Touche, touche and... touche.

Jonathan Morrison They are pretty slick! Also, love the channel! Thanks for stopping by.

Weird seeing Morrison interested in good headphones lmao

Looks like a good headphone. However, I seriously doubt it can even get close to the beryllium driver in Focal Stellia in terms of of almost any aspect of sound quality. I've seen many people claiming it is the closed back endgame. But I also remeber Josh doesn't like Utopia with the same driver. It seems that the headphone is so revealing you must really upgrade your chain to hear its full potential.....I would love to buy these just to test them but I doubt it is anywhere near Focal Clear I have right now. Especially in terms of resolution. Also the driver in Clear is much faster. Nice review anyway like always. Keep them coming.

@@semtexxl4023 I would take an Audeze LCD-XC any day over the Stelia after hearing both at CanJam.

@@sleepyrhythms6668 I would love to hear them both just out of curiosity. Never had that chance. My previous comment was just an assumption based on technicalities which may or may not result in greater sound in reality. LCD-XC may be better why not....

mvp

Yes... This still has such... sound-stage. It's not completely closed... at the edge of where the frame meets the wood, air escapes. This is like a really passive, bass reflex-ported (like not ported but reflex all around) semi-open. It's so easy for forget they're closed back (for me, I mean) and this is a HUGE breather from all other CLOSED BACK cans. They are leaky, and they sound like open back. The ingenuity they have in this... kind of comes from the oldschool, now legendary JVC, SONY and DENON (similar tech) cans. Timeless DENON/Fostex design. Still kicks ass.

Huge upgrade in detail and bass quality here

Huge ? Just NO !

Lol 1770 is one of the worst performing closed backs I've heard. Huge downgrade over 770 80 ohm already as it is. The 177X I was sent by Drop and immediately returned it. They tamed the treble, but detail is even more laughable

@@metal571 that was interesting why you didn't make a review on it ?

@@davidmason8212 because it's not even noteworthy

I agree, i would like to add the speed of the Stellia is extremely fast.

The wood will lose its shininess? I'm confused. The color is from the wood, not the lacquer; the shininess is from the lacquer, and not the wood. Soo.. do you mean the lacquer will erode with time and subsequently cause a loss in teh shiny factor? Or are you not talking about shininess at all and are saying the color of the wood will fade with exposure over time?..

Lol I got 2 pairs of focal headphones both arrived with faulty drivers the first the left driver would clip and buzz as low as 75-80db and the next arrived and the right driver was just plain dead made no sound it’s really sad because the driver that worked sounded phenomenal on both headphones but that’s my focal experience this should not happen on 1500$ headphones ever so I got my money back and got a gl2000 and a campfire cascade so I get 2 very nice and very different headphones that actually work for less than what I paid for that French fried failure that I had received twice

same issue here :( just got HD6XX and PC37X with GSX1000 :( why did I even get to see Z reviews :(

@@brunoalexandre2352 audio is a cruel mistress😣

sign up for a notification so they know more people want them!

Mmm I don't know about that. Purple Hearts are pretty fun. The Ebony most definitely seem the smoothest and most even performing.

@@sleepyrhythms6668 Fostex or EMUs... with any wood in particular... you get bass like no other. So the choice of wood isn't... exactly a deal-breaker. @ jamsoup Yeah I knew someone would talk about Klipsch. Thing is, Kennerton also has a similar headphone. Also, audioquest: Nighthawks. I think, personally, the Denon/Fostex design still gets the best of them. Plus it's also these pads, trust me. Though uncomfortable, I believe the X00/EMU pads hold up pretty tight when it comes to sound. The plastic ring element also plays a part. It also helps with stage and separation, surprisingly, this combo. I've tried my fair share of many kinds of pads with different materials and sizes.

The Klipsch may be better (overall, probably), but quite pricey and... too niche. There's also a lot of playing around with this, mind u. I am using my EMUs currently without wooden cups... they're been modded open back.

@@divinginthedeep I don't why people make a big deal of this. There are TH-X00 pads exclusive to Drop you can buy in any material. For the Mahogany I love the hybrid and on Purple Hearts the lamb skins are great.

