Click the image to read the review.

Someone out there (apparently based in the US) has been looking for advice on whether Equation Audio RP-21 or Sennheiser PX100 are the “better” choice. Short answer is… There’s no such as a “better” choice when it comes to headphones (and pretty much anything else, really). There’s what may fit a certain role, and there’re several models from several makers that fulfil the same role.

Sennheiser PX100 are small, foldable, portable headphones that can fit into a pocket-sized case. Sounding-wise they’re nothing too special - analytical, “cheerful” and not very natural. PX100 have a nasty dip in the midrange that makes them sound somewhat thinnish and artificial. There’re much better choices for the same money.

RP-21 are closed DJ headphones. They’re the portable equivalent of disco speakers, with a similar (though more controlled) boominess and bassiness. They can provide a pretty good representation of such a setup for a DJ. RP-21 also have a penchant for bringing out drums, percussion and bass instruments forward (again, like disco speakers) while hiding some of the details. Some listeners like that, as the RP-21 make bass-heavy instruments sound “larger-than-life”, and their “prettifying” the mix hides some of the inherent harshness of heavily compressed MP3 files and CD audio. RP-21 also have a synergy with raw synth instruments (saw, sine, square, etc. waves).

However, for a listener and even for professional work, unless the buyer is a DJ aiming to work at a disco with boomy speakers, the Denon AH-D1000 might be a better choice. Costing around $100, just like RP-21, but with much warmer, intimate and sparkling presentation. Weighing half as much and more comfortable than the RP-21. Just as efficient. The AH-D1000 also are excellent portable headphones, and so are a good choice against the PX100 (though AH-D1000 are twice as expensive, the difference in realism and comfort makes up for it).

Then there’s the new lineup of Denon, AH-D301, AH-D501 and AH-D1001, which are the 2008 models. All are full-size circumaural headphones, AH-D301 with a suggested US retail price of $40, AH-D501 $60, and AH-D1001 $100+. They’ve not made it to stores yet (the US Denon website doesn’t even have photos), but any of those ought to have a value and performance superior to PX100. All are full-size headphones without any hint of the “toyish” sounding of PX100.

Some other alternatives are AKG’s K-81DJ (closed, foldable, $60), K-24P (open, foldable mini, direct PX100 equivalent, $29), and, of course, the K-240 Studio (semi-open, $96), which have a much more natural and much larger soundstage than the RP-21 (RP-21 have a constrained soundstage; smaller than that of the K-240, and RP-21 aren’t nearly as good with 3D space).

Pioneer also make portable headphones, SE-MJ3B are closed supra-aural mini headphones ($46).
A bit larger model that could be an alternative to both the PX100 and RP-21 is the SE-M390 (semi-open circumaural, $56).

For guitar-based music, Alessandro MS-1 are often considered to be the best headphones under $100. Those cost $99, shipping worldwide included.

A review of three “portable” mini-headphones, right there at the forums.

Now that’s what I call a portable headphone amp. Welcome to the IASUS MOBILE AMP review.

What kind of influence will the IASUS headphone amp have on your headphones?

How will it compare with The Go-Vibe V5 headphone amp?

Those were the only two answers that I wanted to know from the IASUS MOBILE AMP. Will the IASUS AMP put its own spin on how the music sounds, as much as the Go-Vibe V5 does, and with the size and slight price difference, will it be a viable alternative to the Go-Vibe?

Maybe it’s wrong of me to go into such depth with the IASUS MOBILE AMP, because of the nature of IASUS products. IASUS CONCEPTS began by producing throat mics for elite military forces. However, the MOBILE AMP seems to be one of the only products for a wider application.

Size doesn’t matter; it’s what you do with it!

IASUS boasts that this is the “The world’s smallest and lightest hi-fidelity amplifier for mobile devices.” I have to say; it is tiny. Barely bigger than the current IPod shuffle, you be amazed at how small and lightweight this thing really is. This can only be another plus point when considering the MOBILE AMP for your portable headphones needs.

It makes the Go-vibe look huge and bulky. In terms of size, there’s no real competition, the IASUS MOBILE AMP wins hands down when it comes to size and convenience. As you know I’m not the person to go pulling my stuff apart for the sake of modding, so I’ll leave the ‘internal pictures’ to someone who’s more knowledgeable and braver than me.

Features

Design, this is my area! It’s a neat looking thing. I particularly love the volume control. Sleek and stylish, there’s no argument. There is a tiny (and it is small) ‘IASUS’ logo under the volume control, but you’ll need a magnifying glass to see it properly.

