Share your new kit

eclectichoney

Hey guys

Might be interesting for people to post up when they get new headphones, mp3 players so that other people can get ideas or ask how the products are? A bit like an informal kind of review thread, or even just to share the excitment or get ideas

I just ordered me some AKG K430s as I was looking for a cheapish pair of small headphones for occasional use, so I thought I would give these a go: £34.95 on Amazon with free delivery, so I am not expecting miracles. Will post back when they arrive and are burnt in to share my thoughts.

Anyone else bought anything recently?

Brian

About to buy the Superlux HD668B and some AKG K240 pads to go with them.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/superlux_hd668_b.htm

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/546556/

Unfortunately shipping is €15 from Thomann so I'm actually getting a friend in the Netherlands to send them to me.

theintern

Bought a pair of Sennheiser HD418s recently, was looking for a set to wear while working that'd be comfortable with decent sound quality.

They pretty much do the job. Sound is grand to my ears, warm and pretty neutral. They're not going to blow you away but they're not very expensive so you get what you pay for. Build quality isn't great, cable seems a little fragile. Overall fairly happy.

eclectichoney

eclectichoney wrote: »

Hey guys

Might be interesting for people to post up when they get new headphones, mp3 players so that other people can get ideas or ask how the products are? A bit like an informal kind of review thread, or even just to share the excitment or get ideas

I just ordered me some AKG K430s as I was looking for a cheapish pair of small headphones for occasional use, so I thought I would give these a go: £34.95 on Amazon with free delivery, so I am not expecting miracles. Will post back when they arrive and are burnt in to share my thoughts.

Anyone else bought anything recently?

Well I finally got my paws on these (had to pick them up from my home address, amazon didn't take *that* long to deliver them don't worry ). Really like them for the price. They fit comfy and are very small which is what I was looking for. Very happy with the bass on them, but I like bass, so if you aren't so inclined stay away!

Would recommend them if you are looking for small, portable phones - in the same kinda range as the sennheiser px100s I used to have.

gollywog

Just got some Soundmagic pl30's.....

Scubadevils

I'm a few months into a set of Sennheiser HD650s and I absolutely love them. I don't use them all the time but love when I want to sit down and really listen to an album with completely focused attention. I can safely say I've never heard sound as good as from these and I've owned many sets of headphones over the years.

Brian

What amp are you using?

Scubadevils

Baza210 wrote: »

What amp are you using?

I'm not using one and have wondered is there a need - I only use them connected directly to either my CD player which is a Marantz CD52 Mk II (many years old but I've yet to find a reason to replace it) or into a Marantz PM7200 amplifier when I'm listening to vinyl.

In both cases I only need the volume set to no more than about 30%-40% so amplification isn't an issue. The question though is whether an amp would boost other sound elements and in that case am I missing anything by not using one? I kinda figured an amp was only required when using with MP3 players or other lets say 'inferior' audio sources with reduced sound quality and less amplification - I did try them before with my Cowon S9 and they really struggled, volume at max wasn't sufficient... I was told before (here I think) that you can adjust settings on the S9 to change the volume but haven't tried - I use Bose 'Around Ear' on the S9 for listening in bed and the Sennheiser IE6 (I'd like to upgrade these to IE8 when funds allow!) when on the go, so the HD650 really are for dedicated listening at home and I'd never see a need to use on the move so to speak.

Scubadevils

Baza210 wrote: »

About to buy the Superlux HD668B and some AKG K240 pads to go with them.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/superlux_hd668_b.htm

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/546556/

Unfortunately shipping is €15 from Thomann so I'm actually getting a friend in the Netherlands to send them to me.

Just read a lot of the comments on head-fi about these, sound seriously tempting to add to my collection given the reviews they get, especially at that price. Did you get yours yet? Not that I need anymore but I definitely have a headphone addiction :pac:

Jackobyte

Baza210 wrote: »

About to buy the Superlux HD668B and some AKG K240 pads to go with them.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/superlux_hd668_b.htm

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/546556/

Unfortunately shipping is €15 from Thomann so I'm actually getting a friend in the Netherlands to send them to me.

