Top 5 wide sound stage headphones

1. AKG 702/701 (Seems bigger then it really should be)

2. Beyer DT-880 (to me, this has a better soundstage, but the AKG has a bigger one)

3. Sennheiser HD-600

4. Audio Technica ATH-AD700

5. Koss Pro DJ100

Are we talking in order of size? If so...

 

1. K1000

2. HD800

3. HE60

4. K701/2

5. HD600/650

 

K1000 is larger than HD800 IMO, but sounds more realistic. HD800, as another poster put it, sounds like an aircraft hangar.

 

HE60 is very large, but smaller than the HD800, but also better quality.

 

K701/2 is large, but just sounds totally wrong. Overall they aren't too bad though.

 

HD600/650 is about the same as K701/2, but presentation is superior. It gives a more intimate feeling than the K701/2 so I put it 5th.

 

Overall I'd say the HE60 really nails it on soundstage. I need to hear more phones to declare it best overall (IMO), though.

Edited by Maxvla - 8/1/10 at 1:22pm

 

I heard the Koss DJ100 recently. It's soundstage really confused me. At times sounds seemed distant, yet others sounded very close. I didn't care for it at all.

Yeah, it's not super huge, but it's not bad for a $80 headphone! I actually liked it's soundstage a lot. I couldn't think of anything else to put at #5. I was going to put the M50s at #6, but I forgot how to count. Haven't tried enough headphones long enough to put together a better list.

Yeah it's not bad for the price. I guess I'm spoiled.

 

I do commend you for posting phones you have heard though. So often these threads get polluted by lists from people that include their 'dream phones' which can do no wrong. Nothing wrong with listing the DJ100 if you either run out of better phones that you've heard or if you genuinely feel they deserve to be there.

It sounds like it is artificially enhanced similar to how software/hardware spatializers create the illusion of surround sound. Listening to one of the Chesky Audiophile Test discs (I forget which) they play something as it was recorded straight without any alterations. Then they add artificial decay and resonance to make it sound like the studio room is a large concert hall. It sounds pretty bad to me.

The K-701 is to real music as Tang is to real oranges.

For soundstage, nothing on your head beats the K-1000. Until someone else releases a new earspeaker (and there really should be one on the market), then the K-100 0 will remain tops. The HD-800 is pretty good, too, as is the K-501 which the K-701 is sort of a mutant offspring of.

Still, when I want an excellent soundstage, I go to dipole speakers. Only live music is better.

Sounds too artificial to me.

ROTFLOL...quote of the decade!

1.K1000

2.Grado GS1000

3.K701

4.HD800

5.......

 

 

This is what I have heard.

Sennheiser 580/600 have a very intimate soundstage! ....Ugh. My closed M50 has more width than the 580/600.

 

From what I have owned:

 

1. K501

1a. AD700

2. 880/600

Where is the M50's soundstage? I haven't found it yet, but I keep hearing about it!

Just kidding, I've never had any luck with a decent soundstage on my M50s like others have.

I guess I need to find some better music for testing this out. I just picked up "Dark Side of the Moon", so if anyone has any other suggestions, let me know! Sorry, off topic. Kind of.

 

BTW the AKG 701 had this strange soundstage with Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". It felt like the song was being played in a massive warehouse with air swirling all around. It just felt...wrong, just because I've heard the song a million times and never experienced that. If it was really recorded in such a room i'll be really impressed!

 

Anyone else sometimes feel like they're wearing surround sound headphones when they put on the DT-880? Never had that effect so much as I did with anything else. Instrument separation was also just amazing. Too bad I couldn't stand them for long. I should try the 600 ohm version though when I get a better amp.

The HD600's have huge soundstage..? hmm