I just received my Argons yesterday and their soundstage is INSANE. Play any binaural recordings. It's a completely new experience. I've got a Sennheiser HD660s and a Stax L300 and they're no match for the sheer joy of listening that the Argons provide.
Just got my argons mk2 that I sniped on eBay. These are no joke. DMS is not overhyping them. They are fantastic and the soundstage for a closed headphone my god. They actually made me put down my open headphones to game in a closed headphone. Never thought that would happen.
Mayflower Electronics has their own version. Can’t tell much difference from the HiFi Man HE 500. I have both. The Mayflowers are “U” shaped. Tyler has been able to tame the treble as to not get fatigue but still somewhat on the bright side. Much better built then the Monoprice 1060. $264, the Mayflowers are a steal.
Great review as always. I saw you did a review of the KZ ZS5's and praised them. Just bought a pair of ZS6's myself. Any experience with those? So far I've hears since the 2 BA's are right next to your ear, they're pretty harsh. I can mod them though if that's the case.
ccmaster86 the zs6 is a lot more harsh than the zs5 v-1. But from personal experience, an eq will do wonders in helping them produce good sound. e: they also have very very good extension in the low and high range.
DMS, I was hoping you could be more specific about how the Argon MKIII is better "more refined" than the Argon MKII? I have a T50 MKII and am wondering if I should get a MKIII before Argon conversion? Just hoping you could briefly detail why it's better.
Are they going to allow you to send in your pair and have them modded at some point (for hopefully less $)? I already have a T-20RP and I would get these to replace them. I don't need 2 MK3s sitting around.
I've been eyeing up the M1060s since your review of them-how would you say the Argons compare? Currently my daily drivers are the HD6xx and I love them, but would love a pair of planars too.
I have the 1060 gen. 2(and yes, they are properly amazing)....and now I am contemplating getting these argon mk.3 as the closed counterpart to them....damn this hobby gets pricey....even with buying budget friendly cans like these.
@@MrR2185 can you prefer one for me of the following headphones ? I hear a lot of 50´s songs and classical hiphop and SP gaming So for that do you prefer M1060 M1060c 4xx Argons He 500
Just ordered these after your review and Z's review. It will be like Christmas when I get them!.... Because it will basically be Christmas when I get them (12 week wait)
I can dig a set of cans that are re-curved not to be neutral...but not heavily omissive. I do not like cans that roll off the treble steeply. They sound boring and unnatural to me, especially when cymbals sound like they are under a towel. They also need to avoid the ear-bleeder over emphasis on upper midrange like some cheap cans do. FWIW: The magni 3 is inadequate for planar/stat and most 300 ohm cans. I have one, and it runs out of gas. 430mw/300 ohms is 50% too low. It seem like a lot of power,but it's not. I start with the valhalla 2 (800+ mw/300 ohms) and go from there.
What budget dac+amp would you recommend for these? If wouldn’t spend more than half the Argon’s price for an amp, I wonder what would be the best cheap and powerful enough amp for the Argon?
How do these hold up now? I remember you saying they weren't as good of a value since the THX Pandas came out, but these to be very different from the Pandas in nearly every respect
Claimed max RMS and what they can actually take are two completely different things...plus that's not taking into consideration dynamic RMS. And just because a certain speaker can only take, say 50 watts, doesn't mean you want to only give it 50 watts for best sound. There's too many variables to consider when talking about power requirements, efficiency, enclosure, and many more. Hell, I run one Sundown SA-8 D2 V3 in my DeVille, it's a 500w RMS sub...I run it daily on 900w RMS into 1ohm....500 alone wouldn't do it justice, same with TxxRP's.
@@johnnygeorgopoulos4072 I know it's been like 2 years but could you tell me what amps can actually run the argon to their full power? preferably a balanced amp. the budget doesn't matter to much to me but maybe try to keep it under 1500$.
