It’s been two weeks since Kossart headphones have arrived here.

A rundown of how they fared in the forum thread, featuring I5, I10/H10, and Portabel-Pro.

The packaging actually says “Portabel-Pro”, in Swedish. More to the point than the “me-too” blueprint of Apple’s goofy “i-names”, “IPro”.

Design layout is very similar to the Koss Porta-Pro, which the Kossart model is meant to replace.

The Kossart Portabel Pro fold in exactly the same way as the Koss counterpart, into a ball.

Kossart Portabel Pro have an impedance of 60 ohms, just like the Koss Porta-Pro. That is where the similarities end though.

Out of the box, they already had a more natural and free-flowing sound presentation than the Koss Porta-Pro (which is a 1984 design). The Kossart Portabel Pro don’t sound as much as “large headphones” as the Koss Porta-Pro: there’s a little dip in the midrange, but not as deep as that of the PX100. The graph below shows the Koss Porta-Pro and the Sennheiser PX100. The Koss Porta-Pro have a remarkably solid sounding, similar to that of full-size headphones.

Human hearing is not uniformly sensitive to all frequencies - headphones usually are equalised to fit a model of HRTF (head-related transfer functions), though a proper solution would’ve been for headphones to be equalised flat and then equalised by an amp/sound processor to match each listener’s HRTF (which is something AKG did do in the past, they even had a system that stored a listener’s custom HRTF model on a smart card to be used with their sound processor). In the graph below, the dip around 7500 Hz is to avoid skull bone resonation; the dip under 5000 Hz in Sennheiser PX100 response is uncalled for, and makes them sound somewhat “toyish”, lacking the substance that distinguishes larger headphones (and Koss Porta-Pro).

Compared with the Sennheiser PX100, the Kossart Portabel Pro have a lot of ambience (then again, the PX100 tend to ignore ambience - they can make anything sound dry). There’s a good deal of detail, more than the Koss Porta-Pro manage, but still they’re a tad barmy when it comes to the more delicate details like background synthesised pads and strings.

Vocals, especially female vocals, sound quite clear and with presence, maybe even better than with the Denon AH-D1000 (which tends to be a bit murky in midrange at times). It is treble which could use some improvement, but the Kossart Portabel Pro do create an almost palpable presence for instruments like timpani, strings, bass string sections, pizzicato, marcato strings, brass, etc. They can be somewhat darkish and lacking that crucial bit of definition which makes audiophile headphones stand out against the regular fare, but overall they’re more involving with music than either the Koss Porta-Pro or Sennheiser PX100.

Bassheads will love the “slower”, more palpable bass the 60-ohm impedance provides. On the other hand, they could do with better contours of instruments in midrange and treble, but for the asking price they’re even better than the competition. They do trade off some of the extreme detail the PX100 might have for ambience, but the result is a more natural sounding, which the PX100 lack. Compared to the Koss Porta-Pro, the Kossart Portabel Pro have better detail and a more lively presentation, though both are somewhat too thick-sounding compared to Denon AH-D1000 (which cost three times as much, but are perhaps the best portable headphones for not-as-much money). The Koss Porta-Pro though have a more “solid” presentation, more substance and weight.

The Kossart Portabel Pro are very well-behaved, detailed when playing at lower volume, which is a plus for
any headphones. Their performance doesn’t change much with gain - they’re quite stable no matter what, and just like other Kossart headphones, don’t stall and fall into distortion immediately, instead starting to drop frequency bands as gain is increased over the distortion threshold.

Package included a minijack-to-jack adapter, headphones themselves and a carry pouch. Here’s a photo of the headphones inside the pouch:

So overall, they’re good worth for the money (~35 Euro), and a recommended replacement for any player-bundle headphones.

Have Kossart Created Yet Another Winner?

I have to open by saying that for me, that the main requirement for buying a headset is that it can play music with a certain degree of competency. In the past, I’ve been left wanting. So when I had a chance to review the Kossart H10 headset, my eyes rolled and I thought “here we go again, heartbreak hotel is just around the corner!”

