TDK ST-800 HiFi Headphones

TDK launched a slew of audio accessories last week and though I wasn’t able to attend the event, they gladly sent over one of their high-end headphones, the TDK ST-800, for me to try out and test.

I have to admit that I’m not very familiar with TDK except of course that they’ve been making really affordable blank CD-Rs and cassette tapes for as long as I can remember.

So when they delivered this TDK ST-800 HiFi headphones, I was a bit surprised at the packaging. The headphones are definitely premium and targets those who prefer more power and performance than the usual headphones around.

The on-ear headphones are huge, a little on the heavy side with a bit of a short (around 1.5m long) cable which is protected by a thick, woven thread. If you need more length, they included an extension cord about 2 meters long in the box.

The headphones’ exterior are covered by leather stitched around the sides with the headband made of metal (most probably stainless steel) and some plastic. The ear cups have thick padding and protected by thin, smooth leather.

The headphones come with a built-in equalizer that’s attached into the cord. As such, you will also need some battery to power it up — using two AAA batteries tucked inside the left ear-cup. The volume control is found on the right ear-cup which you dial around to get the desired volume (pretty slick feature I’ve never seen in any other headphones).

Sound quality is pretty good, not the best we’ve tried but certainly nice. The bass is good in the middle but somewhat distorted at higher volume. It’s clear and crisp at the low end and at high volume could be ear-shattering.

The EQ plays a role in adjusting sound quality. It allows you to adjust treble and bass but that’s it. Switching it off is no problem while playing music but there’s a couple seconds of delay when you turn it On (probably while it’s powering up).

The TDK ST-800 has an output power of 250mW x 2, a frequency response 20-20KHz, input impedance of 32Ohms and a sensitivity of 1KHz for 111 +/- 3dB.

The volume dial will not work when the EQ is Off and the plate on the cup also turns the headphone to mute by pressing it down. Despite its weight, the ST800 feels comfortable to use but my ears become warm over time.

The TDK ST800 was announced back in January and was released a couple of month ago in the Philippines. The suggested retail price of the ST800 is about ~~Php5,000~~ Php6,500. The TDK Life on Record Headphones are available in Astroplus and Digital Walker stores nationwide.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

12 Comments

Butch Tan says:

13 years ago

Yesterday I bought a pair earbud TDKs at 900 bucks at Digital Walker. I was taken in by the ceramic body which gave the thing heft and solidity. The lead wire, it turns out, has a fabric outer. A definite plus for robustness. The sound? Superb. Tight bass and not bright at all. When I’m not using headphones I listen to B&W 630s. HIghly recommended. So I’m not surprised you were delighted by the unit.
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Brandon says:

13 years ago

Pros: Nothing else compares. The sound quality is as they describe it, “high-fidelity”. I have taken mine to the beach and to bonfires. The sound is loud! The construction is great and the boombox looks great! AUX makes it compatible with nearly anything. Charges iPod regardless of if there are batteries in use or the boombox is plugged in.
Cons: 12 D batteries required for portability, weight =40lbs, no remote, problems with iPod touch 3Gen and USB (freezes iPod), iPod 4Gen works fine, the boombox freezes or turns off if powered by batteries and the volume control is quickly adjusted and will have to be reset by pulling one of the 12 D batteries out. The touch screen on the boombox only works to display the song title if you are using a USB memory stick and not for the iPod touch. The equalizer is too basic and has very little effect on the sound of the music. (Not a big flaw since the sound quality is nice under any equalizer setting.
Bottom Line: I love it for it’s loudness, sound quality, looks, and most important its portability! Buy it, you won’t find a better boombox that is this portable!
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Syzygies says:

13 years ago

We purchased this cube for our 15 year old daughter, after reading a product-placement review at Wired. It is ergonomically far simpler than a full amp/speakers/subwoofer stereo system, easily moved room-to-room or used as a footrest, and it provides inputs for all of her music sources.

Note that there are actually two 5 1/4-inch coaxial drivers; the other two speaker-like ports are passive reflectors. So while this cube presents the illusion of being a subwoofer, two speakers, and a crossover circuit, it actually consists of two full-range speakers. There are physical limits to the subwoofer effect one can achieve with any 17 lb, 20 Watts RMS, 10″ cube; this wouldn’t be the right choice for a high school dance. There’s little risk of the bass loosening one’s deck screws, and anyone who knows the sound of a 200 Watts RMS 12″ powered subwoofer could write a scathing review if they chose to be so clever. Given the physical limits here, I’m surprised how good this cube sounds.

In a 10′ by 10′ room the sound is remarkable. The 17 lb heft delivers. The bass is extraordinarily clean; the highs are quite clear but not the cleanest I’ve ever heard. With an inferior-sounding bass, a teen’s natural reaction is to crank it up to compensate, and parents hears loud bass through the walls, of an embarrassing and disturbing sound quality. With this extraordinarily clean bass, there is no compensation reaction, and parents hear a tight, quieter bass through the walls that is far more pleasing. This is a nice bonus, and an argument to proceed for parents hesitating to so equip their teens.

With twice the budget, and a willingness to give up the ergonomic advantages of a single, portable cube, I’d go self-powered components from Audioengine, with extraordinarily clear highs to match the more powerful, actual subwoofer bass:

Audioengine A5 Powered Multimedia Speaker System (Black)
Audioengine AS8 – Subwoofer – 125 Watt – black

Nevertheless, this cube fills its niche perfectly, and is a great value at its price point.
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Dan says:

13 years ago

I wonder if it will benefit from burn-in?
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funhuntr says:

13 years ago

^flyah:
Digital Walker Eastwood, most Astrovision and Astroplus stores. Call 687 2521 for further details.
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sdb says:

13 years ago

Sir Yuga, it must be:
“..sensitivity of 111 +/- 3dB at 1kHz.”
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Iyan Sommerset says:

13 years ago

I dunno. For that price, I’d rather get a Razer Orca or a Carcharias for the gamer-cred.
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flyah says:

13 years ago

TDK Headphones is really good. I bought one last year and I’m pretty satisfied with it.

Where can I buy this?
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allen says:

8 years ago

i have tdk st800

Van says:

13 years ago

Sir Yuga, follow up! what are the best sounding earbuds w/ mic and control for my Samsung Galaxy S II. i currently have the Sennheiser CX-310 adidas.
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Techboy says:

13 years ago

Yuga, I’m just curious. What are the best-sounding headphones at this price range?
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Luigi Francisco says:

13 years ago

One of the best out there are the Grado SR80i and MS1i. These headphones have been reviewed and tested by numerous audiophiles.