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Post by Mr Trev on Aug 6, 2017 23:22:30 GMT
I'm looking for a cheapish closed phone since I'm not having much joy finding replacement drivers for my HP150. One of the headphones I was considering getting even before I got the HP150s was a Takstar Pro 80. They got some pretty good impressions over on HF, but ultimately I went for the HP150 - mostly due to the fact they were available in Canada. The Pro 80 have been discontinued and replaced by the Pro 82. Seems to be better the the 80s from the (limited) impressions I've read. Just wondering if anybody else has heard anything about them (or have any comments about Takstar in general). Right now the biggest problem with the Pro 82 is they're only available from China, and nobody has any stock. www.takstar.com/en/product/detail-11-28-0-500www.head-fi.org/threads/takstar-pro-82-review-impressions-and-discussion-thread.849965/Cheers
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Aug 7, 2017 12:06:02 GMT
Did you not like the hp150? Not sure what they sell for but if you liked the sound, it might be safer to get another one.
I struggle with closed headphones because of the artifacts you can get from them being closed.
One I settled with was the Beyer DT770 with the option of getting a Kameleon for it, which really does sound good.
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Post by Mr Trev on Aug 7, 2017 22:50:56 GMT
I did like the HP150, but you know - been there, done that (or maybe I just have the headphone sickness). Add that to the fact I have no idea why the one driver went south…
It'd cost ~$150 to get a replacement vs. ~$100 for the Pro 82. I've read and chatted with folks that have the Pro 80 and it's supposed to be one of those phones that punch above it's weight. According to the review I linked, the P82 is even better. Funny you mention the 770, since the P80 kind of looked like a knock off.
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Post by marveltone on Aug 8, 2017 1:08:17 GMT
It's easy to get G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I have had my share of bouts with it in the past, but usually with guitars.
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Post by superluc on Aug 8, 2017 12:50:25 GMT
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Post by Mr Trev on Aug 9, 2017 17:06:21 GMT
I did consider the Superlux 662EVO but it seems like it needs to be modded, and honestly, I'm a lazy, lazy man - (anything beyond changing earpads just reeks of effort ). The Pro82 also looks like a higher quality piece (yes I know looks aren't important for SQ) Maybe that hd688 will be a different matter. I do prefer to listen to my gear au naturel also, so something has to be fairly acceptable out of the box. I like to hear what the designer chose for sq - warts and all, but if it's gawd-awful to begin with, I'm not interested
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Post by hifidez on Aug 10, 2017 6:44:43 GMT
I did consider the Superlux 662EVO but it seems like it needs to be modded, and honestly, I'm a lazy, lazy man - (anything beyond changing earpads just reeks of effort ). The Pro82 also looks like a higher quality piece (yes I know looks aren't important for SQ) Maybe that hd688 will be a different matter. I do prefer to listen to my gear au naturel also, so something has to be fairly acceptable out of the box. I like to hear what the designer chose for sq - warts and all, but if it's gawd-awful to begin with, I'm not interested The 662 EVO are really quite good un-modded. You don't want to be influenced by that OCD lot in here. Here they are just 29 Euro plus delivery. Surely worth the risk? I do have mine 'modded' with 2 thin layers of tissue but it don't make THAT much difference. I'm going to un-mod mine for a reminder of how they sound out-of-the-box. I was using my 662's only yesterday to monitor a collection of tracks I was putting together for a neighbour. Just plugged straight in to my laptop's headphone socket it sounded very good. Stunning bass.
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Post by hifidez on Aug 10, 2017 7:01:58 GMT
Ok - just taken out the tissue paper. As I thought. Perfectly sound without it. As with any headphones, they are so intimateley connected to you there is always a period of 'learning the sound' and subsequent adjustment. The 662's are easy to learn. Just my 2 cents worth.
By the way, the 662's are better played at natural sound levels. That's when it all falls into place.
p.s. I had forgotten how hard it is to refit the earpads on the 662's.
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Post by hifidez on Aug 10, 2017 20:31:48 GMT
Ok - just taken out the tissue paper. As I thought. Perfectly sound without it. As with any headphones, they are so intimateley connected to you there is always a period of 'learning the sound' and subsequent adjustment. The 662's are easy to learn. Just my 2 cents worth. By the way, the 662's are better played at natural sound levels. That's when it all falls into place. p.s. I had forgotten how hard it is to refit the earpads on the 662's. Obviously my 'They're All Right As The Are' statement has left everyone speechless.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Aug 11, 2017 17:45:42 GMT
I agree Derek. They are indeed very good as they are. I find the pads just a bit small though.
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jello
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Post by jello on Jan 8, 2018 13:06:12 GMT
Did you get a pair of the Takstar in the end Trev?
I ordered a pair from Headphoniaks in Spain over the Xmas period (haven't broken my New Year's resolution not to buy any more...for now at least) and they finally tipped up today.
Only had a brief listen but they seem not bad at all. Much better balanced and less muddy than a lot of portable headphones in or around its price point.
Not the most easy to drive pair I've owned at 32 Ohms / 96dB so think a good DAP or a portable DAC/AMP is really needed. Think the average cellphone might struggle to get them loud enough tbh.
Running them off my LG V20 they initially sounded quite anaemic and thin in normal gain mode but if I trick it into high gain mode they do improve a fair bit, although perhaps the sound lacks a bit of width to it if I'm being critical. Plugging them into the Mojo seems to take them up a notch and also opens the soundstage up a bit. The downside though is that Mojo seems to push the vocals too back in the mix for my liking which may ultimately mean the V20 is my preferred 'partner'. Horses for courses I suppose.