@@nasirmonger9769 I know a few people were running them with those THX headphone amps, SMSL 888, Drop AAA, and the Monolith THX AAA (all have AAA or THX in their name) and they all are balanced and give around 6w per channel at 32ohm, those are what I know of that have good sound and strong enough power, if you want more power but more noise, if you can find the Emotiva BassX A-100 amplifier, which isn't a headphone specific amp, but has headphone outs, and can be opened up and included is a "jumper" to bypass resistors inside to increase the power sent to the headphone out, at 12w per channel at 32ohm, but it's been discontinued, but I've heard giving them closer to that is what they actually prefer being planar drivers. I'm sure there's higher end high power amps I'm unaware of, I'd check out Zeos Pantera on YT, he reviews quite a few headphone amps(and headphones and other goodies)
does anyone know which Eikon pads Argon uses? it doesn't specify but on the ZMF eikon pad page there's lambskin, perforated lambskin, suede, perforated suede, protein and a hybrid lambskin suede
Love your videos, don't know if you will see this comment but just wanted to know which would you prefer for gaming and music between these and the he4xx? I wanted to try a planar, I have a dt 1990 pro currently
I own them and play on them a lot. It's just perfection. Soundstage is so wide and details so clear, you won't want any other headphone for gaming. Also comfort is perfect, I can wear them for hours and hours without fatigue. Be aware you'll need a dac and an amp to run these.
I recently had a pair of Massdrop TX-0 Argon-modded, and have used them a fair bit for gaming. (Overwatch, Destiny 2). Soundstage width is fine (although I don't find it to be mind-blowing) but it sort of feels like it's all in two paper towel roll shaped tubes pointing straight out from my ears. Not the most immersive. This is with ZMF protein pads; a different pad or pad material might produce different results. I'm curious about the ZMF suede pads; I wonder if they would open things up a bit. BUT with the MKIII Argon you would have the option of using Shure 1540 alcantara pads, which are great and have a more open sound. I suspect that would be better for gaming.
I own MKII Argons with lambskin pads. I got a O2 amp, which power them enough but you can invest in a more powerfull amp, and a cheap dac from Audiophonics which does the job.
ZMF protein pads, dacs/amps: ALO CDM, TEAC HA-P50, Walnut F1. (The F1 is a great deal btw if you need a small portable amp that will drive relatively inefficient headphones.)
i know this is a year late but the dt770 80ohm and argons sound very different. the argons soundstage is MUCH wider but more distant in the mids. the beyer dynamics feel like im listening to music in a recording studio, the argons sound like im on stage.
Chase L. Sloppy details are ironed out. Bass a bit loose? Tightened. Mids sound a bit distanced / lacking in clarity/detail? Brought forward and detail retrieval improved. Highs piercing, grainy, hot. Smoothed. Or, if they're too dark, they're brightened.
Can you link 3.Auteur Eikon pads[3:50]?Not quite sure which is it from all the selections on zmf site. I just bought a pair of these from your link.Thanks
Can you recommend me some good pads for moding my mk3's I have the HM5 hybrid and they good, and I search for something from leaher that will give me slightly different sound, just for fun and the experience
So how do these compare to the Vibro mk2? I can get one of these for the same price, was thinking to get the Vibros because I like wood but then here DMS mention Argons are better. Thoughts?
How does this closed back planar compare to any other ones you've heard? I've been wanting to get both some planars and some closed back headphones, so to see both in a great modded pair sounds pretty good for me. I just have a pair of X2's right now and was thinking of getting the R2R 11 to amp them and use the dac. If I got these would I have to have the volume way up? What do you think about tubes vs solid state for these?
Looking at nabbing this set, but what material were the eikon pads made of? The modhouse webpage refers to choices of protein, lambskin, and cowhide, but nothing for eikon. And if I search those separately, I get a lot of other choices for materials… halp
Luka Kljova I also have Fiio E18 kunan and it can drive my fostex txos which are t50rp Mark 2 mod they sound good to me on high-gain and volume at 12 or 1 o'clock depending on the song.
