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Sennheiser HD-448 vs Audio Technica ATH-MD50

post #1 of 8
3/5/10 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 
First time poster here. I've read all your stickied threads about "right headphones to get, newbies look here, etc etc," but I'm still on the fence about what to get.

I'm coming from a cheap $20 set of Sony earbuds, which is basically what I've used the past couple years. I figured it's time to upgrade.

I prefer closed, as I'd like to use them for some public transportation use, and would rather not have the sound annoy those around me.

95% of the time I'll be using an un-amped iPod. Maybe some occasional un-amped use through my cheap, 10+ year old home theater in a box.

So after doing lots of research here and on other sites, I've came to these two cans.

Music would be a mix of lots of stuff, mostly indie (Wilco, Broken Social Scene, The National), rock (Neil Young, Springsteen, Drive-By Truckers, The Beatles, Dylan, Radiohead), to some acoustic/alt-country stuff (Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell, Justin Townes Earle).

So what say you Head Fi? What do you recommend?
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post #2 of 8
3/5/10 at 4:24pm
I recommend the HD448 only if you have a portable amp as your source. I'm not sure if an unamped ipod can drive it to its full potential, but on my sony x1051 and iBasso T3, the HD448s are outstanding. The highs and mids are clear and detailed, and the bass is just the right amount. It has an overall balanced, neutral sound if that's what you're looking for.
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post #3 of 8
3/6/10 at 1:09am
Have to agree, I've had my HD448s for 2 weeks now and they have surprised the pants off me, before them I used Sennheisser earbuds and HD25BA headphones. The HD448s are now all I use, my iPod can drive then without a problem, Like Chrisss stated highs and mids are crystal clear and bass is very tight, not over emphasizing as some headphones can produce. BUT I have found with the hd448s burn in is a MUST, I put well over 100 hours of burnin time on these in the first week and they sound much different then they did out of the box, the sound has opened up nicely and the edginess they had new has disappeared. Problem might be getting your hands on a set, I have noticed most sellers have them on back-order.
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post #4 of 8
3/6/10 at 11:37am
+1 for the HD448 for your types of music, although I think the ATH would have better isolation (haven't tried them myself). The Senns have decent isolation, but they don't clamp on your head at all, so you have to turn the music up a bit if you're in noisy environments. But I assume you don't listen at low volumes to quiet, subdued and detailed music so they'd be OK.
As stated before, they have no problem being played from an ipod or any other mp3 player. I've been using them with cellphones and they sound great..
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post #5 of 8
3/6/10 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help!
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post #6 of 8
3/6/10 at 1:36pm
A third alternative could be Shure SRH440. It is within the same price range.
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post #7 of 8
3/6/10 at 9:35pm
I did a little research and one point you may want look into with the AT M50s is how they do with a iPod without a amp, I never had the pleasure of hearing the AT M50s so I can't judge but in HeadPhones.com review they do mention this factor. I see the AT M50s are also on their Top 10 list unfortunately the HD448s are back-ordered there also, not nearly as bad as Amazon who is now showing 1 to 2 month delay.

Top 10 Best Headphones - 2009 Gear Guide | HeadRoom Audio

I'd love to find a store that displayed all these headphones where you could walk in and plug in your source and choose the ones you find just right for you.. Headphone Utopia just does not exist
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post #8 of 8
3/31/10 at 9:31pm
The m50 can be found at almost any Guitar Center.
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