fureshi
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2003
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It's been three years here and I've finally made it to Headphoneus Supremus. It's been a lot of fun along the way and have talked to a lot of great people here about headphones and everything else in general. Thanks to everyone for making this such a great community and a place that I want to continually come back to.
I'm still on my search for the right set of headphones and rig but slowly I'm getting there. I have a much better understanding of what qualities in a headphone that I like, what I can tolerate and what I absolutely cannot stand. I don't think the search will ever end as my curiosity is never satisfied what with all of the new offerings that pop up every once in a while. What a great and yet dangerous hobby.
Here is a list and collected impressions of a few cans that I've had the luck of trying out. Thanks again everyone for making this such a fun place.
Audio Technica EC7
Audio Technica EW9
Audio Technica ES5
Audio Technica ES7 – Boomy bass when driven out of the ipod but off of an amplifier, the bass becomes tight and punchy. Highs can be a little piercing but unsure if that is because they are closed cans. The soundstage is closed in, almost grado like. The bass makes these cans a lot of fun to listen to but they’re not made for critical listening. Comfort on these things isn’t great as they put a lot of pressure on the ears and also on the top of my head, making them uncomfortable after one or two hours. Isolation is acceptable but not as good as the modified Eggos. Great at low volume and retains its punchiness.
Audio Technica A900LTD – Bass on these bad boys is deep, tight and detailed. The soundstage is quite large although not as large as the CD3000. Highs are detailed without being fatiguing. Others on the board have complained about a lack of midrange and in some sense I agree but to me it sounds like they are slightly hollow sounding. I think the midrange is fine and the hollow sound isn’t bothersome either. Overall, the CD3000 sounds better. Better mids, better highs, better soundstage but I’d say that the A900LTD beats it in the bass department.
Audio Technica CK7 – Great sounding balanced set of cans but their “balanced” sound allows the bass to disappear in the background din in outside environments. With the stock tips, they are slightly sibilant but are great with the e2c soft tips. For a set of cans this small, I’m amazed by the sound quality and soundstage. Numerous times, I thought a sound was coming from elsewhere when they were coming from the cans. Amazing. Unfortunately, they’re only good for office use of where the external noises aren’t too loud.
Audio Technica CK5
AKG K81DJ – Very musical and fun sounding set of cans. Highs are slightly rolled off but well balanced with bass and mids. Their downfall is comfort. The clamping force was too high at first but stretching out the headband helped that. Unfortunately, the put too much pressure on the top of my head and being supra aural, they smash my ears causing pain after a half an hour of use. I would keep these if it were not for the pain.
AKG K701
AKG K240S – Hole cut into cloth covering drivers and also holes cut into paper/felt material covering holes to the driver cavity. Recabled with Canare Starquad and silver plated copper internally. The stock cans were too dark and congested sounding for my tastes. Although they were not burned in, I don’t think burn in would’ve helped to open up the highs and lift the veil. The hole in the cloth allowed the highs to come through and lifted some of the veil while the recable made the bass less boomy and became tighter. The holes in the paper cover made the biggest change and allowed them to sparkle on the high end while increasing detail and opening up the soundstage. They are fun cans to listen to now!
Beyerdynamic DT880 v.2006
Etymotic ER-4P – Wow, amazing details and clear highs but the bass from these cans is too disappointing. While it’s there and it goes deep, there just isn’t enough oomph. They really are one of the best IEMs out there and provides the best isolation out of everything tested so far.
Shure E4 – While the clear highs and details are there, it doesn’t have the same level of clarity as the ER4P but is almost there. Bass is much better than the Etys but still not enough to provide for a enjoyable listen, especially while on the go. As they don’t isolate as well as the Etys, a lot of outside noises get in and work to reduce the amount of bass heard. They really are good IEMs and deserve the praise that they’ve received but I can’t use them for portable music because of the loss in bass.
