Humblepie
Software developer and hardware engineer for 20+ years living in south Texas. Love good music, computers, and outdoor fun. Collection hobbies include headphones, swords, knives, guns, bows, and my wife says computer parts (although the extra parts I don't see as collection stuff). Father of 2 kids.
- Location
- South Texas
- Interests
- Raising family, computers, camping, guns, archery, swords, knives, music, headphones, video games, movies, books, good food and good drinks.
Current Wish-list for headphones: from top to bottom order of preference to get
Feenix Aria/Yoga CD-2500 (same can) (hard to find these days)
Audio Technica M40x
B&O H6 2nd gen
Samson z55 or z45
Recent pickups needing reviews:
Sennheiser HD800s
Sennheiser 630VB
BeyerDynamics DT1990
EMU Teak
Denon 5000
Denon AH-MM400
AudioQuest Nighthawks
AKG 553 pro
MSUR N650
Audio Technica M50x
OKSCS ZX1
Steelseries 9h
*** Coming soon ***
Massdrop Ether CX
Verum Ones
Vokyl Erupts
Massdrop Koss EP950
Meze 99 Noir
List with prices of owned. Below the list is reviews for what I've managed to type one up for.
Mr Speakers Ether C Flow - $1100
Hifiman Edition X V2 - $800
Fostex TH900 Mk2 - $750
Audeze LCD2C - $550
Aeon Flow Closed - $550
Focal Elex - $500
Advanced Alphas - $400
E-MU Ebony - $400
Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts - $300
Hifiman HE-560 V3 - $300
Mitchell & Johnson MJ2 - $280
Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany - $275
Fostex TR60p - $250
Hifiman Sundara - $250
Oppo PM3 - $250
Fostex T60rp - $250
Monoprice M1060C - $225
Monoprice m1060 v2 - $220
Sony MDR Z7 - $200
Audeze EL-8 Open - $200
Sennheiser HD6XX - $200
Hifiman HE-4XX - $170
Monoprice Monolith M560 - $150
Massdrop version Fostex T-X0 - $150
Sennheiser 58x Jubilee - $150
Master & Dynamic MH40 - $150
Vmoda Crossfade Wireless 2 APTX - $150
Philips Fidelio X2 - $150
V Moda M100 - $150
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Chrome 600ohms - $140
1More Triple H1707 over ear gold version - $135
Hifiman 400i - $120
Beyerdynamics Custom One Plus Pro - $120
Audio Technica WS1100IS - $120
Audio Technica MSR7 - $115
Pioneer HRM-6 - $115
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 600ohms - $100
AKG K545 - $90
Hifiman Edition S - $85
Takstar Pro 82 (silver and black) - $80
Tate & Bauer HD900R - $80
Logitech UE 6000 - $75
Lasmex H-120 - $70
Sennheiser HD598se - $60
*** Under $50 ***
Lasmex L-90
Lasmex L-85
Freeboss FB 888
Superlux HD 668B
Superlux HD 681 EVO
Superlux HD 672
LyxPro Has 30
Bosshifi B8 (two of these with one modded)
Bosshifi B7 (two of these because of a shipping mistake)
Links in
Pioneer se405
Koss DJ Pro 200
Philips SHP 9500
SIVGA SV007
SIVGA SV002
SIVGA SV003
OneOdio DJ Pros
Status Audio CB-1
Aizers AZ-A700
Marantz mph-4
Freeboss HF2010
ISK MDH8500
Superlux HD 685
House Use Products (Langsdom VA800)
LyxPro OEH-10 (Status Audio OB-1/Somic V2 Rebrand)
NVX XPT100
*** Under $20 ***
Akai Professional 50x
Sennheiser HD 206
Monoprice 8323
Griffin Woodtones (Walnut and Beech)
Monoprice Retros
Symphonized Wraith 2.0 Bluetooth (Walnut and Zebra wood)
Liboer BH718
AudioLUX WDX
Philips SLH3300
*** Got free ***
Blue Lola
Blue Mofi
*** Wireless ***
Audeze Mobius - $230
Bluedio T5 - $50
Bluedio Turbine T3 - $25
Ausdom NC7 - $15
Mixcder ShareMe Pro - $15
*** On Ear ***
KEF M500 - $100
OKCSC M2 - $65
Grado SR80 - $50
OKCSC M1 - $50
Philips A1Pro/27 - $25
** Gaming ***
HyperX Cloud Alphas
Corsair HS60
Roccat Cross
Razer Blacksharks
Logitech G430
DIZA100 lightweights
Plantronics RIG
Kinden 3D gaming headset (transformer looking ones)
Monoprice wireless gaming headsets (two)
*** IEM/bud ***
Monoprice M300
Samsung Level U Pro (two)
Symphonized NRG 3.0
Symphonized NRG 2.0
KS ZST
KZ ATE
KZ C6
KZ ZS5 (two)
KZ ZS6 (two)
KZ ZS10
KZ ZSA
KZ ZSE
Hifiman Bolts
1More Blues
Ailihem M10
GranVela V6
OKCSC IEM
Uiisii T8 (two)
MoreBlue DM8
Fonge T01
Apple Earpods
JVC gummy
Maxwell iem
Shure e35
Apple Earbuds
VE Monk+ buds
- Headphone Inventory
- *** REVIEWS!! ***
******* Over Ear Headphone list (broken down into tier ratings) *******
*** My absolute top tier picks ***
Fostex TH900 Mk2:
Bass is booming! Definitely more bass head friendly without being bloated on the bass or lacking clarity elsewhere. It's mainly because the mids and treble is a tiny bit recessed, so to bring those up to normal listening volumes the bass is also brought up unless EQ'd. Fantastic build quality and comfort. Plain sexy too! Soundstage is decent for closed and the imaging is pretty good too. Do I have other headphones for a lot cheaper that are as good sound quality as these? Yes I do. Do any of those headphones come as close in sexiness as well? No they don't. These are partly fashion headphones with real hi-fi meat to them though.
