Headphones tested on my fellow Drawing and Image Making Students.

This wasn’t supposed to be a test, but with most of the headphones being around the same (UK) price range, I thought it would be interesting to see which headphones they would take home. The headphone list includes:

Portable cans

Sennheier PX100
Grado iGrado
Ultrasone iCans

Full size cans - all around the £40

Kam KHP 1500
Denon AH-D301
Sennheiser HD212
AKG K518

High end

Sennheiser HD650 - they all loved them

Headphone amp

Cmoy - Penguin Royal Amp - nice piece of kit!

Natalie

Natalie liked the Sennheiser HD650’s of course, and the Denon AH-D301. She also took a liking to the Grado iGrado’s. The Kam KHP 1500 headphones were a bit too heavy (weight) for her. Can’t remember what Natalie said about the AKG’s.

Jamie

Jamie loved the Kam KHP 1500 headphones, and spent most of his time with them. He said that he preferred the bass on his Sennheiser HD202, than the HD212. The AKG K518 were too heavy in the bass for him. Jamie didn’t think much of the Denon’s. But one surprise was that Jamie liked the Ultrasone iCans!

Lee

Lee liked the AKG’s.

Sara - a bit camera shy

Sara was content with just hammering out her music!

Equation Audio RP21 Review

Includes 22 26 pictures

A bank transfer, many emails, two phone calls to the States and a hefty customs charge, but they’re here!

Finally, after nearly a month of messing around, the Equation Audio RP21’s Eartools are here. Yes the custom charge was a bit of shock, but not wholly unexpected. Remember that if you’re ordering from the US, you have nothing to worry about, and you get them for only $99, you lucky people.

Anyway, with out further a due, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Equation Audio RP21’s.

Even the cat likes them!

Size comparison: Sennheiser PX100 and Grado SR125

So, how do they sound?

The quick answer is great, and I recommend them to anyone and everyone, even if you have the Grado SR60 or 80’s on your list, I’d say ‘consider the Equation Audio’s as well’. They are superbly crisp and weighty, although the bass never over-clouds the sound.

Comparing them to the Grado SR125’s, the Grados are more detailed (obviously, given the price) but the RP21’s keep up in terms of sound staging. Wonderboy by Tenacious D, even with the SR125 superior detailing, Jack Black is slightly more central than the Grados.

Putting them up against the Crossroads Mylar’s, listening to Amy Winehouse - Rehab, the RP21’s are more open, which is a surprise. But is it? the Mylar’s are IEM’s and the RP21’s are serious, closed DJ headphones.

Let’s try them against my favorite Sennheiser HD25-1’s and see (hear) what happens. Tom’s Diner - Suzanne Vega, what a classic! the Sennheiser are a touch more open, and full in it’s presentation. The sound staging from the RP21’s gets a little bit lost with this track. The HD25’s is handling it far better.

Once again, when comparing the RP21’s to the HD25’s, the 25’s are twice the price, so Equation Audio has nothing to be embarrassed about. Playing Baby Fratelli - The Fratellis (rock track), besides the obvious detail advantage of the HD25’s, the RP21 Eartools are more than capable keeping up with the speed of the track.

The mids come through very well, but it doesn’t make the sound as forward or as fatiguing as the Grados. The highs don’t extend as high as I would like, but that’s my preference. Yes I do own few pairs of DJ headphones, but I’m no DJ. The sound is well balanced and weighted, that’s all I can say.

The RP21’s for the equivalent sub £50-60 ($99) headphones that they are, are very Impressive. If they were available for around £60 in the UK, they would be at the top of my list. Having far better bass depth than the Grados, and better clarity than the equivalent Sennheisers, these would be the natural choice. More on the exchange rate, in the ‘Conclusion’ section.

Bass?

Before I start, let me warn you that I’m a serious ‘Basshead’. With that comment in mind, forgive me if I say that the Equation Audio RP21 Eartools aren’t the gut thumping, bass kickers I thought they would be. To the average user, I’d say to you, there’s all the bass you’ll ever want. To hardened Bass lovers, the RP21’s might leave you wanting. There’s a little too much bass roll of on the bottom end.

With these comments in mind, I hasten to add that some have suggested a burn in period of a number of weeks. I’ve had these for less than an hour.

