Tune Dem of Headphones

We use the Tune Method to evaluate performance

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stefan
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Post by stefan »

K420 are fine when it's quiet around but I need something that are usable in noisy transportation. Preferably in the same price range. Any ideas?
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Post by lejonklou »

Stefan: I need something more isolating as well, which is why I asked about AKG K550. They look pretty cool to me, but may prove too big and bulky for mobile use.

I will find out in September, because I just ordered a pair. And while I was at it, I ordered a pair of Superlux HD668b as well. The ones malpa praised. We'll see how these two play music in comparison with AKG K24P and K420. I will keep you posted!

And btw, I read about K550 before ordering them. Isn't it amazing how much is written on the internet about headphones? Hours worth of reading, and that's for one single model. Every possible opinion about them has already been voiced. Yet there is almost no substance to be found.
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Post by ThomasOK »

Substance, Internet? Surely you jest.

I saw a quote somewhere recently that 99.9% of what is written on the Internet is false, 99.9% of the remainder is untrue and the rest is questionable. ;-)
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Post by stefan »

Big and bulky is not for me, I need something that can slip into the pocket of a jacket. So, what about In-ears ? Anyone tried anything ?
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Post by Linnofil »

stefan wrote:So, what about In-ears ? Anyone tried anything ?
Yes. :-)
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Post by Linnofil »

stefan wrote:So, what about In-ears ? Anyone tried anything ?
Before this summer I tried some cheap in-ears for my kids to use during the planned upcoming long driving sessions on our vacation. I had bought a dual screen DVD setup for them to use in the back and needed headphones that stopped some of the noise, otherwise they just turn up the sound and destroy their ears. Active noise cancelling headphones was a bit expensive and that directed me to in-ears. So I bought a few cheap alternatives and one pair was much better than the rest. This was the Skullcandy JIB. I returned the others and bought a few more pairs of the JIB, my local dealer was about to stop selling the brand and sold them for 49 SEK, that is only £4.5, €5.7 or $7.4. So I bought some spares, I know my kids! One of them have already been broken, the 3.5 mm pin has broken off from the connector. Seems like a weak spot.

I actually think that musically they are better than my AKG K24P and K420. That's not bad for under £5! They are a bit heavy on the bass and not as smooth sounding as the K420, or even the K24P. But they play tunes better than the both the AKG's. A good choice for in-ears! I have not tested any other Skullcandy headphones before or after the JIB's.
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Post by Lego »

Thanks for that L I will definitely not be buying akg again as the 3rd pair I've bought have snapped at the connector end ..listening to my wifes cheap over ear Seinheissers which I'm very pleased with but will be picking up jibs tomorrow
I know that tune
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Post by lejonklou »

Follow up on my headphone tests:

I just received the pair of Superlux HD668B's! Will comment on them when they've been playing for a while.

The AKG 550's have been repeatedly delayed. Now I've been promised them in November.
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Post by Charlie1 »

Lego wrote:Thanks for that L I will definitely not be buying akg again as the 3rd pair I've bought have snapped at the connector end ..listening to my wifes cheap over ear Seinheissers which I'm very pleased with but will be picking up jibs tomorrow
I just ordered some too
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Post by ThomasOK »

Lego wrote:Thanks for that L I will definitely not be buying akg again as the 3rd pair I've bought have snapped at the connector end ..listening to my wifes cheap over ear Seinheissers which I'm very pleased with but will be picking up jibs tomorrow
The pair I bought for Debbie and tested earlier in this thread snapped at the connector too, and only a couple of months after we bought them. This connector seems to be a definite weak spot in their design. I purchased a 3.5mm connector with a threaded metal cover at a local electronics shop and put it on the cable and there have been no further problems. Although I wasn't able to do a direct A/B comparsion my impression is that the new metal connector is a touch more musiclal as well.
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Post by lejonklou »

Time for an update here. I've been listening to five different pair of headphones lately.
Musically, I rank them like this:

AKG K24P / K412P / K403
These old goodies have come in different names and shapes, but from what I've heard the drive unit remains the same. In the musical timing department, they are right on the money across the entire spectrum. They do, however, sound quite distorted and there is not much detail in them compared to the model below. I can't play very loud or for long with them. Cheap but musically still the best.

AKG K550
This is a new, expensive, big and closed model. The drive units are 50 mm in diameter, which is a lot, and this has a practical consequence: You have to check the position of them on your head, because they are noticeably more well timed when sitting just right than when slightly off that position. Being closed means they damp some outside noise, which is a big advantage in some situations. Rather bulky and heavy for mobile use (I haven't tried it), but at home I find them comfortable.
Musically they are a tiny bit on the slow side in the bass. Just a little, but going back to K24P confirms my suspicion, because they are spot on. Soundwise there's lots of details and the sound is really n i c e and spacious - not like a tin can, which some closed models sound like. I haven't seen any measurements, but I suspect that there's a little peak of distortion in the midrange. This keeps me from cranking the volume up - something which is easily done with these!

