[Review] Battle of the Entry-Level Rivals: Ultrasone HFI-580 vs Audio Technica M50 (vs Pro700 MK2) - Page 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD 

Are you gonna use that large headphones for portable use, PRO700MK2 and Q40 are quite large... especially Q40's cups are quite large, wouldn't be comfortable to keep around your neck at least. :P But at least they fold tho for easier transporting.

 

Oh god, please don't tell me I'm in square one again....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butler 

Holy crap man, that is reckless. I'm super jealous. I think you'll really like them. Take some good pictures, I'd love to see them up close and personal.

I finally got my Pro 700s and you were right. I REALLY like them. So, now I have the M50s and I'm considering what to do with them. I really want to keep them since after all the phones I tried... Beyer.. Ultrasone, the M50s did it all.

About muddiness of the Pro700MK2, this subject is so objective. They are very clear in the upper range and nothing more should be said about the bass. They sound as perfect as my M50s. The only knock I have with these headphones are the pads. They are relatively thin and makes my ears hurt as they press against the metallic parts.

I don't have pictures yet, but the Limited Edition Pro 700 MK2's look and feel awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotSoSerious 

Oh god, please don't tell me I'm in square one again....

Well for portable use in mind, go PRO700MK2, they might be a bit on the bigger but at least they look like they'd be able to take a beating or two and they should come close to what you're looking for soundwise (not perfect but close enough for you to be satisfied I'd bet, ppl around here often tend to exaggerate and you often get the picture it's worse than it actually is). Q40 isn't something I'd get if you'd also use it for portable use, it's marketed as a Studio headphone which I find very fitting, a home/studio-use only headphone IMO.

I've checked out basicly all very bassy headphones and apart from Q40 like sounding to fit you best soundwise the PRO700MK2 probably comes on a good 2nd place.

Some quick pics I took with my iPhone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotSoSerious 

Was considering the Pro700 Mk.2...

I love bass, but I don't like the price of muddyness that is common in bass head phones. 

I was quite sure I was gong to pick up these...

Until I saw this.

"it takes away the magical M50 vocal reproduction and instead replaces it with a slightly muddied sound"

 

 

Ugh, not a fan. Is it severely muddled? 

As in: Beats by Dre levels?

 

 

I listen to alot of hip-hop/rap/and R&b, where not only the bass is important, but I expect the vocals to be sharp and clear and have a little bit of a treble boost to go along with the bass.

I didn't like the XB500 - it's just so muddled, and the bass sounded too boomy and uncharacteristic for me.

M50- not looking for an all-rounder, I only listen to a very small amount of genres. Insufficient bass for me. 

HFI-580- insufficient bass needs, no removable cable. ( this is a necessity for me, I am used to the portability of an IEM. )  

Is the Pro700 Mk.2 good enough to where the vocals are still borderline decent?? I really wish I could listen to it.

 

 

Sounds like our tastes are similar. Here are the tracks I use to benchmark the kind of sound and bass that I like:

Aloe Blacc – Hey Brother

Aloe Blacc – Miss Fortune

Aloe Blacc – Life So Hard

Afrojack – Radioman

Afrojack – TikTikTik TakTakTak

Don Omar – Dale Don Dale

Melanie Fiona – Give It To Me Right (Acoustic Version)

Alicia Keys – Girlfriend

Maria Buena – Come With Me

Puerto Madero – Whatever Lola Wants

Michael Jackson – 2000 Watts

Michael Jackson – Speed Demon

KRS-One – MC's Act Like They Don't Know

KRS-One – Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)

The Pro700 MK2 pass this test perfectly IMO. Take a listen to them if this genre of songs are to your liking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mister2d 

 

Sounds like our tastes are similar. Here are the tracks I use to benchmark the kind of sound and bass that I like:

 

Aloe Blacc – Hey Brother

Aloe Blacc – Miss Fortune

Aloe Blacc – Life So Hard

Afrojack – Radioman

Afrojack – TikTikTik TakTakTak

Don Omar – Dale Don Dale

Melanie Fiona – Give It To Me Right (Acoustic Version)

Alicia Keys – Girlfriend

Maria Buena – Come With Me

Puerto Madero – Whatever Lola Wants

Michael Jackson – 2000 Watts

Michael Jackson – Speed Demon

KRS-One – MC's Act Like They Don't Know

KRS-One – Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)

 

The Pro700 MK2 pass this test perfectly IMO. Take a listen to them if this genre of songs are to your liking.

Were close- but I tend to listen to a bit more rap/hip-hop. A little bit less on the R&b and pop department, but hip-hop and rap's vocals are just as important as pop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mC2ixOAivA&ob=av3e Chris Brown- Yeah 3x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEuQU6a90Pc&feature=relmfu Chris Brown -Next to you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTPi2a2Ld4&ob=av3e Big Sean- My Last

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFyi74DVjc&list=FLGnEs8K_CjZCaXUJup9QERw&index=1&feature=plpp_video Tiene Tempah - Written in the stars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxV9g7lsFE&ob=av3e Iyaz - Replay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PN78PS_QsM&ob=av3e J. Cole - Work out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmD3M-BfVo&ob=av3e Best love song - T-Pain

And then it gets a little bit more aggressive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7tOAGY59uQ&ob=av2e 6 foot 7 foot - Lil wayne. This song is perfect for testing highs. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q9rewnLFYw Flux Pavilion - I can't stop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpS7nCweYZI&ob=av3e Skrillex- Reptile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EEhXhGcX0k Busta Ryhmes - Why Stop now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG_dA32oH44 Jay-Z and Kanye West - Ni**as in Paris.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mister2d 

 

Some quick pics I took with my iPhone.

