[WorkInProgress]

Hey guys, I am in a bit of a dilemma. I pride myself on my wide variety of music, and because of this I purchased a set of AKG K270 MKII's. I thought they would be everything I wanted in a headset, sadly they are not. The sound very lacking, and I miss the depth of the bass. They are-in short- very cold. While perusing the forums I found some people talking about the Ultrasone Pro 900's and the Klipsch M40. I have heard that they both have good quality and are slightly warm in regards to sound. My question is, how is the sound stage, and what are the pro's/con's of them? I would be using them for everything from Country to Electronic, Rock and Roll to Alternative, and many places in between. I usually like to hear the low end of my music without it drowning out the upper end (a concern that is completely non-existant on the K270's.) What do you all recommend for daily use and listening? I have the option to buy both for drastically less than retail price (the Klipsch are refurbished and the Ultrasone's are new.) so I am trying to figure out which one would be better. I would be running them off of a Laptop sound card and a Zune HD.

 

[WorkInProgress]

And there is a bit of a time crunch as I need to make my decision in about ten hours about which to pursue. I could purchase both, but if I were to do that I would want to sell my K270's, and I do not know too many people who would drop $200 or even $180 on a set of 'phones.

 

[WorkInProgress]

I guess I am just trying to figure out which would be the better buy. I want to know if the sound quality on the M40's stack up in any way to the Pro 900's, and how the overall tone of the music is between the two sets. I know that the differences between the two sets are like heaven and earth and are not normally compared to each other, but I was wondering if anyone knew.

 

[WorkInProgress]

Bump for advice?

 

[NA Blur]

Go with a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50s or HFI-580
 
Here are some graphs of the various frequency response for several headphones.
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=1973&graphID[]=3201&graphID[]=2901&graphID[]=2941
 
Pick the one with the most bass extension if that is what you really want.  The ATH-M50 and HFI-580 having the most bass, but still in balance.

 

[risenfallen]

Quote:

The sound very lacking, and I miss the depth of the bass. They are-in short- very cold.

 
You haven't described the sound sig you want. I'm guessing more texture and body in the low spectrum? Have you tried amping the K270? I haven't heard them but some say these are quite picky when it comes to amplification. Again, even if it's the case, the K270 is tuned for studio monitoring so they may not be "fun" and engaging enough for your taste. I would try amping them first with something readily available (say, plugging into a receiver) and see how things go or go for something like the Ultrasone HFI/Pro series (I would suggest you try the Pro 900 first before buying, people seem to have polarized opinions on them).

 

[WorkInProgress]

Sorry for not clarifying. Yes I would like more texture,air and punch in my lows, solidity in my mids and soaring highs. I have heard quite a few good things about the Pro 900's, but I do not have any stores that would carry them where I am at in order to get a good look at them. I will take your suggestion about amping my current set, I have a friend of mine who has a pretty solid set up that I can use. I guess an example of what I consider a good example of someof the music I am listening to would be the remix of "Fireflies" by Owl City entitled "Around the World." Another would be Paramore's "Brick by Boring Brick", Trans Siberian Orchestra, and Manafest's "No Plan B".
For an amp, what would you recommend? My laptop does not have a sound card, and I was looking at getting a dac/amp combo, but I did not know which one would be the overall best choice. I keep hearing a lot about the fiio series, but it seems like it is either a love it or hate it thing with them.

 

[jackwess]

Pad rolling on the K270 seems to have an impact on the sound signature, if you can get the pads that's something i'd try first. 

 

[risenfallen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WorkInProgress /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
For an amp, what would you recommend? My laptop does not have a sound card, and I was looking at getting a dac/amp combo, but I did not know which one would be the overall best choice. I keep hearing a lot about the fiio series, but it seems like it is either a love it or hate it thing with them.

 
Definitely try them first with your friend's amp and see if you really like the K270 sound. If you decide to keep them and invest in an inexpensive amp, I would suggest a E11 if you mainly use headphones on the go (plugging in portable players/phones, etc), otherwise, for a laptop setup, E10 is hard to beat. Fiio have newer and better models like the E17 and E12 though, it all depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[WorkInProgress]

Quote:

Pad rolling on the K270 seems to have an impact on the sound signature, if you can get the pads that's something i'd try first. 

I am not sure what you mean by "Pad rolling on the K270." Can you please clarify?
 
Quote:

 
Definitely try them first with your friend's amp and see if you really like the K270 sound. If you decide to keep them and invest in an inexpensive amp, I would suggest a E11 if you mainly use headphones on the go (plugging in portable players/phones, etc), otherwise, for a laptop setup, E10 is hard to beat. Fiio have newer and better models like the E17 and E12 though, it all depends on how much you want to spend.

 
I would be comfortable spending around $100-$130 if I keep my K270's. I would like something that would be semi-portable to transfer between my laptop and my Zune if possible, though I am willing to take the hit on being able to use it with my Zune if it means that my laptop will have better overall sound quality. I am using a coworkers set of LTB HSMT UP headphones (open circumaural set.) and they have really good presence and space to the music. (When listening to Bring that Beat Back, I could hear notes that I had never heard before on my standard set up.) though that might be because the UP has a sound card built into it and three speakers for 5.1 surround. I know that I cannot expect the same airiness and space with a closed set as with an open set, though I would very much like to get the same low end clarity. I felt like it really separated the lower spectrum very nicely to distinguish between the notes in No Plan B by Manafest. If this is the difference a sound card (or a DAC) will make in my headphones, I am all for it.

 

[risenfallen]

From what you described, perhaps the K270's sound does not suit you. I would suggest looking into the Ultrasone HFI-780 or Pro 750 if you want closed headphones with great bass, good details and soundstage and get an E17 which will serve both your portable and laptop setups.

 

[WorkInProgress]

Hmm... what is the main difference between the Pro 900's and the Pro 750's? I saw a few reviews on here where people seemed to treat the 900's like they were the big brother to the 750's in many respects. Does the 750 over all sound better than the 900? Also, I looked at the E17 and it looks like something I might be interested in so going forward I might look on Amazon for that one. Thanks so much for your help by the way!

 

[risenfallen]

I haven't heard the Pro 900 but people have reported that they have recessed mids and piercing highs (can be cured with simple mods), bass is among the best in their price range though. So if you you're into electronic music there should be no problem, many people enjoy their Pro 900 with other genres as well, it's a matter of taste I guess. I used to have the Pro 2500 which is an open version and sound essentially close to the Pro 750, from what I read, some people still prefer the 750 sound to the 900 because they seem to offer the same dynamic and details while offering a more organic sound but again, they still retain Ultrasone characteristics (mids are slightly recessed, highs may be too bright for some). The number does not indicate that the 900 is a step up for 750, there were 750/2500 and then they tweaked the sound a bit and released 900/2900. So if you can't demo them before buying, I would go with the 750 just to be safe.