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Cholly
96
Aug 23, 2018
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These are fun headphones, do not buy them if you are hoping to have a great high-end headphone to listen to music with and be very analytical. If you don't own a pair of HD 600/650/6XX/660, DT 990, or M40X etc, please buy one of those first, just having a good sounding pair of base headphones to really know well is a step you shouldn't skip. I love listening to my 6XX (650 broke) as a daily driver, it's great to just be familiar with a pair; and then I get a fresh feeling when I switch to the TH-X00EB. These really should be targeted at the same people who enjoy tube amps for similar reasons, they are just fun sounding. If that is what you are looking for, in a lot of ways these are budget TH-900 (but you will never get the beautiful hand crafted cup).
With that out of the way. Did I mention these headphones are fun? They aren't flat, but that's not a bad thing (until 10k). The TH-X00EB are definitely V shaped but not to the point where you feel that the mids are missing. The mids are clearly not the showcase of these headphones though, the treble and sub bass are what these headphones are trying to show off.
The Bass: For the amount of bass it's still really firm and well tamed. The bass is a little overpowering, but it's also fun. I highly recommend "Why So Serious?" off of the Dark Knight album, when you get to that point in the song, you'll know. The mid bass is actually one of my favorite parts of the headphone, it's really clear and detailed. Bass guitars will really pop. I personally like older rock on these headphones because they don't have excessive bass in the recording, but these bring out some extra details. Finally, the bass is overpowering for competitive gaming, but it's oh so fun and satisfying, in Overwatch play as Pharah and just let off a couple rounds, it makes it sound like you are unleashing a micro nuclear rpg when your rockets explode. Overall, these are bass canons, but this is the difference between a shotgun and a sniper rifle, Beats just pour a lot of bass in to rattle your head but don't care about the fine points of bass and keeping it together when the going get rough, the TH-X00EBs are just as loud but are directly hitting their mark every time, every solid thump is short and round and the mid bass is smooth and contained.
The Mids: These headphones boast a very full bodied mid range. I find them to really excel right in the "Trumpet" range, where we flirt between the mids and highs. On the lower end I don't have a problem with the headphones, but honestly I feel like the mids are really good, but get covered up by the V shape sound, which stinks because I think if these would have a slightly more elevated mid level, these would be my perfect enjoyment headphones. The mids are tactile but do have a little rounding of the edges. These headphones really make the song "Paint it Black" from the Westworld soundtrack really pop. On this song in particular I think the soundstage sounds better than on most songs and the V shaped sound actually brings out some of the more hidden elements.
The Highs (and Really High Highs): The highs are surprising and clear. These headphones can survive songs that really abuse the whole spectrum without losing the highs clarity. These sure aren't HD800, but they are still very clear. "Epilogue" on the La La Land soundtrack really comes alive on these headphones and allows you to get away from the bass that these are known for and really enjoy how fine the highs are. However, the clarity of these headphones is also sharp and somewhat fatiguing. Even worse, there is a solid 10K spike, "Not Afraid" by Eminem can practically be unlistenable, and that's pretty unacceptable for a $500 headphone. And that's all really disappointing for these headphones that are really close to being epic enjoyment headphones.
- Use Cases - Gaming: Casual or Single Player: these are awesome, you may want an EQ if the bass is too much, but you may end up craving the sub bass from time to time after wearing these headphones in epic battles. Competitive: You can, the highs are good enough, but the bass is really strong and sound stage could be better, there are better options.
Music: Song by song basis. Rap songs and well recorded dance tracks are definitely what these headphones were made for. But imperfections will be just as clear, you may become addicted to only listening to the FLAC versions of songs because high compression destroys these headphones, they do not forgive. I also appreciate classic rock on these songs because I prefer the slight bass elevation on those songs. I would not recommend these for classical fans but they aren't bad, just really distorted.
Movies: These are pretty great. I wish the sound stage was a little wider for movies but it's enough to still get a good rating for movies, definitely better for movies than music, but not as good as casual gaming. They have a movie theater like quality with their sub bass.
Recording/Mixing: Lol. nope. However, I would recommend using these to check your mixes periodically. As I mentioned before, these headphone will amplify mistakes. A lot like the MDR-7506, if you have problems with your treble, you will not be able to hide. It also will keep your bass in check so you can have a good set of sub bass headphones to make sure you're not going to blow up people's sub woofers.
Construction Quality: Very solid but I still coddle them in transportation with a Pelican case. The hinges feel strong but can be changed very easily. The headband feels like the weakest part of the headphone. The cable is attached, but it's a solid quality cable, but I will consider modding these to make it detachable, this isn't an issue with the new model.
Overall: Please note that each pair is slightly different because of the wood cups. You will either really like or REALLY HATE these headphones. I hope this review let you know which person you are. These are definitely not competing with a vast majority of headphones, even those with V signatures won't have as much sub bass as these. If you like the idea of what I've said but are unsure about these then I would really recommend the original TH-X00 set, and not the EB, those are really good sounding as well but not as extreme as these (PH are very different all together). I don't have a good tube amp anymore but I imagine these would pair very well with that. These don't need a lot of power to drive, but the do need enough to sound good. 4/5, if you think you'll really like it you probably will.
My Setup(s): JDS Labs EL DAC + EL Amp Massdrop x Grace SDAC (O2 + SDAC Combo) + Alex Cavalli LCX & CTH Pads: ZMF Universe Lambskin (Also have the Dekoni Protein) If you have off center ear openings you will need attenuator rings.
Fabs90
0
Sep 11, 2018
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Chollyabout to pull the trigger between those and the ph. could you give a recommendation or elaboration?
are there shorter cable options?
Sep 11, 2018
Cholly
96
Sep 13, 2018
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Fabs90I honestly can't remember the sound of the PH since I only tried them on my friend's pair but I already owned the EB. All I can remember for sure is that the PH has a wallop of bass, I didn't go through my normal testing playlist though so I never got a real sense of the highs.
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/8950332.jpg - Frequency graphs of the three th/r-x00 cups https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-review.788776/page-486 - thd of the three is on this page at the time of posting
You'll find reviewers are torn between loving and not loving the the PH and EB, I find I fit more into what Metal571 likes, but Zeos has quite a following. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0USICycbE - Zeos Review of the PH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pFM_hW33bw - Metal571's review of the EB
Cable wise, you will be able to buy after market cables but they aren't cheap, the fostex connection is the same as the one on the th900 and th610 (so I'm told), the connector is built to last but it's not very popular across the market so you would probably be buying the cable just for these headphones, which can run you up another $100+ if you want to get a fairly nice cable.
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Sep 13, 2018
A community member
Oct 31, 2019
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ChollyBASS! Learn to spell basic audio words, please!
Oct 31, 2019
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