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cant decide help needed :) choosing under $250

post #1 of 33
9/5/10 at 12:52am
Thread Starter 

update

 

got the ATH AD700 thought a good price and nice for gaming and comfy ? wife did not like how she could hear my stuff ?

so my next choice  Denon D2000

I have a set of D1001 the wife has and loves and thought OK will give the D2000 a try !!

 

have to say very very nice way better than the AD700 in pretty much every way except the heat around my ears after a while on the Denon ? but thats OK

 

comparing my D1001 to the D2000 WOW I have to say a solid update much tighter on the low end

running through a turtle beach DDS setup ? or my edirol UA25 really helps so going to get a nice little amp for the desk

 

I was afraid a bit of being to boomy like the D1001 can get ? but its much much nicer hooked up direct to the computer they are not as nice as running through the edirol ? or the TB DDs setup but with a bit more power they are really nice

 

while their is bass its not as mushy or boomy closed sounding as the D1001 ? but then again its 2x the price so should be nicer

 

glad I got the AD700 first as I got a chance to compare them in my place with my music and have to say if I had not had those I would not realize how much nicer I like these :) played some COD MWF2 tonight and with the turtle beach amp I like them better than the AD700 again in pretty much every way

 

now to head over to the amp section and see what people like with these :)

 

thanks again to all who helped me out in this thread :)


Edited by Honu - 9/17/10 at 9:44pm
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Denon AHD1001K On-Ear Headphones (Black)
Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver)
beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
post #2 of 33
9/5/10 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 

? anyone have thoughts

ATH AD700

Denon D200

DT-880

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post #3 of 33
9/5/10 at 11:49am

Push your budget $15 and get the AD 900s...http://www.accessoryjack.com/Detail.bok?no=309

 

Otherwise, out of the choices you listed I'd get the DT 880s (600 ohm)

 

edit: The 880s will need decent amping though

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post #4 of 33
9/5/10 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 

$15 no biggy :) my wife was from North Van originally Edgemont village :) great place up their unless you meant Vancouver wa :)

 

curious then I took the AD900s off the list as some say the difference is not that great compared to the 700s ? any thoughts ?

 

what I am looking for in Music especially in Hawaiian is the voice and the Uke to pop out and hear the strums etc.. the breathy tones of brudah IZ etc..

in Dancheall the gritty vocals is what I love to hear the best as many danchall singers have that gravel voice  the bass can be what it was cut like & dont need artificial boost ? would rather listen to it neutral ?

 

the grado I got cause people had said at headphonedotcoom that this will give you what you want ? but the bass seems to be lower than what it should be and the treble is to bright for my taste when I turn them up to get the vocals ? they remind me of listening to horn PA speakers in the front row !!!!! a bit to in my face :)

 

the Denons are about perfect but I have heard little else and as mentioned I wish the bass could be down one notch on the Denon ? but I would rather have that then the lacking grado 80s ?

 

hope this helps others help me out more :)

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post #5 of 33
9/5/10 at 3:43pm

Yes, I'm from Vancouver BC, though I'm not too familiar with North Van. I actually grew up in Richmond but went to high school on the west side in the Shaughnessy area and am now attending UBC.

 

The reason I suggested the AD900s over the 700s is because you mentioned you would like the bass slightly smaller than Denons and the bass on the 700s probably wouldn't be enough for you. From what I've read on this site, the 900s basically improve on all the 700s weaknesses.

 

The brands that don't significantly require amping are Audio Technica, Grado, Ultrasone, and the Sennheiser 5 series. There are lower ohm Beyers but I don't think they're as good as the higher ohm versions.

 

Two other headphones that I would take a look into if I were you are the Ultrasone Pro 750s and the Sennheiser 555. The Pro 750s can be had on ebay for $170 which is an excellent deal and the 555s are around the $100 range but can be modded to perform similar to the higher end 595.

