Mad_Economist of Cascade Audio has been kind enough to lend me a Talos 2 for review, and man do I love this headphone. Priced at 325USD, this hard to drive T50rp Mk3 mod is a ton of fun to listen to. They are an over-ear and mostly closed-back design. Despite their low impedance of 50Ω, these are pretty inefficient, and you certainly need a decent amp to get these to a good volume, especially if you enjoy listening loudly. I am reviewing them using my Teac UD-301 and Audio-GD NFB1Amp stack to power them.

As I said, this headphone is a mod of the Fostex T50rp Mk3, and the overall build has not changed much, aside from a coppery paint job, added logos, new pads, and a comfort strap. That being said, it feels sturdy enough to not break from normal use, but I certainly wouldn’t take it on the go. Included with the headphone are the two stock cables from the T50rp Mk3, which are honestly not good cables; they are both horrible janky, rubbery messes. I highly recommend just getting a V-moda 3.5mm cable for these instead, they’re only about 12USD. These also come in a very nice giant hardshell case with cutout foam for protection.

So far as comfort goes, Mad_Economist really knows what he’s doing. The impact pads that these ship with are huge, very soft, and incredibly comfortable. They are hybrid pads, with either leather or pleather around on the outside, and cloth on the inside and where they touch your head. I want these pads on more things. The clamp is a bit high, but with such big soft pads, it feels more like they’re hugging your head than being a headache-inducing vice like a new HD600. While they’re certainly close to having too much clamp, they manage to still be quite comfortable. The comfort strap does an excellent job of distributing the 385g weight without any hotspots. While you do feel the weight, it’s not like the M560 where it feels like you’re strapping weights to your head. Overall, comfort is very good, and I have been able to wear these for 8 hours on end without any discomfort.

These being mostly closed, they do offer some decent isolation, but you’ll still hear some of what’s going on around you. Sound leakage is low as well, with your music really only able to be heard by others in a quiet room, at least at the low-moderate volumes I listen at.

Finally, the sound: these have an interesting and almost U-shaped tuning, with emphasis on the bass and upper treble, though the midrange most certainly is not lacking. The bass has a very satisfying thump and weight to it, without feeling overpowering. It also sounds very clean and refined, never boomy or flabby. The low end extension is spectacular, with some of the best sub bass I have heard. While I wouldn’t classify these as basshead cans, they’ll certainly have enough impact for most.

The midrange is completely inoffensive, and I can’t find anything to nitpick about. There doesn’t seem to be any emphasis toward either lower or upper midrange, which combined with their fast transient response and decay speed leaves vocals and instruments sounding very realistic and natural. Detail is very good, and these honestly beat out my HD600 in resolution, and rival my DT1990.

The treble is interesting; the upper treble is elevated a bit more than the rest of the treble, making them sound a bit brighter than they really are. The lower and mid treble regions are incredibly clean and refined, once again thanks to their excellent speed, though the upper treble can sound a little off. The very top is not hazy, the decay is too fast for that, but something is bit off, and I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong. Overall, the treble sounds very good

Soundstage is absolutely fantastic. These sound impressively wide for a mostly closed set, rivaling some open backs. Sound placement is surprisingly good as well; I swear it sounds three dimensional at times. In the song Demolition Man by The Police, there is one drum bit that made me turn around, because it sounded like it was coming from the wall five feet behind me.

One thing I don’t talk about much here is gaming, and these may be some of the best cans I’ve heard for gaming. With the fantastic bass extension and accentuated treble combined with the wide sound and incredible sound placement, they lend themselves very well to gaming.

These cans are absolutely fantastic. Despite their elevated bass and treble, similar to my DT1990, these sound different enough that I honestly want a pair of my own. While the DT1990 edges these out in detail retrieval and tuning to my personal tastes, the Talos 2, especially their bass and midrange, just scratches an itch that none of my other cans really do.

Thanks again to Mad_Economist for lending these out to me. He is doing some good work, and I very highly recommend these cans to anyone who wants accentuated bass and treble, without losing a great midrange, so long as you have a decent amp.