Here are some more impressions copied off another thread (Click to show)
So, here are some impressions from the meet I went to:
BTW, disclaimer: everything was tested off my M-stage/ODAC setup, except for the HE-6...
HD800: VERY spacious, as you would expect. Even though I was only running them off the M-stage, they still sounded more open then the Q701s. The separation was very clear, and it had some of that "floating" instruments which I'm a big fan of. The soundstage height and depth was also very impressive. They're also warmer than I was expecting. Warmer than the Q701s, but not quite as warm as the anniversaries. Unlike the Anniversaries though, they have more air and treble extension up top. When I A-Bed briefly with the Q701s, the Q701s sounded more chalky and a bit flat and grainy sounding (also shorter soundstage, less depth). I'm not sure the Q701s do anything better (maybe warmer treble?), and the HD800s are a nice and natural upgrade from them. Also, the HD800s have the largest and deepest cups out of any headphones I've ever worn. I was very happy to discover that. I could DEFINITELY see myself owning and loving these. Not a ton of bass, so they probably aren't great for electronic, but likely amazing for acoustic.
T1: The first thing that surprised me when I put these on was the bass impact. It hit harder than I was expecting it too - very tight bass but punchy bass. They also had impressive soundstage depth and great separation. They were also brighter than I was expecting. Also, these are extremely comfortable. The cups are unlike the Beyer DT series, they are very deep and spacious inside - with angled drivers. Awesome velour too.
D7000: OMFG, the bass is unlike ANYTHING I've ever heard from a headphone. I did some bass frequency sweeps and I literally said "Oh My God..." outloud when it went down past 25-30hz. It was rumbling my body in ways it's never been rumbled before. I was there with a friend and when he listened, he said "Jesus..." when it got down low. Also, for a closed headphone the soundstage is HUGE. I started a song thinking "OK, it's closed - so it can't throw the sound out that far" and then it threw it way out farther than I was expecting. I can see the soundstage doing fine in gaming, as well as a lot of open headphones. The only thing that worries me is that the bass will be TOO much at times. Also the initial comfort was very high. The cups were spacious and my ears didn't touch anything inside. I think it had J$ pads though. I don't know how it would feel over extended listening though (velour FTW).
TH900: So gorgeous...
. They sounded similar to the D7000, but I didn't A-B them or anything. The bass still touched me deep inside.
HE-500: Reminded me of a warmer HE-400 (a good thing). Better mids, treble not as hot/emphasized.
HE-6: Intimate and extremely clear/transparent. I actually thought the setup they were hooked to was playing higher resolution files or something as the voices sounded amazing. While I wasn't a huge fan of the intimate-ness everything else about them was very impressive. I was also listened off a higher powered dac/amp to juice the HE-6s properly. BTW, comfort/fit on both the Hifiman's is pretty good - they can be heavier.
LCD-3: The bass quantity was lower then I was expecting, which surprised me. I had heard that the bass on these was amazing, but nothing stood out to me. Nothing like on the D7000/TH900 that blew me away. I think there was something unusual about the bass that seemed different from other headphones I'd heard, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Overall I was underwhelmed. Also they're HUGE and the fit is strange. Look at pictures of them, and they feel on your head how you would expect them to. The pads are so angled, it feels like they the back of the pads is trying to push the front of the pads forward off your head. When you wiggle your head the microphonics are noticeable.
I didn't get to hear the Stax SR303 (are those the same ones you have Nameless?), but I did put them on my head to test out the fit/comfort. They were pretty flat inside the cups and my ears were smushed against the foam Grado-style, so I don't think I could wear them for long.
The HD700 I also didn't hear, but I put them on and they were very comfy. While the earcups were smaller than the HD800, there was still enough room that my big ears didn't touch anything.
Just keep in mind that all those impressions are VERY ROUGH, and coming off my humble M-stage/ODAC (there were some monstrous amps there).
Overall, my favorites were the HD800, T1, D7000, and TH900 in no particular order. I think the Hifimans and LCD-3 are less "obviously" impressive and probalby take more listening time than a rough impression to appreciate their refinement (and probalby nicer amps then the M-stage :\) I'm also easily impressed by soundstage so the Sennheisers, Beyer, and Denons/Fostex may have had an advantage with me there.
I also still thought the anniversaries put up an impressive and respectable fight against the flagships.
What thread?
