sacd lover
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2002
- Posts
- 8,287
- Likes
- 223
There has been a lot of discussion lately about these three headphones. I have all three and I thought I would offer some impressions about them. The impressions I will relay are my opinions based on my system. I have the advantage of comparing them on the exact same equipment and my auditions have been lenghty so here goes.
First my sources consist of sony sacdmods 555es and sacdmods 222es sacd/cd players. I use mit#2 interconnects. The amps are gilmore std v1, Carlo modded dact gilmore v1 and a gilmore v2se. I use ps audio, audioquest and signalcable power cords. Power conditioning is with ps audio ultimate outlets.
First up is the grado sr-225. This headphone has been a favorite of mine for many years. This grado has the smoothest least forward upper midrange of all the grados(to me) and is the grado I find easiest to listen to. The 225 has lots of dynamic punch with a slightly rich upper bass. The mids are nice and smooth but on the forward side compared to most headphones. The treble is no longer bright on my current setup but there is no doubt with the wrong source, cables or amp it can be. The 225's dont seem to enhance tape hiss, in fact, I find they reduce tape hiss vs the 3000 and dt 880. The treble however is nowhere near as refined or natural compared to the 3000 or dt 880. I am one who doesnt find a big difference between headphones soundstage. They all have the sound inside your head phenomena to me. What I do hear is a difference in perspective and in width. The sr-225's have the most pinched width and they are the most upfront. They can sometimes take away the musics bloom and sound to small and to narrow. They are mostly coherent as they give you a consistent front row perspective top to bottom. With rock they have the power and dynamics to communicate the musical message with great realism. The 225's are not the last word in refinement but they do most everything reasonably well. I find the 225's and rs-1 to be almost equally pleasing but the price of the 225 makes it the winner in my book.
Next up the beyer dt 880. I had never liked beyer headphones until I tried these. The 880's are smooth and refined with a slightly lightweight bass register. The bass sounds tight and defined but lacks heft and muscle compared to the 225's or cd3000's. The 880's do seem to have very good bass extension despite the noted leaness. The beyers do benefit from this leaness on some music displaying greater openess and delicacy. I dont find the beyers bright on my setup, if anything they can be very slightly dark. The treble is just excellent to me. Very clear, detailed and extended but with no harshness or sibilance (unless the sibilance is in the recording) nor prominence. The beyer is very coherent and nothing seems out of place except the slight leaness I noted. The beyers can do rock and they have very good dynamics from the midrange up. The perspective with the beyers is the most relaxed of these three headphones giving you a little distance that makes them the easiest to listen to (for me) for extended periods. All three of these headphones have presence on my system and I dont need to turn up the volume with any of them to hear whats going on. I disagree with some as I find the dt 880's character more like the grados than a sennheiser; as the 880's dont sound as slow overall nor as recessed in the mids as senns (hd580) do to me. The beyers are a headphone that needs power and since the gilmores can supply the power I think thats why I find mine fast and dynamic . The demand for power has one positive in that its the easiest headphone by far to get the volume right with the dact stepped attenuators.
Finally we move to the sony cd3000. This headphone has been with me for a couple weeks and I am surprised these arent more highly regarded. As of late they have been very much in the news with many buys and sells on the trade forum and many posts. I first heard a pair Tom Hankins loaned me and I was smitten from the beginning. The 3000's have a big powerful sound with a sense of light thats most reminisant of live music. I will start with the treble and say right off I had concerns about the 3000's treble brightness or prominence. However, as my new pair broke in they have smoothed out and become much more balanced. The treble is very detailed and highly resolving; paired with the 555es and v2se it is almost to much at times. But the highs are also refined and lacking any edge. Furthermore, with lots of work changing source, amp and power cord combinations I finally hit on what worked. It dawned on me the 3000's are so sensitive I couldnt get the volume exactly right; it was always a little to loud for me. Once I used my std v1 with the alps volume control where I could get the volume right; the 3000's have been stunning.
These phones do it all. The mids are present but never to forward. The bass is rich, full and impactful; but not bloated or boomy. The sound is so natural and integrated the music tells you what trait will stand out with the 3000's, not inherent colorations. These headphones are very dynamic top to bottom, again the best I have heard. I hear midrange dynamics that I have never heard before on any system. Detail and decay are almost lifelike. The big earcups give you a sense of openess and width much like the beyer dt 880's. The 3000's can rock but they can also turn around and be delicate and intimate with solo acoustic recordings. They can then be open and expasive on large scale music and give the best sense of the recording space I have, again, heard from headphones. The comfort of this headphone is well noted and I personally dont have any issues with the loose feeling fit. I do wish they were a little less sensitive so the voume would be easier to set. But, if this reduced the 3000's dynamics I would live with the sensitivity. The dynamics with the 3000's remind me of a good horn loudspeaker; they can be explosive. If the treble continues to improve or I find a better combination with them I believe these may be the ONE. I personally enjoy these more than the grado hp-1's and rs-1's I owned.
All three of these headphones are excellent. They have flaws but their strenghts more than compensate. IMO, I find these three to be the most affordable and high performance headphones from each of their respective manufacturers line up. I can see any of these headphones giving their owners years of satisfaction. If I could only have one it would be the cd 3000. I find it to be the best combination of sound quality, comfort and price I know of. If the cd3000 were not around I could happily live with the dt 880's though. I still feel the 225's are a the jewel of the grado line but I dont feel they have the refinement of the other two. But if you listen only to rock there may not be a better headphone for you. I hope you find this comparison useful.
