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[Mandelbo]

TMA-2
I always liked these for their looks again too haha. But sound is supposed to be ace.
Rather out of my price range, but anyone got experience of these? Are they wank?

I hadn't heard of Aiaiai before, but this intrigues me... I'm quite interested in how good these are too. Do Aiaiai generally make good products? Their other headphones/IEMs are quite inexpensive, and something about their supra-aural headphones appeals to me even though they look as cheap as they cost.

 

[HiResDes]

They're dark as fuck in general, if you don't like treble or care about treble or treble clarity you'll love them...They're like tailor made for electronic music and not much else.

 

[SolarMystic]

Interesting. I wonder how good they will sound? I'll keep an eye out for reviews.

Sbaf impressions of the m560 are pretty mixed to not so great, but perhaps some modding potential. The Hifiman/Audeze hybrid looking one hasn't released yet.

 

[SolarMystic]

New Hifiman Edition 6.

All yours for the low price of $6,000!

Nothing says $6k like some cheap Chinese factory made plastic with quality control problems.

 

[Xander51]

Blue announced new members of the Mo-Fi headphone lineup yesterday...the Ella and the Sadie. One is planar. Both are still mad heavy.

 

[Tommy DJ]

If Focal can sell headphones for stupid amounts of money, Hifiman probably assumes that there are enough suckers out there that would blow chunks for the latest and greatest. The price of their readily available flagships have rising in price exceptionally...I think the HE-5 was around $500?

Its pretty disgusting though. Focal knows their product is stupid expensive so they're giving you beryllium drivers in an immaculate package as a means of actually justifying the price. There's absolutely nothing that is justifying this price. Heck, Hifiman weren't even able to justify the price of the HE-1000 before it and this doesn't look a whole lot different physically,

 

[jwk94]

I have a Plantronics BackBeat Pro that has all those features and I love it. Its just not foldable, but comes with a nice carrying pouch.

I paid 150 euros in mine and they just released the second version, which should be in your price range and - they say - ia better in every aspect. I never tried but it definitely look cooler, specially for outdoor use.

Huh, those might work! Thanks!

 

[Antiwhippy]

They're dark as fuck in general, if you don't like treble or care about treble or treble clarity you'll love them...They're like tailor made for electronic music and not much else.

Not true. I love electronic music and hated the TMA. You need treble and mids for electronic too.

 

[thabiz]

Don't need treble for electronic music.


Fucking looooooooooooool

 

[Linius]

It's kind of hard to say anything about TMA-2's without specifying the parts. These are modular headphones after all.

As for the brand itself, I think they've done a good job on those headphones. The build quality is good and I like how comfortable they are. The IEM's aren't anything special indeed.

 

[Chittagong]

New Hifiman Edition 6.

All yours for the low price of $6,000!

Nothing says $6k like some cheap Chinese factory made plastic with quality control problems.

Right. That's where I draw the line. Kinda impressive that someone was able to do that.

 

[matmanx1]

Right. That's where I draw the line. Kinda impressive that someone was able to do that.

Gotta one up the Abyss headphones which were a measly $5495!

 

[leng jai]

I don't understand why anyone would pay $1K for a Hifiman product, let alone 6.

 

[K.Jack]

As an owner of the TMA-1, it's pretty much hip-hop and that's it.

The bass is fucking amazing in quantity, quality, and tidiness.

It's kind of hard to say anything about TMA-2's without specifying the parts. These are modular headphones after all.

As for the brand itself, I think they've done a good job on those headphones. The build quality is good and I like how comfortable they are. The IEM's aren't anything special indeed.

I'd rather avoid playing mix-n-match bingo, the TMA-2 was a novel, but terrible idea. Having 360 different combinations of parts just makes people look elsewhere.

Why not just put out 3 fixed sets, that cover the best range? One neutral, one V-shaped, and one bass monster.

 

[nitewulf]

If Focal can sell headphones for stupid amounts of money,

?
Focal is one of the largest hi end manufacturers of speakers in the world. Surely they learned a lot of tricks on how to build world class dynamic drivers during these past few decades?

