First Impressions: HD650, K701, K271, MDR-7509, HD595

[krc2]

Well after all the Head-fi researching and question asking I decided to trust my ears and put theory into practice!

Got a chance to listen to all of these for quite a while with selections of music that I like through a nice solid state amplifier at Tom Lee Music.

I am still looking to try some more (their last K501 JUST sold an hour before I arrived so I couldnt listen to them) and I'd love to hear other recommendations.

Disclaimer: I'm a novice, just getting into Mid and Hi-Fi, but I trust my ears

The HD650s:
Very nice cans. Started with some orchestral music and it sounded fantastic. Moved into some electronic music, which was beatifully presented, but I really did notice the darkness that people mention from these headphones. I was impressed, but not WOWed.

The HD595s:
These I liked right from the start. They fit nicely on my head, and as I ran through the routine I found myself quite ENGAGED in the music, something that I didnt notice in the HD650s. The 650s were almost too laid back for some of the more energetic music I was playing. I noticed the Senn signature sound, and also could detect the 'veil' that people speak of. The soundstage was wider than I anticipated, yet I did feel that it was intimate. The 595s were no slouch on electronica, and although I felt that they too were a bit laid-back, I felt more engaged. The highs and mids sounded fantastic, and when I put on some female vocal tracks I thought "wow, I am impressed! I think THIS is what I was looking for!"

The K701s:
That is until I put these on. I was blown away by the amazing detail. The soundstage was much larger, and the mids and highs were everything I had been told. When I put some female vocals on, I was almost sold right there. That was the sound and definition I was looking for.
BUT, they didnt have the bass I enjoy. It was there, and very well presented and precise with deep extension, but it didnt fill in the bottom as much as I enjoy.
I swapped these and the HD595s quite a few times while demoing other music. I felt as soon as I put the 595s back on that they sounded veiled and muffled in comparison, but as soon as I switched tracks I was happy with the 595s again. They had more of the engaging feel again, the 701s were quite analytical. Until I put on the 701s , etc.

The K271s:
I grabbed these off the rack and though I'd give a closed can a try. Well, this made me realize that I really think I like the AKG mids and highs. This had some of the feel of the K701 in the vocals, but without all the precision. It was still very detailed, but the soundstage was much more closed. But it had bass, and nearly the perfect amount. I was actually VERY impressed with these! They were fun, engaging, and sounded great.

The MDR-7509:
I tried the Sonys (while I was also still switching back and forth through the other sets) and found that they had a similar sound to other Sony products. The lower mids (around the level of bass-guitar) was quite pronounced. I didnt like them too much.


Conclusion:
Oddly, out of all of them I found that I'd probably choose the K271! I really enjoyed the sound of the closed cans. But the K701s were stunning, and the soundstage and mids/highs of those is the sound that I want to get.
I'd like to try a set of A900s and wonder how they'd compare.

Suggestions? Any thing else I should look into? Perhaps the K501? I feel like I would be very satisfied with the HD595s, but after listening to the K701s (and K271s) I realized that I love the way AKG do mids and highs and thats close to the sound Im looking for.

[Asr]

Check out the open K240 since you liked the K271. The K240M is supposedly the best of the various K240 sub-models.

[rapzoo]

Since you seemed to like the HD650 but were turned off by its darkness, you might also want to check out the HD600. Many head-fiers prefer the 600 over the 650 claiming that the 650 is too dark. You may find that the mids and highs of the 600 approach those of the K701 while providing a stronger bottom end.

[donunus]

Are you saying that the bass on the k701s are less than the 595s or is it only because you notice the lack of bass in it more due to its higher resolution sound? Also, how many hours of burn in did the k701 have?

[sclamb]

Interesting question. I got my K701 yesterday and, whilst there is bass, it does not seem to have the presence or impact that I was used to with the Omega II or HD 650.

Now it may be because the mids and highs are so defined that the balance with the bass and mid-bass seems off, in that my concentration is being drawn more to the upper end of the spectrum. I found that tracks that were heavy in the mid-bass and bass region with sporadic passages in the highs sounded great and the bass was all that I could want.

I have my K701s playing 24/7 and will see how the sound changes each evening, and especially looking for the changes after 200-300 hours of play time.

Simon

[ElephantTLK]

Well after i got DT880 i already know what means this Senn veil. What difference in highs and detail! Compared to HD595 is like a day and night. But i like them both. I must look to some closed cans for real bass impact. That is missing on both DT880 and HD595.

