What headphones to buy as a worthy upgrade over the HFI-780s? - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism 

Sony SA5000 and AD2000 will be very bass-light in comparison, they are open and airy, albeit fast but lack impact. DT990-600ohm I haven't heard but from reading seems to be more of a mid-bass than sub-bass, the higher the ohm the better the SQ but at the cost of bass extension. D5000/7000 are very bass heavy, I owned the D2000 for a period of time and the bass was overly bloated... I enjoyed the hfi-780 bass for electronica, it was nice and fast but the D2000s bass (D5000 has even more) was slow and sloppy, perhaps better suited to D&B and hip hop.

I believe that bass is very important for electronic music, and Graphicism brings up very useful info. I did notice that speed and impact were characteristics of the HFi-780's bass. What would you recommend, Graphicism, for headphones that would be an upgrade over the HFI-780s, while maintaining that favorable bass?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by molokovellocet 

 

Isolation is not the best as far as blocking outside sound, I don't really notice it since I listen in my apartment, I also have the TV on,but barely notice it. Build quality is outstanding, beautiful finish, very good size adjusters, super comfortable.

Can't really comment on the Ultrasone Edition 8's yet, I'm still burning them in, although as far as comfort goes, the Denon's blow them away.

I'm not an expert on amps but I recommend a good solid state amp, to tighten up the bass on the D7000. When I was looking for a SS amp several months ago I was looking at Audio-gd c2c, Goldpoint headphone pro, Graham slee solo, Rudistor NX-02 and NX-03. Hard to compare HFI-780 soundstage with D7000 since unfortunately I broke the ultrasones before I could use it with my current setup, but the Denon's do sound bigger, deeper.

Again, very instructive feedback, molo; I really appreciate it. Looks like I'm going to need to start searching for a good SS amp, in order to drive my new headphones.

I do have a Meier-Audio Corda Headsix amplifier at the moment, and my source will be a soon to arrive Cowon J3 (MP3 player). Tisb0b previously stated that the Headsix would go well the ATH-w1000x but that the Pro 900 needs a bit more power. What do you think Graphicism?

Also, I think I will probably ditch the portability of the headsix + Cowon J3 in favor of a Corda Swing, or even a Concerto, in the very near future; of course, I will buy a decent DAC to go with the amp.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread thus far; the following headphones have been mentioned to this point:

(comments found after the name are only based on what was revealed in this thread)

Closed

Pro 900 -  "do need some juice to sound their best" / retains the favorable bass of the HFI-780 / very portable: great build quality + inclusion of two cables / kees mod is

                 imparitive / great value since it can be found for ~$350 used

ATH-W1000X - "do not need amping to sound great"

Denon D7000 - a nice SS amp is recommended / comfortable / isolation is rather poor / sounds bigger & deeper than the HFI 780s / "A deep soothing warm bass" </> "very bass heavy"

Denon D2000 - "slow sloppy bass" / "better suited [for] D&B and hip hop" than electronic music

Open

SA-5000 - "will be very bass-light in comparison" to the HFI-780s

DT-990 600 ohm - "more of mid-bass than sub-bass" / the higher Ohms mean better sound quality

Any additional comments/praise/criticism for the Denon LA2000, Audio Technica ATH-W5000, Darth Beyer V4, Ultrasone Pro 2900, Sennheisier HD650, Beyerdynamic DT 880, AKG K702, or for the headphones already mentioned?

I'm leaving to Europe this coming Friday and would love to have made my choice on "what headphones to buy as a worthy upgrade over the HFI-780s" before then.

I'm open to any suggestions for headphones that are not even so good for electronic music, lack in the bass department, or require expensive amps to drive properly; my only two "serious" requirements are that the price remains below $700 and that these new headphones outclass my HFI-780s in terms of sound quality.

Thanks

Has anybody listened to the Ultrasone Pro 2900s? They are an open variation of the 900s and maintain the same titanium drivers, so they should have a wider/deeper soundstage which I crave. As far as I know, The 2900s are only available at fullcompass for 550 US$; I think I should wait for reviews before pouncing on them.

Does anybody believe I should skip the $250-$700 price range altogether and move on to the high-end cans (such as the HD800, T1, etc.) ?

Today is the last day before I leave Head-Fi for ~4 weeks, so keep the recommendations coming!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism 

Ultrasone Pro 2900s might not meet your bass requirements, they are open which means they will be more airy at the cost of impact. The HD800 and T1 will also be bass-light in comparison to what you have now; if you're wanting to move away from bass-driven music to a more all-rounder for classical, jazz, acoustic etc then I'm sure a statement headphone such as these would be very nice. Then again if you're going to spend that much you might as well get the edition 8 which you're bound to like, unless of course you simply just want more/better bass then the Pro 900 will suit you better. Furthermore if you're going with a statement headphone you'll want to improve your source/DAC and amp which means spending even more.

Very true; however, greater bass impact/weight is not the most important quality I would like my new headphones to have. I'm looking for headphones that, across the board, sound superior to my HFI-780s. This "superiority" could imply a greater detail throughout the spectrum, a wider/deeper soundstage (very important for me actually), and overall, a more engaging sound signature (I like to tap my feet when I listen ). If the 900s could provide this then that would be lovely; except, I don't think I have truly considered all options available to me. For example, there are many open cans that have not been mentioned yet in this thread, and they could quite possibly fit into my idea of "superior sound". I do realize that the Edition 8s/HD800s/T1s/among many others would most likely be perfect for me; however, I can not justify paying this much for headphones at the moment (and this not even considering the money I will have to invest in other audio equipment). Perhaps there are no headphones in my 250-700 price range that could satisfy my lust for "superior sound quality", but the possibility of finding some is why I started this thread in the first place.

Cheers

By the way, the "must-haves" for my headphones, other than improved sound quality over the HFI-780s, are essentially just very nice conveniences that would make my new headphones even better.

A bump before I fly tomorrow.