There’s a handy loop at the front, for those of you who would want to hang it the end of a lanyard or at a push on your key-ring. I’m planning on buying a lanyard exactly for this purpose, because I’ve found the MOBILE AMP handy to have around the campus, and especially whilst I’m doing my artwork.

With the package you get the following:

• Your MOBILE AMP; of course, complete with a built-in connection cable, for hooking up to your audio device.

• Set of instructions, which is simple and easy to read.

• Plug for recharging.

• Twin 3.5mm female headphones adaptor, so you can share your music with someone with another pair of headphones, you kind person you!

That’s enough for you to be getting on with I think, and it’s a nice little package.

For the modders however, I get a feeling that the connection cable is a little low grade. Now at this point, I’m not encouraging anyone to take the amp apart and refit it with a cable, but in the world of modding, this is exactly what I can see people doing with the IASUS AMP.

The amp took around 2 hours to give it a full charge initially, and with an average day’s use, it’ll take less than that, to bring it up to full charge. In this day and age, it’s about the usual time.

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty!

Lets answer the question, do you need a headphone amp? The answer is no, but there’s a but. Any headphones will emit sound of you plug them into a source. For the sake of portable use however, your headphones need a fair bit of power. When you take a look at players like my ipod Shuffle, you can see that it has to play music, flash a few LED’s now and then, and provide enough power to get the coils in your drivers moving enough to satisfy your volume needs.

In the case of volume, for my personal preference, there just isn’t enough. And once you get into a noisy atmosphere, you’ll need even more volume to compensate, for the ambient noise. And no talk of noise-cancelling headphones please, ‘noise cancelling’ is a swear word on Headphonedeals.

IEMs are a little better at cutting ambient noise, but still a little more volume maybe needed, more than your MP3 player can pump out, poor thing! So this is where a portable headphone amp like the IASUS comes in. It can boost the volume of your player.

The other argument for having a dedicated portable headphone amp, is to stretch out the power of your MP3 player, by allowing the amp to take provide the volume instead of your player, thus saving your player’s valuable power consumption.
So the answer is no-one needs an amp, but there are immediate advantages to having one.

The other main question is “will it make my music sound better?” Let’s try it out. iGrado, Ultimate Ears Metro.Fi 2 and the Ultrasone Proline 750 headphones I think.

Without the IASUS, With the IASUS. Speed Of Sound - Coldplay and The Creeps - Camille Jones, Fedde Le Grand.

iGrado

O.K. the iGrado up first, with Coldplay. Everything seems to be as you would expect with the iGrado. The highs are shining through, and the sound staging is just first-class. Sharp, focused and class-leading they really are! They can handle the volume in their stride. Oh, you poor Sennheiser PX100 owners, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Switching over to The Creeps - Camille Jones, Fedde Le Grand, things are even more impressive. Not only do you feel the depth of the iGrado but you can feel the backing vocals behind you and above you. The iGrado are truly an amazing pair of headphones. At this price, why would you want anything else?

With the IASUS.

With the amp, the clarity is touched up, but it’s not a light and day difference. If you weren’t purposefully listening out for it, you wouldn’t necessarily notice. Although slightly more detailed, it is a bit more reserved than the IPod Shuffle. The mids are more punchy without the amp, but all that changes once you turn up the volume of the IASUS MOBILE AMP. The IPod can’t produce half the volume the MOBILE AMP can.

You can deafen yourself, but you’ll seriously affect people within a five-meter radius of you. At full volume (which I seriously wouldn’t recommend) your hearing would be seriously affected.

With Camille Jones, at high volumes, the IASUS/Grado combination keeps most of its composure, only getting slightly hardened and losing some of the bass and midrange at the top end. It’s impressive - the top end is too much, even for me. So I’m gonna take a quick break!

…Hey, I’m back. Like I said, you shouldn’t be listening to music at that high level anyway, but for the sake of my hearing, and testing the amp to the max, I’ll do it for you!

The Metro.Fi 2 headphones (full review to come)

I have to say that with Coldplay, they sound warmer than the iGrado, but as with the usual problem with some IEMs, you can hear them slipping out of the optimum position. I’ve just swapped the earplugs over with the earplugs from the Crossroads Mylars, and problem is solved.

There’s nothing bad to report with the standard IPod, only that I’m testing them sitting next to the computer, inside my house. If I got outside with these, I’ve experienced a fair bit of ambient noise. With that said, I’ve just swapped over the earplugs which make for a more secure fitting, and that slipping-out feeling, just doesn’t happen.

Camille Jones comes in firm, strong and with lovely deep bass, nice! The highs get sweeter, as the volume gets higher. But all is under control.

With the amp?

