nikhiltadsare
New Member
Hi,
I should start by saying that I am not an audiophile not even close, just amateur enjoying the music & nuances. Further I am in no way related to the seller "Pristine Note". It was my first interaction with these people. Sorry for my long post, and pardon me for any inadvertent mistakes in writing my first ever review on the forum.
The Beginning:
I read a lot of reviews about M35 & M50 on head-fi as well as other such sites. Everywhere M50 were considered close to audiophile sound experience available at much cheap price. Since then I have my eyes set on this headphone (HP). However, this time one of my friend was interested in a good HP and asked for recommendation. One obvious choice for him was Sennheiser HD438 which I am currently using and he liked it (looks as well as sound). We also went to hear AKG (I don't remember the model but at Rs3200 it did sound pretty neat, but my friend did not like the plasticy looks). Then the competition was between HD438 or M35, a matter of Known Devil v/s Unknown Angel. This turned me to Pristine Note.
The decision:
I was pretty keen on Audio Technica's M35 but called up Pristine Note to check if this HP would be able to produce decent output with normal phone / iPods considering the impedance of 65 ohms. Although PN said it will work but volume rocker will have to do some work for them to do the justice. At the same time he also suggested ATH T500, the flagship from their T series. I said lemme check a few reviews before taking the plunge. Again looked at Head-fi for support, but unlike M50's, T500 are not much talked about. So called up PN again told them my requirements;
- Closed back circumaural (full size) headphones
- Warm sound, Highs should not be exaggerated (for long listening)
- Better bass response (punchy, fast paced & accurate close to S4I or better)
- Good noise isolation
- Comfortable to wear for long time
After patiently listening to these requirements he said both M35 and T500 would fit the bill. M-35 would be available in 10 days whereas T500 was readily available. He also said that I won't regret buying T500 at all & it was cheaper than M35 by around Rs 1000.
The Conclusion:
Basis the advice took the plunge to buy T500 over M35. Deciding factors were, quick availability, Price (4200 Shipped + Octroi 200) & better impedance. I was quite decided not to go for HD438 (mainly due to sound signature although its warm, bass is not to my liking). Placed the order on 27th Feb and got the parcel home within 2 days. (I requested them that I need to get the HP before 4th Mar to ensure my friend gets it on his B'day).
It was fantastic experience buying from PN and I would recommend it to all forum members any day.
Listening Experience:
2 days later, i got to hear them. I was blown, the build quality is top notch, cable looks very sturdy and will last lifetime. HP looks awesome. The cup size is pretty big compared to Hd438 housing 53mm driver inside. Runs at
40 ohms, very easy to drive with phone / ipods etc. The highs were crisp similar to S4I, mids are awesome and bass is exactly how I like it to be, precise & fast paced much better than HD438's. Overall sound is bit airy. Soundstage & instrument separation is pretty good. Its extremely comfortable on the head, in fact within 10-15 mins i forgot i had them on, sound is blissful. They are very transparent in revealing the source. Low bit rate music sounded awful but higher bit rates & flac made it sing.
Test tracks used were
Few Bhajan tracks,
Hey You Pink Floyed,
Sultan's of Swing - Dire Straits,
Hotel California - Eagles,
Lots of A R Rehman Tracks from Roja, Rangeela, Dehli 6, Blue
Bin tere - I hate love storys
Yeh Tumhari Meri Baaten - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Hot In Herr - Nelly,
Eminem tracks,
Armin Van Burren, Benny Bennasi, Infected Mushrooms etc.
It performed well in all kinds of music I threw at it.
Although I could not do A-B testing for both these sets, I hope soon time will come where I can test them side by side on my Denon AVR. In a nutshell I am pretty happy that my friend really liked every aspect of this HP. I had assured him that I will buy it if he does not like it
But fortunately all was well in the end. All thanks to PN for recommendation and great service.
I wonder if this sounds so good how good M50 would be. Everyday I am holding back the urge to buy T500 with a hope of saving money for M50.
