Headphone buy of the year!!!

[Lee Hankins]

There was a comment from the Seattle Headfi meet about the excellent sound of the MB Quart QP400 at the Bottlehead table, so I decided to give it a try.  It arrived Friday, and like it so much that I order a second one for my daughter.  This is an extremely light and comfortable headphone, much more comfortable than the HD650's.  The QP400 does not have the bass of the 650, it is closer to the 701's, but I believe that it is more detailed than the 650 or 701, which is my cup of tea (based on a very short session with all 3).

MB Quart QP400, $106.94 including shipping, from sonicelectronix.com. (free shipping to lower 48, list price was $320 if that really means anything).

[Doc B.]

I'm with Lee, these are definitely bang for the buck and the featherlight feel is really nice. They are also 300 ohms and work well with Crack.

[matthewmckay]

If anyone has had experience with both, how would they compare with the 600 ohm beyerdynamic DT 880's ?  I am thinking about scoring a little bit of crack in a few weeks and these had been a top "value" contender from reading online reviews.  I think they go for around $250 online. 

I am now wondering if it would be more worthwhile to get the MB Quarts and put the extra money towards the speedball, nos tube, or boutique cap route.

I've never heard either set of phones and don't really have any way to audition a pair.

[Lee Hankins]

Matthew, I can not help with any comparison with the DT 880, but the MB Quart does IMHO complete with my HD650 and AGK 701's, they do not have the bass of the 650's but do have better clarity or detail than the 650 or 701.  Yes, I also believe that the money would be better spent towards the speedball, nos tube, and 100uf film caps.  The MB Quart's are exceptional with my highly modified Crack (speedball, nos tubes, 100uf caps, choke, 50uf film cap in power supply, and extra filament xmr for 6.5 amps to run 6336 and 6528 tubes).  The Speedball is a must in my opinion.   

[InfernoSTi]

Lee, they are currently $99 shipped...cheap enough that I ordered a pair.  Thanks for the tip!  John

[Jim R.]

I got a pair of these back when Desmond (laudenum) first posted about this sale though haven't had enough time listening to say anything more thn they seem like they will potentially be very good, and they are really very comfortable for me to wear.

For the price I don't think you can go wrong, and you may even find them to be much nicer than an awful lot of cans out there.

-- Jim

[glynnw]

Thanks for the heads-up. I just oredered a pair for $99.95 shipped.

[HF9]

I owned a pair of the QP400 that I recabled many moons ago. Back when I purchased them, there was little to no information about them on the web. I found that the sound was good, but I felt that the earpads kept the driver a little too far from the ear to achieve a full bass sound. One owner in particular modified the pads by compressing the material on the inside. I will verify that they are very comfortable.

As a disclaimer, I do personally prefer headphones to achieve a very full level of bass. I like the Denon series, Headphile Deep Darths, Beyer DT990, etc. I'd imagine if you enjoy the sound of the AKG K701 / K702, the MB Quarts would be up your alley.

[Jim R.]

Ok, while not technically BH related, I just gave these a first listen with my Leben CS300 XS, and even fresh out of the box I'm pretty impressed.  A little crisp on the top, but that should settle down afer some play time.  Quite comfortable too.

I'll be looking forward to trying these with Crack and s.e.x. v2 and 2.1 at some point down the road.

-- Jim

[Laudanum]

The same vendor also sells a closed back pair of Quarts.  QP805 HS  .  I posted about these as well but figured this was a good place to mention them again.    They are 90 dollars, list was over 200.  I had enough open phones and wanted a high z closed phone.  Plus, I had read that the QP400's were a bit light in the bass.  So, my wife picked the 805's up for me for last Fathers Day.  They are fairly comfortable and durably built.  The bass is solid, good impact, well controlled, doesnt overpower the mids.  They are also extended up top but not overly bright.  Based on what I have read they dont beat out the QP400's for overall sound quality but they are a nice sounding phone nonetheless and another good buy at 90 bucks if looking for an affordable closed phone.  300 ohms, great for Crack.  Efficient as well.   The biggest gripe I have about them is the cord.  It's not very flexible and the diameter of what would be found on a cheap vacuum cleaner ... no kidding. Probably part of the durable build.   In fact, I need to figure out a way to replace it.  Outside of that, worth considering if wanting a closed phone for not a lot of cash.