However, and this is a big however, my memory flicked back to all the fun times I’ve had with the superb and horrendously cheap i10 headphones. For the price of a Burger King Supersize meal, you can have performance that nearly rivals the big boys of the portable headphone world. You know, your Koss and Sennheisers. The i10’s are a bargain that I know most people will simply overlook, and that’s a shame, because when Kossart get the distribution sorted out, they will be (and are) my ‘cheap IPod earphones replacement’ recommendation.

Let me leap to Kossart’s defence

Kossart, like Grado (notice the comparison) don’t do packaging. And that’s leaping to their defence? Well, yes, because what Kossart do, is produce brilliant-sounding headphones. And to be honest, with headphones sounding this good for such little cost, I couldn’t care less if they’d just sent the headphones naked, in a padded envelope.

Build Quality

As you can see from the PCV tape, the Sennheiser headphones haven’t faired too well over the years. For anyone unfamiliar with Headphonedeals, I like to push, pull, sit on and in the case of really special headphones like the STAX SR-001 MKII ear system, I like to get my wife to leave a pile of clean washing on top of them, before I give my thumbs up to build quality.

When it comes to build quality, I always feel the simpler the design, the less there is to break, and the H10  get a thumbs up. Not to damn the design with faint praise, but sometimes there’s no need to overcomplicate things, and the H10 is a good, strong, and dare I say, a good-looking design.

So, How do they perform?

It’s been a long tie since I’ve needed to use a microphone, so I’ll leave that part of the review to Aenn Seidhe Priest. I’m hear to give it a blast on when it comes to movies and music. And since I’ve been watching Pirates Of The Caribbean whilst writing this review, let’s stick with it.

I’m using the Region 2 disc and I’m on track 7, when Barbosa and the crew are in Davey Jones Locker, and they find good ol’ captain Jack Sparrow.

With the H10 the first thing I’ve worked out is that the right channel is the side with the microphone. Getting back to the film, the music that plays whilst the Black Pearl is coming over the sand dune into the water is warm and strong.

I could do with a touch more definition on the top end, but we’re talking about a pair of headphones that cost less than hiring (or buying) the film itself. The H10 do catch the subtle flickers of sound, including the jingling of Jack’s hair accessories, when he speaks to Barbosa and the crew.

The sound itself is very open, but I hope to explore this openness better when tested with some tricky tracks. The vocals could also do with a touch more definition, but the H10’s lean towards being warm and deep, and not thin and finely detailed. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so, it’s a choice of how you want your headphones to sound.

Although the Sennheiser PC130 Headset has a touch more detail, it also sound dreadfully hollow and limp. You don’t get that sense of true drama that you get form the H10’s. There’s also a feeling of the vocals being muffled, and to be honest, I’m not enjoying the Sennheiser at all, so I’m going to stop. Let’s see how they both compare, with a little music.

Camille Jones, Fedde Le Grand - The Creeps

Starting with the Sennheiser PC130 Headset (I’m expecting good things from the Sennheiser) the PC130 headset performs well. But the upper frequencies seemed to be rolled off, far too much for my liking. But they perform like a pair of Sennheiser headphones should perform.

They’re open, but there’s not enough punch to really satisfy. For gamers looking for a good bass boom, I feel the Sennheiser will disappoint.

Switching over to the H10 the difference in sounds (seems) immense. You feel the bass, and the upper frequencies have a bit more bite to them. But the addition of the bass, adds up to a fuller performance. The upper frequencies become more predominant as the volume rises. However continuing with Red Hot Chili Peppers, there’s a fair amount of distortion even at low levels. So switching to the Sennheiser it’s less noticeable but the distortion is still present. Blame the recording not the headphones I say!

Conclusion

There’re a lot of things happening with Kossart at the moment, which I can’t go into yet, but I’m rubbing my hands with anticipation because a lot of my dreams are coming true.

If you’re a gamer, or a gamer on a tight budget, believe me there’s no reason to spend heaps of your hard-earned money on expensive headsets, when the H10 can rival and on this occasion beat headsets costing far more.

The Sennheiser were a natural choice for me, given their background in producing decent headphones, but on this occasion, and indeed on many other tests I’ve, Kossart remain the better choice.

