# Blue Announces Ella, Sadie and Satellite Headphones @ CES 2017



## AxelCloris

Blue has just announced their newest dynamic headphone, the *Blue Sadie*. The Sadie is aimed straight at today's mobile user. Many music lovers use laptops and cell phones as their primary music source and Blue designed a headphones specifically for them. Blue describe the Sadie as "..._a headphone that liberates digital music from overhyped playback so you can enjoy true high fidelity on your laptop and mobile devices._" With its improved built-in amplifier and redesigned comfort, the Sadie is poised to capture both fans of the original Blue MoFi as well as those who have yet to experience it.
  
  ​ (Blue Sadie)​  
 Surprisingly, Blue has also announced their first planar magnetic headphone, the *Blue Ella*. Ella uses a 50mm by 50mm planar membrane in place of the 50mm dynamic driver found inside Sadie. Because of the unique shape of planar drivers the engineers at Blue had to design an all new driver enclosure. Inspiration was taken from high end speaker cabinets to give what Blue describe as "_...a rich, extended soundstage._" Like other models in Blue's line, the Ella has its own built-in amplifier, one that delivers 250mW to the custom-matched drivers. Because of the amount of work that goes into creating these headphones, they're not mass produced but rather hand assembled by craftsmen in small quantities.
  
  ​ (Blue Ella)​  
 Both of these headphones feature Blue's suspension headband system. While they may share styling cues with Blue's MoFi and Lola, I have to say that the Ella and Sadie are so much more attractive to my eye. We have both of these news models at Head-Fi HQ and we'll be posting more about them soon.
  
 The last announcement Blue has is their first wireless headphone, the *Blue Satellite*. The Satellite may be the first headphone from Blue to ditch the wires, but it's also the first with a fresh take on design. It has a 4-driver system with two custom 44mm dynamic drivers and its own original aesthetic. If you're wondering why they went for a 4-driver system, well that's where the minds at Blue show their creativity again. The Satellite is Blue's first headphone with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and unlike most noise canceling headphones, the Satellite uses one driver for music and a second to actively cancel outside noise. To round it off there's a built-in analog amplifier and a 3.5mm connection for wired listening should the batteries run out.
  
  ​ Blue Satellite in Black and White​  
 There's no official release date or pricing currently available for the Satellite, but you can sign up to receive notifications on Blue's website.


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## akg fanboy

@RockStar2005
 I think you should read this lol


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## Libertad

The ella is very interesting


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## RockStar2005

Wow!! Thanks for sharing Axel. These look awesome!!


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## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> @RockStar2005
> I think you should read this lol


 
  
 Just did. Thanks akg! lol
  
 I kinda wish they would do an update to the Lola though. The concept of an on-board amp is awesome, but I prefer the Lola b/c it was lighter b/c no amp but still sounded like the "best" sound mode the Mo-Fi has. But both of these new regular headphones have amps in them. 
  
 50 x 50mm?? Huh?? lol
  
 So akg which one would u get? The Sadie or the Ella (assuming they were both LIGHT lol)? How about you Axel??


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## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Just did. Thanks akg! lol
> 
> I kinda wish they would do an update to the Lola though. The concept of an on-board amp is awesome, but I prefer the Lola b/c it was lighter b/c no amp but still sounded like the "best" sound mode the Mo-Fi has. But both of these new regular headphones have amps in them.
> 
> ...


 
 I think the ella being a planar is very interesting but personally I would probably go for the sadie because because it is a dynamic driver meaning the headphone will probably be lighter and potentially have a soundstage closer to the lola... but both have a built in amp so light is a far cry for both


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## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I think the ella being a planar is very interesting but personally I would probably go for the sadie because because it is a dynamic driver meaning the headphone will probably be lighter and potentially have a soundstage closer to the lola... but both have a built in amp so light is a far cry for both


 
  
 Interesting. Yeah I've read that planar magnetic headphones can be heavier. 
  
 I had the Oppo PM-3 planar magnetic headphones a while back. I really don't think PM brings anything extra to the table. My AKG headphones ALL sounded better than the PM-3, which was like double to triple the price too. 
  
 Ok then I'd prob pick Sadie too. Wait, dynamic drivers also have bigger soundstages than PM drivers??!
  
 Haha I know. I was just saying "light" hypothetically so you HAD to give me an answer. LOL


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## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Interesting. Yeah I've read that planar magnetic headphones can be heavier.
> 
> I had the Oppo PM-3 planar magnetic headphones a while back. I really don't think PM brings anything extra to the table. My AKG headphones ALL sounded better than the PM-3, which was like double to triple the price too.
> 
> ...


 
 Yeah most planars historically have a very shallow soundstage. The he560/he1000 and the new ether flow kind of fix this issue but still nowhere near k812/hd800 and those planars are very expensive anyways


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## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Yeah most planars historically have a very shallow soundstage. The he560/he1000 and the new ether flow kind of fix this issue but still nowhere near k812/hd800 and those planars are very expensive anyways


 
  
 Wow. I'd give u a reputation for that but Head-Fi says I've reached my limit for the day. LOL Don't get why they even have a limit anyway??
  
 I C. Well then I DEFINITELY would pick the Sadie then. F PMs. lol Soundstage is KEY to attaining magical sound quality IMO. 
  
 I do recall that my PM-3 didn't have a great soundstage too. But same went for other non-PM headphones I had at that same price level ($400). But yeah, give me the Sadie then. 
  
 Axel you say the Sadie and Ella look different from the MoFi and Lola, but aside from color, I don't really see it? Please elaborate. I think they all look cool. lol


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## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Wow. I'd give u a reputation for that but Head-Fi says I've reached my limit for the day. LOL Don't get why they even have a limit anyway??
> 
> I C. Well then I DEFINITELY would pick the Sadie then. F PMs. lol Soundstage is KEY to attaining magical sound quality IMO.
> 
> ...


 
 wow headfi has a limit? lol. I don't think I ever reached it but here, a reputation for you instead since you couldn't give me one LOL
 Yeah I'm all about that soundstage. If the sadie does not have a great soundstage.... I will be very sadie


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## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> wow headfi has a limit? lol. I don't think I ever reached it but here, a reputation for you instead since you couldn't give me one LOL
> Yeah I'm all about that soundstage. If the sadie does not have a great soundstage.... I will be very sadie


 
  
 Weird, all of a sudden it let me do one for you now? Weirdo site. lol 
  
 Yes, so shall I. lol But I bet with 50mm speaker drivers it will since the Lola ALSO had 50mm and its soundstage was epic (like AKG's). lol


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## AxelCloris

rockstar2005 said:


> Axel you say the Sadie and Ella look different from the MoFi and Lola, but aside from color, I don't really see it? Please elaborate. I think they all look cool. lol


 
  
 In my second photo of the Sadie above you can see that there's a backlight behind the grill that I absolutely love. It's soft, but noticeable. While on that topic, the grill covers are completely different from the ones found on the Lola and MoFi. Then of course there's the obvious color differences too, and brown leather? Yes please! I think all of these changes combined have given the Ella and Sadie a more classy appearance.
  
 Edit: and to answer your earlier question, the Ella is listed as having a 50mm x 50mm driver because planars are square, not round like conventional dynamic drivers.


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## shurealltheway

They are for sale right now at atlasproaudio.com

http://www.atlasproaudio.com/search.php?search_query=headphones


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## RockStar2005

axelcloris said:


> In my second photo of the Sadie above you can see that there's a backlight behind the grill that I absolutely love. It's soft, but noticeable. While on that topic, the grill covers are completely different from the ones found on the Lola and MoFi. Then of course there's the obvious color differences too, and brown leather? Yes please! I think all of these changes combined have given the Ella and Sadie a more classy appearance.
> 
> Edit: and to answer your earlier question, the Ella is listed as having a 50mm x 50mm driver because planars are square, not round like conventional dynamic drivers.


 
  
 Ok, I see the difference on the grill covers. It has more "color" to it than the MoFi and Lola do. Yeah the brown leather is nice too. 
  
 No I agree, it was wise of Blue to give the new line of headphones their own unique look............AND make this hilarious ad. LOL 
  
 Any idea what the sensitivity is on the Lola by any chance? The impedance is 42 ohms, but I can't find the sensitivity info ANYWHERE. I even e-mailed Blue about it a couple days ago, but still no reply as of yet. 
  
 Oh ok. Didn't know that. Thanks!


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> They are for sale right now at atlasproaudio.com
> 
> http://www.atlasproaudio.com/search.php?search_query=headphones


 
  
 Nice. I also see that Blue's site has them too. $399 for the Sadie? I guess that makes sense since they're new and have the on-board amp too.


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## Beagle

> 50mm by 50mm planar membrane


 
  
 Sounds like yet another retread of the Fostex planar driver. Feh if so.


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## shurealltheway

beagle said:


> Sounds like yet another retread of the Fostex planar driver. Feh if so.




Why would you think that? Unlike Denon, Blue has no affiliation with Fostex. Why would you think their drivers aren't proprietary?


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## Beagle

I'm just going by the measurements of the drivers.


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## RockStar2005

Sounds like Blue really listens to their customers. I guess a lot of ppl said the MoFi & Lola were too uncomfortable to wear (I didn't think the Lola was uncomfortable though), so they made some changes (scroll down to Blue section). I definitely respect and support any company that pays attention to its customers. Maybe not always, but USUALLY the customer IS typically right. Especially when it comes to comfort. lol
  
 I will try and post an update once they have it put up (next week) if I see one.


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Sounds like Blue really listens to their customers. I guess a lot of ppl said the MoFi & Lola were too uncomfortable to wear (I didn't think the Lola was uncomfortable though), so they made some changes (scroll down to Blue section). I definitely respect and support any company that pays attention to its customers. Maybe not always, but USUALLY the customer IS typically right. Especially when it comes to comfort. lol
> 
> I will try and post an update once they have it put up (next week) if I see one.




Interesting. Would love to see your update when it's available. I'm so intrigued by these. The only thing I heard was that there will be less hinge points and no tension wheel, like the Lola's.


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> Interesting. Would love to see your update when it's available. I'm so intrigued by these. The only thing I heard was that there will be less hinge points and no tension wheel, like the Lola's.


 
  
 Sure. If I come across one, I'll post it here. 
  
 Well if making those changes made them even more comfortable, then it was the RIGHT way to go IMO. 
  
 Yeah, they are interesting. I'm a HUGE AKG fan, and have tried =407991]several other headphones as well. But to me, the Blue headphones (Lola to be specific) are the only ones that really captured the same high quality "magic" sound that I've become accustomed to hearing from the AKG K55X series. One very important quality they BOTH have in common is a wide vast soundstage, which is something several other MORE expensive headphones couldn't offer up. You can't "custom EQ" a bigger soundstage. lol 
  
 And I for one think they look AWESOME and NOT ugly at all. And I'm not even a NASCAR fan! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 And I do like these newer Blue headphones' look a bit more than the earlier ones (i.e. grill cover).


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Sure. If I come across one, I'll post it here.
> 
> Well if making those changes made them even more comfortable, then it was the RIGHT way to go IMO.
> 
> ...




That sounds great. I've never heard an AKG headphone but have heard good things about them. I couldn't resist any longer so I've ordered the Ella's. They're supposed to be here next week so I'll definitely post impressions then. I've never heard any of the previous Blue headphones but I also highly value an expansive soundstage, so I'm glad to hear that you thought the Lola's had that. 
As far as the look, I could care less either way. I'm more interested in sound, comfort, and function. If people think I look goofy, I'm ok with that


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> That sounds great. I've never heard an AKG headphone but have heard good things about them. I couldn't resist any longer so I've ordered the Ella's. They're supposed to be here next week so I'll definitely post impressions then. I've never heard any of the previous Blue headphones but I also highly value an expansive soundstage, so I'm glad to hear that you thought the Lola's had that.
> As far as the look, I could care less either way. I'm more interested in sound, comfort, and function. If people think I look goofy, I'm ok with that


 
  
 Well you should check them out. If you want closed-back, get the ones I have........the AKG K551. Don't worry about that garbage about in-line remotes causing distortion either. Total BS. The other K55X series 'phones come with 10' cables, where the K551 has a 4' one which is MUCH more convenient. The K550 is considered the most popular of the bunch though as it was the original. As far as I'm concerned, they both sound EXACTLY the same. 
  
 If you want open-back, then either K612 Pro or the slightly better K702 (Note: ALL these AKG ones have fixed cables except the K702) will do nicely! akg fanboy can answer ALL your questions as he is the REAL expert here. lol 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Nice! I'd like to read about them. If I was to get one of the two, it'd be the Sadie. I had the Oppo PM-3 planar magnetic headphones, and despite all the great reviews they got, I honestly didn't feel there was any difference with them being PM, but that's just me. Blue's could be different though? 
  
 Yeah...... the Blue Lola's soundstage (like AKG's) was EPIC! Definitely one of the most impressive headphones I've ever tried, and Lola is passive too, so NO built-in amp either. 
  
 Haha that's cool. I don't really care either. Maybe a little, but not a lot. Some (not all) ppl think the AKGs are big, but I don't. At least not the K55X series (I've had ALL 4 VERSIONS ((K550, K550 MK II, K551, K553)) of this series at one time or another). The open-back ones are a tiny bit bigger. I DO remember one time (akg fanboy, read this lol) on the Metra train the one conductor guy saw me with the K550 MK II (or K553?) on my head, and he goes "Man, those are some HEAAAAAAAAAADPHONES!!" ROFLLL I kinda laughed too cuz of how he said it (was nice, not rude), then he goes "No man, those look really nice." I go "Thank you. They sound really great too." Good times!! LOL


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## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Well you should check them out. If you want closed-back, get the ones I have........the AKG K551. Don't worry about that garbage about in-line remotes causing distortion either. Total BS. The other K55X series 'phones come with 10' cables, where the K551 has a 4' one which is MUCH more convenient. The K550 is considered the most popular of the bunch though as it was the original. As far as I'm concerned, they both sound EXACTLY the same.
> 
> If you want open-back, then either K612 Pro or the slightly better K702 (Note: ALL these AKG ones have fixed cables except the K702) will do nicely! akg fanboy can answer ALL your questions as he is the REAL expert here. lol
> 
> ...


 
 I agree with shure and I couldn't really be bothered with looks like I have mentioned before lol. I would wear a* jecklin float* in public if that meant I was getting the greatest sound ever lmao. It's cool to see an average bystander appreciate the design of the akgs, for some reason why I thought they were incredibly beautiful and  the best looking closed back when I first got them but I don't think so anymore, probably got used to them.


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## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I agree with shure and I couldn't really be bothered with looks like I have mentioned before lol. I would wear a* jecklin float* in public if that meant I was getting the greatest sound ever lmao. It's cool to see an average bystander appreciate the design of the akgs, for some reason why I thought they were incredibly beautiful and  the best looking closed back when I first got them but I don't think so anymore, probably got used to them.


 
  
 I guess I'm just lucky at least when it comes to AKG cuz I think they're the best looking headphones AND they just happened to be my favorite sounding too. The Lola came VERY close as you may have seen in my review that I'd posted a link to earlier. But both akg and I speculate that with the right custom EQ, the Lola may in fact MATCH the mighty AKG K55X series (or even outdo it??!!!) with regards to sound quality. 
  
 I still find their style to be very appealing (AKG's). For the price they charge, they give you headphones (like the K55X series) that appear to be MOSTLY metal, and sound amazing too. I think the Blue's prices are pretty fair too. $250 for the Lola is acceptable to me, and $399 for the brand new Sadie with built-in amp is also acceptable, esp if the amp is strong. To determine this, I see that the Sadie's output volume power is 240mW, while my Oppo HA-2's (amp/DAC) output power is 220mW into 32 ohms.............not sure if the Sadie's 240mW is for 32 ohms, but should I just assume so? Any ideas anyone?! lol
  
 If the 240mW IS ALSO into 32 ohms, then I guess the amp on the Sadie is actually a TINY bit stronger than my HA-2's.


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> I guess I'm just lucky at least when it comes to AKG cuz I think they're the best looking headphones AND they just happened to be my favorite sounding too. The Lola came VERY close as you may have seen in my review that I'd posted a link to earlier. But both akg and I speculate that with the right custom EQ, the Lola may in fact MATCH the mighty AKG K55X series (or even outdo it??!!!) with regards to sound quality.
> 
> I still find their style to be very appealing (AKG's). For the price they charge, they give you headphones (like the K55X series) that appear to be MOSTLY metal, and sound amazing too. I think the Blue's prices are pretty fair too. $250 for the Lola is acceptable to me, and $399 for the brand new Sadie with built-in amp is also acceptable, esp if the amp is strong. To determine this, I see that the Sadie's output volume power is 240mW, while my Oppo HA-2's (amp/DAC) output power is 220mW into 32 ohms.............not sure if the Sadie's 240mW is for 32 ohms, but should I just assume so? Any ideas anyone?! lol
> 
> If the 240mW IS ALSO into 32 ohms, then I guess the amp on the Sadie is actually a TINY bit stronger than my HA-2's.




The only thing I know about the Blue internal amp is that they supposedly hired Fiio to design it.


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> The only thing I know about the Blue internal amp is that they supposedly hired Fiio to design it.


 
  
 Oh SNAP, really? lol
  
 I love FiiO's amps! I've owned the E6, E11k (now known as the A3), and was keeping the newer and better A5 open as a backup purchase option in case my next smartphone's DAC measures up to my Oppo's quality standards but the amp DOESN'T. Very interesting. Thx for sharing shure!


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Oh SNAP, really? lol
> 
> I love FiiO's amps! I've owned the E6, E11k (now known as the A3), and was keeping the newer and better A5 open as a backup purchase option in case my next smartphone's DAC measures up to my Oppo's quality standards but the amp DOESN'T. Very interesting. Thx for sharing shure!




Anytime!


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> The only thing I know about the Blue internal amp is that they supposedly hired Fiio to design it.


 
  
Brand new interview article with the CEO of Blue. Good read. 
  
 In one portion of the interview, he confirms the FiiO partnership, but also confirms that it was a one-time thing: 
  
_At first, Blue partnered with popular headphone amp company FiiO on the tech for Mo-Fi. Since that first model, Blue has been working on *its own amplifier components* and those debuted this week. "Now that we've had a few years of experience, we're actually developing our own amps," Maier said. "In fact, Ella has a power amp we think is an improvement over the original Mo-Fi amp."_
  
 The more I read about Blue and their venture into the headphone arena the more I like them. They bring something special to the table, which I can't really say about most headphone companies, even most of the "good" ones. 
  
 I think it would be interesting if they tried their hand at the open-backed headphone segment of the business. I'm not saying I would buy it necessarily, but I bet it would be something special to say the least.


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Brand new interview article with the CEO of Blue. Good read.
> 
> In one portion of the interview, he confirms the FiiO partnership, but also confirms that it was a one-time thing:
> 
> ...




Wow! What an awesome find and post. Thanks for the info. I've never heard the Mofi but a lot of people like it and say the amp was good. If they've improved it even more with their latest headphones, then that's a great bonus to us consumers. 
I really like what Blue is doing, too. They're not just repackaging existing technology, they're trailblazing and setting new trends. They're doing what Apple used to do a long time ago. Thanks for the great read.


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> Wow! What an awesome find and post. Thanks for the info. I've never heard the Mofi but a lot of people like it and say the amp was good. If they've improved it even more with their latest headphones, then that's a great bonus to us consumers.
> I really like what Blue is doing, too. They're not just repackaging existing technology, they're trailblazing and setting new trends. They're doing what Apple used to do a long time ago. Thanks for the great read.


 
  
 Sure no problem. Glad you liked it!
  
 That's of no surprise to me because I know FiiO makes great amps. lol So I agree completely with "a lot of people". lol 
  
 Yes, very true! And as we see new reviews come out for the Ella, Sadie & Satellite, we can get further confirmation of said improvements to the amp (and overall sound). 
  
 In addition to all that, you may have noticed in the article that the Satellite uses a separate driver for the ANC and another one for the sound itself. I think this was brought up earlier in this thread, but not sure now. Anyway, taking that approach when (surprisingly) no one else has on ANC headphones as of yet shows once again that Blue *isn't at all afraid* to stand out in an ever-growing crowd of headphone manufacturers.


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Sure no problem. Glad you liked it!
> 
> That's of no surprise to me because I know FiiO makes great amps. lol So I agree completely with "a lot of people". lol
> 
> ...




I completely agree. They're trailblazing. They're doing things that no one else has thought about doing. Even if the Ella's turn out to be awesome, I may still want the Satellite's because they would serve a different purpose. Plus, I love that Blue never loses sight of what matters most...which is the SOUND. Unlike Bose, who wanted to cancel out noise and hopefully sound ok, Blue wants the headphones to sound fantastic first and THEN also be able to block out noise. And doesn't that just make sense? 

Here's to Blue


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## AlwaysForward

First post here: I'm so excited for the Ella. After falling in love with my MoFi, I started wondering what else is out there and looked at all of the options. I was leaning towards maybe a dedicated amp/DAC or DAP style setup with some Planars but really wasn't into spending that much when I love the Blue so much.

After even more searching, I realized the MoFi is essentially my ideal set of non-summit headphones. A lot of reviews compared the set to the OppoPM3, HE400 and Black Dogs - which is weird because they're dynamic. After a break-in period, I found the MoFi incredibly comfortable. I'm not sure if I'd go for the wireless satellite because the current design is so good at isolation that it's almost/practically noise Cancelling.

I think, for me, they're really hitting the money in terms of what I actually want in headphones:
- Inspirational and detailed sound
- Versatility: ON+ for edm/bass/pop/rap, ON for rock/jazz/blues/classical
- Tank like Build 
- Amp on board (like the Cipher, in terms of portability)
- Looks (I like them and people I've shown do, too)
- Workflow: not just the lack of extra dongles but also it keeps me from chasing the endless DAC chase if I realize I'd rather get the most out of Spotify and Google Play than use a lossless format that doesn't have the music discovery workflow I use on my mobile and desktop at work.

So I'm super curious about the Ella. It could be the perfect Planar for me. I'm less concerned with the wireless sound cancelling but you never know what'll happen when reviews and demo units start hitting. It'll take a lot to separate me from $700 for a headphone upgrade when I do love my current cans. I do tend to go crazy on my hobbies and have $15k of guitar stuff so maybe I'll end up with both.


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> I completely agree. They're trailblazing. They're doing things that no one else has thought about doing. Even if the Ella's turn out to be awesome, I may still want the Satellite's because they would serve a different purpose. Plus, I love that Blue never loses sight of what matters most...which is the SOUND. Unlike Bose, who wanted to cancel out noise and hopefully sound ok, Blue wants the headphones to sound fantastic first and THEN also be able to block out noise. And doesn't that just make sense?
> 
> Here's to Blue


 
  
 Yes they are! 
  
 Yeah it does............Bose's QC35 was supposed to be the MASTER at ANC headphones (for both ANC & sound), but then the Sony MDR-1000X came along a few mos ago, and a lot of ppl are saying it sounds better than the QC35. It's VERY likely though that the Blue Satellite will take the crown for itself if Blue's approach pans out. 
  
 Cheers brotha!! lol


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## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> First post here: I'm so excited for the Ella. After falling in love with my MoFi, I started wondering what else is out there and looked at all of the options. I was leaning towards maybe a dedicated amp/DAC or DAP style setup with some Planars but really wasn't into spending that much when I love the Blue so much.
> 
> After even more searching, I realized the MoFi is essentially my ideal set of non-summit headphones. A lot of reviews compared the set to the OppoPM3, HE400 and Black Dogs - which is weird because they're dynamic. After a break-in period, I found the MoFi incredibly comfortable. I'm not sure if I'd go for the wireless satellite because the current design is so good at isolation that it's almost/practically noise Cancelling.
> 
> ...


 
  
 That's cool that you found it comfortable. I only tried the Lola and I found it comfortable too. 
  
 The endless DAC chase...........a solid DAC will make EVERYTHING sound better, even mp3s and streamed mp3s with that. So you may wanna reconsider that. There are phones coming out that have a great DAC in them already, like the LG V20 and HTC 10, and soon the V30 and 11 will sound even better I'm sure. I compared my cousin's V20's DAC quality to my $300 Oppo HA-2 amp/DAC, and we both couldn't tell the difference, and we of course both agree too that the DAC makes a noticeable improvement to ALL music played, not just lossless. If you don't want to buy those phones, you can just get something tiny enough to be mistaken to be part of the cable like the Audioquest DragonFly Black v1.5 or Red v1.5. Their size is tiny but they are very well-rated (Black and Red reviews). 
  
 Also, I've and others have compared my Oppo to $600 amp/DAC devices and couldn't tell a difference, so to me, $300 is PLENTY for an amp/DAC, and at least the Red costs even less and some even say it's better than my Oppo. I can't comment on that cuz I've only tried out the Black, and it was pretty solid from what I remember.


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## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Yes they are!
> 
> Yeah it does............Bose's QC35 was supposed to be the MASTER at ANC headphones (for both ANC & sound), but then the Sony MDR-1000X came along a few mos ago, and a lot of ppl are saying it sounds better than the QC35. It's VERY likely though that the Blue Satellite will take the crown for itself if Blue's approach pans out.
> 
> Cheers brotha!! lol




I hope you're right about the Satellites. Blue needs to get more love than they do.


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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> I hope you're right about the Satellites. Blue needs to get more love than they do.


 
  
 True THAT! lol


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## shurealltheway

The amazing Blue Ella's just arrived! I have not had enough time to listen to them just yet, and they need to charge, but for the 5 minutes I've had with them in passive mode, they absolutely rocked!

Here's some pictures for now:


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## shurealltheway




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## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


>


 
  
 SICKK man!! Let us know how they sound when you can. 
  

  
 Lookin' sharp! lol


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## RockStar2005

What do you guys (akg, shure, etc.) think of this "quick review" video?? 
  
 Sounds like Blue made some changes based on customer suggestions to the EQ of the Sadie. AKG, when he says trebles are smoother & EXTENDED (vs. the MoFi, which is what the Sadie is the "sequel" to), as well as mids being smoother.......does that sound to YOU like the changes I was saying they needed to make in my "AKG K553 vs. Blue Lola" review?? What do you think?? If they did, then wow, I suddenly am an even BIGGER fan of Blue now! lol Lemme know.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> What do you guys (akg, shure, etc.) think of this "quick review" video??
> 
> Sounds like Blue made some changes based on customer suggestions to the EQ of the Sadie. AKG, when he says trebles are smoother & EXTENDED (vs. the MoFi, which is what the Sadie is the "sequel" to), as well as mids being smoother.......does that sound to YOU like the changes I was saying they needed to make in my "AKG K553 vs. Blue Lola" review?? What do you think?? If they did, then wow, I suddenly am an even BIGGER fan of Blue now! lol Lemme know.