I'm eyeing on the NFB 11.28, glad to know it'll drive the t50rp just fine.. but please recommend some 6-8w amps to power these to their full potiential.. we need more POWAAAH!
james fong I'd actually go for the Mk3 here and exchange the pads. The SRH1540 pads were best IMO. Be careful with changing the distance between your ear and the driver it changes the sound dramatically.
I just received my Argons yesterday and their soundstage is INSANE. Play any binaural recordings. It's a completely new experience. I've got a Sennheiser HD660s and a Stax L300 and they're no match for the sheer joy of listening that the Argons provide.
Have u tried them for gaming? What amp? How's the low end?
Just got my argons mk2 that I sniped on eBay. These are no joke. DMS is not overhyping them. They are fantastic and the soundstage for a closed headphone my god. They actually made me put down my open headphones to game in a closed headphone. Never thought that would happen.
Just ordered these last month,
Am looking forward to these.
Could you please add the frequency response of the different pads image in the video description please.
A MK3/HD650/M1060 vs HD800s (something over $1000) video would be amazing.
Keep up the great work.
Mayflower Electronics has their own version. Can’t tell much difference from the HiFi Man HE 500. I have both. The Mayflowers are “U” shaped. Tyler has been able to tame the treble as to not get fatigue but still somewhat on the bright side. Much better built then the Monoprice 1060. $264, the Mayflowers are a steal.
Hi DMS have you any plans to review the T60rp argons?
Kept thinking someone was opening a door, realized it was from the vid XD
+DMS3 TV These or original Argon MK2 for soundstage and bass extension?
You've been churning quite a number of videos lately. Do you have 4 arms?
Tysun Yihan He has 5 arms actually
Great review as always. I saw you did a review of the KZ ZS5's and praised them. Just bought a pair of ZS6's myself. Any experience with those? So far I've hears since the 2 BA's are right next to your ear, they're pretty harsh. I can mod them though if that's the case.
ccmaster86 the zs6 is a lot more harsh than the zs5 v-1. But from personal experience, an eq will do wonders in helping them produce good sound.
e: they also have very very good extension in the low and high range.
Great Review. I’m on the fence between these and Monolith m1060C. I do enjoy a more forward vocal sound. Any thoughts would be appreciated :)
Everyone is asking for this comparation
Still waiting for that t60rp review...
Shoild i go balanced or se on this?
DMS, I was hoping you could be more specific about how the Argon MKIII is better "more refined" than the Argon MKII? I have a T50 MKII and am wondering if I should get a MKIII before Argon conversion? Just hoping you could briefly detail why it's better.
Can’t wait to get my pair 🤤
How do you find it after a year
Are they going to allow you to send in your pair and have them modded at some point (for hopefully less $)? I already have a T-20RP and I would get these to replace them. I don't need 2 MK3s sitting around.
I’m gonna have to try these and compare to my campfire audio cascades
I've been eyeing up the M1060s since your review of them-how would you say the Argons compare? Currently my daily drivers are the HD6xx and I love them, but would love a pair of planars too.
I have the 1060 gen. 2(and yes, they are properly amazing)....and now I am contemplating getting these argon mk.3 as the closed counterpart to them....damn this hobby gets pricey....even with buying budget friendly cans like these.
Did you end up getting the argons? how do they compare? im about to order one but contemplating on which
@@MrR2185
How do you compare the m1060 to the argons ?
@@davidmason8212 Not comparing them.... Rather, I'm looking for a closed headphone to accompany them... So I have a closed and an open-back headphone
@@MrR2185 can you prefer one for me of the following headphones ?
I hear a lot of 50´s songs and classical hiphop and SP gaming
So for that do you prefer
M1060
M1060c
4xx
Argons
He 500
Great review man! What is your opinion, which one is better? Argon MK3 or Mezze 99? Thanks!
Hey DMS, would an ifi micro idsd black label be enough to power the argon mk3’s to their true potential?
Hi DMS, how do these compare to 400i or 4XX?
+1
Just ordered these after your review and Z's review. It will be like Christmas when I get them!.... Because it will basically be Christmas when I get them (12 week wait)
Did you like em?
Lol
Any idea how these stack up against the Massdrop T-X0?