In regards to the H10, what do you want me to say? Yes, there are shortcomings, but not for the measly price that Kossart wants for them. You’d be a fool to pass these up, let alone moan at the performance. Sure these aren’t a pair of HD650, but the warm performance and deep bass should be enough to convince you of their performance capabilities.

The H10 punch far greater than their price tag implies. This leads me to question the mental state of Kossart directors (sorry Mikael), for selling headphones at this price. Would I be willing to pay more for them? You bet I would! But as I’m aware there’s no intension of raising the price, which means boys and girls, Kossart have produced yet another Standard selling headphones (headsets), for an absolute pittance.
The only headphones tested that Kossart have yet to beat, is the Grado iGrado. As for the H10, I will call you foolish, if you don’t buy them!

They like amplification. Oh they do. Poor Sony D-NE500 didn’t have enough current to drive them at full volume, on the CMoy amp though they were painfully loud at 11 o’clock of the volume dial.

Overall, those are $10 (Eu. 10, 5 pounds, etc.) headphones. They perform like it. They lack definition, and they lack the air and freedom that the “big ‘uns” have. But they have something the Sennheiser PX100 lack - presence. Not as dry. Still somewhere on the scale of 0.2 K-240 spatiality, but hey. Of course the PX100 has better resolution, but it somehow manages to turn everything into a flat 2.5D painting. The I10 don’t paint as precisely, contours of instruments are more blurry, but they convey depth better.

The H10 is more charming than the I10 though, the microphone is quite sensitive. It comes with a stereo jack, possibly eliminating the “left-channel-only” effect in some cases, and recording straight to stereo (not mono like most headsets).

60-ohm impedance does provide a better control of performance and neither headphones distorted with the difficult Moog sweep pad in the last track of Audiotest. The Denon AH-D1000, with their lower impedance, distorted when fed by the CMoy amp (they didn’t distort with the Audigy-2 headphone output).

Unlike other small headphones, the H10/I10 don’t distort harshly when overdriven, they just start losing bass and other parts of the frequency range drop out gradually. The I10 kept being audible (though distorted in bass and midrange) at maximum gain with the CMoy amp.
They’re somewhat “darkish” and blurry, as most headphones in the price range, but the overall definition, especially of “difficult” instruments that are usually masked on low-end headphones, is rather better. Overall imaging is more precise than, say, with the Sony MDR-101. They still compress though.

Matt was impressed by the bass… Well, too much bass without much definition is usually called “mud”, but those really can be “cheap basshead” headphones. They still manage to have heaps of bass for those who are into that kind of thing and be detailed enough in midrange, and have some presence and depth. Treble is not as recessed as it might be in cheap headphones, enough to preserve a good part of sparkle, but this sparkle is transposed into midrange rather than treble. Unlike the Sony MDR-101 (the other cheap headphones here), the H10/I10 manage to produce a lot more bass, and it’s actually rather defined, unlike the anemic low midrange with hints of bass of the MDR-101.

Sensitivity’s quite good, the H10 managed to reproduce a binaural cue mixed in at -29 dB. It wasn’t constantly audible and did get masked in louder passages, but it was noticeable, which is an achievement for 10-coin headphones.

Both the H10 and the I10 have a single-wire connection on the left cup (the H10 has a Y-splitter at the end of the main cable, separating the microphone and the headphone cable). This means they can be hung on anything, unlike Y-split-cable headphones.

The H10 had run into trouble with the Apple Powerbook, or rather the Apple Powerbook had trouble working with the H10’s microphone jack. The H10 has a stereo microphone jack, which is great if there’s either a microphone input or a combined microphone/line input (as on the Creative Audigy series front panel). The Apple Aluminium Powerbook G4 has a combined microphone/line input that only gets powered if a mono jack is inserted. So the microphone’s stereo jack didn’t work. This is fixable with a stereo-to-mono minijack adapter.

The Kossart i10 headphones might be cheap, but the sound is up there with the best!

I’m getting seriously worried for the guys over at Kossart. They seem to be giving great headphones away. The iPro’s are good, but the i10 headphones are just nuts. They’re dirt cheap and brilliant, all in one. My concern is that because of the price, people will overlook them. If Kossart charged what I think you should pay, and what they are actually worth, then people might have a go. But the fact still remains, that you now know, of a pair of headphones, That are dirt cheap, yet can rival headphones like the Koss Porta Pro, Sennheiser PX100 and PX200.