The mids and highs are freer with the IASUS AMP. The depth of Chris Martin’s voice is unbelievable; it really is. It’s far more forward with the IASUS AMP setup than with the standard IPod. Now I’m beginning to hear a solid argument for having the IASUS AMP, more so than with the iGrado. The IASUS/Metro.Fi 2 set up is a night and day difference from just plugging the Metro.Fi straight into the IPod.

There’s more control, more refinement, it’s just brilliant. The bass isn’t deeper, with the amp, but better defined and controlled. It’s not a boomy or loose. Now, I have to say, I love boomy and loose bass, but I know it’s not everyone’s preference.

There’s no mistaking that with IEMs, the difference with the IASUS amp is clearly a noticeable difference. For this reason, and in this setup, the IASUS is pretty much a must. And that’s before we even get close to the argument about the extra volume you’ll get with the amp.

Ultrasone Proline 750

Now I’ve chosen the Ultrasone Proline 750 headphones for a few specific reasons. Number one is that in the forums, I’ve been answering a few queries regarding plugging the Ultrasone Prolines 750 into an IPod, for what you could call part time portable reasons.

The other reason is that I know that the IPod Shuffle can’t really drive the Ultrasones very well, and so it shouldn’t! The Ultrasones are huge, and I think to ask something as small as the IPod Shuffle, to power a pair of headphones this big, is asking too much.

It performs well enough, don’t get me wrong, but I think you should give your IPod a bit of a fighting chance. With the standard set up (IPod Shuffle/Proline 750) everything is good and well-weighted. Chris Martin is slightly recessed.With Camille Jones and Fedde Le Grand, you just want more bass, and volume. You also get a feeling there’s not as much depth in the soundstaging as the iGrado and it’s not as sharp and pin-pointed as the iGrado.

Let’s plug it in!

Straight away, with the amp, the Ultrasones are allowed to breathe a bit more and show you what they can do, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the extra volume the IASUS can muster up either. The midrange on the Ultrasones are not to everyone’s taste, they can be a little on the recessed side at times, but the IASUS better defines the midrange of the Ultrasones, making it easier to concentrate on them.

Again with Camille and Fedde, the same is true, the midrange is better defined. The extra power the MOBILE AMP gives the Prolines a different edge. So again the IASUS MOBILE AMP scores highly.

Conclusion One

So with the iGrado the difference is only slightly noticeable, but with the Metro.Fi 2 earphones and the Ultrasone Proline 750 the difference is far more obvious, especially with the Metro.Fi’s. I could argue that the iGrado are good enough and easy enough to drive that you don’t really need an amp to give them a bump up in performance. The biggest surprise was with the Metro.Fi 2 earphones. It just goes to show that you don’t need costly headphones to hear the difference.

How does the IASUS compare to the similarly-priced Go-Vibe V5 amp? Join the forum discussion and find out!

The only true rival to the HD280’s, are now cheaper. Is it ‘curtains’ for the 280’s?

My quest to get people off the Sennheiser HD280 headphones and onto the the brilliant Equation RP21 headphone, has just been given a violent shove, with a dramatic price reduction of the RP-21 headphones. So my plea is a simple one today. As someone who’s owned a pair of Sennheiser HD280 headphones, and who currently has a pair of Equation RP21 headphones, I say go with the equation RP21 headphones.

They sound fantastic, fulfilling my bass needs, which the HD280’s never did. The headband on my HD280 had cracks and stress fractures on them after 2 months, the RP-21 headphones have no such problem. The HD280’s are boring to look at, the Equation RP21’s are refreshing.

Basically, the RP21’s sound better, look better, are better built and they are new and refreshing, and if you’re considering either the HD280’s or even the Grado SR60 or SR80 headphones, then stop! Take a look at the RP21’s, they are very, very good, and at that price, you’d be foolish not to give them a second glance!

Don’t try this at home!

So Which One Of Them Are You Interested In?

Interesting outcome of the headphone review is waiting for you, but which headphones are you leaning towards? The sleek and detailed sound, the ‘oh so comfortable’ Denon D1000 headphones, or the deep, tight punch from the RP21’s. Either way, it’s going to be a hard choice for you!

Get full details of the review today! Click here or the Image for the Full length headphone review.

Sennheiser HD25-1 vs Bose Triport OE’s

which is the best performer out of the Sennheiser HD25-1 vs Bose Triport OE? For me, the question is, which is the better portable headphones? Both are capable headphones, and small enough to go unnoticed when walking around town.

The review is waiting for you, and comments would be more than welcome. I have no doubt that the Bose bashers will take interest in this review!

Happy reading.

Remember had it not been for people like yourself, sharing information, I wouldn’t have experienced half the headphones I now had. And, on top of that, I would have missed out! So come and join us, ask your question and show me something new.