I can dig a set of cans that are re-curved not to be neutral...but not heavily omissive. I do not like cans that roll off the treble steeply. They sound boring and unnatural to me, especially when cymbals sound like they are under a towel. They also need to avoid the ear-bleeder over emphasis on upper midrange like some cheap cans do.
FWIW: The magni 3 is inadequate for planar/stat and most 300 ohm cans. I have one, and it runs out of gas. 430mw/300 ohms is 50% too low. It seem like a lot of power,but it's not. I start with the valhalla 2 (800+ mw/300 ohms) and go from there.
Would you recommend Argons for classical music?
Any decent amp/dac around 100$ to drive those?
I'd love to get these but I'll hold off. I only have an Atom stack so I'll get Sundara's or Zeus' first.
What budget dac+amp would you recommend for these? If wouldn’t spend more than half the Argon’s price for an amp, I wonder what would be the best cheap and powerful enough amp for the Argon?
How do you compare them to the he 400i ???
How do these hold up now? I remember you saying they weren't as good of a value since the THX Pandas came out, but these to be very different from the Pandas in nearly every respect
Don't T50RPs have max input of 3000mW? 6watts wouldn't really make a difference would it?
Claimed max RMS and what they can actually take are two completely different things...plus that's not taking into consideration dynamic RMS. And just because a certain speaker can only take, say 50 watts, doesn't mean you want to only give it 50 watts for best sound. There's too many variables to consider when talking about power requirements, efficiency, enclosure, and many more.
Hell, I run one Sundown SA-8 D2 V3 in my DeVille, it's a 500w RMS sub...I run it daily on 900w RMS into 1ohm....500 alone wouldn't do it justice, same with TxxRP's.
@@johnnygeorgopoulos4072 I know it's been like 2 years but could you tell me what amps can actually run the argon to their full power? preferably a balanced amp. the budget doesn't matter to much to me but maybe try to keep it under 1500$.
@@nasirmonger9769 I know a few people were running them with those THX headphone amps, SMSL 888, Drop AAA, and the Monolith THX AAA (all have AAA or THX in their name) and they all are balanced and give around 6w per channel at 32ohm, those are what I know of that have good sound and strong enough power, if you want more power but more noise, if you can find the Emotiva BassX A-100 amplifier, which isn't a headphone specific amp, but has headphone outs, and can be opened up and included is a "jumper" to bypass resistors inside to increase the power sent to the headphone out, at 12w per channel at 32ohm, but it's been discontinued, but I've heard giving them closer to that is what they actually prefer being planar drivers. I'm sure there's higher end high power amps I'm unaware of, I'd check out Zeos Pantera on YT, he reviews quite a few headphone amps(and headphones and other goodies)
does anyone know which Eikon pads Argon uses? it doesn't specify but on the ZMF eikon pad page there's lambskin, perforated lambskin, suede, perforated suede, protein and a hybrid lambskin suede
Most go with protein
Love your videos, don't know if you will see this comment but just wanted to know which would you prefer for gaming and music between these and the he4xx? I wanted to try a planar, I have a dt 1990 pro currently
3:47 Auteur Eikon pads? Is there a typo? I can't find such pads.
Ordered a pair. And saw zeos review nfb am 1. I’try to get one from hifishark.. Think this will be killer combo
Do the Argons ever go on sale? For black friday, etc?
I always wondered how these compare to DT-770's. I love those but they are definitely not fun headphones.
+1
What do you mean not fun?
How do these compare to what ZMF is putting out?
+1
Would also like to know how they compare to something like the Ori.
@@junglist82 but the ori is way way more expensive
@@davidmason8212 not used
Any thoughts on using these for gaming, anyone?
I own them and play on them a lot. It's just perfection. Soundstage is so wide and details so clear, you won't want any other headphone for gaming. Also comfort is perfect, I can wear them for hours and hours without fatigue. Be aware you'll need a dac and an amp to run these.