For those of you lucky enough to live in the areas Kossart ship to, and you want to save a bundle, then the i10’s are THE headphones. I have seen some great ‘deals’ on the internet, but this is headphones madness. Even as a pair of second headphones, adn addition to your collection, the i10’s are ……they’re just up there with the best, they really are!

The only problem is that I haven’t got round to opening the h10 headphones, similar to the i10’s but with the added benefit of having a microphone, for gaming and any other use …… ……. …… look, I’m sure the h10 headphones are  good, but let’s get back to the i10’s, the bargain of the decade …… at least!

If you haven’t read Mikael’s comment yet, let me show you what he said in his reply to my first rant on the i10 headphones.

“Yes! I did select the correct driver in developing this model!
I wanted to have a low priced simple model that we can use while traveling etc so we dont need to be afraid of loosing a fortune if they get destroyed or get lost.

This smaller models often goes to younger people. Parents use this size models to their kids for in-car entertainment etc….
Now, even younger people can have a correct sound!

This driver type is very similar to Koss Porta Pro model.

Hope you all enjoy!

Mikael“

“Similar drivers to the Kossart Porta Pro” in a pair of headphones costing around a fifth of the price (UK RRP), that’s madness, but good madness for you and me. If Kossart want to produce brilliant sounding headphones, and then virtually give them away, then I’m up for it. How about you?

Mikael, are you sure you’ve used the right drivers?

Everything Kossart touches, turns into an absolute diamond!

My oh my, these……I don’t want to you the word cheap, but that’s what they are, cheap headphones. These low end (but with far better than low end sound) Kossart headphones can kick. I’m currently watching Stormbreaker and the bass is full and deep. I took a look at the Specifications for the i10 headphones, and I saw “frequency response: 10 Hz - 20 KHz”. Yeah right, I thought, as if. less than 30 seconds with them and I have to say Kossart has done it again, and at a very cheap price.

The i10’s have a deeper impact than Kossart’s best seller, the iPro, which leads me to ask,

“Mikael, are you sure you’ve put the right driver in these?”

Such is the impact of the i10’s……..can you tell I like them. Yes, I’m watching a film at the moment, however you can tell the difference in bass depth, which I love. The i10’s bass you feel, the iPro’s bass as more articulate, but no more deeper than the i10’s.

There is still one tiny problem, getting hold of a pair. Kossart are still working on distribution, which is good, believe me, it’s very good news. When Kossart gain a wider market, it will be bye, bye, to the competition.

I like the iPro, I’m besotted by the i40’s, but even these so called budget i10 headphones, will take some beating. I’m thinking of putting them up against either the Sennheiser PX30 headphones, which are twice the price (RRP), or the iLuv I501 headphones and again they’re nearly two and a half times more expensive (RRP).

Oh, and before you go, I put them up against the Sennheiser HD201 headphones…….and, I wouldn’t bother if I was you……with the HD201’s that is!

Group Test: Koss UR-18, Kossart i40, Sennheiser HD201,

Sony MDR-CD280, Sony MDR-XD200

Welcome to the first headphonedeals.org, group test. Today, it’s the low key, ipod budget choices, the pocket money headphones. Not to damn them with faint praise, some perform very well, some are just average, and some aren’t really worth you handing over your hard earned cash, to be fair.

So why This five?

The main reason is that after I feel for the Kossart iPro headphones, I was then dying to get my hands on the i40. Bigger, more comfortable, and I also wanted to see whether the new boy could cut it against the establishment. Koss, Sennheiser and Sony are old timers, each with a proven rack record, but the Kossarts are trying to make a name for themselves, and I think that you need to sit up and take notice, because the i40’s are good, very, very good.

So I already have the i40’s, The Koss UR-18’s are new to me. I like the Koss Porta pro headphones, it’s just a shame that they aren’t quite up there with equivalent (PX100) Sennheiser headphones, but still the Koss Porta pro have a huge following. The UR-18’s are light and comfy, not comfortable, but just comfy.