Focal Elex:
Divine sound. Beautiful build quality, excellent comfort, and sleek design. There is nothing I can ding the sound on for really. Details are so clear it is crazy!!!! I heard signers licking lips on occasion I never before in anything else. I swapped to other headsets and THIS retrieves details like nothing else I have. I do prefer the bass on the TH900Mk2, but only just barely. Sound stage is hard to describe with these, but they are wide and narrow at the same time. Things that are meant to be wide are VERY wide. Things meant to be narrow, like the singers voice, sounds like the singer is doing an intimate ASMR session next to my ears. Imaging is good, but because of the strange soundstage it could be better. I mean sounds tracks correctly left to right with separation, but when the illusion sounds like a few feet away on other headphone it sounds much further away on these.
Mr Speakers Ether C Flow:
These things are gorgeous and sound incredible. Bass impact on the TH900 mk2 are better, and the only reason I prefer them sound wise over these Otherwise they are light, comfortable, well made, an sound excellent. They also share a similar mid/bass hollowness as the Aeon's, but not nearly to the same degree. I can tell if I listen hard enough, but it's minor. It makes the timbre in that region a little off. That's really the only ding I can think of for these. Still these are top tier despite that.
Audeze LCD2C:
Lovely gorgeous headphones. Great build quality, but a little heavy. Still nice to wear. The box it came in was crud, but I bought a pelican case and was able to move the foam over to it no problem. Like everyone says, these are slightly warm, but highly detailed cans. While the EL-8's I have a bit more mid forward, these are relaxed with a bit more mid bass elevation to them. Not a spike, just a gentle slope to make them slightly warm.
Audeze EL-8 Open:
Very vibrant sounding. Good bass, although not bass emphasized or heavy at all. Sub bass a little subdued but nothing major. Mids are forward without being shouty. Treble is clear and not harsh at all. Slight comfortable treble roll off that makes these pleasing to listen to. The headphones are heavy, but very comfortable otherwise. One ding is that the cups can create a strange "sealed" feeling/sound when put on the ears though. Takes a bit of adjustment when seating on the head to get it right and have them comfortable. Build quality is phenomenal though.
Hifiman HE-4XX:
Stock setup and great! For the most part my go to cans more often than not for gaming and general use. Comfort, sound, and build quality are top notch. They measure and sound like the 400i, but with better build quality and comfort. For the price from Massdrop this headphone is literally the best performance/build to price ratio out there. So it makes my top.
Hifiman HE-560 V3:
Took me a few tries to get a pair that wasn't defective. Once I did, I am glad I didn't give up on returning the bad ones. These are very much like the HE-4XX, but a tad more treble and details. Just enough to make them a daily driver over the 4XX these days. They are comfortable like the 4XX, and at the $300 price they are well worth it when on deal. They aren't worth it at the normal $800 MSRP or whatever ridiculous price they are asking. They are worth $150 over the 4XX, but they aren't worth $650 over them.
*** Very good level *** (in no particular order)
Aeon Flow Closed:
Clamping a little tight. Earpads have very stiff foam so it actually creates hot spots around my ears on my head that hurt after wearing them for an hour or so. My ears touch the attenuation pads too much with them in and that can cause pain. Without those added pads inside it is fine there at least. Sound wise they sound really good, but I can hear that dip in the midbass range. Strictly speaking the 100hz to 800hz range has a dip which make male vocals sound distant, hollow, and reedy. That is the only problem with the sound I have. Other than that they sound really nice throughout the rest of the spectrum. Soundstage is good for closed, but not the greatest. Imaging is excellent though. I really like these, but I have to use Equalizer APO to bump up the male vocal range to really enjoy them to their fullest.
Audeze Mobius:
Nice sound set of cans for the price. That being said, the build quality and sound is good for a $200-$300 set, but not above that really. The extra price goes into the tech put into these. The tech is phenominal, but I find the 3D tracking a bit too gimmicky. I love how open the sound is with that setting on, but I hate the head tracking portion of it. Wish it had ANC too. Not sure if the added tech is actually worth the extra premium price it has past it's introductory offer though. It is a good pair of headphones though for portable use.
