Changstar Cheap Headphone Comparo Extravaganza!

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by willc, Oct 8, 2015.

  1. willc

    willc Friend

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    Original Post by Marvey

    Going to post the measurements for the cheap headphone comparo here. As of December 22, 2014, we have these headphones in our possession. A big thanks to Greed, Claritas, Ultrabike, and wnmnkh for sourcing these headphones. As time rolls by, we'll try to snag a few more in the comparison.

    AUDIO HERE:https://soundcloud.com/onegahban/changcastno1
    [​IMG]

    1. Monoprice (will get model # later)
    2. Audio Technica ATH-M50X
    3. NVX XPT100
    4. Sennheiser HD558
    5. Sennheiser HD439
    6. Takstar Pro80
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2015
  2. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Original Post by Marvey

    Monoprice
    [​IMG]


    First up are the Monoprice heapdhones. I believe it was pretty much agreed among everyone that these headphones were the most craptastic of the bunch so far. They just kind of sounded crappy and low-fi despite distortion numbers being pretty darn good.

    OJ: feel free to provide additional written comments.

    Quote from: OJneg
    These were quite poor. I'd rather live with the earbuds that came with my smart phone and eat sand for a week to save up for something better. Enclosure issues were of major concern, possible mod candidate. But other than that, the Tascam TH02 is just as cheap and sounds better stock than this thing. And probably has more modding potential.

    monoprice.gif

    monopricecsd.gif
     
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  3. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Original Post by Marvey

    Audio Technica ATH-M50X
    [​IMG]


    Reactions to this headphone were ho-hum. It's good - OK. Better than old M50. Note that we've dropped this headphone on the new leaderboard. At least I would hope we did. They are on the pricey end of the spectrum for this comparo: $169 at Amazon.

    That's it for Dec 22, 2014. Going back to my temple of GAIN A-D recordings.

    M50.gif

    m50xcsd.gif
     
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  4. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Original Post by Marvey

    Sennheiser HD439
    [​IMG]

    I know the others didn't care for it. I kind of liked this one because I thought it sounded cleaner than the HD558, but with the downside of a cupped hands coloration. It's a closed-back headphone, but with some semi-permeable vents on the baffle. Might be a good mod candidate since eliminating this coloration is easy with acoustic fiber in the cavity. But mods are not the point of this comparo.

    I've seen this from $40 to $80.

    hd439.gif

    hd439csd.gif
     
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  5. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Original Post by Marvey

    NVX XPT100
    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    Also comes in Brainwavz and Fisher iterations. One of the best of the bunch. It would have been my favorite had the treble not had that spike. BTW, the 8kHz null is not a null. It's a peak with ringing (see CSD.) I've seen happen from time to time with both speaker and headphone measurements where a sharp null turns into a ridge in the CSD.

    xpt100.gif

    xpt100csd.gif
     
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  6. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    Original Post by Marvey

    Takstar Pro80
    [​IMG]



    These are pretty decent - good. Definitely bassy. The guys liked these quite a bit. Yes, it comes with a case. Even if you don't like the headphones, you end up with a case that can fit many of the other headphones in this comparo.

    Quote from: OJneg

    I wasn't crazy for these like some others were. Bass just too far north of neutral for my sensibilities. Other than that these are competent. These are easily a Beats killer.

    pro80fr.gif

    pro80.gif
     
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  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Sennheiser HD558
    [​IMG]

    I believe this headphone was received quite favorably by the panel.

    hd-558.gif

    hd558csd.png
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2016
  8. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    I don't think the image above is correct for the HD558.
     
  9. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    Aurvana Live should have been here. Cool comparison!
     
