Love your reviews. Sometimes I just watch for the fun of it, it's entertaining and informative. I bought my Philips Fideleo based on your review. Happy ever since. Never heard of many of the brands you review but you do a great job. Even if your tooth is broken.....
I'm usually wearing headphones 8+ hours a day, so I cannot do on ear headphones, no matter how soft the padding after an hour or two my earlobes feel like they're in a vice. I owned a pair of Grado SR125's for a month before I sold them, I liked them a lot for listening to music other than my own, but not enough to tolerate the pain. Audeze is onto something with this cable though, and although nothing else about them enticed me, the cable and the ability to permanently store an EQ setting is GENIUS. I'm not sure it quite deserves $500, but it's still very impressive.
This is likely my next headphone, but I want a Cipher cable for USB-C devices, as many newer devices are using USB-C (computer, tablets, phones). once that happens this will become more appealing to me. I don't have an Apple i-anything so a lightning connection is limiting.
Am I missing something ? Many reviewers mention “deep and punchy bass” with these headphones but I can’t hear it, even when using a Mojo.The bass is definitely there, but oh so timid and discrete, no real slam or low end extension which I guess is not really surprising with a planar...
Over-ear, single entry cable model, with remote, for that price would have been tempting. But 449 for an on ear with no remote (on the normal cable) and dual entry cable is very incovenient for a portable headphone. Perhaps it is slightly more attractive to apple users, but personally I wouldn't buy a dual sided entry cable headpone anymore.
Which of the 2 has that distinctive planar bass signature?, also is more musical? Am really interested in Sine but just need to know your thoughts. Thanks, Top review there Tyll. HE400S was my first audio experience with planar magnetics and now also own T50RP Mk3.
I'll take the Vmoda XS thanks. Why spend all that money on a portable can when you can spend half that much and get pretty much the same performance and a much tougher build?
+Scappo The XS is pretty mediocre imo. The Beyerdynamic T51i are by far the best sounding all rounder _on-ear_ portables I've heard, and even surpass the XS' big brother the over-ear M100 in most genres, but lack that low end bass and sub-bass impact for EDM, Hip-Hop.
+Sarfaraz Hussein Merchant I agree those things are sweet. That's why you have multiple headphones each can work for different sounds your looking to hear. Especially for portable use.
So since i won't be using the Cipher cable as i do not have any iDevices, what portable amp/dac would be recommended. I am leaning towards the Oppo HA2 right now, would love to know your opinions.
This or the audeze el-8 titanium? I'm planning on buying an iphone and since I've always wanted an Audeze, I thought I would pair them up. Price is not an issue.
+InnerFidelity Im having a bit of the same issue, because I've not always been a fan of on ear designs. Which headphone has the better overall sound quality, and better for long listening session??
***** The great reviews of the EL-8 most likely come from people who either: 1. Are paid/sponsored or by some other reason, biased. 2. Are stupid, naive audiophile jerks who only see the world through a small hole (their arsehole most often) 3. Have poor bases of reference. This is a hard one but probably the most important - and most underestimated - factor. Give the EL-8 to someone who's never heard better and the outcome is obvious. Give it to someone who don't know how a great headphone should *really* sound, and it's also a lost cause. Also of course, there will always be some level of subjectivity, even with Tyll here who I consider to be the only active reviewer in the business that I would call a reliable source of information.
Hey I'm thinking about buying these headphones but I'd like to know if it's possible to use the lighting cable with an android phone? I have a HTC 10 which has a nice dac+pre-amp built in to it with 24 bit output, which leads me to believe I'll be fine without the cipher cable, but on the other hand I'd really like to have the play/pause and volume controls.
Hey Tyll. How would this compare to the DT1350, in your opinion? I know they're different price points, but I was just wondering about the sound signature and what you prefer.
Kyuss hmmm I don't know about you... - and maybe my opinion will completely change once I have listenend to some products - but I don't think I am ever going to spend more thn 200 (EUR) on a headphone.. I'd much rather have several "lower-end" headphones to tinker around with and to try out with different music thn one really expensive pair.