[krc2]

Donunus, the K701s were the demo pair so I can only assume that they have been worn in. As for the comparison, even if the 595 and k701 had the same amount of bass, I think that since the K701 was so well defined and open in the upper ranges that it may have seemed that it was lacking while I was A/B-ing them
Rapzoo, I am going to see if i can get my hands on a set of 600s today. I'd also like to try a set of HD580s if I can, but they are a lot harder to find!
And also, I still really enjoyed the closed can K271. We'll see

[sclamb]

You might also want to try the HD650 with the Zu Mobius cable which lifts the dark veil superbly.

Simon

[The Other Allen]

Originally Posted by Asr

Check out the open K240 since you liked the K271. The K240M is supposedly the best of the various K240 sub-models.

I agree. I have the K501 and the 240M and find that while the K501 is a little bit better in mids and highs (detail), the K240M has better bass to my ears. Best $60 I ever spent.

[donunus]

The weird thing to me is that you thought the k271 had more bass than the k701. Those are supposed to be very lean in the bass

[BassheadJazz]

Every time I read about the K701 it makes me want to try them out, sigh. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they're pretty insightful-- I'd like to see what you think of the K240 models in comparison.

[krc2]

Tomorrow I think im going to demo the K240 again.
Donunus, I think it all has to do with the effect of a closed can. The bass will probably be much more present in the K701, but the K271 would have the effect of a closed can on the bass making it seem like more?
That graph is definitely not what I heard between the two. Thats QUITE a rolloff

Still though, the K701 reminded me a bit like a hospital. High precision, very clean, but not as engaging as the K271s.
More thoughts on the styles of music i listened to prompted me to evaluate my need in a headphone as well. I think that the K701s excel at high quality organic recordings, IE live instruments and singers. I listen to a lot of electronic music, and I am feeling that the ability of the K701 might be overkill for electronica. As much as I'd like to have a pair for when I DO listen to stuff that would shine on the K701s, they are pretty darned expensive for just that.

I am very eager to see how the HD850s compare as well

[Romanee]

Originally Posted by krc2

Tomorrow I think im going to demo the K240 again.
Donunus, I think it all has to do with the effect of a closed can. The bass will probably be much more present in the K701, but the K271 would have the effect of a closed can on the bass making it seem like more?
That graph is definitely not what I heard between the two. Thats QUITE a rolloff

Still though, the K701 reminded me a bit like a hospital. High precision, very clean, but not as engaging as the K271s.
More thoughts on the styles of music i listened to prompted me to evaluate my need in a headphone as well. I think that the K701s excel at high quality organic recordings, IE live instruments and singers. I listen to a lot of electronic music, and I am feeling that the ability of the K701 might be overkill for electronica. As much as I'd like to have a pair for when I DO listen to stuff that would shine on the K701s, they are pretty darned expensive for just that.

I am very eager to see how the HD850s compare as well

K701 needs a lot of hours to mature. The pair I broke in showed significant improvement around 350 hours. (I wasn't logging hours accurately.) Some claim much longer play times to optimize.

They are also very demanding and require high quality system components that have particular synergy with the 701. You'll have to search the forums to find possible choices.

One amp that I've found that gets a bit, lush, very engaging sound from the 701 is the Audiovalve RKV MkII with OPA627 upgrade (not without it) + Eddie Current EC/DC impedance matcher, which (via X-Ray CD transport > Muse DAC in my example system) presents deep well-articulated bass, warm/rich mids, the usual width with great depth, very dimensional/rock solid layered imaging, sweet highs with great/subtle inner detail, gorgeous voices, excellent timbral representation, great PRAT, etc.

Some portables can drive them well, but it can tend to have that analytical, though spacious, sound with many. The RSA Hornet adds nice warm and bass punch and drives them very well, IMO. The Portaphile Maxxed gets the most dimensional and layered imaging out of the 701, and has deep/well-defined bass, and though the mids could use a bit more warmth -- that might limit the transparency, air, and layering and I like the sound it creates with the 701.

The 701 definitely likes good tubed amps, and there are a variety to choose from. Finding a match in a modest budget is tougher. I just offered a few as an appetizer. Some solid state amps get a big sound out of them, but the better ones are in the upper price ranges (RSA Apache comes to mind).

Since you like good bass energy, the K501 is probably not for you. It has sweet, "natural" mids and upper mids, very wide sound stage, tight bass, but the 701 is superior in many ways, if mature and driven properly.

I personally find the 271 rather dry, airless and somewhat lifeless for my tastes.

Good luck.

[Redo]

Originally Posted by donunus

The weird thing to me is that you thought the k271 had more bass than the k701. Those are supposed to be very lean in the bass

This is why headphones are tested in person with our own ears and not by FR charts

[donunus]

true but an anomaly that big is usually detected by the ears easily. the headphones that i have heard correspond perfectly with headrooms graphs. hd555, hd595, some grados, and the dt990s especially. The spike in the treble in the graph really drove me nuts!