How's the fit and comfort? I'm ready to pull the trigger, but I've seen some reviews saying that comfort could be better.
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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
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How's the fit and comfort? I'm ready to pull the trigger, but I've seen some reviews saying that comfort could be better.
How do you like them?
How do you like them?
I'll say that I have the TMA-1's and I love them.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
Hey guys, I have a pair of EWS9 that keep breaking at the hinge. Anyone know of headphones that have a similar sound?
CoachKevin
Member
My Fiio E7 just showed up.
Having the bass boost makes a huge difference with the AD700's! Any recommended settings for the Fiio E7 when used with the AD700s?
What volume range should I keep it in for best quality?
Having the bass boost makes a huge difference with the AD700's! Any recommended settings for the Fiio E7 when used with the AD700s?
What volume range should I keep it in for best quality?
How do you like them?
Considering I skipped on the much neutral sounding Shure SRH840s, in comparison the TMA's are instantly fun as hell without an amp. The mids are great, vocals sound great and bass is specatcularly punchy. Quite similar to Sennheiser HD-25 II (a friend has a pair so I cross-checked). Also not as dark or "muffled" as someone told me earlier on - but then I don't claim to be a hardcore audiophile so I don't know how they come to their conclusions.
Great for on the go (quite light) and with your mp3 player of choice, really sexy build quality (many people have asked me about them, so they definitely make you "stand out" for sure).
I am using them for some video recording stuff and surprisingly the clean mids helped me with getting some good n' clean voiceover work. Sound leakage is also not bad, but not the best either.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
Just ordered a pair of M50's from amazon to complement my ad700 and the esw9 that keep breaking :/
I found 55 to be the sweet spot using Senn 555's
but only 'cause I liked the numbers matching
sixteen-bit
Member
The build quality of ESW9 is bad? That's a shame.
Johnlenham
Member
Sheeet I could get some TMA-1's for £118.. pretty tempted but I just spent £550 on a laptop :X
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
yep, the hinge keeps breaking from everyday use. i love the sound, but I hate being scared of putting on them because of how delicate that hinge is. My warranty runs out in a month so I picked up the m50s just in case.
Do it.
CoachKevin
Member
shit, while playing Halo ODST I was getting some serious static from the Fiio e7. Anyone have issues like this before? It seems if I bump it a little it fixes it.
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Well I broke my pair of Creative Aurvana Live last week and while I loved them to death I decided to try something different in the land of the budget (read ~$50) semi-portable cans that I use on the go, mainly for something sturdy because I've gone through 2 CALs in a little more than 3 years, they aren't exactly the most sturdy things in the world
Picked up a pair CAD MH310 thanks to the praise from Karish a couple of weeks ago and talking about it a bit with my pal Geneijin.
My pair arrived and these things absolutely rock out of the box. Can honestly say out of the box they sound better than my CAL which I loved. The clamp on these things is ridiculously tight but that'll loosen up a bit over time so I'm not too worried. They are a little more bulkier than I was expecting but since I throw these into my bag anyway I kind of prefer it.
Picked up a pair CAD MH310 thanks to the praise from Karish a couple of weeks ago and talking about it a bit with my pal Geneijin.
My pair arrived and these things absolutely rock out of the box. Can honestly say out of the box they sound better than my CAL which I loved. The clamp on these things is ridiculously tight but that'll loosen up a bit over time so I'm not too worried. They are a little more bulkier than I was expecting but since I throw these into my bag anyway I kind of prefer it.
Well I bought my AKG K702's some companions this week:
-Fiio E7 for portable Amping
-Fiio E9 for combining with the E7 and driving them at home.
-Fiio L9 LOD to connect my ipod to the E7.
Long and short = the sound is amazing. I had burned them in quite a bit and thought they sounded good with my E5 out of my laptop card but with the DAC in place...yup...However, these are very much open cans and I needed something that would allow me to listen in the library.
