Now that's a true discovery

@InvisibleInk it indeed is! They've been around for quite some time, made it big with the SMB-02, but somehow the SMB-01L didn't get much noise over here, at Head-Fi. It took a lot of effort to make this review a reality, as I've been trying to get a hold of the SMB-01L for two years—persistency is the key. Hope you enjoying reading it =)

Hi, I'm looking for headphones to produce and mix bass heavy music, aka Hip Hop. Been using HD650 w/ copperweight mod for that purpose, but due to noisy environment and soon traveling more, I need to switch to closed-backs. These SMB-01L caught my interest and the review was very helpful. Plus, they would still be a bit more affordable than Audeze LCD-2.
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Are the cups/pads the same size as the SMB-02 though? I don't enjoy on-ear cans, and this info was missing from the review. My ears wouldn't allow for anything much smaller than the well-known Beyerdynamic cups/pads. Thanks.

@musicoverppl Thank you! If you are talking about the original SMB-02, the ear-pads on the SMB-01L are different. As for the size (diameter), I do not know whether there is a difference between the two.

Since the SMB-01L uses circular cups, if the stock ear-pads end up being too small for you, I don't think you are going to have a hard time finding larger aftermarket ones. Personally, I never had a problem with the diameter, and they most certainly are not on-ear!

Thanks for the quick reply
Yeah the pads are probably more in line with the more recent SMB-02G?
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Would it be too much to ask if you could make a comparison picture with some more well-known cans (Beyer, Sennie, AT, Sony, B&W... whatever you have)? Seeing as getting these from JP to EU would be kind of a hassle only to find out they're not a great fit. I'm always reluctant when it comes to aftermarket pads for studio gear, seeing as that would mess with the intended freq response more likely than not.

@musicoverppl Unfortunately, I cannot make any valid comparisons, as I haven't tried the majority of the well-known cans, and I don't have them in hand either.
There are quite a few dealers carrying them, and I suggest you to get in touch with Alex Prat. He is based in Berlin, so I'm pretty sure you will be able to try out a pair before purchasing!

Thanks for the helpful suggestion, I will see what I can do!
In the meantime I have identified the Adam SP-5 as another valid candidate for my use case, also way more affordable than the LCD-2. Guess that has nothing to do with the Phonon though, apologies lol

@musicoverppl I'm not going to lie to you, those Adam headphones don't look too impressive quality-wise. However, you are likely paying for the sound—I hope it's not the brand you're paying for.

OLLO Audio makes outstanding headphones. Most reference-grade headphones I have ever heard, but if you're looking to hear that "oomph" when producing and mixing hip-hop, you might be disappointed.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's obv not so easy to find good closed cans that are suitable for mixing. Especially coming from the HD650, trying to get close-ish to those. I'm not looking for huge bass per se, but I need good sub bass extension and little harmonic distortion. Sadly the closed Ollo S4 according to reviews perform worse in that department than the open ones. Their frequency graph looks a bit horrible for mixing as well, tbh. And being hand-made in a small shop might appeal to enthusiasts, for serious audio work I have my doubts in terms of consistency...
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The Adam... yeah, idc about the looks or materials or whatever. Just sound and comfort. I mean the HD650 aren't a sexy "space grade aluminum" kind of set either. It's a tool. From my research so far, they got these "Adam" right sound-wise for monitoring/mixing applications. And I can get a good deal on them. I'll keep the SMB-01 in mind as well though, let's see

To add, and to put my previous comment in perspective: Obviously ppl can mix on whatever. Andrew Scheps seems to be doing great with the MDR-7506 fwiw. And it makes sense to go with a "industry standard" classic that's manufactured with high consistency and easily repairable and/or replaceable if need be. I mean, partly that's why I went with the HD650 in the first place. So in that regard I feel like I might actually be barking up the wrong tree with the Ollos, Adams and Phonons of the world. Maybe I should bite the bullet and just learn a standard set like ATH-M50X, HD300 Pro or MDR-7506 – even if it's quite different from what I'm used to.

@musicoverppl I listened and reviewed their open-back model. Actually, although they are a small manufacturer, they made quite big investments and R&D into making and tuning a true reference-grade headphone. The headphones are not aimed toward enthusiasts, but toward the professional audio industry. I tried to understand and translate their approach in my review, but you'd be better off talking directly with the CEO at Ollo Audio. I consider them a serious company that makes professional tools.

Talking to someone from company X about the merits of their own product is kinda pointless, for very obvious reasons. It's simple, really: It's about product performance, not about mission statements or what it says on the box. Beats by Dr. Dre have a "Studio" headphone as well, so what? Those are all just words. I'm not saying they're bad headphones, but for mixing/mastering this ain't it:

@musicoverppl Great point! When I said you should get in touch with the CEO, I didn't mean to say that you should have to listen to the marketing mambo-jumbo, I meant that you should get in touch in order to understand the approach and the graphs. I know OLLO can seem pretty confusing if you don't understand everything in their graphs and why it is the way it is and how they got the graph. They manufacture headphones specifically for mixing and mastering, and professionals use them. I am not a professional, but based on my research, they have hit the mark.

I'm no graph expert, but I know they take a different approach with their graphs. That's one of the reasons why I said you should get in touch

Their own pdf confirms the reviews of the closed S4R & the reason I'm not interested: Lacking in sub bass content. S4X seem fine and comparable to HD650, R70X, LCD-X (based on Ollo measurements*). The graph I shared is from Sonarworks. They make the most prevalent calibration software used in pro audio circles, used by more professionals than have ever heard of Ollo. "Professionals use them" is such a non-argument, especially when they are the same professionals that the company had consult in order to shape the sonic characteristics. I would use headphones made according to my preferences as well, that doesn't necessarily mean those preferences translate well to other ppl's.
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*FWIW Ollo have a clear financial incentive of curve-fitting their measurement approach to letting their cans shine in comparison to competition. Sonarworks couldn't care less what equipment they can get you to buy their software/services for.

But hey, since I feel we got a bit OT here (and I hope I didn't sound dismissive or anything) – let me ask you this, if I may: Since you apparently liked the Ollo S4 (X?) so much, how do you think the Phonon compare to those?