The Sennheiser HD201, have name a good name for itself as well, and with fairly good reason. Out of the five, the HD201’s have the most reassuring build quality, reassuring, not best build quality. But believe me, in this group that’s not hard to do. The HD201’s have been around for 320 years, and to be fair, good though they are, it is time for change.

The Sony MDR-XD200’s aren’t exactly new, but they haven’t really made the same name for themselves as the HD201’s. They aren’t the prettiest headphones you’ll ever own either. The biggest surprise however is the weight, because there isn’t any. Although they are one of the biggest headphones …..ever, they weight nothing. They’re so light, you’ll have to tie them down when you’re not using them, just in case a rapid movement of air should carry these away.

But, the Sony MDR-XD200’s has a little trick up their sleeves, in the way of a little switch under each ear cup. The buttons give you the choice of ‘Music’ or ‘Movies’. As far as I can tell, this firms up and deepens the bass, but the difference seems to be so minor, that the average user (me) will struggle to tell the difference, in the real world.

The Sony MDR-CD280, have you heard of them before? I didn’t until a trip to ebay. Oh sure, amazon.co.uk has them, as does etronics.com, I think, but they’re hardly a well-known headphone, even among Sony it would seem. Yes, they can’t wait to tell you about their Sony Bluetooth headphones, or the Sony noise-cancelling range, but the poor ol’ CD280’s are left on the shelf, quite literally. To be honest that’s a shame, because I love them. Comfortable? Absolutely perfect!

So how do they sound?

I’ll start with a British group from the 80’s. I’ll start with, Adam And The Ants - Prince Charming, from the album, Prince Charming. Now I beg you, if you’ve never come across Adam And The Ants before, then click this link, and give this track a blast. The preview doesn’t sound very good on gomusic.ru, but you can get a better sounding preview from your local itunes store. But do give it a try.

Lets start in alphabetical order.

Koss UR-18

The Koss give a firm but a slightly closed-in feel. The highs are rolled off far too much for my liking, but there is a good amount of depth. Now having said that, I haven’t tested anything else yet. The sound staging is good, with the vocals very much in the center, but the backing vocals are hard to define form the lead singer.
Although the guitar is strumming nicely in the depths of each corner, it doesn’t really make for a memorable sonic experience. Everything seems to be present and correct, but there’s a lack of life in the presentation. Not a bad effort, just not an exciting one. The Koss UR-18’s along with the Sennheiser HD201’s are the only headphones here with two cords, one in each head cup. The others have a single cord.

Kossart i40
The Kossart are lively and more involving, the low end is deeper, and the guitars are far more realistic and detailed than the Koss. Again, the highs are rolled off, but it might be a trait that comes from headphones at this price range. But, the Kossart aren’t off the hook yet. The vocals (mid range) aren’t as detailed or as forward as I would like.

The midrange suffers slightly from what I call the ‘Ultrasone iCans’ syndrome. That means the midrange is recessed and swallowed by the rest of the music. The i40’s doesn’t suffer quite so much as the Ultrasone iCans, however, you do find yourself toe tapping to the background music, instead of the vocals.

Sennheiser HD201

I could sum the sound up in three words, but let me go into a bit more detail. The Sennheiser sound is crisp and detailed, and the clarity is very refreshing. The Sennheiser HD201 taps into the highs in a way the Koss and Kossart don’t, but there is a massive trade off in low-end weight. And when I say massive, I mean there’s no weight whatsoever.

The Kossart fares the best so far for overall warmth and weight, and the HD201 just can’t compete. Because of the lack of low-end grunt, placing the vocals is easier than the Koss and Kossart, which is good for a vocal track like this. The trade-off in bass, is not something I couldn’t live with though!

Sony MDR-XD200

The difference in low-end weight is noticeable instantly, and again, moving from the HD201’s to the MDR-XD200’s, all is well with the world again… …well, almost. The midrange is in balance with the rest of the music, and so far in that respect, the Sony fare the best.

The sound comes across as being synthesized, artificial, and quickly flicking back to the i40, the sound is more pleasing, even with the slightly distant vocals. The vocals also lack the bite of the HD201 and the i40, and they also suffer from that little echo effect. Yes, the extra weight over the Sennheiser HD201 is welcome, but somehow the Sony leaves you wanting.