 
 I generally don't like average consumer review companies like cnet, engadget, mashable, etc. But this SPECIFIC dude is really great and he knows what he is talking about. I have seen his coverage on speakers and amps. $700 for the ellas is insane if you ask me.... I never buy a headphone when it first comes out because paying the full premium is something I'd rather not do lol. I actually never paid $700 for any headphone in my life, maybe I'm just tired of so many headphones that I'd rather spend $700 on speakers lol, but that price honestly surprised me coming from blue. Definitely going to still keep my eyes on the satellite... I need an ANC headphone but I don't like bose, and the sonys are v shaped.... I have high hopes mayn
  
 Smoother treble really doesn't make much sense to me since the mofis don't seem to have any sharp treble peaks or anything, smoother mids never makes sense to me because I never found mids to be fatiguing at all in any headphone. By smoother and more extended, it could possibly mean the dips above 10k are smaller, and the overall treble is more linear. The original mofis have a major 7-8khz dip that affects air so I hope they fixed it with the new headphones


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I generally don't like average consumer review companies like cnet, engadget, mashable, etc. But this SPECIFIC dude is really great and he knows what he is talking about. I have seen his coverage on speakers and amps. $700 for the ellas is insane if you ask me.... I never buy a headphone when it first comes out because paying the full premium is something I'd rather not do lol. I actually never paid $700 for any headphone in my life, maybe I'm just tired of so many headphones that I'd rather spend $700 on speakers lol, but that price honestly surprised me coming from blue. Definitely going to still keep my eyes on the satellite... I need an ANC headphone but I don't like bose, and the sonys are v shaped.... I have high hopes mayn
> 
> Smoother treble really doesn't make much sense to me since the mofis don't seem to have any sharp treble peaks or anything, smoother mids never makes sense to me because I never found mids to be fatiguing at all. By smoother and more extended, it could possibly mean the dips above 10k are smaller, and the overall treble is more linear. The original mofis have a major 7-8khz dip that affects air so I hope they fixed it with the new headphones


 
  
 I agree, but yeah this guy seems pretty cool. 
  
 Yeah the price is high but they are PMs WITH an amp so I'm not that SHOCKED, but $500-$600 would've been a bit more reasonable. Yeah you should..........the Satellite seem to have a TON of potential if you ask me. 
  
 Ok, not sure I understood anything you said in the 2nd paragraph LOL, so let's try this again. Do YOU think they fixed the issues with treble (I don't THINK there were any issues with the mids since my main issue with the Lola was not enough "sparkle" in the highs) or no, based on what he said? (Thanks in advance!)


----------



## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> I agree, but yeah this guy seems pretty cool.
> 
> Yeah the price is high but they are PMs WITH an amp so I'm not that SHOCKED, but $500-$600 would've been a bit more reasonable. Yeah you should..........the Satellite seem to have a TON of potential if you ask me.
> 
> Ok, not sure I understood anything you said in the 2nd paragraph LOL, so let's try this again. Do YOU think they fixed the issues with treble (I don't THINK there were any issues with the mids since my main issue with the Lola was not enough "sparkle" in the highs) or no, based on what he said? (Thanks in advance!)




In terms of price, don't forget that these are planar magnetic drivers, too. Remember the P9's retail for $900 and they're still dynamic drivers and do not have a built in amp.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> In terms of price, don't forget that these are planar magnetic drivers, too. Remember the P9's retail for $900 and they're still dynamic drivers and do not have a built in amp.


 
  
 Yeah exactly. I know the Oppo PM-3 PM headphones I used to own were like $399, and they had no built-in amp either, so I guess PMs are always gonna be more.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I agree, but yeah this guy seems pretty cool.
> 
> Yeah the price is high but they are PMs WITH an amp so I'm not that SHOCKED, but $500-$600 would've been a bit more reasonable. Yeah you should..........the Satellite seem to have a TON of potential if you ask me.
> 
> Ok, not sure I understood anything you said in the 2nd paragraph LOL, so let's try this again. Do YOU think they fixed the issues with treble (I don't THINK there were any issues with the mids since my main issue with the Lola was not enough "sparkle" in the highs) or no, based on what he said? (Thanks in advance!)


 
 Yeah $500 is the sweet spot if you ask me. Planar magnetic doesn't justify a high price on its own, these are only 50mm which is actually very small for a planar, most full sized planars are around 100mm, and yes planar drivers are HUGE if you didn't know already lol. The sound of a planar is really nothing special if you want me to be honest, it is still a headphone driver reproducing frequencies for humans to hear, so even if the way they work is different, the end result is actually pretty similar. Planars biggest strength is bass extension, so they will extend deeper into the sub bass without any roll off, but this is closed backs that we are talking about, and closed back dynamics are very competent 
  
 LOL. Yes I think they fixed some issues, the treble should be more balanced or linear, meaning it is more "neutral" in a sense that there will be no sharp peaks or dips. However, I am not SHURE if he meant it was more extended as in the 10khz drop off being fixed, or the 7-8khz dip being fixed


----------



## shurealltheway

Ok so here's my initial review of these beauties. I simply love them. With every other closed-back headphone I've ever used, I've always compare them side-by-side with my Shure 1540s. These are the first ones that I didn't do that with. The reason, because I couldn't take them off my head. I just wanted to keep listening to them. 

They seem to be built very well and they look awesome in person. They're heavy, but they disperse the weight very evenly and are almost as comfortable to me as my 1540's. I love the weird headband mechanism. 

As for the sound, I thought they sounded great right out of the box in passive mode. I did have to turn my iPhone sound up very high though, so these planar drivers need power. All I can say is that they present sound in a very neutral way and the timbre sounds very natural to me. The bass is tight and has impact without a trace of bloat, the mids sound liquid and smooth, and the treble extends well with a little bit of sparkle and no signs of sibilance or harshness at all (no Beyerdynamic sizzle). I'm sensitive to treble, and I could listen to these babies all day. The transients seem fast and pace better than my dynamic headphones. These decay very fast like the PM3's. But unlike the Oppo's, these babies have life! Even without burn-in, I think the soundstage is very good for a closed back. The earpads are actually shaped like ears, awesome job Blue, but they're narrower at the bottom and larger at the top, so the soundstage is presented in a way I've never heard before. It's not as wide as my 1540's but it's taller if that makes sense. I love it. I can't emphasize how well balanced all the frequencies are so that really helps to create an expansive soundscape. Nothing trespasses into the other ranges. Turn on the amped mode and the sound gets slightly warmer and the already great treble extends just a little more. Yes, the soundstage gets even larger and everything gets more immersive. I tell you I got chills listening to some tracks by Dire Straits, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and Adele. You've got to listen to Metallica's live S&M album in amped mode. Good Lord in heaven! The amped mode seems to create a slight U shaped sound signature and it does it so tastefully. I love these cans. 

Surprisingly, even on amped mode, I still had to turn the volume up around 80%. These planars are power hungry I guess. 

What about sound leakage? They're excellent! I had Tool cranked up to 90% on amped sitting right next to my wife, and she had to lean in to hear anything. They do, however, let more noise in than out. I love these. After over 2 years of searching, I've finally found a successor to my beloved 1540's. These are what I had hoped the P9's would have been. 

Listening to Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall in amped mode, made it sound like I was there in concert and she was singing just to me. I will admit that I haven't owned very many open back headphones, but these have to come close with how well they present the music  

That's it for now. Time to go listen some more. Cheers!


----------



## akg fanboy

shurealltheway said:


> Ok so here's my initial review of these beauties. I simply love them. With every other closed-back headphone I've ever used, I've always compare them side-by-side with my Shure 1540s. These are the first ones that I didn't do that with. The reason, because I couldn't take them off my head. I just wanted to keep listening to them.
> 
> They seem to be built very well and they look awesome in person. They're heavy, but they disperse the weight very evenly and are almost as comfortable to me as my 1540's. I love the weird headband mechanism.
> 
> ...


 
 Congrats on finding the successor to your shures. I guess your new name is now BLUEALLTHEWAY LOL. For me, heavy is a no go and the hifiman he560 planars which have really great weight distribution is just a no go purely on the weight alone. Interesting how you didn't enjoy the p9s, I have zero experience with b&w, but I don't have plans in the near future with them either. No beyer treble is a good thing lol, so in amped mode, it gets slightly u shaped... interesting. When you say it comes close to an open back, I DUNU if you meant in the overall presentation or just soundstage. In terms of soundstage, no closed back can really compete for soundstage, especially if you are comparing it to a open back known for expansive soundstage like the q701 or hd800. The closest to an open back I have heard from an expansive soundstage closed back was closer to an hd600 level of soundstage. But of course there is more to it to just soundstage in the overall presentation, and I enjoy my closed backs b&o h6 very much.


----------



## shurealltheway

akg fanboy said:


> Congrats on finding the successor to your shures. I guess your new name is now BLUEALLTHEWAY LOL. For me, heavy is a no go and the hifiman he560 planars which have really great weight distribution is just a no go purely on the weight alone. Interesting how you didn't enjoy the p9s, I have zero experience with b&w, but I don't have plans in the near future with them either. No beyer treble is a good thing lol, so in amped mode, it gets slightly u shaped... interesting. When you say it comes close to an open back, I DUNU if you meant in the overall presentation or just soundstage. In terms of soundstage, no closed back can really compete for soundstage, especially if you are comparing it to a open back known for expansive soundstage like the q701 or hd800. The closest to an open back I have heard from an expansive soundstage closed back was closer to an hd600 level of soundstage. But of course there is more to it to just soundstage in the overall presentation, and I enjoy my closed backs b&o h6 very much.




The only current open back headphones I own are the new Sennheiser 599's. To my ears, the Ella's sound more expansive than them. I've heard the 600's and honestly wasn't impressed with their soundstage. I feel like the 650's have a larger soundstage. 
These Ella's are weird though. They present the music with height, not just width. It took a little getting used to because I've never heard sound presented that way in headphones before, but I really like it. I'd love to hear the Sennheiser 800's soundstage. I also need to hear at least one AKG headphone haha.
Bluealltheway has a nice ring to it...


----------



## akg fanboy

shurealltheway said:


> The only current open back headphones I own are the new Sennheiser 599's. To my ears, the Ella's sound more expansive than them. I've heard the 600's and honestly wasn't impressed with their soundstage. I feel like the 650's have a larger soundstage.
> These Ella's are weird though. They present the music with height, not just width. It took a little getting used to because I've never heard sound presented that way in headphones before, but I really like it. I'd love to hear the Sennheiser 800's soundstage. I also need to hear at least one AKG headphone haha.
> Bluealltheway has a nice ring to it...


 
 My brief impressions with the hd598 was not really enough to judge how large the soundstage was on those, but interesting. I DUNU about the whole height and width thing, for me, I just like to describe it has how distant and separated the instruments are, and if I can be immersed into the music by listening to them. The hd800 is really the summit of all headphone soundstage, the only headphone in existence that can beat the hd800 is the akg k1000 but that headphone is incredibly old and hard to find. I don't think you will enjoy the hd800 purely on sound signature though since their treble is not too far off from beyer treble. And yes, you got to try the akgs some day! lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Yeah $500 is the sweet spot if you ask me. Planar magnetic doesn't justify a high price on its own, these are only 50mm which is actually very small for a planar, most full sized planars are around 100mm, and yes planar drivers are HUGE if you didn't know already lol. The sound of a planar is really nothing special if you want me to be honest, it is still a headphone driver reproducing frequencies for humans to hear, so even if the way they work is different, the end result is actually pretty similar. Planars biggest strength is bass extension, so they will extend deeper into the sub bass without any roll off, but this is closed backs that we are talking about, and closed back dynamics are very competent
> 
> LOL. Yes I think they fixed some issues, the treble should be more balanced or linear, meaning it is more "neutral" in a sense that there will be no sharp peaks or dips. However, I am not SHURE if he meant it was more extended as in the 10khz drop off being fixed, or the 7-8khz dip being fixed


 
  
 I didn't really know that PMs' drivers were huge, but ok. Good to know. 
  
 I wasn't really impressed with my old Oppo PM-3s, however, that doesn't mean the Ella WON'T sound great. Perhaps Blue is better at making & tuning headphones than Oppo is, PLUS the Ella has that amp that's apparently TUNED to its own sound drivers, so it will give the best sound possible (as far as what an amp can do WITHOUT a solid DAC anyway). I await shure's review to see what he has to say. 
  
 Well the issue again that I had was that the treble wasn't "BRIGHT" enough (or aka, had enough "sparkle"). So is what the guy was saying by "smooth but EXTENDED treble" supposed to mean that they will have MORE (or enough) sparkle?!! We should get this figured out. It would be cool to recommend these to ppl knowing that the EQ issue of the Lola has been fixed (or IS fixable at least if they wanted to just get the Lola). But I too would like to know for myself as well.


----------



## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> I didn't really know that PMs' drivers were huge, but ok. Good to know.
> 
> I wasn't really impressed with my old Oppo PM-3s, however, that doesn't mean the Ella WON'T sound great. Perhaps Blue is better at making & tuning headphones than Oppo is, PLUS the Ella has that amp that's apparently TUNED to its own sound drivers, so it will give the best sound possible (as far as what an amp can do WITHOUT a solid DAC anyway). I await shure's review to see what he has to say.
> 
> Well the issue again that I had was that the treble wasn't "BRIGHT" enough (or aka, had enough "sparkle"). So is what the guy was saying by "smooth but EXTENDED treble" supposed to mean that they will have MORE (or enough) sparkle?!! We should get this figured out. It would be cool to recommend these to ppl knowing that the EQ issue of the Lola has been fixed (or IS fixable at least if they wanted to just get the Lola). But I too would like to know for myself as well.




The guy that did the video review was referring to the Blue Sadie's because they're the same drivers as the Mofi but with some better design refinements and a little tuning changes. But I have the Ella's, and they're planars, so they're completely different drivers. But I can assure you these have great treble and as a former owner of the PM3's, they blow the Oppo's away, even without the amp mode. 
I completely agree with you that the Oppo's had too much treble roll off, a narrow soundstage, and sounded lifeless and clinical. I don't know how Blue did it, but these headphones are detailed, punchy, balanced, and far from boring. I have to be up for work in 4 hours but I'm still listening to them. I love them. The amp mode is a nice bonus, but it isn't absolutely necessary. These sound awesome in passive mode straight from my iPhone and my iPad. The amp mode makes a pretty big difference, though, when plugging it into my Roku controller for watching movies. 

I love them.


----------



## shurealltheway

akg fanboy said:


> My brief impressions with the hd598 was not really enough to judge how large the soundstage was on those, but interesting. I DUNU about the whole height and width thing, for me, I just like to describe it has how distant and separated the instruments are, and if I can be immersed into the music by listening to them. The hd800 is really the summit of all headphone soundstage, the only headphone in existence that can beat the hd800 is the akg k1000 but that headphone is incredibly old and hard to find. I don't think you will enjoy the hd800 purely on sound signature though since their treble is not too far off from beyer treble. And yes, you got to try the akgs some day! lol




Some day I'll try an AKG. These are detailed and do not lack any treble. To my ears, they're very balanced and a little warm, but not as warm as my 1540's. We'll see if that changes after proper burn in.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> The guy that did the video review was referring to the Blue Sadie's because they're the same drivers as the Mofi but with some better design refinements and a little tuning changes. But I have the Ella's, and they're planars, so they're completely different drivers. But I can assure you these have great treble and as a former owner of the PM3's, they blow the Oppo's away, even without the amp mode.
> I completely agree with you that the Oppo's had too much treble roll off, a narrow soundstage, and sounded lifeless and clinical. I don't know how Blue did it, but these headphones are detailed, punchy, balanced, and far from boring. I have to be up for work in 4 hours but I'm still listening to them. I love them. The amp mode is a nice bonus, but it isn't absolutely necessary. These sound awesome in passive mode straight from my iPhone and my iPad. The amp mode makes a pretty big difference, though, when plugging it into my Roku controller for watching movies.
> 
> I love them.


 
  
 Yes he was referring to Sadie. That's how I interpreted it too.
  
 Nice! Glad to hear they CLEARLY outdo the much loved and highly-rated PM-3s. 
  
 Yeah, all that was true about the PM-3. They were good, maybe really good, but not great. Honestly, if you love the Blue Ella, then you'll VERY likely love AKG's headphones. I'm not really willing to go open-back, which is what they say is best, but for closed-back, IMHO, both Blue & AKG do them best. Sennheiser's HD 598 Cs was really close too, but still not a full match. My previous post had suggestions of which models to buy, so use that as a reference if you ever wanna try them out. I'd ALWAYS be interested to hear what ppl think on here about AKG vs. Blue. lol 
  
 Cool. I wish someone could tell me if the 240 mW (the Ella's amp output is 250 mW) that the Blue Sadie's amp outputs is into 32 ohms or 16 ohms? I'm guessing 32, but not sure. If 32, then that means their amp is even louder than my Oppo HA-2 (220 mW into 32 ohms), which is good to know since my HA-2's amp is already VERY adequate as is.


----------



## RedHotFuzz

I'm mostly interested in the Satellite, but haven't seen any pricing or release dates.


----------



## RockStar2005

redhotfuzz said:


> I'm mostly interested in the Satellite, but haven't seen any pricing or release dates.


 
  
 On their site Blue lists the Satellite as "Coming Soon" still, so you'll just have to wait a lil longer I guess. But I bet it will be out by Spring. Just a guess though. I don't think they would announce it now then make you wait 'til like September. lol


----------



## RedHotFuzz

rockstar2005 said:


> On their site Blue lists the Satellite as "Coming Soon" still, so you'll just have to wait a lil longer I guess. But I bet it will be out by Spring. Just a guess though. I don't think they would announce it now then make you wait 'til like September. lol


 

 Well, JBL announced an in-dash CarPlay unit (Legend CP100) on Jan. 5, 2016 to be available in Feb. 2016. It is now Jan. *2017* and their website still says the product is "Coming Soon." Fortunately I didn't keep waiting around and instead bought a Pioneer CarPlay unit last March. Good job JBL.
  
 So yeah, I have no trust in these types of announcements.


----------



## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Yes he was referring to Sadie. That's how I interpreted it too.
> 
> Nice! Glad to hear they CLEARLY outdo the much loved and highly-rated PM-3s.
> 
> ...




You may want to double check that. I'm pretty sure the Sadie's amp is also 250mw. The Mofi had the 240mw amp built by Fiio. All the new headphones have amps built from the ground up by Blue. I don't know the impedance for the Sadie when amped because I don't own them, but the Ella's go from 50 in passive to 10 when amped. But these planar drivers are power hungry bastards. I'd be willing to bet that both the Mofi and Sadie will be able to play much louder in amped mode. Like I said, I still average at around 80% volume with amped mode on, on most songs.


----------



## RockStar2005

redhotfuzz said:


> Well, JBL announced an in-dash CarPlay unit (Legend CP100) on Jan. 5, 2016 to be available in Feb. 2016. It is now Jan. *2017* and their website still says the product is "Coming Soon." Fortunately I didn't keep waiting around and instead bought a Pioneer CarPlay unit last March. Good job JBL.
> 
> So yeah, I have no trust in these types of announcements.


 
  
 Oh wow, really? That sux that a year later still no release. But I don't think Blue would do that. They seem like cool ppl. I mean, even their ads like this one for the Blue Lola are awesome! LOL BEST ad for a headphone I've ever seen.


----------



## RedHotFuzz

rockstar2005 said:


> Oh wow, really? That sux that a year later still no release. But I don't think Blue would do that. They seem like cool ppl. I mean, even their ads like this one for the Blue Lola are awesome! LOL BEST ad for a headphone I've ever seen.


 

 Well, if the Satellite were due in spring I'd think they'd have announced a date and price. Because they announced neither, it may be summer or fall before we see these.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> You may want to double check that. I'm pretty sure the Sadie's amp is also 250mw. The Mofi had the 240mw amp built by Fiio. All the new headphones have amps built from the ground up by Blue. I don't know the impedance for the Sadie when amped because I don't own them, but the Ella's go from 50 in passive to 10 when amped. But these planar drivers are power hungry bastards. I'd be willing to bet that both the Mofi and Sadie will be able to play much louder in amped mode. Like I said, I still average at around 80% volume with amped mode on, on most songs.


 
  
 shure, 
  
 No it's not.......see here. 
  
 Yes that is all true that the MoFi was the first and LAST Blue headphone to feature a FiiO-built amp. 
  
 The listed impedance for the Blue MoFi, Lola and Sadie is 42 ohms, while yes, the Ella's is "50 ohms Passive; 10 ohms Active" as you stated. I see.............yeah, given what you said about planar magnetic drivers, then yes, it's quite possible the MoFi & Sadie will play louder.


----------



## RockStar2005

redhotfuzz said:


> Well, if the Satellite were due in spring I'd think they'd have announced a date and price. Because they announced neither, it may be summer or fall before we see these.


 
  
 Yeah. I guess it's better they don't rush it too. It should only get released when it's READY. But if they wait 'til Fall or later this year, I think they'd be in the wrong for announcing this early. I will give them the benefit of the doubt though and say summer latest. We'll see though. lol


----------



## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> shure,
> 
> No it's not.......see here.
> 
> ...




Ok my bad. You're right.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> Ok my bad. You're right.


 
  
 No prob.


----------



## shurealltheway

Here's some more thoughts on the Ella's. They do not hide or cover up bad mixing or recordings. If you listen to Dire Straits Brothers in Arms in lossless, you will get an ear orgasm. It's just incredible and immersive. But listen to Katy Perry from iTunes, and you will want to trade the headphones for earplugs. My 1540's can make almost anything sound decent. They do a good job of covering up flaws. These DO NOT.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> Here's some more thoughts on the Ella's. They do not hide or cover up bad mixing or recordings. If you listen to Dire Straits Brother in Arms in lossless, you will get an ear orgasm. It's just incredible and immersive. But listen to Katy Perry from iTunes, and you will want to trade the headphones for earplugs. My 1540's can make almost anything sound decent. They do a good job of covering up flaws. These DO NOT.


 
  
 I see. Well fortunately I mostly listen to Hi-Res music these days and the mp3s I have are almost all 320 kbps, so tolerable at least. 
  
 Great album btw (Arms) lol, although I prob only know Sultans of Swing on that one. lol


----------



## abvolt

sure like to take a listen to the Ella's..


----------



## RockStar2005

abvolt said:


> sure like to take a listen to the Ella's..


 
  
 Go for it! lol


----------



## abvolt

I'm going to wait for the review from Tyll over @ Innerfidelity I would really like to consider these hp's for my portable player..enjoy


----------



## RockStar2005

abvolt said:


> I'm going to wait for the review from Tyll over @ Innerfidelity I would really like to consider these hp's for my portable player..enjoy


 
  
 Cool. I have a feeling he will give it a good review, but we shall see.


----------



## Silent Xaxal

Would you say that the sound isolation is similar to the V-Moda M-100?


----------



## RockStar2005

silent xaxal said:


> Would you say that the sound isolation is similar to the V-Moda M-100?


 
  
 I've never listened to the M-100, so can't say. The Blue Lola though I recall being very well-isolated.


----------



## Silent Xaxal

Asking because I am trying to see if the Sadie or Ella have better isolation than it.


----------



## RockStar2005

silent xaxal said:


> Asking because I am trying to see if the Sadie or Ella have better isolation than it.




The M-100 I've read is V-Shaped in sound, which I don't like. So just on that alone I would stick with Blue. lol Blue headphones are like AKG in that they are both AWESOME and more neutral/natural.


----------



## AlwaysForward

Hmmm, the Ella sounds right up my alley. As a MoFi owner, I can say the design is incredibly isolating. When the amp is on and music is playing at moderate levels, it's very rare that I hear any external noise at all. Even without music, they very much limit external sounds from coming in.


----------



## lossendae

shurealltheway said:


> Here's some more thoughts on the Ella's. They do not hide or cover up bad mixing or recordings. If you listen to Dire Straits Brothers in Arms in lossless, you will get an ear orgasm. It's just incredible and immersive. But listen to Katy Perry from iTunes, and you will want to trade the headphones for earplugs. My 1540's can make almost anything sound decent. They do a good job of covering up flaws. These DO NOT.


 
  
 Hello,
  
 I happen to possess and LOVE the 1540's. i've tested/owned plenty of other cans with reputation to being better than them (TH-X00, Meze 99, Nighthawk...). The only one who was more fun was the meze but the scene was too constrained, too much in my face. I didn't like much the TH-X00 which was supposed to be a real basshead, but it turned out the it only have a bump on high bass and did not go as deep as the 1540, at least to my ears. That coupled with with it's sibilance I kept the 1540, its stellar confort, deep bass, details and imaging.
  
 That being said, the 1540 is not fun "enough" to my ears. I'm searching for a headphone as good as the 1540 in the bass region, but more fun with no sibilance. Reading your preview of the Elia I'm eager to test them as soon as possible but while waiting, would mind giving us more details on the bass quality compared to the 1540 ?


----------



## shurealltheway

lossendae said:


> Hello,
> 
> I happen to possess and LOVE the 1540's. i've tested/owned plenty of other cans with reputation to being better than them (TH-X00, Meze 99, Nighthawk...). The only one who was more fun was the meze but the scene was too constrained, too much in my face. I didn't like much the TH-X00 which was supposed to be a real basshead, but it turned out the it only have a bump on high bass and did not go as deep as the 1540, at least to my ears. That coupled with with it's sibilance I kept the 1540, its stellar confort, deep bass, details and imaging.
> 
> That being said, the 1540 is not fun "enough" to my ears. I'm searching for a headphone as good as the 1540 in the bass region, but more fun with no sibilance. Reading your preview of the Elia I'm eager to test them as soon as possible but while waiting, would mind giving us more details on the bass quality compared to the 1540 ?




The quality is excellent but these are not as warm as the 1540's. There is definitely less bass emphasis. The Ella's are still warm but closer to neutral. There are some songs that I prefer my 1540's and there are some that I prefer the Ella's. It depends on the quality of the recording. With lossless tracks that were mixed well, the Ella's are more resolving and immersive. The amp can make a leap in sound quality where a track no longer just sounds like a greatly recorded track but more like you're live in concert and they're singing just for you. HOWEVER, poorly recorded and mastered music will sound just like what it is. These will not mask flaws or smooth out edginess the way the Shures do. Hope that helps! The treble extends a little more on the Ella's as well. It's generally never sibilant to me, except on crappy recordings.


----------



## lossendae

Thanks you.
  
 I guess this one is not for me then. I'll keep on looking until i find my sweet spot


----------



## RockStar2005

Good showroom review video & article by Tyll.


----------



## shurealltheway

lossendae said:


> Thanks you.
> 
> I guess this one is not for me then. I'll keep on looking until i find my sweet spot




I was not trying to deter you, I am in love with these headphones. I just think their higher resolving ability and planar technology will make recording mistakes obvious. But these are keepers for me without a doubt.
There is another option on the built in amp called ON+. It boosts the bass at 63 hz by 3 decibels. I never use it but with it on, it makes the Ella's bass sound more like the 1540's.


----------



## shurealltheway

These have gotten better with some burn in and more use. The clamping force has calmed down and is now very comfortable. The highs have rounded/mellowed a little and the bass has become a tad more pronounced and distinct (all of these were already good, they're just even better now). I feel like it has shifted a tiny bit more towards the warm spectrum and just a little bit away from neutral. 
Now for the best part. The soundstage has finally opened up and I must say, I'm relieved. I've always heard that many Planars suffer from a congested soundstage, like the PM3's, for example. Coming from the Shure 1540's, which I would argue has one of the best soundstages for a closed back, I was worried. The Ella's soundstage is still not as wide as the 1540's, but it's close now. Hopefully with more use, it will open up even more. I don't know. I don't have a ton of experience with Planar technology. I only know that for all the love that the PM3's get, I think they're terrible. They are dead flat boring, and have the soundstage of a pimple.


----------



## RockStar2005

shurealltheway said:


> These have gotten better with some burn in and more use. The clamping force has calmed down and is now very comfortable. The highs have rounded/mellowed a little and the bass has become a tad more pronounced and distinct (all of these were already good, they're just even better now). I feel like it has shifted a tiny bit more towards the warm spectrum and just a little bit away from neutral.
> Now for the best part. The soundstage has finally opened up and I must say, I'm relieved. I've always heard that many Planars suffer from a congested soundstage, like the PM3's, for example. Coming from the Shure 1540's, which I would argue has one of the best soundstages for a closed back, I was worried. The Ella's soundstage is still not as wide as the 1540's, but it's close now. Hopefully with more use, it will open up even more. I don't know. I don't have a ton of experience with Planar technology. I only know that for all the love that the PM3's get, I think they're terrible. They are dead flat boring, and have the soundstage of a pimple.