According to your title you're saying that these constantly malfunction without warning, are ridiculously overpriced and always behind other manufacturers in the same market. Good analogy
+mindsmirror I think maybe its down to planars rather than Audeze..I dnt know, I bought the LCD2 some years back and I returned it because of channel imbalance, but Hifiman is worst in all aspects
+reiymi its on ear. great for a short travel session but Soo uncomfortable for long session I mean what's the point of owning expensive headphones if it hurts you to enjoy them
+taief miah It depends on your ears not on the type of the Headphone. In my top five of headphones there are two on ear - I can wear them for hours without discomfort.
8 лет назад+3
+Jarl Ballin' Its for people with big wallets and tiny tiny cute ears.
lol this is what they call "mid-fi" O_o also if you're in the market for a planar magnetic (non -on-ear though) check out the Fostex t-series (T20, T40, T50)
Well mate, you have to sacrifice that with technology...Planar magnetic technology in a on-ear headphone is a time leap, planar magnetic usually happens on big headpgones
That was the point. But nevertheless, they called it something different, where Audeze uses the planar mag label. So in a way, they are the first planar mag on-ears.
Not Much Of A Fan Its just a name, it not like they are doing something new. If I mount a shop and sell apples calling it giromba, it's not like I'm selling a new fruit.
Don't know why you people who are willing to spend these big buck on headphones don't simply go into the pro audio studios where the sounds you listen to are actually recorded and look at the stuff the pros use -- Koss, AKG, Sennheiser, Stanton, etc. Over-the-ear pro studio cans have been around since the modern recording studio and they are tried and true products that the pro audio engineers and audio mixers use to mix the music you listen too on your devices. And the pro audio headphones are nowhere near the outrageous asking price for these Audese Sines. And not-for-nothin as we say in Brooklyn, if these Sines are worth the $500 plus asking price, how come you never see these consumer brands in the recording studios? You want quality headsets? just look at what the pros use and then price them. They all come in WAY under the price tag on these consumer headphones. There is nothing magic about what Audese knows that the pro headphone manufactures don't know, other than Audese spends alot more on marketing to a gullible comsumer sector; the real pro manufactures spend their money in constantly improving their pro line products. Just a thought. Check out the headphone prices at the pro audio supplier fullcompass and see what kind of quality proaudio cans can be had for a third and half the price of the Sines.
Audio mixers use equipment that is designed specifically to highlight unpleasant sounds. This is so that if the final track sounds good on their monitor, it's more likely to sound good on everything else. Studio monitors are basically a diagnostic tool. But hey, go for it if they sound good to you.
*Koss* are a joke, and are driven by nothing more than nostalgia. Like Rolex or Harley they have their following, but they've been superseded. I never liked the Porta Pro's which i thought were trash in comparison to the Sennheiser PX's and iGrado's. *Sennheiser* OK default choice, until you realise there more to life than Sennheiser. I had 27 pairs at one point, i'm down to 2 pairs. Problem with Sennheiser.... hideous amount of counterfeits. Good luck trying to get your hands on the real thing. But even if you do, i don't think they're the last word in anything! My 20+year old HD25-1 mk II's i don't think I've used them in 5+ years *AKG* (Which I have on at the moment - AKG K272HD Listening to a bit of Michael, remembering better days before it all went wrong), I've over over 20 pairs of AKG's mostly on the studio side, vintage and modern. I loooooved the 141 mkII's but by Jove the clamping effect ... and they cooked your ears before the first track was over. I can hardly see how a studio engineer could put up with them. But they really were hit and miss. Stanton, Yamaha, Reloop (facepalm), Equation RP-21 (brilliant), Shure, Allen & Heath, Roland RH-300 and many many more I have to say one brand of studio based 'Headphones' that i never really got on with was Shure. I like ... not love but like their IEM's, but the headphones left me wanting. Same for Beyerdynamic, i never saw the fascination with them. I don't think studio headphones are the 'I Ching'. I think they have as many hit and misses than any other brand/category. There are some gems out there like the Roland's which i deeply regret selling, but there are some good commercial choices out there. I regret selling my Stax SR-002 headphones system. I thought they were pain at first, but i grew to love them. But i introduced a rule: If I hadn't used them in a year, they went, and the Rolands and Stax went. But to rule out the new generation of high-priced headphones I think its foolhardy. Sure there's a load of garbage out there, but there are also some gems out there. I just don't think the studio world has any more to give than commercial headphones. I design and build speakers and have done for over 40 years, and i done a few studios in my time. I don;t see the attraction in many brands, Dynaudio, Focal, ATC, Barefoot, Tannoy etc. In fact I've built cheaper alternatives to replace expensive so-called high-end brands.
