Senn HD 650 vs Beyer dt 880 (600 ohm) vs AKG K702

i just went ahead and bought every can that i want to try...one after another within my pocket limit.

and after a few cans, i kinda appreciate each can for its own perculiarities. 

its interesting u started on a 225 with sein pads..and tube amps...that could have been my retirement set. :)

there is attack...there is distance...there is warmth.. there is economy$$. 

the 650 is too dark for me... the 880 is just ok for me..didnt wow me..i much prefer the 770/600..love the headbashing of sorts when it comes to orchestra music..just me...the k702 not bad but i prefer the Q701 with more body.

hey...if u have a chance...give the philips uptown a listen...if u want an inexpensive gem..

i tot its exceptional for the price, dave grusin was in top form last nite in my living room

ps: i think u sh9uld identify your taste in music...

and what kind of diff sound u are looking for, then headfiers here can give u relevant feedback.

Be aware that HD650 are very picky what you are pairing them with. Since DT880 highs are not enough for you you should try DT990 but their high are bright and even sometimes harsh for most people.

The Beyerdynamic phones are considered very hot in the treble region. Not a good thing for me. I heard their detail in sound surpasses the other two but iono. Never heard them personally. '

HD 650 has a very dark sound. A tad warm. I personally don't like the bass on the HD 650... it sounds unnatural and almost forced (usually open headphones don't have much bass). Treble is slightly rolled off but then again, that's probably better for your ears health wise. This is a very laid back headphone. Might even sound a bit slow for some genres (metal, dubstep, hiphop, etc.)

AKG Q701 (better than the K702 and cheaper) tends to sound a bit lean/ thin sounding. They're also much faster than the HD 650. Brighter as well. Has the biggest soundstage out of the three but maybe a little too much. Quite detailed but maybe not as much as the Beyerdynamics. More than the HD 650 though. 

http://www.headfonia.com/old-school-trio-akg-k701-beyer-dt880-sennheiser-hd650/

Take his words with a grain of salt. Most reviewers are very subjective. 

I personally don't like any of the three (based on what I read). I prefer the HD 600 and 598. The Denon lines I'd probably like better as well. The D2000 is about 300 dollars and highly recommend on this forum, almost as much as the Q701s. Maybe a bit overrated but they may suit your taste better than these three. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott5526 

I have been looking for a new pair of headphones and have narrowed it to these three.  I currently own some grado 225is with the sennheiser pads and love them, but want to try a few different sound signatures from different companies.  I originally settled on a pair of beyer dt 880 600ohms, but after trying a pair of 32ohm ones that Amazon accidently sent to me I'm not sure about the 600s.  I liked their sound signature, but the bass seemed too weak and after using my grados for so long their highs just didn't seem to extend as far as I would have liked.  I'm really looking for a pair of headphones that having better soundstaging than my grados and are more "neutral". To me it just seemed as though the beyers were incapable of producing much depth be it bass or highs or lows on any of my songs, but I was using the 32 ohm version with only an afternoon of listening to base my opinions on.  For powering these headphones I have an Ibasso D12 to be used as a DAC and recently purchased a Bellari HA540 with some Mullard and Tungsol 12AX7 tubes.  What do you guys think would suit a grado lover more?  Currently the Beyers are going for anywhere between 230$ and 350$ (A lot of fluctuation in the last week), the AKGs are going for about 270$, and the Senns are going for about 375$.  Thanks

HD 600 is considered very neutral and the HD 598 has an extremely good soundstage -almost as large as the Q701 but with better imaging. The HD 598 is considered quite neutral, only slightly warm and bright. It has that Grado like sound while maintaining most of the Sennheiser signature. 

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones this article by tyll might help you

I heard my currently for sale HD650  with 5 different amps at the recent NYC and with all of them but one they didn't have enough bass you would want for symphonic orchestra or jazz

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott5526 

I remember reading that article.  It was helpful when I thought that I would settle on the beyers, but the findings related to the AKGs and the Senns were in line with what I found browsing through the forums.  That article reminds me of how uncertain I am about the beyers.  I tried the 32 ohms with only a few hours of burn in, but am contemplating the 600 ohms for the long term with ideal burn in which is why I haven't given up on the beyers yet. 

If you have a strong enough amp, you should just get the 600 ohm ones. Technically, although it shouldn't be that big of a difference, the higher the ohm, the more responsive the driver is: music sounds faster and more accurately portrays the source. 

I wouldn't worry too much about the burn-in. Honestly, a lot of people don't even find that big of a difference (if any) in a burn-in. Not saying it doesn't exist, but that the scientific effects are very minimal. Most of the so called "effects" are merely psychological and subjective - people get used to the sound of their new headphones, and hence, they feel an "improvement". 

Just remember AKG701/702 need at least 300 hours before you shold start judging them

Rubbish.

Fact.

not meaning to thread jack at all but I'm also in the market for 650s or Q701s.  I'm curious do the 700 series sound good with multiple genres?