 

[SolarMystic]

Gotta one up the Abyss headphones which were a measly $5495!

At least Abyss is made out of quality materials and isn't superceded by a new cheaply made flagship every several months.

Hifiman wouldn't know what real R&D is if it hit them in the face. Just throws shit at the wall to see what sticks, can always put out a V2 next year.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Abyss's quality materials is seriously misused because of how terrible the design is.

 

[Jabronium]

Ugh, the HD650's on Amazon UK are seriously tempting me just to give me a new toy to play with.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Ugh, the HD650's on Amazon UK are seriously tempting me just to give me a new toy to play with.

Same here.
Love my DT 990 Pro's though...think I'm gonna hold.

Hold...

HOLD.

 

[Jabronium]

Same here.
Love my DT 990 Pro's though...think I'm gonna hold.

Hold...

HOLD.

My resolve is quickly faltering. My EMUs are still a few weeks out--missed the drop so I had to order direct with an ETA end of the month--and the 650's seem too good to pass up at that price. Especially if the rumors of discontinuation prove to be true.

 

[Tommy DJ]

?
Focal is one of the largest hi end manufacturers of speakers in the world. Surely they learned a lot of tricks on how to build world class dynamic drivers during these past few decades?

Despite the fact that the Utopia is actually the actual definition of a world class headphone (relatively good tonality, no excessive problems), it doesn't discount the fact that the price is still absolutely ridiculous. No, this isn't a case of sour grapes. The Utopia is good but I don't even think its a whole lot better than a HD800, which can be easily found on the 2nd hand market for less than $800 USD, with the required mods/EQ/amp.

The price of "high end" readily available headphones has been rising exponentially due to manufacturers releasing products like the Utopia. But at least Focal, unlike Hifiman, actually puts some effort in their audiophile jewelry by actually using premium materials and exotic drivers that have the capability to kill you. That was the point I was making, it wasn't a serious knock on the Focal Utopia's quality.

 

[Antiwhippy]

BE drivers aren't unheard of though. Hell, the Xiaomi pistons used to have BE drivers.

 

[Splash Wave]

I was thinking about picking up a pair of Sony MDRV6s because they look more comfortable than my JVC HA-S500s. Should I expect a bump in sound quality, too?

 

[matmanx1]

So is the Emu-Teak the best of the Fostex driver HP's (most balanced) that can be had for a "reasonable" price?

I am just wondering for science, of course.

 

[SolarMystic]

So is the Emu-Teak the best of the Fostex driver HP's (most balanced) that can be had for a "reasonable" price?

I am just wondering for science, of course.

According to Tyll, yes.

Just looking at the FR plots and spending some time with the thx00, I'm inclined to believe him.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Huh. Moon Audio claims the HD600 and HD650 have been discontinued.

 

[SolarMystic]

Huh. Moon Audio claims the HD600 and HD650 have been discontinued.

Hd6x0 discontinued scares have happened at least half a dozen times over the past decade. I wouldn't count on anything unless sennheiser says so.

 

[Tommy DJ]

It seems more warranted this time. A few retailers are claiming discontinued/out of production rather than out of stock.

Then you've got the HD6XX from Massdrop, which doesn't seem a lot different than a HD650 with a different cable, paint job and $100 smaller price tag.

If anything, looks like an imminent update to me if reputable retailers are claiming discontinued and Sennheiser are making moves that look like stock clearing.

 

[SolarMystic]

It seems more warranted this time. A few retailers are claiming discontinued/out of production rather than out of stock.

Then you've got the HD6XX from Massdrop, which doesn't seem a lot different than a HD650 with a different cable and paint job. Seems like an imminent update to me.

I'm not gonna hold my breath, though I do hope it's true. As long as the refresh stays true to what made the original so great in the first place.

 

[gngf123]

Okay, so this is a bit different.

My girlfriends sister found these old headphones today and sent me a message asking if I wanted to take a look at them. They were kind of beaten up but were £1 and I had no idea what they were so thought it was worth a look.