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post #6 of 33
9/5/10 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks :)

 

I know I had the Sennheiser 555 and 595 on list then took them off ? main reason was it seems many went to the DT880 and 90s or other brands and prefered them ? also the comfort seems that many say the Sennheiser are not as comfy as some of the other I was looking at :) and with so many seeming to think the Sennheiser are good but go to others and are happier I seem to conclude the Sennheiser are a good get into headphone kinda thing :)  ? but again thanks as trying to get a handle on things

 

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post #7 of 33
9/5/10 at 6:36pm

Have you considered the Sennheiser HD-600?  They're one of the best on the market and you can find them used in your price range.

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post #8 of 33
9/5/10 at 6:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

Have you considered the Sennheiser HD-600?  They're one of the best on the market and you can find them used in your price range.


X2. Uncle Erik strikes again with a tidbit of useful and helpful knowledge.

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post #9 of 33
9/5/10 at 6:55pm

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/510989/fs-sennhieser-hd600    Here you go. HD600 for $220. Get em while the gettins good.

 

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post #10 of 33
9/5/10 at 7:02pm

I'll 3rd the HD600 option. They will sound pretty good to start with, but will blossom more and more as your supporting gear improves.

 

Funny bit, I was reading the M50 is junk thread and listened to some of the bass tests linked there (page 2 I think). I had to take my headphones off multiple times to make absolutely sure my subwoofer wasn't on. These can really do massive bass if well amped. I'd never really listened to bass only tests like that on these with this amp and was fairly shocked.


Edited by Maxvla - 9/5/10 at 7:06pm
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post #11 of 33
9/5/10 at 11:16pm
Thread Starter 

WOW OK 3 people with the HD600 :) just curious if any of you could say what they are like compared to my Denon 1001 ?

time to read up some links on the sen HD600 now ;)

 

the others sold already :)

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post #12 of 33
9/6/10 at 1:28pm
Thread Starter 

so after reading a ton on the 600 might pass on those ?

 

seems quite a few like the dt-990 over the 880 for what I might think I like ? and it seems many say you really have to amp them ?

 

so the DT-990 or the Denon 2000 ? open or closed and seem to be hard to compare so can anyone shed light on these two that have listened to them

or budget ATH AD700

 

I really want a headset I can bring in plug in to game on and then bring back in the office and work with listen to music or watch netflix

then bring in to the HT room and listen to it their since our main system is to loud when the kids are sleeping

I am going to be running a 5.1 7.1 box for the headphones of some kind in the HT room for the game room a mixamp and for the computer I can run them through my edirol UA25 ? but heard that is not really a true amp for headphones ?

if I had to lean I love music but when I am working its secondary

so really movies and gaming are going to be its main use for enjoying music I am going to go listen to the NAD with PSB setup

 

any thoughts on the 3 as how they would be in the above situation

DT-990

ATH AD700

Denon 2000

 

 

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post #13 of 33
9/6/10 at 1:39pm

Can you comment on what turned you away from the HD600?

 

DT-990 is a good can and should be very good for movies. It's got more pronounced bass and treble. Some people find the cans rapidly tiring because of the elevated treble, and some comment on sibilance interfering with listening. They are very comfortable headphones.

 

AD700 is a great headphone for the price. The bass is very tight, but there isn't much of it. It has nice highs and mids with good imaging so it's popular for gamers. Also very comfortable, but can be on the loose side, especially if you have a smaller head. Wings sometimes cause issues on the top of the head, but I don't hear too much about that.

 

D2000 is a sealed headphone whereas the other 2 are open. The soundstage will be smaller, bass is a bit boomier in stock form. Overall a nice headphone, but not to my liking. There are ample mods (search markl mods or Lawton Audio) you can do to tailor the sound to your liking. Sealed would be good for limiting leaking if you are watching a movie while say your wife is reading a book in the same room. D2000 leakage is more than most sealed headphones but certainly better than the 990 or 700 in this respect. While they are comfortable headphones I'd say they are the least comfortable of the 3. I don't think you'd have issues with any of them fitting.


Edited by Maxvla - 9/6/10 at 1:41pm
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post #14 of 33
9/6/10 at 7:37pm
Thread Starter 

thanks :) interesting on the deon being the least comfy ?