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    fixed
     
  11. Rex Aeterna

    Rex Aeterna Friend

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    i suggested these to my brother few months ago when we were at sam ash. they sounded pretty decent and defiantly were better pic to the akg headphones they had. the krk 840's i think they were called and sennhesier 280 were only other ones i was able to tolerate and liked. i suggested the 280 mainly but, my brother liked the m50x's more...i am actually using them as i type and it's been forever since using headphones like this...i have to keep the volume low though cause i find it's top-end on bright side and a bit tizzy. but, they sound smooth overall and do not mind the heavy sub-bass impact they present too much. it just over layers and masks the midrange a good bit making the midrange seem recessed. that's how i feel bout them. my brother bought them on sell for 100 bucks then since it was a summer sell sam ash had. i find these not bad. just still don't get the m50/50x hype though.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2016
  12. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I used to have one of the KRK's... it was either the 6400 or 8400, don't remember which. I recall it sounding a bit honky and not quite competitve with the Shure 840 or Audio Technica M50 in that price bracket.

    The Senn HD280 is a muffly headphone, but in specifically using that word it is also one of the best isolators you can get in that price range (and also clamps ridiculously hard). You buy that headphone for functionality, not refinement. It's a DJ headphone: high isolation, accentuated lows and highs.
     
  13. Rex Aeterna

    Rex Aeterna Friend

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    i thought the 280's were measured to be pretty balanced with just a good mid-bass to low bass upper shelving hump.. i know they weren't as prominent as m50's. i thought the 280's were bright too when i used them on my phone but didn't mask the midrange as bad as the m50x's do. i forgot which exact model too on the krk's but, while they had some midrange issues they were the most tolerable of the bunch...th m50's and 280's were more sibilant i found....all headphones top-ends though bothered me and i tried them at very low volume with my phone. i was just playing with my brothers' m50x's cause he came to visit and let me use them for a bit. never used the shure 840. sam ash didn't even have any when i went there.

    i think though price wise. i think i rather have sennhiser hd205's II....don't know if they're mentioned but, they can be had cheap and don't sound too bad. only issue with them they can irritate your ears after long use. from what i remember they sounded nice and had nice roll off at the top-end but, good bass response without sounding too warm or fat or over-powring and pretty good midrange...i remember them being my first headpone that i bought for 80 bucks in best buy before thy got rid of the music instrument store. they were great i thought but, killed my ears after while due to clamping....
     
  14. Armaegis

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    I definitely remember the 280's having a humpy midbass and muffle to them, and that typical cheap closed headphone upper end ringing of some sort. The 380's were sort of a step up but sideways at the same time.

    The M50's I did find cleaner in the midbass, but peaked harder in the top. Maybe peaked is the wrong word, but there was something up there that bugged me.

    The 840 had it's faults as well, but somehow its particular quirks fit well with my ear quirks and it was ok for me except for the terrible comfort (too much weight on the crown of my head).

    One of my favourite cheap headphones was the Senn PX100. Sadly, the revised models bumped up in price way too much. I could never get into the Koss portapros due to the clip which dug into my ear, and the KSC75 just didn't sit properly on my ear either. It sounded great if I held it in place with my hand, but that's not a feasible listening position.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2016
  15. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    I really enjoy the discussion and impressions of the lower end HPs, keep it coming.

    I seem to remember hearing a rumor that @OJneg was going to do another big cheapo HP extravaganza...
     
  16. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    Yep, he hinted at it a few times. Really looking forward to that.
     
  17. Zed Bopp

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    Good cheapos, you say? I and many others have mentioned them, but they deserve another look - here's my review of the Fostex/Foster-made
    Creative Aurvana Live!



    Have you guys found a better pair for less than 100 bucks? I haven't. :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2016
  18. DigMe

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    I bought the Monoprice ones at some point before I got into headphones when I had no over the ear headphones because people at Slickdeals would always say they're good for 20 bucks. I agree they sound horrible and one driver on mine is a lot louder than the other. I was kind of shocked at how bad they sound after I finally had some decent headphones and I hadn't listned to them in a while. I guess you really won't find much in any $20 headphone but as long as the Onkyo ES-FC-300 is still available for $25 from amazon that's a no-brainer at the price range.
     
  19. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    I would take the hd558 over the CAL!, but it literally is $100 bucks, and the CAL! is like $60 or less. And they are great.
     
  20. Pillars

    Pillars Embarrassment to Colorado crew

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    Anyone else tried the Koss PortaPro's? The soundstage is small and the bass is hiked... I'd also probably kick my own ass if I walked by a mirror wearing them but other than that, not half bad..
     

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