@@sleepyrhythms6668 I know. Something about the stock sound though... It is like a huge trade-off really. You can have the best sound with stock, I've learnt. You can choose any other pads where you get much more comfort but then they sound different.

Yes. The PADS suck out the 600s/900s. Use X00 pads.

They don't leak too bad, as long as you aren't blasting them. I have both mahogany and purplehearts for reference

Asagao thank you for your response. I hear so many conflicting statements about the leaking issue. maybe I’ll take another look if these come back and on sale

@@briancaulfield7251 they won't be making any more after these sell out, massdrop made a Reddit post about it.

Asagao I did see that. I do hope it means that they’re coming out with another version. Would be rather surprising for one of their top sellers to go EOL

I was not initially impressed with the build. But over time, it has proven itself to be high quality. So, I have to eat those words. 😞

On all th line fostex build is shit. U can check over the internet how fragile they are around that swivel area. Difference between mahagany and ebony are just next to none... So I'm really shocked that this video is praising Vs what was before...

Well no wonder. They were $100 off.

Wait for Oluv's gadgets review lol 😂🤣🤣

No ebony no teak ? What the hell is going on

@Christopher Sadler He did.

I'm guessing these had been sitting around for a while so they figured they would drop them by $100 to move them, not realizing Josh's review would be coming out and giving them a glowing review causing demand to go up!

Pretty netrual in mids yet very bassy headphones. Brightness is just right, not dark yet not shrill. I would prefer them over TH610 and TH900, for example, despite TH900 are higher level headphones.

Hey, Naif. I own the X-00 Mahogany's, Ebony's and also the Argons. I bought them in that order. I got the Argons later because I didn't hear about them and was very curious how they stacked up to the dynamic drivers of the Massdrop cans. I would say the Ebony's sound is a tier above the Argons in terms of separation, clarity, and overall accuracy. Though, the Argons do have a touch more bass quantity. However, the drum and lower frequency separation of sounds on the Ebony is truly remarkable. They have a slightly less V-shape than most Fostex's and actually have smooth, present and liquidy mids. Also, I find the X00's are a touch more comfortable due to less of a clamping force. The cups are a bit small, but I have big ears and can wear these for hours in listening or gaming sessions. Also, if you factor in getting the Argons balanced and buying a special balanced cable for it (Periapt makes one just for the Argons), you're creeping much closer to the base price of the Ebony. If budget were an issue, Argons for sure in terms of price to performance. But, if it weren't, I'd go Ebony all day. I'm going to give the Argons to my son (along with a DAC/amp I don't use) so he can take a step into being addicted to buying expensive audio gear just like his pops.

I'd chose this - not that you asked me, but just saying. Dynamic drivers. of THIS kind (bio-cellulose)- with free-edge surrounds (i mean this is usually a speaker thing, but these, NightHawks, Focals, some ZMFs and only a handful others have it) usually a speaker thing - grants the drivers free movement and much better excursion. The warm and stiff bio-cellulose drivers in these do bass like speaker drivers. There's no competition. I know people like planar bass sometimes and what not, but u can't beat the air pushed by dynamics - the focals also demonstrate that. So I'd put my money on these.

Subjectively, there's more bass quantity in Argon. They're also more comfortable, but Argon's come with ZMF pads. Argon's also have a more spacious sound stage. I swapped Th610 pads on my Ebony's though, and they're more comfortable than stock, and the same shape and baffle, so should be no sound change. But yeah, the Ebony's have the most bass detail I've ever heard in a headphone. It's deep and clear and there's enough of it to keep me happy. It's semi-open though, and definitely doesn't feel as closed as Argon. I guess Argon is a more comfortable sound, while Ebony is a more refined sound.

I've owned Argon Mk3 and TH-X00 Ebony. The Argons were at the same time the darkest and most sibilant headphones I've used. Choked out treble with no air and very little sparkle and detail. I've also owned Auteur, HD800, HD700, HD650, HD600, HE-500, HE-400i, M1060, LCD-2 Classic, Fidelio X2, L300 and Verum 1. The bass sounded compressed with slow attack and decay and didn't punch/hit hard. metal571 talked about the dynamics here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jtOBpLuUmLK2dIk.html&t=7769. The Argons had the same amount of mid-bass, but not nearly as much sub-bass as TH-X00.

