[ironmine]

Hi everybody!

Please help me in my situation.

I am looking for all-round phones which must be (1) good with all genres and (2) excellent with heavy music/rock styles. I do not want to buy Grado as they are too metal/rock-specific, I am afraid they will not handle other music genres well. On the one hand, I do not want to buy phones which sound bad with metal music, but, on the other hand, I absolutely try to avoid phones which excel in metal music only.

I know all the usual suspects like Denon D2000, Audio-Technica AD2000, etc. However, my choice is limited to high-impedance phones only, because I have a NAD C320BEE amplifier with a 220 Ohm headphone output. So, the impedance of the phones must be higher than 220 Ohm (or around it).

As far as I understand, this limits my choice pretty much to Sennheiser HD600 or HD650 and Beyerdynamic DT880. Or am I wrong and there are some other models which I should consider?

My budget is up to $350-400.

Any advise will be much appreciated!

PS: I know that there are impedance adapters, but I checked their price on internet and it is prohibitively expensive (almost 50% of the price of the headphones)! However, if you know where I can buy impedance adapters cheaply, please let me know.

 

[Wilashort]

The DT990 05' fits perfectly with your requeriment. It's is 250 ohm and is excellent with heavy rock or metal too.

 

[QQQ]

Since most of modern rock\metall are badly mastered and often sibilant, 990(and any Beyer) are not ideal choice.
I suggest HD 650.

 

[Caution]

I recommend the HD600s, I personally like them more than the 880s and 990s for most genres, including metal.

 

[nickchen]

Too bad you have a bad amp and are limited to high ohm solutions, as the whole bunch of Beyers and Sennheisers is dead slow when it goes to very fast paced music. An Alessandro would be the perfect solution otherwise, as they have all the Grado genes, but much more extended genre bandwidth.

 

[QQQ]

nickchen, but Beyers' have very light and responsive driver... Why it's slow?

 

[Meliboeus]

I have the dt-990pro...and compared to my grados they are not very good at metal and rock, but they still can do it, bass isn't as fast and cleas as the grados, but still not bloated and fairly punchy...The HD600s are another good option to consider based on the reviews i have read, but i don't own them...

my experience says that grados do metal/rock at 100% of potential, completely destroy classical music and every genre that needs soundstage...and can do anything else quite good...the beyer are very good on metal/rock, excellent at anything else...

 

[pedxing]

Usually a high output impedance implies a series of resistors to reduce ouptut power. This design is usually frowned upon by head-fiers.

I am not sure what impedance matching means here, but I think some higher impedance headphones may not be affected as much as other lower impedance headhones in general.

I find it odd because most headphones are designed to operate near 0 Ohms output impedance. I believe the HD600 is like that and maybe some of the newer Beyers (instead of the funny 120 Ohm standard).

I am not sure if buying a high impedance headphone is necessary. Is NAD making this claim?

I am also completely lost how impedance adpater can fix this issue.

 

[donunus]

hd600 will annihilate all other options. the beyers? fawgedabawdit.... HD650? maybe

 

[donunus]

About the senns being slow. I dont really think so. The alessandros only seem faster because they are much thinner sounding and have a dry decay

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif nickchen, but Beyers' have very light and responsive driver... Why it's slow?

I have no idea, I'm not an engineer, just an ordinary headphone jumping jack.

However, IMO hard-fast-loud stuff is just played as a washy mess by all Beyers and Senns I know (the upper tier AKGs are a bit better, but not much). That is Grado/Alessandro or AT territory...

 

[eruditass]

speed is perceived as the upper mids, beyers are very polite there (i believe a little bit too much actually) and the senns even more (even the hd25 which makes me sad) but it makes it a very very comfortable listen over long long periods, which I can't do with grados.

upper mids is the upper range of guitar harmonics and some drum sounds. if you look at a square wave, the rising edge is defined most by the highest frequencies. in addition, the low bass frequencies linger around rooms and that can be seen as slow for drums and kickbass, but most of it is the relative relationship between the higher and lower overtones as above.

 

[Wilashort]

Yes, you can have reason here but the DT990 sibilance smooth out with burn in. In other hand the HD 650 is Slow as a slug. Not suitable for that music....
Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since most of modern rock\metall are badly mastered and often sibilant, 990(and any Beyer) are not ideal choice. I suggest HD 650.

Agree, but the DT990 is better all around than the HD600, the HD600 sound thin in comparison to it, lack bass slam, extension, with little quantity in comparisson to it, smaller soundstage/headstage. Only is beaten in the mids, but not for much.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Meliboeus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the dt-990pro...and compared to my grados they are not very good at metal and rock, but they still can do it, bass isn't as fast and cleas as the grados, but still not bloated and fairly punchy...The HD600s are another good option to consider based on the reviews i have read, but i don't own them... my experience says that grados do metal/rock at 100% of potential, completely destroy classical music and every genre that needs soundstage...and can do anything else quite good...the beyer are very good on metal/rock, excellent at anything else...

What mean fawgedabawdit?. HD650 ha, darker/veiled highs, slower with a bloated bass, yuck in reality...
Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif hd600 will annihilate all other options. the beyers? fawgedabawdit.... HD650? maybe

Completely agree, is for that that i am considering the AD1000 + 7N-OFC cable => to AD2000 (what was my first consideration, but...) in the near future. But my DT990 are decent with this music in speed/emotion and excellent with reasonably fast and slower music and it have bass...; and one of excellent quality. Something that the HD600 lacks in comparisson....
Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomzDayz /img/forum/go_quote.gif speed is perceived as the upper mids, beyers are very polite there (i believe a little bit too much actually) and the senns even more (even the hd25 which makes me sad) but it makes it a very very comfortable listen over long long periods, which I can't do with grados. upper mids is the upper range of guitar harmonics and some drum sounds. if you look at a square wave, the rising edge is defined most by the highest frequencies. in addition, the low bass frequencies linger around rooms and that can be seen as slow for drums and kickbass, but most of it is the relative relationship between the higher and lower overtones as above.

 

[ironmine]

Thank you guys for your advice. Now I have something to think about...

 

[ironmine]

Or may I will be a preamp/headphone amp...