AKG K420

When I first got these, I really liked them. They are small, portable and cheap, sound much smoother than the K24P's and feel better on my head, too. But the more I listen, the more I find they have some musical issues. In particular a lower bass problem, which is on the slow and muddy side. K24P has better timing, but sound harsher.

Superlux HD668b

This is a pair of big, semi-open headphones which resemble the old AKG K240's. The Superlux'es are a steal - in fact I bought them so cheap that I doubt they can be manufactured with any concern for environment or people...
The detachable cord comes in two lengths, very practical. Musically, they are quite fun. The timing is ok, but not perfect, perhaps affected by the jagged frequency response: There's an apparent dip in the high mid/lower treble and above that a peak that does not time perfectly with the rest. But still, they sound pretty nice.

I have also listened to a pair of Scullcandy JIB that Linnofil sent me (thank you!). I agree with him that they're musically around K24P-K420 level. I think I would place them above K420 in my list above. The problem is that I don't really like in-ears, for a number of reasons, so I haven't used them much. They also have a funny treble response, which appears to be lowered but at the same time quite distorted. In short: I don't get along with them. I haven't included them in the list, as I might be misjudging their performance.
Last edited by lejonklou on 2012-11-13 19:45, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by lejonklou »

I must add one thing:

I like AKG 550 a lot more than K24P! They just sound so much cleaner and more detailed. If I'm lucky, some more running in will improve their timing. It would be nice if they were better than K24P in all aspects.
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Post by mrco99 »

My current headphones are AKG 272 HD, (semi)closed model.
They go around the ear, but do suffer from sound leakage, as my wife can hear me playing music (+50) while she watches TV 4 metres away.

With the MDSi I found them very good. Good musicality and not fatiqueing.
But you must be able to stand their 'over-the-ear' cushions.

I also tested them with AK/1 and Renew DS. Don't know if it is due to the combination, but found presentation a bit lifeless and dull.
Akurate, yes, a lot of details, yes, not not really open and effortless.
Was expecting a lot more. Maybe the headphone or amp needs running in?

Have a hate/love relationship with Cans. Used to be a longtime fan of Sennheiser, but since I've all worn out my vintage 420, I have been drifting ever since.
It seems most pairs I buy end up in a drawer. About 350 euro would be my maximum budget.

Owned a Sennheiser HD600 with Exotik/Ikemi/Creek OBH21 amp but sold it on quickly - found it too expensive and not musical enough, I found myself getting lost in all the details (maybe I had to run it in longer....)

Then a Grado SR60. Yep, that ended up in the drawer. Better on musicality, but to me not very comfy to wear and too much music leakage.

Another Sennheiser in between. Cheap and it sounded as such.

Maybe I should buy a good one now, instead of all those mediocre ones before. Will give those AKG550 a try, and maybe a cpmparable model from BeyerDynamik and Grado.
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Post by lejonklou »

mrco99 wrote:Have a hate/love relationship with Cans.
Thanks for your report, Marco. I feel the same; love/hate and it usually ends in hate. Or rather, me not using those headphones.

I haven't had time for the 550's for a while, but in the meantime they've been run in, thoroughly. Looking forward to using them some more - and to hear what you think of them if you get the chance.
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Post by mrco99 »

Hi Fredrik,

I am curious what you think of the AKG550.
A little update on my experiences and last post:

I dug out the Grado from the bottom of my drawer, appears to be SR80 model instead of SR60.

Also re-installed Creek OBH21 heaphone with a Linn silver to the Line out of MDSi. Miles better than the internal headphone stage in the MDSi, as to be expected. Much more headroom, punchy bass on the AKG 272. Now it seems, I can´t go back to the internal headphone stage of the MDSi anymore. I should clear out a lot of stuff, but in this case I am glad I didn´t sell the OBH21 just yet.
I guess I will have to try the Creek now on the AK/1 as well.

But as for headphone playback only, I favour MDSi - Creek OBH21 above Renew DS - AK/1 with its internal headphone stage.
The latter sounding much too thin and clinical to my taste.
Again, the AKG272 may have a role in this part as well.
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Post by Tendaberry »

Has anyone heard the the Sennheiser Momentums?
http://en-de.sennheiser.com/on-ear-head ... tum-stereo

I just did a quick comparison with some B&W P5's and the latter sounded broken in comparison. The Sennheisers sounded very musical and quick, yet not tiring and with solid, tuneful bass.
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Post by The FlatEarther »

M Audio Q40's a gift from my son and destroy both my Shenheisers and Ultimate Ears 10 Triplefi's.

The Q40's are just so incredibly musical. They kill on TuneDem.