I recently had a pair of Massdrop TX-0 Argon-modded, and have used them a fair bit for gaming. (Overwatch, Destiny 2). Soundstage width is fine (although I don't find it to be mind-blowing) but it sort of feels like it's all in two paper towel roll shaped tubes pointing straight out from my ears. Not the most immersive.
This is with ZMF protein pads; a different pad or pad material might produce different results. I'm curious about the ZMF suede pads; I wonder if they would open things up a bit.
BUT with the MKIII Argon you would have the option of using Shure 1540 alcantara pads, which are great and have a more open sound. I suspect that would be better for gaming.
What pads did you choose and what amp and dac?
I own MKII Argons with lambskin pads. I got a O2 amp, which power them enough but you can invest in a more powerfull amp, and a cheap dac from Audiophonics which does the job.
ZMF protein pads, dacs/amps: ALO CDM, TEAC HA-P50, Walnut F1. (The F1 is a great deal btw if you need a small portable amp that will drive relatively inefficient headphones.)
So it is closed
It's bassy and very wide
So do it sounds just like the dt770 80ohms ?
i know this is a year late but the dt770 80ohm and argons sound very different. the argons soundstage is MUCH wider but more distant in the mids. the beyer dynamics feel like im listening to music in a recording studio, the argons sound like im on stage.
@@mk7Jordy do you think the emu teak or the thx00 ebony sounds better than argons ?
Wonder how the imaging is in these. I'm looking for a closed back pair for gaming.
How do these compare to fostex th900
What does "refined" usually mean in terms of sound (I.e., Mk3 (protein) vs Mk2 as you mentioned)?
Chase L. Sloppy details are ironed out.
Bass a bit loose? Tightened.
Mids sound a bit distanced / lacking in clarity/detail? Brought forward and detail retrieval improved.
Highs piercing, grainy, hot. Smoothed. Or, if they're too dark, they're brightened.
Halomaster4ever Awesome dude.
I have a Mk2 so I was just wondering if upgrading was worth it.
Lambskin or protein pads ???
What do you prefer
Is a SMSL SP200 adequate for powering these?
What were your personal favourite pads to use with the argons?
Good question
What are pads in dark blue, I can't make it out? I'm buying a pair of these cans and trying to decide what pads to go with.
2 questions if you have a moment:
-Argons vs. ZMF blackwood?
-will the SMSL M6 (150 ohm 220 mW) be sufficient to drive these?
thanks,
so if something like the JDS Atom isn't enough to hit that 6-8watts, what amp would you recommend for 300$ tops ?
I'm thinking the same way.. sooo, I want this headphone but I have the atom, Cavalli hybrid, i don't know if it has enough power or not.
Can you link 3.Auteur Eikon pads[3:50]?Not quite sure which is it from all the selections on zmf site. I just bought a pair of these from your link.Thanks
How do this compare to Fostex ebony? Im in between those two or the lcd2 classic
Can you recommend me some good pads for moding my mk3's I have the HM5 hybrid and they good, and I search for something from leaher that will give me slightly different sound, just for fun and the experience
Could you do a review on the superlux hd668b's?
Lofty Smalls your answer is fine and all but the problem is I'm not asking you.
So how do these compare to the Vibro mk2? I can get one of these for the same price, was thinking to get the Vibros because I like wood but then here DMS mention Argons are better. Thoughts?
how is the imagining?
How does this closed back planar compare to any other ones you've heard? I've been wanting to get both some planars and some closed back headphones, so to see both in a great modded pair sounds pretty good for me. I just have a pair of X2's right now and was thinking of getting the R2R 11 to amp them and use the dac. If I got these would I have to have the volume way up? What do you think about tubes vs solid state for these?
hey it's noriko!
Hey since this a fun headphone, mind comparing it to the dt990 pro? Looking for something darker
would a fiio e17 portable suffice for these?
What is the pad in purple on your FR graph? Can't make out the text.
How do you compare the argon to the emu teak ?
good review DMS ordered
Would a Fiio A3 power these?
swat37 i have ma doubts
Is that 6-8 watts recommended at 16 ohms or 32 ohms?
how would you compare these to meze 99 ?
is 1600mw per channel at 50 ohms enough to drive these puppies to sound good?
