[Talon]

Not sure why Hix consistently throws such hyperbole at the TMA-1s, in the face of all of the positive professional reviews and user commentary. Hell a few sites chose the TMAs as a funner listen, over the HD25-II and M50. Like.... come on sir. To claim they have no mids is absolutely ridiculous.

Really makes them sound like a pair of Beats.

[Kukuk]

Would highly recommend you avoid the TMA-1s, they are some of the most lopsided headphones available. Unless you have an extreme aversion to treble and mids, then there's far better options in the price range. Portable Closed: Sennheiser HD-25-II (dat V). Phiaton MS400 (bassy with warm forward mids) Full Size Closed: Shure SRH840 (pretty smooth/laid back sound with slightly forward mids and a warmish bass). Ultrasone (any kind really, like Pro 750, recommended if you're a basshead). If you're planning on getting an amp, then you could look into the M-Audio Studiophile Q40's and Beyerdynamic DT770s as well.

I'd like to +1 just about everything about this post.

The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80's are particularly nice, and I think they'd do vinyl well. I personally think that a headphone that's too detailed, like the HD-25's or Ultrasones, can bring out too much of vinyl's noise. Likewise, a headphone with too much of a recessed upper and mid-range like the TMA-1's can make vinyl sound too doughy. The DT770 Pro 80's are a nice medium, in that their mids and highs aren't recessed, just kind of laid-back.

Oh, and they are incredibly comfortable. I think the only headphone I've used that's more comfortable is the Sony MDR-XB700's.

[smuf]

Thanks for the suggestions, will probably pick up a pair of DT 770 pro 80's soon.

[Ashhong]

Would highly recommend you avoid the TMA-1s, they are some of the most lopsided headphones available. Unless you have an extreme aversion to treble and mids, then there's far better options in the price range. Portable Closed: Sennheiser HD-25-II (dat V). Phiaton MS400 (bassy with warm forward mids) Full Size Closed: Shure SRH840 (pretty smooth/laid back sound with slightly forward mids and a warmish bass). Ultrasone (any kind really, like Pro 750, recommended if you're a basshead). If you're planning on getting an amp, then you could look into the M-Audio Studiophile Q40's and Beyerdynamic DT770s as well.

His Onkyo will serve as an amp. A pretty powerful amp.

[pax217]

His Onkyo will serve as an amp. A pretty powerful amp.

I blew my first pair of SR60's out on a cheap Onkyo when I fired a shot in GTA :(

[pax217]

I've been wondering about this myself, as there are a few albums that I love that have pretty shoddy mastering. I know LFF over at Head-Fi is a mastering/sound restoration engineer. In his profile, it says if you'd like to have him restore or remaster something at an affordable rate, you can just PM him.

Hmm... will keep that in mind once I get some money :D

I really wanna learn myself, as well. I don't expect to be entirely proficient, but I think I'd at least learn some things about frequency, levels, and the process that I didn't before... to "Audacity" I go...

[Hix]

I disagree with this assessment as a TMA-1 owner. The trebles are recessed, but the mids sound strong. A small bit of treble boosting, and these set of cans sound great with surprising clarity and detail across the spectrum. I'm really surprised with how much detail I can pick out despite this being a set of DJ cans.

Frequency sweeping shows that there is a considerable drop down into the mids. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the
bass bleed, which completely obscures the mids making them sound even more recessed than they actually are.

The TMA-1s are supremely strong in one area particularly; sub-bass. They have wonderful reach and produce a strong thumpy sound, if not a little bloated at times. They exist for and are marketed around this strong point and certainly make excellent cans if you enjoy listening to low fidelity electronica or the like.

Outside of that, I personally couldn't recommend them as they are anything but balanced. Sure you can mess with the sound via EQ, but why bother when there are headphones out there that don't require such tampering and are cheaper regardless?

Like.... come on sir. To claim they have no mids is absolutely ridiculous.

I never said they have no mids. I said I wouldn't recommend them unless you happen to have an aversion to mids (and treble).

EDIT: Looking into maybe getting an Audio-GD NFB-16, has anyone any experience? Seems rather cheap for a 24/192 portable amp/DAC, especially given the excellent hardware. On paper it seems better than almost anything in the price range.

