presumably not the plus then … still wouldn’t buy again – soundwise I wasn’t really impressed as well
I can’t recommend them either. They started to disintegrate and became sticky and gross. Should have gotten in touch with AIAIAI before I threw them away but, honestly, wouldn’t even want a free pair. They look really cool and they have their marketing down but, really not that good as far as durability and sound. Sorry. Just being honest.
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Cool I have been talking myself in and out of buying the wireless plus according to you tube one of the main selling point is their modular which I don’t care about.all reviews seem light on the sound and the fact they buzz when in wireless mode.
I can’t tell which version everyone is talking about?
I have the QC15, bought for travel. They were decent for music but not exceptional; it was the noise cancellation that was important. I replaced them with the smaller QC20 buds. The cord failed on those, and I bought Sony WH1000-MX4 (no travel yet with them, though). These are much better for music, and are wireless (in fact this is the only way I can listen on my new iPad Pro, because the damn thing lacks a headphone jack, and I forgot to buy a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle). I have had many issues with Bluetooth audio connectivity in the past, but not with these. I still use the QC15s in the kitchen when operating noisy appliances, but the pads are wearing out. I could probably replace them, as I did with the pads on my Sony MDR-7506s which are my main wired laptop headphones. I have two pairs of these, one in each country I spend time in, and have been using them for decades. They are very good for the price, though for synths and extended music listening I now use Beyerdynamic DT 880s, which are open-back, to spare my aging ears.
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I just put an order in for the Sony WH-1000XM4, largely on your recommendation. I plan to keep the assistants disabled, and hopefully the touch controls can be disabled too or ignored.
I’m still a fan of Monoprice, but if the WH-1000 lasts even a quarter as long as my 7506s, they will have been a good investment.
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I hope they work out for you! I don’t like the app part of it and ignore that; I mostly ignore the touch controls also. All I do is power on and occasionally change Bluetooth pairing. I have no idea what longevity will be like with this model, but I would expect software obscurity to kick in well before the 7506 lifespan if nothing else fails first.
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do you guys know how close to the original Sony 7506’s the current model is, are they exactly the same?
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I recently revisited e-earphone in Akihabara, Tokyo. It’s been a few years since my last visit. I posted this in reddit r/headphone, but I figured it would be useful here too. I know not everybody has a chance to trial headphones.
Last time I made a big headphone purchase (LCD-X), I trialed them at e-earphone first comparing them to LCD-2, HD800S, and others (2-3 years ago at this point).
I went back recently. Here are my thoughts:
HiFiman is doing interesting stuff, but Susvaras was the only pair that really impressed me (no surprise there, I guess). Sundara also hits a crazy price point for it’s quality imo.
Meze mid-tier was meh across the board.
Grado top-tier is the most confusing. I hear little to no difference from my SR225s (which to me are a nice fun listen). How can that be…
Sony MDR-Z1R was very confusing at its price point too. Underwhelming.
Shure SRH1440 was also a let down. Been wanting to try for a while, but I was surprised that they wouldn’t even clamp well. They bottom edge wasn’t even close to sealing.
Audeze was absent which broke my heart. I was really hoping to try LCD-4 and 5.
Of course curious what you all think or your experiences there.
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+1. Best Headphones under 1000€
I can confirm what everyone is saying about the tma-2. Horrible.
For wireless, I’ve been using a creative BT-W3. Even on my iPad I’m getting under 10ms using aptX-LL. (Shure IEMs w/ Shure RMCE-BT2, but any aptX phones will do.)
The dongle bypasses the built in iOS interval (which is a hard coded minimum of just over 11ms. It’s real world is waaay higher than that)
you talking about the latest versions of tma-2 released this year?
Yeah. They weren’t mine. A buddy of mine has em. He’s gonna sell em.
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I am very pleased with Sennheiser HD 595 for years now.
There is nothing like open headphones when it comes to long hours of making music. Never fatigued. No sweatty ears in summer. Not heavy or unpleasant.
But they are discontinued. If one can grab a pair second hand - go for it.
There is a new Sennheiser HD 400 Pro. Like the 595 it is neutral and analyzing with good bass without beeing dominant, ideal for mixing. Worth a try.
The Hi-fi Sennheisers I can not recommend. At least not for synth tootle.
Other than those I 've got Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pro 150 Ohm.
I really like them. But they could be a little larger around the ear. Can’t wear them forever, like the Sennheiser.
Always keep in mind, that the phones and your ears need some time to break in. Most likely they’re not perfect from the moment you plug them in. Gitve it a couple of long lasting hours.
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Sennheiser hd 650 are great. Very nice sounding and ultra comfortable.
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I’m using the HD600 when creating/mixing now. Would love to try the HD650.
I have the AKG702 Pro too, very comfortable, I can’t feel them at all so much so that when I switched to the HD600, I thought I had bought a closed-back model by mistake! Both of them are really easy to listen to but lack bass and highs (sonarworks can help a little), they are not hyped at all, which I like, but my mixes seem to be a bit harsh.
I also use the Focal Spirit Professional when tracking but the ear-pads fell apart so I’ve just bought what I thought would be the same sound signature: the Focal Listen Pro but they lack even more mid-highs, the vocals kinda sit in the back (which is a problem as I’m using them when tracking my vocals…) so I wouldn’t recommend them at all. Bass is better though and with sonarworks it can be somewhat useful for mixing the lows.
The sonarworks reviews are quite useful by the way:
I have these too, they’re a superb all rounder.
There are a few features that I switch off (surround, DSEE HX, etc), but the ambient/noise cancellation is great… it’s like having closed/open back in the same pair of headphones. Bringing in the ambience (that you can level adjust too) is cool when you want to use for longer periods of time.
I roll the bass off on mine to -2 and raise the two high freqs to +1, that seems the best balance to me.
I’m not sure I’d trust them for critical mix decisions, but they’re great for everything up to that point.
My other headphones I use and like are;
Beyer DT770’s -for tracking/mix ref.
Beyer DT900 Pro X -recent addition as a balanced open back tracking/mixer.
Senn HD-25 -I like them for referencing and mainly use them for DJing.
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HD 25s are definitely the best headphones for live mixing and DJing. With the Yaxi Alcantara Pads they get more balanced and comfy for longer sessions.
https://www.bamfsound.com/yaxi-comfort-earpads-sennheiser-hd25/
I bought the DT-880 Pro, 250 ohms. The differences between the Pro and Edition are purely cosmetic, according to the company (coiled cable is very handy). There are sound differences between the 880, 770, and 990. I decided on the 880 because I’m more of a mids guy than a bass guy. But others are very happy with the other models.