Takstar HI-2050
The HI-2050 is a Chinese headphone that appeared on the market (mostly asian online stores such as Aliexpress) a few years ago, and like a lot of “chi-fi” stuff, it got some popularity on N-A / European forums for its good price / performance ratio. It’s basically a DT880 rip-off, same design (and even sound balance).
○ Release : 2012
○ Current status : In production
○ Type : Over-ear / Open-back
○ Measured weight : 327g
○ Impedance : 60 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : ~92-95 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $30-40
Sound Impression
I don’t really like the HI-2050. The tonal balance is a bit V-shaped with aggressiveness in the treble. But to be fair, technicalities are quite good for the price. The sound reminds me of a worse DT880, with a bit less resolution, but very close in openness and staging.
Basically, moderate bass impact with low-end roll-off (below 60hz), thin sounding midrange and strong treble, particularly around 6-9 khz. I could not stand that treble for too long, depending the tracks runned.
I can easily recommend them for people looking for something open really cheap – below $50. Despite the tonal balance, it’s an okay open sounding headphone with decent stage and imaging, solid build and nice packaging. Otherwise the AKG K612 or Beyerdynamic DT880 are much better option for $100 or less (used). I would also prefer the inexpensive Koss KSC75 for pure listening over these.