Sony MDR Z7
Initial impressions are I like them. Sub bass is subdued a bit. Mid bass a tiny bit bloomy, but I think that is because the mids are a bit too recessed along with upper treble. So I end up turning the volume up to compensate for that and it makes the mid bass a tad too much. It's clear sounding unless I turn the volume down a bit. When the volume is a bit low, the mid bass sounds strange. Like it's has a hollow echo feel to it. There is no echo, just feels as if the timber isn't right. I see why these aren't for everyone. The other ding is the microphonics are a bit rough. Touch the cup, or headband and there is a bunch of microphonics. Not the worst I have, but still present. Touching the cord is louder than other headphones I own, but not as loud as the really bad microphonics problem headphones. They are comfortable though and look to be built real well. The mids are recessed, but are clear, detailed, and smooth. Overall a laid back and relaxing colored sound. They are "M" shaped for the sound is the best I can describe them. Mid bass, and mid treble are slightly up, with a dip in the mids, and roll off for the sub bass and high treble (which the later I don't mind at all).
E-MU Ebony:
One of the best sounding cans I have. Bass and sub bass are just so musically engaging. More so than anything else I own. Rest of spectrum is represented well too. I have the original batch without detachable cable though.
Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany:
Pretty much the same thing as the E-MU ebony. Can't tell a difference in a blind A/B test between the two at all. Since they measure very close sonically on frequency response charts I am not surprised. Still very beautiful.
Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts:
Not much difference I can hear between these and the others. Just like pokemon got to collect them all I suppose! Still they are very beautiful looking and sounding headphones. I just wish they had a detachable cable instead of the monstrously long, thick cable that is attached to this lineup.
Sennheiser HD6XX:
Clamp force initially very tight, but fixable. Pads are decently comfortable if a little to firm for my preference. The pads have softened over time though. Build quality is very nice overall with very nice durable feeling plastic. Mids and treble are nice, clear, and present, but bass is slightly rolled off. First I didn't like that, but burn in DID help with these to bring bass up. Sound stage is ok but not huge.
Sennheiser HD598se:
Like the HD6XX in sound. Close, but a little less mids. Just a tiny bit. Build quality isn't as good but it doesn't have the proprietary cable either. Still the build quality is good overall and should last if taken care of despite being mostly plastic in make. They are light weight and comfortable to wear. For the price and sound signature they are a good headphone to get.
Massdrop version Fostex T-X0:
Touch warm. Slight vocal forward without being sibilant to me. While vocal forward, the vocals are slightly veiled due to the warmth. Gentle treble roll off. Comfortable to wear and great build quality. Bass isn't punchy at all and to me has decent enough quantity and quality. Very nice set of cans for the price.
Hifiman 400i:
HM5 Angled Pads, What more can I say that anyone else hasn't on these outstanding cans? Very similar to the HE4XX if slightly worse build quality for the price.
Philips Fidelio X2:
Initial listening these are very similar to my modded SHP9500. Can see why everyone likes these. They basically take the build quality and up the ante by times 100 compared to the SHP9500. The sound signature sounded initially very similar to my beloved 9500. Just slightly less grain to the treble which makes them much nicer to use over longer listening sessions. Very nice set of cans.
Pioneer HRM-6:
Pick these up from ebay without a cable, but another poster was nice enough to send me a cable for these finally. As for the sound, these are mid centric but with good bass presence and nice treble. sound stage is fairly narrow and about the only bad thing sound quality wise to these. Comfort is excellent, and build quality is outstanding. I hate the janky cord and proprietary system used for the cord. Not just any 2.5mm to 3.5mm cord can be used as the locking system makes it hard to use generic cables.
Monoprice m1060 v2:
OMG divine!!!! One of the best sonically sounding headphones to me that I own. I really can't say much more than that. They are a little heavy. I do not have ringing with mine even with stock pads. Maybe I got a lucky pair? Was an open box from monoprice through buydig that came basically brand spanking new in shrink wrap despite the sticker labeling it "open box" stuck to the wrap. Build quality is decent, but not the best. Headband is on the cheapie side as well. Only reason it's not in my top three is because of the weight and questionable build quality given the problems with v1 of this unit.
Monoprice M1060C:
Slightly better tonality than their open brothers, but they do lack the fullness and openess of sound being closed back. They do have good space though for closed back. Like their open counter parts, they are decently built, but the headband could have been done much better. For the price they are worth it even at normal MSRP.
Monoprice Monolith M560:
Stock pads are nice but the bass is wimpy with the stock pads. Not rolled off, just flat quiet and understated. There is certainly a good bass response to these with clarity, and tightness... just no volume to it with the stock pads. However, XB700 pads brings the bass up a bit more. Still these will never be a bass head set of cans. Despite that, they take EQ very well and upping the bass doesn't cause any distortion I could tell. Build quality is exceptional if a bit heavy. These are the best build quality headphones I own. Love that about them. Heavy weight though.