Hopped on Ebay and landed a pristine set of Audio Technica ATH-A950LTD's for $170 shipped (guy included a 1st gen 8gb ipod touch which I sold for $70 - headphones were about $100). Cans had been burnt in for about 20 hours and then went unused since (according to him.)
Much more of a "fun" sound and MUCH easier to drive than are the K702's. Much more punch in the base department but my .FLAC recordings lose some of their luster (to be expected I'd say.)
All in all though? I have the K702's now hooked permanently into the E9, the A950's ready to go out with me and to the library...my audio life is pretty good
-Fiio E7 for portable Amping
-Fiio E9 for combining with the E7 and driving them at home.
-Fiio L9 LOD to connect my ipod to the E7.
Long and short = the sound is amazing. I had burned them in quite a bit and thought they sounded good with my E5 out of my laptop card but with the DAC in place...yup...However, these are very much open cans and I needed something that would allow me to listen in the library.
Hopped on Ebay and landed a pristine set of Audio Technica ATH-A950LTD's for $170 shipped (guy included a 1st gen 8gb ipod touch which I sold for $70 - headphones were about $100). Cans had been burnt in for about 20 hours and then went unused since (according to him.)
Much more of a "fun" sound and MUCH easier to drive than are the K702's. Much more punch in the base department but my .FLAC recordings lose some of their luster (to be expected I'd say.)
All in all though? I have the K702's now hooked permanently into the E9, the A950's ready to go out with me and to the library...my audio life is pretty good
As much as I love the Fiio range for the sound quality they give for budget price the build quality is patchy to say the least. My og e9 & e7 are still going strong after 14 months continuous use but I had to send back 2 a1 amps because of loose connections causing constant static and my 2nd e9 has the same issue on the 3.5mm input but as I don't use that I didn't bother swapping it out.
CoachKevin
Member
Turns out it was the headphone cable extension I was using, not the Fiio. Kind of a relief.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
How I make it through each day at work!
Nice! Cant wait till they here!
I can't be the only one who was shocked by his honesty there. He pretty much said he doesn't like how it sounds, which then made me wonder if I would like it, because everything I've bought that he tuned to "his" taste (RE2, RE-ZERO, HE-300) has been lovely to my ears.
I really don't like when creators go outside of themselves to try and please another perceived market. But I guess Fang has to pay the bills. I just hope the 400s don't blow up then he sells me out completely.
The Main Event
Member
I have no issue with the comfort. However if you have a big head (say, if you're the type of person that can't find a cap that fits your head) then I think it would get uncomfortable after a long period of time. Wearing them as I type now and I think they're totally fine. They don't sit on too tightly.
Isolation is great with these cans btw. And the build quality, while not necessarily impressive, is good. They don't feel cheap at all.
Dammit, Audio Technica's 3-D wing design is the be-all-end-all of headphone comfort. That's going to make switching back and forth rather difficult...however if I decide to continue my little collection I will look to their top of the line without hesitation. The 950's can hardly be felt on my head at all.
Sounds good to me.
I appreciate the detail impression. I'm definitely ordering these tomorrow morning. I get that these don't need an amp. But I just read a review that said they really shine with one. Would you recommend an amp too? If so, which?
I'm new to high quality audio, but I can't wait to jump in. Already have a playlist of FLAC files waiting. Lucky for me, honeycomb (android) supports flac, so I can use my tablet as media player.
Haha that is the same review I read before I bought mine. They sound wonderful unamped. I just recently got an Fiio e10 and it does make them sound better giving them more punch, but these are not headphones that sound like crap until you amp them. If you buy them and are just running them through your computer or phone or whatever, you will be happy. Plus, if you are into some of the same genre's I am (mostly electronic, dance, indie rock.....things like that) then these are the headphones for you.
When you get them, you'll definitely love the packaging as well.
Thanks. I don't have a big head (or at least I don't think I do) so I think I should be ok. Ordered them earlier and they should be here on Saturday.