Anyway, they are called the Double Drive Gamma LH 735. Apparently these were sold in Taiwan and are some kind of off-brand old Sennheisers.

Anyway, to the point: They sound really good. I would really like to renovate them up a little bit. After some testing I've temporary taken off the pads and put HM5 pads on them, which is fine, but I'd like to repair the original pads. The leather on the outside has completely worn off so I thought I would start there first.

These were $200 headphones at one point, and I can easily believe it. Even if the comfort isn't quite up there.

Does anyone know anything else about them? Seriously never heard of them before.

They seem to be double driver headphones, and the back is transparent so you can see the casing for the rear driver. The bass extends really low and is accurate. There's also a pretty good soundstage which surprised me a little. Maybe not the widest I've ever heard but there's very clear positioning and I like that.

 

[nitewulf]

Despite the fact that the Utopia is actually the actual definition of a world class headphone (relatively good tonality, no excessive problems), it doesn't discount the fact that the price is still absolutely ridiculous. No, this isn't a case of sour grapes. The Utopia is good but I don't even think its a whole lot better than a HD800, which can be easily found on the 2nd hand market for less than $800 USD, with the required mods/EQ/amp.

The price of "high end" readily available headphones has been rising exponentially due to manufacturers releasing products like the Utopia. But at least Focal, unlike Hifiman, actually puts some effort in their audiophile jewelry by actually using premium materials and exotic drivers that have the capability to kill you. That was the point I was making, it wasn't a serious knock on the Focal Utopia's quality.

Fair enough, I didn't know how to interpret your post since you began with "If Focal can sell...for stupid amounts of money..." since I am a speaker guy, I am VERY familiar with Focal and their quality, as well as their price...I mean their statement speakers cost $180,000/pair.

However, their sub $1,000 speakers are ridiculously good for what you pay, so they aren't exactly a "lifestyle" type brand, as they produce really high quality products across the range.

The issue with pricing on the statement stuff is multiple folds, as you are paying for their R&D, Marketing and labor overheads, as well as dealer markups AND they know (we know as well) they need to price the statement gear in the upper echelons to make them exclusive and desirable.

 

[leng jai]

It doesn't matter how much R&D there is though. As long as a company with the pedigree of Sennheiser has a headphone like the HD800 for $1K it's ludicrous that brands like Audeze and Hifiman keep releasing headphones that cost 3 times as much.

 

[Splash Wave]

Rephrasing my question: can I get any recommendations for something more comfortable than the JVC HA-S500? I love the way they sound/look, but I'm due for an upgrade. I'd prefer something with less sound bleed, also. I can't listen to my music loudly at work without everyone hearing it!

 

[nitewulf]

It doesn't matter how much R&D there is though. As long as a company with the pedigree of Sennheiser has a headphone like the HD800 for $1K it's ludicrous that brands like Audeze and Hifiman keep releasing headphones that cost 3 times as much.

I was talking about Focal, not very familiar with Audeze or Hifiman. Incidentally how are MrSpeakers Ether headphones? There seems to be a bunch of $1K - $2K phones. Are you guys saying the $3K - $4K stuff from Audeze/Hifiman should cost around that range instead?

 

[HiResDes]

Rephrasing my question: can I get any recommendations for something more comfortable than the JVC HA-S500? I love the way they sound/look, but I'm due for an upgrade. I'd prefer something with less sound bleed, also. I can't listen to my music loudly at work without everyone hearing it!

NVX XPT100

 

[SolarMystic]

Hifiman doesn't know what R&D means. If they did, we wouldn't be getting cheaply made quality control ridden products with a V2 released mere months after one another.

Audeze is the same, though at least they use premium materials in their construction.

Mrspeakers? See Flow, released just a year later because they apparently couldn't get it right with their first attempt at a $1.5k headphone. But don't worry, you can upgrade yours for a mere half a grand for the full upgrade treatment.

 

[Tommy DJ]

I was talking about Focal, not very familiar with Audeze or Hifiman. Incidentally how are MrSpeakers Ether headphones? There seems to be a bunch of $1K - $2K phones. Are you guys saying the $3K - $4K stuff from Audeze/Hifiman should cost around that range instead?

