German Maestro GMP 8.35 D Headphone Review

[Flathead Audio]

I recall people complaining DT880 600R had no bass back in the day but this one is next level!

 

[EERecordist]

Thanks for testing it, thanks to the company for good communication, and glad there are European headphone makers still in the mix. Maybe they need to find someone with German headphone test equipment?

Maybe they should hire @Sean Olive as a consultant?

 

[KSTR]

.

 

[solderdude]

And even if the intention was like @KSTR suggested and marketing accidentally released the right text for the wrong headphone, why accept such a strange distortion behavior?

The seemingly high distortion peak (percentage) at 4kHz is caused by the null. Notice how sharp the peak is and realize that the output at 4kHz is 20dB lower than the rest of the spectrum anyway (about 4x lower audibly).
Besides ... you should try listening to a 4kHz tone at 90dB SPL.. you will throw the headphone off immediately and it would need to be a 110dB 'signal' in this case in music so >> 120dB average level.
Bass distortion is conform most other highly sensitive dynamic around-ear headphones.

I'll repeat what I said... monitoring headphones need to be accurate withing 200Hz and 3kHz, isolate really well (these things are basically ear muffs with speakers in it) and must be able to take a beating (and they can) and play loud even from a wireless monitor amp and this is exactly what this 'thing' does.

There are much cheaper and better options out there that fit the bill than this relative expensive model. Think MDR-7506 and DT 770-80 which are basically studio classics.

Would I buy or recommend this headphone ... no... of course not, but they are suited as a monitor is the point and that's where GM originally made them for.
These have been around for 15 years now since MB was bought by former employers after many bankruptcies and take-overs..

 

[Igor_S]

The seemingly high distortion peak (percentage) at 4kHz is caused by the null.

Sure it causes by the cancellation. Do you have an idea how to fight with that? As I've previously said - i saw such behaviour on various cheap aliexpress drivers. But even expensive headphones like Aune SR7000 has about -12-15 db at 4 khz. With all its internal resonators etc.

 

[amirm]

The seemingly high distortion peak (percentage) at 4kHz is caused by the null.

It actually shows up in absolute level as well:

Clearly something is going wrong there with the driver.

 

[solderdude]

Sure it causes by the cancellation. Do you have an idea how to fight with that? As I've previously said - i saw such behaviour on various cheap aliexpress drivers. But even expensive headphones like Aune SR7000 has about -12-15 db at 4 khz. With all its internal resonators etc.

Yes, by placing damping materials (rather thick felt) in front of the driver which has a double sword edge as it lowers the high treble peak and increases the resistance of the acoustic resistors in the baffle for higher frequencies lowering/preventing almost perfect nulling. Most (closed model) Beyerdynamics(certainly not all) also are plagued with the 4kHz dip.
I don't think it is caused by cone break-up but this might add to the problem. Fortunately the output level at 4kHz is also very low.
Looks like a driver problem mostly.

Clearly something is going wrong there with the driver.

Yep, and/or with acoustic feedback in the cups.

 

[amirm]

Besides ... you should try listening to a 4kHz tone at 90dB SPL.. you will throw the headphone off immediately and it would need to be a 110dB 'signal' in this case in music so >> 120dB average level.

It is true that levels will be dropping sharply as frequencies go up. But therein is the problem. The driver break up/issue is around 4 khz. The generated non-linearity is 2nd harmonic so manifests itself around 8 kHz. The actual music energy at that frequency is quite low. This means the harmonic distortion can stomp it much harder especially when we are talking about distortion that is whopping 30 dB higher than before we hit 4 kHz! Result would be harsher sound.

 

[solderdude]

PIt is true that levels will be dropping sharply as frequencies go up. But therein is the problem. The driver break up/issue is around 4 khz. The generated non-linearity is 2nd harmonic so manifests itself around 8 kHz. The actual music energy at that frequency is quite low. This means the harmonic distortion can stomp it much harder especially when we are talking about distortion that is whopping 30 dB higher than before we hit 4 kHz! Result would be harsher sound.

But ... if it is caused by nulling than there are no harmonics and it is just a dip.
The fact that there also is a peak at 8kHz does point to harmonics issues (cone break-up, resonance).
Would need to be investigated, the 8kHz peak could be caused by something else.

Would be interesting to have a look at the open models (GMP 400/450) which look a bit like Beyerdynamic models)

Also a dip at 4kHz and too much treble but overall a bit 'flatter'.

