I’ve heard my fair share of T50RP mods. Be it ZMF’s Omni (or is it Ori now?) or a DIY sock-mod (yes, that’s a real thing), I am consistently surprised at what people manage to be able to do with a $150 pair of headphones. Cascadia Audio is another player in the T50RP mod scene, with only one model currently available for purchase, the Talos. However, are the structural and sonic improvements worth the $100 premium added to the Talos by Cascadia Audio?

You can find the Talos for sale here on Cascadia Audio’s official website for $250.

Disclaimer: This review is based upon a loaner unit provided to me by Cascadia Audio in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Blaine at Cascadia Audio for giving me this opportunity.

Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.

My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.

Source: The Talos was powered like so:

PC Optical out -> HifiMe 9018 SPDIF -> 3.5mm out -> headphones

Hidizs AP100 3.5mm out -> FiiO A5 (high gain) 3.5mm out -> 3.5mm out-> headphones

PC USB -> Sound Blaster E3 3.5mm out -> Sherwood AD230B 1/4-inch out

-> headphones

Standard 3.5mm out from both my Nexus 6P and HTC One M8 was inadequate to drive the Talos. While the FiiO A5 did a decent job powering the Talos, I got my best results when using my desktop amp, the Sherwood AD230B.

Sound Signature

Initial Impressions:

The Talos sounds V-shaped at first listen with a solid bass response. Extension is good on both ends, though upper treble seems a tad bit rolled off. Mids are dynamic, but recessed behind both the treble and the bass. Detail retrieval is quite good for the price.

Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands

Despite the upper treble seeming a bit rolled off, there is still plenty of high-pitched goodness to go around. The treble is tuned well, with no sense of coloring. The high-hats from In One Ear were very clear to the point where I could distinguish each and every cymbal hit individually. The attack and decay of the treble is similarly well tuned, leaving the upper-range with a quite natural sound.

Mids: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams

I personally prefer my mids to be more emphasized than on the Talos, but I’ll be damned if it still didn’t show me a good time while using it. Every song I listened to through it sounded lively and dynamic. Be it the mish-mosh of Flagpole Sitta or the organized chaos of Jacked Up, I found that the Talos was able to present guitars, pianos, drums, and synths with no issues. Tonality is pretty natural, with no overt coloring.

The pianos of Jacked Up had a medium hardness, indicating a healthy and natural level of decay in the mids. This is a pretty subjective area, as I tend to like my decay speed faster than natural, while others find such a speed a little off-putting.

Vocals are presented well and are placed well within the mix. I find often that it is a bit difficult for headphones makers to strike a good compromise between making the lyrics clear, yet cohesive, with the rest of the sound. Thankfully, it seems that Cascadia Audio has largely succeeded in doing just that.

Bass: Songs used: Lights(Bassnectar Remix), Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), Leave Me

While the Talos does have a healthy amount of both mid and sub-bass I wouldn’t rate it a bass-head’s headphone. In order to avoid compromising the listenability of acoustic-based genres, it sounds like Cascadia audio chose to go with a slightly above-average mid-bass boost and a standard sub-bass boost. I have no qualms with this, as it does what is needed to do. Sub-bass extension and dynamism is good, as demonstrated by In For The Kill.

While bass is satisfactory for electronic genres, it really does shine in classical songs. Listening to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack (which is an unholy classical and electronic hybrid) really impressed me.

Clarity: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright

Clarity was fairly good for a V-shaped pair of headphones, and I was consistently impressed with the detail retrieval these cans regularly exhibited. The Talos exhibited minor smudging in the chorus of I’m Not Alright, but didn’t entirely drop any particular detail.

Packaging / Unboxing

My loaner came in a standard T50RP box.

Build

Construction Quality

While Cascadia Audio hasn’t done quite as much of an overhaul as other brands that are modding T50RPs, I still quite like the changes they have made. No longer are the plastic cups of the headphones a dull matte-black — Cascadia Audio has instead opted to use a semi-glossy solarized orange that shifts colors in direct sunlight. It’s cool, and is certainly and eye-catcher. However, it looks to my eyes as though this is not a paint, but is instead a very well-adhered sticker. Cascadia Audio has reached out to me to let me know that these are actually made from automotive vinyl, the same material that are used on the Mad Dogs series. This type of vinyl is much more durable than standard industrial stickers. I would still much prefer that paint was used, as this would open up a lot more of interesting finishes and allow Cascadia Audio to come closer to a true “solarized” look.

The headband has also undergone some changes. Cascadia Audio has introduced a soft inner-strap tasked with distributing the weight of these large drivers across the wearer’s head. This works well, and while the headphones don’t “disappear” they certainly don’t weight too heavily down on my head for extended periods of time.

The cable is detachable, but has a proprietary locking mechanism. This isn’t Cascadia Audio’s doing, but rather is a feature introduced by Fostex. Thankfully, this locking mechanism isn’t too intrusive, so some third-party TRS cables, such as those from Monoprice, will likely work, which is a plus.

Accessories

The Talos comes with two cables: an orange 3.5mm cable and a black 1/4 inch cable. They are both made from a standard plastic, but feel good enough in the hand. Neither cable is especially prone to microphonics.

Summary

The Talos is a pretty compelling headphone for the price. While I do really like the sound it offers, I am skeptical about a $250 headphone having stickers. I understand the logistical difficulties introduced by having to paint each cup, but I think at that point I would see a lot more value in the construction itself. However, if this doesn’t bother you at all, and you are willing to invest in a setup capable of driving the Talos’s demanding drivers, then by all means pick one up. It is an extremely capable V-shaped headphone.

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