[FoxSpirit]

Sounds nice but as contender you get the E17 Alpen which has a better form factor and thrice the power when only run from USB thanks to actual battery power.
As far as SQ goes, it's prolly even since the NFB-16 bites snake oil hard. NFB by ear design? No opamps for better sound? No specs for THD?? Well, they prolly suck because to quote "NFB measures bad but sounds better."

The price seems ok, though.

But the problem remains, have mains power?? E10 much cheaper, plus they want you to buy their unportable Class A power supply. Don't have mains?? Power output sucks.

My picks would rather be E10 or E17, depending on situation and budget. Or spring for an O2+ODAC seperates combi if you are really serious about it but will cost about $300.

May I ask what the precise use will be??

[Hix]

I have an E10 already and will probably pick up the ODAC at some point (in NwAvGuy we trust).

Was more just curious how it would compare to the competition in it's (very reasonable) price range for portable DAC/amps. It has a really good Wolfson in it (WM8741) which is supposedly quite a bit of an improvement over the one in the Fiio E17 (WM8740), but yeah, it's a bit of a lunk and doesn't really seem to be as portable as advertised :\

Thanks for the feedback, I'll give it a miss and save for an ODAC.

[Talon]

Frequency sweeping shows that there is a considerable drop down into the mids. That wouldn't be so bad if not for the bass bleed, which completely obscures the mids making them sound even more recessed than they actually are. The TMA-1s are supremely strong in one area particularly; sub-bass. They have wonderful reach and produce a strong thumpy sound, if not a little bloated at times. They exist for and are marketed around this strong point and certainly make excellent cans if you enjoy listening to low fidelity electronica or the like. Outside of that, I personally couldn't recommend them as they are anything but balanced. Sure you can mess with the sound via EQ, but why bother when there are headphones out there that don't require such tampering and are cheaper regardless?

You're going to have to show me evidence that the mids are "completely obscured." Never seen a review mention this - all I've seen is praise for the clarity in the mids. It's a warm sound with the trebles not quite as splashy.

Not to mention that I listen to this pair pretty much every day, and the mids don't sound recessed at all with a flat output.

And, again, nobody's claiming that the TMA-1s are a balanced pair. The trebles totally attenuated. I'm just disagreeing with this notion that the mids have been blasted to smithereens. The funny thing is that the headphones sound TOTALLY different if you use the foam pads. You'd confuse it for a pair of Sony's, really.

I bought this pair for portability and durability with strong mid output. Frankly, I'm surprised that it sounds as spacious as it does for a closed pair - especially since I'm used to Grado's. Listened to my friend's M50s, which sound great, but they're not particularly portable. I tried out HD-25's, but I didn't love how they felt. I'll probably buy FA-003s sooner rather than later for the office.

[Antiwhippy]

I wouldn't say the mids are recessed, more like the bass is too overwhelming.

[Talon]

I wouldn't say the mids are recessed, more like the bass is too overwhelming.

The bass is strong but not overwhelming. I'd say the thing that sold me on these headphones was the detail and clarity despite the strong bass.

Like I said, I listen to a wide range of music, and I'm pretty pleased with the output across the spectrum.

[Antiwhippy]

Alot about headphones is due to taste. I own the alessandro MS1 and HD25-1 so as you can guess I prefer a more forward, detailed treble and aggressive sound. The time I spent with the TMA-1, they left me with the impression that the bass is too much for me. Psycho-acoustics also plays a role, and my impressions might change once I own them for a few weeks and got used to the sound signature, but I'm too poor and the first few impressions didn't impress me.

[Talon]

Alot about headphones is due to taste. I own the alessandro MS1 and HD25-1 so as you can guess I prefer a more forward, detailed treble and aggressive sound. The time I spent with the TMA-1, they left me with the impression that the bass is too much for me. Psycho-acoustics also plays a role, and my impressions might change once I own them for a few weeks and got used to the sound signature, but I'm too poor and the first few impressions didn't impress me.

Yeah, of course. It's totally a matter of taste. I like Grado's, but understand they're not everyone's cup of tea.

I'm just taking issue with his statement on a purely objective metric - the frequency response of the mids on the TMA-1s.