Damn, they look like a steal based on what I've read.

Brian

They're good all right.

Two adjustments I've had to make to them:
Foam beneath the earpads like in mod #1 here on the RX700s http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/435809/jvc-ha-rx700-mods since my ears stick out a fair bit and were touching against the drivers which was uncomfortable

Stretching the headband over a PC tower for a few nights since their clamping force is quite strong

Im_No_Superman

Have ordered a pair of Sennheiser PX 210 BT Closed Mini Headphones as a little birthday present for myself!



Anyone here have any experience of them?

Jackobyte

Ordered Ath-M50's (coiled). Hope to have them by the weekend.

eclectichoney

Im_No_Superman wrote: »

Have ordered a pair of Sennheiser PX 210 BT Closed Mini Headphones as a little birthday present for myself!



Anyone here have any experience of them?

They look niiice What is the difference with the PX 200 do you know?

Im_No_Superman

eclectichoney wrote: »

They look niiice What is the difference with the PX 200 do you know?

Just at first glance the major difference is the PX 210 are Bluetooth headphones and the PX 200 arnt. After that I havent a clue.

I know Bluetooth is often frowned upon in the headphone world but I think these will be ideal for me for travelling, going for a run, etc. Plus they have got pretty good reviews. No wires ftw! Also they can be plugged in if you want so best of both worlds in my eyes.

They were shipped today so I should have them next week, I'll let you know how I get on.

ReacherCreature

Koss PortaPros. Delivered at the start of the week. Quite good so far.

Jackobyte

34 hours from order to delivery.

Brian

Good purchases, both of you

dancrowley

I travel a bit and wanted something discreet yet powerful. These guys, IMHO, trump most 'phones I've tried.

Klipsch Image x10i


I've been through 2 pairs of Bose TriPorts and 2 pairs of Shure IEMs (e3c and SE420), but these Klipsch 'phones are lighter, comfier and sound better than all of them.

Yeah, I like these

Scubadevils

dancrowley wrote: »

I travel a bit and wanted something discreet yet powerful. These guys, IMHO, trump most 'phones I've tried.

Klipsch Image x10i


I've been through 2 pairs of Bose TriPorts and 2 pairs of Shure IEMs (e3c and SE420), but these Klipsch 'phones are lighter, comfier and sound better than all of them.

Yeah, I like these

Oh yes, they are top of my list for my next set - travel a lot too and currently on IE6 but I feel the need to upgrade when funds allow and heard so many great things about these!

dancrowley

Scubadevils wrote: »

Oh yes, they are top of my list for my next set - travel a lot too and currently on IE6 but I feel the need to upgrade when funds allow and heard so many great things about these!

I've tried the Bose QuietComforts, too, but they don't cut out *all* noise, obviously. With a proper seal on these, I hear nothing from the outside and don't have to turn the volume up so high, too!

Scubadevils

dancrowley wrote: »

I've tried the Bose QuietComforts, too, but they don't cut out *all* noise, obviously. With a proper seal on these, I hear nothing from the outside and don't have to turn the volume up so high, too!

IE6 cut out a lot of noise but not everything - pretty pleased in general with the sound quality, comfort etc but knowing how much better even the IE8 or the likes of these x10 are supposed to be makes me basically need them!

uncle_sam_ie

I bought the Monster Turbines and so far I'm very impressed with them. http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/monster-turbine-in-ear/4505-7877_7-33490631.html

MagicMarker

Desperately in need of new earphones so opted for the Klipsch Image S4, would have loved to gone for better but funds are hard to come by!!

Maybe someone can help me, is there any difference between the above and these, besides the colour and €25 difference!? :eek:

Brian

The more expensive ones are from a third-party retailer, hence the differing price.

Scubadevils

Finally got to upgrade from the ie6 to the ie8 - very impressed already with the sound quality, despite not having being burnt in yet - probably about 10 hours burn in so far and plan to leave them run for the full weekend to get it up to a good 40-50 hours as from what I've read that's about the minimum they need, though I have read reports suggesting 150+ hours!

