Budley007
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 29, 2004
- Posts
- 752
- Likes
- 11
Well, I've been using them for a couple of weeks now. I think the burn-in really helped the bass and detail alot on these cans.
Word to the uninformed - buy a decent amp. These headphones are so pathetically weak without one. I tried using them with my Echo Indigo and it just doesn't cut it. Turning the volumn up almost gets there, but I felt it just needed more power and drive. I went ahead and plugged my SHA-1 in the Indigo and Man! what a difference.
It was as if I had a flat equilizer, then did the classic "smily face" pattern. Another thing I love about the sound is that some of the more dynamic CDs I own, mostly classical, really "air" out without hissing. What I mean is, with my SR225s I can't get away from the high freq "hiss" while listening to classical music at an enjoyable level. I would attribute this to the nominal impedance of 250 ohms as opposed to the SR225s - 32 ohms. Maybe someone else can explain it better, I'm no expert.
When I went with a line level output from my Aardvark 24/96 the sound just got a bit richer or "lusher". I wouldn't call it muddier at all. More accurate would be to say that the SHA-1s tubes made more of an appearance with the Aardvark as a source. The detail was wonderful from both sources.
I still like my SR225s for rock, jazz, techno, etc...but for the lack of "hiss" in the classical silent passages, I would rate the sound of the DT531s better.
For classical music, I'd highly recommend an audition with the DT531s...again, with a decent amp. Soundstage was better than the SR225s. The DT531s do both male and female opera voices very well.
They do a very good job with rock, jazz and techno, but will reveal flaws in the source. Some rock songs I auditioned with these cans really made too much use of treble and became harsh with some of the worst. The fatigue wasn't much of a problem on my Aardvark, but the Echo Indigo couldn't tame the highs enough to keep me happy. I think this is more of a source/amp synergy problem than a DT531 problem. But let's just say, they aren't too forgiving, if at all.
One thing that stood out the most to me about the DT531s is that acoustic guitar sounds absolutely heavenly on these headphones. I found myself hunting for more and more CDs featuring acoustic guitar, just to see if I was hearing things. Nope, it's the cans. I love it.
I didn't want to make this a comparison of my SR225s, so I won't. I love em both.
Echo Indigo > SR225s = my portable rig (does all things well)
Aardvark > Melos SHA-1 > DT531 = home rig. (does all things well - classical, jazz and acoustic guitar are gorgeous!)
Considering the lack of sources and my inexperience with headphones, I rate my opinion and listening abilities informal at best. I wish I had some better sources to make a more accurate interpretation of the sound of the DT531s, but considering my budget and what I'm working with right now, these headphones really keep me involved in the music. I'm keeping them.
Word to the uninformed - buy a decent amp. These headphones are so pathetically weak without one. I tried using them with my Echo Indigo and it just doesn't cut it. Turning the volumn up almost gets there, but I felt it just needed more power and drive. I went ahead and plugged my SHA-1 in the Indigo and Man! what a difference.
It was as if I had a flat equilizer, then did the classic "smily face" pattern. Another thing I love about the sound is that some of the more dynamic CDs I own, mostly classical, really "air" out without hissing. What I mean is, with my SR225s I can't get away from the high freq "hiss" while listening to classical music at an enjoyable level. I would attribute this to the nominal impedance of 250 ohms as opposed to the SR225s - 32 ohms. Maybe someone else can explain it better, I'm no expert.
When I went with a line level output from my Aardvark 24/96 the sound just got a bit richer or "lusher". I wouldn't call it muddier at all. More accurate would be to say that the SHA-1s tubes made more of an appearance with the Aardvark as a source. The detail was wonderful from both sources.
I still like my SR225s for rock, jazz, techno, etc...but for the lack of "hiss" in the classical silent passages, I would rate the sound of the DT531s better.
For classical music, I'd highly recommend an audition with the DT531s...again, with a decent amp. Soundstage was better than the SR225s. The DT531s do both male and female opera voices very well.
They do a very good job with rock, jazz and techno, but will reveal flaws in the source. Some rock songs I auditioned with these cans really made too much use of treble and became harsh with some of the worst. The fatigue wasn't much of a problem on my Aardvark, but the Echo Indigo couldn't tame the highs enough to keep me happy. I think this is more of a source/amp synergy problem than a DT531 problem. But let's just say, they aren't too forgiving, if at all.
One thing that stood out the most to me about the DT531s is that acoustic guitar sounds absolutely heavenly on these headphones. I found myself hunting for more and more CDs featuring acoustic guitar, just to see if I was hearing things. Nope, it's the cans. I love it.
I didn't want to make this a comparison of my SR225s, so I won't. I love em both.
Echo Indigo > SR225s = my portable rig (does all things well)
Aardvark > Melos SHA-1 > DT531 = home rig. (does all things well - classical, jazz and acoustic guitar are gorgeous!)
Considering the lack of sources and my inexperience with headphones, I rate my opinion and listening abilities informal at best. I wish I had some better sources to make a more accurate interpretation of the sound of the DT531s, but considering my budget and what I'm working with right now, these headphones really keep me involved in the music. I'm keeping them.