I've bought a couple of pairs of these recently and there's no thread about them so I thought I'd start one.
I've bought the M1060s from their previous range, and the TOTL M1570 from their current range. Both are very good indeed. There are some threads online where they get a really bad press from certain people, but I get the impression that they don't like the company policy, to make products rather like those of better known rivals with (subjectively) 90% of the sound quality but 40% of the price. Obviously corners do have to be cut, and this will primarily be fit 'n' finish and quality of materials, but not forgetting the overall aim, to sacrifice as little as possible in the SQ department.
If I had to compare them to ones I've had in the past, from memory, I'd say the M1060s are broadly like the Hifiman HE560s while the M1570s don't give much up to the Audeze LCD3s.
They both have c.10cm planar drivers so like a bit of juice and need a mains amp to sing, but they have a nice impact when properly driven, especially the 1570s.
The M1060s benefitted from a cable upgrade, even to a budget one off eBay, so I think they've scrimped on the cable a little. They take the same double mini jacks as the HE560s (later version) so I had a couple in my spares box, but sadly not a quality one. It showed up the stock cable nonetheless.
Unfortunately the M1570s with mini XLRs have a different pinout to the LCD3 so it's difficult to find an upgrade cable anywhere. There's one company in the States (Hart Audio) that offer to make them, but I've yet to order one given costs, custom charges and the wait. They still sound very good with the stock cable, but my experience with the M1060s make me wonder if they could match the LCD3s performance with a good quality cable.
I've not tried to review them here as I find reviews very subjective, so I've just compared them to the closest well known pairs I've owned. However, what I would say is that they are on the slightly laid back sound compared to most headphones, so they may initially not impress that much but should grow on you (unless you prefer a highly detailed, or overly bassy, V shaped sound, in which case I'd avoid).
My other observation is that these would probably suit those who generally prefer speakers and struggle to get on with headphones. They'll still be next to your ears and be in the head rather than in front, but I find the overall presentation and impact closer to speakers than most
Oh and one last thing, the M1570s are about the heaviest headphones I've ever tried, so it that's an issue, avoid them, but the M1060s might still suit.
In summary when you consider the prices of these compared to better known brands with a similar SQ, these are an absolute bargain and I recommend them with certain caveats mentioned above (weight, cables, etc). Also, if you value pride of ownership and quality of build over (or on a par with) SQ then maybe consider the lower ranges of more expensive rivals, but actually these are not bad at all and they certainly don't bother me, especially when I'm listening to them
I've bought the M1060s from their previous range, and the TOTL M1570 from their current range. Both are very good indeed. There are some threads online where they get a really bad press from certain people, but I get the impression that they don't like the company policy, to make products rather like those of better known rivals with (subjectively) 90% of the sound quality but 40% of the price. Obviously corners do have to be cut, and this will primarily be fit 'n' finish and quality of materials, but not forgetting the overall aim, to sacrifice as little as possible in the SQ department.
If I had to compare them to ones I've had in the past, from memory, I'd say the M1060s are broadly like the Hifiman HE560s while the M1570s don't give much up to the Audeze LCD3s.
They both have c.10cm planar drivers so like a bit of juice and need a mains amp to sing, but they have a nice impact when properly driven, especially the 1570s.
The M1060s benefitted from a cable upgrade, even to a budget one off eBay, so I think they've scrimped on the cable a little. They take the same double mini jacks as the HE560s (later version) so I had a couple in my spares box, but sadly not a quality one. It showed up the stock cable nonetheless.
Unfortunately the M1570s with mini XLRs have a different pinout to the LCD3 so it's difficult to find an upgrade cable anywhere. There's one company in the States (Hart Audio) that offer to make them, but I've yet to order one given costs, custom charges and the wait. They still sound very good with the stock cable, but my experience with the M1060s make me wonder if they could match the LCD3s performance with a good quality cable.
I've not tried to review them here as I find reviews very subjective, so I've just compared them to the closest well known pairs I've owned. However, what I would say is that they are on the slightly laid back sound compared to most headphones, so they may initially not impress that much but should grow on you (unless you prefer a highly detailed, or overly bassy, V shaped sound, in which case I'd avoid).
My other observation is that these would probably suit those who generally prefer speakers and struggle to get on with headphones. They'll still be next to your ears and be in the head rather than in front, but I find the overall presentation and impact closer to speakers than most
Oh and one last thing, the M1570s are about the heaviest headphones I've ever tried, so it that's an issue, avoid them, but the M1060s might still suit.
In summary when you consider the prices of these compared to better known brands with a similar SQ, these are an absolute bargain and I recommend them with certain caveats mentioned above (weight, cables, etc). Also, if you value pride of ownership and quality of build over (or on a par with) SQ then maybe consider the lower ranges of more expensive rivals, but actually these are not bad at all and they certainly don't bother me, especially when I'm listening to them
