Polk Buckle Vs Polk Hinge

gudnoyez

After I got my Hinges, I was happy enough with them that if I found a deal on some Buckles I would snag them. I found a good deal on them and they arrived today. I have spent a week with the Hinges and a couple of hours with the Buckles. I did the comparison with the headphone amp on my Oppo 105D, and Mark Knopflers Shangri-La, and The Kinks Muswell Hillbillies, both SACDs, now these both have 40mm Transducers, the Hinges are on ear, The Buckles are over ear. Both are geared on bass and midrange and laid back treble, and I agree completely, however the on ear Hinges have a less muffled treble than the Buckles, I guess thats due to them being on ear where the Buckles are over ear.

Both of these are well constructed and are comfortable to wear, and I like the look of them, a little Al Stewart, and some Chili Peppers, Police, on CD and wrapping it up with DSOTM on SACD. I have to give the Hinges the edge not by much on bass heavy tracks the Buckles are great but on the song Walking on the Moon by The Police the Hinges sounded much better in the treble department, so since I like to hear Stewart Copeland, and Nick Mason tapping on the cymbals like I do, then the Hinges are a tad more to my liking. They also fit in a Crown Royal pouch. Perhaps I need to give the Buckles some more burn in time and they will improve in the high end department. Neither of these beat out my Sennhiser HD 598s, but I still like them both in my collection. There you have all in all nice Job Polk Audio I do enjoy these.

jeremymarcinko

Having both of these in my home as well, I can agree with your assessment that the hinges may have better treble. However having the buckles before the hinges, I found them to be nicely balanced. When I first listened to the hinged I thought that they were very clear but on the edge of being thin. I think that if I listened to them for a week then I would find the buckles to be some what flat or having a slightly bloated midrange. The hinges do sound better on a smartphone though. I think that the buckles win , using better amplification.

gudnoyez

Perhaps if I would have gotten the Buckles first I would think the same, I enjoy them just as much as the hinges but on several tracks prominent on cymbals the Hinges sounded better to me. Hey we own both and like them!

shawn474

I just ordered the buckles from nordstroms (on sale for $99). They may not have noise canceling but I think that the over ear design will be sufficient for my purposes. I had beats and didn't like them so hopefully these will sound better.

jeremymarcinko

The buckles sound good, and I think they are much more stylish than the beats. Well worth the $100.

gudnoyez

Oh yeah better deal than the Beats for sure the Buckles are a decent pair of headphones listening to them as I type have had them on for quite some time very comfortable, I still think the treble is a bit more subdued on these than the Hinges not by much but I can still tell the difference between the two, as I have swapped between the two most of the evening on the same songs.

shawn474

Looking for a case to put these in when I travel. Does anyone know of a good travel case? Anyone have experience with this one:
amazon.com/Slappa-Sized-HardBody-Headphone-SL-HP-07/dp/B009NE7B06/ref=sr_1_1/175-2304715-0653034?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1425214641&sr=1-1

scubalab

Nice review on the Hinges vs. Buckles. Thank you! Looking forward to hearing them. Got two pairs of the Hinges for daughters, but they are gifts... so, I haven't listened to them yet.

gudnoyez

shawn474 wrote: »

Looking for a case to put these in when I travel. Does anyone know of a good travel case? Anyone have experience with this one:
amazon.com/Slappa-Sized-HardBody-Headphone-SL-HP-07/dp/B009NE7B06/ref=sr_1_1/175-2304715-0653034?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1425214641&sr=1-1

I would imagine that room wise there will be plenty you might even want to stick the storage bag that comes with them in side to insure they don't rattle around at all, it seems well padded inside and would do a good job of protecting them. If they had a handle they would be the perfect case.