Takstar Pro 82: (have both silver and black)
Great headphones for the price. Sound is fair flat and detailed with the ports closed. The slide-able open ports on these don't cause nearly as much bass rumble as they do the Beyerdynamics Custom One Plus Pros. That being said, with even 1 port open the bass gets distorted. More ports opened really messes with the bass and bass impact. Build wise they are light weight, decent plastic build quality similar to the sony mdr1a. Comfort is good out of the box. If you don't mind the wait from China to get a pair they are worth it. The one caveat I have though is that the very low end of the bass is a bit lacking and rolled off. I don't mind that at all, but those that like good quantity of bass won't like these. Opening up the bass ports as I mentioned already doesn't help the bass at all. The box they come in is very nice too though.
Beyerdynamics Custom One Plus Pro:
Great build quality and comfort. Sound quality is good actaully. Mids are clear, center, precise. Vocals do not sound shouty nor recessed. The treble is sparkly and airy and not too forward like other Beyers. The slide-able open ports make the bass go from very little to massive headshakers with very loose rumbly bass when going from no open ports to all the way open. Do not open all the ports on these. 1 or 2 ports open at most.
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 600ohms:
Came from another head-fier with a detachable cable mod for these very neutral cans with a slightly treble emphasis. These are great for monitoring with the hifiman velour pads. I don't have much to add in my review of these that hasn't been said everywhere else.
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Chrome 600ohms:
I have personally done the detachable cable mod on these as I bought the new from a deal from B&H photo. They sound great, come without the finger slicers on the headband, and worth the deal I paid for them.
Monoprice 8323:
(HM5 pads) An "A" shaped sound that has decent bass with the better pads. HM5 pads bring up the bass and warmth of the sound signature to very pleasant listening levels. An innerfidelty hall of fame holder for a reason. At $15 sale price, comes up often, with a $8 hm5 clone pad, these are a deal for anyone looking for a good can that sounds nice, and you don't mind if they fall apart in a few years.
SIVGA SV007: (look like bosshifi lineup, but are SIVGa only)
These headphones emphasize mostly the mids and vocal range from 800hz to 2Khz. They also have decent sound stage as an open back. Mid-bass region is lacking for me under 800hz. Otherwise they sound pretty good if you like vocals. Beautiful wood and excellent build quality as well.
Oppo PM3:
(White) Mids are just so supple, textured, and smooth on these. Treble a bit rolled off and quiet though. Bass response is fairly flat. Basically the closest headphone ever created to match the Harmon Kardon target response curve as close as possible when it was developed.
Mitchell & Johnson MJ2:
I am not as big of a fan of their cheaper counter parts, but I like these versions at least. They are well built, attractive, comfortable headphones. I like the price for them off massdrop for about $250. At their normal MSRP price of $500 that is too much. They are an electrolet set of headphones. The still have that strange transistion around the mid-treble region which I don't like, but it isn't as jarring sound on these as it is on the cheaper cans for some reason.
Blue Lola and Mofis: (have both and they sound the same)
Heavy cans, but great sounding. Fun U shaped sound quality. Despite mids having less energy, you don't feel like you are sitting back from the vocals at all. Front row seating here. Clamping force is a bit tight and they clamp along jaw line. Could cause issues for some. Sonically beautiful though.
V Moda M100:
(XL Pads) Bring the BASS BOOM! V shaped sounding on these indestructible cans. Seriously good build quality. Small though. Even XL pads on these are small for my big ears. If you are looking for decent sounding cans, not for monitoring, that will last a lifetime then these are the ones to get. They even come with a lifetime warranty!
AKG K545:
(White with white angled HM5 pads) Slightly boosted bass and neutral everywhere else. With the angled pads they sound brilliant and are much more comfortable than stock pads. The headband is a bit wonky though and not my favorite. It's a thick metal pad with a pad attached underneath. With longer hair you can get it caught and pulling on your hair when you remove them later.
Hifiman Edition S:
Nice ultra portable design. Listed as on-ear, but they are over-ear. My big ears fit inside just fine, but they do lightly touch. Not enough to cause me discomfort. They are plastic built, and smaller than they look. The magnetic cup covers don't change the sound signature more than making the soundstage bigger, and making the mids sound fuller. Speaking of which, the mids sound mostly dull to me on these in both configurations. Not horrible, just dull. Like I can't tell which row back I sitting in from the singer at a concert. Highes roll off a bit too much too. Bass is flat, tight, and controlled overall.
Bosshifi B8: (two of these with one modded. Read for details)
Stock sound is slightly U shaped fun sounding cans. Little more emphasis on the treble than the bass part of the U shape. Mids are recessed and lose a little clarity. Stock pads are good enough for me with these. Deep pads mess up the sound badly. The modded ones have an unraveled cottonball behind driver and some rubber sorbothane taped around the driver. This brings the mids up massively. The mids are forward, clear, detailed, and in your face. Way too shouty at the moment. Will need to adjust to tame that some. With some adjustments these could be fantastically balanced cans.