Below the 8.35D (no smoothing source: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/german-maestro-gmp-8-35-d.php#gsc.tab=0

and with 1/3 smoothing:

Ah .. well the open GMP 250 clearly shows their drivers have real issues above 2kHz.Pro

probably safe to say the drivers from German Maestro aren't great

And talking about bass roll-off: The GMP 8.300

Still quite usable as a monitor for singers etc due to high isolation, flat for human voice range, build quality.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Studio headphones are tools, not items for pleasure.

 

[solderdude]

Studio headphones are tools, not items for pleasure.

Some can even be used to torture reviewers.
Brilliant review from Tyll.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Some can even be used to torture people.

...beyerdynamic

 

[LiveTek]

I can't be the only one who feels that closed headphone options are just awful and each closed can review just kind of solidifies that feeling for me. It's like the options are good build quality, sounds good, and is comfortable to wear but you can only ever pick two of those.

 

[829]

[...]

Still quite usable as a monitor for singers etc due to high isolation, flat for human voice range, build quality.

I might just have found the perfect matching speaker then. A true monitoring dream combo!

 

[SuicideSquid]

Company positions the headphone for professional use so maybe someone in that domain likes this kind of response.

The frequency response of these headphones would actually probably work pretty well for recording of live vocals and other instruments, as especially for male vocals, rolling off the bass gets rid of boominess / feeling like you're stuffed up inside your own head when you're recording.

But you can take an accurate pair of headphones and then just apply EQ to the output in your DAW to get the same effect, and then flip it back off when you're listening back to the track you just recorded.

 

[yo!]

You can put a positive spin on a lot of things, but it is impossible to fathom why those prehistoric ear clips are back on the market unchanged. Perhaps the product manager was brought out of retirement—after spending thirty years in solitary seclusion in the mountains—and can shed some light on the matter.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

It's ugly and it's performance is terrible. Oh, and I gotta ask: Did they use auto radiator hose to connect the headband to the earpieces? Did I mention it's ugly, real, real ugly? So ugly using a certain expletive intensifier is unnecessary, because it can obviously just be inferred from context?

Thank you for reviewing this one, Amir, so no one else ever has to.

 

[daniboun]

Studio monitors just have to isolate really well (so the mic won't pick anything up).
Not have distracting bass, not have any sharpness and sibilance (3-6kHz range) but does have treble for the finer nuances.
All it needs to do is have a good midrange for vocals (200Hz to 3kHz) and that's what it does.
Isolate well, extremely sturdy (like Beyerdynamics) because they sometimes drop on the floor, are accidentally sat on etc.
No one wants these working tools at home to enjoy music or mix on.

The K92 does not match that description though but the DT770 and GMP 3.5 do.
On top of that the GMP can be driven from just about any device.

Ideally, that’s what you’d expect from studio headphones... but have you read the description on the manufacturer's website?

"Acoustically the GMP 8.35 D Monitor amazes users with its dynamic bass response and overall transparency in the midrange and high frequency section. The headphone's low-impedance and highly sensitive drivers are able to adapt the widest range of equipment - whether on a mixing table or on portable devices. And of course the GMP 8.35 D Monitor features the same technical design standard of series 8.000 headphones - as a long term durability is granted. Against his countermodel - GMP 8.35 D Monitor - this model has a 1.4m detachable cable which is connected with the headphone by a 3.5mm jack socket."

 

[solderdude]

Have you read the description on the manufacturer's website?

Did you read the descriptions from AKG and other brands of similar 'purpose' headphones ?
They are riddled with nonsense and superlatives concerning performance and use-cases.

Of course none of the GMP headphones are well suited to mix on but could be used in the mixing process in the same way as Auratones and NS10's can be used for that purpose.
What they are suited for is monitoring in heavy duty circumstances that require excellent isolation, so not the mixing room unless you totally want to ignore the people that are in that room too.

It is all advertising material in an effort to sell as much as possible to a wide range of buyers (see the portable version).
Not unlike most other brands that peddle nonsense.

Is this is good headphone ? No
Is it suited for music enjoyment ? No
Does it isolate well, is it sensitive, is it rugged, is the midrange good enough for monitoring ? Yes to all.

 

[GWolfman]

Props to German Maestro to submit their product for review despite knowing it might not be favorable (per @amirm ’s warning). It’s good to get a new brand represented here!

Thanks Amir!