I'd agree with that statement.

The headphone industry is completely dysfunctional. Flagship headphones are often bad value because manufacturers make it clear that they don't put a whole lot of care in their product. Audeze headphones have historically suffered from pretty lax quality control (eg. misaligned fazor elements, poor driver matching, inconsistent driver sound signature, driver failures); Hifiman headphones have a history of failing mechanical parts (anything plastic snaps, failing connectors) and use of shoddy materials; MrSpeakers keeps releasing headphones that are half baked. Even if we ignore these issues, all of these headphones have problems with their tonality and sound signature.

Because of this, very flagship headphone past around 2011 (release date of the Stax SR-009 IIRC) has been a sidegrade at best...yet prices have literally risen exponentially. There's no justification for these price increases except for the fact that they can get away with it most of the time. Every new Audeze headphone isn't clearly better than the last, the Hifiman HE-6 is still unmatched with regards to bass linearity, clarity and impact and I don't think anything really has better resolution that the HD800 after all these years. The Focal Utopia is a rare flagship headphone that isn't a complete waste of money but its still only worth like 50% of its asking price because its still has obvious problems with regards to its tonality.

I mean...there's a reason why a lot of serious headphone enthusiasts pair the Sennheiser HD600/HD650s with multi-thousand dollar amps and DACs. Despite their wooly bass, they're still the only full sized headphones that get the midrange, treble and overall coherency 95% right. This is something no full sized flagship headphone has actually gotten right.

 

[matmanx1]

I was talking about Focal, not very familiar with Audeze or Hifiman. Incidentally how are MrSpeakers Ether headphones? There seems to be a bunch of $1K - $2K phones. Are you guys saying the $3K - $4K stuff from Audeze/Hifiman should cost around that range instead?

As far as I remember Tyll really liked the Ether Flow, it is on his wall of fame as is the Ether C and Ether C Flow.

 

[Gemüsestäbchen]

Thanks to HiResDes, I've ordered a pair of JVC HA-S500 from Nippon...
Got to wait a couple of weeks, but excited to get on the nice headphone train ^_^

 

[matmanx1]

I'm thinking my first foray into a tube amp might be the Feliks Audio Elise. It's been reviewed very well and seems to be a great value for the money. And it plays well with the Sony MA900's, which I own and really like.
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/feliks-audio-elise-tube-amp-review-not.2260/

Bonus points for being able to use the DAC portion of my Fostex HP-A4BL to feed it until I decide to go for a higher end DAC only. One of the nice things about the Fostex is the output selector button on the front. I could flip the Elise on, let it warm up, and be using the Fostex DAC/amp combo in the meantime and then switch over to letting the Elise do the amp'ing duties with just a button press.

 

[Jabronium]

Wound up biting on the 650's.

RIP wallet, YOLO, etc etc.

 

[yonder]

Wound up biting on the 650's.

RIP wallet, YOLO, etc etc.

So jealous. I'm stuck waiting to see if and when the 6xx drop again. I actually had a chance to try a pair of 650s over the holidays and fell in love. I listened through a Schiit Fulla and was pretty damn impressed with the sound, so I'm excited to hear how they sound out of a proper amp.

In the meantime, it's back to the ol' portapros for me, saving up as much as I can.

 

[Jabronium]

So jealous. I'm stuck waiting to see if and when the 6xx drop again. I actually had a chance to try a pair of 650s over the holidays and fell in love. I listened through a Schiit Fulla and was pretty damn impressed with the sound, so I'm excited to hear how they sound out of a proper amp.

In the meantime, it's back to the ol' portapros for me, saving up as much as I can.

Given how many re-drops of recent stuff there has been in the last few weeks (the TH-X00 variants, several DACs and amps) I'm surprised we haven't seen or heard anything about another 6XX drop. Of course, most of the re-drops we've seen were probably just leftovers from the first rounds, but still makes me a little hopeful that we'll see another one sooner rather than later.

 

[Amagon]

I got my Modi 2 Mulibit setup finally. In Windows>Sound>Properties, I had disabled the Enhancements.