If you’d actually like to know why, the following might interest you: www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurements-explained-frequency-response-part-one
"I can for example lie down ………………oh"
Love your reviews. Sometimes I just watch for the fun of it, it's entertaining and informative. I bought my Philips Fideleo based on your review. Happy ever since. Never heard of many of the brands you review but you do a great job. Even if your tooth is broken.....
Hey may I ask you if you bought the X2 or the X1 ? probably the X2 and did u have an Problems in terms of the build quality ?
So glad to see this review , been waiting since I first saw this headphone and I value your opinion as always
I'm usually wearing headphones 8+ hours a day, so I cannot do on ear headphones, no matter how soft the padding after an hour or two my earlobes feel like they're in a vice. I owned a pair of Grado SR125's for a month before I sold them, I liked them a lot for listening to music other than my own, but not enough to tolerate the pain. Audeze is onto something with this cable though, and although nothing else about them enticed me, the cable and the ability to permanently store an EQ setting is GENIUS. I'm not sure it quite deserves $500, but it's still very impressive.
This is likely my next headphone, but I want a Cipher cable for USB-C devices, as many newer devices are using USB-C (computer, tablets, phones). once that happens this will become more appealing to me. I don't have an Apple i-anything so a lightning connection is limiting.
I thought the small white mark on the wall is on my screen.
since I got the Sine and the PM - 3, all of my other portable headphones sound less clear and articulate. I'm on the planar hype now!
which one do you like better? I am considering between pm3 and sine
+NeoWilson1 overall, the comfort and accuracy of the PM-3 makes it a winner for me. but the reviews are correct when they say the sine is more fun.
PM 3 is a brick for portable use
The Beyerdynamic t51i is great, problem is the cables....Lost one audio because of a cable being yanked out while in the driver interior :(
I want a planar magnetic headphone where I can lie on a bed
Do a review on the audeze el-8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i've put a BMW Sports Car on my head, and it wasn't really comfortable at all...
replace the pads with brainwavz pads
Am I missing something ? Many reviewers mention “deep and punchy bass” with these headphones but I can’t hear it, even when using a Mojo.The bass is definitely there, but oh so timid and discrete, no real slam or low end extension which I guess is not really surprising with a planar...
Over-ear, single entry cable model, with remote, for that price would have been tempting. But 449 for an on ear with no remote (on the normal cable) and dual entry cable is very incovenient for a portable headphone. Perhaps it is slightly more attractive to apple users, but personally I wouldn't buy a dual sided entry cable headpone anymore.
Which of the 2 has that distinctive planar bass signature?, also is more musical? Am really interested in Sine but just need to know your thoughts. Thanks, Top review there Tyll.
HE400S was my first audio experience with planar magnetics and now also own T50RP Mk3.
Im looking to buy a headphone for travel and daily use. I am having a tough time deciding between the oppo pm3 and the sine. Which One should I get?
Could you review the sub $100 Philips SHP9500 giant killer please?
Just watch Z reviews he is way better than this guy
I'll take the Vmoda XS thanks.
Why spend all that money on a portable can when you can spend half that much and get pretty much the same performance and a much tougher build?
I will agree on build but not sound quality. I'm not saying the XS isn't good but it's not the Sine.
+Scappo The XS is pretty mediocre imo. The Beyerdynamic T51i are by far the best sounding all rounder _on-ear_ portables I've heard, and even surpass the XS' big brother the over-ear M100 in most genres, but lack that low end bass and sub-bass impact for EDM, Hip-Hop.
+Sarfaraz Hussein Merchant I agree those things are sweet. That's why you have multiple headphones each can work for different sounds your looking to hear. Especially for portable use.
which one is better Sine or V moda m100 ?
when did tyll lose his tooth? I just noticed now
So since i won't be using the Cipher cable as i do not have any iDevices, what portable amp/dac would be recommended. I am leaning towards the Oppo HA2 right now, would love to know your opinions.
This or the audeze el-8 titanium? I'm planning on buying an iphone and since I've always wanted an Audeze, I thought I would pair them up. Price is not an issue.
