ATH-M50 vs. HFI-780... or anything else? - Page 2

The HFI-680 is supposed to be more neutral/balanced than the 780 which are said to have a rather V-shaped frequency response.

Where a you going to buy the headphones? if you are in the US. the ATH-M50 is a lot cheaper that the others, so that is a factor too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by juanderful 

Something with good staging will also be nice, since I will also use my headphones for gaming, and positional audio is crucial.

This line alone says "forget the M50's". Ultrasones have amazing soundstage for closed headphones; whereas the M50 as little to none and is terrible for gaming.

That's not my experience Rikku.

I've owned both and they are on par regarding soundstage - pretty unimpressive. Maybe other Ultrasones have great sound stage but the 780 are decidedly average or even below average, just like the M50.

In terms of general "charecter" of the sound -

M50 have boosted bass (but not hugely so) and are mostly neutral upwards. The mids are a tiny bit recessed, but it is certainly not a V shape.

As noted above, the HFI-780 are unashamedly V-shaped, but the mids do not sound distant as some V shaped phones do - they just get a bit bullied out by the bass and treble during complex passages of music. That will not really affect the genres you mention.

Luckily for you, both will do fine with a broad range of genres, including all those you mentioned. Possibly the M50 is the more versatile due to its being closer to neutral while the more exicitng 780 would be less versatile but would work a treat with all the genres you mentioned.

Well, I can't speak for the HFI series honestly. My PRO 900's are amazing soundstage-wise however; it's a shame to learn this is a characteristic limited to my particular headphone than a common trait long the product line.

I guess it's time for me to bow out before I spread any misinformation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riku540 

Quote:

Originally Posted by juanderful 

I was considering buying a decent headphone amp, but it just doesn't suit my needs very well, no matter what my budget is. I just can't afford lugging around an extra peripheral when I'm on-the-go (mp3 being source).

 

I understand that having an amplifier for ANY headphone will make them sound better, but the marginal utility falls off dramatically once you get down low enough in the price range. For example, I've seen many people say that an amp won't be "necessary" at all to drive the M50's as they sound about the same whether driven by an amp or not. On the other hand, I see that as a general suggestion by everyone, a HFI-780 will perform much better with an amp.

 

So as you can see, I'm scared that by purchasing the HFI-780 and no amp, I'll be missing out on a bunch of quality/sound. While if I skip buying an amp for the M50's I might not miss all that much.

 

The reason for this thread was basically to scope out which headphones successfully straddle that threshold -- sound good without needing an amp.

 

But yeah, the M50's do sound like they fit my needs well.

 

As far as amps go I meant for the sake of at home use with your laptop.

 

You also have to consider that even if the full potential of some headphones is best realized with an amp, some of those same headphones may still sound far better unamped than those that do not need amps.

 

I know impedance isn't everything (and in some cases, means nothing I.E. K701/K702) but technically the HFI 780's require less power than the M50's being rated at 35, and 38 ohms respectively.

 

Don't think of it as being underpowered at this level, but more of the 780 had more room to improve than the M50. While I do not have the HFI 780, I am no stranger to Ultrasone or Audio-Technica and can pretty much guarantee that the HFI 780 is a better headphone in every way.

+1 on the HFI-780s

If you have the $ I hear the PRO750 should be quite a bit better than the aforementioned.

Out of M50, HFI-780, and HFI-580, I'd pick M50 in a heart beat although I still miss grado-ness of the HFI-580. But if you mainly listen to vocals and strings, I'd pick something else as recessed mid on M50 is quite prominent. Another contender is Audio-Technica ES10 and I personally think it sounds better than all of the aforemetioned phones but the isolation is not as good. Just something to think about. 

I did a comparison review of M50 and 580 a couple of weeks ago (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/531691/ath-m50-vs-hfi-580-vs-sr-80).

I ended up choosing 580 for the reasons stated in the post. After doing the test, I've been using them at work with a Mac Pro and I do hear a slight decrease in the bass department due to, I think, lack of amp. Currently I have E7 on order so I am hoping that will pump up the bass a bit.

One thing that I think M50 does better is comfort. I wear glasses and M50s softer pads were more comfortable. I am thinking about getting DT250 pads but haven't pulled the trigger yet as I think will be placing an order for DT770/80 Pro to see how those stack up. I listen to these at work for several hours a day so comfort is important. SQ-wise, I still prefer 580.

I know D2000 is another excellent choice but sound leak is a deal breaker for me.

I can only comment on the M50.
It sounds great without an amp.  It's very comfy, and I don't mind it hanging on my neck.  It can also fold up and comes with a pretty decent carrying pouch.  There's a good (adequate) amount of detailed bass.  According to my research, it's probably one of the most frequently-recommended phones on here in its price range because of its high value per dollar.  I own a pair (unamped) and couldn't be happier.  However, since you're willing to spend quite a bit more, you could look into some of the higher-end options.

edit:

Since you're going to be gaming, you may want to consider an open phone, like the ATH-AD700 - they'll have a much bigger soundstage and be better suited for movies and gaming than a closed phone.

sr125i

The Grado's don't fit 3/5 of the requirements. While they can be modded to have more bass presence, the prestige series can not be described as having a stronger bass presence than the MDR-7506, which admittedly do not have the strongest of bass but still have more than the prestige series has to offer. They arn't closed back, and as such they isolate about as well as a mesh condom, and are not circumaural (although with bowl pads they are almost-kinda-sorta circumaural)
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by juanderful 

3) Closed-back for isolation.

4) Circumaural (around-ear) as opposed to on-top-of-ear.

5) Good BASS. I currently own a pair of MDR-7506 and they have very accurate bass reproduction, but I sort of want something that has much more bass presence.

lol

The Denon D1100 are portable cans, just keep them around your neck. I have had them for a couple of months and they prompted me to sell some of mine, i have only compared them to the M50s and i prefer the D1100 , they are smaller, more comfy and i like the detail levels and soundstage they give.

Compared to M50 (white/blue boxed) I thought M50 had better quality mids and highs than D1100 (which was quite a dissappointment in that regard on the Denons) and the bass extended deeper on M50 too but things like soundstage and instrument separation and imaging were FAAR better on the D1100 and the D1100's bass is a lot more punchier / stronger in the upper bass region. Comfort is also better on D1100 and they are far more portable due to size and impressive low weight for a 50mm driver can, they feel somewhat more fragile though especially the design of the mechanism that holds the cups together, M50 are really sturdy.