I have a couple of headphones lying around the house so I think I'll make a little comparison of them.
I'm no audiophile expert pero ever since I started mixing a few album for friends a while back in the year 2000 I'd say I have a good understanding of what sounds good and what sounds crap. I've owned a couple of studio monitors as well (KRK, Behringer, Samson Resolv 50a, etc...) and the moment still have a DAW setup with a pair of Samson Resolv A5s. The best studio monitors I have used so far is the Yamaha NS10s (discontinued).
I don't like using EQ kasi naniniwala ako after the mastering process pulido na ang tunog ng mga kanta, talagang proper equipment lang para maproduce yung sound na narinig ng mga engineers sa studio through the monitors.
For comparison, I'll be listening through a Sony CD player with probably one of the best mixed rock album in the 90s, The
Galactic Cowboys "Space in Your Face". The song I'll be listening for the review is
"About Mrs Leslie". The song contains loud guitars, really nice rock drum sound (ala Nirvana's Nevermind), vocal harmonies, nice bass tones. May mahinang fill rin siyang acoustic guitar at trumpets sa background which I think mahirap marinig sa headphones.
Let's begin
Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 Pro - 5/5 - I love these in-ear earphones. Discontinued na siya and these were manufactured before Ultimate Ears was acquired by Logitech. Each ear piece contains separate bass and treble drivers. Flat sounding as if you were listening through a pair of studio monitors. The bass, mids and highs are clear, walang distortion, hindi nakakapagod ng tenga. These phones are very efficient kaya 50% lang ng volume nakakabingi na. I bought two sets of these just in case masira yung isa and at $300 a pair sulit talaga siya.
Sa song na "About Mrs. Leslie" madidistinguish mo yung mahinang acoustic guitar (intro/chorus) at yung fill in trumpets sa background. Clear separation ng mga instruments. The bass is deep kahit na earphones lang sya.
KRK KNS 8400 - 3/5 - Scooped ang tunog, parang naka EQ. Hindi clear yung separation ng acoustic guitars at trumpets. Nice highs and bass though. For a $200 headphone, it's not too bad.
Takstar Pro80 - 4/5 - Apparently this headphone is a copy of Beyerdynamic DT 770 ($300) but way cheaper ($50). It comes with a nice hard case! Kahit na mumurahin, ayos din yung build quality. Slightly scooped ang tunog pero way better and clearer than the KRK. Clear separation between the distorted guitar and acoustic guitar dun sa kanta.
Grado SR225e -3.5/5 - Scooped ang tunog parang yung KRK pero mas matreble siya. Clear separation ng instruments at malinaw yung acoustic guitar sa chorus/intro. Hindi pwede to sa office at sa Tokyo Subway, siguradong titignan ka ng masama ng mga katabi mo (sound bleed) dahil open back.
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Ayos yung build pero I find it overpriced ($270).
Philips A1PRO 2.5/5 - Nabili ko to sa airport last year nung nawala yung isang bud ng SuperFi 5 Pro ko. Scooped ang tunog, masyado ma bass, highs are OK. Instrument separation is not that great. Nakakapagod sa tenga ($150)
Iphone Earbuds - 1/5 - Meh. Walang bass, piercing yung highs. Tunog lata.
