dalethorn
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Everything posted by dalethorn
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I got this Bluetooth IEM thrown in with a wired headphone I purchased. This has to be the first time for me that the freebie was better (by far!) than the purchase. Oh, well... http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/soundmagic-e10bt-bluetooth-earphone-iem-review.4464/ -
Here is a headphone that gave me way more than my money's worth - a good neutral and detailed studio monitor that retails for $150 USD. Highly recommended. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/senal-smh-1200-closed-back-studio-monitor-headphone-review.4460/
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This German Maestro GMP-160 is, in terms of materials and construction, by far the cheapest headphone I've ever owned. Nonetheless, with some treble reduction**, the sound is surprisingly good. Even the Tutt-Keltner drum improvisation is sharp and detailed. The question I have is whether the paper earpads and earcup-stuffers will last more than a couple of months. **It's not only bright, but maintains that brightness to 10 khz and above, whereas most low-budget headphones roll off quickly in the upper treble. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/german-maestro-gmp-160-lightweight-stereo-headphone-review.4459/
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Just a small excerpt from the below review: "This is a beautifully-made headphone with sound that for most users will be thrilling, in a word. I have a recording of a 16 hz organ pedal from the Kellogg Auditorium, which not only plays with serious impact on the Vento, but the 16-cycle analog "beats" are clearly audible. That kind of deep-bass detail is rare for most larger headphones, but unheard of (small pun) in this class." http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/soundmagic-p55-vento-portable-stereo-headphone-review.4458/
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The lowest-price full-size B&O Bluetooth headphone is much better than I expected it to be. I paid $300 USD for this gem, and it's so good that I have no desire to buy the more pricy models they sell. Works great on Bluetooth, and it can be used wired with a good DAC and headphone amp. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/b-o-bang-olufsen-h4-bluetooth-stereo-headphone-review.4447/
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This is an IEM that sounds about as good, or in some cases better, than the better IEM's that I've owned, from the RHA T20i to the Sennheiser IE800 to the Final Audio FI-BA-SS. The fact that it's Bluetooth (Qualcomm aptX) is quite a plus, although for absolute fidelity of high resolution tracks, the aptX Bluetooth rules apply. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/v-moda-forza-metallo-wireless-bluetooth-in-ear-iem-earphone-review.4444/
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The latest version of one of my all-time favorite headphones (v-moda M100, "King of Headphones") has returned as v-moda's second edition Bluetooth model, called (wait for it...) the Wireless 2. Simply stated, this is the best headphone they've ever made (in my opinion), playing with the same sound wireless or wired. The biggest change from the M100** besides Bluetooth is moving the strongest bass from slightly above 100 hz to below 100 hz, for much better impact and detail. The bass doesn't sound as strong as the M100, until you fire up some EDM and feel the difference. There are 2 versions with different Bluetooth codecs. **The Wireless-1 does not have the folding hinges, but the Wireless-2 does. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/v-moda-wireless-2-bluetooth-aptx-stereo-headphone-review.4443/
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Here's a unique little speaker, if you can believe unique in an extremely crowded field. It's a goodie. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/v-moda-remix-hi-fi-bluetooth-speaker.4437/
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It was my good luck to get another Audio-Technica headphone for review this month, on loan from MyMac for a couple of weeks. To be honest, I like most headphones I do get, since I choose only those that interest me. That said though, this A1000z is one of the better bets in a more-or-less neutral 'monitor' headphone, and I commented after the review that the only headphones I've had that are comparable in the A1000z's price range are the MrSpeakers Mad Dog and the AKG K712 (albeit they don't sound quite as neutral). I think the cheaper AKG K553 Massdrop edition was nearly as good as these, and probably the best bargain. http://www.mymac.com/2017/01/audio-technica-ath-a1000z-art-monitor-headphones-review/
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Listening to the $350 Audio-Technica ESW990h wood-earcup headphone has been my most pleasurable hi-fi experience in a long time. The $1000 Focal Elear could have been even better if it weren't so recessed. Even though the ESW990h doesn't have quite the Elear's detail (when the Elear is EQ'd), the overall accuracy of musical tone puts the ESW990h in that rare category of mine - headphones that sound right, right out of the box. http://www.mymac.com/2017/01/ath-esw990h-portable-wooden-on-ear-headphones-review/
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The new Apple Airpods sound about the same as the Lightning Earpods, but are Bluetooth. I don't know how many outer-ear Bluetooth earbuds are available today, but this is the first I've encountered. The bad news, if it's taken that way, is having the Earpod sound for $160 USD, albeit it's wireless. The good news, for those who have an equalizer, is that the EQ'd sound is as good as any other Bluetooth headphone that I've optimally EQ'd. But it gets better - much better for me at least. It's like wearing nothing - no headphone on the head, and no eartips in the ear canals. It's very stable, and in this review I describe an out-of-head sensation that I don't get with any of my headphones. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/apple-airpods-outer-ear-bluetooth-earbuds-review.4418/
