


Amping for the headphones listed? They all work quite well out of my LG V20 phone (no external amp needed)...even the 250 Ohm DT990. Do some of my Beyers and Senns scale with better amps? Yes. Can't say I got that impression of the Solo 2's.

BTW, to my ears the Amperiors are much better than Solo 2's. I'd give a slight edge to the M80's and rate the FC300's on par...both at half the price!

Which brings me full circle to value. I look for high-value audio that entertains me and keeps me interested. Those in my list do at their price points. The Solo 2's didn't...hence, they're gone.


Might have been lucky on the D600's. I spotted them at Best Buy when they were clearing them out and posted them on the Deals Discussion Thread -- a bunch of us got them.




Lastly, these types of deals are pretty normal and are really what make the Beats brand a poorer value -- even when you ignore their build quality issues.

I've gotten AKG K518LE's for $27, ATH-WS55's for $30, and Sony V6's for $60 to name just a few other high-value cans. Didn't buy them but Urbanite XL's have recently gone for $79...and the list goes on...

 

[god-bluff]

Bummer about the 'NC always on'...makes it a non-starter for me. That said, I saw some new ones recently for $119 but they're back up to $139. I expect they'll be at $119 or less for Black Friday. If so, I'll probably buy them, listen for a few weeks, and them pass them on to my son like I did the Solo 2's.


Amping for the headphones listed? They all work quite well out of my LG V20 phone (no external amp needed)...even the 250 Ohm DT990. Do some of my Beyers and Senns scale with better amps? Yes. Can't say I got that impression of the Solo 2's.

BTW, to my ears the Amperiors are much better than Solo 2's. I'd give a slight edge to the M80's and rate the FC300's on par...both at half the price!

Which brings me full circle to value. I look for high-value audio that entertains me and keeps me interested. Those in my list do at their price points. The Solo 2's didn't...hence, they're gone.


Might have been lucky on the D600's. I spotted them at Best Buy when they were clearing them out and posted them on the Deals Discussion Thread -- a bunch of us got them.




Lastly, these types of deals are pretty normal and are really what make the Beats brand a poorer value -- even when you ignore their build quality issues.

I've gotten AKG K518LE's for $27, ATH-WS55's for $30, and Sony V6's for $60 to name just a few other high-value cans. Didn't buy them but Urbanite XL's have recently gone for $79...and the list goes on...

You just need to grab a pair of Musical Fidelity MF100. bit pricier in US $68 but still a bargain

Not for Beats fan. bright and ultra detailed. An acquired taste but you get used to them. sound brilliant out if a phone.