[Antiwhippy]

Alright, fair enough. I can see how it can give someone that impression after only a few listens. If you're not used too the bass I feel that it kinda bleeds into the mids and made the sound muddy.

[Hix]

You're going to have to show me evidence that the mids are "completely obscured." Never seen a review mention this - all I've seen is praise for the clarity in the mids. It's a warm sound with the trebles not quite as splashy.

I try not to go by reviews, as there's a certain amount of placebo involved, but Head-fi would be a good place for you to start. Armaegis has a fairly comprehensive review/comparison that includes the TMA-1s. I disagree with his analysis on the "doof" sounding bass, among other things, but he's spot on when it comes to the bass bleed and recession in the mids/highs.

Obviously I can't "show you evidence" and even if I did it wouldn't make a difference as it won't (and shouldn't) affect you're satisfaction with the TMA-1s. I'm not trying to change that, only justifying why I think they aren't a suitable recommendation outside of very specific situations.

I bought this pair for portability and durability with strong mid output. Frankly, I'm surprised that it sounds as spacious as it does for a closed pair - especially since I'm used to Grado's. Listened to my friend's M50s, which sound great, but they're not particularly portable. I tried out HD-25's, but I didn't love how they felt. I'll probably buy FA-003s sooner rather than later for the office.

The FA-003s are a good buy, may be tricky to come by, that being so you should look for Brainwavz HM5s (if you're in the US) or Lindy's (if you're in the UK) which use the same drivers etc.

[Talon]

I don't really hear the bass bleed, and, I want to state again, I do traditionally prefer the bright stage of the Grado's. I actually am going by this:



This is a pretty fair take on the headphones, IMO.

Such a strong attenuation of the treble is quite unheard of in the world of audiophile headphones. Even the Sennheiser HD650 with its signature dark sound sounds like a bright Grado when compared next to the TMA-1. When I heard the TMA-1 for the first time, I was speechless. Not in the sense of awe, but more like “what the heck was AIAIAI thinking, creating a headphone that sound muffled like this?” Luckily an inspiration come and suddenly I remembered those treble happy club recordings. On the next song, I started to discover what the TMA-1 is all about. “Impressive”, I said. The guys who designed this must really know their music. There is enough attenuation on the treble that makes these recordings so enjoyable now. Keep in mind that the treble is not rolled off, rather they are not as prominent as in the other headphones. I actually think that the treble extension is very good on the TMA-1, and slightly better than on my favorite all-rounder closed headphone, the M-50 Audio Technica. The TMA-1 is a wonderful headphone. The midrange clarity is among the best I’ve heard on closed headphones this price range, and it clearly beats the M-50 which is no slouch either. The bass is clean, tight, and powerful — far from the boomy and bloated label people often throw at it. The only thing that you need to get used to is the treble attenuation. Does it make sense to make a headphone like this? I mean, something that has its frequency balance so skewed that you will need to re-arrange your perception to be able to understand it? I think this is where AIAIAI shines from the big manufacturer. They set on a goal to create the best headphone for clubbers, and they do it. Instead of trying to compete with the big guys with the typical audiophile offering, they tapped into a very niche market of house and electronic music. Yet, when you think of it, the market is not a small one, and say if 6 out of 10 people under 30 listens to such music, then AIAIAI will have a very hard time filling up the demand. Not to mention the design that is classier than the Skullcandies, yet will attract the exact same demographics.

I'm not claiming they're for everyone. I just disagree with the notion that they only work for house music or so on. That's such a small portion of the music I listen to - like I said, I range from Yeasayer, Arcade Fire, Tennis, Of Monsters and Men, M83, etc., but I'm pretty impressed with how well they perform across the spectrum. The clarity of the mids is really striking for a DJ headphone.

At any rate, I also bought this pair spanking brand new for $140, so there's that. ;)

[K.Jack]

After reading his entire review/shootout, I'm almost inclined to believe that the pair he tested was faulty.

As one who switches between the TMA-1, HE-300, and RE-ZERO, depending on my mood, what he's saying just doesn't match up to what I experience. His description is so off that it's puzzling. I would HATE the cans if they were that mediocre and bloated, because as HiFiMAN clarity is my go-to measuring stick, the switch back to the TMA-1s would be jarring as hell.