 

big head :) here so read that the AT 700s like big heads

 

the reasons I shied away from the HD600

new they are a bit out of budget ?

heard they like to be amped ? (maybe next set of headphones I plan on getting next year but not this year)

various craking issues near the headband ? or am I confusing this with the 580/90 type setups with the different headband thing ?

bass is less tight and guitar sounds not as pronounced ? as the DT-990

 

now the bass thing ? i dont mind bass dancehall has a ton trying to read reviews the denon are bass heavy ! the D2000 are everything the 1001 are and more the dt990 are not as much as the denon 2000 but more than the HD600 which can lack a bit ? this was my rough trying to compare others reviews

 

I did read some reviews that said the HD600 are more neutral ? does this mean more like a studio monitor neutral ? (over the DT990)

 

I do apreciate the time :)

 

 

I can give a few examples when I listen to music

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/til-shiloh-expanded/id416424

track 5 untold stories

one of my fav songs

shows the vocals I like has a island sound like Hawaiian

track 4 is the low dancehall bass that is common

 

 

mainstream dancehall like Sean Paul

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-trinity/id80429921

track #3 we be burnin

track 11 temerature is a good example

 

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/facing-future/id6920356

anyone and all of them ?

on the Denon track #12 could be a bit less boomy

track #9 good mix but again maybe a touch less slop in the bass

comparing my grado 80s on those two tracks they are to bright and trebly :) the vocals are nice the bass is a bit lacking

the uke in #9 is nice through the grado and if the bass was up a bit would be nice

but track #12 in the grado is a bit to bright in the high parts

 

overall to me I like the Denon over my grado

not sure if that helps :)

 

at this point I EQ the Denon down and am happy :) but these belong to the wife now so I need something

 


Edited by Honu - 9/6/10 at 8:15pm
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post #15 of 33
9/6/10 at 8:17pm

Listening to samples on all 3 albums you linked. After hearing your musical tastes I'd highly recommend reconsidering the HD600. The Sennheiser HD580/600/650 were MADE for this music. Acoustic, folk, jazz, classical, vocal were all primary targets for the sound signature. Used you can find them for $200-225 easily in great shape. Both of my HD600 were bought used and were in near mint condition.

 

I'm really enjoying the last album you linked. It sounds VERY nice on my setup.

 

HD600 do love amping, but that's another great reason to get them. They will sound very good with what you have now, but grow better and better as the supporting gear improves over time. I've not had any creaking issues while listening. They do creak a bit while putting them on and taking them off, but what synthetic frame (carbon fiber/plastic) headphones don't? The bass will be very good right from your standard source, but as you say will tighten considerably and increase in quantity as the power increases. I'm currently running an amp with a 2W RMS maximum rating compared to most entry/mid level amps being in the 300-400mW range. My amp isn't all that expensive in the grand scheme ($700) and punches well above it's weight. I've compared it directly to a Beta 22 which is of similar power rating (possibly higher) and costs about 3 times my amp. I came away preferring my amp, but having a good respect for the Beta 22. I started with a Little Dot MKIII which is a ~$200 amp with a 350mW RMS maximum and it did very nicely, but the difference in power made my HD600 sound like I'd never heard them before.

 

As for the Denons being least comfortable, think of them on a 1-10 scale where the other 2 phones are a 9 and the Denons are 8.5. Very good, but just a notch below the other 2.

 

I'd also recommend after knowing your tastes that you change the DT990 to DT880 if you went the Beyerdynamic route, though both DT990 and DT880 will have almost the same amping results as the HD600. They are pretty good by themselves, but really open up with a good amp. The DT880 is somewhat of a happy medium between HD600's smooth laidback sound and the DT990s more aggressive (sometimes harsh) sound. From what I've read the DT880 and HD600 are reasonably close, especially with changes to those models as the years passed. The HD600 becoming clearer, and the DT880 becoming slightly warmer.

 

The Denons can be amped for cheaper (typically), but don't respond as well to amping as others.

 

The AD700 will likely do an OK job for your tastes but they might be just enough bass light to feel weak. They are good for the money, but in your price range they just can't keep up. They are similar to the Denons with regard to amping.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Denon AHD1001K On-Ear Headphones (Black)
Denon AHD1001S On-Ear Headphones (Silver)
beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Headphones
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › cant decide help needed :) choosing under $250