Struggling though to get a good comfortable fit with the various supplied tips but haven't tried them all yet, was never overly happy with what I was using on the ie6 either but now that I've the ie8 I want to ensure the very best tips are being used - anyone used the Comply tips? - mixed reports but seems to be mainly good comments...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comply-T-400-Premium-Earphone-Upgrade/dp/B002NUJ2RM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315648226&sr=8-1

A couple of tips supplied seem not unlike those Comply but certainly didn't get a good fit from them.

Brian

Got a FiiO E6 from MP4Nation. Nice little bit of kit although the headphone jacks require a lot of force to jam in which is worrying.

54kroc

How does that measure up against the e5, is it worth upgrading?

Brian

Yeah, I'd say so. It only cost €20.

http://www.inearmatters.net/2011/08/reveiw-fiio-e6.html

Jackobyte

Baza210 wrote: »

Got a FiiO E6 from MP4Nation. Nice little bit of kit although the headphone jacks require a lot of force to jam in which is worrying.

Ah, you got one! I contacted Lambayrules about 2 weeks ago about when they'd be getting it in but I never got a reply.

Brian

Makes a good bit of difference with the PortaPros.

Jackobyte

Baza210 wrote: »

Makes a good bit of difference with the PortaPros.

Do you happen to have a pair of M50's? And if you do, does it make much difference? It's my M50's from a Walkman that I'd be buying it for.

MagicMarker

Baza210 wrote: »

Yeah, I'd say so. It only cost €20.

http://www.inearmatters.net/2011/08/reveiw-fiio-e6.html

Would this seriously make much of a difference for the average listener?

Brian

Jackobyte wrote: »

Do you happen to have a pair of M50's? And if you do, does it make much difference? It's my M50's from a Walkman that I'd be buying it for.

No. But the M50s are higher end headphones than the PortaPros so it probably would help, especially since they're studio 'phones rather than portables.

MagicMarker wrote: »

Would this seriously make much of a difference for the average listener?

Depends on their other equipment.

Also, I just bought a FiiO D5 off a UK head-fi'er, to see if it works with my electret microphone from Giant Squid Audio Labs.

ReacherCreature

Baza210 wrote: »

Makes a good bit of difference with the PortaPros.

How much of a difference? I use PortaPros with an Ipod touch, and I like my sound. More depth is better. It's not like I have the volume on the Ipod all the way up or anything.

MagicMarker

Baza210 wrote: »

Depends on their other equipment.

How about Klipsch Image S4 buds, a phone and some MP3s, some of which aren't even 320kbps?

Jackobyte

Baza210 wrote: »

No. But the M50s are higher end headphones than the PortaPros so it probably would help, especially since they're studio 'phones rather than portables.



Depends on their other equipment.

They run at 38ohms and my walkman definitely can't put out that so technically they should benefit, but I was just wondering whether you had tried them. I'll find someone with both before lambayrules get them in! :P

Brian

MagicMarker wrote: »

How about Klipsch Image S4 buds, a phone and some MP3s, some of which aren't even 320kbps?

Probably not enough of a difference to warrant carrying and charging an extra device. But hey, it's only €20. If you don't like it, sell it to JackoByte

Jackobyte

MEGABUMP!


Received a nice ol' stocking filler off the big man yesterday.

ReacherCreature

Report on what they're like please!

Jackobyte

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Report on what they're like please!

Massive difference in power of cans when running my M50's off my Sony A845, which was a very weak powered mp3 in the first place compared to an iPhone and the like. No real difference when running them off my computer soundcard though, which was to be expected anyway.

I got it with the L5 Walkman out cable as well and I have to say, I'm even more impressed with that than I am with the amp.:pac: It makes an even bigger difference again versus the stock cable. With the L5 cable, the sound is fuller and louder than the audio 3.5mm to 3.5mm Male to Male cable that came supplied and by no small margin either. It is instantly noticeable when I swap between the two, but that is probably down to the shortcomings of my mp3 player rather than anything else. Max volume could now be used as a speaker for an entire room to listen to, but I wouldn't recommend it as it may damage the drivers. I wasn't going to pick up the cable but I am delighted I did now.