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px100 vs igrado
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JBL Reference 410 vs K27i
JBL 410 vs K27i
Mylar x3 and super.fi 3
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Sennheiser PX100 vs bose over ear
+shure +e2c +akg +k27i +PX200
hd201 vs px100
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sennheiser hd280 vs px100
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Sennheiser HD25-1 vs bose triport on-ear
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sr325i vs. rs2
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Sennheiser HD25-1 vs bose on-ear
Super Fi 5 pro vs vibe
cx300 vs mylar
grado sr60 vs igrado
sennheiser hd25-1 vs hd215

AKG vs Ultrasone

Someone has asked for ‘akg vs ultrasone’. The only AKG’s I have are the AKG K27i’s and the JBL 410’s (AKG K27i’s in drag..so to speak).

The only Ultrasone’s I have are the lovely Proline 750’s and the (bling bling baby) Ultrasone iCans. I’m assuming whoever was looking for ‘akg vs ultrasone’ was referring to the K27i’s and the iCans.<

For the purpose of this quick test, I'm going to use the JBL Reference 410 headphones in place of the AKG K27i's. I've packed the K27i's away (for the house move), but the 410's are basically the same headphones, but with a fancy leather headband.

Sound Test
Oh, I’ll have to take off my RP21’s now……shame! First Let’s turn to the JBL’s/AKG’s with an old classic, ‘Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer’.

The JBL’s/AKG’s certainly make their presence felt……. actually that make me think of the joke.

How does Darth Vader know what Luke has brought him for Christmas? Because he’s felt Luke’s presents!

O.K. on with the review. The JBL’s bass depth certainly makes itself known. For a pair of headphones this size, in terms of bass, nothing, and I mean nothing can touch it. In fact the JBL’s have more bass thump than most full size headphones in my collection.

The rest of the sound struggles, especially the midrange. Also that ‘closed in’ feeling doesn’t do this track any favors. I’ll try something else with the JBL’s, I’ll Try ‘Coldpaly - Clocks’.
Again, it’s not the widest sound staging, but Chris Martin (lead singer) is very central. Even with the backing vocals, it just feel a bit ……on dimensional. But you can’t deny the weight and authority the JBL’s have. Want to blast your ears into next week? the JBL’s are for you, and that’s why I chose them.

If you want to adjust the headband length on the Ultrasone iCans, then start weight training, now! This is interesting because with my recent ear infection, I haven’t really spent much time with these. Yeah right!

Let’s go back to ‘Axel F’. The two words that conjure up the iCans sound are, ‘distant’ and ‘recessed’. Don’t get me wrong, they are near perfectly detailed for a sub £60 headphones ($129 in the US), but it’s like your listening to the music from two fields away.

‘Axel F’ is more detailed than the JBL’s, the sound staging is as open as a field, but you just want more. It never quite produces enough. Not enough forwardness, not enough volume come to think enough, you just end up screaming for more. The detail and weight are about as good as it gets, but the midrange is stifled and lacks any finesse.

Over to ‘Coldpaly’ and once again the detail is almost perfect, but the overall sound suffers at the hand of the midrange. The midrange shows itself better than it did with ‘Axel F’, but the performance is too disjointed. You get the sense that somethings not quite right with the iCans.

The Ultrasone iCans offer great detail, and that’s how I want to end this sound test, on a good note for the iCans. The JBL/AKG’s can’t match the iCans detailed sound.

Conclusion

I love the iCans, they are stunning to behold, they really are. In terms of looks there’s nothing like them, and they are a very satisfying ownership prospect. But with the JBL’s/AKG’s being nearly a quarter of the price (in the US) of the Ultrasones, your left with a large question mark hanging over the iCans.

The JBL’s/AKG’s bass rules! it’s kicks like nothing else at the price or size. But you get the feeling that’s the only talent the JBL’s have. The closed sound you’ll either love or hate. But in this test and because of the price, it’ll be hard to ignore! They do shout, and they’re shouting ‘buy me instead of the iCans’.

I’m the weak one here, so I’ll leave the decision making for you, but let me just end by saying how much I love the Ultrasone iCans, and owning them is a bit more satisfying than owning the JBL’s!

Now can I get back top my RP21’s please?

Stop buying the PX100’s

Get the iGrado’s instead!

You need to get the Sennheiser PX100’s out of there.

I’m a bit concerned at the moment that so many people are looking for the PX100’s on this site. Yes, there is a section dedicated to Sennheiser PX100 replacement foam ear pads, and for that I would suggest a pair of Sennheiser HD414 ear pads.