 

 

 

 

 

          

Wow, simply sexy. The prices on the special anniversary are absolutely ridiculous, however.. 

Do they sound as good as they look?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD 

Well for portable use in mind, go PRO700MK2, they might be a bit on the bigger but at least they look like they'd be able to take a beating or two and they should come close to what you're looking for soundwise (not perfect but close enough for you to be satisfied I'd bet, ppl around here often tend to exaggerate and you often get the picture it's worse than it actually is). Q40 isn't something I'd get if you'd also use it for portable use, it's marketed as a Studio headphone which I find very fitting, a home/studio-use only headphone IMO.

 

I've checked out basicly all very bassy headphones and apart from Q40 like sounding to fit you best soundwise the PRO700MK2 probably comes on a good 2nd place.

Alright. I think I will take the Q40 out for now.. I'm sure it sounds fantastic, but portability is a huge issue as I come from tiny pocket-sized IEM's. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotSoSerious 

Were close- but I tend to listen to a bit more rap/hip-hop. A little bit less on the R&b and pop department, but hip-hop and rap's vocals are just as important as pop.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mC2ixOAivA&ob=av3e Chris Brown- Yeah 3x

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEuQU6a90Pc&feature=relmfu Chris Brown -Next to you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTPi2a2Ld4&ob=av3e Big Sean- My Last

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFyi74DVjc&list=FLGnEs8K_CjZCaXUJup9QERw&index=1&feature=plpp_video Tiene Tempah - Written in the stars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxV9g7lsFE&ob=av3e Iyaz - Replay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PN78PS_QsM&ob=av3e J. Cole - Work out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmD3M-BfVo&ob=av3e Best love song - T-Pain

 

And then it gets a little bit more aggressive...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7tOAGY59uQ&ob=av2e 6 foot 7 foot - Lil wayne. This song is perfect for testing highs. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q9rewnLFYw Flux Pavilion - I can't stop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpS7nCweYZI&ob=av3e Skrillex- Reptile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EEhXhGcX0k Busta Ryhmes - Why Stop now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG_dA32oH44 Jay-Z and Kanye West - Ni**as in Paris.

 

 

Yeah those tracks are good too. I have a few of those in my library. Ludacris - How Low is a good one too. Just forgot to add it in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotSoSerious 

Wow, simply sexy. The prices on the special anniversary are absolutely ridiculous, however.. 

Do they sound as good as they look?

 

I didn't think $249 was ridiculous. And yes, I think it does sound as good as it looks. :)  It's no justification here. I just wanted the color.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mister2d 

Yeah those tracks are good too. I have a few of those in my library. Ludacris - How Low is a good one too. Just forgot to add it in.

I didn't think $249 was ridiculous. And yes, I think it does sound as good as it looks. :)  It's no justification here. I just wanted the color.

You did no wrong there man, and that golden bird looks pimp!  Second one that I've seen on Head-fi.  I almost want to part with my original to get that one.

Loving those cans the gold really looks great! I find them great but they are defiantly genre specific headphones ie dub,dnb,hiphop etc That said i love mine!

I'm also considering pro700mk2anv or hfi580 to replace my m50s. If the clarity of pro700mk2 is as good as shure srh750dj, I will definitely go for it. The m50s is not as clear as srh750dj IMO.

Does the Pro700 really need an amp or is it easy to drive?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prakhar 

Does the Pro700 really need an amp or is it easy to drive?

It's very easy to drive. An amp is not necessary at all.

I'm deciding between the M50's and the PRO700's. I'm wanting something that I can use to make dubstep, so producing music and I would also like to use it to listen to music on the go. The genre I listen to mostly is: dubstep, a little bit of rap, hip hop, pop, pop, a little bit of alternative, rock, jrock, and jpop. I also want something with some great bass for the dubstep, pop, hip hop, and the rap, but I want something that will not make the noise for the other genres sound muddy. It doesn't have to be perfect for every genre, but I want it to sound very clear and, like I said, not muddy. I really like the design of the PRO700's, but M50's are more for monitoring music and that's what I need for making dubstep. I'm not going to be mixing a lot I don't think, mostly producing. I'm also looking into the Crossfade LP over-ear headphones as well... Are those as good as the M50's and PRO700's?

Between those 2 for music production M50 would be the clear choice, PRO700MK2 is too colored. However if you want an alternative take a look also at http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileQ40.html because I have a hard time to find anything that M50 would do better at than these, I think it's slightly better compared to M50 in every aspect, the bass is punchier, tighter, snappier, more textured and mids and highs sound more neutral and balanced. Dubstep is just awesome on these, it made me realize even dubstep can have more than one-note bass haha. It's anything but muddy but it's also not too bright or harsh, so therefore I'd call it neutral but with a bass boost but due to how well it handles bass it doesn't seem overly bassy at all. However I'd recommend some basic amping though to get the full potential out of them as then they get more dynamic and bass gets alive.

Forget the Crossfade LPs.