[Humblepie]

eSmooth is based in China and makes wood cup headphones for other companies. They make headphones to spec for Symphonized, Meze, Griffin, and I learned not too long ago on these forums, DD Audio. The DXB-04 is available $99 shipped in the US, and might qualify as a 'gem':

http://ddaudio.com/products/lifestyle-and-gear/lifestyle/dxb-04-ear-wood-headphones

I don't have them, but there's an appreciation thread here which brought my attention to them:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dd-audio-dxb-04-appreciation-thread.859420/

eSmooth also makes some headphones under their own name, but they tend to be sold by other companies in a way that doesn't call out that they're eSmooth headphones (though in product photos you can usually still see the eSmooth name/logo on the headphones). For instance you can get the eSmooth ES-661 in walnut and rosewood through a seller on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFPZ4MY/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFNP9R6/

The Griffin Woodtones are the same basic eSmooth design, but I think the Woodtones use plastic where the ES-661 use metal in the headband, and one of the reported issues from Amazon customers with the Woodtones is the headband snapping, so maybe the ES-661 is immune that problem? I also wonder if the drivers are the same. Maybe someone has more info.

Seen all those in the past. Problem is I am leery about buying unknown chi-fi at $100. Even $75 is pushing it for me. $50 or under and I'd buy them at some point for sure. $25 ish and I'd buy them now. Just at the $100 there are more known/reputable brands I don't own but can find a ton of support/reviews for in order to help prevent me from buying a turd. I have a few turds now, and luckily they've all been relatively cheap.

 

[Humblepie]

Side note, newegg has those KEF M500 on-ear headphones for sale today for $100 shipped (no tax outside CA). Code NENKE8. Need to have a newegg account to use the code as well as be subscribed to their email list.

 

[Slater]

Anybody try the KZ LP5 BT headphones??

Strange that first KZ headphones are bluetooth....

Reading this thread confirm there not much going on in chifi headphones. Superlux have new models but I don't really care. Still waiting for a TRUE gem that can compete with serious headphones, unfortunately the Takstar PRO82 aren't this one, perhaps mine is defective but there bass issue that create distortion wich is unacceptable IMO.

Actually, that's not KZs 1st headphone. They made an LP2 and LP3 (not sure about an LP1 though).

I own the LP3. It is very chintzy - brittle plastic, crappy wire, sub-par sound, not moddable, uncomfortble fit. Oh, and stupid looks - unless you like a big Jamacian flag on your headphone headband.

I would try a promising KZ headphone if one come up, but BT isn't really my cup of tea.

Keep in mind that most BT headphones can be used in hard wired mode (which bypasses any BT electronics, and effectively makes them like any normal headphone).

In fact, when I am testing a Bluetooth headphone, that's the primary way I demo them. If they sound poor in hard wired mode, listening to them in BT isn't going to be any better. But if you only listen to a headphone in BT, you won't know if some sort of sound quality problem is due to the BT implementation or the headphone itself.

 

[Slater]

Side note, newegg has those KEF M500 on-ear headphones for sale today for $100 shipped (no tax outside CA). Code NENKE8. Need to have a newegg account to use the code as well as be subscribed to their email list.

If they used regular pads I would have gotten this. But I despise headphones that have those stupid flat pads with the holes punched in them, and I refuse to own any gear with that style of pads (similar to noodle cabled IEMs).

And that's unfortunate, because the KEF M500 is supposed to sound really good.

 

[Saoshyant]

I bet you're loving that the M500 uses a noodle cable too.

 

[Slater]

I bet you're loving that the M500 uses a noodle cable too.

Haha, yeah when I saw the noodle cable after seeing the flat earpads, I was like 'aww double hell naw'. If that's wasn't an omen to pass up a product, I don't know what is LOL

 

[Saoshyant]

I'm just glad they have so much more comfort for me than Mikros 90 did. It's not quite at the level of something like HD700, but for an on ear I can wear it for hours which isn't common for me. I can get a little more head time out of them than I can the Akai 50X, but that's more a warmth issue.

 

[Slater]

I'm just glad they have so much more comfort for me than Mikros 90 did. It's not quite at the level of something like HD700, but for an on ear I can wear it for hours which isn't common for me. I can get a little more head time out of them than I can the Akai 50X, but that's more a warmth issue.

Really? The poor comfort of that style pad is the primary reason why I refuse to own headphones with that type of pad. I've never found one with that style that was comfortable for any more than 10-20 minutes. Plus they don't seal reliably (at least not for me). And I have a very average head and average ears (no circus freak proportions or anything like that).

Maybe KEF cracked the code on decent on-ears that use the flat pads, and I'm totally missing out? I know Meizu certainly cracked the comfort code (even though it uses standard doughnut type pads). The Meizu HD50 is hands down the most comfortable on-ear I've ever worn. It's like wearing a cloud on your head (or on your ears I should say).

 

[mbwilson111]

those stupid flat pads are extremely comfortable for me. No pressure points on the parts of my ears that cannot stand to be touched by any pad.