 
  
 Yeah.........the Oppo PM-3s I had didn't have the best soundstage to me either, so I'm glad to hear your Ella does!
  
 Yeah I think the the PM-3s were very overrated. So I wasn't really sure you would like your Ellas to be honest, but it sounds like Blue has done a much better job implementing them than Oppo did. 
  
 Yes hopefully the soundstage continues to expand and becomes even wider than the 1540s' soundstage is. That would be TRULY remarkable! If that DOES in fact happen, please let us know!!


----------



## shurealltheway

rockstar2005 said:


> Yeah.........the Oppo PM-3s I had didn't have the best soundstage to me either, so I'm glad to hear your Ella does!
> 
> Yeah I think the the PM-3s were very overrated. So I wasn't really sure you would like your Ellas to be honest, but it sounds like Blue has done a much better job implementing them than Oppo did.
> 
> Yes hopefully the soundstage continues to expand and becomes even wider than the 1540s' soundstage is. That would be TRULY remarkable! If that DOES in fact happen, please let us know!!




Will do!


----------



## jwbrent

shurealltheway said:


> Ok so here's my initial review of these beauties. I simply love them. With every other closed-back headphone I've ever used, I've always compare them side-by-side with my Shure 1540s. These are the first ones that I didn't do that with. The reason, because I couldn't take them off my head. I just wanted to keep listening to them.
> 
> They seem to be built very well and they look awesome in person. They're heavy, but they disperse the weight very evenly and are almost as comfortable to me as my 1540's. I love the weird headband mechanism.
> 
> ...


 

 Thank you for your impressions. These are definitely on my radar.


----------



## Beagle

shurealltheway said:


> I don't have a ton of experience with Planar technology. I only know that for all the love that the PM3's get, I think they're terrible. They are dead flat boring, and have the soundstage of a pimple.


 
  
 Er, OK. I guess the Ella must be close to the Abyss then?


----------



## shurealltheway

Y





jwbrent said:


> Thank you for your impressions. These are definitely on my radar.




You're very welcome!


----------



## shurealltheway

beagle said:


> Er, OK. I guess the Ella must be close to the Abyss then?




I've never heard the Abyss.


----------



## vrapan

Can you use a different amp? i.e. can you switch off the internal amp? Also anyone can compare them to the HE-560?


----------



## shurealltheway

vrapan said:


> Can you use a different amp? i.e. can you switch off the internal amp? Also anyone can compare them to the HE-560?




Yes the internal amp can easily be turned off. I've never heard any HiFiMan products. Sorry.


----------



## vrapan

shurealltheway said:


> Yes the internal amp can easily be turned off. I've never heard any HiFiMan products. Sorry.


 

 NP thanks for the reply, good to know I could use my Pure II+ , also does that mean that you need to plug them in from a line out of the DAP if you are using the internal amp?


----------



## WILLDQ

Does anyone have any information on the Satellites?


----------



## RockStar2005

willdq said:


> Does anyone have any information on the Satellites?


 
  
 All I know is they're coming out later this year, but not sure when. The Blue Ella & Sadie though apparently just got released about a week or so ago. More info here. You can join the mailing list (see that page) too for updates STRAIGHT from Blue. I did that too.


----------



## squyzz

jwbrent said:


> shurealltheway said:
> 
> 
> > Ok so here's my initial review of these beauties. I simply love them. With every other closed-back headphone I've ever used, I've always compare them side-by-side with my Shure 1540s. These are the first ones that I didn't do that with. The reason, because I couldn't take them off my head. I just wanted to keep listening to them.
> ...


 




vrapan said:


> shurealltheway said:
> 
> 
> > Yes the internal amp can easily be turned off. I've never heard any HiFiMan products. Sorry.
> ...


Thx for your first impressions, but since you're talking about "these headphones" does Ella and Sadie sound the same ? 
If you have both can you write about their differencies ? 

I'm wondering if Ella worth the $300 more than Sadie.


----------



## shurealltheway

squyzz said:


> Thx for your first impressions, but since you're talking about "these headphones" does Ella and Sadie sound the same ?
> If you have both can you write about their differencies ?
> 
> I'm wondering if Ella worth the $300 more than Sadie.




They share the same Blue house sound but they're not identical. The Ella's resolve more detail and have more pronounced highs (treble). The Sadie's are a little lighter and play MUCH louder. If you're at 85% volume on the Sadie's and then turn the amp on, they will hurt your ears. I never have to turn them up more than 55% volume with my iPhone when the amp is on. I still have to have the Ella's at 80-95% volume with the amp on if I'm listening to mellow music. The planars just require more power to drive. I think the bass on the Sadie's is a little too much. I EQ the bass down for my listening YMMV.


----------



## vrapan

anyone knows where I can find the Ella for sale in the UK?


----------



## squyzz

vrapan said:


> anyone knows where I can find the Ella for sale in the UK?


i think the answer is nowhere. I asked the same question on twitter for France and the answer is that they will be available in my country within fée months. I think it is the same for UK (and the rest of the world). 

I will cartainly tape a pair of Ella if the price do not increase too much crossing the atlantic ocean.


----------



## vrapan

squyzz said:


> i think the answer is nowhere. I asked the same question on twitter for France and the answer is that they will be available in my country within fée months. I think it is the same for UK (and the rest of the world).
> 
> I will cartainly tape a pair of Ella if the price do not increase too much crossing the atlantic ocean.


 

 Thanks after asking the question I found them on sale on Amazon but they are on the expensive side at £675


----------



## squyzz

vrapan said:
			
		

> after asking the question I found them on sale on Amazon but they are on the expensive side at £675


Too expansive for me  
Just ordered a 1k iem
Will see next month if i can sell some stuff by then


----------



## RockStar2005

Brand new PC Magazine review on the Blue Sadie. 
  
 Yeah it's a consumer review, but I still dug it anyway. lol Except for the comparisons in the Conclusion. lol I owned the MH40 and MDR-1A...........NEITHER COMPARED really to the Blue Lola I also tried out/owned (esp with regards to soundstage), and based on what I've been reading, the Blue Sadie takes the very few shortcomings of the Blue Lola and does away with them completely (i.e. EXTRA comfort, improved clarity...... esp in the highs, etc).


----------



## disastermouse

Has anyone compared the Blue Ella with the HiFiMan HE-500?

I'm looking for more comfort and a headphone I could use both with my iPhone/iPad and my iMac 27" (2014)-> Schiit Bimby-> Garage1217 Polaris.


----------



## Kukua

Lovely headphones


----------



## whatthebaek

http://www.pcmag.com/review/351456/blue-ella
  
https://headphonereview.com/over-ear/blue-ella-review/
  
 I actually bought shurealltheway's pair and I am thoroughly pleased with them (especially at the price I got them at  hehe). One of these days I'll get around to writing a proper review but in the meantime here are my impressions:
  
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/5prbm7/wore_my_ats_for_6_years_til_the_pleather_peeled/ 
  
 tl;dr they're wonderfully fast and accurate, the Amp+ mode adds versatility genre-wise, I don't have the same complaints about volume as shurealltheway and find the volume to be more than enough when amped, sound doesn't leak at all, sound stage is wide enough that I simply get lost in the sound. I teared up to several of my favorite tracks on my first day of owning them :') the only complaints I have are that weight can become an issue with pressure on the top of your head after several hours, and the pads aren't replaceable.
  
 I'm super excited to be getting my first DAC/amp in the mail on Wednesday, the LH Labs Geek Out V2+, been listening on Tidal and overall I'm SO glad to have made the investment and taken the plunge with these, and skipping past the stage where others bumble around upper-mid-fi cans. I'm not much of a help when it comes to direct comparisons but a local audio store has a wide selection of open-back planars so one of these days I'll swing by to do some A/B testing.


----------



## akg fanboy

whatthebaek said:


> http://www.pcmag.com/review/351456/blue-ella
> 
> https://headphonereview.com/over-ear/blue-ella-review/
> 
> ...


 
 what happened to shurealltheway? He just sold his pair he was praising and quit headfi?


----------



## whatthebaek

akg fanboy said:


> what happened to shurealltheway? He just sold his pair he was praising and quit headfi?


 
 From our brief exchange on eBay he said that his main reason was because he had to crank the volume higher for the kind of music he listens to, and at the end of the day that battery drain wasn't ideal as a portable for travel/work. He also said a Blue employee had told him that the new Sadie headphones have a similar sound signature while being more efficient with power and that he'd be looking into those. I personally have not had the same complaints about volume even in passive mode, and in amped mode the headphones are almost too loud when cranked all the way up. As for battery life, I haven't seen a noticeable hit using an iPhone 7+, and the Geek Out I'm getting will certainly help out with that!
  
 edit: I just saw that he deactivated his account, no idea what's up with that! I made the association between his account here and the eBay seller I bought it from when he mentioned several specific bands he'd listened to these with and shouted him out, unsure if that maybe made things weird or what lol


----------



## RockStar2005

whatthebaek said:


> From our brief exchange on eBay he said that his main reason was because he had to crank the volume higher for the kind of music he listens to, and at the end of the day that battery drain wasn't ideal as a portable for travel/work. He also said a Blue employee had told him that the new Sadie headphones have a similar sound signature while being more efficient with power and that he'd be looking into those. I personally have not had the same complaints about volume even in passive mode, and in amped mode the headphones are almost too loud when cranked all the way up. As for battery life, I haven't seen a noticeable hit using an iPhone 7+, and the Geek Out I'm getting will certainly help out with that!
> 
> edit: I just saw that he deactivated his account, no idea what's up with that! I made the association between his account here and the eBay seller I bought it from when he mentioned several specific bands he'd listened to these with and shouted him out, unsure if that maybe made things weird or what lol


 
  
 They say that planar magnetic headphones require more power to properly drive them, so I could see that being an issue. 
  
 That is strange. I think I've talked to him a few times on here but that's about it. Maybe he's gonna change his username to Bluealltheway?! lol That would actually make sense.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> They say that planar magnetic headphones require more power to properly drive them, so I could see that being an issue.
> 
> That is strange. I think I've talked to him a few times on here but that's about it. Maybe he's gonna change his username to Bluealltheway?! lol That would actually make sense.


 
 if that's true, then I guess I caused him to terminate his own account 
  
 or maybe he was too busy to continue this hobby


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> if that's true, then I guess I caused him to terminate his own account
> 
> or maybe he was too busy to continue this hobby


 
  
 I'm gonna go with the SECOND theory. lol


----------



## RockStar2005

New Forbes review on the Sadie. Good stuff.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> New Forbes review on the Sadie. Good stuff.


 
 Funny thing that forbes started reviewing headphones, the first forbes headphone review I saw was the audeze lcd x and xc. They are not the type of media you would expect to review headphones, especially from a brand that isn't well known, good on them


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Funny thing that forbes started reviewing headphones, the first forbes headphone review I saw was the audeze lcd x and xc. They are not the type of media you would expect to review headphones, especially from a brand that isn't well known, good on them


 
  
 Yeah exactly. They're a business magazine. But I like their reviews typically and yes giving exposure to a not well-known company is very cool! 
  
 The review is well-written too. The only thing missing was mention of the great AKG-quality soundstage. That's a big selling point for me, so he should've included it. But since he didn't, I posted this comment lol: 
  
_It should be mentioned too how great the soundstage is on these Blue headphones. Due to how they're made, including using 50mm speaker drivers, the soundstage is WIDE & EXPANSIVE! This should be a MAJOR selling point for anyone who wants only the best sound quality._


----------



## VintageFlanker

I've created the Blue Ella's page on Head Gear: 
  
 http://www.head-fi.org/products/blue-microphones-ella-planar-magnetic


----------



## VintageFlanker

Received mine.

Way way way bigger than my Meze (already bulky for some):


----------



## AlwaysForward

How do you like them? Does the internal amp sound with an iPhone DAC Keep pace with your Mojo?


----------



## RockStar2005

vintageflanker said:


> Received mine.
> 
> Way way way bigger than my Meze (already bulky for some):


 
  
 Looks nice man!


----------



## VintageFlanker

alwaysforward said:


> How do you like them? Does the internal amp sound with an iPhone DAC Keep pace with your Mojo?




I'm not sure to undestand the question (probably because of my poor English). First I don't have an iPhone (and never had one by the way) but a Galaxy S7. If the question is: does the Ella's amp with smartphone reach the level of performance of a Mojo? That's what I was asking myself before buying these. And the answer is : NO! Not even close!...

I will write a more in depth feedback soon but for now, I have to say I'm not a big fan of the Ella.

At least, one "cool looking" thing about these: the light, when amp is on:


----------



## whatthebaek

Another review here: http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/equipment-menu/786-blue-ella-headphones
  
 These guys also took some measurements http://soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1655:blue-ella-headphones&catid=263&Itemid=203


----------



## AlwaysForward

Been thinking about the direction of my headphones quite a bit lately and think I'd really like to go all wireless. I *love* my Mo-Fi cans and the AirPods have really opened my eyes to how useful wireless tech can be (I just use them so often out of convenience and while they're not incredibly detailed like the Blues, they're quite enjoyable).

So if the Satellite can sound as good as the Mo-Fi while being wireless and adding an ANC that's highly performant while not degrading sound (separate drivers), they'll be my next purchase.

I had been strongly considering the iSine 20 but think I'll wait for Audeze's inevitable foray into wireless when I make the jump to portable true hifi and stick with upper mid-fi in the period between.

Now about those Satellites...


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> Been thinking about the direction of my headphones quite a bit lately and think I'd really like to go all wireless. I *love* my Mo-Fi cans and the AirPods have really opened my eyes to how useful wireless tech can be (I just use them so often out of convenience and while they're not incredibly detailed like the Blues, they're quite enjoyable).
> 
> So if the Satellite can sound as good as the Mo-Fi while being wireless and adding an ANC that's highly performant while not degrading sound (separate drivers), they'll be my next purchase.
> 
> ...


 
  
 I can understand that. From what I've read & seen about the Satellite, it will be QUITE a formidable pair of headphones. If I was to go wireless, I would either go with them or else the AKG K845BT. I've tried them out and they sound DAMN good, which shouldn't be a shock cuz AKG always sounds amazing. lol But if ANC is something you really care about, then yeah I'd get the Satellite for sure. 
  
 The iSine 20 is a great choice too. I personally don't think earphones measure up to really good headphones, but then again, the most expensive earphones I've ever tried were $35. lol So I guess you have to ask yourself are you a headphone guy or an earphone guy? lol 
  
 It'd be nice if Blue would hurry up and announce a release date for the Satellite. Their site still says "Coming 2017" for it.


----------



## RockStar2005

New Ella review here.


----------



## AlwaysForward

So outside of one forum member, the Ella appears to be in near universal acclaim. I'm curious to see how loud it would get with my iphone given that there are some volume concerns. Probably still leaning toward the Satellite.


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> So outside of one forum member, the Ella appears to be in near universal acclaim. I'm curious to see how loud it would get with my iphone given that there are some volume concerns. Probably still leaning toward the Satellite.


 
  
 What volume concerns? Only issue I've seen is that if you put it beyond the point of normal hearing, there's distortion, but you shouldn't have it that high anyway. lol
  
 It seems like these new Blue headphones are being received by pretty much everyone as fantastic headphones. I am curious to try out the Sadie one day vs. my AKG K551s.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> What volume concerns? Only issue I've seen is that if you put it beyond the point of normal hearing, there's distortion, but you shouldn't have it that high anyway. lol
> 
> It seems like these new Blue headphones are being received by pretty much everyone as fantastic headphones. I am curious to try out the Sadie one day vs. my AKG K551s.


 
 BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!!!!


 
  
 LOL..............I don't know if I'm curious enough to actually "buy and try" them out. 
  
 Maybe one day? lolo
  
 But if YOU feel up to it, then by all means, go for it! Then you could offer up one of your magical EQs for it too!


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> BUY BUY BUY!!!!!!!!!!


 
  
 I'll make you a deal akg.................if YOU buy and try the Sadie first, AND post one of your magical custom EQs for it like you did for the AKG K551, then I'll buy and try it out too! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I'll make you a deal akg.................if YOU buy and try the Sadie first, AND post one of your magical custom EQs for it like you did for the AKG K551, then I'll buy and try it out too! lol


 
 who says I won't just make up a random EQ and send it to you to make you buy it LOL


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> who says I won't just make up a random EQ and send it to you to make you buy it LOL


 


 Because you're NOT a complete turd?!!! ROFL


----------



## RockStar2005

Very recent SOLID review of the Sadie from 2/26. 
  
 I especially liked this part: 
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Overall the highs, mids, and lows feel slightly cleaner and more balanced, than the Mo-Fi and the bass boost on the Amp+ mode takes it up a notch. I guess I could say it's crisper overall? 


  
  
 Hopefully the author responds to my comment at the bottom. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Very recent SOLID review of the Sadie from 2/26.
> 
> I especially liked this part:
> 
> ...


 
 the only blue headphone I'm interested is the satellite, release that thing already! lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> the only blue headphone I'm interested is the satellite, release that thing already! lol


 
  
 That's cool. I'd like to know how good the ANC on that is as well as sound quality of course vs. the Sony MDR-1000X. I'm going to assume it'll be better based on Blue's headphones vs. Sony's (at least in the soundstage dept lol, but likely the music clarity dept too). Having a dedicated driver for ANC and one for sound may or may not yield a noticeable difference, but given that dedicated always trumps integrated, it PROB will. lol
  
 The author of that article responded to my question of how the Sadie stands up to the AKG K551. This is what he said: 
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Hi ......., 
 
Thanks for the note and e-mail. I’ve personally not tested the AKG 551s but I do like their products, solid and a decent price point for what you are getting. From what I can see on the AKG vs. the Blue, the big difference is the amp and overall build quality, the Sadie just seems to be a notch up on features, comfort and sound quality (so it seems). 
 
I love the Sadie because of the amp, when you are listening to songs on your phone or laptop, these things just take it to a whole new level and despite looking like a torture device are actually insanely comfortable. I love the three modes to let me dial in the sound, sometimes I don’t even use the amp, but amp+ mode makes that bass fill you up. 
 
So I can’t say much more than that as I’ve never had my hands on a pair of the 551s but they look like they do a good job of all round good pair of headphones if you are looking for something with a more natural / flat sound.
 
http://www.magneticmag.com/2016/04/headphone-review-the-akg-k182-studio-monitor/
 
Hope that helps. 


  
  
 So not what I was hoping to hear, but his confidence in the Sadie DOES count for something. I MAY consider doing a "buy and try" after all??! lol But then I'd need a magical custom EQ though to make sure I'm getting the BEST sound from it. Hmmm..........wonder where I could get one of those??


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> the only blue headphone I'm interested is the satellite, release that thing already! lol


 
  
 Part of the reason I'm interested in the Sadie is because even though I know the dedicated headphone amp on the HTC 10 is a very good one, I now am wondering if PERHAPS the amp used on the Sadie might maybe be a better class one? Not sure how I would find this out though? But it is something to consider. 
  
 Not sure on the HTC 10, but the Blue Sadie has been confirmed to have a Class A/B amp both here and here. So now I wonder what amp the 10 has? Perhaps in my talks with HTC on that codec issue, I will ask and hopefully find out. What I'm confused on is Class A/B better or is Class D better??? The link above on classes of amps suggests D is better, but the 1st article I linked says the opposite. Anyone know??


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Part of the reason I'm interested in the Sadie is because even though I know the dedicated headphone amp on the HTC 10 is a very good one, I now am wondering if PERHAPS the amp used on the Sadie might maybe be a better class one? Not sure how I would find this out though? But it is something to consider.
> 
> Not sure on the HTC 10, but the Blue Sadie has been confirmed to have a Class A/B amp both here and here. So now I wonder what amp the 10 has? Perhaps in my talks with HTC on that codec issue, I will ask and hopefully find out. What I'm confused on is Class A/B better or is Class D better??? The link above on classes of amps suggests D is better, but the 1st article I linked says the opposite. Anyone know??


 
 The sound differences from the amp themselves are minuscule at best, headphones will by far make a much greater impact than using a class a/b amp versus d. Class D is used for mobile devices or smaller amps as low power is the biggest concern, if you're concerned about the quality of the amp, you might as well ditch the entire idea of portable audio altogether and get the least compromised class a/b desktop amp....


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> The sound differences from the amp themselves are minuscule at best, headphones will by far make a much greater impact than using a class a/b amp versus d. Class D is used for mobile devices or smaller amps as low power is the biggest concern, if you're concerned about the quality of the amp, you might as well ditch the entire idea of portable audio altogether and get the least compromised class a/b desktop amp....


 
  
 Ok. I was thinking you were gonna say that too, but I wanted to still see what you'd say. lol
  
 Do you know if A/B is better or D though??
  
 So do you think the Sadie has a better quality amp than the HTC 10 does? Or no?? (Or do you NEED to know the class of amp the 10 has? lol)


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok. I was thinking you were gonna say that too, but I wanted to still see what you'd say. lol
> 
> Do you know if A/B is better or D though??
> 
> So do you think the Sadie has a better quality amp than the HTC 10 does? Or no?? (Or do you NEED to know the class of amp the 10 has? lol)


 
 Better depends on what your priorities are, if efficiency is your biggest concern, class D wins every time. I'm fairly confident a mobile device like the 10 uses class D, a class D can be designed to sound just as good for every day listeners, but if you're the hardcore .01% THD sounds completely different and I need that extra 1dB of dynamic range because screw blind tests and bigger is better, then you might want to use a class A/B amp as those will generally have fewer compromises. Class A/B's are usually more powerful though which I doubt you need for a portable headphone, and to answer your question, the amp on the sadie is better for sound quality


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Better depends on what your priorities are, if efficiency is your biggest concern, class D wins every time. I'm fairly confident a mobile device like the 10 uses class D, a class D can be designed to sound just as good for every day listeners, but if you're the hardcore .01% THD sounds completely different and I need that extra 1dB of dynamic range because screw blind tests and bigger is better, then you might want to use a class A/B amp as those will generally have fewer compromises. Class A/B's are usually more powerful though which I doubt you need for a portable headphone, and to answer your question, the amp on the sadie is better for sound quality


 
  
 Ok thanks! lol So the sound quality is better, but I prob won't notice it? lol 
  
 Yeah it's a lot to consider. *Will I even notice a difference b/t the two is another one.* And regardless of the amp quality, I still have to put the 10 on FULL volume when using the Sadie b/c your source is always supposed to be at 100%, but so that MIGHT mean I would barely be using the amp on the Sadie since I NEVER have my 10's max volume beyond like 90-95%. 
  
 To buy or not to buy (and try) the Sadie?? Decisions decisions........................................lol.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok thanks! lol So the sound quality is better, but I prob won't notice it? lol
> 
> Yeah it's a lot to consider. *Will I even notice a difference b/t the two is another one.* And regardless of the amp quality, I still have to put the 10 on FULL volume when using the Sadie b/c your source is always supposed to be at 100%, but so that MIGHT mean I would barely be using the amp on the Sadie since I NEVER have my 10's max volume beyond like 90-95%.
> 
> To buy or not to buy (and try) the Sadie?? Decisions decisions........................................lol.


 
 not quite SHURE how the sadie amp works, if there's a control for the sadie amp on the headphone, then yes you would want to make shure the source is at 100%, if the source is 100% then you are using the sadie amp correctly and not putting extra load that shouldn't be there in the first place, it basically means the headphones don't need much power is all
 buy now!!!!!!!!


----------



## endgame

akg fanboy said:


> The sound differences from the amp themselves are minuscule at best, headphones will by far make a much greater impact than using a class a/b amp versus d. Class D is used for mobile devices or smaller amps as low power is the biggest concern, if you're concerned about the quality of the amp, you might as well ditch the entire idea of portable audio altogether and get the least compromised class a/b desktop amp....




This can't be said any better.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> not quite SHURE how the sadie amp works, if there's a control for the sadie amp on the headphone, then yes you would want to make shure the source is at 100%, if the source is 100% then you are using the sadie amp correctly and not putting extra load that shouldn't be there in the first place, it basically means the headphones don't need much power is all
> buy now!!!!!!!!


 
  
 Yeah it's a switch with 3 settings: Off, On, and On+. On+ gives it a nice subtle bass boost that's meant to be used on vinyl recordings, but I guess you could use it if you just want more bass too. 
  
 Yeah so by putting the 10 at 100% volume, it's not really saving me any battery life on the 10 if I have it higher than usual. lol 
  
 I'd rather put the load on the Sadie than the 10! lol But then if I lower the amp/volume on the 10 to say 50%, it won't sound as good right?? 
  
 Haha...............maybe if you were able to somehow get the sound specs for the Sadie and create a custom EQ based off THAT then I might?!!!!!!!!!!! lol Do you actually HAVE to listen to them to create an accurate 10-band EQ one??


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Yeah it's a switch with 3 settings: Off, On, and On+. On+ gives it a nice subtle bass boost that's meant to be used on vinyl recordings, but I guess you could use it if you just want more bass too.
> 
> Yeah so by putting the 10 at 100% volume, it's not really saving me any battery life on the 10 if I have it higher than usual. lol
> 
> ...


 
 Oh if it's just a 3 toggle settings, then no you would not put the htc volume to the max unless you want to lose your hearing. I was thinking there was a control to adjust volume like your oppo you used to have. But if the saddie has a way to finely adjust the volume, then that's where you put the volume on the htc to max as there is NO load being put on the htc amp as the built in amp is being completely bypassed, it's just the source volume.
  
 And no I cannot make an accurate EQ that I'm confident about without hearing them first, how about sending me a free pair so I can adjust it myself? LOL


----------



## endgame

akg fanboy said:


> not quite SHURE how the sadie amp works, if there's a control for the sadie amp on the headphone, then yes you would want to make shure the source is at 100%, if the source is 100% then you are using the sadie amp correctly and not putting extra load that shouldn't be there in the first place, it basically means the headphones don't need much power is all
> buy now!!!!!!!!




If you put the volume on your phone at max, and then turned the amp on, on the Sadie, it would blow your head off. Haha.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Oh if it's just a 3 toggle settings, then no you would not put the htc volume to the max unless you want to lose your hearing. I was thinking there was a control to adjust volume like your oppo you used to have. But if the saddie has a way to finely adjust the volume, then that's where you put the volume on the htc to max as there is NO load being put on the htc amp as the built in amp is being completely bypassed, it's just the source volume.
> 
> And no I cannot make an accurate EQ that I'm confident about without hearing them first, how about sending me a free pair so I can adjust it myself? LOL


 
  
 Haha ok! Well that's why I asked, cuz I wasn't sure considering the Sadie's layout. But yeah now that I've read what you said and thought about it more clearly, that would be insane to do! lol Yeah my Oppo was a different story completely. No it doesn't......the Sadie just has that 3-setting switch alone AS FAR AS I KNOW. If anyone knows that it also has a volume switch too, please post here ASAP!
  
 Ok, then that actually is a PLUS for getting the Sadie then! LOL Less strain on the 10 means more battery life!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




  
 ROFL............F! I was hoping you were gonna say "Sure, I can do that!" lol If I get them I want to hear them in the BEST possible light, so I don't know how to do that besides going through you? lol


----------



## RockStar2005

endgame said:


> If you put the volume on your phone at max, and then turned the amp on, on the Sadie, it would blow your head off. Haha.


 
  
 Yeah. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Haha ok! Well that's why I asked, cuz I wasn't sure considering the Sadie's layout. But yeah now that I've read what you said and thought about it more clearly, that would be insane to do! lol Yeah my Oppo was a different story completely. No it doesn't......the Sadie just has that 3-setting switch alone AS FAR AS I KNOW. If anyone knows that it also has a volume switch too, please post here ASAP!
> 
> Ok, then that actually is a PLUS for getting the Sadie then! LOL Less strain on the 10 means more battery life!!
> 
> ...