So glad you asked this and people who own both responded! I have Argons on order and if the Ebony's go up for sale again I will probably own both.

and sound track is Zimmer on two at least

I want the exact same things as u do in a headphone, and those are the two I need to know which to buy

DO you still have them?

That's actually a consistent consensus for the three cups among the various forums, et cetera. Most seem to prefer the ebony, and the 'basshead' people go for the purplehearts. At minority are for the mahogany and give their xyz reasons. Personally, I'm all purpleheart ;)

Thx 610 I think

I compared the x00 purple heart version to the MDR-Z1R, no contest , the Sony is much better, no point for me to own the Fostex, a little more bass rumble and resonance but in all other areas no contest. I wanted a hard hitting bass headphone for rap because I recently realized my open backs were not cutting it. When I first got the Fostex I was thunderstruck by the literal ear massaging bass. I never realized just how deficient my lcd2c and RAD-0 were when it comes to bass slam and resonance, and to stress I am only talking in the context of rap and EDM and in the pursuit of a v-shaped fun signature. But after that allure wore off, I did not find the Fostex enjoyable. Instead of enjoying the music instead I found myself just waiting for the ear massaging bass, because it did not do anything else well compared to my other cans. Then I got the Sony MDR-Z1Rs in to compare, and they were a god send. If the quantity of bass rumble and slam on the fostex was a 10, pretty much a subwoofer for your ears, the sony was a 8.5 , but overall enjoyment of tracks on the Sony was a 10 and the Fostex a 6. I did not really find myself missing the Fostexs insane bass, the Sonys are excellent and provide more than enough slam and rumble for enjoying EDM and rap, so I returned the Fostex. I am thinking about checking out the ZMF Atticus and see how it compares, anyone who has done the comparison let me know.

@@amirhajimohammad3003 Thanks for your comparison. I really like my Z1R as well. I'm curious about a cheaper can I could take on trips rather than my more expensive Sonys (and possible nightmare to get fixed if it got damaged) since they don't leave my desk. I wish you had heard the Ebony's because everyone seems to say that one is the best in the series and I would love to compare that one to the Z1R. I guess Josh only responds to Patreons so I might be on my own here. :)

@@MWeston2 if you want a cheaper can for trips I think it's a good option, but you get what you pay for, no way a 400-500$ will compete with a 2000$ can. I just gave another listen today , haven't shipped it back yet , and it's good for the price , when I don't a/b with other much higher priced cans I enjoy them. Mass drop has a 30 day return policy, give the ebony a try when they go another run or try the purple heart now. Zeos wasn't a fan of the ebony and preferred the purple , ebony are more neutral while purple are "fun" according to their own site

+1 on this

Also looking at these two options! Anyone can that can chime in here?

I have asked metal571 once and actually I trust his opinion and he told me he recommends the ebony over the argons

+1

The underground kings.

rebrand or clone?

@@nonenothing4412 both i guess.

@@nonenothing4412 fr.audiofanzine.com/casque-studio/behringer/bh-770/forums/t.698309,commentaires-sur-la-news-behringer-presente-le-casque-de-studio-bh-770,p.14.html found a review on them comparing the two. It's in french. conclusion: cups seem a little bit bigger, has almost same weight, comfort, isolation, but lacks a bit of bass compared to the dt770.

@@weskulturey thank you man!

Is that really so? Are you sure about that ? What about the tuning?

I own both the Ebony and Argon MK3. I listen to hip hop, progressive house, Bob Marley, and Jazz house. I've found out that there's no "One" headphone for "All" genre. Even within the same genre I tend to pick different headphone depending on the type of sound I'm looking for for that given day. Though the Argon and the Ebony have many similarities in sound signature they do sound different, granted sound is subjective but it is also discernable. On a scale from 1-10, 1 meaning complete lacking presence, and ten complete presence...the Argon's have plenty of mid bass 9ish while the sub-bass 7.75 present but lesser than in the Ebony. The Ebony's have a 9ish in sub-bass but the mid bass is an 8.50ish. The vocals are present in most songs but kind of drawback on others in the Argon so they are 7.75 in my estimation compared to the Ebony's vocals which are clearer and more present...an 8.50. Tribble on the Argon are similar to the Ebony with 9ish for each, however in my opinion the Ebony has slightly more detail and sound stage.

