Greetings bro-melomaniac! Time to put on headphones and listen, listen, listen. And preferably with new and different “ears”. Let’s start with the MyST overhead headphones. This is a young American brand that produces audio components. On his account there are already cool products: MyST DAC 1866OCU, MyST DAC 2702 UAmp, and more – Class A headphone amplifier, MyST HiAmp, portable amplifiers series MyST PortAMP and, of course, the famous MyST PortaDAC 1866OCUB with built-in Bluetooth-digital receiver. Considering our finances as you know, they sing the songs MyST left the release of Chord hugo DAC two years behind. I wonder if we give Uncle Sam in general a “thrush” too?
In any case it is possible to recollect about MyST Nail line of in-canal headphones based on the armature radiator which is popular in our country and abroad. In our market these devices have no competitors, abroad, of course, there is more hype, but there is more “whistling” about the product than it plays, and the prices are three times higher.
Personally for me the release of each new device from MyST is an event! You can talk about each of their products for the whole fishing trip, they are all worthy of the highest rating. Ok, get to the point.
MyST was on its way to creating headphones based on isodynamic and orthodynamic radiators. For years the guys have been living with this idea, developing the drivers, discussing the design… I’ve been waiting with bated breath. And so:
“Hello, this is the courier, you have a package from Mycroft, you’re there? I’ll be there in about thirty minutes…”.
Specifications
| Type of headphones | Encompassing to the ear |
| Type of driver | Isodynamic |
| Number of drivers | 1 |
| Acoustic design | Open |
| Type of cable | MS silver-plated copper |
| Length of cable | 1.5 m |
| Plug | 3.5 mm |
| Resistance | 30 Ohm |
| Weight | 670 grams |
| Guarantee | 1 year |
Appearance and ergonomics
The headphones are not bundled as such. Cardboard box, cellophane bag, replaceable cable to connect the headphones to the sound source. On the one hand I like all these boxes, trinkets, shiny little papers, etc. e On the other hand, it is an additional cost of production and, as a consequence, a considerable increase in the price of the final product.
The headphones look pretty serious. A kind of “industrial-art”, where everything is massive, iron, but at the same time not without taste and harmony. Honestly? I like this design!
I’m not a jittery type, but taking 670 grams of metal in my hands, I thought that a neck pump might be to my liking… No, I certainly have experience using headphones of this type on a daily basis. I used to listen 7-8 hours per day to the HiFiMan HE-4, but it’s only 360 grams… In fact, everything turned out much nicer in practice. I don’t know how it happened, but they fit my head comfortably and even seemed to be light and fluffy, no falling or slipping when turning, everything is clear. Material – aluminum. The ear cushions are made of black velour. Soft and very comfortable.
Sound
Headphones connected to MyST DAC 1866OCU V.2. Music material is varied, from Jacques Loussier, David Bowie, Goran Bregovic, AC/DC, Daft Punk, Infected Mushroom, Aphex Twin to Avenged Sevenfold.
MyST IzoPhones-30 did a great job in all genres, be it jazz, folk, rock, electronica or metalcore. The sound can be characterized as neutral, natural, comfortable. No obvious distortion in the frequency range. All clear, fast, clean and monitor-like. Oh, I already loved them!
When Jacques Loussier trio plays, you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of improvisation. Or, on the contrary, if you turn on “Nightmare” album, the band Avenged Sevenfold, you are completely carried away by guitar beats, adrenaline and “wind in the face”. In short, cool, uh!
Tweeter – clear, solid, without a hint of sibilance. Nothing crumbles. Cymbals, het, they sound very clear and natural.
The midrange is clean, with no smear or timbral coloration. Everything is clear, the instruments do not clump on top of each other, there is no mush and, again, everything is crystal clear and very natural. The detail and information is also very high. Each instrument is clearly delineated in space.
Bass – bass is fast, crisp, with no hum or smear. In some places I thought it was a bit lacking. But no, you switch to other material and there it is, all in place. So, it’s more about mixing and the quality of the music itself. Well, if you want to add some more, then just a little, and it is debatable. The percussion is great, the kick drum, if it kicks in, is precise and crisp.
Medium-sized virtual stage. By virtue of its open design, the sound breathes and yet has corporeality and weight, without crumbling into tiny particles . Also MyST IzoPhones-30 demonstrate a very good stereo panorama and excellent speed characteristics. Yes, it is worth noting that the headphones are quite tight in terms of rocking and when buying “isophones” you should take into account the fact that they will not sing from the sound card. You’ll need a decent amplifier to open them.
Competitors
Compare with MyST IzoPhones-30 can only Abyss AB-1266, HiFiMan HE-6 and top models from the company Audeze. And the difference may be a taste. But the price of “isophones” is much lower than the competition. For example Abyss AB-1266 cost $5,495, HiFiMan HE-6 – $1,299, Audeze LCD- $3,1,945, MyST IzoPhones-30 – 43000 Dollars. So, no matter how you turn it, ours is more profitable, and not only not worse, but in many aspects even better.
Conclusion
What can be summed up in this review? To say that the headphones are good, not to say anything. They are good and they are great! With the proper source/amplification they sound great. I would recommend them for purchase? Absolutely yes. In fact, I’m proud that our compatriots have got such a quality product. Thanks guys, don’t give up, sanctions fly off the teeth Only forward! You have proved that we can do even better! I believe in our country.
Sound, reliability, price.
Weight. Some may not like the look.