 
 IDK MANG, I got tons of stuff I wanna try from amazon and return after, so that is why the sadie is low priority TBH, maybe if you don't mind waiting a year or something lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> IDK MANG, I got tons of stuff I wanna try from amazon and return after, so that is why the sadie is low priority TBH, maybe if you don't mind waiting a year or something lol


 
  
 Waiting a year? Where is that thumbs DOWN button at??!!!!
  
 Ok then go to your local Guitar Center, Sam Ash, or any big electronics store near you and buy and return it from there! LOL 
  
 You wouldn't even KNOW about that buy and return trick if it wasn't for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROFL!!


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Waiting a year? Where is that thumbs DOWN button at??!!!!
> 
> Ok then go to your local Guitar Center, Sam Ash, or any big electronics store near you and buy and return it from there! LOL
> 
> You wouldn't even KNOW about that buy and return trick if it wasn't for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROFL!!


 
 None of my local electronic stores really have headphones to try out or buy other than the generic ones, or stuff like beats/bose and occasional sennheiser or sony


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> None of my local electronic stores really have headphones to try out or buy other than the generic ones, or stuff like beats/bose and occasional sennheiser or sony


 
  
 Ughhh. lol 
  
 I wish there was some kind of FREE software online that could do it. lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> None of my local electronic stores really have headphones to try out or buy other than the generic ones, or stuff like beats/bose and occasional sennheiser or sony


 
  
 What about this?? Free trial means I can do it and be done with it! lol 
  
 Let me know.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> What about this?? Free trial means I can do it and be done with it! lol
> 
> Let me know.


 
 sonarworks is very different, it's a plugin for windows music players that support it like foobar or jriver. It's meant to get a headphone and apply a preset that would make the headphones flat, not every headphone is supported though and sometimes having a flat sound can be negative. For example, if you like akg headphones for upper mids then sonarworks will get rid of that bump, hd800's strengths will be wasted, the big bass of planars will be flattened etc


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> sonarworks is very different, it's a plugin for windows music players that support it like foobar or jriver. It's meant to get a headphone and apply a preset that would make the headphones flat, not every headphone is supported though and sometimes having a flat sound can be negative. For example, if you like akg headphones for upper mids then sonarworks will get rid of that bump, hd800's strengths will be wasted, the big bass of planars will be flattened etc


 
  
 What about these 2? Ughh I wish they were 10-band EQ-based though. FML!! lol
  
  
 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manythingsdev.headphonetools&hl=en
  
 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.equalizer.amplifierbassequalizerplus.androidfree


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> What about these 2? Ughh I wish they were 10-band EQ-based though. FML!! lol
> 
> 
> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manythingsdev.headphonetools&hl=en
> ...


 
 stay away from those basic 4 band EQs, they won't do anything good and just add distortion. Stick to poweramp or neutron built in EQ, it's the best you'll find for android. Neutron is superior but the interface sucks and the EQ is more complicated if that matters


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> stay away from those basic 4 band EQs, they won't do anything good and just add distortion. Stick to poweramp or neutron built in EQ, it's the best you'll find for android. Neutron is superior but the interface sucks and the EQ is more complicated if that matters


 
  
 Well I was just going to use them to EQ the Sadie, not to play music from. lol 
  
 So there really are NO free headphone calibration programs?? What's that about?! lol 
  
 It's weird how for a good year or so I felt that "Flat" was the best option for EQ'ing, but now it just sounds weak. Not sure which headphones I had that actually sounded better with "Flat"?


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Well I was just going to use them to EQ the Sadie, not to play music from. lol
> 
> So there really are NO free headphone calibration programs?? What's that about?! lol
> 
> It's weird how for a good year or so I felt that "Flat" was the best option for EQ'ing, but now it just sounds weak. Not sure which headphones I had that actually sounded better with "Flat"?


 
 you can't EQ the actual headphones themselves, I think you meant a system wide EQ, if you wanted to EQ the headphones themselves, it would require a built in DSP like the akg n90q
  
 flat can be boring for shure, none of the headphones you owned were really flat though


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> you can't EQ the actual headphones themselves, I think you meant a system wide EQ, if you wanted to EQ the headphones themselves, it would require a built in DSP like the akg n90q
> 
> flat can be boring for shure, none of the headphones you owned were really flat though


 
  
 I just meant EQ them the way YOU EQ'd my K551s.......aka, create an EQ that is custom-tuned to the Sadie so that when used it shows off the Sadie at its best. lol 
  
 Yeah but for like a year I was convinced that Flat was best, but since the Cs, that no longer seems true anymore. 
  
 How about this, maybe you can find a sound chart of the Sadie and match it to the EQ chart you made for the K551.............would that even work?? 
  
 Are there ANY places I can take the Sadie to get a 10-band EQ chart?? 
  
 If none of the above are doable, maybe I could just use the K551 EQ chart you made and just pray REALLY hard that it closely enough matches the Sadie's EQ'ing?!!! lol (It prob will still sound better than just using "Rock" in Poweramp, right? lol)


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I just meant EQ them the way YOU EQ'd my K551s.......aka, create an EQ that is custom-tuned to the Sadie so that when used it shows off the Sadie at its best. lol
> 
> Yeah but for like a year I was convinced that Flat was best, but since the Cs, that no longer seems true anymore.
> 
> ...


 
 it wouldn't exactly work because many factors can affect the measured frequency response and soundstage can't be measured either. But generally if I had the chart I might be able to get a very rough idea of how to EQ them. If you wanted absolute FLAT, then goldenears can measure your headphones you send in and give you a flat EQ if you pay for their service.
  
 I really doubt the the k551 EQ will work, the sadie has emphasized bass unlike the k551 which was lacking bass, and we don't know if the sadie's treble is emphasized or not


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> it wouldn't exactly work because many factors can affect the measured frequency response and soundstage can't be measured either. But generally if I had the chart I might be able to get a very rough idea of how to EQ them. If you wanted absolute FLAT, then goldenears can measure your headphones you send in and give you a flat EQ if you pay for their service.
> 
> I really doubt the the k551 EQ will work, the sadie has emphasized bass unlike the k551 which was lacking bass, and we don't know if the sadie's treble is emphasized or not


 
  
 How much does goldenears charge for such a service?
  
 Now by "absolute flat" do you mean the EQ applied to the Sadie (the one created and utilized in say, Poweramp) EXACTLY matches the Sadie's actual EQ?? 
  
 Ok. Well you'd know best. 
  
 Yeah I'd want ALL factors including frequency response and soundstage to be factored in for MAXIMUM quality. They should pass a law where if you sell headphones you HAVE to offer up a 10-band "Flat" EQ to your customers or else pay a penalty fee. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> How much does goldenears charge for such a service?
> 
> Now by "absolute flat" do you mean the EQ applied to the Sadie (the one created and utilized in say, Poweramp) EXACTLY matches the Sadie's actual EQ??
> 
> ...


 
 Actually I don't know if goldenears offered that service but I read somewhere that they did, currently their list has 400+ headphone calibrations, but ZERO blue headphones. Pretty shure their app is IOS only too, so you better buy an iphone too LOL
  
 Sonarworks charges $99 for you to send it to them and receive a custom calibration which imo isn't a good value at all, if goldenears has a similar service then it's probably a similar price as well. Also sonarworks is windows only so it won't really be useful for your htc lol.
  
 I guess in the end, the best option is for me to hear it myself


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Actually I don't know if goldenears offered that service but I read somewhere that they did, currently their list has 400+ headphone calibrations, but ZERO blue headphones. Pretty shure their app is IOS only too, so you better buy an iphone too LOL
> 
> Sonarworks charges $99 for you to send it to them and receive a custom calibration which imo isn't a good value at all, if goldenears has a similar service then it's probably a similar price as well. Also sonarworks is windows only so it won't really be useful for your htc lol.
> 
> I guess in the end, the best option is for me to hear it myself


 
  
 Ok. 
  
 Yeah, and you "SELFISHLY" want to try other headphones and stuff first. Thanks for NUTHIN' akg!!!!!!!!!!! lolo
  
 I'm gonna think about it further, but not having a custom EQ for the Sadie makes me think I may not be getting my full $399 (ok $379 if I buy through Sam Ash's site with the $20 off deal)!! I could try EQ'ing it myself but I don't think I could do without some additional assistance.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok.
> 
> Yeah, and you "SELFISHLY" want to try other headphones and stuff first. Thanks for NUTHIN' akg!!!!!!!!!!! lolo
> 
> I'm gonna think about it further, but not having a custom EQ for the Sadie makes me think I may not be getting my full $399 (ok $379 if I buy through Sam Ash's site with the $20 off deal)!! I could try EQ'ing it myself but I don't think I could do without some additional assistance.


 
 Send it over!!!!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



 I can't help myself, I want to try the REAL expensive stuff that I can't afford like $1000+ electrostatics or the $4000 focal utopia!!!!!!!!! IMO using the service for a product less than $500 is not my money's worth (even though I'm technically not spending any money at all LOL)


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Send it over!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 LOL! Oh you'd LOVE that, wouldn't you! 
  
 Wow, and I thought I WAS nuts for considering the Sadie. Or even the Ella! Read this Amazon user review (Johnny H.'s) on it. Maybe I misjudged planar magnetic headphones b/c I thought the Oppo PM-3 was the best under-$1000 version of them, yet this guy says that compared to the Ella they "have no life". lol So now I'm not only curious about the Sadie, I'm also curious about the Ella now!!!!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 lol  But man, $699?!! LOL


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> LOL! Oh you'd LOVE that, wouldn't you!
> 
> Wow, and I thought I WAS nuts for considering the Sadie. Or even the Ella! Read this Amazon user review (Johnny H.'s) on it. Maybe I misjudged planar magnetic headphones b/c I thought the Oppo PM-3 was the best under-$1000 version of them, yet this guy says that compared to the Ella they "have no life". lol So now I'm not only curious about the Sadie, I'm also curious about the Ella now!!!!!!
> 
> ...


 
 Johnny H is CLEARLY *SHUREALLTHEWAY.* He is comparing them against the srh1540 which was his daily driver headphone for the longest time. Even the pm3, iphone, music he listens to..... yep that's him for SHURE. 
 If I were to spend $700 on a headphone, I'd buy a used pair of open back of HD800 end games...... been there, done that LOL


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Johnny H is CLEARLY *SHUREALLTHEWAY.* He is comparing them against the srh1540 which was his daily driver headphone for the longest time. Even the pm3, iphone, music he listens to..... yep that's him for SHURE.
> If I were to spend $700 on a headphone, I'd buy a used pair of open back of HD800 end games...... been there, done that LOL


 
  
 Haha it is?! That's hilarious!
  
 Well, given that I prob will NEVER buy an open-back headphone, I think the Ella sounds like (perhaps) the best under-$1000 closed-back headphone there is! lol
  
 I am going to think about it more and see where I go next. And buy "it" I mean the Sadie. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Haha it is?! That's hilarious!
> 
> Well, given that I prob will NEVER buy an open-back headphone, I think the Ella sounds like (perhaps) the best under-$1000 closed-back headphone there is! lol
> 
> I am going to think about it more and see where I go next. And buy "it" I mean the Sadie. lol


 
 HERE, I copy pasted some of the stuff he said in his initial impressions headfi post below:
  
 I've always compare them side-by-side with my *Shure 1540*s.
 These decay very fast like the *PM3*'s.
 I did have to turn my* iPhone *sound up very high though, so these planar drivers need power.
 Listening to *Adele *Live at the Royal Albert Hall in amped mode, made it sound like I was there in concert and she was singing just to me.
  
 And yes I actually remembered all those key words lmao. Yeah the ella might be a good option for you since you're so stubborn about open backs!!!!!


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> HERE, I copy pasted some of the stuff he said in his initial impressions headfi post below:
> 
> I've always compare them side-by-side with my *Shure 1540*s.
> These decay very fast like the *PM3*'s.
> ...


 
  
 Too funny man. It'd be even FUNNIER if tomorrow he changed his usernmae to "BlueAllTheWay". LOL!!
  
 Yeah, just not good for my wallet! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 lol 
  
SO many people praised the Oppo PM-3 but I wasn't impressed by it. But now he's made me curious, and potentially broke. LOL What if the Ella's really are as INCREDIBLE as everyone is saying?!! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Too funny man. It'd be even FUNNIER if tomorrow he changed his usernmae to "BlueAllTheWay". LOL!!
> 
> Yeah, just not good for my wallet!
> 
> ...


 
 Only one way to find out....... sacrifice your wallet to the blue gods and pray that you don't get buyers remorse


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Only one way to find out....... sacrifice your wallet to the blue gods and pray that you don't get buyers remorse


 
  
 lol


----------



## RockStar2005

This new review of the Ella compares it to the equally-priced ($699) OPEN-BACK Oppo PM-2. In pretty much every sense (aside from reverb......aka who cares? lol), the closed-back Ella reigns supreme. 
  
 There is a comment made that the Ella doesn't quite get loud enough. For those who own the Ella, what's your opinion on this??


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Actually I don't know if goldenears offered that service but I read somewhere that they did, currently their list has 400+ headphone calibrations, but ZERO blue headphones. Pretty shure their app is IOS only too, so you better buy an iphone too LOL
> 
> Sonarworks charges $99 for you to send it to them and receive a custom calibration which imo isn't a good value at all, if goldenears has a similar service then it's probably a similar price as well. Also sonarworks is windows only so it won't really be useful for your htc lol.
> 
> I guess in the end, the best option is for me to hear it myself


 
  
 Ok............backstep on this Goldenears thing. 
  
 Are you SAYING that if Goldenears posted the measurements for the Blue Sadie and/or Ella that you could come up with a proper 10-band EQ for it like you did for the AKG K551?!! lol


----------



## AlwaysForward

Perhaps slightly off topic but I went to the local high end audio store this weekend because they carry brands considered better than Blue by the community. Audeze, Focal and Audioquest.
  
 I audtioned: 
 Audeze Sine
 Audeze EL-8 (both open and closed)
 Audeze LCD-XC
 Focal Elear
 AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon
  
 Chord Mojo
 Dragonfly Red
  
 ...against my MoFi cans.
  
 Audeze EL-8's were absolute dissapointments to me. Zero impact and did not enjoy the music or "house sound" on them. They also were very poor at isolation. The Sine were a downgrade, sonically, to MoFi. In every way.
  
 AudioQuest... meh. Kind of like the MoFi but the design was boring and it lacked a lot of the details the Blue carried. I was really surprised.
  
 The Focal Elear sounded really good and in some ways was better than the MoFi but not as fun in others. Surprisingly, the soundstage was just BARELY larger than the MoFi.
  
 Now, the LCD-XC... that was absolutely sublime. Perhaps a little less bass than I prefer but it's not focused on impact and instead achieves it's goals of just making everything so present, separated, transparent, clear and ALIVE. Best cans I've ever heard. They also were the only cans with a significantly larger soundstage than the MoFi.
  
 What did blow my mind, though, was the Chord Mojo. What a little beast. That thing makes EVERYTHING sound better. Surprisingly, the amp on the MoFi was ADDITIVE w/ the Chord MoJo. MoJo brings another layer of life to everything it touches and will probably be my next gear purchase. 
  
 So clearly I've been reading these forums thinking "what else is out there that's better than MoFi" and honestly, I think I've found my home with Blue. It's just the perfect mix for me of tank-build, incredibly versatile house-sound, mobile friendly designs and (IMO) looks.
  
 So now I'm leaning more toward the Chord MoJo and the Blue Ella than the Satellite for my _personal_ end-game rig. I don't personally want to chase frequency demons. I just want my music to sound phenominal wherever I am and be versatile in it's portability. The Mojo allows me to scale up/down as portability allows and just enjoy my music to the best of my ability wherever I am.
  
 Also, with Shurealtheway's comments about volume, the Mojo would solve that with Aplomb.
  
 Anyway, kudos Blue. You killed it with your first cans and I can't wait to upgrade.


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> Perhaps slightly off topic but I went to the local high end audio store this weekend because they carry brands considered better than Blue by the community. Audeze, Focal and Audioquest.
> 
> I audtioned:
> Audeze Sine
> ...


 
  
 Hey Forward, 
  
 Nice review! Thanks for sharing your experience. 
  
 Well if the Mo-Fi did THAT well against headphones 2-6 times its price, imagine how the sonically improved Ella will sound! lol 
  
 This is yet ANOTHER review in favor of it. Yet again it pits well against open-back headphones too!


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok............backstep on this Goldenears thing.
> 
> Are you SAYING that if Goldenears posted the measurements for the Blue Sadie and/or Ella that you could come up with a proper 10-band EQ for it like you did for the AKG K551?!! lol


 
 if goldenears made a review/measurement then yes I can make a rough EQ for you to use, although I won't say the EQ will be exactly 10 bands which is incredibly limiting, I would be able to make something that "will work", but may be 1-4dB off from ideal response


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> if goldenears made a review/measurement then yes I can make a rough EQ for you to use, although I won't say the EQ will be exactly 10 bands which is incredibly limiting, I would be able to make something that "will work", but may be 1-4dB off from ideal response


 
  
 So it'll be for sure better than "Flat" or "Rock"?


----------



## akg fanboy

alwaysforward said:


> Perhaps slightly off topic but I went to the local high end audio store this weekend because they carry brands considered better than Blue by the community. Audeze, Focal and Audioquest.
> 
> I audtioned:
> Audeze Sine
> ...


 
 If you XC has less bass than you prefer, no wonder why the el8 was terrible for your tastes lol, the el8 is one of audeze's experimental headphones using a more analytical presentation, the bass definitely* not* lacking for shure, it is rather flat, but it definitely isn't up with your preferences either. The elear is one of those open backs that are known to have a small soundstage kind of like the hd600. The ella would probably suite you well seeing how much you like the mofi


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> So it'll be for sure better than "Flat" or "Rock"?


 
 Better than rock? 200% shure, NEVER and I repeat....... NEVER use built in presets, they are absolutely terrible. the rock preset is a v shaped EQ which is completely counter intuitive to that genre of music, the k551 does not need more treble but the increase in treble may give a false impression of more detail on a first listen
  
 also flat is not always a bad thing, sometimes you have very little you want to change about how a headphone sounds so you got to hear it first before deciding it HAS TO be EQed lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Better than rock? 200% shure, NEVER and I repeat....... NEVER use built in presets, they are absolutely terrible. the rock preset is a v shaped EQ which is completely counter intuitive to that genre of music, the k551 does not need more treble but the increase in treble may give a false impression of more detail on a first listen
> 
> also flat is not always a bad thing, sometimes you have very little you want to change about how a headphone sounds so you got to hear it first before deciding it HAS TO be EQed lol


 
  
 Ok.........no more Rock again, EVER!! Except on a few songs (6 actually) where for some f'd up reason it (well, a "version" of Rock with the bass EQs turned down a bit) sounds better than the K551 Custom EQ you created for me. lol
  
 In the car I normally use Rock, but I think that's a totally different scenario. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok.........no more Rock again, EVER!! Except on a few songs (6 actually) where for some f'd up reason it (well, a "version" of Rock with the bass EQs turned down a bit) sounds better than the K551 Custom EQ you created for me. lol
> 
> In the car I normally use Rock, but I think that's a totally different scenario. lol


 
 Sometimes a speaker will lack treble or bass so it might work but most headphones do not lack both treble AND bass. A poorly recorded "muffled" sounding song might sound better with the enhanced treble but most if not all properly recorded music probably won't


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Sometimes a speaker will lack treble or bass so it might work but most headphones do not lack both treble AND bass. A poorly recorded "muffled" sounding song might sound better with the enhanced treble but most if not all properly recorded music probably won't


 
  
 Yeah. 
  
 I just wish there was an easier way to get these sound measurements done. lol 
  
 I sent this request to Goldenears via e-mail: 
  



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Hi Goldenears, 
 
I'd like to formally request that you listen to and post full sound measurements for the brand new Blue Sadie and the also brand new Blue Ella! It would be MOST appreciated! These are both VERY well-reviewed headphones (especially the Ella), and I think a lot people would appreciate your expert analysis of their sound. 
 
Thank you so much!
 
RockStar2005


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Yeah.
> 
> I just wish there was an easier way to get these sound measurements done. lol
> 
> ...


 
 I've decoded your email down to this:
  


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Hi Goldenears, 
 
I'd like to formally request that you listen to and post full sound measurements for the brand new Blue Sadie and the also brand new Blue Ella! I want to buy them but I DUNU because I haven't seen their measurements yet but I NOAH guy who can get them EQ'ed
 
Thank you so much! XOXOXOXO
 
RockStar2005


  
 LOL


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I've decoded your email down to this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 That e-mail WOULD'VE gotten a Reputation from me...........at least up until the hugs and kisses part. (insert giant thumbs DOWN emoji!) lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> That e-mail WOULD'VE gotten a Reputation from me...........at least up until the hugs and kisses part. (insert giant thumbs DOWN emoji!) lol


 
 LMAO, you get a reputation from me for being disapproving of them


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> LMAO, you get a reputation from me for being disapproving of them


 
  
 Questions..............
  
 1) Do you agree or disagree with the answer of this Q&A? Do most songs like Hi-Res ones even come with "EQ preset tags"???? lol
  
 2) Do you agree or disagree that leaving the EQ on OFF with something like the Blue Ella is a good or bad thing? I know with my former and current AKG headphones that leaving the EQ on Flat or Off didn't get me the best results, but I wonder if it would on something like the Ella?


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Questions..............
> 
> 1) Do you agree or disagree with the answer of this Q&A? Do most songs like Hi-Res ones even come with "EQ preset tags"???? lol
> 
> 2) Do you agree or disagree that leaving the EQ on OFF with something like the Blue Ella is a good or bad thing? I know with my former and current AKG headphones that leaving the EQ on Flat or Off didn't get me the best results, but I wonder if it would on something like the Ella?


 
 No, this is probably something you do yourself, plus this is an apple forum, itunes EQ sucks and has tons of distortion. Instead of adding confusion, just know that flat means no change at all.
 Like I said, you would have to listen to the ella first before making a judgement on EQ, very few headphones have met my wants perfectly so I usually EQ, but your preferences are different from mine so I cannot say whether or not the sound signature of the ella is good for you even if I heard it


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> No, this is probably something you do yourself, plus this is an apple forum, itunes EQ sucks and has tons of distortion. Instead of adding confusion, just know that flat means no change at all.
> Like I said, you would have to listen to the ella first before making a judgement on EQ, very few headphones have met my wants perfectly so I usually EQ, but your preferences are different from mine so I cannot say whether or not the sound signature of the ella is good for you even if I heard it


 
  
 Ok, so iTunes EQ sux. Got it. lol 
  
 The thing is, it would have to sound PRETTY bad for me to say it needs EQ'ing, but you would prob know within a few minutes regardless I'm sure. I'm at best a novice when it comes to EQ'ing. I have some BASIC knowledge, but in terms of "perfecting" a sound, which to me means making it sound as natural as possible (though sometimes a lil extra bass never hurt no one lol), I wouldn't always know. It just shouldn't sound "constricted" is all, or TOO trebly. That tends to be what you get with the "Rock" setting, which I only use in the car but never on headphones (with exception to 3 songs with "Rock" minus some bass lol).
  
 My concern is based on the AKG K551 I have................. on Flat or Off, the songs sometimes tend to sound kinda weak, and that's bad too I guess. lol I was hoping there's some way to tell if that might be the case with the Ella on Off, but apparently not. lol 
  
 Thanks.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok, so iTunes EQ sux. Got it. lol
> 
> The thing is, it would have to sound PRETTY bad for me to say it needs EQ'ing, but you would prob know within a few minutes regardless. I'm at best a novice when it comes to EQ'ing. I have some BASIC knowledge, but in terms of "perfecting" a sound, which to me means making it sound as natural as possible (though sometimes a lil extra bass never hurt no one lol), I wouldn't always know. It just shouldn't sound "constricted" is all, or TOO trebly. That tends to be what you get with the "Rock" setting, which I only use in the car but never on headphones (with exception to 3 song with "Rock" minus some bass lol).
> 
> ...


 
 the k551 is a unique headphone because it sounds pretty thin, I don't use them because the bass never sounds "just right" for me, but the EQ I made was the best compromise I could do, at least for poweramp. Blue headphones definitely do not have an issue with bass so I know you won't be needing an bass boost there, but I don't know how the treble sounds so you may want to cut or boost it depending on how the treble is. Generally if you want bass guitar, drums, kick drum to stand out more you would EQ the lower bass around 20-80hz. If you want deep male vocals to stand out more, you boost 1.5-2khz, normal male vocals are around 2khz, higher pitch male and female are 2-3khz, electric guitar can be 2-4khz. Piano can be 1-3khz. Generally I don't EQ anything else unless there is a huge dip or spike I want to get rid of


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> the k551 is a unique headphone because it sounds pretty thin, I don't use them because the bass never sounds "just right" for me, but the EQ I made was the best compromise I could do, at least for poweramp. Blue headphones definitely do not have an issue with bass so I know you won't be needing an bass boost there, but I don't know how the treble sounds so you may want to cut or boost it depending on how the treble is. Generally if you want bass guitar, drums, kick drum to stand out more you would EQ the lower bass around 20-80hz. If you want deep male vocals to stand out more, you boost 1.5-2khz, normal male vocals are around 2khz, higher pitch male and female are 2-3khz, electric guitar can be 2-4khz. Piano can be 1-3khz. Generally I don't EQ anything else unless there is a huge dip or spike I want to get rid of


 
  
 OK. Yeah Blue headphones (from having heard the Lola) def have more pronounced bass, though the Lola had the TIGHTEST control over the bass I'd ever heard, period. Even with the bass more pronounced, it never once appeared to cross over into the mids' or highs' territory (ftw lol). 
  
 Yeah I have studied up on that stuff, even with regards to vocals, but the added layer of tuning it to headphones sounds beyond my realm I think. lol 
  
 Judging that the Lolas sounded amazing, and Sadie & Ella both were "improved sonically to sound more balanced and have more clarity", it's very likely I think that they both really wouldn't need to be EQ'd at all perhaps. I guess if I hear sibilance I can always cut back on the appropriate treble EQ bands, which I guess is 3-10kHz (includes ALL sibilance, not just vocal)???


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> OK. Yeah Blue headphones (from having heard the Lola) def have more pronounced bass, though the Lola had the TIGHTEST control over the bass I'd ever heard, period. Even with the bass more pronounced, it never once appeared to cross over into the mids' or highs' territory (ftw lol).
> 
> Yeah I have studied up on that stuff, even with regards to vocals, but the added layer of tuning it to headphones sounds beyond my realm I think. lol
> 
> Judging that the Lolas sounded amazing, and Sadie & Ella both were "improved sonically to sound more balanced and have more clarity", it's very likely I think that they both really wouldn't need to be EQ'd at all perhaps. I guess if I hear sibilance I can always cut back on the appropriate treble EQ bands, which I guess is 3-10kHz (includes ALL sibilance, not just vocal)???


 
 I would disagree with 3khz being an area of sibilance, I typically boost 3khz a lot for electric guitar and female vocal presence, sibilance is a term for vocals, I think you mean harsh treble in general, it's more like 4khz and beyond. But even 4khz can be a stretch sometimes


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I would disagree with 3khz being an area of sibilance, I typically boost 3khz a lot for electric guitar and female vocal presence, sibilance is a term for vocals, I think you mean harsh treble in general, it's more like 4khz and beyond. But even 4khz can be a stretch sometimes


 
  
 Yeah I thought sibilance included "harsh" sounds created by instruments too, but ok it doesn't. lol
  
 So 4-7kHz is for non-vocal harsh noises mostly, and 7-10 is for vocal sibilance for the most part?