Bosshifi B7:
Original stock pads are more like On Ear pads and were a no go for me. They are comfortable for on ears, but I don't like anything on my ears. Sound wise they are okay with stock pads. Difference is less treble, fuller mids, and more bloomy bass than the B8 to compare with. While I don't mind that sound, many on head-fi won't like it as it isn't exactly a relaxing U shaped. That being said, I was accidentally sent a second updated pair of these. They have a new earpad and different foam inside. HUGE improvement in comfort and sound. Bass have zero bloom while the mids AND treble are full, detailed, and airy. Soundstage is improved. Any bad review you read before on the B7 was more than like on the older version with the crap stock earpads.
Lasmex L-85:
Very nice sound. Same headband as the bosshifi series of over the ear cups and similar setup and sound. Bass is present, mids are slightly forward, and treble has sparkle leaning towards hotness. There is a bit of a dip and hollowness to the mid treble area though that does sound a bit off to me by making that sound region hollow and like an echo from a coffee can. That is the only ding I can hear sound quality wise. They are also a bit hot on the ears for me too. Otherwise a very nice headphone for the price. Don't put deep pads on these, they don't work well with them at all. Shallow pads are better even over the stock pads.
Lasmex H-120:
Gorgeous headphones. Well built, light weight, super portable, and very comfortable. Sound is mid forward with decent bass, some roll off in the sub bass, and good treble. Like the L-85 there is a mid-treble problem though. These are definitely closed and have zero soundstage as well. The earpads are also held on by a magnetic ring.
Koss DJ Pro 200:
(Bosshifi B8 pads) Anemic bass without the pad change. Stock pads are terrible. HM5 pads make the bass reverb funny, mids go hollow, and make them sound just awful. Deep after market pads make these also sound awful even if they are more comfortable .These headphones are real picky when it comes to earpads. They need to be shallow to work well. Just make sure not to get pads that are too shallow/small as then the comfort will suck. These work well:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074YGKR8N
Logitech UE 6000:
Bass cannons in active mode, but also muddy with the bass with a tad too much rumble/distortion to be called great in that mode. However, they are beautiful sounding in passive mode. Innerfidelity Wall of fame holder for a reason. Comfort is decent but not the best. Build quality is on par with early Beats headphones from which they resemble a bit.
Philips SHP9500:
(HM5 pad) These things are my most used headphones for a reason. Glorious for me. Little grainy on the treble, but clear, loud, and open otherwise. Bass is very anemic with stock pads. But HM5s on them to bring bass response up to much better levels. Treble can be a bit harsh, grainy, and thin to some.
Griffin Woodtones:
(Walnut and Beech. Both have Senitek cloth pads) I would really love to use these more. Complaints of durability make me hesitate. Feel sturdy enough. Sound is just sublime though otherwise. The stock pads and the foam covering on the drivers were crap though. The Senitek cloth pads make these magical for some reason.
Symphonized Wraith 2.0 Bluetooth:
(Walnut and zebra each. Both with HM5 pads) Use these almost exclusively at work. Fun V shaped cans the massive bluetooth range, great battery life, very comfortable with the HM5 as the stock ones were crap. Sound very good through the bluetooth too. Best sounding bluetooth headphones without active noise cancelling that I've heard/tried.
Akai Professional 50x:
(HM5 pad) Slightly elevated bass, but I find the rest of the spectrum fairly neutral. Personally love them even if they are freaking HUGE!!! Headband and the cups are gigantic. One of my personal recommended favorites at any price range.
Audio Technica WS1100IS:
Got these in and they sound pretty darn good. Little bass heavy, but they are advertised as such. Still clear and fun to listen to. Build quality is exceptional all throughout as well as the stock comfort. Zeos has a good review on these and if you can get through his rambling review, he does sum them up well enough. I do think they are good at the $130ish price they've been at. I don't think they are worth the $230 msrp though. I paid $100 so I'm happy with them.
Audio Technica MSR7:
Brighter than the WS1100IS, but still a nice clean sound. Comfortable and well built too. These aren't like their bassier breathren in the Audio Technica lineup.
Master & Dynamic MH40:
I originally demo'd these at BB along side Sony MDR1A, Bower & Wilkins P7 and P9, and a few others. Most of those other headphones were very V shaped with muddy mid-bass. These were U shaped, but clean mid-bass and bass overall. They are nice laid back warm sound. Well built, comfortable, light, and I love the retro look to them. I don't quite like their MSRP price, but you can get them used on occasion for $150 or less. At that price they are very much worth it.
Superlux HD 681 EVO:
Build quality is ok and mostly plastic. They are comfortable to wear, and come with the superlux detachable cable system. Sound wise I like these a lot. Warm, detailed, and laid back. Really can't go wrong with these.
Superlux HD 672:
No "replacements" to the 668B I think. They are pretty darn bright out of the box. Really bright. They also have an attached cable. The stock earpads kind of suck. The build quality beyond that is good though. Normally these would be rated lower than this, but with a pair of Senitek Velour earpads as replacements, they sound great! Well great for $30 headphones + $9 earpads. The highs get tamed and they sound really good and resolving for the price.
