CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone Measurements => Topic started by: ultrabike on December 18, 2013, 08:01:56 AM
-
I, like plenty of other peeps, bought these to finally give my KSC-75s a headband. Surprisingly they also came with a (cheap) 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter... But how do they sound? Who cares, but here it is anyway.
(http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll300/A105_1_20130115104443498.jpg)
Sound
Definitively no low to mid bass emphasis what-so-ever. I wouldn't call it neutral, natural, ethereal, boomy, or muddy... Just spiritual. If your music is heavily distorted in the lowest registers, these cans will provide a permanent solution. Only the upperest bass will come through with a delicate "tuplrr-tuplrr".
The cans are definitively coloured. Voices and instruments are rendered as if coming from a world class music hall, bathroom. Something happened in that bathroom, and copious amounts of Febreze is not going to help. Plankton? Nope. Krill? Nope. But there is shrimp with lots of sauce. Brutal kilodynamics.
The treble is fairly well extended. They pass air. A little emphasized in the mid-highs, but not ear destroyingly so.
Comfort
They are pretty light. The driver is however unusually small, and may or may not get too intimate with ones ears.
Presentation
Cheap. The headband is also pretty cheap.
Price
$2. Proly better (or not) than Conradz NW-Studios (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ComradzNWSTUDIO.pdf), Polk Ultrafit 500 (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PolkUltrafit500.pdf) and some others... But make no mistake, these are poo. Bought these for the cheap-band anyway.
Overall
p:/
Some observations
As said before, the drivers are fairly small and the impedance seems to resonate between 200 and 300 Hz which might be on the high side. The open design might not be the most adequate, and covering the cans with my hands seems to improve sound quality. With the proper housing, these may (or may not) make a reasonable over-grown ear-bud.
Measurements
Frequency Response
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4929;image)
Distortion Right
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4931;image)
Distortion Left
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4933;image)
CSD Right
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4935;image)
CSD Left
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4937;image)
Impedance
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1308.0;attach=4939;image)
-
How do they compare to the ones they give out on airplane rides?
-
I would say close. The Continental Airlines ones are maybe tad better but surprisingly inefficient. I'll do those later... :&
-
$2. Proly better (or not) than Conradz NW-Studios (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ComradzNWSTUDIO.pdf), Polk Ultrafit 500 (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PolkUltrafit500.pdf) and some others... But make no mistake, these are poo. Bought these for the cheap-band anyway.
OMG, what did I just look at? :)p13
-
The headband that can be harvested from these is wonderfully elegant.
(http://i.imgur.com/qKZIGvO.jpg?1)
-
How long did you let them burn in?
-
Probably not enough. SQ wise they seem thoroughly broken in, out and about. But maybe they can get better with time...
Someone should send them to MH, and have him listen to them for a few years non-stop with a power amp in order to get a solid expert opinion >:D.
-
They need a few thousand hours before they sound their best! :-Z
:)p13
-
They look good but I think I'm going to wait for the Dewar's version by Macaulay Culkin.
-
Not bad for $2 and a wimpy driver.
I really like that sort of construction though. Most comfortable.
-
Not really. If you have short hair, I call those designs scalpers. Short hair to no hair in no time.
-
What? No way. Well, the PX100 have little headband pads ... okay, not in the center where you'd need it. Still love that construction type though.
Replace the pads with thicker and tougher foam and I cannot think of anything more comfortable. I could wear those for days.
Wish there were more better headphones like this.
-
Both the PX100 and the Koss KTXPRO1 seem pretty interesting.
-
Bought a pair at a yard sale last week for a quarter.
Let's just say that they're not a new pair of headphones. Imgur album below.
http://imgur.com/a/Yd7HP (http://imgur.com/a/Yd7HP)
-
The problem is where the metal band inserts into the plastic. The tolerances are too big and allow short hair to pass straight through. Thus they get trapped or pinched when you go to remove the headset and rip the follicles from your dermis. Not a problem for most of you folk with civilian haircuts I imagine.
-
Nah, it's still a problem for me sometimes. I keep the ear-clips around.
Sanji, are those "International" cans the same as the parts-express? How do they sound?