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Yeah I thought sibilance included "harsh" sounds created by instruments too, but ok it doesn't. lol
> 
> So 4-7kHz is for non-vocal harsh noises mostly, and 7-10 is for vocal sibilance for the most part?


 
 No, 4-7khz is not reserved for just instruments. Vocals generally reside in 1-3khz so I DUNU where you got 7khz from, just watch out for 4-10khz areas and experiment by sliding down each frequency only one at a time and seeing if it helps


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> No, 4-7khz is not reserved for just instruments. Vocals generally reside in 1-3khz so I DUNU where you got 7khz from, just watch out for 4-10khz areas and experiment by sliding down each frequency only one at a time and seeing if it helps


 
  
 I got it from the link I sent earlier. lol 
  
 


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



EQ Instrument breakdown  
 Vocals

 presence (5 kHz), sibilance (7.5 ‐ 10 kHz), boom (200 ‐ 240 kHz), fullness (120 Hz)


 


  
  
 Ahh ok. I DUNU if I'll even get it or not. You need to open up your own business for doing this. You'd prob put all your competition OUT of business. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I got it from the link I sent earlier. lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Ignore that, 5khz for vocal presence is complete bullschiit..... man I told u this stuff like several months ago. Try sliding up the 5khz toggle and try listening to some vocal tracks and see what happens....... then try boosting 2khz instead and see what happens. 
 and nah, this stuff is pretty simple but there are tons of more complex audio stuff I don't get like amp design or how internal audio processing and maths works


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Ignore that, 5khz for vocal presence is complete bullschiit..... man I told u this stuff like several months ago. Try sliding up the 5khz toggle and try listening to some vocal tracks and see what happens....... then try boosting 2khz instead and see what happens.
> and nah, this stuff is pretty simple but there are tons of more complex audio stuff I don't get like amp design or how internal audio processing and maths works


 
  
 Ok. I'll delete them both from my Bookmarks. lol 
  
 Man, you must be HIGH off your kite if you think I'm gonna remember what you said several months ago about EQ'ing! lol I already did bookmark THIS page, but that doesn't mean I fully understand it and/or would be able to execute it correctly. lol 
  
 Simple for you maybe. lol For me......... I think I've gotten pretty good at EQ'ing bass, but mids and treble is far more difficult IMO. But if I actually get the Ella, I'll refer to this now bookmarked page and apply what you said..............HOPEFULLY, if there IS a God........ I won't have to. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok. I'll delete them both from my Bookmarks. lol
> 
> Man, you must be HIGH off your kite if you think I'm gonna remember what you said several months ago about EQ'ing! lol I already did bookmark THIS page, but that doesn't mean I fully understand it and/or would be able to execute it correctly. lol
> 
> Simple for you maybe. lol For me......... I think I've gotten pretty good at EQ'ing bass, but mids and treble is far more difficult IMO. But if I actually get the Ella, I'll refer to this now bookmarked page and apply what you said..............HOPEFULLY, if there IS a God........ I won't have to. lol


 
 The best way to learn how to EQ is trial and error, just keep experimenting with every frequency and see how everything gets affected by altering certain toggles. That's basically how I learned it and after getting the same results every time it got a lot easier. You just got to know what you are looking for and as long as you know what you want to change then it's ez. To be fair, every vocal and instrument extends far more than just 1-3khz for example, they extend down to the mid bass and go as high as mid treble, but the main presence area is what I'm speaking of and if you want vocals to be closer in a v shaped headphone, then boosting 5khz will just make them brighter (and "clearer") instead of getting vocals closer
  
 but your link did have one really good piece of info you missed:

 Sibilance

 refers to the hissing "­s","s­h","z­", or "­zh", sound of the human voice


  
 LOL


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> The best way to learn how to EQ is trial and error, just keep experimenting with every frequency and see how everything gets affected by altering certain toggles. That's basically how I learned it and after getting the same results every time it got a lot easier. You just got to know what you are looking for and as long as you know what you want to change then it's ez. To be fair, every vocal and instrument extends far more than just 1-3khz for example, they extend down to the mid bass and go as high as mid treble, but the main presence area is what I'm speaking of and if you want vocals to be closer in a v shaped headphone, then boosting 5khz will just make them brighter (and "clearer") instead of getting vocals closer
> 
> but your link did have one really good piece of info you missed:
> 
> ...


 
  
 Yeah, but I don't know if I have the PATIENCE you do to go through a lot of trial & error in order to reach perfection. lol 
  
 Haha yeah I remember that now. But I thought it ALSO included harsh sounds from instruments too, but now that I think about it, that doesn't make sense cuz only PEOPLE make those sounds, not instruments. lol 
  
 If you buy the Sadie or Ella (or anything really) through Sam Ash's website, they have a $20 off thing for registering if you spend over $100, which obviously for EITHER headphone you more than would. Hey, $20 is $20. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Yeah, but I don't know if I have the PATIENCE you do to go through a lot of trial & error in order to reach perfection. lol
> 
> Haha yeah I remember that now. But I thought it ALSO included harsh sounds from instruments too, but now that I think about it, that doesn't make sense cuz only PEOPLE make those sounds, not instruments. lol
> 
> If you buy the Sadie or Ella (or anything really) through Sam Ash's website, they have a $20 off thing for registering if you spend over $100, which obviously for EITHER headphone you more than would. Hey, $20 is $20. lol


 
 Very rarely would I ever buy a new headphone, $20 is barely any savings for me. Might consider buying ella when I can find a used pair for $200-300 in 2 years lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Very rarely would I ever buy a new headphone, $20 is barely any savings for me. Might consider buying ella when I can find a used pair for $200-300 in 2 years lol


 
  
 It's barely any for me either, but I'd still rather pay $679 for the Ella than $699! LOLLL
  
 I dunno. With used my issue is you never know what condition what you're getting REALLY is in. They could've banged on, dropped, etc. Just because you don't see any marks or scuffs on the outside doesn't mean for sure the inside is intact. lol 
  
 BTW, the MOST I've ever spent on headphones was $399..........for all of the following (which were all either returned or sold off lol): Oppo PM-3 (sold), B&W P7 (returned), and the Master & Dynamic MH40 (returned). So this WOULD be a first. lol All 3 of those, for all their benefits, couldn't match the WIDE massive soundstage of AKG AND Blue, and also they tended to be too bassy too I think, though my $299 Sony MDR-1As were prob still bassier, though still NOT as bassy as Beats are. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> It's barely any for me either, but I'd still rather pay $679 for the Ella than $699! LOLLL
> 
> I dunno. With used my issue is you never know what condition what you're getting REALLY is in. They could've banged on, dropped, etc. Just because you don't see any marks or scuffs on the outside doesn't mean for sure the inside is intact. lol
> 
> BTW, the MOST I've ever spent on headphones was $399..........for all of the following (which were all either returned or sold off lol): Oppo PM-3 (sold), B&W P7 (returned), and the Master & Dynamic MH40 (returned). So this WOULD be a first. lol All 3 of those, for all their benefits, couldn't match the WIDE massive soundstage of AKG AND Blue, and also they tended to be too bassy too I think, though my $299 Sony MDR-1As were prob still bassier, though still NOT as bassy as Beats are. lol


 
 Almost all of my headphones, iems, and even phones were bought used or refurb, never had issues except for beyer and their terrible QC. The whole "used is not trustworthy" thing is a myth and most cars are bought used as well. Just because it's used doesn't mean it isn't trustworthy, as long as the seller isn't someone shady you shouldn't ever have issues.
  
 and stay away from the sadie, it turns out it's just a rebranded mofi, it clearly states in the amazon listing _formerly called Mo-Fi, _it's just a rebranded mofi in a slightly lighter shell (about 20g lighter). Everything else is identical from driver, to impedance, amp (240mw), THD figures, SNR, frequency range, etc


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I think the sadie is an extremely terri
> Almost all of my headphones, iems, and even phones were bought used or refurb, never had issues except for beyer and their terrible QC. The whole "used is not trustworthy" thing is a myth and most cars are bought used as well. Just because it's used doesn't mean it isn't trustworthy, as long as the seller isn't someone shady you shouldn't ever have issues.
> 
> and stay away from the sadie, it turns out it's just a rebranded mofi, it clearly states in the amazon listing _formerly called Mo-Fi, _it's just a rebranded mofi in a slightly lighter shell (about 20g lighter). Everything else is identical from driver, to impedance, amp (240mw), THD figures, SNR, frequency range, etc


 
  
 Well I guess it's b/c you don't have cars touching your ears but headphones do. lol Anyway, with my luck, I'd prob get a bunch of lemons if I bought used. lol 
  
 Really? I did see that on Amazon, but they've said in multiple reviews that BOTH the Sadie & Ella were improved upon with regards to tuning. So are you SHURE?! lol
  
 Well the one difference for SHURE is they said they made Sadie & Ella more comfortable than the Mo-Fi (and I guess Lola) was, but the sound thing I dunno. 
  
 Speaking of SHURE lol, did you notice that ShureAllTheWay closed his account? Something tells me you already knew this and may have mentioned it too, but I dunno. Still, this WAS a very good review. He noticed the same things I did like with the tight bass, etc.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Well I guess it's b/c you don't have cars touching your ears but headphones do. lol Anyway, with my luck, I'd prob get a bunch of lemons if I bought used. lol
> 
> Really? I did see that on Amazon, but they've said in multiple reviews that BOTH the Sadie & Ella were improved upon with regards to tuning. So are you SHURE?! lol
> 
> ...


 
 We already talked about him closing his account man....... did you really forget this too? LOL
  
 The sadie might be better tuned than the mofi, but it's the same headphone, I really doubt it's really much more comfortable at all, unless you're talking about that 20g difference and maybe a slight adjustment to the clamp force. Still not worth paying $100 more, I remember seeing used mofis for as low as $150 at one point so it's vastly more expensive if you put it that way.
  
  
 Found a frequency response chart of the ella btw, it seems to be much more neutral than the mofi, but that sub bass drop off is extremely disappointing for a PLANAR headphone, especially because it's also closed back.... Too bad the chart is UNcompensated so it's not like a goldenears chart. However, we can compare it to the NAD hp50 (green) which is a pretty neutral headphone and you can see the ella in comparison has a dip around 1.5-3khz but other than that, it looks fairly neutral


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> We already talked about him closing his account man....... did you really forget this too? LOL
> 
> The sadie might be better tuned than the mofi, but it's the same headphone, I really doubt it's really much more comfortable at all, unless you're talking about that 20g difference and maybe a slight adjustment to the clamp force. Still not worth paying $100 more, I remember seeing used mofis for as low as $150 at one point so it's vastly more expensive if you put it that way.
> 
> ...


 
  
  
 Haha well I DID say you MIGHT'VE mentioned it before, but wasn't sure. I think you said something about him possibly no longer having time for this "hobby" of ours. lol 
  
 They said for both the Sadie & the Ella that they removed a few joints or parts out that were unnecessary so now it fits better and weighs less too. If it IS better tuned, how is it the same headphone though? lol 
  
  
 Oh nice!! So with it being UNcompensated, does that mean you can't make a 10-band EQ for it, or can you? lolo
 Well at least they weren't lying about it being more balanced!! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Haha well I DID say you MIGHT'VE mentioned it before, but wasn't sure. I think you said something about him possibly no longer having time for this "hobby" of ours. lol
> 
> They said for both the Sadie & the Ella that they removed a few joints or parts out that were unnecessary so now it fits better and weighs less too. If it IS better tuned, how is it the same headphone though? lol
> 
> ...


 
 ignore the bump in bass thing, that's actually the nad hp50 which has exaggerated bass there lol. Even open planars have linear bass all the way down to sub bass so it's super disappointing that it has a big sub bass dip, and being closed back does nothing to help it seems. Even the beats solo 2 with a dynamic driver has way better sub bass extension with low THD so if you put that into perspective, then you can see why I am disappointed lol.
  
 I can give you a rough EQ, just needa boost the mids and sub bass a bit


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> ignore the bump in bass thing, that's actually the nad hp50 which has exaggerated bass there lol. Even open planars have linear bass all the way down to sub bass so it's super disappointing that it has a big sub bass dip, and being closed back does nothing to help it seems. Even the beats solo 2 with a dynamic driver has way better sub bass extension with low THD so if you put that into perspective, then you can see why I am disappointed lol.
> 
> I can give you a rough EQ, just needa boost the mids and sub bass a bit


 
  
 Ok. I understood MOST of what you said btw. LOL
  
 Ok.........cool. Well it would be for the benefit of ANYONE reading this thread, not JUST me. lol 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Now the question is will I ACTUALLY buy it? LOL
  
 So no adjusting of the treble? Nice! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok. I understood MOST of what you said btw. LOL
> 
> Ok.........cool. Well it would be for the benefit of ANYONE reading this thread, not JUST me. lol
> 
> ...


 
 well if you want a slightly airier sound, it wouldn't hurt to boost 4khz, I just wouldn't trust a 10 band EQ though since it would end up affecting more than just 4khz, the ella has a very narrow dip so a precise EQ like a desktop plugin or at least neutron would be great.
  
 BUY NOW!!!!!!!!!


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> well if you want a slightly airier sound, it wouldn't hurt to boost 4khz, I just wouldn't trust a 10 band EQ though since it would end up affecting more than just 4khz, the ella has a very narrow dip so a precise EQ like a desktop plugin or at least neutron would be great.
> 
> BUY NOW!!!!!!!!!


 
  
 I uninstalled Neutron. How many bands does its EQ have?
  
 Ughh..............but I don't wanna use Neutron! I like Poweramp!!!!! lol It DEF works better now that I turned off that Hi-Res Output option in Alpha. No more playback timeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Hahaha...............I just paid $858 on my credit card bill today. It can wait a little bit!!! lol
  
 But I def won't get the Sadie, where 3-4 days ago for a bit there I was really more about the Sadie.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I uninstalled Neutron. How many bands does its EQ have?
> 
> Ughh..............but I don't wanna use Neutron! I like Poweramp!!!!! lol It DEF works better now that I turned off that Hi-Res Output option in Alpha. No more playback timeouts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...


 
 neutron is like dmg audio equilibrium, basically super customizable but bundled with an incredibly unintuitive UI. 
  
 It's either a used pair of HD 800 end games or the ella man..... your credit card is begging you to be used again!!!


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> neutron is like dmg audio equilibrium, basically super customizable but bundled with an incredibly unintuitive UI.
> 
> It's either a used pair of HD 800 end games or the ella man..... your credit card is begging you to be used again!!!


 
  
 Yeah the UI on Neutron definitely doesn't give me the warm-fuzzies. lol 
  
 Hahaha..............you're the DEVIL akg!!!!!!!!!   (at 0:35, that's from me to you LOL)
  
 HD 800..........nice try. LOL Cuz the Ella wasn't ALREADY pricey enough!!


----------



## RockStar2005

Great (and hilarious lol) review of the Blue Sadie and Ella, with most of the focus on the Ella. Long, but entertaining, and VERY thorough too. lol 
  
 He makes it CRYSTAL clear that the Sadie is the replacement to the Mo-Fi as well, which I already knew.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Great (and hilarious lol) review of the Blue Sadie and Ella, with most of the focus on the Ella. Long, but entertaining, and VERY thorough too. lol
> 
> He makes it CRYSTAL clear that the Sadie is the replacement to the Mo-Fi as well, which I already knew.


 
 He said the sadie sounds exactly like the mofis....... I TOLD YOU they are the same lol.
 His descriptions are very vague, (all he says is realistic/bass/loud), and I doubt he used any other hifi headphones, he compares them to beats and monster. The ella is definitely gonna be good but I learned nothing from his video lol


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> He said the sadie sounds exactly like the mofis....... I TOLD YOU they are the same lol.
> His descriptions are very vague and I doubt he used any other hifi headphones, he compares them to beats and monster. The ella is definitely gonna be good but I learned nothing from his video lol


 
  
 I dunno. Everyone else said they were modified as were the Ella. What-evs! LOL 
  
 Haha yeah his comparisons kinda sucked but he was appealing to a "mass" audience, and admitted early on in the video that he's NOT an audiophile. But I still enjoyed his review. AND his singing voice. LOL I'm sure you cracked up a lil then too. 
  
 Well I learned a few things........1) He had a pretty thorough unboxing so you knew exactly what to expect. I liked that the braided cables were non-tangling. One reason I hate braided cables is b/c they tangle, so this is good to know. He showed you exactly what you were getting in both cases and even took the time to read the outside parts. While not crucial, I still thought it didn't hurt to include all that. 2) I had read that the Sadie and Ella would shut off if you didn't use them after a certain amount of time had passed, but he actually shows you it in action. I didn't know it'd be instant, but it appears the moment you take them off your head, the amp shuts down, but then put them back on, and it re-enables the amp immediately. 3) Although I already knew it, it was still helpful to see/hear the volume difference between the two headphones, and his analysis was in agreement with other reviews I'd read about them both. 4) Not all the other headphones were mehh lol............the Sony MDR-1000X he displayed is currently considered to be the best overall headphone for noise-cancelling in terms of both sound quality and ANC capability, per several reviews I've read (of course the Blue Satellite is very likely to take its place when it finally gets released). Though it might seem like apples and oranges, he made his point that there are different headphones for different situations, and in the end, he concluded the 2 Blue Headphones were the best options for Hi-Fi bliss. Yeah, I'd like it if he threw in some AKG or Sennheiser action in there, but not EVERY review I see has to be super clinical about everything, though I'm sure you'd disagree. LOL


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I dunno. Everyone else said they were modified as were the Ella. What-evs! LOL
> 
> Haha yeah his comparisons kinda sucked but he was appealing to a "mass" audience, and admitted early on in the video that he's NOT an audiophile. But I still enjoyed his review. AND his singing voice. LOL I'm sure you cracked up a lil then too.
> 
> Well I learned a few things........1) He had a pretty thorough unboxing so you knew exactly what to expect. I liked that the braided cables were non-tangling. One reason I hate braided cables is b/c they tangle, so this is good to know. He showed you exactly what you were getting in both cases and even took the time to read the outside parts. While not crucial, I still thought it didn't hurt to include all that. 2) I had read that the Sadie and Ella would shut off if you didn't use them after a certain amount of time had passed, but he actually shows you it in action. I didn't know it'd be instant, but it appears the moment you take them off your head, the amp shuts down, but then put them back on, and it re-enables the amp immediately. 3) Although I already knew it, it was still helpful to see/hear the volume difference between the two headphones, and his analysis was in agreement with other reviews I'd read about them both. 4) Not all the other headphones were mehh lol............the Sony MDR-1000X he displayed is currently considered to be the best overall headphone for noise-cancelling in terms of both sound quality and ANC capability, per several reviews I've read (of course the Blue Satellite is very likely to take its place when it finally gets released). Though it might seem like apples and oranges, he made his point that there are different headphones for different situations, and in the end, he concluded the 2 Blue Headphones were the best options for Hi-Fi bliss. Yeah, I'd like it if he threw in some AKG or Sennheiser action in there, but not EVERY review I see has to be super clinical about everything, though I'm sure you'd disagree. LOL


 
 The best noise canceling headphone is no doubt the AKG n90q which puts the mdr 1000x to complete shame to even exist, but it costs $1500 and isn't wireless. I'm shure that the vie shair is better than the mdr 1000x as well but it has no ANC, then there's the B&O H9 which again beats the mdr 1000x in sound quality, but this time it has bad ANC lol. I'm SHURE the satellite will be better than the mdr 1000x in both ANC AND SQ. 
 And I completely disagree with the sadie being the best option for its price in the "hifi" market, if there's anything we know about the mofi, then reviews show there are many better headphones than it for the price, plus the sadie is almost a bass head headphone. Ya can't just listen to one or two good headphone then conclude it's the best for hifi bliss. Also the ella is not a modified mofi, it has a completely different planar driver, different amp, thd figures, etc


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> The best noise canceling headphone is no doubt the AKG n90q which puts the mdr 1000x to complete shame to even exist, but it costs $1500 and isn't wireless. I'm shure that the vie shair is better than the mdr 1000x as well but it has no ANC, then there's the B&O H9 which again beats the mdr 1000x in sound quality, but this time it has bad ANC lol. I'm SHURE the satellite will be better than the mdr 1000x is both ANC AND SQ.
> And I completely disagree with the sadie being the best option for its price in the "hifi" market, if there's anything we know about the mofi, then reviews show there are many better headphones than it for the price, plus the sadie is almost a bass head headphone


 
  
 Ok the best ANC headphone that most people can ACTUALLY afford! LOL 
  
 Yeah.......the Satellite will VERY likely outdo the Sony in both. But yes, overall right now, the MDR-1000X is the best wireless ANC headphone out there. 
  
 Ok, on the Sadie.............remember I did say it had PLENTY of bass but it controlled the bass very well. So although he calls it a "basshead headphone", I would at least partially disagree with that statement. To me basshead is a bad thing, it means TOO much bass. The Lola I tried out were not bassy but even on bassier songs they handled the bass with the power of a wild beast! lol So maybe I guess you're right that the Sadie isn't the best for its price...............but I still disagree that the Sadie sounds EXACTLY like the Mo-Fi. Both Blue and a few other reviews........reviews done by ppl who actually WERE comparing the Sadie and/or Ella to audiophile-grade headphones like the Grado open-backs...............said that they were tuned better than the Mo-Fi or Lolas were. So I dunno. 
  
 What would you say is better than the Mo-Fi OR Sadie at $399 out of curiosity? lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok the best ANC headphone that most people can ACTUALLY afford! LOL
> 
> Yeah.......the Satellite will VERY likely outdo the Sony in both. But yes, overall right now, the MDR-1000X is the best wireless ANC headphone out there.
> 
> ...


 
 The sadie is better at the same price, but it's not a big change at all...... it's like comparing k701 vs q701.... just some minor tweaks and design changes, overall the same essential thing. But the mofi can be gotten for much cheaper so I'd say the mofi is better for the money. Neither are flat though and both of accentuated bass, that's for shure


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> The sadie is better at the same price, but it's not a big change at all...... it's like comparing k701 vs q701.... just some minor tweaks and design changes, overall the same essential thing. But the mofi can be gotten for much cheaper so I'd say the mofi is better for the money. Neither are flat though and both of accentuated bass, that's for shure


 
  
 I'll agree that neither are flat, per various reviews, including Flossy's. lol 
  
 But I mean, I think in the audiophile world, my experience has been that even small changes still make for big improvement. Just a lil more clarity in the treble..........a bit better/tighter bass........a slightly wider soundstage..........slightly more instrument separation. Those may seem like minor tweaks, but when I'm hearing Jimmy Page's gorgeous electric slide guitar (starts around 0:30) off in the distance on "That's The Way" (Hi-Res) thanks to a clearer treble and a wider soundstage, it really makes the experience significantly better for me. Or like the first time I heard The Rolling Stones' drummer Charlie Watts playing the intro to "Under My Thumb" in Hi-Res on my AKGs, or even "Street Fighting Man"'s (skip to 0:17) intro drum part, it REALLY caught my attention. On Thumb I never really caught the little "shuffle" thing he does before despite hearing that song a million times, or on Fighting's intro when he just comes in with the BOMBASTIC drum part too. Little things matter in Hi-Fi. If they didn't, I wouldn't be on this board. lol


----------



## endgame

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok the best ANC headphone that most people can ACTUALLY afford! LOL
> 
> Yeah.......the Satellite will VERY likely outdo the Sony in both. But yes, overall right now, the MDR-1000X is the best wireless ANC headphone out there.
> 
> ...




This is right. The Sadie's use the same drivers as the Mofi but it is tuned a little different. The bass is north of neutral but not crazy and not bass head. The highs extend more than the Mofi but I actually preferred them a little more subdued. The amplification is exceptional. They can play very loud if that's what you want. I like a little more bass than neutral but not quite as much mid bass emphasis as the Sadie's. But all in all, they're a good headphone and definitely much more comfortable than the Mofi. Hope that helps.


----------



## RockStar2005

endgame said:


> This is right. The Sadie's use the same drivers as the Mofi but it is tuned a little different. The bass is north of neutral but not crazy and not bass head. The highs extend more than the Mofi but I actually preferred them a little more subdued. The amplification is exceptional. They can play very loud if that's what you want. I like a little more bass than neutral but not quite as much mid bass emphasis as the Sadie's. But all in all, they're a good headphone and definitely much more comfortable than the Mofi. Hope that helps.


 
  
 Hey endgame, 
  
 Yes it does! Much appreciated!!


----------



## endgame

rockstar2005 said:


> Hey endgame,
> 
> Yes it does! Much appreciated!!




You're welcome.


----------



## AlwaysForward

I think it's import to note that the YouTube guy is referring to "On+" sound signature when he talks about it's bass head capability. And dynamic drivers do have better bass impact than most planars, so 1-1, I'll bet Sadie is better at that end of things. I think there was a video where Jude talked about them having the same "Blue" house sound, but Ella is just a bit more flat and has more clarity. He also mentioned he prefers the way the bass amplifies on the Ella and uses it more.

Found it:
https://youtu.be/Kzr20dkzM5g

Man, I work in an open office and it's noisy AF where I sit. I would love the sound of Mojo+Ella but I *need* ANC.

Knowing myself, I'll probably buy both.


----------



## akg fanboy

alwaysforward said:


> I think it's import to note that the YouTube guy is referring to "On+" sound signature when he talks about it's bass head capability. And dynamic drivers do have better bass impact than most planars, so 1-1, I'll bet Sadie is better at that end of things. I think there was a video where Jude talked about them having the same "Blue" house sound, but Ella is just a bit more flat and has more clarity. He also mentioned he prefers the way the bass amplifies on the Ella and uses it more.


 
 I would disagree with dynamic bass, maybe it's true that dynamics are usually_ tuned_ to have greater bass _quantity_, but the biggest strength of planars over dynamics is the ability to extend down all the way to the sub bass which many dynamics struggle to do, plus planars can do it with very little distortion which is why almost every dynamic purposefully has rolled off sub bass


----------



## AlwaysForward

Based on my experience, it's probably a kindasortayesandno thing. If we compare stuff under 1,200 or so, the great dynamics of the world from Blue, Shure, AKG, Focal etc will beat the Planars for bass "impact." I can say the Blue MoFi has more impact than the LCD-XC because I compared them last weekend. LCD-XC is the better sounding headphone. My ideal sound signature would be a mix of both, thus my lust for the Ella.

I guess probably the most even comparison would be the Utopia vs the LCD4, which my hifi dealer has in stock and on demo/ maybe I'll check them out and post my impressions on the compare from my perspective. I know a wel respected audiophile prefers LCD-4 while more general consensus seems to lean Utopia.

I'm not a classically trained audiophile, though. I'm a former guitar center manager who has taken pro audio classes & was mentored informally by peers and friends who were pro audio engineers, Van Helen's guitar tech and the former VP of Seymour Duncan. I was a paid live sound guy & tech for a while & have spent quite a few hours in studios in addition to have played in many bands over hundreds of shows. I know the true audio engineers of the world have a depth way beyond me but I tend to think I've got a pretty calibrated ear for things.

Probably why the Blue set were my first HiFi cans, actually, because I prefer their pro audio mics quite a bit for those who aren't running their own studio.


