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I love hard guitar blues. Sold my 580s because they sounded bad to me compared to even the SR60s. I'd love a chance to hear the 225s. My AD900s are also much better FOR ME than the 580s were, and they (900s) are great for the jazz and pop vocals I also listen to).
Mooch
Thanks, that helps me decide between the AD900 and HD580.
A used Stax Lambda variant based combo should be doable for $400. Which I would go for.
x2, and I'll tell you why, based on your original post:
Originally Posted by andy43
I listen to rock, metal, electronic, and some hip-hop as my main music, but I do listen to classical and jazz occasionally
The front-running HD580 is not ideal for the rock, metal, or hip-hop. The second-placed Grado is weak on the hip-hop and the secondary classical and jazz. Of the other options, only the A900 can cover this whole ground, but I doubt anyone would say an a900 or for that matter any of these can stand up to a Lambda in sheer performance.
-Tight, punchy bass that reaches low: This one is a must for me. I can't stand flubby, overpowering mid-bass when I'm listening to electronic, rock, and such. The bass should be audible enough to be able to say, "Man, this bass is tight (literally) sounding!"
Precision is what planar drivers like electrostats do perfectly; fullness is the virtue of dynamics. Any of the headphones you've listed can easily be made to produce flubby, overpowering midbass depending on amp and recording; the Stax will produce no such thing.
-Not too bright: I listen to music pretty much all day long, so I don't want my ears to be all worn out by the end of the day.
Several of the options will satisfy this, and so will the Stax.
-Mids good: Mids are important, as vocals are my thing. The guitars should stand out pretty well, too.
Vocal presentation is what made me switch to planar drivers in the first place. To my ear, even very good dynamic drivers sound fake in comparison. They can sound great, really fine, but somehow not real like planar.
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team planar
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OK, I've eliminated the K701 and HD580. The K701 sounds like a good headphone, but I have a feeling that I wouldn't be blown away. That leaves the Denon D2000, AT AD900, and Grado SR225. Oh, and that Stax Lambda is just too ugly and uncomfortable looking for me! I bet it sounds great, though.
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Asus G1 Notebook
AD900 Phones
Cowon iAudio X5 MP3 Player
Steve Jobbs is the devil, one factor in the increasing stupidity in USA (Opinion, don't ask, you'll only get pissed off)
Oh, and that Stax Lambda is just too ugly and uncomfortable looking for me! I bet it sounds great, though.
The Lambda's might not be the best looking (depends on the eyes who see), but they are certainly not uncomfortable.Soft pads who put little pressure around the ear, and a wide headband that cary most of the weight.
As much as I want to go for the D2000, I'm afraid that this isn't the best choice either. The bass is boomy, and I've heard some complaints of headaches from too much bass. That is definitely not what I want, so I think I'll pass. Will the Grado SR225's bass go low enough to be adequate for electronic music?
As much as I want to go for the D2000, I'm afraid that this isn't the best choice either. The bass is boomy, and I've heard some complaints of headaches from too much bass. That is definitely not what I want, so I think I'll pass. Will the Grado SR225's bass go low enough to be adequate for electronic music?
The FR chart for the SR225 shows a drop off in the low frequencies and for this reason it would not be my choice for electronic music.
I was very impressed with the bass of the Ultrasone Proline 650 with electronica, and from what I've read it now can be easily modded into even better sounding cans. I suggest you may benefit from reading the recent mod thread for the PL650.
SR225 definately. As 003 pointed out before, best bang for the buck. I've yet to hear a $200 better than them. Like them more than my Silver Dragon recabled HD600.
Tight bass and excellent presence with flats. The rest of the sound spectrum on them is just as good. Upfront and very involving mids. And Grados are practically made for string istruments so guitars sound fenomenal too.
__________________ Home rig: Linn Ikemi ~> Linn Silver Interconnect ~> Corda Opera ~> Grado GS1000 w/ Black Dragon
Vinyl rig: Dual 505-2 w/ Ortofon Super OM 10 pickup and Stylus 5E needle ~> Cambridge Audio 540P ~> Corda Opera ~> Grado GS1000 w/ Black Dragon
SR225 definately. As 003 pointed out before, best bang for the buck. I've yet to hear a $200 better than them. Like them more than my Silver Dragon recabled HD600.
Tight bass and excellent presence with flats. The rest of the sound spectrum on them is just as good. Upfront and very involving mids. And Grados are practically made for string istruments so guitars sound fenomenal too.
I like what I read about the SR225's strengths, but I have not owned one primarily due to how uncomfortable my SR80 was and also because I think I'd find the SR225 lacking in deep bass strength and extension.
Linear Mode
