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Denon AH-D2000, Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohm, Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm, AKG Q701, used... - Page 3

Poll Results: Which to buy? Amp not an issue.

 
  • 40% (22)
    Denon AH-D2000
  • 7% (4)
    Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250ohm
  • 14% (8)
    Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm
  • 25% (14)
    AKG Q701
  • 12% (7)
    used Sennheiser HD580/600
  • 0% (0)
    save & wait (such as for a Smeggy Thunderpants or Koss ESP950 in the next few months)
55 Total Votes  
post #31 of 35
9/27/11 at 10:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reticuli2 View Post

AKG K701/Q701 I would consider bass deficient (-2dB)

 

The Q supposedly has smoother highs and better bass than the K.


Aren't they the exact same headphones, same driver etc?

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones
Sennheiser HD 580
Fostex T50RP Closed Ear Stereo Headphones
post #32 of 35
9/27/11 at 10:34am

Supposedly those same parts, anecdotally people who have both or have had both report those differences.  There are subtle mechanical/acoustic differences in the foam and plastics being reported too, which might explain the difference.  Also, maybe a brand new K model might sound closer to the Q than previous K's due to manufacturing changes.

 

But the listeners' impressions and some factual material differences may say something about a change in sound.

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post #33 of 35
9/27/11 at 10:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lurkumaural View Post

Supposedly those same parts, anecdotally people who have both or have had both report those differences.  There are subtle mechanical/acoustic differences in the foam and plastics being reported too, which might explain the difference.  Also, maybe a brand new K model might sound closer to the Q than previous K's due to manufacturing changes.

 

But the listeners' impressions and some factual material differences may say something about a change in sound.


Well for a difference in sound to be perceived it has to be greater than 10%, the plastics and foam could be responsible for that but I wouldn't think AKG would want to change their best selling headphone. More than likely the difference comes in the color of the cable and other visual stimulants, similar to those whom believe in cables.

 

When AKG, or Harman Kardon, decide to change the sound of the 701 they will brand it with a different number. If they want to add bass they'll make a closed phone.

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post #34 of 35
9/27/11 at 10:52am

I vote for D2000.

 

It has a really great tonality to it, its comfortable, great soundstage, and really solid bass, similar to that of a well integrated sub.

 

The DT880/HD600/K701 are the mid-fi neutral power houses.  I've never heard the HD600, but the other two sound great, but only for certain genres.  When a certain genre demands bass weight (EDM, Metal), these struggle to perform, but with acoustic genres, they sound awesome.

 

The DT990 is even brighter than the 880, with larger mid bass, but lacks the extension and integration of the D2000s bass.

 

I feel like the D2000 is the better all-arounder and does many genres well.

 

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post #35 of 35
9/27/11 at 12:41pm
Thread Starter 

The Q701 appears to have tamer mid treble and better damping of the impulse response than the Ks it now replaces.

 

Looking at the response curves of the Q701 and the ER4S on Headroom, the AKG seems to have the closest balance in the mids and highs.  Aside from its rounder, less deep bass, it seems to be a hyper-open Etymotic sound from the measurements.  I love the ER4S, I just can't be wearing it in my ears all the time with allergies and already sleeping with earplugs at night.

 

All my other headphones are closed except for the Sporta Pros, so it seems odd to have ER4S, all versions of the EX-29, Orotofon O One & O2, Ixos DJ1001, Fostex t50rp (which I'll either sell or get thunderpantsed), modified HD25 isolation headphones, and now the fabulous KRK 6400s and then get the Denons.  I think I have the closed headphone sound covered.  The AKG Q701 looks very appealing from the measurements.  I'm just left wondering if the Koss ESP950 performs similarly well or better.  Descriptives like fast, flat, and delicate are very appealing.  I find it very hard to see how the Denon bass could sound as tight & accurate as an ER4S or Q701 when the latter two mearsure so much better.  The DT880-600 interests me because its high impedance would give it outstanding behavior from any amp you plug it into and shared ground crosstalk is something I know is lessoned on the HD25 and ER4S compared to the lower impedance headphones I've used.  The ESP950 would also be immune to shared ground crosstalk.

 

I realize a lot of people on this forum think the DT990-250 is too bright, but it gets the top recommendation at headphoneinfo.com and is recommended on that japanese guy's headphone site.  So I thought, especially for the Pro's price, it should be included in the poll.  It's also an even more open-grill design than the DT880.

 

The majority seem to really like the Denon, though.  I wonder how many of them are familiar with ER4S bass tightness.


Edited by Reticuli2 - 9/27/11 at 1:12pm
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Etymotic Research ER4S MicroPro Reference Earphones
Sennheiser HD 580
Fostex T50RP Closed Ear Stereo Headphones
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