----------



## akg fanboy

alwaysforward said:


> Based on my experience, it's probably a kindasortayesandno thing. If we compare stuff under 1,200 or so, the great dynamics of the world from Blue, Shure, AKG, Focal etc will beat the Planars for bass "impact." I can say the Blue MoFi has more impact than the LCD-XC because I compared them last weekend. LCD-XC is the better sounding headphone. My ideal sound signature would be a mix of both, thus my lust for the Ella.
> 
> I guess probably the most even comparison would be the Utopia vs the LCD4, which my hifi dealer has in stock and on demo/ maybe I'll check them out and post my impressions on the compare from my perspective. I know a wel respected audiophile prefers LCD-4 while more general consensus seems to lean Utopia.
> 
> ...


 
_kindasortayesandno _lol.
 The lcd x is actually supposed to have more bass than the lcd xc, if you want a planar that's tuned to have thunderous bass, I would say the abyss ab1266 is something you should try out lol. I highly doubt the utopia would have more bass impact than the lcd 4, but my bias would still go to the utopia anyways before even hearing it because I know that the utopia fits my sound signature preferences much better than any audeze would, plus the lcd 4's 600g weight would be discomforting to me in just a couple minutes
 I figured a lot of blue mic users would be interested in their headphones, makes sense but sennheiser and akg make superb mics too


----------



## AlwaysForward

akg fanboy said:


> _kindasortayesandno _lol.
> The lcd x is actually supposed to have more bass than the lcd xc, if you want a planar that's tuned to have thunderous bass, I would say the abyss ab1266 is something you should try out lol. I highly doubt the utopia would have more bass impact than the lcd 4, but my bias would still go to the utopia anyways before even hearing it because I know that the utopia fits my sound signature preferences much better than any audeze would, plus the lcd 4's 600g weight would be discomforting to me in just a couple minutes
> I figured a lot of blue mic users would be interested in their headphones, makes sense but sennheiser and akg make superb mics too


 
 LOL, I ran across that Abyss headphone before and it is so far from anything I'd personally consider. I'm interested in high end closed back over ear headphones for my open office environment, which is why I looked at the EL-8, AudioQuest and LCD-XC. 
  
 I really just can't see myself having enough use out of big open ear headphones to ever justify purchasing them. I value daily usefulness in my life first and foremost in my purchase decisions. Everyone is different but Blue's products are fitting my criteria for build quality, sound quality, functionality, portability, sound isolation, looks and budget quite well. For me, I've concluded that they have the best set of pros and cons for my uses. 
  
 If I were to pursue open back for larger soundscape, I'll probably get the iSine20 or perhaps the LCD-i3 if it ever comes out. I'd need their minimal sound leakage to be able to use them at work. Also, the portability is right up my alley.


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> I think it's import to note that the YouTube guy is referring to "On+" sound signature when he talks about it's bass head capability. And dynamic drivers do have better bass impact than most planars, so 1-1, I'll bet Sadie is better at that end of things. I think there was a video where Jude talked about them having the same "Blue" house sound, but Ella is just a bit more flat and has more clarity. He also mentioned he prefers the way the bass amplifies on the Ella and uses it more.
> 
> Found it:
> https://youtu.be/Kzr20dkzM5g
> ...


 
  
 Interesting, esp about that he likes how the Ella amplifies bass better than the Sadie. Not what I expected, though I'm not that surprised either. 
  
 Yeah I've seen some of Jude's other videos. He's pretty cool. 
  
 I don't know if the Sadie's would for sure be a step up sound quality-wise vs. my AKG K551s, but I feel like there's a strong possibility the Ella would be. 
  
 Haha.............both will be amazing for sure. I'd just tell everyone to SHUT UP and buy the Ella! LOL j/k


----------



## endgame

alwaysforward said:


> I think it's import to note that the YouTube guy is referring to "On+" sound signature when he talks about it's bass head capability. And dynamic drivers do have better bass impact than most planars, so 1-1, I'll bet Sadie is better at that end of things. I think there was a video where Jude talked about them having the same "Blue" house sound, but Ella is just a bit more flat and has more clarity. He also mentioned he prefers the way the bass amplifies on the Ella and uses it more.
> 
> Found it:
> https://youtu.be/Kzr20dkzM5g
> ...




Interesting. But that kind of defeats the purpose of the Ella if you use the Mojo to power it.


----------



## RockStar2005

endgame said:


> Interesting. But that kind of defeats the purpose of the Ella if you use the Mojo to power it.


 
  
 I agree with endgame, well partially. lol IF you're playing music off a non-audiophile phone (i.e., a phone that ISN'T the LG V10, V20, or HTC 10 lol), then it's good to have some kind of DAC or amp/DAC device. You won't need the amp obviously, but you will the DAC. DAC-only devices aren't very common like amp/DAC ones are (I don't know any), so if you don't have an audiophile phone then you may wanna consider a DAP then like the Sony Walkman A17 (or A20-series), Sony Walkman NW-ZX100, FiiO X7, Astell & Kern AK70, Onkyo DP-X1, iBasso DX80, Pioneer XDP-300R, or any other number of models of DAPs. All the ones I mentioned can be found here on Amazon though. 
  
 If you have either of those 3 phones, then you don't need an in-between device or DAP IMO.


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I agree with endgame, well partially. lol IF you're playing music off a non-audiophile phone (i.e., a phone that ISN'T the LG V10, V20, or HTC 10 lol), then it's good to have some kind of DAC or amp/DAC device. You won't need the amp obviously, but you will the DAC. DAC-only devices aren't very common like amp/DAC ones are (I don't know any), so if you don't have an audiophile phone then you may wanna consider a DAP then like the Sony Walkman A17 (or A20-series), Sony Walkman NW-ZX100, FiiO X7, Astell & Kern AK70, Onkyo DP-X1, iBasso DX80, Pioneer XDP-300R, or any other number of models of DAPs. All the ones I mentioned can be found here on Amazon though.
> 
> If you have either of those 3 phones, then you don't need an in-between device or DAP IMO.


 
 no point in spending $400+ for a DAP, huge waste of money, the increase in sound quality will be nowhere near the price you are spending, in fact, if you will spend more than $100 on a DAP, that's a waste of money period.
 A smartphone with a dedicated hifi DAC has way more features, much quicker and better battery life, way more audio support and no laggy clunky limited interface can be had for super cheap these days. It's also a phone and comes with the google play store
  
 Brand new axon pro 64gb is $220
 If you want something smaller then a brand new axon 7 mini is $230
 A used lg v20 can be had for $330
 Used htc 10 for $270


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> no point in spending $400+ for a DAP, huge waste of money, the increase in sound quality will be nowhere near the price you are spending, in fact, if you will spend more than $100 on a DAP, that's a waste of money period.
> A smartphone with a dedicated hifi DAC has way more features, much quicker and better battery life, way more audio support and no laggy clunky limited interface can be had for super cheap these days. It's also a phone and comes with the google play store
> 
> Brand new axon pro 64gb is $220
> ...


 
  
 I don't agree. In my experience listening to several of the DAPs I listed in my last post, I would say they don't get really good 'til about $300. So I might agree that $400 is too much (though I just posted the somewhat pricier ones for variety), but I disagree that $100 is enough. Though I'm noticing the prices for these DAPs dropping somewhat. Like the X7 for example, when I tried it out 13 mos ago, it was $648, and now it's only $388, so JUST over half the price. So prices are coming down in some cases, but not all. And not all that are dropping are doing so that drastically either. The Walkman A17 was $299, now it's $248. 
  
 Yeah but not everyone maybe WANTS an HTC or LG, despite how awesome that would be. LOL Like until recently I had my Sony phone and loved it. But now as you know I have the HTC 10 and love it arguably more, though the camera is very very good to great depending on the day, where the Sony's was more consistently great all the time. 
  
 I dunno. I don't trust/like these smaller Chinese phones. My Oppo HA-2 was actually designed by a division of Oppo that resides in California. lol 
  
 Yeah but not everyone wants to buy used. I got my parents 2 refurbished Sony Xperia Z1s phones about 1 1/2 years ago, and they're not doin' so well. lol I'm never buying used again. For myself I always got new, and I plan to continue that trend. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I don't agree. In my experience listening to several of the DAPs I listed in my last post, I would say they don't get really good 'til about $300. So I might agree that $400 is too much (though I just posted the somewhat pricier ones for variety), but I disagree that $100 is enough. Though I'm noticing the prices for these DAPs dropping somewhat. Like the X7 for example, when I tried it out 13 mos ago, it was $648, and now it's only $388, so JUST over half the price. So prices are coming down in some cases, but not all. And not all that are dropping are doing so that drastically either. The Walkman A17 was $299, now it's $248.
> 
> Yeah but not everyone maybe WANTS an HTC or LG, despite how awesome that would be. LOL Like until recently I had my Sony phone and loved it. But now as you know I have the HTC 10 and love it arguably more, though the camera is very very good to great depending on the day, where the Sony's was more consistently great all the time.
> 
> ...


 
 You don't like or trust chinese companies? Oppo and fiio would like to have a word with you. It doesn't matter if oppo's audio division was located in california, still owned by a chinese company. Also your k551 was built in china 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. DUNU what you mean by smaller phones, but ZTE is actually a YUGE company with tons of investment into the US market
  
 The problem with sony products is that they have bad QC (esp older ones), something like an lg or htc would go through a beating a lot better than an xperia. You said yourself that a DAP isn't really worthy until you go as high as $300, you can get a brand new smartphone that beats the crap out of the sony a17 with an actual dedicated DAC and way higher volume for LESS money, but TONS more features. How would you justify spending more money for inferior audio and TONS of great smartphone features other than "CHINUH"
 The x7 was basically a severely crippled android phone with bad performance being sold for the price of a flagship android phone, it was a terrible value and being $400 doesn't suddenly make it a good deal. The fiio x5iii is actually the same price so it's a really disorganized market.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> You don't like or trust chinese companies? Oppo and fiio would like to have a word with you. It doesn't matter if oppo's audio division was located in california, still owned by a chinese company. Also your k551 was built in china
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 I'm not COMPLETELY convinced. Oppo and FiiO I trust b/c I've used and/or know their products well. lol These other newer ones though I have no clue how good they are and if they are using quality parts or not. 
  
 Haha...........but designed in Austria!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Yeah but again, not everyone wants to play music off their phone. Over the last 10 years, the majority of the time I always used a DAP to play my music. I hated the idea of using up my phone battery for music. lol But now things are different. lol (Note: I only got into the Hi-Fi thing in late 2014). Yeah the Sony A17 had INSANE battery life, but didn't get as loud as it should've, though pretty close IMO. 
  
 You have to remember too that until these newer LG and HTC phones came along, the audio on a phone idea was not very good. My Z3 could match the $200 iBasso DX50 in 2014, but it couldn't the $300 A17. But fortunately things ARE changing for the better and I for one am EXTREMELY happy about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> I'm not COMPLETELY convinced. Oppo and FiiO I trust b/c I've used and/or know their products well. lol These other newer ones though I have no clue how good they are and if they are using quality parts or not.
> 
> Haha...........but designed in Austria!!!
> 
> ...


 
 Not completely convinced just because you have no experience with them? If you never had experience with them and use that as a reason not to use their products, you will never use their products and never know if it is good even if everyone else says it is and end up never giving them a chance because of the bias. ZTE has been in US markets for a long time and they are definitely very trustworthy and have good support compared to other chinese brands like xiaomi. 
  
 I never said you have to use a phone AS A PHONE, you don't need to insert a sim card or pay anything, simple as that. It's basically a DAP that's upgraded in every way possible and you're not using your "phone battery."


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Not completely convinced just because you have no experience with them? If you never had experience with them and use that as a reason not to use their products, you will never use their products and never know if it is good even if everyone else says it is and end up never giving them a chance because of the bias. ZTE has been in US markets for a long time and they are definitely very trustworthy and have good support compared to other chinese brands like xiaomi.
> 
> I never said you have to use a phone AS A PHONE, you don't need to insert a sim card or pay anything, simple as that. It's basically a DAP that's upgraded in every way possible and you're not using your "phone battery."


 
  
 Well I'd done some research on like Huawei or whatever and saw mixed reviews on their phones. I didn't check out the rest though. lol 
  
 Ok so what does ZTE have that like HTC, Samsung, etc doesn't? And vice versa???! lol 
  
 Ok. So use the phone as a "DAP-only" device. Alright................I'll give you that one akg. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Well I'd done some research on like Huawei or whatever and saw mixed reviews on their phones. I didn't check out the rest though. lol
> 
> Ok so what does ZTE have that like HTC, Samsung, etc doesn't? And vice versa???! lol
> 
> ...


 
 ZTE offers good customer support compared to samdung..... that's for SHURE. Also the axon 7 has the best speakers in any smartphone, sadly it's one of the only phones that still have front facing stereo speakers, they got a big community kinda like oneplus, they got good software support and listen to complaints and issues. They have been in US markets for a while now, although they were all mid rangers, they just started to get into the high end stuff for the US market with the original axon. And if you did not know, chinese smartphones have had hifi audio for YEARS, it was only recently after zte launched the axon with hifi DAC that this trend started in the US
  
 Huawei, xiaomi, and oppo are terrible with giant bloated laggy OS's with badly optimized software, slow updates, and extremely high prices (huawei phones). Plus they have bad US customer support and no official rom support (oppo is looking to change this). ZTE and oneplus are the best chinese manufacturers for the US market


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> ZTE offers good customer support compared to samdung..... that's for SHURE. Also the axon 7 has the best speakers in any smartphone, sadly it's one of the only phones that still have front facing stereo speakers, they got a big community kinda like oneplus, they got good software support and listen to complaints and issues. They have been in US markets for a while now, although they were all mid rangers, they just started to get into the high end stuff for the US market with the original axon. And if you did not know, chinese smartphones have had hifi audio for YEARS, it was only recently after zte launched the axon with hifi DAC that this trend started in the US
> 
> Huawei, xiaomi, and oppo are terrible with giant bloated laggy OS's with badly optimized software, slow updates, and extremely high prices (huawei phones). Plus they have bad US customer support and no official rom support (oppo is looking to change this). ZTE and oneplus are the best chinese manufacturers for the US market


 
  
 Nice. Another issue with those phones is they aren't sold through carriers, so I can't check them out in person ahead of time like I could the HTC 10 last summer at Verizon or T-Mobile (or Sprint). Plus I doubt ANY of those companies certify VoLTE with T-Mobile. LOL!
  
 Yeah? So I have ZTE to thank eh? Hmm lol........................................................
  
 Ok. I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks akg! lol


----------



## akg fanboy

rockstar2005 said:


> Nice. Another issue with those phones is they aren't sold through carriers, so I can't check them out in person ahead of time like I could the HTC 10 last summer at Verizon or T-Mobile (or Sprint). Plus I doubt ANY of those companies certify VoLTE with T-Mobile. LOL!
> 
> Yeah? So I have ZTE to thank eh? Hmm lol........................................................
> 
> Ok. I'll keep all that in mind. Thanks akg! lol


 
 Well I bet you that if you go to the t mobile website or a large store you WILL see mid ranger zte phones lol, not the axon though because that's a low cost high spec flagship and going through a carrier would be too expensive and raise the price drastically.


----------



## AlwaysForward

Honestly between all the headphones I tried, the Chord Mojo was easily the most impressive piece of kit I played with that day. I compared it to the iPhone 6 native line out & Dragonfly Red. It brought music to LIFE. 

But the Blue sound good enough without it that I've decided to skip the cost and carry factor of Mojo+Ella and go with the iSine 20 for the portable DAC/Planar thing & plan on getting the Satellite for ANC. I'll spend a lot less money this way and the rigs will stay super portable/useful. Ordered the iSine last night.


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> Honestly between all the headphones I tried, the Chord Mojo was easily the most impressive piece of kit I played with that day. I compared it to the iPhone 6 native line out & Dragonfly Red. It brought music to LIFE.
> 
> But the Blue sound good enough without it that I've decided to skip the cost and carry factor of Mojo+Ella and go with the iSine 20 for the portable DAC/Planar thing & plan on getting the Satellite for ANC. I'll spend a lot less money this way and the rigs will stay super portable/useful. Ordered the iSine last night.


 
  
 Ok. Sounds good brotha! 
  
 Let us know what you think of the Satellite WHENEVER Blue actually releases it. lol


----------



## AlwaysForward

rockstar2005 said:


> Ok. Sounds good brotha!
> 
> Let us know what you think of the Satellite WHENEVER Blue actually releases it. lol




Yup, I'll be a day 1 order and post my thoughts here when it arrives! (*whenever* that actually happens


----------



## RockStar2005

alwaysforward said:


> Yup, I'll be a day 1 order and post my thoughts here when it arrives! (*whenever* that actually happens


 
  
 Ok sounds good. Though I won't buy it, I'm still interested in it. I have a friend who was looking for ANC headphones and for now I told him to get the Sony MDR-1000X, but I think he's still figuring things out. I'm hoping he doesn't get another one 'til the Satellite comes out so I can tell him to just get that. lol Of course your review will bear some influence on whether or not I suggest it, but I have a STRONG feeling it will be the best ANC wireless headphone in existence upon its release. Having a dedicated speaker driver for ANC and a second one just for sound (vs integrating them, which is what EVERYONE does, so this will be a first) is a fantastic idea, and since dedicated is ALWAYS better than integrated when it comes to sound, I am guessing compared to your other ANC headphones, these will come out on top.


----------



## Jackpot77

Just picked up a pair of Ellas this week to see what all the fuss is about with these crazy looking planars - initial impressions: more comfortable than the Mo-Fi and Lola (owned both previously), beautiful crisp and clear sound and a pretty tight but restrained bass (coming from the Campfire Vega, so take that into account!) - definitely not a huge amount of sub-bass though. Pretty neutral through the mids and highs with very good clarity but there is something about the sound that pushes it towards musical rather than clinical - I haven't heard many planar cans yet (I'm mainly an IEM guy), but these definitely have a more engaging tonality than the Oppo PM-3.
  
 Also, soundstage is very good in terms of sizing for a closed back can.
  
 Will hopefully get round to writing up a proper review at some point, but these have definitely impressed me out of the box (so much so my Meze 99s have just been sold to start balancing the books so I can keep these!)


----------



## RockStar2005

jackpot77 said:


> Just picked up a pair of Ellas this week to see what all the fuss is about with these crazy looking planars - initial impressions: more comfortable than the Mo-Fi and Lola (owned both previously), beautiful crisp and clear sound and a pretty tight but restrained bass (coming from the Campfire Vega, so take that into account!) - definitely not a huge amount of sub-bass though. Pretty neutral through the mids and highs with very good clarity but there is something about the sound that pushes it towards musical rather than clinical - I haven't heard many planar cans yet (I'm mainly an IEM guy), but these definitely have a more engaging tonality than the Oppo PM-3.
> 
> Also, soundstage is very good in terms of sizing for a closed back can.
> 
> Will hopefully get round to writing up a proper review at some point, but these have definitely impressed me out of the box (so much so my Meze 99s have just been sold to start balancing the books so I can keep these!)


 


 Wow, awesome! Thanks for sharing Jackpot! 
  
 Yeah everything you said is in line with what others on here and pro reviewers have said.................. very comfortable (I also had tried out the Lola), crisp clear sound, bass is present but VERY tightly controlled (same with Lola again), neutral etc. So you can hear ALL the detail in the highs with Ella? Try listening to some acoustic guitar music and see if you can hear all the "chimey" stuff too. That's something the Lola kinda lacked, but I have a STRONG feeling that the Ella's don't b/c they say Blue made some improvements with regards to the EQ tuning on them than what they'd done on the Mo-Fi or Lola. Also..........Ella being better than the PM-3 has been said a few times already, and I've tried those out too, or well, owned them for months b4 I realized they weren't as great as the reviews had said. lol And yes..............the Lola ALSO has a HUGE soundstage much like the AKG K55X headphones do. I was very impressed by that cuz a lot of the headphones I've tried don't, even some of the $300-$400 ones. 
  
 Yes lookin' forward to that! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 lol


----------



## AlwaysForward

Kinda tempted by those new VModa wireless cans. Anyone ever compared the M-100 to the Lola/MoFi/Sadie?


----------



## akg fanboy

alwaysforward said:


> Kinda tempted by those new VModa wireless cans. Anyone ever compared the M-100 to the Lola/MoFi/Sadie?


 
 v moda=v shaped. No thanks! lol


----------



## stenog

So I became part of the small Blue Ella club this past week. I've had them for less than five days so please take all this with a big grain of salt . This is only my very subjective opinion and could very well change when I spend more time with them. 

The Blue Ella has a warm smooth natural and musical signature. People looking for a an overall bright signature with a sparkle treble should look elsewhere. They are non fatigue and I can listen for hours without any problem. Which leads me to comfort. I had trouble the first few days, they are a bit heavy with a relative strong clamp force. But I have slowly gotten used to them and now they are actually very comfortable. 

For these impressions I have used my Ibasso DX200 and the HTC10. H10 can easily drive them but are also on the warm side, the DX200 are more neutral and for my ears have better synergy with the Ella. Of course this is not a night and day difference and the they do pair very well with the HTC 10. I don't think Ella's benefit with more power.

The bass is very well controlled and have enough quantity, maybe I would prefer slightly more subbass. Putting the amp on "on+" increases the bass. It's a nice setting to play with, but for bass heavy tracks the bass can get boomy and out of control and bleed into the other frequencys. 

I couldn't really pinpoint the mids and highs the first few days. To begin with i thought the mids were recessed but I am not sure this is the case. Then it dawn on me . I have heard this signature before, theye are very similar to my 64 Audio U12 Adel! Yes I know apple vs oranges...all differences a side, for my ears they have a very similar signature.

Member "subguy812" have written a very good review of the U12. I will quote his description of mids and treble here. This is exactly how I feel about the Blue Ella and I can't write it any better . Link: http://www.head-fi.org/products/64-audio-u12-universal-in-ear-monitor

"Midrange:

The mids are clear and incredibly detailed but you will not realize this when you first listen to the U12, they appear to have a bit of a veil. With brain burn-in you realize there is not a veil at all it is how the frequencies are served up. The tone of all vocals shine and with male vocal sounding strong and females sounding sexy. The soundstage is good and the imaging was providing me with some occasional nice effect. The U12, have a warm, smooth, sound while creating space with the B1 module. In comparison the Solar are a bit cleaner and a bit more detailed sound out of the box. The U12 requires some getting used to in order to appreciate just what all is going on. If you dedicate the time you WILL be rewarded handsomely!

Treble:

Treble is delivered differently than any other IEM I have heard. It is certainly not the focus. It is restrained and included as part of the rest of the mix. It extends and is not lacking and not rolled off. It is just blended into the mix which creates an illusion that the treble is neutered. This one aspect has taken me the longest to grow accustomed to. It is a bit of a strange sound signature that had to grow on me longer than any IEM I have heard. They are so smooth, warm and never fatiguing. Never any sibilance or harshness. I can listen not fatigued for hours. In comparison I feel the Solar offers a more balanced sound and is clearly more sparkly than the U12. If you need a more sparkly treble I would say the Solar would be more to your liking."


Of course they are not 100 % identical, the U12 has more subbass and maybe because of that the Ella has slightly more clarity in the mids and highs. 

Listening to Meridian - Breaking the Surface - The Bravest Face, this become very apperant. The recording is relatively dark with emphasis on drums and guitars. I think most people would prefer a bright headphone with this. My DT1990 is brighter and pair very well with this album. But I have to say I love it with both the U12 and Ella. 

Queensryche - Promised Land - One More Time. Bright recording with emphasis on vocals (Geoff Tate). This doesn't pair well with the DT1990 but excellent with the Ella. Vocals in the center, guitars, drums, bass, upper right/left corner. Huge soundstage. 

Again please note, this is very early impressions, but I have to say the more I listen to Ella, the i more i like them!


----------



## RockStar2005

http://www.techhive.com/article/3184016/headphones/blue-microphones-ella-planar-magnetic-headphones-review-fantastic-sound-with-or-wihout-the-onboard.html


----------



## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> So I became part of the small Blue Ella club this past week. I've had them for less than five days so please take all this with a big grain of salt
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
  
 Hey stenog, 
  
 Thanks for posting this! Interesting impressions here.................
  
 So with regards to the treble, you're not hearing as much as detail in the treble as you are from other headphones? To me, "sparkle" is a *good thing* b/c it means when I'm listening to anything with like acoustic guitar in it that I'm hearing ALL the sounds that are coming out of those strings, including the "chimeyness" that you get from picking steel-string acoustic guitars. Please elaborate and focus more on this if you can in the near future b/c THIS was the main issue I had with the Blue Lola when I tried it out about a year ago. 
  
 The midrange and bass.........awesome! Yes like the Ella the Lola too had INSANE control over the bass (SUPER tight!) like I've never encountered before, and a HUGE soundstage that only AKG (or Mr. Speakers?!) could rival. 
  
 Yeah ON+ I think would only be useful now and then, but I seriously doubt I'd leave it on all the time. 
  
 I kinda figured they would become more comfortable for you after a few days or week, so I'm glad to hear it went that way for you too. Just gotta stretch 'em out now and then, though that doesn't work on ALL headphones, but I think it did on the Lola for the short time I had it. And I love that you used the HTC 10 to test it out as that is my current phone and only music source as well. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 lol


----------



## inertianinja

dudes.
  
 I reviewed the Blue Ella and Sadie over the past few weeks. My reviews are hosted on iLounge, see below.
  
 I'm very open about the fact that I struggle with the headband mechanism, but I didn't take off any points for it - I know some really like it.
  
  
 http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-ella-headphones
  
 http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-sadie-headphones


----------



## RockStar2005

inertianinja said:


> dudes.
> 
> I reviewed the Blue Ella and Sadie over the past few weeks. My reviews are hosted on iLounge, see below.
> 
> ...


 
  
 Nice reviews! But the Ella only got a "B" eh? lol 
  
 I don't know if I agree that comparing them to open-back headphones is really fair though. How would you describe the treble end? Was it detailed? When I tried out the Lola I felt the high end was a bit too constrained, and so not all the details from like an acoustic guitar (i.e. that "chimey" sound you hear from steel strings) could be heard. Just curious. 
  
 Thanks for sharing!


----------



## inertianinja

rockstar2005 said:


> Nice reviews! But the Ella only got a "B" eh? lol
> 
> I don't know if I agree that comparing them to open-back headphones is really fair though. How would you describe the treble end? Was it detailed? When I tried out the Lola I felt the high end was a bit too constrained, and so not all the details from like an acoustic guitar (i.e. that "chimey" sound you hear from steel strings) could be heard. Just curious.
> 
> Thanks for sharing!


 
  
 I wouldn't pay much attention to the letter grade. The site doesn't do good/better/best....."B" just means "Recommended" They are very reluctant to give anything "A" ratings. Honestly I wish I didn't have to give a "grade" at all....I'd rather just type my impressions. Did I compare them to open back? Where?.


----------



## RockStar2005

inertianinja said:


> I wouldn't pay much attention to the letter grade. The site doesn't do good/better/best....."B" just means "Recommended" They are very reluctant to give anything "A" ratings. Honestly I wish I didn't have to give a "grade" at all....I'd rather just type my impressions. Did I compare them to open back? Where?.


 
  
 You said "they are reluctant", but I thought you wrote the review? lol 
  
 Well it wasn't very clear, but in your review you said "Compared to our reference headphones, the Ella can sound just a tad congested and lacking in “air”, but it’s probably not something you’ll notice unless actively switching back and forth to high-end open-back cans." I'm not sure if you actually compared the Ella to open-back headphones, but that line sounds like you're saying your reference headphones are in fact open-back. Or did I just misunderstand? 
  
 Again, how would you describe the treble end? Was it detailed? Did you test it out on any acoustic guitar music?


