I haven't really seen a thread like this before, so I figured I would start one and see everyone's thoughts on this subject. Of course, it's most definitely a subjective, personal, and opinionated topic, so don't yell at me if you disagree.
I figure that headphones are a great start in the hobby of audio and that most people on here will (if they haven't already), start to dabble with speakers, and perhaps, someone might benefit from comparisons, ie. if they like the sound of ___ headphones and are interested in getting some good speakers, then ___ brand of speakers would be a good start in looking and auditioning - might save them time. Headphones, for me, have largely been a crossover product right into the world of 2 channel speaker Hi-Fi and I LOVE IT!
My thoughts on the brands that I have owned or auditioned (of high-quality headphones/speakers) are:
Sennheiser HD-650
The Sennheiser HD600/650's really, to me, have the sonic qualities of Dynaudio speakers or speakers that use the Dynaudio drivers. The sound is detailed yet laid back, non-fatiguing, smooth, clean and have great bass - these are all usually characteristic qualities of Dyn's. The laid-back and smooth Esotar tweeter used in the models I auditioned sounded just like the highs of Senns. When I was auditioning speakers for my bedroom system, I took a listen to the Audience 52SE and the Contour 1.4S - both of which I liked but the Contour was a little overpriced, IMO.
Sony MDR-CD3000/SA5000
The CD3K definitely reminds me of the B&W Nautilus series - both the headphones and speakers present a wide, sparkling soundstage and have tremendous, if almost too-much upper treble energy which to some may come across as fatiguing, especially after a long listening period. The SA5000's aren't quite as bad in this respect as they seem to be a little more laid back, but they definitely are super-detailed and forward, and as some others have mentioned, cold and analytical. I think that they compare well with my own speaker setup right now, which right now includes the JM Lab Electra 906, but after A/Bing them, it seems that the SA5000's still have a bit more treble energy than my speakers, which are still detailed but a smidge more laid back. Both the JM Labs' and the Sony's do seem to be fairly cold and analytical - not warm or smooth like the Sennheisers sound to me.
Beyerdynamic DT770-80
I had these headphones for 2 days before returning them. I liked them, but thought I could do better and opted to get a refund and put the funds toward the SA5000's which I thought I might like more. These were nice, and to me, seemed pretty value-oriented with a good overall sound - kind of in between the Sony and Sennheiser descriptions above. They had lots of bass like everyone says. They had a good mix of smoothness and detail, were built well but were largely unattractive. All of these characters remind me of Canadian speakers - particularly Paradigm (which I have in my HT currently - going to sell soon). The Paradigm Studio Reference line (I'm more familiar with the v2's) seem to exhibit the same overall characteristics of these phones - good value for the money and mix of detail and smoothness but at the same time are built like tanks and aren't as attractive as more expensive options.
I'd love to hear all your thoughts...
I figure that headphones are a great start in the hobby of audio and that most people on here will (if they haven't already), start to dabble with speakers, and perhaps, someone might benefit from comparisons, ie. if they like the sound of ___ headphones and are interested in getting some good speakers, then ___ brand of speakers would be a good start in looking and auditioning - might save them time. Headphones, for me, have largely been a crossover product right into the world of 2 channel speaker Hi-Fi and I LOVE IT!
My thoughts on the brands that I have owned or auditioned (of high-quality headphones/speakers) are:
Sennheiser HD-650
The Sennheiser HD600/650's really, to me, have the sonic qualities of Dynaudio speakers or speakers that use the Dynaudio drivers. The sound is detailed yet laid back, non-fatiguing, smooth, clean and have great bass - these are all usually characteristic qualities of Dyn's. The laid-back and smooth Esotar tweeter used in the models I auditioned sounded just like the highs of Senns. When I was auditioning speakers for my bedroom system, I took a listen to the Audience 52SE and the Contour 1.4S - both of which I liked but the Contour was a little overpriced, IMO.
Sony MDR-CD3000/SA5000
The CD3K definitely reminds me of the B&W Nautilus series - both the headphones and speakers present a wide, sparkling soundstage and have tremendous, if almost too-much upper treble energy which to some may come across as fatiguing, especially after a long listening period. The SA5000's aren't quite as bad in this respect as they seem to be a little more laid back, but they definitely are super-detailed and forward, and as some others have mentioned, cold and analytical. I think that they compare well with my own speaker setup right now, which right now includes the JM Lab Electra 906, but after A/Bing them, it seems that the SA5000's still have a bit more treble energy than my speakers, which are still detailed but a smidge more laid back. Both the JM Labs' and the Sony's do seem to be fairly cold and analytical - not warm or smooth like the Sennheisers sound to me.
Beyerdynamic DT770-80
I had these headphones for 2 days before returning them. I liked them, but thought I could do better and opted to get a refund and put the funds toward the SA5000's which I thought I might like more. These were nice, and to me, seemed pretty value-oriented with a good overall sound - kind of in between the Sony and Sennheiser descriptions above. They had lots of bass like everyone says. They had a good mix of smoothness and detail, were built well but were largely unattractive. All of these characters remind me of Canadian speakers - particularly Paradigm (which I have in my HT currently - going to sell soon). The Paradigm Studio Reference line (I'm more familiar with the v2's) seem to exhibit the same overall characteristics of these phones - good value for the money and mix of detail and smoothness but at the same time are built like tanks and aren't as attractive as more expensive options.
I'd love to hear all your thoughts...