Sony MDR-CD280

This is a revelation compared to its brother. The sound is the most neutral in the group. It’s the detail of the HD201, if not better, with a touch more bass weight. The Kossart i40’s is more forward, deeper than the MDR-CD280, but with this track, the Sony MDR-CD280’s is near perfect. The bass is there, but not overwhelming, the midrange is detailed, the sound staging is as wide and detailed as you’d want it to be, the Sony just works.

Round 1

1) Sony MDR-CD280

2) Kossart i40

3) Sennheiser HD201

4) Koss UR-18

5) Sony MDR-XD200

The only problem with this verdict is that the two best headphones, the Sony MDR-CD280 and Kossart i40 don’t and probably won’t get enough attention. Most people will choose the biggest name, which in this group, is the Sennheiser HD201. That’s the MDR-CD280’s and the i40’s only problem here. On a sonic level, the Sony have it.

But, there is a problem with the Sony, and that is like with the Kossart, people pay far too much attention to the other headphones.
Fast dance track with bass. Hybrid Remix of - Filter, Take My Picture. Another classic that you should hear, if you’re into your dance music. I’m Looking for pain and strain from these headphones. In reverse order.

Sony MDR-CD280

The Sony kicks off with very fine detail and ….very fine detail. Amazingly, the Sony can also take a fair bit of volume, and it remains very composed at full volume from my itunes collection.

The bass is admirable, and well-controlled, as is the rest of the music. The highs are very dominant, even to the point of becoming tiresome, so I’m going to jump onto the MDR-XD200’s if you don’t mind.

Sony MDR-XD200

Oh yes, the bass weight is there, although the rest of the sound isn’t as impressive. It’s only right at the top of the volume range that the XD200 show an ever-so-tiny sign of bending under the pressure. The XD200 display a small culling of the highs, which is very welcome, and make for a more bearable listening experience, than the CD280.

The XD200 aren’t anywhere near as neutral as the CD280, and you still get that artificial sound. The bass mid and highs are better balanced than the CD280, which showed a not so welcome tenancy to scream at the top end, until you scream “I give up!’

Sennheiser HD201

Pin sharp detail, that’s better controlled and far more bearable than the CD280’s. This track is about bass and low end weight, and the Sennheiser HD201’s don’t have any. It’s an enjoyable listening experience, nonetheless. The HD201 is the best so far at handling deafening levels of volume.

Kossart i40
I have to say I have high hopes with i40’s and indeed they don’t disappoint. The low end is far, far deeper than any in this test so far. You feel as though the i40’s has been given an artificial bass boost, but I assure you they haven’t. They churn out bucket loads of low end weight that can be felt (on occasion) as well as heard, and not at the sacrifice to the sonic range.

Any downsides? The i40’s tends to get a bit to aggressive at the very top end of the volume level. It’s not as composed as say the HD201’s. But who cares about that, ’cause you get loads more bass than the others. You (and that includes me) shouldn’t really be listening to music that loud anyway, or so I’ve been told. The forward presentation is also to Kossarts advantage with this dance track.

Koss UR-18
The Koss also performs well in the bass department, as well as the i40’s if not better on bass extension and depth, which is a shock. The Koss UR-18’s problem is that it’s cloaked by the hopeless performance of the rest of the sonic spectrum. Unfortunately for Koss, with this track, the Koss lives up to its price range, or not as the case maybe.

If we’re going for sheer bass depth and weight, the Koss UR-18’s would win hands down, but the rest of the sound is so appalling, that you just wouldn’t be able to live with it on an everyday basis. You’d end up hating me for recommending them to you, so I won’t. Instead, I say, go for the i40’s.

Round 2

1) Kossart i40

2) It’s up to you which headphones you choose next, but they won’t offer the overall ability of the Kossart i40’s.

To the movies, or the movie I should say. I’ve chosen Star Wars two, no not Empire Strikes Back, but the Attack Of The Clones. I’m going to play track 28 (region 2 disc), the ‘Asteroid Chase’ with Obe One and Jango Fett. Houston, we have a problem! Sorry, my imac was refusing to play the disc……here we go.

Sony MDR-XD200

So with the Sony MDR-XD200’s choice of ‘Music’ or ‘Movie’ setting, lets see what they can do!