O.K., so I haven’t got around to fitting the HD414 pads to my PX100’s yet. All that headphone modding stuff scares me. I even get nervous, at the thought of changing the ear pads over.

Apart from the ability to fold, and the nice carrying case, I stress time and time again that if you bypass the iGrados, you’ll be missing out. The iGrado sound is far clearer, the bass is better defined, and sound staging is first class. The PX100’s, on a sonic level, just can’t compete with the iGrados.

I beg you, from all that is decent in me, please forgo the folding aspect of the PX100’s and buy the iGrados instead!

PX100 vs RP21

Anyone familiar with the bible story of David and Goliath. Well in that version, David had faith in God, and won over Goliath who had proven himself to be mighty warrior.

You could say that the comparison between the Sennheiser PX100 and the Equation Audio RP21, is similar to the David’s (PX100) and Goliath (RP21) story. But I’m not sure in this version, David gonna do that well.

So why am I testing these two headphones against each other? Because someone out there is looking for it. What reason? I don’t have a clue! It’s not as though they’re similar in any way. The RP21’s are closed, the Px100’s are open. The RP21’s are huge, the PX100’s are small. The RP21’s are aimed at the DJ market, the PX100’s are for the IPod generation. The RP21’s are relatively unknown and the PX100’s are very well established.

So how do they sound side by side?

Starting with the Sennheiser PX100’s let’s play ‘Axwell - I Found You’. I bought my download from ITunes, but you can watch Axwell’s ‘I Found You’ on Youtube. This track make the Sennheiser model shine, although the highs are a little sharp. The sound staging is very good, with the main singer being in the center, as and when the Music dictates it.

I’m not going to make any huge claims on clarity and detail, but at the price it’s quite admirable. However making a quick switch to the iGrado, the Sennheiser set shows its shortcomings. The iGrados being better-detailed, and the midrange is more… …forward, which in this track is a bonus. The bass is more controlled with the iGrado, but if you’re a regular to Headphonesdeals, you’ll know my feelings on the iGrado. If not, then click here to find out more.

But this isn’t a test against the iGrado, it’s a test against the Equation Audio RP21. Are you ready for this? SWITCH.

The Equation Audio’s bass is what first hits you. The Sennheiser set can’t really compete, but you already knew that, didn’t you? Clarity has shot up 200%, and the sound staging is far more… …detailed. It’s easier to pick out certain sounds, than it is with the PX100’s.

Conclusion

There’s no surprise that the RP21 are the better headphones, but as I said before, it was a foregone conclusion really. The question you need to ask yourself is ‘what’s the application?’ At home the RP21 are fine, but I would be less happy, knowing I’d have to wear these around town.

They are a bit on the heavy side, and I’ve worn more comfortable headphones. For portable use, the Sennheisers would be the obvious choice, but you would sacrifice a lot of performance in choosing them.

It’s not an easy choice, but if it was my money (which it has been, because I have both headphones) it would be the RP21. Not only that, but with the addition of a reliable seller on EBay, the only person authorized to sell Equation Audio headphones on EBay, and with worldwide shipping available, then I’d be heading to EBay even quicker, with my card details in hand, if I was you!

Denon AH-D1000 V Sennheiser PX100

It’s interesting to see how people find headphonedeals, and nothing is more interesting in seeing ‘vs’ reviews. so let me give you some quick pointers. Actually I’m going to start a new category if this continues.

So let’s tackle this ‘vs’, the Denon D1000 vs PX100. It’s quite simple to find out which is better. Let me put it like this. Have you ever heard of Porsche (Denon AH-D1000) and have you ever heard of Proton (Sennheiser PX100)? Now, what do you think the outcome of a ‘vs’ test would be, between these two? then you have your answer!

The Denon RRP is around $199, and the Sennheisers are around $59 (RRP), soon price they can’t really compare. The sound? well don’t get me wrong, the PX100’s do sound good, but if you go back to the Porsche and Proton analogy, the Denon’s are Light years ahead of the PX100’s.

The Denon’s clarity is far better than the PX100’s. The midrange isn’t as forward as the Sennheisers, but it make s ‘Coldplay - Speed of sound’ far more easy going.

In ‘Superman Returns’ track 11′, the scene where superman saves the airplane, the Sennheisers fair very well , with good depth of sound stage. Switching over to the Denons, when superman grabs the planes wing, the Denons surprisingly only fair a bit better than the Sennheisers for sound staging. But the bass depth is better, not by much, but it’s better.

Conclusion

For straight music, the Denon’s are much better than the PX100’s, and worth every penny. Slip on a DVD and bar the bass and the slight advantage in detail, there’s not a lot in it.