With the Default Format, what should I set it as? I have some .wav files that I use, but playing games/movies/youtube, will be use mostly with my setup.

 

[nitewulf]

My use case is very specific: portable so has to be light, somewhat comfy and closed back.
Currently I'm thinking of checking out the Oppo PM-3 and the Fostex TH610 locally at headphone stores in NYC. What other models should I be looking at that fit those criteria, within the $500 +/- $100 bracket? I'm using a Pioneer xdp-100r to play, do not plan to get any amp/dac or anything, strictly minimal and portable setup, so the headphone should also be easy to drive. I prefer neutral to warm on the side of neutral sound. Love airy open sound with a foot tapping quality.

 

[Chittagong]

My use case is very specific: portable so has to be light, somewhat comfy and closed back.
Currently I'm thinking of checking out the Oppo PM-3 and the Fostex TH610 locally at headphone stores in NYC. What other models should I be looking at that fit those criteria, within the $500 +/- $100 bracket? I'm using a Pioneer xdp-100r to play, do not plan to get any amp/dac or anything, strictly minimal and portable setup, so the headphone should also be easy to drive. I prefer neutral to warm on the side of neutral sound. Love airy open sound with a foot tapping quality.

I love my Fostex TH-600s, they have that airy soundstage and awesome bass, however I don't consider them portable. They are pretty big, don't fold and have a thick, long cable. I prefer their sound but use Oppo PM-3s on the go. They are awesomely portable, come with a superb carry case that fits a small DAC, and isolate very well. You do lose a lot of soundstage and air.

When my wife needed a portable pair I did quite a bit of research to see if I could find something better, but ultimately got her PM-3s as well.

 

[nitewulf]

The Fostex 610 seems to weigh 375 grams vs the 320 grams for the Oppo? I just read headphone.com comparison between the two and they had the same impressions as you. With that said I don't think I'll wanna give up on the airy openness. But thanks, I'll check out these two for sure.

 

[Chittagong]

The Fostex 610 seems to weigh 375 grams vs the 320 grams for the Oppo? I just read headphone.com comparison between the two and they had the same impressions as you. With that said I don't think I'll wanna give up on the airy openness. But thanks, I'll check out these two for sure.

Yeah the problem is less the weight and more the overall size / bulkiness / non-foldability. Essentially you need a Slappa headphone case for the Fostex.

I know what you mean, I prefer the Fostex sound by a mile. I have a pair of EMU Teaks waiting home, really excited to get to try them.

 

[matmanx1]

My use case is very specific: portable so has to be light, somewhat comfy and closed back.
Currently I'm thinking of checking out the Oppo PM-3 and the Fostex TH610 locally at headphone stores in NYC. What other models should I be looking at that fit those criteria, within the $500 +/- $100 bracket? I'm using a Pioneer xdp-100r to play, do not plan to get any amp/dac or anything, strictly minimal and portable setup, so the headphone should also be easy to drive. I prefer neutral to warm on the side of neutral sound. Love airy open sound with a foot tapping quality.

Meze 99 Classics are worth a look. They are designed for portability (they don't fold but do come with a very good travel case and 2 cords, 1 with a built in mic). They are closed back and on the warm side. I like mine very much but I do use the larger ear pads with them. Bonus points for working really, really well with phones and tablets. http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/meze-99-classics-very-fun-very-tasty#ogRukRgGlJZevWGa.97

 

[Tommy DJ]

The Fostex TH-610 is just plain bad value. Relatively intrusive bass that bleeds into the midrange, uneven treble, very expensive. The E-Mu Teak or Fostex TH-X00 are better value tunings that use the same Fostex driver.

The Oppo PM3 is pretty nice and even sounding but there's some product variation and the soundstage is pretty claustrophobic.

I don't think there's a "good" portable headphone because most that are good aren't really that portable. In most cases, I think IEMs can be better for the price, such as the Campfire Audio Orion.

If you're in New York, how far is B&H from you? I imagine they'd have plenty of demo stock of IEMs and portable headphones.