----------



## inertianinja

rockstar2005 said:


> You said "they are reluctant", but I thought you wrote the review? lol
> 
> Well it wasn't very clear, but in your review you said "Compared to our reference headphones, the Ella can sound just a tad congested and lacking in “air”, but it’s probably not something you’ll notice unless actively switching back and forth to high-end open-back cans." I'm not sure if you actually compared the Ella to open-back headphones, but that line sounds like you're saying your reference headphones are in fact open-back. Or did I just misunderstand?
> 
> Again, how would you describe the treble end? Was it detailed? Did you test it out on any acoustic guitar music?


 
  
 When I say reluctant, I mean that when I started the guys who run the site explained how they approach grading, and they say that they reserve "A" for only very special products. This is not to say that the Ella wasn't very good, though. Side note, they also write all reviews in the "royal we", which took some getting used to.
  
 So, with regard to the rest - I compare to lots of different headphones, with lots of different genres. Some open, some closed, some semi-open. But it's not an issue of fairness; please don't read too much into it. 
 The treble was a little soft to my ears, but it would be a shame to focus on just that one tiny part of the review. But that was just my impression - if you have the Ella and you like the treble, I am certainly not trying to invalidate your experience.


----------



## RockStar2005

inertianinja said:


> When I say reluctant, I mean that when I started the guys who run the site explained how they approach grading, and they say that they reserve "A" for only very special products. This is not to say that the Ella wasn't very good, though. Side note, they also write all reviews in the "royal we", which took some getting used to.
> 
> So, with regard to the rest - I compare to lots of different headphones, with lots of different genres. Some open, some closed, some semi-open. But it's not an issue of fairness; please don't read too much into it.
> The treble was a little soft to my ears, but it would be a shame to focus on just that one tiny part of the review. But that was just my impression - if you have the Ella and you like the treble, I am certainly not trying to invalidate your experience.


 
  
 Weird, and slightly confusing, but ok! lol 
  
 So which headphones have they given an "A" to then? lol
  
 Oh ok. 
  
 I don't have it, but to me, the MAIN reason why I chose the AKG K553 headphone over the Lola in my review I linked earlier was b/c the K553 had slightly more detail in that treble region than the Lola did. Now, perhaps if did some tweaking to the EQ, that would make it match up with the AKG, but I don't know for sure if that would be the result. So by "soft" you mean not extremely detailed then?
  
 Thanks!


----------



## stenog

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-ella-headphones

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-sadie-headphones
[/quote]

I agree with most of this review. Maybe not 100 % spot on but we all hear things different. 

Elle is a warm headphone with slightly recessed mids(or maybe just thick mids) a very controlled bass with the right amount of punch and quantity. The treble is not sparkly but doesn't lack air in my opinion and certainly doesn't lack details. But sometimes these details are not obvious, you have to listen to them, if that makes any sense! Soundstage is big a very natural for a closed can. Personally i like this signature, but it's also close to a few iems/cans i already have.

I also have a few "problems" with the design and comfort. Of course the more I have used them the more I have gotten used to them. But to be honest i prefer and old fashion headband . They are not portable, i would say for home use or a walk with the dog...i don't have a dog. 

I have used them with my HTC10 and Ibasso DX200. Both can drive Ella with the amp off, actually the last few days i have not used the amp inside the headphones at all. I can't hear any difference except higher volume of course. But I agree they do require some power. I am not sure even with the amp on, that my old Sony Xperia could drive them. But ok Sony smartphones don't have much power.

I have tried to make a few comparisons to Ultrasone Signature Pro. A several years old headphone but still ok and about same price. They have a different signature. The Sig Pro is overall brighter with thinner mids and a more sparkly treble. Depending on the music i like both the Ella and Sig Pro.

Johnny Cash, "Solitary Man" and "One" from the album American iii. Vocals and acoustic guitars.

Ella: Very natural presentation. I have used the word natural a few times, but this is what I hear and love from Ella. I can literally feel Cash's vocals. They are lifelike. The guitars are very clear and doesn't lack details. One word would be musical.

Sig Pro: A thinner and more sterile presentation, vocals more in the background. Details more or less the same but i feel more air around the instrument with Ella. But this could be placebo because my preference is for Ella. I didn't expect this but Ella is the clear winner here.

That said i have decided to return them. Not because i don't like them, i do but because i already have this signature. They remind me too much of my Z1R and the U12. And they are not portable, i can only use them at home.


----------



## inertianinja

stenog said:


> http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-ella-headphones
> 
> http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-sadie-headphones


 
 I agree with most of this review. Maybe not 100 % spot on but we all hear things different.

 Elle is a warm headphone with slightly recessed mids(or maybe just thick mids) a very controlled bass with the right amount of punch and quantity. The treble is not sparkly but doesn't lack air in my opinion and certainly doesn't lack details. But sometimes these details are not obvious, you have to listen to them, if that makes any sense! Soundstage is big a very natural for a closed can. Personally i like this signature, but it's also close to a few iems/cans i already have.

 I also have a few "problems" with the design and comfort. Of course the more I have used them the more I have gotten used to them. But to be honest i prefer and old fashion headband . They are not portable, i would say for home use or a walk with the dog...i don't have a dog. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I have used them with my HTC10 and Ibasso DX200. Both can drive Ella with the amp off, actually the last few days i have not used the amp inside the headphones at all. I can't hear any difference except higher volume of course. But I agree they do require some power. I am not sure even with the amp on, that my old Sony Xperia could drive them. But ok Sony smartphones don't have much power.

 I have tried to make a few comparisons to Ultrasone Signature Pro. A several years old headphone but still ok and about same price. They have a different signature. The Sig Pro is overall brighter with thinner mids and a more sparkly treble. Depending on the music i like both the Ella and Sig Pro.

 Johnny Cash, "Solitary Man" and "One" from the album American iii. Vocals and acoustic guitars.

 Ella: Very natural presentation. I have used the word natural a few times, but this is what I hear and love from Ella. I can literally feel Cash's vocals. They are lifelike. The guitars are very clear and doesn't lack details. One word would be musical.

 Sig Pro: A thinner and more sterile presentation, vocals more in the background. Details more or less the same but i feel more air around the instrument with Ella. But this could be placebo because my preference is for Ella. I didn't expect this but Ella is the clear winner here.

 That said i have decided to return them. Not because i don't like them, i do but because i already have this signature. They remind me too much of my Z1R and the U12. And they are not portable, i can only use them at home.[/quote]

  
 So, about the headband: 
  
 It was probably clear in the review that this type of headband isn't exactly my cup of tea. But I don't exactly consider it a "negative" for purposes of the review; I think everyone would agree that it's _polarizing..._but I wrote the review from a neutral perspective on that point.
 One caveat, though - I think the headband mechanism adds weight and bulk unnecessarily, making them less portable than they could be.
 This wasn't part of the review, but check out Blue's video - they show two guys wearing them as portables, and it just doesn't come across as natural: https://youtu.be/riSxnzuaclU
 They could have done something similar to the Satellite's headband and probably saved weight. 
 But regardless, I recommended them because I think people should hear them, then decide whether the headband works for them.


----------



## RockStar2005

New review by Digital Trends. 
  
 As far as I'm concerned, they gave it a "10" minus the comfort factor, which many have said gets a lot better over time anyway. 
  
 Thoughts?


----------



## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-ella-headphones
> 
> http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/blue-sadie-headphones


 
 I agree with most of this review. Maybe not 100 % spot on but we all hear things different.

 Elle is a warm headphone with slightly recessed mids(or maybe just thick mids) a very controlled bass with the right amount of punch and quantity. The treble is not sparkly but doesn't lack air in my opinion and certainly doesn't lack details. But sometimes these details are not obvious, you have to listen to them, if that makes any sense! Soundstage is big a very natural for a closed can. Personally i like this signature, but it's also close to a few iems/cans i already have.

 I also have a few "problems" with the design and comfort. Of course the more I have used them the more I have gotten used to them. But to be honest i prefer and old fashion headband . They are not portable, i would say for home use or a walk with the dog...i don't have a dog. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I have used them with my HTC10 and Ibasso DX200. Both can drive Ella with the amp off, actually the last few days i have not used the amp inside the headphones at all. I can't hear any difference except higher volume of course. But I agree they do require some power. I am not sure even with the amp on, that my old Sony Xperia could drive them. But ok Sony smartphones don't have much power.

 I have tried to make a few comparisons to Ultrasone Signature Pro. A several years old headphone but still ok and about same price. They have a different signature. The Sig Pro is overall brighter with thinner mids and a more sparkly treble. Depending on the music i like both the Ella and Sig Pro.

 Johnny Cash, "Solitary Man" and "One" from the album American iii. Vocals and acoustic guitars.

 Ella: Very natural presentation. I have used the word natural a few times, but this is what I hear and love from Ella. I can literally feel Cash's vocals. They are lifelike. The guitars are very clear and doesn't lack details. One word would be musical.

 Sig Pro: A thinner and more sterile presentation, vocals more in the background. Details more or less the same but i feel more air around the instrument with Ella. But this could be placebo because my preference is for Ella. I didn't expect this but Ella is the clear winner here.

 That said i have decided to return them. Not because i don't like them, i do but because i already have this signature. They remind me too much of my Z1R and the U12. And they are not portable, i can only use them at home.[/quote]

  
 Wow! The Sig Pro is like $1000, so that's a pretty remarkable rating you gave the Ella then!
  
 Thank you for taking the time to review these headphones, and for including acoustic guitar tracks as per my request. 
  
 The one thing I have trouble agreeing with is where you say the acoustic guitar on the Cash songs is "very clear and doesn't lack details", yet you say the Ella's treble is not bright nor does it have "sparkle". To me, I see "sparkle" in the treble as being synonymous with great detail. So could you hear the ringey/chimey sounds of the acoustic guitar being played? I think you did, but I'd just like to reconfirm that. 
  
 That sux that you didn't keep them, but I understand. You could just sell the Z1R and U12 you have and make a nice little profit, but if you don't feel the Ella is portable enough for you, then I guess it's not meeting your needs. For me, it'd be fine b/c when I'd take them out it would be like for listening on a train or plane, which is basically no different than sitting in my living room. lol My one main thing I love about the Ella is the built-in amp, which allows you to save battery life on your smartphone b/c you'd be using LESS power to drive them if you switch on the amp, which I would sure do every time I used them. 
  
 Again, much appreciated brotha! I enjoyed reading your review.


----------



## RockStar2005

inertianinja said:


> So, about the headband:
> 
> It was probably clear in the review that this type of headband isn't exactly my cup of tea. But I don't exactly consider it a "negative" for purposes of the review; I think everyone would agree that it's _polarizing..._but I wrote the review from a neutral perspective on that point.
> One caveat, though - I think the headband mechanism adds weight and bulk unnecessarily, making them less portable than they could be.
> ...


 
  
 I mean, when I tried out the Lola (which IS the headphone featured in that hilarious ad lol), I felt it was both pretty comfortable and portable. I've read reviews where people say the comfort and weight etc are just fine. Blue even made it a point to mention that they had made improvements since the 1st gen headphones (Lola and Mo-Fi) with regards to the weight and comfort. So if I felt the Lola was fine, I'm guessing I'd be even more fine with the Ella. Though then again, the Lola DIDN'T have an on-board amp built into it. lol Still, I find it interesting.


----------



## stenog

rockstar2005 said:


> Wow! The Sig Pro is like $1000, so that's a pretty remarkable rating you gave the Ella then!
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to review these headphones, and for including acoustic guitar tracks as per my request.
> 
> ...




In Europe the Sig Pro and the Ella are about the same price. All imported stuff from the US are taxed and the Sig Pro is several years old. 

For signature and SQ i prefer Ella, for comfort i prefer the Sig Pro. And it's also portable which is a plus for me. I need some headphones for travel and on the go. I have the U12 but one is not enough . 

Regarding the treble. This is very subjective and I am not saying that I am right!! 
For me Ella doesn't have a sparkly or bright treble but it's still very detailed. And yes i believe i could hear the "ringey" sounds of the acoustic guitars. It reminds me of the Z1R but probably slightly brighter. The Z1R is overall a dark headphone but still very very detailed. And for me thats the problem. I can't sell the Z1R...i can't sell something i love
Note also i am not a treble guy, i am probably more easy to satisfy.

Ellas design is a bit...different. It took me some time to get used to and maybe i never got 100 % used to it. But at the end of the day it has to compete with the Z1R and this is simply a better headphone and a lot more expensive. But I have no doubt i will regret sending it back and probably buy it again in the future. This is head fi, we are stupid and spend way too much money..lol

I tried with some of the music you suggested but the quality was not that good. And for Fleetwood Mac i had to put the volume up to almost max. I understand now what you meant about needed more volume. The Johnny cash masters are very good quality and especially "one" is very good with Ella. Dare I say, it's superb with the Z1R....


----------



## Kukua

stenog said:


> In Europe the Sig Pro and the Ella are about the same price. All imported stuff from the US are taxed and the Sig Pro is several years old.
> 
> For signature and SQ i prefer Ella, for comfort i prefer the Sig Pro. And it's also portable which is a plus for me. I need some headphones for travel and on the go. I have the U12 but one is not enough .
> 
> ...


i own the blue ella, Ultrasone signature pro and the sony z1r...all wonderful headphones at what they do...however, from my personal 50plus audiophile experience, the signature pro combines the best of ELLA (Sublime upper frequency interpretation as expected because of its planar characteristics and the Sony z1r(breathtaking openness and space).
I hasten to add"everything is subjective and subject to personal taste"
I love the ultrasone signature pro i own 2 copies and the only headphone I'll grab if i really i have to choose a headphone. THEY ARE MARVELOUS.


----------



## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> In Europe the Sig Pro and the Ella are about the same price. All imported stuff from the US are taxed and the Sig Pro is several years old.
> 
> For signature and SQ i prefer Ella, for comfort i prefer the Sig Pro. And it's also portable which is a plus for me. I need some headphones for travel and on the go. I have the U12 but one is not enough .
> 
> ...


 
  
 Oh I C. Ok. 
 Hmm ok. If you COULD hear the "ringey" acoustic guitar sounds then that to me means they ARE sparkly then. Tom-AY-to, tom-AH-to. lol So ok, awesome! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 It just amazes me to hear that the Ella sounds better than the pricier Sig Pro. lol 
  
 Yes the Ella's design IS different, but to me that's what makes it so cool and a standout. 
  
 Hahahaha yes, "stupid" definitely is one of many descriptions I'd use for us all on this site. lol That's why I love AKG so much because their headphones are much cheaper than a lot of their competitors, yet pretty much always sound BETTER IMO. 
  
 I see. Yeah that's why I recommend Hi-Res to everyone b/c those always sound the best (b/c of the better masters, not the higher resolution of course lol). Yeah that Fleetwood Mac album I suggested, in Hi-Res anyway, was mastered at a lower volume. This is somewhat common when mastering Hi-Res albums I guess, but sometimes the opposite is true (it's louder than the CD or mp3). Louder isn't always better though. But when you crank the volume up, it's so smooth and you hear EVERYTHING, and even when it's turned way up, it still never gets "overbearing" unless you get super loud, which is just a bad idea to begin with cuz that would be louder than anyone would need. lol


----------



## RockStar2005

Brand new _review_!

See my post in comments section at bottom as well. lol


----------



## stenog

RockStar2005 said:


> Brand new _review_!
> 
> See my post in comments section at bottom as well. lol



I agree with most of his review. For SQ alone I miss Ella, but for comfort no. They are heavy and do have an awkward design and for me not comfortable in the long run. But I do like the warm natural signature and still sometimes regret that I send them back. I have never heard EL-8 but what I have read about them I think I would prefer Ella.

Rock I am not sure these are for you. You want bright and sparkly treble. Personally I didn't  miss any treble details with the Ella, but I am not sure it's enough for you.  

Blue needs to make a different design


----------



## RockStar2005 (May 6, 2017)

stenog said:


> I agree with most of his review. For SQ alone I miss Ella, but for comfort no. They are heavy and do have an awkward design and for me not comfortable in the long run. But I do like the warm natural signature and still sometimes regret that I send them back. I have never heard EL-8 but what I have read about them I think I would prefer Ella.
> 
> Rock I am not sure these are for you. You want bright and sparkly treble. Personally I didn't  miss any treble details with the Ella, but I am not sure it's enough for you.
> 
> Blue needs to make a different design



Hey stenog,

That's cool. I guess regarding comfort I'd have to try them out to see since there seems to be "mixed feelings" regarding that topic. Having had tried the Lola, I felt they were QUITE comfortable, but they didn't have a built-in amp included either.

See that's the thing. Once again (not sure if it was you the last time or not), I hear someone basically say that having a "bright and sparkly treble" is different than having lots of detail in the treble. I feel that they're one and the same. What MAKES treble "sparkly" to me is that it's EQ'd in a way (the BEST way IMO lol) that allows ALL the details to shine through (which the _Lola wasn't_), LIKE the beautiful "chimey" sound an acoustic guitar fitted with steel strings makes. So I dunno. The fact that you say you DIDN'T miss any treble details with the Ella makes me like it even more. lol But that price tag lol............................... it's hard to consider when I have already (seemingly) perfect headphones like my AKG K551.

I dunno man. I think the "racecar suspension system" look makes Blue stand out, and I'm ALL FOR thinking outside the box. They do have the _BT/NC "Satellite"_ coming out later this year which looks much more "traditional" than all their other headphones do. Part of the appeal of Blue to me IS that unique look. I think they need to CONTINUE to further research and explore ways to make their headphones continually comfortable so less people say they're not.


----------



## stenog

Buy them from Amazon and return them if you don't like them. This is an expensive hobby  and 700 usd is not too much...compared to other headphones. 

Regarding treble, I don't know!! I think we have different demands and expectations. I am not a treble guy and don't want my treble to be too bright or sparkly and therefore maybe without thinking about it accept less details. As far as I know AKG generally are bright headphones, Blue Ella is not. But I have no doubt that Ella will blow your K551 far out in the water . 

Agree with you about "thinking out of the box", I don't know maybe if I had spent more time with them I've got more used to them.


----------



## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> Buy them from Amazon and return them if you don't like them. This is an expensive hobby  and 700 usd is not too much...compared to other headphones.
> 
> Regarding treble, I don't know!! I think we have different demands and expectations. I am not a treble guy and don't want my treble to be too bright or sparkly and therefore maybe without thinking about it accept less details. As far as I know AKG generally are bright headphones, Blue Ella is not. But I have no doubt that Ella will blow your K551 far out in the water .
> 
> Agree with you about "thinking out of the box", I don't know maybe if I had spent more time with them I've got more used to them.



I dunno. My fear is that I WILL like them more than my K551s, and then I'd have to PAY for them. LOL I may check them out though when their price comes down a bit! 

Well compared to the $200 I spent on my K551s, they're A LOT! lol 

I dunno if I'm a "treble guy" as much as I am a "details guy"! lol That's a BOLD statement stenog! If the Ella DOES NOT offer the same level of treble detail the K551s do (and trust me, offer it they DO! lol), then I will never choose them over the K551, unless perhaps a custom EQ of some type could remedy that? 

Nice, glad you agree. Yes that's possible!


----------



## akg fanboy (May 6, 2017)

AKG is not really known for very bright headphones as in _treble_ actually, the q701 for example has much less treble than the hd700/hd800 or any of the beyer 770/880/990/t1 headphones. The treble is slightly forward but it cuts back heavily in the higher frequencies around 10k and above. AKG is more about forward upper mids that make them seem bright, personally I have gotten treble fatigued from trying headphones before but not upper mids fatigued.

The k551 is kind of an exception where it does have treble that is more forward than usual, but treble quantity can EASILY be boosted or cut, in fact it's the easiest frequency region to boost or cut if you're unhappy with it. No doubt rockstar, you won't like the "less detailed than k551" part when you first try it, but the detail levels should be pretty similar assuming the ella is a proper flagship. But once you phase out the "k551" sound from your brain and get used to the ella, you might end up really liking it, and I know you will since you liked their lola. I would imagine the ella to be a more refined lola with less bass quantity but tighter bass all while retaining a still north of neutral in the bass department sound (enough to no longer satisfy bass heads).

As far as "upgrading", I used to believe a headphone that was $500 has ought to be vastly superior and an "upgrade" to a $100 one, but I soon learned that not to be true, I kept my q701 over a lot of more expensive headphones like the w5000, hd700, t1, etc. Once your reach the $300 and above category, the refinements and improvements are only subtle and the biggest differences are *usually *in sound signature and micro improvements that are not heavily noticeable. If you're happy with your k551, there is no reason to actually upgrade, especially if you enjoyed the k551 sound more than the lola sound.

Now if you really want wireless and "planar bass" isn't your biggest priority, then I think going for the satellite will be great. Those can easily be tuned for your EQ desires as you want as well and you would have less remorse in doing so since they are so much cheaper


----------



## RockStar2005 (May 6, 2017)

akg fanboy said:


> AKG is not really known for very bright headphones as in _treble_ actually, the q701 for example has much less treble than the hd700/hd800 or any of the beyer 770/880/990/t1 headphones. The treble is slightly forward but it cuts back heavily in the higher frequencies around 10k and above. AKG is more about forward upper mids that make them seem bright, personally I have gotten treble fatigued from trying headphones before but not upper mids fatigued.
> 
> The k551 is kind of an exception where it does have treble that is more forward than usual, but treble quantity can EASILY be boosted or cut, in fact it's the easiest frequency region to boost or cut if you're unhappy with it. No doubt rockstar, you won't like the "less detailed than k551" part when you first try it, but the detail levels should be pretty similar assuming the ella is a proper flagship. But once you phase out the "k551" sound from your brain and get used to the ella, you might end up really liking it, and I know you will since you liked their lola. I would imagine the ella to be a more refined lola with less bass quantity but tighter bass all while retaining a still north of neutral in the bass department sound (enough to no longer satisfy bass heads).
> 
> ...




That's interesting about the upper mids-fatigue vs. treble-fatigue. I could see how the treble could cause fatigue much easier than the mids could.

I really doubt I could notice a difference b/t the K551 and the K550. I even bet if I applied your awesome custom EQ for my K551 to the K550, it would be JUST as effective. lol

Well for me akg I'd have to play 1 or 2 specific songs on it to determine whether or not the Ella has enough "sparkle" to it or not. Either I here the chime or I don't. You might be right about the Ella's sound. I guess I'd have to really give it a good 3-4 weeks before determining whether or not I like it more than the K551, and NOT listen to the K551 during that time too. lol

Yeah I'm with you there. I think $300 is an accurate price point to "draw the line" at. Trying out the Ella would be more a curiosity thing than something I feel I NEED to do. It would help if my HTC 10's amp WASN'T as strong as it is (1.009 volts max output), but since it is, that makes needing that built-in amp the Ella offers even less necessary.

Wireless? Meh. lol I AM curious about the Blue Satellite though. But it's more so I know if I should suggest it to ppl who like NC headphones than for myself. I would be very happy to hear that it outdoes the Sony MDR-1000X since that seems to be the current NC (and BT) headphone champion right now. I believe the Satellite's dedicated NC/dedicated speaker driver combo will give it an edge, whenever Blue gets around to FINALLY releasing it that is! lol


----------



## stenog

AKG, thanks for the very informative post. 

I have never heard any AKG headphones, I have always stayed away from them because I thought they were too bright and lacked bass.  I need to try one


----------



## akg fanboy

You can see in the graph how the k701 (the brightest 700 series variant) has more treble in the 7-10k treble frequencies, but once it goes to 10k and above it dips significantly, to the point where even the hd600 has more treble beyond 10k, which I believe is good since from my experience and EQ, those frequencies don't matter nearly as much as the 200-10k spectrum. I don't want to mislead you into thinking that they are as toned down and "dark" as the hd600, but if you like the dt1990 treble, the q701 treble will not fatigue you, if beyer stuck to their sound then it should have slightly less than the dt1990. Beyers are usually about going up from 5k that will constantly keep going uphill even beyond 10k which I find more fatiguing for long term. 





Some people will argue that frequency charts can never be trusted, but I find them pretty accurate, especially since I at least heard most of akg, beyer, and sennheiser products to know how accurate they are. I found the q701 bass response to be fairly similar to the t1, so it will probably be lower than the 1990, but far from anemic. Akg does upper mids very well which is something I never liked with beyers or sennheisers 700/800 (guitars usually sound brighter but don't have as much forwardness).
Most people will recommend the k7xx and k712 as the ones to go for as they have more bass, but personally I don't recommend them at all. They add more bass, sure, but the increase is solely in QUANTITY, and the sub bass drop off still exists, it also sacrifices a lot on soundstage and upper mids which is the whole point of an akg. Not every headphone will satisfy everyone's bass/treble/mids requirements, but if they all did, then none of them would be unique. If I want to recommend a headphone, then I'd go by recommending the best representative of akg's sound signature which is the k702/q701/k612


----------



## akg fanboy

RockStar2005 said:


> Wireless? Meh. lol I AM curious about the Blue Satellite though. But it's more so I know if I should suggest it to ppl who like NC headphones than for myself. I would be very happy to hear that it outdoes the Sony MDR-1000X since that seems to be the current NC (and BT) headphone champion right now. I believe the Satellite's dedicated NC/dedicated speaker driver combo will give it an edge, whenever Blue gets around to FINALLY releasing it that is! lol



No doubt the satellite will beat the crap out of the mdr 1000x, maybe not in quality, but definitely in sound signature.... and probably ANC as well. Blu at least knows how to make a somewhat balanced sound signature while sony went all crazy with the dark and not exactly v shaped but still withdrawn mids xba series, to the v shaped 1000x, to the l-shaped? mdr z7. Their actually good products don't count because they are either completely outdated and discontinued or just insanely expensive


----------



## RockStar2005 (May 9, 2017)

For those of you interested in the Blue Satellite......we now have a date! May 12th! See Amazon site _here_ to pre-order. (Currently only the black version is showing as available to pre-order, but that could change anyday now.)

Update: _Newegg.com _has both available for pre-order, though the White version is currently on back order. 

This _review_ I think isn't AS good because of the issue with the NC. But apparently they received what seems like a bad model, so you SHOULD take that into account too. Sound quality-wise though, they say it's incredible!  At $399.99, it sounds like a winner to me if you care about NC + great sound quality!

Update: _This Forbes review_ is even more positive!


----------



## AlwaysForward (May 10, 2017)

Satellite reviews seem pretty mixed. Based on trends it seems like it:

-Sounds awesome like Blue's other cans.
-Has a Bluetooth noise issue that -might- get fixed with a software update.
-Starts with a heavy/uncomfortable clamp pressure that seems to ease over time according to one reviewer (MoFi was/is like this)
-Has "passive" wireless mode? There must be an amp driving it but maybe just phone level power?
-ANC works well but might be closer to the last Bose generation than this one
-Some people dislike the control scheme and lack of beeps/alerts about battery
-On+ was scrapped for battery life.

I'm actually pretty happy with the price point considering it's sibling's prices. They had to compete with Sony/Bose and did.

Overall it's just as divisive as their other first gen headphones, which I love. The Bluetooth noise floor is probably my only real concern. Also, I love On+. A lot. Missing that is super disappointing. Now it feels kind of like a trade off where I either have the musical versatility of On+ or the world engulfing ANC.

I'm not too worried about the controls which are nitpicked. I tend to get the hang of unwieldy interfaces pretty quick. If it makes sense to the guy who designed it, I'll be fine.

The reviews were mostly tech publications, which is awesome for marketing/branding. I'm wanting to hear an audiophile take on it. 

For me, between Bose ANC superiority, Sony Interface/design and Blue's better sound, I lean toward the better sound quality.

So they overall seem like a purchase for me if they can fix the Bluetooth noise.


----------



## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> Satellite reviews seem pretty mixed. Based on trends it seems like it:
> 
> -Sounds awesome like Blue's other cans.
> -Has a Bluetooth noise issue that -might- get fixed with a software update.
> ...



