Which headphones of Drop's currently available?
I have some rewards points to burn but there's no obviously good options on Drop right now for headphones Contenders Ultrasone - maybe? I don't own any Ultrasones, so curious. Looks like garbage travel headphone which could be useful also. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. - Maybe? I have the DT 880 Good price point, really uncomfortable headphones but could be interesting to try the upgraded version. E-MU - strong contender but $400 is a bad price point for what it is. Which of the above would you choose and why? Nothing else on Drop is relevant to my interests, because Already own 6xx 820 800 s Ether cx Garbage / Consumer grade Meze 99 - garbage bass canons, hard pass No gaming headphones obviously Sennheiser wireless - no to wireless/bluetooth Hifiman - I have 2 of drop hifimans and they make really bad cheap shit on Drop, hard pass on HE-R7DX Aeon - I own the closed, Drop refuses to address #padgate so no reason to buy open Beyerdynamic 177x - wireless, nope Too similar 8x / 560s...
Mar 28, 2024
First Impression Very open sounding was my first reaction. I then went through some test tracks and not only was I not bothered, I found myself listening to the songs- songs I’ve heard a million times tuning orthos, and not really paying attention to the headphones. This is a good sign as you all know, especially for a picky bastard like me. Fit They fit a bit weird. They use the old school og HE-5/6/500 style Hifiman headband (come on guys, I like this headband personally, but you can design a new headband). This headband wraps around the top of the head pretty evenly. The weird part is that the cups/earpads aren’t positioned to put much pressure on your head, they just kind of touch gently, and the way the headband cradles the head, you can’t get more pressure or clamp. So when you first put them on it’s unlike most headphones that immediately pivot and find the right angle against your head. You have to move the cups into position. But once you do, I personally find them comfortable. They’re very lightweight and that weight is distributed evenly all along the headband and earpads. It’s just such a unique fit that I am picturing other head sizes/shapes maybe having issues, but I like how they fit my noggin. It’s still a bit weird though, it feels more like wearing a helmet than wearing headphones. Here’s a picture where you can see how the earpads line up with the headband in basically a straight line so you can see why the earpads don’t have much pressure against your head. https://i.imgur.com/4l8w7Ck.jpg There are two things I don’t like 1) How shallow the earpads are, but with the very mild clamp I don’t notice any discomfort with my limited time with them. I imagine if I wore them all day my ears might get sore from touching the grill but i don’t know. 2) The cable comes out of the cups basically at a straight down angle, instead of slightly angling forward. It works for the stock cable, but when I put an aftermarket cable on them, the 3.5mm jacks make the cable hit my shoulders. But the cable I’m using costs more than these headphones, so I’m not sure this is a legitimate concern. Still, seems like an oversight. Treble Maybe just a tiny bit more than neutral. But it’s done in a very even keeled, natural way, and the treble has excellent tone no plastic-y bullshit. No harshness. I actualliy think they have very good air too despite being closed back. Midrange It’s lovely. Neither emphasized or pushed back in the mix, midrange heads will love the vocal presentation of these phones. Very lifelike. Rich when called for, airy when called for. You can hear the timbre of breath coming out of a human being like you should be able to. It just sounds very right. Which is important. If the vocals are off, I could care less about anything else. But these phones nail it. There is one spot in the upper mids that is a bit emphasized and picks up harshly recorded piano a bit too loud. But I only heard this on two of my test tracks. And it’s not quite to the point of being harsh. I would call this a flavor, bringing out electric guitar in a nice way for most people. I don’t see many people finding fault here. Though I would personally want a little less presence. Bass These are not basshead headphones at all. I can see a lot of noobs buying these - because of the price, being closed back and the Drop crowd’s preferences in general including lots of noobs - and wanting more bass. Bass is neutral, but high quality and has great extension and control. Extension goes all the way down flatter than most electrodynamics, though I’d say by 20hz they are down a bit from where they are at 40hz. Not bad by any means. Just not ortho flat. Punchy, layered and detailed. I don’t think I can ask for more from an electrodynamic headphone. Bass never bleeds into the midrange at all. And they’re not bass light in the slightest. Bob Marley sounds excellent, and you can hear the little nuances and details of the bass riffs not just a big phat note like on many headphones when playing Bob Marley.. Dynamics They have a very dynamic sound. Focus is on macro rather than micro, they lack a little finnesse or refinement for the last bit of microdynamics, but I’m quite happy listening to them. Soundstage Very open for a closed back as far as I remember them sounding. I guess I can tell they’re closed back, but they create the illusion of space very well. They actually have a sense of air and space to them. Instruments have good separation. Power requirements They honestly sound pretty similar straight out of my ipod touch compared to my Yggrdrasil -> Liquid Fire. So I’d say they are very easy to drive and not picky about amps. It’s too bad they don’t fold up or isolate better because they’d make great portable headphones. Drop should consider making a foldable version with a little second layer of plastic on the outside of the cups filled with styrofoam. Distortion I’m guessing it measures pretty good. That’s all I have to say about that. Weaknesses There is a very slight plastic tone to the whole sound. I’m not sure where it’s coming from, because anywhere I look sounds natural. I’m guessing it’s from the little bumps in the upper mids or lower treble, or a distortion thing. They aren’t the most resolving headphones I’ve ever heard. But they are actually quite good, and at $149 they are damn good. They sound about as resolving as Focals to me I’d say, from memory. Maybe not quite as resolving as the Clears. Not amazing but pretty damn good. Though I will admit that my dislike of electrodynamics may be clouding my judgement here. They’re pretty bulky for what people will probably want to use them for - portable phones. The design makes them home use headphones or I guess transportable. But they don’t isolate at all, they may as well be open or semi open back. I think the fit may bother some, it’s very unique but once I get them positioned right, I actually like it because there’s so little clamp. They’re very light and rest evenly and lightly all around from the headband to the earpads. Conclusion Very cheap Closed but not isolating Very balanced FR with great tone across the spectrum Few faults Spacious and open sounding for a closed back Not picky about amps I really like how these sound, and they are the opposite kind of headphones I usually like. I’m impressed by what Hifiman and Drop have pulled off here. I think these are going to make a lot of people very happy and sell extremely well. I think I would take these over any ortho I’ve heard under the LCD-2 Classic price range maybe. The LCD-2 Classic has lower distortion obviously, but these are more clear and neutral sounding. I’ve heard some cheap orthos (I won’t name names) that sound way way worse. Hifiman should make more electrodynamics... I would highly recommend these headphones for anyone looking for a budget headphone that is natural sounding and natural. Fans of the HD650 or Joe Grado HP1000 or Focal Clear would like these headphones. If you prefer a John Grado sound with boosted upper mids or treble or bass, these may not be for you. -rhythmdevils on SBAF
- Deeper pads will reduce the mids.
- Angled pads will yield a peakier sound.
- Thinner pads will reduce bass.
- The bigger the 'ear hole' of the pad, the larger the sound-stage.
- Real leather will yield the most detail and the most bass... but imaging performance may not be optimal, especially with solid leather pads.
- Artificial materials will yield the most reflections, usually resulting in less perceived clarity
All this being said, I recommend the Focal Elegia, the Dekoni Elite Sheepskin Pads (or their elusive Stellia LE pads), and a balanced cable (Amazon has some new, inexpensive models) to use with your Cayin RU6... which looks to be a rather unique little unit. I'm curious to hear what you think of it. Of course, you could first see (hear) how the Elegia (+Dekoni pads) sound with your Burson. Yikes, that got a bit long-winded. Let me know if you have any questions.