Clarity and detail seems very good on these as does the imagining capabilities. Tonality / timbre may the one area that isn't quite gelling for me - can't quite put my finger on what is up though.
Overall sound sig seems to be quite well balanced with a bit of elevation down low (doesn't seem to bleed into mids) with quite a detailed / punchy sound, decent midrange and quite an airy sounding top end (for me it maybe a bit too much / lively at times as finding them a little tiring at times - jury is still out). But for the money at circa £80hard to complain. Price appox. 90 Euros, but probably a bit less if you buy direct from Taskstar on Aliexpress and live in an import friendly county.
Should add that the hard foam lined carry case these come with is very nice indeed and not something you'd expect to see included at this price point. They are very light on the head, with soft pads, clamping force that feels 'right' and for me at least supremely comfortable. Headband and cups remind me a lot of the Sony MDR-1A (a good thing) and although they seem reasonably well put together there are a couple of things that remind me that this is a slightly more budget offering...nothing major though.
Edit: forgot to say that these have adjustable bass ports with 3 positions that can be alternated between by flicking a switch on the bottom of each earcup. Fully closed is the default (no bass boost), 1 hole open (+3dB between 20Hz-200Mhz) and 2 holes (+6 dB between 20Hz-200 Mhz). Prefer to keep them closed although I suppose the mid-setting might be fun for bombastic movies or games or for adding some oomph to music that feels a little lacking down low. Fully open kills SQ though and just results in the Pro 82 becoming horribly boomy and bloated.
Edit 2: added some more thoughts and info on specs and the quoted info on the bass boost
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Post by Mr Trev on Jan 8, 2018 16:56:16 GMT
No, haven't gotten a pair yet. TBH, I forgot all about them.
The last time I checked none of the sellers on AE had any in stock - unfortunately AE is my only option if I do want a pair (have I ever mentioned how much it sucks to be a consumer in Canada - can't buy anything locally). Not sure I'd bother with the case though.
They still are on my radar, the reviews seem reasonably positive - esp. considering the price. Your thoughts on the bass ports echo what I've read - leave it on default. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the earpads either - sounds like they're a low point and the HM5 earpads would be an improvement - just like the Pro 80 (luckily I already have some). Generally, from what I've read about past models, the quality is a big step up from offerings from other Chinese models in this price range.
Chinese New Year is coming up, I'll have to remember to keep my eyes open for sales
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jello
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Post by jello on Jan 8, 2018 17:22:21 GMT
I'm quite impressed with them considering their pricing. I think buying from AE some sellers give the option to buy with or without the case for a few bucks difference. The place I bought from included it as standard.
To be fair it's a nice case but not exactly portable for daily use if you wanted to sling it in a backpack for instance. Not something I'll use myself but it's a nice addition all the same. Probably the sort of thing that would be better to store misc. junk e.g. cables, chargers or tube boxes in tbh.
I quite like the stock pads as they are very comfortable, seem well made and thus far my ears don't get overly warm in them. Haven't read up on pad rolling so not sure if there are better alternatives though. Going on memory I think the HM5 pads might be a bit longer than the stock pads so not sure how well they'd fit. Could be wrong though!
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Post by Mr Trev on Jan 8, 2018 19:53:52 GMT
I did a quick check and I could get a pair sans case for ~$80 CAD at a few stores. None of them have spectacular ratings though. I was starting to think about getting a pair of Senn HD569 to full-fill my closed phones jonsing. They seem to be popular with Tyll and being closed they might even avoid the bass roll-off of the higher end models. They are twice as much though - providing I find them on sale - but can be had from Amazon.ca We need Frans to get a pair and give them the going over (maybe even come up with some mods) <edit> And now I see this: www.head-fi.org/threads/meet-the-sennheiser-hd-820.869355/Really have to start hoarding nickels
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jello
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Post by jello on Jan 8, 2018 22:34:32 GMT
That price!! And of course you know that if you bought the HD820 you'd always be wondering "what if I'd got the Takstar instead?" I've always been a bit wary of using AE as it seems like a bit of a minefield but according to the first post in this HF thread Takstar have a store on AE, which perhaps makes purchasing less of a gamble: www.head-fi.org/threads/takstar-pro-82-review-impressions-and-discussion-thread.849965/The post also mentions a $5 discount for members and a further 1% off is you buy via the AE app, which brings the price down to around $66 USD although that may be before shipping. Having listened a bit more I really do rather like the Pro 82 and am particularly impressed with the overall clarity of the sound, bass (tight and punchy with good extension) and its imaging qualities. The only things that would put me off recommending them without hesitation is that they might have better synergy with some sources than others and the highs are perhaps a bit more elevated than I'd personally like. Although that elevation coupled with the tight & punchy bass does give some tracks, e.g. Human by Rag N Bone Man, a lovely sense of energy. But for someone looking for a headphone with a thicker / darker / mellower sound this probably isn't the ideal choice. I also wonder what Frans would made of these (for all I know he might well disagree with most everything I've said!) and whether he felt there was much potential for improving them further via mods or a filter. Cups are quite small so perhaps not much scope for adding wool or other damping materials etc. One I think I can live with 'as is' but perhaps I'll try adding a ply or two of tissue paper behinds the pads if the highs do become problematic. Noticed a couple of mentions of folk using HM5 pads on that HF thread so it seems they do fit. Haven't heard the HD569 myself, or any of Sennheiser's recent closed backs Momentum 2.0 aside, so can't offer any thoughts on that one sorry.
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