They also work fantastic on my iPhone and IPod.
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Post by doze84 »

The FlatEarther wrote:M Audio Q40's a gift from my son and destroy both my Shenheisers and Ultimate Ears 10 Triplefi's.

The Q40's are just so incredibly musical. They kill on TuneDem.

They also work fantastic on my iPhone and IPod.
Flat
FlatErther, could you send your M Aduio Q40's to Lejonklou for evaluation against akg K550, or you could compare them to a pair of Grado Sr125? This would be very helpfull for the rest of us looking around!

Edit: I also wonder if it's Q40 pro or normal Q40's?
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Post by doze84 »

Tried the review-praised Audiotechnica ATH-M50 today.
Good! But the Jib's were clearly more musical.
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Post by Charlie1 »

Yes, I like the JIBs too, although prefer my K24P's. The JIBs are great for when travelling though and excellent value.
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Post by markiteight »

I picked up a pair of JIBs today as I was getting fed up with the stock Apple earbuds. Good lord these things are HORRIBLE!!! Reticent weak and nasal midrange, bloated boomy and exaggerated bass, and highs that always sound like two pieces of sandpaper being scratched together. That would all be tolerable if they could play a tune, as has been reported here in the past. But they're hopeless! Musically my old Apple earbuds show the Skullcandys a clean set of heels. Despite their drawbacks I can at least tolerate the Apples for the hour long commute home. The JIBs…not so much.

Please tell me the JIBs completely transform after a few hours running in. I'd love to have something this cheap 'n cheerful work as an around town solution. If not I'm considering giving these a try:

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/yuin-pk2.php
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Post by ThomasOK »

I rather hoped to do a bit more of an update here but haven't had the time to do the listening I wanted to. However, in light of the above I wanted to mention that I now have two pair of the Paradigm Shift e1 earbuds. The first pair I got I lent to Debbie and she refused to give them back. She is on earbuds all the time between her iPhone and MacBook and really likes them better than either the older or newer Apple buds. They have three different size soft plastic pieces so you can fit them to your ear and they do a good job of excluding outside sounds such as on an airplane.

Since I couldn't have them back I bought another pair for myself and I really quite like them. I watched Iron Man 3 on my recent flight back to Detroit from Los Angeles and had no fatigue from the 2.5 hours of listening. They also sound pretty musical from ALAC files on my iPhone - not as good as the Grado SR125s but then they are cheap - they go for $49.99US. I haven't done extensive comparisons yet but my initial finding is that I like these better than the two bigger models in the line. So far they are the earbuds I am happiest with and I certainly find them musically preferable to the newer Apple earbuds that came with my iPhone.
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Post by markiteight »

Thanks Thomas, I appreciate the recommendation. I have a pair of Etymotic ER4P/S which are thus far by far the best portable transducers I've heard. The problem is their isolation from environmental noise is a bit TOO good and they just aren't practical/safe for use in public and on the streets. Besides, the fairly stiff cord is so microphonic that even the slightest movement sounds like a hand saw in your brain. So they're best left to situations like long transatlantic flights, for which they are absolutely ideal. For everyday use I've been forced to use the Apple earbuds despite their being slightly terrible and I picked up the JIBs hoping that they would be a better alternative. Their performance issues aside they still cut out a bit too much environmental noise for me and it looks like the Paradigms will probably do the same as they are still quasi-in ear. What I want is a good set of earbuds, but I'm beginning to doubt such an animal exists.

I do have to amend my previous post as well. All I have to say is if you ever encounter someone who doesn't believe break-in is a thing, have them give the JIBs a try. It's a fun little $12 experiment and it will make a believer out of them. They need a solid 100 hours but the about-face transformation is really remarkable. Yeah…there's still something weird in the treble like Frederic said (although he said they sound recessed while mine sound rather bright…perhaps more break-in is needed) and the bass is still rather prominent, but everything has snapped into focus and the music flows quite nicely now. I'm listening to them as I write this post and it has taken me almost two albums to get this far because the music is so distracting. And I'm listening to bad 90's German techno music so it's not like it's anything that should be THAT distracting! So yeah, I'm really enjoying the JIBs now. That there are other options out there even more musical than these is a bit exciting!
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Post by ChrBea »

any updates on this subject? Has anyone compared Grado SR125 with AKG550? As their price is more or less identical, I wanted to know which one can be recommended. Or another one in this segment.
Currently I still use my Sony MDR-CD780, which I bought as student a long time ago. They're still comfortable and they sound "natural", but no longer musical or engaging
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Post by doze84 »

Any further updates?

Fredrik: does your jibs still sound funny in the midrange, after full breakin?

Markiteight: How's Jib compared to Etymotic ER4P/S musicaly speaking?

Flatearther: Have you compared your M Audio Q40's to the Jibs?

Markiteight: I agree on the breakin time, Jibs sounded horrible in the beginning. I lost my pair right after break in so, I have no Idea if they continued to improve.
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