Quote:
Originally Posted by
El_Doug 
Hype and rarity. The sound is overhyped. People pay top dollar to own the hype. Once they have spent top dollar, psychology dictates that they will boost the hype further to justify their expense.
I owned the HE90 - bright sounding, poor bass, definitely not worth even 1/5 of the asking price
Every now and again these types of posts appear here. I've owned these headphones and the HEV90 amp for several (like 10) years and I have tried them with dozens of amps including custom amps costing 10+K. What does this all mean? Well, coupled with the fact that if you are listening to the limited edition new run sennheiser released several years ago, you could be hearing two different phones. But also, these headphones vary quite a bit depending on the amplification. Drive them through a poor stax amp with a converter cable and they will sound crappy. I have no idea what basis is being used to describe these headphones here. What amp were you using? What source? These are high end audiophile phones where every component piece matters and impacts the sound.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
charliex It pops up every so often here and on eBay.
I'd recommend the HE60 as it's at least 95% of the HE90 and will cost a fraction of same.
Bryan
PS: I LOVE my HE60, they are truly outstanding phones!
I also own the HE60's. They are not 95% of an HE90. They are totally different and not easily comparable. Enjoyable for their own and different reasons. The HE90's, to me, were the sole reason I never was tempted to switch to listening to speakers. I have since moved onto a speaker rig, but my rocking chair, late at night, with my Orpheus combo is still one of the best things I can do for my ears, and mind ;)
Yes they are expensive. And probably overpriced. But there are very few systems that sound like it. Couple it with a good aftermarket headphone amp like the T2 and you are listening to some of the best audio reproduction available. They aren't about transparency, speed, depth, detail, soundstaging, bass, or any particular characteristic. They create their own world where a recording takes on a euphonic albeit somewhat inaccurate glimpse into the music. It depends on what you are going for. As for me, these phones aren't reference monitors - there are plenty of choices for that - and generally much less enjoyable from a listening perspective. But these things just take you into pure listening bliss!
Neil