+reynajrobert I prefer the SINE by quite a bit over the EL8.
The EL-8s are a failure, more or less.
+InnerFidelity Im having a bit of the same issue, because I've not always been a fan of on ear designs. Which headphone has the better overall sound quality, and better for long listening session??
+Lee S what ? the open back gets great reviews ? what are you talking about ?
***** The great reviews of the EL-8 most likely come from people who either:
1. Are paid/sponsored or by some other reason, biased.
2. Are stupid, naive audiophile jerks who only see the world through a small hole (their arsehole most often)
3. Have poor bases of reference. This is a hard one but probably the most important - and most underestimated - factor. Give the EL-8 to someone who's never heard better and the outcome is obvious. Give it to someone who don't know how a great headphone should *really* sound, and it's also a lost cause.
Also of course, there will always be some level of subjectivity, even with Tyll here who I consider to be the only active reviewer in the business that I would call a reliable source of information.
Hey I'm thinking about buying these headphones but I'd like to know if it's possible to use the lighting cable with an android phone?
I have a HTC 10 which has a nice dac+pre-amp built in to it with 24 bit output, which leads me to believe I'll be fine without the cipher cable, but on the other hand I'd really like to have the play/pause and volume controls.
Hey Tyll. How would this compare to the DT1350, in your opinion? I know they're different price points, but I was just wondering about the sound signature and what you prefer.
+iAmMrHD Nice. Thanks for the reply.
Audeze Sine or Sennheiser HD 630VB?
T5p first gen vs these?
Tyll, have you tried the open version of the SINE? Better or not? Thanks!
... VS Denon AH-MM400 ?!
are they planar?
+Daemon Brosing Yes he says so in the video.
since I'm an Android owner I guess these cans are no good for me since the additional cable is only for Apple.
LG still offers solid audio components. I don't even bother with a Dragonfly or Mojo anymore.
please can you review the takstar ts-671.
"...connectorized at the head..." That's what she said.
Is it better than the oppo pm3?
yes
no
For $500 plus tax i expect a perfectly balanced headphone with no imperfections in the frequencies ranges.
Good luck with that.
You'd want some extra bass for when your playing "Catamaran" ;)
+skypjuh Yes gotta hear Reeder's tasty bass grooves.I have read good things about Oppo Planar Magnetic series headphones.PM-3 are $399 US.
Kyuss hmmm I don't know about you...
- and maybe my opinion will completely change once I have listenend to some products - but I don't think I am ever going to spend more thn 200 (EUR) on a headphone..
I'd much rather have several "lower-end" headphones to tinker around with and to try out with different music thn one really expensive pair.
I just bought the open sine DX for 305 usd used from a vendor. Can't wait
According to your title you're saying that these constantly malfunction without warning, are ridiculously overpriced and always behind other manufacturers in the same market. Good analogy
damm only iphone y no USB for android
m40x/m50x with usb c/lightning Modular cable for smartphone to use the full potential of the headphone drivers may be?
Review fostex
"Bass response doesn't quite match the Harmon Response Curve.."....It was actually said with a straight face... Oh well...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Stability ;-))))
God I hate what audeze's done. Ever since the over hyped el 8...
+mindsmirror I think maybe its down to planars rather than Audeze..I dnt know, I bought the LCD2 some years back and I returned it because of channel imbalance, but Hifiman is worst in all aspects
lay down on your pillow lol
$500 for an on-ear headphone... I'll pass...
+reiymi its on ear. great for a short travel session but Soo uncomfortable for long session I mean what's the point of owning expensive headphones if it hurts you to enjoy them
+taief miah
It depends on your ears not on the type of the Headphone.
In my top five of headphones there are two on ear - I can wear them for hours without discomfort.
+Jarl Ballin' Its for people with big wallets and tiny tiny cute ears.
lol this is what they call "mid-fi" O_o
also if you're in the market for a planar magnetic (non -on-ear though) check out the Fostex t-series (T20, T40, T50)
Well mate, you have to sacrifice that with technology...Planar magnetic technology in a on-ear headphone is a time leap, planar magnetic usually happens on big headpgones
I am new to premium headphones. I head read that humans hear 20kz to 20000hz . Something less like 5hz or more like 40000hz cannot be heard.
jajajaj 02:50
lost me at leather
"the first on ear planar magnetic headphones"
Old Yamahas? Hello?