I'm in no way saying they hold a candle to my beloved ZEROs, but what does?

I any event, I don't want that one person's review to be the gold standard with which we judge them, when there's at least 5 people in this thread who own them, have used them for more than a few days, and have very positive things to say. And that's on top of the love they get. Check the TMA-1 thread on Head-Fi, if you want to only go off of opinions which are leveled there.

[Hix]

I've heard the Re-ZEROs are good but nothing special. Maybe if you were comparing to Re-262s (iems aren't really my thing though)

In the end though, he (and I) can only compare to the competition in the price range. Nobody is saying the TMA-1s are bad, but outside of their strength (sub bass) you can do a LOT better and for less cash to boot.

Regardless I'm not going to change my opinion on them and neither will you. Should anyone ask about them though, I'll continue to state my experience. Would be nice not to incur your wrath each time, but oh well.

[K.Jack]

What wrath? Aren't we having a civil discussion about our experiences with a particular set of headphones? I'm certainly not upset. But you are saying they're BAD, with a description like "only if you hate highs and mids", and his review paints them as worse than Beats.

But, I mean, what are we going to do about it?

Each time someone asks about them, we're all going to chime in with our experiences, which is what this thread is about. As long as everyone with a strong opinion has actually heard them, I don't care.

[Hix]

Really? Looks more like TMA-1 Defense Force to me. Relegating opinions to "must be a faulty pair" or "hyperbole" isn't exactly respectful.

Here's a few things to remember;
1. We all hear things differently and have our own likes/dislikes. Throw in "ear burn in" and other placebos too.
2. When describing headphones as dark or muddy, it's only really relative to other headphones.
3. People seeking a recommendation for headphones generally want the best available for their budget.

Either which way, we could debate the TMA-1s bass bleed and recessed mids/highs till the cows come home. It's not a big deal in your experience but in mine it is. I can't challenge or change that, nor do I want to. Just trying to provide sound (har har) advice.

I should note though that, again, a statement like the TMA-1s are for mids/highs haters is relative. You could get the Phiaton MS400s for the cash with all the bass but forward mids, clear highs and no bleed. In that case you'd only pick the TMA-1s if you have an aversion to mids and highs. Plenty more examples too.

EDIT: and I'm off to bed, hopefully things will have become less tense by morning :(

[K.Jack]

Whether you realize it or not, there are implications being made when you say "unless you have an extreme aversion to treble and mids", knowing that people in this thread own and like the pair. I think I am more defending myself from that one statement, than I even care about who buys what headphone.

I don't see myself as "defending" the headphones. All I originally asserted is that the TMA-1s are more widely praised than they are criticized, even on Head-Fi, and I question why the majority opinion should unquestioningly be weighed less, in this specific case.

I'm not downplaying your opinion, by pointing out that you are in the minority. That doesn't mean "you're wrong and I'm right" either. I'm just stating a fact.

[HiResDes]

I'd like to +1 just about everything about this post. The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80's are particularly nice, and I think they'd do vinyl well. I personally think that a headphone that's too detailed, like the HD-25's or Ultrasones, can bring out too much of vinyl's noise. Likewise, a headphone with too much of a recessed upper and mid-range like the TMA-1's can make vinyl sound too doughy. The DT770 Pro 80's are a nice medium, in that their mids and highs aren't recessed, just kind of laid-back. Oh, and they are incredibly comfortable. I think the only headphone I've used that's more comfortable is the Sony MDR-XB700's.

As a long term DT770 user and an owner of both the 80 OHM and 250 OHM versions...I must say your assertions about the mids seem inaccurate. DT770's are quite V-shaped in sound signature. The mids are quite recessed, especially in the 80OHM version versus the 250 OHM. The treble isn't very recessed at all, and in fact some people find them sibilant though I adored the highs for the most part.

I've heard the Re-ZEROs are good but nothing special. Maybe if you were comparing to Re-262s (iems aren't really my thing though) In the end though, he (and I) can only compare to the competition in the price range. Nobody is saying the TMA-1s are bad, but outside of their strength (sub bass) you can do a LOT better and for less cash to boot. Regardless I'm not going to change my opinion on them and neither will you. Should anyone ask about them though, I'll continue to state my experience. Would be nice not to incur your wrath each time, but oh well.