What's your chain with the LCD2C?

ZyntaX pretty decent.

@@JoshuaValour Haha that was not what i wanted to hear! I'll buy from your EU link. Again screw you! :D

Bismillah The 5200’s are amazing! The 9200’s are super amazing!

@@halimj7 I believe it. But I wonder which is better these or those.

Lawtons has some mods you can apply that should drastically clean up that mess at a small bass expense.

I've owned both -- don't the Argons. They're at the same time the darkest and most sibilant headphones I've used. Choked out treble with no air and very little sparkle and detail. I've owned Auteur, HD800, HD700, HD650, HD600, HE-500, HE-400i, M1060, LCD-2 Classic, Fidelio X2, L300 and Verum 1. The bass sounded compressed with slow attack and decay and didn't punch/hit hard. metal571 talked about the dynamics here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jtOBpLuUmLK2dIk.html&t=7769

@@hildegarden6 Thanks for your comment and the link. Much appreciated!

Boris Vasilievich 7?.......7??? like 1,2,3,4,5,6,7!!! what in the world? is it for a music classroom with students? your whole fam rockin a pair?? i could see owning 2-3 of the same headphone if you extremely loved them but 7 times! its like 1000$ a pop man. please.. tell me why please

seven!! (7)

These are the TR's. Not the TH's

@@Imabanana847 same thing, only difference is the removable cable

I mean it’s still a new model ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"the Ebony being more neutral and with slightly less bass." That's it, dude. That's pretty much it. So if you want it slightly warmer and a tad more bass then go with the purpleheart (like I did). Comfort? I don't think there is any difference at all between them. Perhaps it was reviewing the TH and the TR and they made some changes affecting comfort between models? I don't think they did? Pretty sure it was just detachable cables..

zachary short I went with the Mahogany and love them. I just found a big difference in both his reviews for Mahogany and Ebony. He didn’t really enjoy so much the Mahogany but loved the Ebony even though some argue their isn’t much of a difference. The only difference between the two are the wood cups in terms of the physical aspect.

listen to Michael Kiwanuka (Cold Little HEart) as well ... and so many others :)

@@brunoalexandre2352 thanks ! love it

Nick tan unsure about the 909. 900 has deeper bass at lower frequencies. But doesn’t have the overall bass that the X00. Also 900’s highs are too bright :/

@@JoshuaValour I heard 900 is v shape. I wonder about the X00 in comparison with 900 and 909. Either they are all Fostex.

@@JoshuaValour Is the X00 the reference of how bass should sound ? What do you mean by overall bass ?

drop said they will never make them again so just look for something else but not the emu teak

@@davidmason8212 why not the emu teak? Whats wrong with them?

@@theprinceofeverything1975 Lack of seperation Increasing in THD on high volume Everything else is fantastic If you are used to hear music pretty low volume you will love it but if you are like me love to hear music loud just skip it . Hint: Bass is lil bit too much for me .

@@davidmason8212 GET AN AMP. That headphone can get wayyyyy louder and should be used with a dac or amp

@@theprinceofeverything1975 Unfortunately I have already JDS Labs ATOM DAC Liquid Spark AMP Both of them are pretty good but the headphone itself is bad.

Get the DarkVoice. You'll get a bigger difference in sound versus buying the HD58X. HD58X and HD6XX have very similar sound signatures and is a bit pointless to buy if you have the HD6XX already.

Agree, getting a tube amp for the Sennheiser HD6XX is probably the best thing you can do for it. Just picked up a tube amp for my HD58X (used Project Ember with JJ Electronic 12AH7-A tube and a vintage Russian 6SN7GT with 6SN7 adapter)... and they will only be heard on the tube amp from now on. It's that noticeable of an improvement, mainly in the sense of space and separation that makes it easier to cleanly hear what is exactly going on... along with such a full, rich, smooth sound - absolutely mesmerizing to listen. Always wanted to try tube amp... wish I had done it sooner. I no longer care to listen to my Gustard H10 amps... sound flatter and a little lifeless next to the Ember with 12AH7-A tube - and the H10s are not a flat/sterile sounding amp at all!