SIVGA SV002 and SV003:
Got one in dark stained wood and the other in rosewood. The SV003 has slightly deeper cup, but the sound isn't affect much by it. They are well built, comfortable, and nice sounding closed headphones for the price. They don't have much soundstage, but they have less bass emphasis than the bosshifi B8's too which is nice. I decided to put on some deep angled hybrid pads and they sound pretty good with those on. These may be a bit mid/treble forward, and those pads bring that down a bit making them a bit more relaxed sounding.
*** The decent with flaws ***
OneOdio DJ Pros (Yenona brand):
Cups are a bit loose. Comfort is good. Build quality is excellent overall except for the loose cups and being made mostly of plastic. Sound quality is decent too. Sounds very similar to the Akai 50x headphones but warmer and darker. The bass is more veiled and it has less soundstage.
Monoprice Retros:
These sound really good! Build quality is bleh. Earpards are very bad. Replace them ASAP. To replace the earpads it will take LARGE round earpads as these don't have a grove to hold the replacement pads. Even with brainwavz extra large round pads I had a hard time getting them over the cups to put on. The attached cable is annoying. Still for the sale price of $15 it is an excellent buy in terms of sound performance. Sound similar to the Superlux 681 EVO with a touch less boomy bass.
Tate & Bauer HD900R:
Strange mid-treble spike and transition. Found out these like shallow ear pads. Stock pads were way too shallow and not comfortable. Initially put on HM5's, but made the bass and low mids sound hollow and distant. Put extra emphasis on the mid-treble region and just didn't sound good. I switched to a shallower, but still comfortable, set of pads and that all changes. Bass and low mids are present again. There is still a strange mid-treble change over that is way to forward sounding for my taste. Comfort wise they are okay, but a bit on the small size for my head.
Sennheiser HD 206:
Build quality is bleh. Comfort is meh. Cord is an abomination. Despite that, these little cans sound really good and detailed from my initial listening impression. Not audiophile flat, but ACTUAL flat. Meaning there is some bass thumping going on, but not actually elevated bass at all. Of all the cans so far I have, these are seriously the flattest sounding I own. To reiterate I am basing this off my initial listening impressions at the moment. Picked them up on over half off special from Frys so well worth that price. Good price at normal $40 cost too. I just think the build quality might make them not last that long which would be the biggest problem with these.
Liboer BH718:
Almost the best sounding warm signature headphones I've heard at any price point for a closed set of cans. The build quality is crap though. Do not try adjusting the size while they are on your head. The clicks from the adjustment will ring in your ears and are very loud. These are warm sounding without losing detail. If you don't like warm sounding though you won't like these. They don't have any treble sparkle so are not meant for critical listening.
Status Audio CB-1:
Unlike the OB-1s, these are way better! Great sound, good comfort, and just a nice plain looking set of cans. Build quality is ok, if plasticky feeling. Mids are bit more recessed than some may people like making them U shaped in sound. Other than that, they are worth the money if you want an understated design headphone.
Aizers AZ-A700: Brainwavz HM5 clone but open
Well I got those $50 Aizer headphones in today from Amazon. I wasn't expecting much as I am not a big fan of the closed back version I have which is the NVX XPT100s. I don't like how scooped out the mids sound to me on those with a slight hollow tinnies to them. That being said, Zeos and a few others have a review of the similar looking Spadger branded open HM5 brainwavz clones. He said they were decent too, but nothing all that great.
Marantz mph-4 (isk 2011 clones):
ISK 2011 clones. They sound good and are made good. The stock pads are junk. Do not put deep pads like HM5 style on these. Makes the sound distant, veiled, and less clear. Needs shallow pads. I use "MSR7" clone cheap pads on these that are just big enough around my ears to be comfortable, but small/shallow enough to make these sound good. Same thing I have to do with the Koss DJ Pro 200. Main down side is the attached cable once nicer pads are put on.
Freeboss HF2010 (aka takstar pro 80):
Sound very similar to the beyerdynamics DT880 with a tad more grain to the treble. Overall very good and close sounding to the marantz mph-4 with more sound stage. Again attached cable stucks. Build wise they match the Marantz mph-4 which matches the beyerdynamics from which they are derived from.
Philips SLH3300:
Sound is excellent. Clarity through the entire spectrum is there. Very slight U shaped sound which the best fun shaped sound there is. Nothing over pronounced, just like a single Db or two higher bumps on the bass and treble frequencies where need. Mids are nice and flat. While the sound is great, the comfort is not. Stock comfort these things are horrible. Pads are like on ear rocks and the band is a vise. Putting these on for more than a minute hurts badly. Will need to stretch out band and switch out stock pads. Attached cable is horrible. Can be modded at least.
ISK MDH8500:
Bit of bass roll off and quiet mids. Little hard to drive. Very audiophile neutral sounding. Kind of boring. Comfortable though with exceptional build quality. Bass clarity is not there, but is there for mids and treble, just muted. Also, where did the soundstage go? Might try a bass port mod on these later to see if that helps.