No you haven't, especially not in terms of clarity.

[Kukuk]

As a long term DT770 user and an owner of both the 80 OHM and 250 OHM versions...I must say your assertions about the mids seem inaccurate. DT770's are quite V-shaped in sound signature. The mids are quite recessed, especially in the 80OHM version versus the 250 OHM. The treble isn't very recessed at all, and in fact some people find them sibilant though I adored the highs for the most part.

You know, I hear this claim from time to time, and I can't help but wonder why people think this. I've wondered if Beyerdynamic has had different production runs, or gear used with them makes a huge difference, or even burn-in or break-in of the pads.

But try as I might, even using the brightest songs I can find, I can't get the DT770 Pro's to show any sibilance. Their upper-mids and highs remain completely smooth on every single track I try with them.

The recessed mids claims are also pretty strange to me, since my pair is very nice in this regard. I'd put them about on par with my K271's (though they lack the forwardness that the K271's have).

For my taste in music, mids are absolutely crucial, and the DT770 Pro's leave me completely satisfied.

[LCfiner]

well, the FR shows a clear treble spike around 9 kHz, and a smaller one at 6 kHz



However, as someone who is using a Grado GS1000 right now, I can say that sometimes those peaks don’t sound as bad as they may look on the graph.

The GS1000 has a crazy huge peak at 8 kHz. but I can only hear it on some songs, not all of them. I have a small 3 dB EQ at that freq to deal with it.

I know there are some people who put the GS1000 on their head and immediately hear the treble spike and can’t deal with it (and they all post on head-fi :). the response changes from person to person, which may explain why your experience differs from HiResDes’s

(there’s also the possibility of “ringing” at some of these higher frequencies, where the decay of the frequency takes a long time, which can be even more annoying to one set of ears compared to another)

[Kukuk]

That's the 600ohm "regular" version of the DT770's, not the DT770 Pro's. Totally different headphone.

[LCfiner]

oh yeah, I forgot that beer has all these crazy differences between models. I knew about the impedance differences but it seems that they also label some pro and some not pro... and there’s different impedances for the pro and non pro models?

or is the pro just the 80 ohm model?

prospective customer needs a cheat sheet to figure out which model is which, with all the reuse of model names. :P

[HiResDes]

Pro's have a tighter clamp, less recessed mids, worse soundstage. Both of the versions I owned were Pro versions.

[Kukuk]

Yeah, their naming scheme is a little confusing. They have the "Pro" versions in 80 and 250 ohms, then they have the non-"pro" versions in 32, 250, and 600 ohms. And the Pro's are said to sound very different from the non-pros, then each impedance has a slightly different sound and... Argh!

When I was first getting into headphones I was looking into Beyers, but the confusion ultimately turned me away from the brand. Can't complain though, the K601's satisfied me for a good, long time!

[K.Jack]

No you haven't, especially not in terms of clarity.

I was just going to leave that alone like....

I will be buying the RE272 this year, though. Its reportedly ridiculous clarity is haunting me, as that is my one true obsession.

Which is why the TMA-1 talk surprised me; not because I'm a fan of the cans, but because clear listening is the main requirement I hold to all of my sets.

You know, I hear this claim from time to time, and I can't help but wonder why people think this. I've wondered if Beyerdynamic has had different production runs, or gear used with them makes a huge difference, or even burn-in or break-in of the pads.

That's the exact feeling I just got from the TMA-1 talk, which is why I questioned the set the person reviewed. I mean, ears disagree, but at times it gets to the point where I feel our hearing can't be that different, so I turn my attention to the actual sets being the culprit.

I feel we literally can't be talking about cans which were tuned identically.

[Antiwhippy]

Psycho-acoustics plays a huge part in our hearing. Our ability to manipulate our own perception is alot better than we give it credit for. :P

That's why you see people buying cables that goes towards the tens of thousands mark.

[HiResDes]

Yeah, their naming scheme is a little confusing. They have the "Pro" versions in 80 and 250 ohms, then they have the non-"pro" versions in 32, 250, and 600 ohms. And the Pro's are said to sound very different from the non-pros, then each impedance has a slightly different sound and... Argh! When I was first getting into headphones I was looking into Beyers, but the confusion ultimately turned me away from the brand. Can't complain though, the K601's satisfied me for a good, long time!