 

[Saoshyant]

I never owned many true on ears. Mikros 90 caused enough actual pain to give up on them and sell as quickly as I could. Grado required an HD 414 pad swap otherwise it caused discomfort after a few minutes. Harman BT was advertised as an over ear, but lies all around on that, and sat oddly for me. Smaller on ears like Momentum on ear weren't too bad actually, but so far I seem to get longer runs with the M500 than I did the Momentums. Not to mention the comically small pads I accidentally bought for my Momentum over ears that turned them into on ear bass cannons, relatively speaking. Too much pressure on those lead to shorter listening sessions. No need to go into the tiny on ears like Porta Pro or the AKG K24P as they're a different beast altogether.

But yeah, for me at least the comfort is good enough to get at least several hours out of them before wanting to change. Haven't tried for an all day wear yet, but they might be able to do it.

 

[Lurk650]

My LyxPro is using a V-Moda cable directly to a splitter that connects that cable and the mod mic and goes directly into the controller. Both my Pioneer HRM-6 which uses the stock cable and the Yenona which uses a U-Green Silver Plated Copper Core cable. I did notice the other day that the XB1X runs a digital surround sound from the factory settings. I will try disabling but doubt it will change much. Best I can describe what noticeable is that the lower mids to mids just seem sucked out on both and the treble is too bright. Mainly play PUBG & Rainbow Six Seige (both First Person Shooters) and foot steps, which would be more towards the midbass section seem distant with the HRM6 & Yenona, they are placed at a perfect distance. Everything is spatially pleasing on the LyxPro, its an immersive sound, on the other two is lacking the immersion. I'll try to use the other ones more and get a better description of what I'm hearing but I can't even use them for more than a couple minutes before I have to go back to the LyxPro

FWIW:

LyxPro using Round Pleather Brainwavz Pads
Yenona using stock pads (I'm pretty sure)
HRM-6 (was using HM5 Angled pads, put stock pads back on but haven't tested with XB1X yet)

 

[Slater]

My LyxPro is using a V-Moda cable directly to a splitter that connects that cable and the mod mic and goes directly into the controller. Both my Pioneer HRM-6 which uses the stock cable and the Yenona which uses a U-Green Silver Plated Copper Core cable. I did notice the other day that the XB1X runs a digital surround sound from the factory settings. I will try disabling but doubt it will change much. Best I can describe what noticeable is that the lower mids to mids just seem sucked out on both and the treble is too bright. Mainly play PUBG & Rainbow Six Seige (both First Person Shooters) and foot steps, which would be more towards the midbass section seem distant with the HRM6 & Yenona, they are placed at a perfect distance. Everything is spatially pleasing on the LyxPro, its an immersive sound, on the other two is lacking the immersion. I'll try to use the other ones more and get a better description of what I'm hearing but I can't even use them for more than a couple minutes before I have to go back to the LyxPro

FWIW:

LyxPro using Round Pleather Brainwavz Pads
Yenona using stock pads (I'm pretty sure)
HRM-6 (was using HM5 Angled pads, put stock pads back on but haven't tested with XB1X yet)

I have those ugreen silver plated cables on a few headphones. They're good cables, so it doesn't sound like that's the issue. Could just be the way they're tuned.

 

[Lurk650]

I have those ugreen silver plated cables on a few headphones. They're good cables, so it doesn't sound like that's the issue. Could just be the way they're tuned.

Yeah something about them just doesn't play right with the XB1 controller but then again the LyxPro also sounds better than both of them with music too. The LyxPro really are great for gaming & music thanks to the sound stage and spatial cues.

I do notice to that the LyxPro need to be on max level in the audio settings but I need to turn both the HRM-6 & Yenona down.

 

[ViniSavordelli]

My LyxPro is using a V-Moda cable directly to a splitter that connects that cable and the mod mic and goes directly into the controller. Both my Pioneer HRM-6 which uses the stock cable and the Yenona which uses a U-Green Silver Plated Copper Core cable. I did notice the other day that the XB1X runs a digital surround sound from the factory settings. I will try disabling but doubt it will change much. Best I can describe what noticeable is that the lower mids to mids just seem sucked out on both and the treble is too bright. Mainly play PUBG & Rainbow Six Seige (both First Person Shooters) and foot steps, which would be more towards the midbass section seem distant with the HRM6 & Yenona, they are placed at a perfect distance. Everything is spatially pleasing on the LyxPro, its an immersive sound, on the other two is lacking the immersion. I'll try to use the other ones more and get a better description of what I'm hearing but I can't even use them for more than a couple minutes before I have to go back to the LyxPro

FWIW:

LyxPro using Round Pleather Brainwavz Pads
Yenona using stock pads (I'm pretty sure)
HRM-6 (was using HM5 Angled pads, put stock pads back on but haven't tested with XB1X yet)

I dont know abou the xbox one x and also I am not thinking about a total solution here for the mic. But i highly suggest using the dolby atmos app on the xbox store and pluging a optical dac and turning the optical headset setting on. Improved the sound quite greatly for me in games, but again not sure about how to make the mic work, soo...

 

[Lurk650]

I dont know abou the xbox one x and also I am not thinking about a total solution here for the mic. But i highly suggest using the dolby atmos app on the xbox store and pluging a optical dac and turning the optical headset setting on. Improved the sound quite greatly for me in games, but again not sure about how to make the mic work, soo...

Isn't the Atmos a purchase on top of buying a DAC with optical out? The LyxPro sounds great, was just saying how the HRM6 and Yenona don't sound close to as good which I found a bit odd