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Best Soundstage/Imaging

post #1 of 8
12/3/03 at 6:58pm
Thread Starter 
I'm new to this. I heard a really high end cd player a while ago, and suddenly the music wasn't coming out of the speakers, but out of different parts of the room.

I ran home and put on my headphones, only to realize that headphones do a great job of this, regardless of sitting position.

I've had a few phones now, first the Grado SR-325's, then Sennheiser 580's, and finally now the Audio Technica W100's.

The Sennheisers made me realize how much I prefer a rich, deep sound to the detailed sound of the Grados. I don't want the music up close and up front, I want it all around my head, I want drums to be beating right up top of my head, and I want to hear 'distance' in the instruments.

The W100's seem to do this. But which headphones excel at this? Which headphones are renowned for their ability to create a space around your head, and can accurately locate these instruments in space, both distance wise, and location relative to the ears?

Am I the only one that thinks that headphones really are amazing at this, becuase listening position is not an issue? I am just beginning to appreciate this aspect of music and recordings, and find that it really enriches some albums, giving them a whole new dimension that they can be appreciated on.

As well, do amps, sources, and cables open this up even more?
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post #2 of 8
12/3/03 at 7:12pm
Quote:
As well, do amps, sources, and cables open this up even more?
Absolutely. I'm not a big crossfeed fan, but you might enjoy an amp that has x-feed, some people find this helps with imaging. Some cables and of course sources are better at conveying space than others.

While some people find their soundstaging "fake", some other people really enjoy the large, spacious soundstage provided by the Sony CD3000. You will notice the image they produce is much "larger" than that produced by the Senns and Grados (can't speak to the W100s), and there is less of a gap in the middle of the soundstage due to the CD3000's angled drivers. They are very hi-resolution cans, but some people find them "too bright" in the wrong system. Still, if you can handle the Grados, they should do fine.

Mark
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post #3 of 8
12/3/03 at 8:32pm
The Philips 890 have a really wide soundstage, so much that it is almost unrealistic. Sony headphones are usually very good at soundstage as well.
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post #4 of 8
12/3/03 at 9:31pm
when it comes to head wrapping imaging, you probably have only a few options: cd3000, dt880, k1000, and probably the stax.

everything else will probably sound hard left / hard right / hole in the middle of the head.

before I get flamed: yes, the K401 / K501 have a wide soundstage, but they do not wrap around like the DT880; the hd580 / hd600 do not have the same head wrapping imaging of the DT880, either (IMO).

good luck.
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post #5 of 8
12/3/03 at 9:35pm
For me, almost by definition, Dolby Headphone (either with stereo or Dolby Prologic 2) creates a very real three-dimensional effect. I can't wait to hear Dolby Headphone with a Sony CD 3000.
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post #6 of 8
12/4/03 at 3:56am
For soundstaging, you can choose between the AKG-K1000...

...or everything else.
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post #7 of 8
12/4/03 at 4:33am
Quote:
Originally posted by wallijonn
when it comes to head wrapping imaging, you probably have only a few options: cd3000, dt880, k1000, and probably the stax.
Well if you're going to say CD3000, then I might as well say Sony R10

Stax Omega II is nice also.

Quote:
Originally posted by Nick Dangerous
For soundstaging, you can choose between the AKG-K1000...

...or everything else.
Indeed It takes some synergy and getting used to, to get the treble and bass right.
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post #8 of 8
12/4/03 at 8:46am
Quote:
Originally posted by markl
Sony CD3000... some people find them "too bright" in the wrong system. Still, if you can handle the Grados, they should do fine.
some people will find them too bright even in the right system, i think

brightness is a term which tends to be related possibly to a quite wide range of upper frequency emphasis. the brightness of one headphones ain't the brightness of the other, since each emnphasis a different "brightness" range. every person has its sensitivity to different frequencies in that range.
you are probably right, mark... but is it possible that some gear might make sonys more brighter or fatiguing then grado, to some people?
for example, the DT880 are brighter then the CD3000 on the EMP, but the sonys are definetly brighter on the XP-7.

sorry if this is a bit out of the topic, but seems like a relatively relevant point..
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