If you ever check out the DT250's tell me you think, other than the clamping force I think they are incredible...I was going to get them, but then I got pulled into open headphones as a single bachelor.

[Hix]

No you haven't, especially not in terms of clarity.

Maybe it was the RE-0 (confusing naming convention), I don't have any experience though, in fact I've never owned/tested any IEMs before. Hifiman make quality products though, so it comes as no surprise.

The Beyer 770 Pro 80 ohms were the ones I had in mind. The 32 ohm non-pro model kinda does need (as in it benefits alot from) an amp anyway. Again a very confusing naming convention.

[vicktormerv]

I just want to chime in on the TMA-1s being absolutely amazing. I love em when I want something with that deep bass, but also being super clear without that extra ugly highs that some music sometimes produce ( that I hear sometimes when I use my ulti ears triplefis).

[Kyzer]

Looking at the Bose QuietComfort15s atm... Im willing to spend up to double that for considerably higher quality, what do you guys recommend ?

[Kukuk]

Looking at the Bose QuietComfort15s atm... Im willing to spend up to double that for considerably higher quality, what do you guys recommend ?

Sound-wise, what are you looking for? Depending on what you want, you can easily get better than Bose at even half the price.

If you ever check out the DT250's tell me you think, other than the clamping force I think they are incredible...I was going to get them, but then I got pulled into open headphones as a single bachelor.

You know, these had caught my eye at one point. I do have a certain love for semi-obscure headphones, which is why I bought the CD900ST's. :P

[Kyzer]

Sound-wise, what are you looking for? Depending on what you want, you can easily get better than Bose at even half the price.

I want noise-cancelling, for sure. Other than that just the best sound possible.

[Antiwhippy]

The only noise cancelling headphone I see people recommend are the Audio technica ANC7b or the ANC9.

[Kukuk]

Any particular reason you want active noise cancelling? There's lots of headphones that have excellent passive noise isolation, and there are some benefits to going this route. For one you don't need batteries, and for two, active noise cancelling is known to create audible hiss.

Admittedly, active noise cancelling blocks out low frequency noise better than full sized headphones, but other than that, isolation is just as good. Of course, IEMs do a better job of isolating than either!

If you don't mind going the passive-isolation route, the Sennheiser HD25-1 II's are excellent.

[Hix]

I want noise-cancelling, for sure. Other than that just the best sound possible.

What sort of music will you be listening to? (genres etc)

What will you be using them in? (PC, iPhone, gaming etc?)

Agree with Kukuk about noise cancelling. You can find some full sized or portable closed cans that isolate perfectly without any hit to SQ.

[LCfiner]

yeah, during the summer months I have an air conditioner pretty close to my desk (and headphones) and I have found that a closed headphone does about as good a job as the old pair of ANC7b headphones I had years ago at blocking it out. you'll always hear a little rumble when the music is off regardless of headphone type, but once it starts, you can't hear anything from the outside.

[PuppetSlave]

Stupid question, if you need headphones that don't leak out sound, what should you look for then? For the crowded office, want to listen to loud music without bothering those around me.

Or does noise-cancelling do that as well?

*edt* clarification, I do know closed ones leak less but wondering if there is something to isolate even further.

[Kukuk]

Stupid question, if you need headphones that don't leak out sound, what should you look for then? For the crowded office, want to listen to loud music without bothering those around me. Or does noise-cancelling do that as well?

Isolation. Though it's tough to get an idea beforehand about how well a headphone isolates. Even if a headphone is labeled as "closed", it might let a ton of sound in or out (see: Denon D2000's).

[Antiwhippy]

No, noise cancelling just processes background ambient noise, and then emits an antinoise signal that cancels the ambient sound out.

If you don't want leakage use a closed, tight sealing headphone. The Sennheiser HD25 !-II is very good at that.

[LCfiner]

Stupid question, if you need headphones that don't leak out sound, what should you look for then? For the crowded office, want to listen to loud music without bothering those around me. Or does noise-cancelling do that as well?

closed headphones (for the most part). headphones with decent isolation would be the HD 25-1 II from sennhesier.