Superlux HD 685:
Build quality on these for Superlux is on a whole other level. While the build quality isn't the best, they feel better than anything else Superlux has made that I've seen. I will throw out the caveat that the stock pads are thin, small, and uncomfortable, but that is an easy fix with a pad swap. Sound are decent on these. Warmer and more laid back than the 668B, 681, and even the 681 EVO. However, the bass is a little loose. Not boomy or loud, just loose and fuzzy. Clarity and details are in the mids and treble region, but treble details you have to strain to listen for. The bass clarity and details are too dark for the most part.
*** The bad and not recommend ***
Lasmex L-90: Got these in used from ebay initially. They made nasty crackling sounds whenever I barely moved my head from the drivers. Thought it was the headphone being broken. Tried to order one new from Amazon to see if I got screwed by an ebay seller. The new ones did the exact same thing. Need to sit down with these and see if there is anything I can do to fix them. Right now they are basically a garbage paperweight.
House Use Products (Langsdom VA800 rebadge):
These are barely useable. Sound quality is U shaped and slightly veiled. Comfort on these is not that great, nor is sizing the headphone to your head particularly nice to do. Not really worth the buy.
Bluedio Turbine T3:
Not very good headphones but can be used. Need to do the mod to tape over the internal vent ports as it is claimed to make these sound much better. stock setup they are overly dark, muddy, fuzzy, and lacking details.
Ausdom NC7:
Not very good headphones but similar to the Bluedio T3s in stock sound. The stock pads suck on these. Put Senitek velour pads on to bring up the sound quality and comfort levels. Still they are just a bit to veiled and dark sounding though even with the velour pads.
Mixcder ShareMe Pro:
These are very very bad headphones. Muddy, bloated, no clarity, veiled, dark, distorted mess of a product. Putting various pads helped the comfort, but did nothing for the frack awful sound quality. Only keep them around to show others what bad headphones really are.
LyxPro OEH-10 (Status Audio OB-1/Somic V2 Rebrand):
Mids are veiled and treble is really subdued. For open cans these have no sound stage. Build quality is great. If you get the Somic version the stock earpads are very nice, but the LyxPro stock ear pads are junk. Even with better earpads the clamping force is pretty high by default. Bass quality is good and that is about the best thing sound wise for these. The attached cord really sucks.
NVX XPT100: Brainwavz HM5 clone
Great build quality, great comfort, but the sound is a bit meh. The mids are too scooped out for my taste. Very V shaped with the mids and vocals sounding really too recessed, slightly tinny, and veiled. Not to my liking really.
Freeboss FB 888:
Comfort and build quality are nice. Otherwise the sound is muddy, rumbly, veiled and lacks clarity or mids. Just not a good listening experience.
Superlux 668B:
The wings are uncomfortable and create pressure spots on my head. The build quality is crap and cheap feeling. The earpads are okay on comfort at least. Their major flaw is the harsh, sibilant treble. Just ouch! to my ears. I get a headache from listening to these too long.
**************** On Ear Headphones ********************
Philips A1Pro/27:
Bought these by accident, but damn do they sound good. They shrink down to very small and can fit my kid. So I basically let my 3 year old use them as I don't like on-ear style headphones due to my sensitive ears. In reality though, they aren't that uncomfortable for even me with my big head and do sound like my SHP9500 but with more bass which is a good thing.
KEF M500 (white):
Decent. I guess they are fairly comfortable for on ears, but still hurt mine after 20+ minutes of usage. I just have a hard time with on ear style headphones with my big head, and big, sensitive ears. They look nice, build quality is exceptional, and they are very portable. Sound wise they are a little congested in the mid bass and a little hollow sounding in the mid-treble. There seems to be a lack of clarity in the mid-bass as well for me. Especially the 40-100hz range. I'm not sure if it is a head placement issue or what for me.
**************** "Gaming" Headsets ********************
Roccat Cross:
Surprisingly good sounding. Really flexible headband. Build quality is good and solid except the super flexible headband feels almost like it isn't that good of build quality. Stock earpads suck for both comfort and sound. Stuck Senitek cloth earpads on them. Comfort and sound quality was night and day difference. Do not listen to these without those pads.
Razer Blacksharks:
(Once broken but got them working) One of the best sounding gaming headsets out there. Discontinued though. Built like tanks if you don't have a vacuum cleaner drive over the cord. Literally the best sonically sounding headset Razer ever put out.
Logitech G430:
(Once broken but got them working) These worked. Not exactly the best sound, but get the job done as an inexpensive gaming headset.
DIZA100 lightweights:
(Liedchen Mk 3 rebadge) Huge and gaudy. I absolutely love them. A little bright/sparkly on the treble, but they are comfortable and awesome for gaming. Only wish the cord was not integrated.
Plantronics RIG:
($4 oem refurb newegg deal) Little small, but lightweight. Build quality is questionable and don't seem sturdy. Sonically they are pretty darn good and neutral from treble to mids. Bass is slightly elevated, but nothing massive. Definitely worth the $4 sale newegg price for the OEM refurb when it is on sale. At $4 they are surprisingly good overall. The earpads are a little small and touch my ears so they would cause sore spots with extended use which is sad.