EDIT: One negative comment to make, the clip direction makes the amp extremely awkward to place comfortably on a pair of jeans. It goes across the player diagonally meaning the amp sits at an angle on you.

Morf

Audio Technica ATH-M50

Contemplating whether an amp would be worth it for improved sound quality.

nesf

Current shinies: (Sennheiser HD598, Fiio E10 Amp/DAC, Fiio E5 Portable Amp)



Meant to order an E6 but made a mistake. Happy out with the E5 though, does exactly what I need it to. Unamped the HD598s are fine for rock/metal but lack a bit of volume for classical if you like it fairly loud like I do.

ReacherCreature

Is it worth getting one of those amps for Koss PortaPros?

nesf

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Is it worth getting one of those amps for Koss PortaPros?

If you're unhappy with the volume, yes. If there's distortion or similar at the volume you like on your MP3 player, yes. For sound quality in general, no.

I'm deeply sceptical about the benefits of amps for sound quality. Not a single amp I've tried that's been neutral has benefited the sound coming out of my headphones. Caveat: Some like the E5/E6 have a bass booster function, this is a nice feature and makes one worth getting if you feel the bass coming out of your headphones is too weak/low.

Brian

And your headphone sample size is...?

nesf

Baza210 wrote: »

And your headphone sample size is...?

5. Mostly opinion is based on blind tests of amps and audiophiles not being able to tell expensive amps from cheap amps when everything is volume matched. That and blind tests, I can't tell my amped from unamped headphones or my E5 from my E10 when it's all volume matched.

Scubadevils

Finally got a set of the TMA-1 today, as mentioned in the 'great prices' thread I picked them up for 80 euro in Dublin airport this morning, absolute bargain considering the RRP is 200. I've only been able to listen on my Cowon S9 as I'm not at home but have to say I'm very impressed so far - a lot of bass as reviews have stated but a nice rounded sound too and very comfortable... aside from DJ use these will definitely be my 'fall asleep in bed' headphone and general heavier duty use... they seem really well built and up to falling off my head and me then falling asleep on them!

The plan this year had been to get the SR80 but I'll forget about them for now... at least till July or so anyway :pac:

nesf

nesf wrote: »

If you're unhappy with the volume, yes. If there's distortion or similar at the volume you like on your MP3 player, yes. For sound quality in general, no.

I'm deeply sceptical about the benefits of amps for sound quality. Not a single amp I've tried that's been neutral has benefited the sound coming out of my headphones. Caveat: Some like the E5/E6 have a bass booster function, this is a nice feature and makes one worth getting if you feel the bass coming out of your headphones is too weak/low.

Actually I'll add another condition that I forgot yesterday. If your mp3 player or source has a high output impedance for your headphones (NwAvGuy's rule of thumb is have output impedance 1/8th of your headphone impedance) then something like the E5 makes sense as it'll drop the output impedance to something approaching 0. If the output impedance is high then it'll audibly change the frequency response of the headphones, potentially to something less desirable and in this instance the amp will improve what you're hearing.

Usually this is only an issue with badly designed products or IEMs though. The Koss PortaPros at 60 Ohms shouldn't have a problem with any decently designed mp3 player. My Etymotic hf3s on the other hand at 16 Ohms will be a lot more temperamental with different mp3 players.

Nonoperational

Recently added a set of Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 to the collection. I think they are absolutely outstanding tbh. Paid $100 from a decent Head Fi member who got an extra set on Black Friday.

This takes the set to 5... Triple Fi 10, Klipsch Image S4, Beats Studio, Denon D2000, Sennheiser HD555. All driven by a Fiio E7. Gotta stop now...

yimrsg

Ordered shure triple flanges for my fischer audio dba-02, (the stock ones have a tendency to come off in my ear too easily) and sennheiser 414 pads for my alessandro ms1i which I'll do the reverse quarter mod on.