With the sound setting on ‘music’ the Sony’s performs well. When Jango releases the seismic charges, all is sounding very good. With the a quick flit over to the ‘Movie’ setting, to be fair, I can’t really hear or feel any audible difference. Maybe an ever so slight enhancement to the sound staging, but to be honest, I think the difference is so minute and questionable to take this choice serious.
The bass and sound staging should be enough to satisfy the most hardened Star Wars fan, at this price level. There’s nothing lacking.

Sony MDR-CD280

The Open and crisp sound is more welcome with this scene. Although the bass weight has gone, you get a more clear sense of sound staging, which is evident when Jango is behind Obe, firing his guns. Yes a little more weight would be welcome, but the exchange of low end weight for detail, is quite a welcome one.

I though these would leave me wanting, but they’re fine. They have enough bass to get on with, and for a compromise between movies and music, these would be my choice of the two Sony’s here.

Sennheiser HD201

The Sennheiser HD201’s sound well detailed, but they also sound very thin. For sound staging, they are probably the best so far, but that doesn’t compensate for the lack of bass weight that a film like this needs. Again between the Sony MDR-CD280’s and the HD201’s, my money would be on the Sony’s.

It’s hard to conjure up any real enthusiasm for the Sennheiser with this film, other than the very good sound staging. Even with this in their favor, they still leave me wanting.

Koss UR-18

The bass depth is again instantly noticeable, there’s a constant low end burble during most of the scene, especially when you see the characters are shown in their space ships. But, the severe rolled off highs doesn’t endear me to the Koss at all. The sonic spectrum is far too narrow, and that will be even more noticeable if you choose to use the Koss for music as well as movies.

Kossart i40

The i40’s is just astounding here. The bass depth can’t match the Koss, but they are far more open and detailed. Not the best sound staging and detail in this group, but they’re fast enough and deep enough, to please. I think we’ve found the i40’s forte. I’m sure that if I were a big gaming fan, that these would please even more.

Round 3

1) Kossart i40

2) Sony MDR-CD280
Sennheiser HD201

4) Sony MDR-XD200

5) Koss UR-18

Conclusion

Well, two rounds to the Kossart i40, and one round to the Sony MDR-CD280 headphones, surprised? So am I. The Kossart may not be the most open sounding headphones in this group but they are one of the best complete performers. A great music and movie headphones, with deep bass and good sound staging.

I have to say that I do love the Sony MDR-CD280’s, and it’s a shame that they will be over looked. They deserve your attention. One of the most detailed and the most comfortable performers here.

The Sennheiser HD201’s was a bit of a disappointment here, despite their fine detailed sound. Oh, the three words, Thin, Thin, and Thin. Were the HD201’s to have the bass weight of the Koss or Kossart, they would have walked this group test, but sometimes you need more than just high detailed sound. Sometimes, you’ll want for a more gutsy sound. And this is where the Sennheiser’s fall short.

The Sony MDR-XD200,……..again, I’m a little disappointed. I’m struggling to find a good use or market for the XD200’s, because in every respect, they are bettered by the CD280’s or the i40’s. The ‘movie’ and ‘music’ settings, don’t really add to the appeal of the XD200’s. If you have a better pair of all-rounders like the Kossart i40’s, why would you need such a choice?

The Koss UR-18’s bass depth was a shock and a surprise. The only problem is that sometimes it was overwhelming and bloated, and the rest of the headphones didn’t really match the bass. The highs were dreadfully rolled off; making the UR18’s sounding muddy. They weren’t fast enough to handle detail and bass simultaneously. In this test, overall, I’m afraid they couldn’t really keep up with the rest of the headphones in this group.

Final words

As I’ve said before, the two best headphones (CD280 and i40) are the two headphones that most people will over look, which is the biggest shame really!

If you’ve not been on the headphonedeals.org site, let me give you a taste of what you’ve been missing out on.

Firstly, I’ve just put a fresh new review of the Kossart i40 headphones, with a promise that a group test consisting of the Kossart i40, Sennheiser HD201, Koss UR-18, Sony MDR-CD280 and MDR-XDR200 headphones. So stick around for that.