Looking at nabbing this set, but what material were the eikon pads made of? The modhouse webpage refers to choices of protein, lambskin, and cowhide, but nothing for eikon. And if I search those separately, I get a lot of other choices for materials… halp
They’ve updated things a lot since this vid so it’s hard to say 😅
@@DMS3TV ah well, guess I’ll just take a shot at the cow hides for now. I know it’s been a few years, but thanks for the reply
Oh you painted ur 650s, they look so much better now
Are these FR graphs online somewhere?
How do these compare to the Mayflower Mk3 v1?
what kind of rig did you use for these measurements?
Vs ZMF Classic?
Very good question
Single ended or balanced?
Mine is SE but they would definitely benefit from the extra power of a balanced setup.
Nfb11 or asgard 3 ?
You should compare this to a Fidelio x2
What pads are used for the purple frequency response? It's a bit hard to read on the screen.
Looks like HD650?
2:26 to 2:30 sounds like my walls are rumbling on bass boosted shp 9500s, jesus.
Can i get a reasonble good sound quality and volume with fiio e18 kunlun for these bad boys?
Luka Kljova I also have Fiio E18 kunan and it can drive my fostex txos which are t50rp Mark 2 mod they sound good to me on high-gain and volume at 12 or 1 o'clock depending on the song.
These or the talos?
These
so whats better mk3 stock or woth protein pads? can only choose one tho.
Mk3 with protien has more soundstage, mk3 with lambskin has smoother treble.
pics of inside of the cups anyone? :)
Awesome review! I have an unmoded t50rp mk2, would it make sense getting Argon mk3, or should I just send in my mk2?
and i would like to know if its worth it to buy the argon MK3 if i already have the argon MK2.
Send in your MK2s
I have both, and I would say no. They are very similar. - @@SupaDrifto
Send in your Mk2s! Less cost for the upgrade, and the sound of the Argon Mk2 and Mk3 is very similar.
How well do these isolate? Could they be worn in an office and not disturb the people around me?
What are your thoughts on the mayflower mod? is this better?
these crap on the mayflower mod
Gofspar how about the vs the talos?
Do you listen to tipper?
Is it possible to run those balanced? it looks like the cable is only on one side
Daniel Granstrom As of May 13th you can get it as an option
T60RP Argon review????
would r2r 11 be able to bring out their full potential?
Pretty dang close to it.
yet another phone that seens great to have.
Thanks dad.
You're welcome son
T60rp argon?
do you have a link to the freq response graph(s) used in the video?
I do not have a link actually. I do my measurements here on site.
I snapped it:
imgur.com/a/1Qoof
What amp would you recommend with them?
I'm eyeing on the NFB 11.28, glad to know it'll drive the t50rp just fine.. but please recommend some 6-8w amps to power these to their full potiential.. we need more POWAAAH!
Planars pair well with speaker amps. Don't go with the 50 ohm rating. In the video too he recommends 6W power amp.
I have a pair of Massdrop x Fostex T-X0.. Should I turn those into Argon, or should I just buy the MK3 version?
aren't they semi open?
They have a bass-vent. That's it.
I have the MK2. My question is how does both Argons compare to each other?
Are those open back? How is the imaging for gaming?
Ok I have a choice now get the txo argon or the mk3 argon can someone enlighten me?
james fong Argon all the way.
Kacper Umins umm so which one?
Kacper Uminski txo or mk 3?
james fong I'd actually go for the Mk3 here and exchange the pads. The SRH1540 pads were best IMO.
Be careful with changing the distance between your ear and the driver it changes the sound dramatically.
james fong Argon > T50rp Mk3 > TX0
Now, after 3 yrs from this review, would the Schiit heresy be enough to drive them? Or THX AAA one? Or Rebelamp?
Watch the video, he says the more power the better
I love them but I'm selling my Argon Mk3s on ebay right now. Offer ends on April 11th 2021.
What didn't you like about them?