Please help decide: Bose qc 15, V-Moda M80, B&W P5 - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 

I'm really getting bothered that "bright" is the only word that is used to describe all sound across the board (this is carrying over from another thread, not directed at you). Seriously, this recent German obsession with BRIGHT AS THE SUN cans and telling everyone that's what "neutral" or "flat" sounds like, it's getting old.
The P5 are dark and sort of n-shaped (they aren't a true N though), they're very pleasant and easy to listen to over a long period of time. I think saying you cannot hear cymbals or drums is a little unrealistic - they are not a bandpass. They don't have the clash-trash top end that a lot of modern "audiophile" headphones have, and they're certainly more of an n-shaped, dark leaning, easy listener, but you still get the entire FR. Does it sound absolutely natural? Not really, but it sounds good (I seriously could not care or despise less the whole "as the artist intended" claptrap), especially to live with long-term. It's about as un-natural as the ultra-boost treble that "audiophile class" headphones have - neither is really accurate or correct.
I have not heard the V-MODA, but if HiFi says they're good, they're probably not half bad. I still stand by the P5 being ahead of the QC15 for SQ, and one of the better options for what they are. But honestly, for true mobile use, IEMs should be considered first, and there are less expensive closed-back models that sound nearly as good as all of the above for about half the cash too. FWIW.

Putting the DT880 aside, I should put it out there that there are headphones that are too bright for me... like the HD800.

But I think the end of the discussion is that the P5 does not suit my taste... or what I consider "neutral".

By "natural", I mean I want to hear sounds exactly like how I expect them to, and the P5 doesn't quite deliver on that.

I don't deny that it's comfortable or easy to listen to, but if sound quality was my top priority, I would not give it another thought.

As an aside, some modern "audiophile" headphones like HE-400 and LCD-2 do have a dark sound signature, but they still has quite good treble. The P5, to my ears, doesn't sound anything like those. I sincerely can't hear anything on the lower or higher frequencies in the P5. It's exactly like someone took an EQ and dialed down anything below 500K or above 10K by -12dB. It's like some extreme high pass and low pass filter have been applied. On the HE-400 and LCD-2, I can still hear some treble to make out that it's a cymbal or a bass note playing.

Yes, I meant 500Hz. Sorry...

But let's say I have heard better from B&W speakers, and I approached the P5 expecting the same masterfully engineered sound.

For a $300 portable headphone, though, I sincerely think there are better alternatives out there with more extension... like the Audio Technica ATH-ESW9, or the over-the-top Audio Technica ATH-ES10, or if you can somehow find it, the elusive Audio Technica ATH-ESW10. If you rock a portable amp, then I also think the Beyerdynamic DT1350 has better sound quality than P5 even though it is not as comfortable.

In the end. I guess... it really depends on what you are looking for. But seeing as we are in Head-Fi right now, I would think sound quality should come before anything else.

Well, if isolation was on top of your list, then Bose QC15 or QC3 would be way better off than P5.

ESW9 does lack in isolation, but it's not as bad as open cans. It can still be used as portable when the user is not on an airplane or somewhere that's overly loud.

ES10 can be had for just a tad above $300 now (around $400 brand new), so it's not that much more expensive than P5, but it does deliver a much better sound. And I think the isolation is about the same.

And yes, ESW10 is limited edition. That's why I said it was elusive.

I understand that the P5 does well for some people. I never denied that. I simply said that it's not for everyone, which is true.

Like I said... it really depends on what people are looking for. But for most at Head-Fi, I think it's sound quality over everything else. If not, then we might well rule out Stax and your ESPs altogether. In fact, let's throw out all of the other open cans as well... since they provide zero isolation and some of them (like LCD-2) are very uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

I like M80 a lot.  Then P5

I never heard the M80... I tested the P5 few times... and I owned the QC15.

If the isolation comes first, than I believe the QC15 is the best option nowadays.

Compromising the sound quality is a fair tradeoff for me.

I don't expect to have an excellent audio quality from any isolation headphone especially those active ones.

By saying that, it doesn't mean that the QC15's sound quality is bad.

On the contrary, it delivers a good sound from top to bottom, but obviously not an audiophile's "good".

I'm enjoying every music I throw at this cans.

To me, it's a good travel companion.

As a new options of these three cans, there's AKG 490/495.

Having listened to a demo unit once, I think the sound quality might a bit better than the QC15.

Some of my friends even said it was much better.

But to me, when I need the isolation then it should come first before the sq.

An it's a clear winning for the QC15 over the AKG.

Hence, the QC15 is still sitting happily in my travel bag.

Cheers.

I have the M80 and the QC15 and have auditioned the P5.  I'd definitely recommend the QC15 for heavy airplane usage, but not for much else (that's the only time I use them).  I didn't like the sound of the P5 when I tried them, they sounded flat and uninspiring.  The M80, on the other hand, sounds fantastic.