Best High End can for rock.... - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace 

I enjoy the L3000 for rock, personally. Grados aren't bad, but hurt my ears.

Talk about hearing things differently, the L3000s I thought were perfect for choral and classical, not so much rock.  Grados however...!

I agree that stats can sound wonderful. But I would disagree that bass-heavy dynamic phones may sound like crap on more balanced recordings. (I would also disagree with labeling them as bass heavy but that's another topic).  The PS1000 scales very well with the quality of the recording. A poor recording can be painful while a great recording is a pleasure with which to listen.  Stats and dynamics just have a different presentation (for lack of a better description). Obviously both should be heard and if possible, owned.. 

I think you should at least listen to RS1 to find out if they are for you or not- I have a feeling that they aren't, since you said you didn't like bright sound.

If possible, seek out a vintage RS1. They do sound different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kboe 

Talk about hearing things differently, the L3000s I thought were perfect for choral and classical, not so much rock.  Grados however...!

Go figure...I am constantly amazed at how we hear everything differently. Obviously different equipment has an effect, but even through the same equipment individuals will perceive sound differently. I wonder how much of that is due to the actual 'hearing' in the ear or higher order processing (i.e. perception). So while it is fun for me to state my opinion about phones and ass'd equipment, I wonder how much my opinion is worth. Now for the Grados, the RS1 are quite boring to me and I don't understand why it is such a favorite for rock, the PS1 exhibits too much emphasis in the bass and swallows the midrange (but great for AC/DC), and the PS1000 are just right, not really, but they are the best Grado for my ears (which may be out of whack with the general population).

Its also interesting that we all agree on some things, but not on others.  For example, Grados are upfront and "bright", while senns are laid back and warm.  But headphones like the L3000s or ATs in general we have such wide views.  Lets not even get into cables or power supplies!

Maybe I'll make a road trip down to TXs one day and take a listen to your rig, see if that helps my "understanding"! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kboe 

Its also interesting that we all agree on some things, but not on others.  For example, Grados are upfront and "bright", while senns are laid back and warm.  But headphones like the L3000s or ATs in general we have such wide views.  Lets not even get into cables or power supplies!

 

Maybe I'll make a road trip down to TXs one day and take a listen to your rig, see if that helps my "understanding"! 

Sure, you are more than welcome. Actually there has been some discussion about a Houston mini-meet. I can send you a PM if you are interested, although I don't know how long the trip is from GA  to TX. I also agree that the AT phones, particularly the L3000 lack a consensus. Opinions of the L3000 literally range from best headphone ever to worst headphone ever. In my case, I owned a pair and sold them but I really missed them so I used the kids college fund and purchased another pair (which should be arriving soon from Japan).

But back on topic, I think the type of rock music is important and as suggested by edstrelow the quality of the recordings is equally important. For well remastered 'classic' rock, I really enjoy the L3000. They have a lot of PRaT. For poor recordings (but great music from this era which for me is punk, new wave, grunge, indie) from the 80's and 90's, the DX1000 may be preferable in some cases because the treble is rolled off but the midrange remains (although it can have an odd presentation). For instance, The Donna's Gold Medal cd and The Sundays cds sound better on the DX1000 than the PS1000 mainly due to a taming of the higher frequencies. My all-rounder is the PS1000 but it has an ~7k peak and the treble in general is not the smoothest. And finally as suggested by edstrelow, stats are great. For me, female vocals were superb. In the rockish vein, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega are excellent from the Stax Omega (that I owned in the past). But for others as noted by edstrelow's reply above, they are suitable for all types of rock and is the reason I would like to revisit the Stax phones and audition a Stax 4070. But Stax are very revealing, bad recordings will sound bad (i.e. Lady Gaga will make you gaga.... sorry, couldn't stop myself from writing that ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by crucial 

Sure, you are more than welcome. Actually there has been some discussion about a Houston mini-meet. I can send you a PM if you are interested, although I don't know how long the trip is from GA  to TX. I also agree that the AT phones, particularly the L3000 lack a consensus. Opinions of the L3000 literally range from best headphone ever to worst headphone ever. In my case, I owned a pair and sold them but I really missed them so I used the kids college fund and purchased another pair (which should be arriving soon from Japan).

 

But back on topic, I think the type of rock music is important and as suggested by edstrelow the quality of the recordings is equally important. For well remastered 'classic' rock, I really enjoy the L3000. They have a lot of PRaT. For poor recordings (but great music from this era which for me is punk, new wave, grunge, indie) from the 80's and 90's, the DX1000 may be preferable in some cases because the treble is rolled off but the midrange remains (although it can have an odd presentation). For instance, The Donna's Gold Medal cd and The Sundays cds sound better on the DX1000 than the PS1000 mainly due to a taming of the higher frequencies. My all-rounder is the PS1000 but it has an ~7k peak and the treble in general is not the smoothest. And finally as suggested by edstrelow, stats are great. For me, female vocals were superb. In the rockish vein, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega are excellent from the Stax Omega (that I owned in the past). But for others as noted by edstrelow's reply above, they are suitable for all types of rock and is the reason I would like to revisit the Stax phones and audition a Stax 4070. But Stax are very revealing, bad recordings will sound bad (i.e. Lady Gaga will make you gaga.... sorry, couldn't stop myself from writing that ).

You are so my new hero!