-
Nah, it's still a problem for me sometimes. I keep the ear-clips around.
Sanji, are those "International" cans the same as the parts-express? How do they sound?
Upon inspection, different drivers and pads, actually. Same headband, though.
I don't think the Internationals have the same air that the Parts-Express does, actually. Instead of air, it's been replaced by a scratch-y sound in the right channel every now and then. Similar lack of bass. They remind me of the really old horn speakers in the way that the bass and treble are so rolled off.
-
I have about 1 inch long hair, sometimes longer, and never had a hair stuck in the PX100 headband. Heard some people with the PortaPro having that problem though. Still, should be easily mod-able to prevent that.
-
The problem I have with the PX100 is when my ears get stuck between the drivers and music starts playing! :-0
-
I thought pirates are all tough guys.. apparently not. :)p17
PS: Who dares changing my avatar? p:0
-
I thought pirates are all tough guys.. apparently not. :)p17
PS: Who dares changing my avatar? p:0
Your avatar made me take a double-take. I've never seen it blink before.
-
I have about 1 inch long hair, sometimes longer, and never had a hair stuck in the PX100 headband. Heard some people with the PortaPro having that problem though. Still, should be easily mod-able to prevent that.
1 inch is too long, that's civilian standard as in non-compliant/unsatisfactory with regulations. You would be fined and reprimanded. :spank:
Yeah, I'm sure wrapping duct or electrical tape around it would fix it and help w/ theft prevention. Regardless my CIEMs kick its ass so I have no need. p;)
Haha. I'll just leave this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxyfKCcDFd4
-
3 Doors Down... bold move.
-
Your avatar made me take a double-take. I've never seen it blink before.
You noticed it. :)p5
Yeah, I'm sure wrapping duct or electrical tape around it would fix it and help w/ theft prevention. Regardless my CIEMs kick its ass so I have no need. p;)
Never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ears!
-
I have another about equally impressive (looking) cheapy.
I bought this so my daugther can drown outside noises while listening to 'music'.
Had actually bought the cityscape Uptown for this but kept that one to myself :spank:
In case you want one for yourself... its called 'Intempo Pulse'.
It was just $ 7.- and is an over-ear and has a similar pad size as the 'over-ear' momentum...
(https://diyaudioheaven.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/dscn2799.jpg?w=614)
For the price the looks and comfort is decent (even nice for non-demanding kids)
I won't say anything about the sound except that it lacks some clarity in the mids (ahem), this isn't a bad thing considering the low bitrate crap they listen too.
just for laughs:
(https://diyaudioheaven.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/pulse.png?w=614&h=380)
-
Solderdude, time to mod those HPs :)p13
-
Done....
I used a different approach this time.
I smoothed the plot by 1 whole octave which obviously removed 'the grain'.
The headphone suddenly sounds very smooth.... :)p1
(http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz296/solderdude/smoothed_zpsff34ec2a.png) (http://s837.photobucket.com/user/solderdude/media/smoothed_zpsff34ec2a.png.html)
Of course I had to lower the absurd amount of bass a bit and chose 'Paint' instead of filtering or damping.
I grabbed the bass area and 'compressed' it by a factor 3.
Much easier and the result is great.
Now the bass suddenly is tight and extends deep.
The channel imbalanced seems improved as well.
I am real happy with this plot.... I wish I discovered this sooner, would have saved me a lot of time tinkering with those things.
-
Ok, I'll say this now: solderdude has drunk one eggnog too many !!! :)
-
whattzzz you sezzz ? :money:
-
:)p13 :)p13 :)p13
-
:)p13 :)p7 :)p13 :)p4 :)p13
-
You know - I'm actually happy to see this headphone. I've been trying to identify Nakamichi rebrands and *this* (the 'Intempo Pulse') is exactly the same as the NK780M!
The only difference is that NK changed the pads from the black plastic to some low quality vented vinyl over rigid foam. The Nakamichi earpads are *even smaller* than the ones on the 'Intempo Pulse', so much so that even if you could get your ears into a momentum, FSP, etc. etc. you can't get them into the NK780s. As a result, they're a horribly uncomfortable, ill-fitting, full-sized supra-aural.
Not that comfort matters though - they sound just like those measurements.