Even the Sennheiser HD25’s that only have a figure of 16HZ, offer a bass that you can feel, where as you hear the RP21’s bass. Please remember that I’ve had the RP21 Eartools for less than an hour, so more time is needed to burn them in. The bass may still be on it’s way.

Build Quality

The RP21’s offer all the build quality expected at this level. the cable is on of the thickest I’ve come across. The cable attachment into the ear piece is secured by a twist lock mechanism, that turns about 60 degrees (see pictures below) . The 6mm jack is a screw jack, which seems to be a more and more popular choice of manufacturers nowadays.

The headband and moving parts look to be strong and sturdy enough to take your average use. Being a headphone targeted for DJ and studio use, they have the ubiquitous swivel ear pads.

Comfort

The comfort is good rather than fantastic. these are big headphones, but I’m not getting the instant comfort value that I do with say, the Sennheiser HD215, a headphone of similar size. The clamping effect is quite strong, which in some ways is a bonus, but the ear pads is the week point, rather than the clamping effect.

There is an aching feeling around the back and underneath my ears, and it happens in a surprisingly short time, once you’ve put them on. This is not to be confused however with the discomfort felt by many a Grado owner.

They’re leather and offer a good seal, but they need a touch of softening up, in my humble opinion. They are in no way uncomfortable per se, but ………. they’ll do. Maybe velor ear pads would have been better. Just a though to any modders out there, who wants to create a pair of custom velor ear pads for the RP21’s.

Because of they’re fast growing popularity, a few mods like velor ear pads for the RP21’s, might not be a bad idea! And you’d do well to follow the growing trend of RP21 owners.

Where are the extras?

As with my Ultrasone Proline 750’s and my new Crossroads Mylar’s, I’ve come to expect some extras with my headphones. I wonder if you’re the same? Equation Audio offers no real extras to speak of. Yes, you get the 6mm screw type jack already attached, and that’s your lot.

No extra ear pads.

No extension cable.

No Fake leather carrying bag to carry your RP21’s to the set.

I thought that you might get a lovely fake leather carrying bag at the absolute minimum. So where the extras? In the defense of Equation Audio, you can hear that the money has been invested in the sound. Not to say that the Ultrasone’s or the Mylar’s sound bad. The quality of sound that the RP21’s pump out, more than makes up for the lack of frilly bits, that you probably won’t use anyway.

Conclusion (with special section for UK headphoners)

I’ve realized that this has been more than a quick comment about the Equation Audio RP21’s. It’s been a long wait, but they’ve been well worth it.

They Equation Audio RP21’s are well worth the investment, and as I said before, if you’re thinking of the Grado SR60’s or 80’s then I would beg you to reconsider. The RP21’s offer great detail and better bass, even the SR125’s couldn’t challenge the RP21’s for bass.

For the price, they’ll smash anything Sennheiser has to offer (I feel Sennheiser was always a class leader in DJ headphones) , but going above that price or straying into conventional headphones such as the SR125’s the RP21’s are out of their depth. But that’s not saying much, as the headphones I’ve compared them against are twice the price (in the US).

It’s hard to really give them a good comparison until I get the Denon AH-D1000’s in. But having said that once again it’s the exchange rate difference, but I feel it might be a fairer comparison than the Grado SR125’s or the Sennheiser

The exchange rate put the RP21’s in a different class (for UK headphoners only)

The price brings me onto another serious point. Because of the different exchange rates, I feel that in the UK, the RP21’s face very stiff competition. In the UK and because of the great price deals that are available for other headphones especially Sennheiser’s, the RP21’s attract a few too many competitors.

In the US the RP21’s are $99, where as in the UK (if you can get them) the RP21’s are £99, around $203. You can buy a pair of HD25-1’s for £89 if you look around. You see what I mean about the exchange rate? In these circumstances the light is dimming for the RP21’s.

I’m afraid that I would struggle to recommend them against such stiff competition, which is a shame, because they are good, well accomplished headphones.

If you have contacts in America, someone who could ship them to you, then do it! Strangely enough I have cousins in Salt Lake, and Proaudiosolutions.com have an office in Salt Lake according to the website. I wanted to try the whole process of bank transfers etc. And I have to say, it has been trying.

Final Thoughts

If you can get them for $99, then get them. You have my 100% backing. If you live in the UK and you can get them for as near as $99 as you can, then get them!

Notes:

The listening tests included the Go-Vibe V5 headphone amplifier.