As someone who likes collecting packages, TMA's box is one of my prized possesions, very funky yet classy. Pity I've not found much use of the spare foam pads, though.
Johnlenham
Member
Internet peer pressure! I am really tempted though..
You're gonna love them, they're awesome for the price! Comfy, relatively light, and built like a tank. Did you get an amp to go with them? If not, I recommend looking into one. It doesn't need it, but I think they sound better with the amp.
Read the first review on this page. If it sounds like he's into the same music as you, then pull the trigger.
Johnlenham
Member
Yeah I know how good they are and so on I just make a big deal about spending £100+ on things
Went to buy them and they are back up to £170 so I shant be buying them anytime soon. Probably for the best atleast until I'm into febuary/new pay check!
Yeah I know how good they are and so on I just make a big deal about spending £100+ on things
Went to buy them and they are back up to £170 so I shant be buying them anytime soon. Probably for the best atleast until I'm into febuary/new pay check!
Oh man I just did the conversion rate and that's around $260 here. That's kind of shitty considering I got mine for around $170. If you get the chance to get them on sale again I would go for it, but if you're not hurting for some I would say wait at that price. Also I know you're a Drive fan so you may want to check this out.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
sixteen-bit
Member
Just keep your mind occupied with something else
Yeah listen to some music or somet....wait don't do that haha
Is your TMA box as hard to slide open as mine though? The other day I and a friend were having a good laugh trying to see who could get it first. We both failed after much effort.
I can't remember how I got it the first day. I would have gone insane the headphones had actually been in the box when we were messing around with it.
haha. well I've been looking at DIY amps. maybe I'll try my hand at that to keep me busy.
Johnlenham
Member
Yeah its mental. Not only for the fact they are from bloody Europe so you would think the USA would pay a premium but nope. I dont really understand why they are cheaper for you. Even from AIAIAI they are £180 odd converted from whatever crazy currency denmark use!
Stupid Danish Krone's! 1 krone is like 17 cents here. That seems like a dumb conversion to me.
CoachKevin
Member
Does anyone own the HD558s? If so how are they for gaming? I like my AD700s, but they feel like they are going to slide right off my head. I want something more secure.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Yeah, I agree on being taken aback by his bluntness, but I think to myself... Since when has HiFiMan ever put out a bad product? Some of their phones might not be to the taste of others, but they are all objectively more than capable phones that perform at, or above their price points. I think that the way most of his phones are tuned are pretty telling of his music tastes. He's thinking Western tastes lean more towards pop/rock/hip hop, so the bass and treble emphasis makes sense. I'm not expecting a V or U shaped phone by any means, but a phone that sounded like an RE262 with more bass quantity/impact would be amazing
Expendable.
Member
So, never did buy any headphones I was thinking about a few months ago. But got a $100 bonus so willing to spend around $100-$150 now for a nice pair. Just going to be using them for at work and watching movies and traveling. Nothing crazy heavy duty, but comfort is a big plus since I'll have them on a lot.
Thinking about Sennheiser HD555, Koss PRODJ 100 or Grado SR80. Any others I should be aware of in that style?
Thinking about Sennheiser HD555, Koss PRODJ 100 or Grado SR80. Any others I should be aware of in that style?
I bought an AD700 and I'm wondering what would be the best way to power them. It hasn't arrived (might take a month yet), but I'm debating if I should buy a Fiio 7 or just use my pc motherboard as my pc will be my only source. I have a Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5-B3 and it has a spdif output (and apparently, it uses Realtek ALC889 drivers), but I don't know if this will be enough.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
The M50's are on sale at Amazon for $130 right now. I'm thinking about biting >_>
I already own a pair of ATH-AD700's and Sennheiser HD598. I've hardly used them at all but I'm looking for I guess something a bit less bulky than the AD700's to use with my handhelds.
I already own a pair of ATH-AD700's and Sennheiser HD598. I've hardly used them at all but I'm looking for I guess something a bit less bulky than the AD700's to use with my handhelds.
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