I think the "passive" wireless mode simply just lets the sound through without the aid of an amp. I mean, how do other BT headphones that don't have amps work then? 

Yeah but I wonder how you update their software? Hopefully there's a way. 

I think overall they're worth a shot. I'd love to see someone compare these to the Sony MDR-1000X too. Anyone reading this who wants to find out.................go for it! lol


----------



## AlwaysForward

RockStar2005 said:


> I think the "passive" wireless mode simply just lets the sound through without the aid of an amp. I mean, how do other BT headphones that don't have amps work then?
> 
> Yeah but I wonder how you update their software? Hopefully there's a way.
> 
> I think overall they're worth a shot. I'd love to see someone compare these to the Sony MDR-1000X too. Anyone reading this who wants to find out.................go for it! lol



All Bluetooth headphones have a DAC/AMP built in. They have to take a digital Bluetooth signal and convert/drive it. Bluetooth doesn't carry any power, either.

I think Blue's marketing of an amp is kinda geared toward it being a really audiophile amp driven design. They partnered with FiiO on the MoFi and have been designing amps in house for the new generation. 

Firmware updates can happen via MicroUSB or Bluetooth. Their Bluetooth design would need some compute for DAC. Probably a Qualcomm chip since you need one for Apt-X.

Sad that AAC wasn't mentioned.


----------



## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> All Bluetooth headphones have a DAC/AMP built in. They have to take a digital Bluetooth signal and convert/drive it. Bluetooth doesn't carry any power, either.
> 
> I think Blue's marketing of an amp is kinda geared toward it being a really audiophile amp driven design. They partnered with FiiO on the MoFi and have been designing amps in house for the new generation.
> 
> ...



Oh yeah that's right......... forgot about that (BT having a built-in DAC/AMP). I guess maybe the Satellite just uses a "low-power" version of the amp in passive mode? lol

Yes that is all correct about FiiO and then them going "in-house" for production of amps thereafter. Interesting that they decided to do that. 

Yeah I just didn't see anything about it being upgradeable, but I guess that isn't necessarily something they'd feel the need to advertise on the main website. 

Yeah, but that could be upgraded too. So does that mean it CAN'T transmit AAC files then????


----------



## akg fanboy (May 10, 2017)

Meh, I had very high expectations from a mic company that claimed they were the first to have "superior" ANC by using dedicated mics. If bose is still king of ANC then no chance for me, if ANC wasn't that important and all I wanted was wireless, I'd go with the B&O H9. But if I wanted ultraportables, I'd go with iems anyways with much better passive noise cancelation and more portability.


----------



## AlwaysForward

It's a little disappointing the extra driver doesn't seem to boost ANC performance as much as allow for better sound performance. Blue's defense, they seem to have succeeded in using their expertise to focus on sound quality first. I'm very curious how the ANC directly compares to Bose and Sony.

I don't really think there's an easy decision for people looking for Wireless ANC headsets.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Meh, I had very high expectations from a mic company that claimed they were the first to have "superior" ANC by using dedicated mics. If bose is still king of ANC then no chance for me, if ANC wasn't that important and all I wanted was wireless, I'd go with the B&O H9. But if I wanted ultraportables, I'd go with iems anyways with much better passive noise cancelation and more portability.



The H9? I'm surprised to hear you say that. Blue sounds closer to AKG's signature sound I think than B&O does. Do we even know how good the H9's ANC capabilities are? I haven't looked into it. 

There is the possibility too that they may send an update in the near future that might improve the Satellite's ANC quality too.


----------



## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> It's a little disappointing the extra driver doesn't seem to boost ANC performance as much as allow for better sound performance. Blue's defense, they seem to have succeeded in using their expertise to focus on sound quality first. I'm very curious how the ANC directly compares to Bose and Sony.
> 
> I don't really think there's an easy decision for people looking for Wireless ANC headsets.



Yeah me too Forward. Hopefully someone on here will compare the Satellite to the QC35 or Sony's MDR-1000X in the near future now that the Satellite is FINALLY being released. 

I still think the sound quality being even better than the ANC should matter more, but then again, I don't give a crap about ANC. lol I feel like as long as it's doing "very well" or better, that should be enough. If I'm paying $400, man, the SQ can't just be "pretty good". lol 

Yeah not anymore. I guess one factor to help choose is HOW noisy is the environment you're gonna be in going to be?


----------



## RockStar2005 (May 10, 2017)

Update:

Blue updated the Satellite site page with new info, and now you can buy at least the Black model on there as well.


----------



## akg fanboy

RockStar2005 said:


> The H9? I'm surprised to hear you say that. Blue sounds closer to AKG's signature sound I think than B&O does. Do we even know how good the H9's ANC capabilities are? I haven't looked into it.
> 
> There is the possibility too that they may send an update in the near future that might improve the Satellite's ANC quality too.


nope, blue is far from it, b&o earlier models have great mids and more balanced bass, the updated models have more bass though but it doesn't really matter when you're out in public in a noisy environment where lower frequencies fade the quickest. Blu bass is far from anything akg in existence. Besides, akg is not what I'm always looking for, I just like whatever sounds good to me which is mids


----------



## AlwaysForward

akg fanboy said:


> nope, blue is far from it, b&o earlier models have great mids and more balanced bass, the updated models have more bass though but it doesn't really matter when you're out in public in a noisy environment where lower frequencies fade the quickest. Blu bass is far from anything akg in existence. Besides, akg is not what I'm always looking for, I just like whatever sounds good to me which is mids



Interesting. I tried the B&O H7 and _loved_ the comfort. I felt they sounded a lot like my MoFi but with weaker bass. I was definitely impressed with the wireless and comfort + sound quality. I actually think mids are what the MoFi do best across bass/mid/treble. 

Really curious to hear the P9. Sounds like fun.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> nope, blue is far from it, b&o earlier models have great mids and more balanced bass, the updated models have more bass though but it doesn't really matter when you're out in public in a noisy environment where lower frequencies fade the quickest. Blu bass is far from anything akg in existence. Besides, akg is not what I'm always looking for, I just like whatever sounds good to me which is mids



Ok but I mean, bass aside for a second, when I compared Lola to like the K55X series (which all sound the same to me lol), I felt it was very identical. The huge soundstage was DEF there. So even mids and highs sound closer to B&O to you than Blue's does?? 

Yeah I've noticed that too like when I'm on Metra train going to downtown, I do lose a lil bass when it gets noisy, which is very intermittent.


----------



## akg fanboy

AlwaysForward said:


> Interesting. I tried the B&O H7 and _loved_ the comfort. I felt they sounded a lot like my MoFi but with weaker bass. I was definitely impressed with the wireless and comfort + sound quality. I actually think mids are what the MoFi do best across bass/mid/treble.
> 
> Really curious to hear the P9. Sounds like fun.


Apparently *Blue*alltheway tried them and didn't like them, he much prefered the blu ella and even his older shure 1540 pair. Some people even said the bass was muddy which isn't a good sign, I know that b&w are known for strong mid bass


----------



## akg fanboy

RockStar2005 said:


> Ok but I mean, bass aside for a second, when I compared Lola to like the K55X series (which all sound the same to me lol), I felt it was very identical. The huge soundstage was DEF there. So even mids and highs sound closer to B&O to you than Blue's does??
> 
> Yeah I've noticed that too like when I'm on Metra train going to downtown, I do lose a lil bass when it gets noisy, which is very intermittent.


I DUNU, blu for one is definitely not one that makes light headphones, comfort is my biggest priority over anything sound related. And guess what, I ended up moving to speakers which are incredibly comfortable  plus have a massive soundstage. I don't specifically go searching for headphones or speakers that have a certain treble or bass response, all I care is the mids and I tweak and experiment with differ. I've tried headphones with great mids but weak treble. some with dominant treble, etc


----------



## stenog

akg fanboy said:


> I DUNU, blu for one is definitely not one that makes light headphones, comfort is my biggest priority over anything sound related. And guess what, I ended up moving to speakers which are incredibly comfortable  plus have a massive soundstage. I don't specifically go searching for headphones or speakers that have a certain treble or bass response, all I care is the mids and I tweak and experiment with differ. I've tried headphones with great mids but weak treble. some with dominant treble, etc



Sorry for derailing this tread  

AKG have you ever tried Beyer Amiron Home? Excellent comfort, better than DT 1990 and great mids and soundstage. I more and more prefer it over the 1990 even though the 1990 it technically better and should suit the music i listen to more.


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> I DUNU, blu for one is definitely not one that makes light headphones, comfort is my biggest priority over anything sound related. And guess what, I ended up moving to speakers which are incredibly comfortable  plus have a massive soundstage. I don't specifically go searching for headphones or speakers that have a certain treble or bass response, all I care is the mids and I tweak and experiment with differ. I've tried headphones with great mids but weak treble. some with dominant treble, etc



I mean I tried the Lola and I thought it was comfortable. I DUNU either. lol 

Yes you are now LITERALLY Mr. Speakers. LOL 

Well I'm just glad you're happy akg. lol


----------



## akg fanboy

RockStar2005 said:


> I mean I tried the Lola and I thought it was comfortable. I DUNU either. lol
> 
> Yes you are now LITERALLY Mr. Speakers. LOL
> 
> Well I'm just glad you're happy akg. lol


Weight alone is discomfort to me, even some of the most comfortable and lightest headphones in the world don't cut it for me. You know what happened to my head with the k551 LOL. Yes I guess you can call me mr speakers now  LOL


----------



## akg fanboy

stenog said:


> Sorry for derailing this tread
> 
> AKG have you ever tried Beyer Amiron Home? Excellent comfort, better than DT 1990 and great mids and soundstage. I more and more prefer it over the 1990 even though the 1990 it technically better and should suit the music i listen to more.


nah, I gave up on beyer mids. it's always the mids or upper mids that gets a dip. It's kinda too late for beyer now since I won't be buying headphones anytime soon


----------



## RockStar2005

akg fanboy said:


> Weight alone is discomfort to me, even some of the most comfortable and lightest headphones in the world don't cut it for me. You know what happened to my head with the k551 LOL. Yes I guess you can call me mr speakers now  LOL



Hmm ok. I guess it's all subjective, LIKE sound quality.

Umm, I don't remember. What happened?? 

Oh, and I WILL! LOL


----------



## stenog

akg fanboy said:


> nah, I gave up on beyer mids. it's always the mids or upper mids that gets a dip. It's kinda too late for beyer now since I won't be buying headphones anytime soon



You miss out on a lot of good headphones.... 

I live in an apartment so can't disturb my neighbours too much. When I listen to speakers it's only background music.


----------



## AlwaysForward

New review on the Satellite from a guy who seems to love the Blue house sound as much as I do:


----------



## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> New review on the Satellite from a guy who seems to love the Blue house sound as much as I do:




This guy is hilarious. Haha I remember his reviews for the Ella and Sadie. Good stuff. I'll watch it a little later. Thanks!


----------



## stenog

AlwaysForward said:


> New review on the Satellite from a guy who seems to love the Blue house sound as much as I do:




He is a funny guy, but he can't sing   I just wished the Blue Ella had this design, seems to be more simple and comfortable.


----------



## AlwaysForward

I'm really confused about the feedback from various reviews on how good/bad the ANC is on these. Some love, some don't. I dunno.


----------



## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> He is a funny guy, but he can't sing   I just wished the Blue Ella had this design, seems to be more simple and comfortable.



Haha no he can't! But that is part of why he's funny. lol 

I dunno man. akg fanboy and even a few pro reviewers are sayin' the comfort isn't so great, the ANC isn't very good, and the sound quality is not as good as expected. Though others are saying the opposite, so I'm getting a lot of mixed reviews on this! I tried the Blue Lola and found it to be quite comfortable, though it DOES NOT have an on-board amp. I expect the Ella and Sadie to be more comfortable, and the Ella I'm guessing might actually match or even outdo my AKG K551, but I just don't feel like spending $700 to find out. I'm more scared that it will and then I'll feel compelled to KEEP it than it not measuring up. lol


----------



## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> I'm really confused about the feedback from various reviews on how good/bad the ANC is on these. Some love, some don't. I dunno.



Yeah me too Always. See my last post.


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## AlwaysForward

RockStar2005 said:


> Haha no he can't! But that is part of why he's funny. lol
> 
> I dunno man. akg fanboy and even a few pro reviewers are sayin' the comfort isn't so great, the ANC isn't very good, and the sound quality is not as good as expected. Though others are saying the opposite, so I'm getting a lot of mixed reviews on this! I tried the Blue Lola and found it to be quite comfortable, though it DOES NOT have an on-board amp. I expect the Ella and Sadie to be more comfortable, and the Ella I'm guessing might actually match or even outdo my AKG K551, but I just don't feel like spending $700 to find out. I'm more scared that it will and then I'll feel compelled to KEEP it than it not measuring up. lol



Dude, if you want an awesome entry into Blue Headphone land, get the MoFi for cheap right now. They get super comfy once you get the clamping pressure "right." My suggestion is make them clam with enough force that the pressure is about even with the weight on the top of the head. They have a wheel to control the tension. Also, you can adjust it for ideal bass-response/sound-response. That's my preferred method.


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## RockStar2005

AlwaysForward said:


> Dude, if you want an awesome entry into Blue Headphone land, get the MoFi for cheap right now. They get super comfy once you get the clamping pressure "right." My suggestion is make them clam with enough force that the pressure is about even with the weight on the top of the head. They have a wheel to control the tension. Also, you can adjust it for ideal bass-response/sound-response. That's my preferred method.



I tried the Lola, which is basically the MoFi without an amp. It was fantastic as you saw from my review, but not perfect (but dahmn close!). So I wouldn't get it for that reason. The Ella I would though. When its price comes down I MAY consider trying it out. 

That's cool. Thanks for the tips Always! They made adjustments to the Sadie and Ella (less hinges etc) to make it even more comfortable, so I don't think it will be an issue on the Ella if and when I get it. lol


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## akg fanboy (May 27, 2017)

The satellite is terrible, the mofi or lola is better for value if you have to go  with blue but imo still not the greatest choice pool. It didn't sound better wired either, by paying more, you're not getting an upgrade in sound quality; it's a premium for wireless. The satellite is only great for those who have not tried high quality headphones let alone great wireless, but anyone who isn't easily satisfied like how most reviewers are these days and actually critique them for performance and value (and has experience with many good headphones) will be disappointed, you're better off with a beyer 770 series if you want isolation, ANC on the blue is a joke and those "secondary set of dedicated ANC 30mm drivers" are literally just for marketing purposes, I should have figured that if a company like bose that is renowned for the best ANC didn't do it, it must have been for a reason. Don't get me wrong, bose headphones are terrible for sound but one thing they do get right is comfort (a lot lighter), good battery life, and ANC which they have a giant R&D pool for. Blue just kinda used their microphone brand name to market it as superior when it really isn't

Comfort is terrible but not the worst I've experienced, the only headphone that doesn't hurt the top of my head and isn't an adjustable akg style headband is the hd800 and hifiman edition s which both share a similar headband design where the outer sides of the headband cushion is larger than the middle which in return makes the weight distribution much more even and not just on the top of your head. That is the same reason why I found even the beyer t1 flagship uncomfortable, but the satellite has a HARD headband without any kind of foam, the other blue headphones at least look like they got a soft padded memory foam headband which the satellite is completely lacking. The traditional high clamp and heavy weight of blue headphones doesn't help either.




Can't judge the ella but I don't have the highest of hopes, planar isn't anything magical, the recent rise of planar has to do more with marketing than actual performance, they have been around long before dynamics. And from my experience with their other headphones, the price they charge is not proportional to performance and more associated with brand name and mainstream market competition


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## stenog

akg fanboy said:


> The satellite is terrible, the mofi or lola is better for value if you have to go  with blue but imo still not the greatest choice pool. It didn't sound better wired either, by paying more, you're not getting an upgrade in sound quality; it's a premium for wireless. The satellite is only great for those who have not tried high quality headphones let alone great wireless, but anyone who isn't easily satisfied like how most reviewers are these days and actually critique them for performance and value (and has experience with many good headphones) will be disappointed, you're better off with a beyer 770 series if you want isolation, ANC on the blue is a joke and those "secondary set of dedicated ANC 30mm drivers" are literally just for marketing purposes, I should have figured that if a company like bose that is renowned for the best ANC didn't do it, it must have been for a reason. Don't get me wrong, bose headphones are terrible for sound but one thing they do get right is comfort (a lot lighter), good battery life, and ANC which they have a giant R&D pool for. Blue just kinda used their microphone brand name to market it as superior when it really isn't
> 
> Comfort is terrible but not the worst I've experienced, the only headphone that doesn't hurt the top of my head and isn't an adjustable akg style headband is the hd800 and hifiman edition s which both share a similar headband design where the outer sides of the headband cushion is larger than the middle which in return makes the weight distribution much more even and not just on the top of your head. That is the same reason why I found even the beyer t1 flagship uncomfortable, but the satellite has a HARD headband without any kind of foam, the other blue headphones at least look like they got a soft padded memory foam headband which the satellite is completely lacking. The traditional high clamp and heavy weight of blue headphones doesn't help either.
> 
> ...



Thanks for all your impressions and updates. Unfortunately I think I agree with most of it. 

I had the Blue Ella and really liked the signature and sound, warm and natural with enough details. But not the comfort. Too heavy and too much pressure on the top of my head. I thought the Satelitte would be better, but apparently not, is does have a different design though.

Anyway I won't be buying it. I am generally not so much for Bluetooth, the quality is not good enough,  but of course I have not heard all of them. Maybe there are some out there. 

At the moment I use my U12(iem) and B&W P7 as portable. Both have quality bass and an reasonable amount of detail and clarity. I don't consider myself basshead but can't live without a certain amount of bass . I have tried to many neutral headphones, sold them all again or send them back.


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## AlwaysForward (Jun 6, 2017)

Very positive review:

https://geardiary.com/2017/06/02/blue-satellite-wireless-headphones-anc-world/


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## Jackpot77

Posted a review of the Ella up on the other blog In current writing on - got those who are interested, the link is below:

https://audioprimate.blog/2017/06/1...new-first-lady-of-planar-magnetic-headphones/

As always, any feedback/questions/suggestions always very much appreciated.


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## stenog

Jackpot77 said:


> Posted a review of the Ella up on the other blog In current writing on - got those who are interested, the link is below:
> 
> https://audioprimate.blog/2017/06/1...new-first-lady-of-planar-magnetic-headphones/
> 
> As always, any feedback/questions/suggestions always very much appreciated.



Very detailed and very well written review, thanks   They are a very nice pair of closed-back headphones I just wished they would change the design, they are not the most comfortable headphones!

You compare them to the nighthawk, a semi open headphone. Isn't it a little bit unfair or are they just that good that they can compete with open headphones in the 500-600 usd range ?


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## Jackpot77

stenog said:


> Very detailed and very well written review, thanks   They are a very nice pair of closed-back headphones I just wished they would change the design, they are not the most comfortable headphones!
> 
> You compare them to the nighthawk, a semi open headphone. Isn't it a little bit unfair or are they just that good that they can compete with open headphones in the 500-600 usd range ?



The NH comparison was based on the sonic similarities - being semi-open, the soundstage isn't that huge on the NH, and the Ella are pretty spacious for a closed back. Also, the Ella are actually about $200 more expensive at current street prices, so thought it was a fair comparison. I'm much more of an IEM guy, so I only have a small collection of over ears to compare with at any given time, but hope the comparison helped put the review in context a bit?


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## RockStar2005

Check it.................................

http://www.mensjournal.com/gear/collections/moby-tests-high-end-headphones-are-they-worth-it-w487251


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## stenog

RockStar2005 said:


> Check it.................................
> 
> http://www.mensjournal.com/gear/collections/moby-tests-high-end-headphones-are-they-worth-it-w487251



Nice


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## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> Nice



Those B&W P9 Signatures look pretty sweet too! Wonder how they sound vs. the Ella? Moby seems to prefer them over the Ella, I think?


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## stenog

RockStar2005 said:


> Those B&W P9 Signatures look pretty sweet too! Wonder how they sound vs. the Ella? Moby seems to prefer them over the Ella, I think?



I have a love/hate relationship with these headphones.... I don't think you will like them. They are bass heavy and even for me often too bass heavy. With some of the music I listen to they are very good and with some music the complete opposite! If these were my only headphones I would not keep them. 

That said, I keep coming back to them and more often than not I really enjoy listen to them, but they sure are special.


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## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> I have a love/hate relationship with these headphones.... I don't think you will like them. They are bass heavy and even for me often too bass heavy. With some of the music I listen to they are very good and with some music the complete opposite! If these were my only headphones I would not keep them.
> 
> That said, I keep coming back to them and more often than not I really enjoy listen to them, but they sure are special.



Wait, are you talking about the Ella or the P9 Signatures?? lol


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## rkw

I had high hopes for the Satellite, but I'll pass this time and wait for the next version.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/headp...-wireless-noise-cancelling-headphones-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Satelli...cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&sortBy=recent


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## stenog

RockStar2005 said:


> Wait, are you talking about the Ella or the P9 Signatures?? lol



P9 , I really liked the Blue Ella, if I didn't have comfort problems with the Ella I would have kept them. The P9 are comfortable but not that comfortable, the Amiron are way more comfortable. I bought the P9 used and I think I will end up selling them again. Too many headphones to try and too little money


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## RockStar2005

stenog said:


> P9 , I really liked the Blue Ella, if I didn't have comfort problems with the Ella I would have kept them. The P9 are comfortable but not that comfortable, the Amiron are way more comfortable. I bought the P9 used and I think I will end up selling them again. Too many headphones to try and too little money



Hmm ok. The P7s were a bit bass heavy too, and they say the two sound alike, so I guess it's a no for P9 too.

I am still open to the Ella. Maybe down the line when the price comes down? I had no comfort issues with the Blue Lola, so I doubt I would with the Ella either.


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## AlwaysForward

Yeah sounds like the Ella is the real winner of this generation of headphones from Blue.


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## RockStar2005 (Jul 20, 2017)

Wow..........that Cleer NEXT sure has a FAMILIAR look & design to it! lol Though other online pictures look different. I think the first one is a prototype, but then why post that picture if the final one is different?

Thoughts?


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## AlwaysForward (Aug 3, 2017)

Engadget review of Satellite
https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/02/blue-satellite-wireless-headphones-review/

This is the first I've heard of the revised model with better comfort also having fixed the Bluetooth complaints.

It's really tempting since I'd love the ANC, love the Blue sound and kind of think they'll become comfortable like the MoFi did. 

I think if I pulled the trigger on these, it would be the anc performance which decided if I keep them or not. On the one hand, the anc isn't up to Bose/Sony, on the other hand it sounds better.


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## Sound Eq

any comparisons of the blue satellite to b&w p7 wireless

also how can I know if the dealer who sells the satellite is selling the latest version


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## AlwaysForward

Sound Eq said:


> any comparisons of the blue satellite to b&w p7 wireless
> 
> also how can I know if the dealer who sells the satellite is selling the latest version



A friend in the office has the P7 and I have the MoFi. I loved the low weight of the P7 but everyone felt the MoFi sounded better overall. Especially in the bass. I personally felt they sounded really similar overall unlike the Bowers and Wilkins H7 which was even lighter but had a really different signature with recessed mids and boosted bass.

It's not a direct comparison but I imagine the Blue house sound signature carries into the Satellite. It'll be heavier and a bit less comfortable but probably sounds better, fwiw.

No clue on verification of the model but I understand Blue is taking care of buyers after the sale. If you buy one, send in the serial number and see which one you got and if it's the old one, either return it or let Blue swap it out for you.

And if you do go Satellite, please post impressions!


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## rikk009

So I just ordered a pair of Mo-fis, what does ELLA does better? What has changed?


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## AlwaysForward

rikk009 said:


> So I just ordered a pair of Mo-fis, what does ELLA does better? What has changed?



Ella has the revised head-band, which is a little more comfy and easier to use. Ella also uses Planar Magnetic Drivers.

That said, I had many many many lovely hours with my Mofi. I hope you enjoy!


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## rikk009

AlwaysForward said:


> Ella has the revised head-band, which is a little more comfy and easier to use. Ella also uses Planar Magnetic Drivers.
> 
> That said, I had many many many lovely hours with my Mofi. I hope you enjoy!


Oh! I am sorry, I meant Sadie since Mofi is replaced by Sadie. What is the difference between Sadie and Mofi?


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## AlwaysForward

rikk009 said:


> Oh! I am sorry, I meant Sadie since Mofi is replaced by Sadie. What is the difference between Sadie and Mofi?



Sadie is the sequel to Mo-Fi and they're more alike than different. They both have almost the same exact set of features and drivers. The core differences are that the Sadie has the updated headband and has been tuned to have more clarity in the treble. Sadie also uses the second generation of on-board power amplifier which Blue says is an improvement. Cheers!


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## rikk009

AlwaysForward said:


> Sadie is the sequel to Mo-Fi and they're more alike than different. They both have almost the same exact set of features and drivers. The core differences are that the Sadie has the updated headband and has been tuned to have more clarity in the treble. Sadie also uses the second generation of on-board power amplifier which Blue says is an improvement. Cheers!


Is there any detailed review and comparison between them?


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## Roll

Not sure if it was said - The Ella uses the same drivers as shown on

https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/diyers-delight-fostex-t50rp-mk3

same markings:
Foster dp 29 SZ1d

I should check my Fostex TH500RP


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## rikk009

I got the Mofis. I have mixed feelings. Will give it more time.


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## whatthebaek

Roll said:


> Not sure if it was said - The Ella uses the same drivers as shown on
> 
> https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/diyers-delight-fostex-t50rp-mk3
> 
> ...



Ah so you took em apart and found the same drivers?? Brave soul haha. That'd just make the Ella a glorified all-in-one T50RP with a built in amp and a better housing, and that'd be reason enough for me to sell mine. Just curious how you think the Ella stacks up against the TH500RP? Thanks!


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## Roll

whatthebaek said:


> Ah so you took em apart and found the same drivers?? Brave soul haha. That'd just make the Ella a glorified all-in-one T50RP with a built in amp and a better housing, and that'd be reason enough for me to sell mine. Just curious how you think the Ella stacks up against the TH500RP? Thanks!



Sound wise the Ella is 'better' than the Th500RP, not counting the amp. The amp is actually very nice if one is running off a cellphone/dap. I have to work on the clamping on the Ella, it is a bit strong in that she squish the pads to cause my ears to touch the drivers. Or just change the Ella pads for the thicker Lola pads or stuff something under the pads.
Re TH500RP, currently took out the metal covers and added the Fostex TH-X00 woodie cups (curious), sounds better semi closed.


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## RockStar2005

rikk009 said:


> Oh! I am sorry, I meant Sadie since Mofi is replaced by Sadie. What is the difference between Sadie and Mofi?



That's what I thought too, but APPARENTLY, the Sadie is NOT an alternate version of the Mo-Fi! Just saw on Blue's site that they have a new model for sale called the Mix-Fi, and the official Blue page for it lists it as "formerly Mo-Fi". Not sure what the difference is though, if any.


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## akg fanboy

hi rockstar


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## Roll

Logitech to buy Yeti microphone maker Blue for $117M

https://www.cnet.com/news/logitech-to-buy-yeti-microphone-maker-blue-for-117m/


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## RockStar2005

Roll said:


> Logitech to buy Yeti microphone maker Blue for $117M
> 
> https://www.cnet.com/news/logitech-to-buy-yeti-microphone-maker-blue-for-117m/



Yeah just saw that yesterday too. Hopefully the quality doesn't go down the way they say it did when Harman Kardon bought out AKG.


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## RockStar2005

My new Sadie review! 

Enjoy....................

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/blue-sadie-headphones-review-headphones-with-a-secret-weapon.886105/


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