Click the image to read the review.

On the subject of headphones vs headphones, I’ve posted a review of the Sennheiser HD25-1 vs the Bose Triport OE headphones. This topic has been posted on the new forum, for which there is a competition for those who join in the conversations. Yes that’s right, all you have to do is join in, and you’ll be in line to win a pair of AKG headphones.

And here’s a picture of them, and if you want to win them for doing nothing more than talking to people about headphones, then click the image.

That’ll do for now, but remember to join us on the new forum. Speak to you later.

Kossart i40 Review

Any regulars to Headphonedeals know what my conclusions to the Kossart iPro headphones were. Coming from a company that has been producing headphones for less than a year, the iPro was a significant achievement. The iPro are far more enjoyable than the Koss Porta-Pro, and although they are more laid back than the Sennheiser PX100, The iPro were more engaging than the PX100, slightly fuller and richer than the PX100.

The next instalment of the Kossart company, is here for you, and the i40 are a very anticipated pair of headphones. From the Kossart website, the i40 looks more grown up, more ….comfortable, and more of my kind of headphones. As far as I’m informed, the i40 headphones should be cheaper than the iPro, which for the performance they offer, is unbelievable. Maybe the i40 don’t offer as much detail, but they are richer, they dig a little deeper than the iPro.

Build Quality

I should let you know that when I received the i40, they were still in development. With that in mind, let’s start off with the build quality, which a have to say isn’t the best I’ve seen. Now that might be a bad way to start off, but I have a group test coming, which includes the i40, Sennheiser HD201, Koss UR-18, Sony MDR-CD280 and Sony MDR-XD200 headphones. To be honest with you none of them filled me with great confidence, so at the moment the i40’s are on a level par with its competition.

Considering these headphones are only few notches above budget headphones, Kossart are doing very well. Although they may not look strong, they do feel quite secure, providing you don’t abuse them. Adjusting the headband length, the extending arm tends to move around a bit. It’s no problem when it’s on your head, but they do look ….fragile.

Once again, you have to understand that the pair I have are in effect a prototype pair. The other thing to remember, is that I want to purposefully be very hard on these headphones, before we get into how good they sound, because they sound fabulous.

Comfort

The i40 come with a lovely pair of velour ear pads, and with the soft clamping effect on your ears, it all makes for a very comfortable listening experience. Because of the light construction of the headband, you don’t feel any undue weight on your head. You’ll barely feel the headband at all, which is a peculiar experience. The flexible strap across the top of the headband is doing its job too well.

I did receive a pair of the normal vinyl ear pads, but from my experience with the Sennheiser HD25-1, I know vinyl ear pads can make your ears a bit sticky, which in turn, causes the ear pads to disintegrate. Velour ear pads are a far better choice.

So how do they sound?

To be honest, they produce what is now becoming a Kossart signature sound. Full, rich and powerful. Like I said before, I know how good they sound when compared to similar-priced headphones. Stay with headphonedeals for a group test, coming very soon.

The main thing is the amount of bass the i40 produce….

Where was I? as I was saying, the amount of bass the i40 can produce is very good, although the trade-off is that the highs are slightly more rolled off than I would like. But at this price level, the bass is a welcome surprise. In no way do the i40 disappoint on a sonic level.

Conclusion

Kossart have come up with another winner. The i40 headphones are for the price, one of the better options out there, and a far better option from any of the established competition. More on that in the group test. I have to say that I enjoy these more than the iPro headphones. Although as per all open headphones, everyone within a room’s distance can hear what you’re hearing. But you already knew that. It’s something that all open headphones can’t help.

What is a surprise is the sound and the comfort. If only the i40 were more readily available, a great deal of my links would point toward both the iPro and the i40 headphones. Kossart is still working on getting these brilliant headphones out to a wider market. That can only mean good news to potential customers, and bad news for the competition, which aren’t much competition really!

Click here to find out more about the Kossart i40 headphones.

The Kossart review is ready for you. Although many say that Kossart have ….borrowed from the Koss company, in terms of style and name, you can also read my frank views on this matter. And of course comments will be welcome. Actually you can get paid to comment on the post (click the link at the bottom of the Kossart review post).

Click The image to go to the review.