+Tordah! Hey, those were orthodynamic. Totally different stuff.
Not Much Of A Fan orthodynamic is just another way of calling this technology.
That was the point. But nevertheless, they called it something different, where Audeze uses the planar mag label. So in a way, they are the first planar mag on-ears.
Not Much Of A Fan Its just a name, it not like they are doing something new. If I mount a shop and sell apples calling it giromba, it's not like I'm selling a new fruit.
No fun allowed.
Nice profit margin for the company $500 for a small portable headphone always nice to actively find a company don't u think so
That made no sense at all...
Don't know why you people who are willing to spend these big buck on headphones don't simply go into the pro audio studios where the sounds you listen to are actually recorded and look at the stuff the pros use -- Koss, AKG, Sennheiser, Stanton, etc. Over-the-ear pro studio cans have been around since the modern recording studio and they are tried and true products that the pro audio engineers and audio mixers use to mix the music you listen too on your devices. And the pro audio headphones are nowhere near the outrageous asking price for these Audese Sines. And not-for-nothin as we say in Brooklyn, if these Sines are worth the $500 plus asking price, how come you never see these consumer brands in the recording studios? You want quality headsets? just look at what the pros use and then price them. They all come in WAY under the price tag on these consumer headphones. There is nothing magic about what Audese knows that the pro headphone manufactures don't know, other than Audese spends alot more on marketing to a gullible comsumer sector; the real pro manufactures spend their money in constantly improving their pro line products.
Just a thought. Check out the headphone prices at the pro audio supplier fullcompass and see what kind of quality proaudio cans can be had for a third and half the price of the Sines.
Audio mixers use equipment that is designed specifically to highlight unpleasant sounds. This is so that if the final track sounds good on their monitor, it's more likely to sound good on everything else. Studio monitors are basically a diagnostic tool.
But hey, go for it if they sound good to you.
*Koss* are a joke, and are driven by nothing more than nostalgia. Like Rolex or Harley they have their following, but they've been superseded. I never liked the Porta Pro's which i thought were trash in comparison to the Sennheiser PX's and iGrado's.
*Sennheiser* OK default choice, until you realise there more to life than Sennheiser. I had 27 pairs at one point, i'm down to 2 pairs. Problem with Sennheiser.... hideous amount of counterfeits. Good luck trying to get your hands on the real thing. But even if you do, i don't think they're the last word in anything! My 20+year old HD25-1 mk II's i don't think I've used them in 5+ years
*AKG* (Which I have on at the moment - AKG K272HD Listening to a bit of Michael, remembering better days before it all went wrong), I've over over 20 pairs of AKG's mostly on the studio side, vintage and modern. I loooooved the 141 mkII's but by Jove the clamping effect ... and they cooked your ears before the first track was over. I can hardly see how a studio engineer could put up with them. But they really were hit and miss.
Stanton, Yamaha, Reloop (facepalm), Equation RP-21 (brilliant), Shure, Allen & Heath, Roland RH-300 and many many more I have to say one brand of studio based 'Headphones' that i never really got on with was Shure. I like ... not love but like their IEM's, but the headphones left me wanting. Same for Beyerdynamic, i never saw the fascination with them.
I don't think studio headphones are the 'I Ching'. I think they have as many hit and misses than any other brand/category. There are some gems out there like the Roland's which i deeply regret selling, but there are some good commercial choices out there. I regret selling my Stax SR-002 headphones system. I thought they were pain at first, but i grew to love them. But i introduced a rule: If I hadn't used them in a year, they went, and the Rolands and Stax went.
But to rule out the new generation of high-priced headphones I think its foolhardy. Sure there's a load of garbage out there, but there are also some gems out there. I just don't think the studio world has any more to give than commercial headphones.
I design and build speakers and have done for over 40 years, and i done a few studios in my time. I don;t see the attraction in many brands, Dynaudio, Focal, ATC, Barefoot, Tannoy etc. In fact I've built cheaper alternatives to replace expensive so-called high-end brands.
If you’d actually like to know why, the following might interest you: www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-measurements-explained-frequency-response-part-one
Monitoring in a studio is a 180° from listening as an audiophile.
Why's that?