DT880 vs HD600 vs ESP 950 vs A1000X - Page 5

Hi,

 

I've got 2 questions. Is there any coloration in sound of ESP 950? & Is there any warmness in the sound, like the sound of HD600?

 

Thanks in advance

Edited by labratoire - 6/18/12 at 1:00pm

Coloration - very minimal. There is no "ideal sound" and they certainly do not sound the same as live music or the spoken word, but they get pretty close (probably as close as you're gonna realistically get). They, like any 'stat and a few rare dynamics, have a more "ethereal" presentation, which makes things sound very light and airy (you "pluck" notes out of the air); that might be "colored" for some (especially if your reference is something like a Grado or AT that has a very congested/closed-in midrange).

Warmness - it's there, but nowhere near the level of the HD 600. They're much lighter and more balanced, and the tilt is a lot less dramatic. They sound like a grown up HD 600 (that's a really rough and bad analogy) - you get more detail at either extreme, and the mids are more present; they aren't *as* warm as a result. But they aren't cold or perfect flat either (I'd consider cold to be something like the MDR-SA5000, and flat to be something like the HD 595 or K701, to the point of sounding almost lifeless). They're somewhat "happy" though - like the HD 600, and as a result, fairly forgiving of minor flaws in a recording or compression. The HD 580/600 is probably the closest "fit" to the ESP/950 you'll find in a dynamic (the MDR-F1 is closer in terms of etheral/effortless-ness), but the ESP/950 have better extension, speed, impact, and staging. They just do everything better (to varrying degrees - for example they don't *tons* more bass impact, but it is there; they have much better mids though).

People keep calling the HD600 as warm.  I disagree with this.  I don't think it's warm.  I would describe it as smooth and laid back because of the slightly rolled off treble.  But it doesn't have an overly warm presentation and I would call it neutral.  I think people call it warm because it isn't as clinical as the DT880 (and others), so it seems warm in comparison. 

 

I guess we all hear things differently.
 

Thanks obobskivich.

 

After reading tons of threads/reviews here and there, If I want to conclude briefly:

 

Airiness:DT880>ESP950>HE400>HD600
Deatiledness:DT880>ESP950>HD600>HE400
Neutrality:DT880>ESP950/HD600>HE400
Accuracy:DT880/HD600/ESP950>HE400
Soundstage Depth:ESP950>HD600>DT880>HE400
Soundstage Width:DT880>ESP950>HD600>HE400
Sub-bass:HE400>DT880>ESP950 & HD600
Bass Impact:HE400>HD600>DT880>ESP950
Bass Quality:ESP950>DT880>HE400>HD600
Mids Quality:ESP950>HD600>DT880>HE400
Treble Imapct:DT880>ESP950>HE400>HD600
Treble Quality:ESP950>DT880>HE400>HD600
Warm to Cold:HD600>HE400>ESP950>DT880
Coloration:HE400>HD600>ESP950>DT880
Fatigue:DT880>ESP950>HE400>HD600
Instrument Separation:HE400>DT880 & HD600
Imaging:?
Center area:?

Build Quality:DT880>HD600>HE400>ESP950
Comfort:ESP 950>DT880>HD600>HE400

 

Is there anything wrong in my personal conclusion?
 

I could agree with this as well. The HD 580/600 (and the ESP/950) are imho fairly neutral all things considered, but I'd say they're slightly tilted towards warmth. They're somewhat off-centered if you will. There are certainly much warmer headphones out there. It's all relative.


Probably a lot is wrong with that, I'd say go out and try them for yourself and decide based on the experience - building comparisons based on mixed user reviews is usually like building your house in the middle of a hurricane, you're chasing a moving reference.

Really? Can you tel me some of my mistakes, please? I've only heard DT880 & HE400.

Like I said, the best advice is for you to try things out on your own and form your own opinion based on experience.

But the quick'n'dirty is that you won't find a dynamic that can beat up on a 'stat in terms of speed, accuracy, etc and I think you're reducing very complex systems to overly simple comparisons. There is no simple linear answer where you can rank every headphone out there. You can compare A to B. But not A to B to C to D to E to F etc.

And which do you prefer?  These are the very 2 phones I'm considering upgrading to from my HD598s - http://www.head-fi.org/t/641390/disappointed-with-my-sennheiser-hd598s-thoughts-about-this