First my sources consist of sony sacdmods 555es and sacdmods 222es sacd/cd players. I use mit#2 interconnects. The amps are gilmore std v1, Carlo modded dact gilmore v1 and a gilmore v2se. I use ps audio, audioquest and signalcable power cords. Power conditioning is with ps audio ultimate outlets.
First up is the grado sr-225. This headphone has been a favorite of mine for many years. This grado has the smoothest least forward upper midrange of all the grados(to me) and is the grado I find easiest to listen to. The 225 has lots of dynamic punch with a slightly rich upper bass. The mids are nice and smooth but on the forward side compared to most headphones. The treble is no longer bright on my current setup but there is no doubt with the wrong source, cables or amp it can be. The 225's dont seem to enhance tape hiss, in fact, I find they reduce tape hiss vs the 3000 and dt 880. The treble however is nowhere near as refined or natural compared to the 3000 or dt 880. I am one who doesnt find a big difference between headphones soundstage. They all have the sound inside your head phenomena to me. What I do hear is a difference in perspective and in width. The sr-225's have the most pinched width and they are the most upfront. They can sometimes take away the musics bloom and sound to small and to narrow. They are mostly coherent as they give you a consistent front row perspective top to bottom. With rock they have the power and dynamics to communicate the musical message with great realism. The 225's are not the last word in refinement but they do most everything reasonably well. I find the 225's and rs-1 to be almost equally pleasing but the price of the 225 makes it the winner in my book.
Next up the beyer dt 880. I had never liked beyer headphones until I tried these. The 880's are smooth and refined with a slightly lightweight bass register. The bass sounds tight and defined but lacks heft and muscle compared to the 225's or cd3000's. The 880's do seem to have very good bass extension despite the noted leaness. The beyers do benefit from this leaness on some music displaying greater openess and delicacy. I dont find the beyers bright on my setup, if anything they can be very slightly dark. The treble is just excellent to me. Very clear, detailed and extended but with no harshness or sibilance (unless the sibilance is in the recording) nor prominence. The beyer is very coherent and nothing seems out of place except the slight leaness I noted. The beyers can do rock and they have very good dynamics from the midrange up. The perspective with the beyers is the most relaxed of these three headphones giving you a little distance that makes them the easiest to listen to (for me) for extended periods. All three of these headphones have presence on my system and I dont need to turn up the volume with any of them to hear whats going on. I disagree with some as I find the dt 880's character more like the grados than a sennheiser; as the 880's dont sound as slow overall nor as recessed in the mids as senns (hd580) do to me. The beyers are a headphone that needs power and since the gilmores can supply the power I think thats why I find mine fast and dynamic . The demand for power has one positive in that its the easiest headphone by far to get the volume right with the dact stepped attenuators.
Finally we move to the sony cd3000. This headphone has been with me for a couple weeks and I am surprised these arent more highly regarded. As of late they have been very much in the news with many buys and sells on the trade forum and many posts. I first heard a pair Tom Hankins loaned me and I was smitten from the beginning. The 3000's have a big powerful sound with a sense of light thats most reminisant of live music. I will start with the treble and say right off I had concerns about the 3000's treble brightness or prominence. However, as my new pair broke in they have smoothed out and become much more balanced. The treble is very detailed and highly resolving; paired with the 555es and v2se it is almost to much at times. But the highs are also refined and lacking any edge. Furthermore, with lots of work changing source, amp and power cord combinations I finally hit on what worked. It dawned on me the 3000's are so sensitive I couldnt get the volume exactly right; it was always a little to loud for me. Once I used my std v1 with the alps volume control where I could get the volume right; the 3000's have been stunning.
These phones do it all. The mids are present but never to forward. The bass is rich, full and impactful; but not bloated or boomy. The sound is so natural and integrated the music tells you what trait will stand out with the 3000's, not inherent colorations. These headphones are very dynamic top to bottom, again the best I have heard. I hear midrange dynamics that I have never heard before on any system. Detail and decay are almost lifelike. The big earcups give you a sense of openess and width much like the beyer dt 880's. The 3000's can rock but they can also turn around and be delicate and intimate with solo acoustic recordings. They can then be open and expasive on large scale music and give the best sense of the recording space I have, again, heard from headphones. The comfort of this headphone is well noted and I personally dont have any issues with the loose feeling fit. I do wish they were a little less sensitive so the voume would be easier to set. But, if this reduced the 3000's dynamics I would live with the sensitivity. The dynamics with the 3000's remind me of a good horn loudspeaker; they can be explosive. If the treble continues to improve or I find a better combination with them I believe these may be the ONE. I personally enjoy these more than the grado hp-1's and rs-1's I owned.
All three of these headphones are excellent. They have flaws but their strenghts more than compensate. IMO, I find these three to be the most affordable and high performance headphones from each of their respective manufacturers line up. I can see any of these headphones giving their owners years of satisfaction. If I could only have one it would be the cd 3000. I find it to be the best combination of sound quality, comfort and price I know of. If the cd3000 were not around I could happily live with the dt 880's though. I still feel the 225's are a the jewel of the grado line but I dont feel they have the refinement of the other two. But if you listen only to rock there may not be a better headphone for you. I hope you find this comparison useful.
