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7 closed headphones vs Dynaudio BM15 monitors (SRH840, ATH-M50, ATH-A900, RH-300, Q40, HFI-680,... - Page 2

post #16 of 25
11/3/11 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by zazex View Post

 

Excellent set of reviews!

 

On the 900's - the reason I didn't keep mine had to do with the "wings".  I could hear them microphonically whenever I'd move my head.

It was a subtle squeaking sound from their spring mechanism.

 

I guess, with hindsight, that I could have phoned AT USA in Ohio and asked for advice - maybe there's some lube or some other way to quiet

that sound...

 

Yep, I can confirm that I hear it too. There is an occasional "tense spring" sound, when you move your head or change your listening position. Apart from the thing you describe as "spring mechanism", their cable is also too sensitive, because every time it touches a part of your body or any other object, you hear this in your ear cups (as well as with other headphones, of course, but with these it seems more pronounced). This is what also contributes to what I referred to as "plasticky" feel of these headphones in my comparison. They seem too "touchy-feely" in some regards. You have to learn to be completely still, if you want to enjoy music with them ;) 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

M-Audio Studiophile Q40 Closed-back Dynamic Headphones
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Ultrasone HFI-680 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones - Black/Silver
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Shure SRH840
post #17 of 25
11/4/11 at 5:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rayjuodas View Post


 

 You have to learn to be completely still, if you want to enjoy music with them ;) 


Yes - well said and very true indeed.

 

I was not able be completely still on a consistent basis while listening, so I eventually sold them.

 

 

 

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post #18 of 25
11/4/11 at 7:47pm

Question for the OP: What are your thoughts on Grado/Alessandro cans? General consensus seems to be that they are 'good' for rock, have a forward sound, and some don't like the treble/highs. I've been a bit curious about these cans.

 

Also, maybe I'm in the minority here but I don't mind the highs on Ultrasone cans. I own a a Pro 900 and the first ~20 hours I endured fatigue after two hour sessions but I loved the bright sound. Now I don't seem to get as fatigued and can go for 3+ hours. Brain burn in?

 

Thanks for your impressions. It's quite an interesting perspective to hear a real musician reviewing cans.

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post #19 of 25
11/5/11 at 10:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rezel View Post

Question for the OP: What are your thoughts on Grado/Alessandro cans? General consensus seems to be that they are 'good' for rock, have a forward sound, and some don't like the treble/highs. I've been a bit curious about these cans.

 

Also, maybe I'm in the minority here but I don't mind the highs on Ultrasone cans. I own a a Pro 900 and the first ~20 hours I endured fatigue after two hour sessions but I loved the bright sound. Now I don't seem to get as fatigued and can go for 3+ hours. Brain burn in?

 

Thanks for your impressions. It's quite an interesting perspective to hear a real musician reviewing cans.


 

 

Well, I haven't listened to Grados, I only listened to / owned Alessandros, so I can only express my opinion about them. First of all, I always found this "consensus" strange, because I personally have never found that any of the headphones are better for some particular style of music because they exaggerate a certain frequency range, and Alessandros do. A lot. To me they were too shrill and mid-centric, a lot more than Shures are, as far as I remember (I didn't compare them side by side, obviously, so I might be wrong to some extent here). I could not live with the way Alessandros presented music, they were too shouty (ear bleed comes to mind, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration, at least to me), they were bright (I hate bright presentation!), they had no soundstage (left - right - that's pretty much it), and it was such I relief when I exchanged them for Sennheiser HD595! So if someone asked me for an opinion - I would not recommend them, I'd recommend HD595 (although they have their weaknesses too (see the article), but those weaknesses don't spoil the music enjoyment as much, imo), but the best I could really suggest is to listen to the headphones for yourself, because I understand this is quite subjective, and if you like Ultrasone sound, you probably will perceive Alessandros and Grados differently.
 
Yes, I think it's a brain burn in ;) But what do I know :)
 
I would suggest reading as much as you can on this matter and make up your own mind:
 
I hope I helped.       