Best Regards,
Nikhil.
I should start by saying that I am not an audiophile not even close, just amateur enjoying the music & nuances. Further I am in no way related to the seller "Pristine Note". It was my first interaction with these people. Sorry for my long post, and pardon me for any inadvertent mistakes in writing my first ever review on the forum.
The Beginning:
I read a lot of reviews about M35 & M50 on head-fi as well as other such sites. Everywhere M50 were considered close to audiophile sound experience available at much cheap price. Since then I have my eyes set on this headphone (HP). However, this time one of my friend was interested in a good HP and asked for recommendation. One obvious choice for him was Sennheiser HD438 which I am currently using and he liked it (looks as well as sound). We also went to hear AKG (I don't remember the model but at Rs3200 it did sound pretty neat, but my friend did not like the plasticy looks). Then the competition was between HD438 or M35, a matter of Known Devil v/s Unknown Angel. This turned me to Pristine Note.
The decision:
I was pretty keen on Audio Technica's M35 but called up Pristine Note to check if this HP would be able to produce decent output with normal phone / iPods considering the impedance of 65 ohms. Although PN said it will work but volume rocker will have to do some work for them to do the justice. At the same time he also suggested ATH T500, the flagship from their T series. I said lemme check a few reviews before taking the plunge. Again looked at Head-fi for support, but unlike M50's, T500 are not much talked about. So called up PN again told them my requirements;
- Closed back circumaural (full size) headphones
- Warm sound, Highs should not be exaggerated (for long listening)
- Better bass response (punchy, fast paced & accurate close to S4I or better)
- Good noise isolation
- Comfortable to wear for long time
After patiently listening to these requirements he said both M35 and T500 would fit the bill. M-35 would be available in 10 days whereas T500 was readily available. He also said that I won't regret buying T500 at all & it was cheaper than M35 by around Rs 1000.
The Conclusion:
Basis the advice took the plunge to buy T500 over M35. Deciding factors were, quick availability, Price (4200 Shipped + Octroi 200) & better impedance. I was quite decided not to go for HD438 (mainly due to sound signature although its warm, bass is not to my liking). Placed the order on 27th Feb and got the parcel home within 2 days. (I requested them that I need to get the HP before 4th Mar to ensure my friend gets it on his B'day).
It was fantastic experience buying from PN and I would recommend it to all forum members any day.
Listening Experience:
2 days later, i got to hear them. I was blown, the build quality is top notch, cable looks very sturdy and will last lifetime. HP looks awesome. The cup size is pretty big compared to Hd438 housing 53mm driver inside. Runs at
40 ohms, very easy to drive with phone / ipods etc. The highs were crisp similar to S4I, mids are awesome and bass is exactly how I like it to be, precise & fast paced much better than HD438's. Overall sound is bit airy. Soundstage & instrument separation is pretty good. Its extremely comfortable on the head, in fact within 10-15 mins i forgot i had them on, sound is blissful. They are very transparent in revealing the source. Low bit rate music sounded awful but higher bit rates & flac made it sing.
Test tracks used were
Few Bhajan tracks,
Hey You Pink Floyed,
Sultan's of Swing - Dire Straits,
Hotel California - Eagles,
Lots of A R Rehman Tracks from Roja, Rangeela, Dehli 6, Blue
Bin tere - I hate love storys
Yeh Tumhari Meri Baaten - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Hot In Herr - Nelly,
Eminem tracks,
Armin Van Burren, Benny Bennasi, Infected Mushrooms etc.
It performed well in all kinds of music I threw at it.
Although I could not do A-B testing for both these sets, I hope soon time will come where I can test them side by side on my Denon AVR. In a nutshell I am pretty happy that my friend really liked every aspect of this HP. I had assured him that I will buy it if he does not like it
But fortunately all was well in the end. All thanks to PN for recommendation and great service.I wonder if this sounds so good how good M50 would be. Everyday I am holding back the urge to buy T500 with a hope of saving money for M50.
Best Regards,
Nikhil.