I think the M50 from Audio Technica has good isolation.

if you actually want to see some numbers about how well headphones will isolate, look at the charts linked on this page:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/headpho...heet-downloads

the second graph on the right on all those pdfs shows how much attenuation, in dB, from external noise the headphones block out at various frequencies. you can see the M50 starts blocking lower frequency noises than the D5000 and has greater attenuation across almost all frequencies.

[PuppetSlave]

Thanks all, for the quick and excellent info! :)

[Talon]

PuppetSlave, if you want closed overear cans for work, I'd highly suggest the Brainwavz HM5. Do a quick search on Head-Fi for the thread about FA-003s/Brainwavz HM5, and you'll see why. Also, just $140 on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/BRAINWAVZ-HM5-.../dp/B006MA9XXM

Yeah, I don't mean to sound upset if that's what it read as. It seems silly to call this a defense force or anything - neither of us sound pushy. I just don't understand the statement that TMA-1s are for those that "hate mids" or whatnot. I'm nothing close to a basshead, and I bought the TMA-1s as my third or so "good" set of headphones.

And, for the price range, I don't know if there are "far better options" when it comes to portability and durability. HD-25s are definitely the class in the $200~ range when it comes to a balanced sound, but the TMA-1 has the durability element and the removable cable going for it.

Obviously we all make different purchasing decisions (and I bought my pair for just $140), but the pros with the TMA-1s for me were the clarity of sound, the flexibility provided by EQing, the comfort, the durability and the removable cable. I was planning on wearing these as my commuting pair, so the last two made a big difference.

If you're just going to be sitting at your desk for on-ear closed headphones, I'd absolutely recommend HD-25s.

I just think it's a gross mischaracterization to describe TMA-1s as crap basshead headphones for the price range. There's a reason they get a lot of love on Head-Fi.

[Hix]

I just think it's a gross mischaracterization to describe TMA-1s as crap basshead headphones for the price range. There's a reason they get a lot of love on Head-Fi.

Who described them as crap basshead headphones? They are neither crap nor would I recommend them to bassheads.

All headphones have their own strengths and weaknesses and neither have to necessarily be negative. Check vicktormerv's post up above, the TMA-1s recessed upper mids to highs is actually a blessing, in his case. I've said all along the strengths of the TMA-1s lie in the detail and extension found in the sub-bass. If you are listening to a lot of music with emphasis on the sub-bass, then these are the cans for you in the price range, no question.

Your average "basshead" is probably looking more for Ultrasones, M-Audio Q40s, Phiaton MS400s, Denon D1100/HP700, Audio Technica M50s, Senn HD25-IIs, Newmark PHX Pros or even the legendary Creative Aurvana Live!s. These should provide a more "mainstream"/balanced sound, plenty of bass extension and clarity, a more prominent mid-bass hump (with extra emphasis on mid and upper bass) and a warm but clear frequency. Extra bonus: these are generally cheaper than the TMA-1s, some under half the price.
Heck for the money, the AKG K81DJs are pretty hard to beat for "basshead" sound.

Anyway, we are really just going round in circles. Long story short; I don't hate your headphones. I'm glad you enjoy them and get the most out of them and I don't doubt for a second they sound (to you) every bit as good as you imply. I have different opinions but then I have different ears and different tastes. Let's just agree to disagree on this one and move on.

[PuppetSlave]

I went and ordered the M50 from Audio Technica in the end.

Only problem is if they sound better then my HD 555 Sennheiser at home I will want to take my work headphones home every night ;) (or order another pair...)

[Lord Fruity]

Help me out GAF, end my misery. I'm torn between Audio-Technicas M50, Denon D1100 and Ultrasone 550 PRO. I ALMOST went ahead and ordered M50s, but I'm having second thoughts now, and I'm not really sure why ;) Anyway, I listen mostly to electronica, indie rock (shoegaze, noise rock, distorted guitars and sound-walls are my thing), some jazz and bass-heavy rap. If I had to give one example of music I mostly listen to it would be this track (if anyone cares to listen):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETbGpGJNVLM

So, will M50s be good choice or should I look somewhere else?