Kinden 3D gaming headset (transformer looking ones):
These actually sound great, and are comfortable to wear. The looks are blingy/crazy as hell and you either like the look or don't. The lights inside the cups I think are cool. The real major problem with these are the horrible microphonics. The attached cable is thick and janky too. Touch that cord though or the top of the headband and you get a massive resonant vibration. Which sucks because these would be so nice without that. These literally have the worst micrphonics of anything I've ever heard. The other major flaw is that when you have the lights plugged in and turned on, there is a buzz/hum that comes from the lights which sucks.
**************** In Ear Monitors (IEMs) ********************
Monoprice M300:
In ear planars! They are a bit uncomfortable for my big ears as the clips have too much pressure to them for me. Which means long listening sessions are hard to do over an hour of use without my ears hurting. The stock tips are just junk. Throw them away and use something else. ANYTHING ELSE!! The included case is a joke. It's nicely made, but the earphones don't fit in it well. Sound wise these are ok. Bass is a little lacking. Mids are a bit veiled. Treble has a strange-ish coloring to it along with the mids. I can't tell unless I am A/B these to anything else at the same time. Then I can hear the coloring to the tonality. It's just a bit off. Other than that they are ok. Glad I got them for the fire sale price they had recently at $100 instead of the normal price.
Samsung Level U Pro:
Not bad sound and great as a portable blue tooth. Riding my neck gets a little hot at times though. Stock tips were usable.
Symphonized NRG 3.0:
These are surprisingly very good for me. bassy, warm, and decently detailed. One of my favorites. Stock tips suck though.
KS ZST:
Janky cord, but I like this IEM a lot. Slightly warm, but overall close to neutral an detailed.
KZ ATE:
Cord is OK, bassier than the ZST but everything sounds softer. Not muddied, but quieter.
KZ C6:
THE BIGGEST BASS CANNONS OF IEMS!! Of all the IEMs I have tried and owned, these things bring the bass. I literally thought my eyeballs were going to dislodge from their sockets from the bass vibration. Careful with the tips because if they are loose the bass will cause lots of distorted vibrations with the silicone. Very fun IEMs to use for a basshead. I actually like them better than the KZ ATE
KZ ZS5:
I know why every things these are good. They are really good. Tons of bass, great clarity, and just WOW on sound quality. Fit and comfort could be a tad better, but if I could only use 1 IEM for the rest of my life from what I got these would be it so far.
KZ ZSE:
Don't really sound much different than the Uiisii T8's to me. Bass is more rolled off than what is present on other KZ IEMs I own. A bit bright too, but clear and sparkly.
Ailihem M10:
Not very good as they are treble murder canons. Still works great in phone calls to help with clarity actually. Wife likes them for some reason.
GranVela V6:
Very similar to the KZ ATE but without the softness/quietness. Tips suck bad that come with it. Better tips made the bass go up to very nice levels. One of my favorites.
OKCSC:
Similar to the KZT ATEs but slightly brighter.
Uiisii T8:
Equal to KZT ATE or the OKCSC with slightly less treble than either. I didn't find these to have any more or cleaner bass than the ATEs compared to some other reviewers. I got the red one instead of the gold one so maybe that made a difference?
MoreBlue DM8:
Neutral mids and treble, but with a decent amount of bass roll off. They aren't sparkly or bright either. What they are is detailed through the mids with an "n" shaped sound with more bass roll off than treble.
Fonge T01:
Nice looking, lightweight, comfortable, and bleh sounding. Little hollow in the mids, little tinny in the treble, and really rolled of base. Clear at least. Heard worse. $6 aliexpress IEMs that aren't worth more than that.
**************** Earbuds ********************
VE Monk+:
Good for what they are. I actually tend to use them in the office a lot paired up with my Syba Sonic Dac/Amp unit. They sound good and are decently comfortable. Bass could be better, but they are good for being earbuds. I use them in the office so I can ear conversations around me when I need to listen to others and they aren't loud enough for anyone else to hear my music. I toss on my takstar pro 82's at work when I need to block out sound though.
- Headphone Amp Inventory
- DACs/Amps:
Audio-GD NFB-29.38 - new main desktop DAC/AMP. Its a beast, huge, over the top, and I love it!
Modi 2 + Uber Magni 2 - was my main desktop dac/amp combo
Chord Mojo - my go to portable dac/amp
Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies - First tube amp I've tried. Definitely interesting sound.
Monoprice 25w Tube amp
Little dot Mk3 tube amp
FX Audio DAC-X6 - used on my wifes system. great quality and sound for the price
Brookstone Big Blue Dac/Amp- started out ok, but the auto switch off is annoying. Started to develop an occasional pop too after the last few months of use.
Syba Sonic - best $35 dac/amp money can buy. Use it every day at the office.
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Software Developer
Signature
Link to my inventory and reviews: https://www.head-fi.org/members/humblepie.478484/
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