Edited by rayjuodas - 11/5/11 at 10:20am
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post #20 of 25
11/5/11 at 5:10pm

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. k701smile.gif

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post #21 of 25
1/27/12 at 6:38pm

If the OP could help me out a bit...

 

I just bought a pair of M50s, so they're not burned in. However, compared to the pair of Alessandro MS1is I have, I honestly don't feel they're too much different. (I was looking for something different and neutral compared to the Alessandros). From what I can hear, the M50s are just as bright in the highs, and even showing more sibilance in the highs. Bass is perhaps a little bit better, but still, for now, not a great improvement as I was hoping. At the moment, I'm quite disappointed, but hopefully burn-in can help this?

 

Yeah, I'm really hoping that burn in can take out some of that harsh treble (<- especially this) on the M50's and make it smoother and more bass-centric.

 

Thanks!

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post #22 of 25
1/28/12 at 4:02am
Thread Starter 

 

xCheckmate, 
 
I think your experience depends on what you expected from them, to some degree, and also from your experience in hearing what’s going on frequency wise. Alessandros are a capable headphone, and detail wise you'll hear same stuff on both of these headphones, to the larger extent, except for differences in frequency range (if you know how and what to look for, you can try directly comparing the two - you definitely should hear the difference, as their sound signatures are quite different), and also depending on the music you're listening to. If you're listening to a simple pop or country song, don't expect it to be a huge difference, as mostly you will not find many extremities (frequency wise) in these styles of music (there are always exceptions, of course!). Try some Massive Attack (i.e. "Angel") and see how the bass compares, you should be amazed. While I did not compare Alessandros and M50 side by side (when I got my first pair of M50, Alessandros were long gone), but I did compare Alessandros to HD595, and much later HD595 to the M50. I found that Alessandros sounded more shrill, compared to the HD595, with accentuated "pain" or “listening fatigue” frequency (probably around 5 khz), and generally brighter sound (bass wise they were quite similar, to my ears, with HD595 having more pronounced bass and fuller sound). While, comparing HD595 to the M50, HD595 were accentuated in the mids (i.e. metal music sounded a lot more pleasing to the ear, guitar wise, and it took some time to adjust to the M50’s sound after them) and had a narrow scoop at around 10 khz, which made the hi hats or ride cymbals almost disappear on certain recording, while M50 overall sounded more balanced to me. 
 
After some time M50 will definitely lose this slight “shrillness” of highs (or a general rubbery sound signature - can't find a better explanation :)), but not due to burn-in, rather from the ear pads getting older and worn, plus adjusting to your head profile. Anyway, that’s my experience with them.

Edited by rayjuodas - 1/28/12 at 4:03am
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post #23 of 25
1/28/12 at 11:38am

Thanks for the thorough reply. Just to clarify though, I was expecting the M50 to be a neutral headphone with an emphasis on the bass, exactly like how a lot of reviewers described them. Just like you said, I've been able to hear some differences between the two - to me the MS1i sounds more airy? I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's actually something I like better with my rock music. (Then again, I bought the M50 in hopes of a good can for pop and electronica, and I'm still hopeful that they'll turn out this way). I also still honestly think the M50 has a certain frequency of high that is more piercing than the MS1i, but I'll see. It's interesting that you mentioned breaking in the pads; I've never really thought about that before. Thanks :D.

 

I've left my M50 playing the whole night, so I'll go check the bass again and compare them with my MS1i. Regardless, I'll give them some time to settle in before I make my final decision about them. Thanks again rayjuodas.

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post #24 of 25
1/28/12 at 11:50am

I wonder if that amp has the typical higher output impedance. I would be afraid that some cans wouldn't like it.

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post #25 of 25
3/1/12 at 1:02am

Great Review. Thanks 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

M-Audio Studiophile Q40 Closed-back Dynamic Headphones
Powered by NexTag
Ultrasone HFI-680 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones - Black/Silver
Powered by NexTag
Shure SRH840
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › 7 closed headphones vs Dynaudio BM15 monitors (SRH840, ATH-M50, ATH-A900, RH-300, Q40, HFI-680, Pro DJ100 etc.)