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Here's the Elear - for my purposes, the best sound I've heard, but your mileage may vary according to your treble preferences and which amp you use. Due to the large impedance spike around 40-50 hz, the power demand could weaken the deep bass somewhat, if your amp isn't up to it. The $1000 price is a lot, but the build quality and sound quality make it a keeper for me. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/focal-elear-around-ear-open-back-stereo-headphone-review.4415/
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This headphone is very similar to the Bose QC35 Bluetooth headphone, with 3 important differences. One, the price is about 1/3 of the QC35's price, at $119 USD. Two, the Matrix3 does not have Noise Canceling, although the isolation is very good. And three, Bose pretty obviously uses a DSP along with the Noise Canceling to flatten out its response, which is fairly neutral. One of the evidences for that is the QC35's Passive mode sound, which is very similar to the Matrix3 sound (the Matrix3 sound is about the same either way). http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/mee-matrix-3-around-ear-bluetooth-stereo-headphone-review.4409/
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And now the Forza Metallo's lower-cost brother, the Forza Sport Hybrid. Costing $30 USD less than the Metallo and featuring moisture resistance, you might not expect it to be made as well or sound as good. I found the great bass to be about the same with each, although down around 16 hz this Sport Hybrid is slightly less Earth-shaking. Mids are similar, but the treble difference affects the mids somewhat. Using the same medium-large eartips on each, this Sport Hybrid is brighter by a few decibels. Your mileage may vary, according to eartips, ear canals, etc. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/v-moda-forza-sport-hybrid-in-ear-iem-stereo-earphone-review-by-dale.4406/
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I've reviewed IEM's before, ranking from "well worth consideration" to "among the very best". This v-moda Forza Metallo is in the latter category, and it's inexpensive (my favorite word). http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/v-moda-forza-metallo-in-ear-iem-stereo-earphone-review.4404/
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I tried to get earpads for the Klipsch Image One headphone, and opened a support ticket. Today, they sent me an email asking if my address listed was correct. I replied YES. Then I got a rejection that their email was a "No Reply". So I called Klipsch support and waded through a hellish bunch of button pushes, many redundant, before I got a rep. I told her about the email, and she gave me a tongue-lashing about how stupid I was to try replying, instead of reading some very tiny print way at the bottom that said "no reply email". And then she hung up on me. This was possibly the worst tech support I've ever called, rivaling the Apple supervisor who hung up on me after lying over and over again insisting that Apple does not force-download iOS updates (they do). So there you are - Klipsch - very hostile and arrogant support.
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I can't rave about these IEM's to the extent that I did with the on-ear On2, because I'm not a typical IEM user. In fact, I wasn't looking forward to doing a review on these because I don't like to do a half-hearted review. So I stared at them for a few days wondering whether to just give them away, and finally decided to fire up the MS02 - the 'better' of the two, to see if I could maintain interest through a few music tracks. It sounded pretty good as I went along, so I figured that I'd throw the really tough stuff at the MS02, where I expected the outcome to be 'ho-hum'. Long story short, when I got to my high-res copy of Jimmy Smith's Basin Street Blues, and I heard the detail and instrument separation, I got interested all of a sudden. That's the short story. The longer story is good, because these are 'woodies', not expensive, and well-tuned at that. http://www.mymac.com/2016/10/ms02-and-rain3-in-ear-stereo-earphones-review/
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Here is a very, very nice on-ear wood-earcup headphone from Thinksound. I previously reviewed their On1 headphone and Rain2 IEM. This time around, the On2 has a much better non-glossy wood finish, and I suspect better drivers, since the clarity is phenomenal. It isn't the easiest thing to have mellow sound with great clarity, so there ya go. http://www.mymac.com/2016/10/on2-headphones-review/
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Here's a portable music player that sounds like the best combination of DAC and tube amp that I've heard. It's not cheap, but the sound is ultra-clean, smooth, and very extended. http://www.headfonia.com/review-acoustic-research-m2-dap/
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Thanks for reading. The MK802 should be on every list to test out, because the sound is very hi-fi. Most unusual for the money. And it's Bluetooth
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Here is a real treat. The best overall sound I've gotten in an off-the-shelf headphone in a long time. Worth reading about: http://www.mymac.com/2016/09/1more-mk802-bluetooth-wireless-or-wired-stereo-headphone-detailed-review/
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Here is the best Bluetooth headphone I've used so far, and at just over $100 USD, an excellent deal. http://www.mymac.com/2016/04/puro-bt-5200-bluetooth-stereo-headphone-review/#more-21214
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Items ship to continental U.S. only, Paypal only. Shipping to Eastern U.S. included - Western U.S. add $25. Headphones used for testing only, like new. Camera is like new, all original packaging like new. Grado PS1000e, $1175. Beyer DT-1770 with Cardas cable, $475. B&O H6 Blue Stone ed., $255. Beyer DT1350 with T51p earpads, almost new, $145. Leica D-Lux typ 109 camera (same as Pana LX100), $695.
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Almost identical to the Yuin PK2, except this PK1 is even thinner sounding than the PK2, and is 3 times the price. EQ can bring a measure of audiophile quality to the sound, but cannot recover the low bass. I like it, but I'm pretty flexible. http://rockgrotto.proboards.com/thread/11090/audiophile-stereo-earbud-earphone-review
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The MH30 is a work of art and metal, and I find it very charming... http://rockgrotto.proboards.com/thread/11087/master-dynamic-luxury-stereo-headphone