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New Heafier looking for advice for 2nd Purchase ( detailed answers needed)

post #1 of 9
9/27/12 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 

Ive been on Head-fi for a while now and done a fair amount of research and reading. I am currently looking at purchasing a second pair of headphones around the intro audiophile price range. Ive looked up some of the classics recommendation and have contemplating the following with my current understanding of each... 

 

*please note that I have never sampled any of these and understand only by reading*

 

AKG K701- Amazing open soundstage, very comfortable (except headband for some), extended highs and mids reproduced well. "quick" and "tight" bass but                      shy on impact.

 

AKG Q701- Pretty much same sonic capabilities off K701 with slightly different sound signature and styling (i like the green accent on white)

 

Denon AH D2000- Good soundstage (not as good as beyer or akg), slightly recessed mids and slight *sibilance* with stock cups. powerful sub bass and impact.

 

Beyerdynamic DT880- Also a great soundstage, slight "V" tuning with extended highs and

 

Grado 325i - "agressive" grado sound, punchy bass, overall good can. * cant remember too much*

 

Allesandro MS2- all i know is that it has similar qualities as the Grado Line and a popular choice

 

Ultrasone Pro 750 - extended highs, sometimes *overpowering* bass and somewhat "unnatural" soundstage by S-logic technology

 

 

     Regardless of critiques on what i said about my very "rookie" description i need help choosing a new can so now about me and what im looking for...

 

 

MUSICAL PREFERENCES

 

I like a bit of everything besides country and extremely hard Metal. Im looking for a relatively "flat" eq'd can but has

 

  1. accurate musical reproduction
  2. good open soundstage
  3. Extended Sub bass and impact over mid bass
  4. relatively flat Eq and versatile for multiple genres (i know not any one headphone will be "the best" but what can work with other genres)
  5. clear treble and mids
  6. Good instrumental seperation
  7. Aesthetics ( not soo much "swag" but artist. I really like woodies on denon, grados and the look of the AKG's)
  8. Forgiving enough for Oldies recording and 60’s Soul and Blues

 

Sample tracks

 

Gospel R&B- J.moss “abundantly”

http://youtu.be/g4cDJioyzpA

 

Funk – The Gap Band “Early in the Morning”

http://youtu.be/7KKD2TCzN04

 

Drum and Bass- Swedish house Mafia  “one”

http://youtu.be/PkQ5rEJaTmk

 

HipHop- Lecrae “walk with me”

http://youtu.be/daaEivikcHo

 

Soul- Junior Walker and The All Stars “Shotgun”

http://youtu.be/FI7CtxlisCk

 

Alternative –Foo Fighters “Best of You”

http://youtu.be/h_L4Rixya64

 

Salsa/Timba – Calle Real “El Anillo”

http://youtu.be/r2qUhDydb74

 

Metal- As I lay Dying “Confined”

http://youtu.be/5SHFUSI0CBA

 

Too numerous to list but I mostly listen to rock, R&B, HipHop, Gospel oldies and Soul plus whats listed.

 

Equipment

 

Ill be playing through an Ipod Classic 7th gen 160GB using a FiiO E7 and will eventually want to get the E17 Alpen.

 

Thank you Those of you who read this entire thing to help, I love Headfi and the community. Thanks Guys!


Edited by cali_afroman - 9/28/12 at 9:27pm
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post #2 of 9
9/28/12 at 1:14am
AKG K701 seems like it would fit the bill, but if you're using these in a mobile setting (the iPod makes me believe you are) they aren't what I'd pick. If you're going mobile, I'd look at the Audio-Technica ATH-ESW9 or closed Ultrasones (like the PRO750 - but unfortunately I haven't heard that specific model so I'm hesitant to talk about it; I can tell you that S-LOGIC will sound perfectly natural to some people, and very weird to others, and it's all based on ear shape - you really gotta try it personally to know if it works for you or not). Basically this is just for the isolation.

Another can to look at, that's probably somewhat over your budget (based on all of the above) is the Kenwood KH-K1000. Basically it takes the best qualities of the D2000 and the K701, and drops a lot of their flaws (sibilance and boominess on the D2000, and unnatural sound-stage and treble tonality on the K701). Heavy and expensive though. On the upside, easy to drive, so that eliminates a lot of extra equipment cost.
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post #3 of 9
9/28/12 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 

thank you obobskavich! i use my ipod simply because that is all i have and my pc has stock sound card but  can use other iem for mobility. another queestion i have is if you or anyone has had a chance to compare thr Q701 with the K701? the removable cable and styling plus cheaper street price attracts me to them.

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post #4 of 9
9/28/12 at 9:41pm
I haven't tried the Q, but I remember when the K702 came out (it also has a removable cable) the general consensus was that they were equivalent to the K701, sans the cable feature. I've heard some varying reports on build quality consistency about the Q though.

Alternately, have you considered the Ultrasone HFI-2400?
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post #5 of 9
10/3/12 at 2:01am
Thread Starter 

I have not looked into the HFI-2400, what are impression of them. also, where would be a good site of person to purchase from? do you know of any legitimate ebay or amazon sellers?
 

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post #6 of 9
10/3/12 at 4:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cali_afroman View Post

I have not looked into the HFI-2400, what are impression of them. also, where would be a good site of person to purchase from? do you know of any legitimate ebay or amazon sellers?

 

Ultrasone sells directly through their website, and Amazon should sell the HFI-2400 as well.

Regarding their sound - spacious (S-LOGIC-ey though), warm, bassy, dark, perhaps over-smoothed for some, and a little wooly. Not a bad headphone overall - like the K701, with a soul, more bass, and none of the plasticy treble.
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post #7 of 9
10/12/12 at 12:36am
Thread Starter 

thank you, im now on the fence between the pro 900 and the HFI 2400. The HFI is said to have a better sound stage but the 900 is said to be more accurate. Any experience or suggestions?

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post #8 of 9
10/14/12 at 1:09pm
PRO900 is supposed to be incredibly bassy, and costs a fair bit more. But I haven't tried them myself (the "incredibly bassy" reputation keeps me away); HFI-2400 is a good all-rounder imho (just overall); they don't do anything majorly offensive, they're comfortable, and they don't cost a whole ton. smily_headphones1.gif
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post #9 of 9
10/26/12 at 10:19pm
Thread Starter 

thank you for all your help! i think im going with the hfi 2400.

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