Grado HF-1
JVC FX77 – Boomy bloated bass, somewhat wooly sounding. They are very forward sounding with the bass taking the front stage. Highs and mids are in the background but not totally covered by the bass. Still, they’re more balanced sounding than the Sony EX71/81. The isolation on these is great. I’m able to use them on the plane without having to turn up the volume excessively.
Sony SA5000
Panasonic HJE70
Not bad sound canal phones but are a bit expensive for their sound. The build is incredible but that doesn’t make up for the sound. While they are much smoother than the Sony EX series, they still have the boomy bass typical of this class of cans. These walk all over the EX series but can be a bit difficult to achieve a seal sometimes. They can sometimes sound a bit hollow, which might be attributed to slightly less mids.
Westone UM2
Comply tips - whoa, what happened to the treble? nice bass but a bit boomy
Shure Comfy tips - ouch, highs are brought forward and details jump out at you but at the expense of some sibilance. this seems like it can become fatiguing after a short while
Shure Clear Silicone tips - seems to be right combination of highs and bass but highs are slightly rolled off and bass is a bit tubby
Tri-flange – this combination when cut down to dual flange seems to have the best combination of fit, isolation and sound.
Alessandro MS2 – Shortened cord with Neutrik connector. For some reason, it seems like the highs are now lifted and the bass goes deeper with the shorter cord. Not sure if it’s placebo or I just haven’t used them enough recently but the definitely sound more fun now.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro – Great bass and musicality but where are the highs? Boosting the treble seems to help a bit but still not as clear sounding as the E4. Mids are alright but not as smooth as Grados. These are odd headphones as they don’t really go into your ear canal and stick way out of your ears. With the mid sized tips, my ear canal gets over pressurized when first inserted and any attempts to adjust the pressure only breaks the seal. Quite frustrating. Small tips don’t give a good seal and is too easy to break the seal with any movement.
Pioneer EJ20 – Bland boring sound. No highs and bloated lows. Reminds me too much of the Sharp MD33 but worse.
Sennheiser HD580 – So close in sound to the HD600 that I had decided to keep these over the HD600. They really are the best bang for the buck headphones, especially used. They sound so smooth with Jazz and almost every type of music that I regret letting them go. Their comfort has been unparalleled by almost every other headphone out there with exception of the SA5000. By removing the foam liner between the cushion and drivers, they really open up and lose the infamous Sennheiser veil, becoming a headphone not only for critical listening but also for fun.
Sennheiser HD600 – Slightly smoother than the HD580 but not worth the price difference. Overall sound and quantity is almost identical to the HD580.
Sennheiser PX100 – Horrible. I don’t understand how others on Head-fi hold these in such high regard. Overly bloated bass with lack of highs make these difficult to really enjoy. They are extremely comfortable but the fact that they’re open cans makes this poor portable headphones.
Sennheiser PX200
Sony V6
Sony 710SL – Bland, boring, boomy bass, rolled off highs, veiled. What else can I say? They suck.
Sony EX71
Sony EX81 – These have been modified to remove the clips. With the clips in place, they are a well balanced set of cans with slightly strong bass. Without the clips, they become very similar to the EX71 with the bass overpowering everything. In a portable situation, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing especially coming out of the anemic iPod.
4.21.2006 Compared to the FX77, the bass isn’t too bad. Talk about bright! They are ever so slightly sibilant. What happened to the mids? Oh, I guess they didn’t have much to begin with.
Sony EX90 – Great balance out of these canal phones. Much better than the Panasonic HJE70 and don’t have the boomy bass that these cans are notorious for. Amazingly, they also throw a pretty decent soundstage. Isolation isn’t as good as other canal phones and certainly not as good as IEMs. Bass is decent out of the Nano but become tight and punchy when connected to an amp. They could have a bit more detail but overall they’re a great set of IEM. With Shure medium soft flex tips, the highs and mids become more pronounced and even better balanced. Covering the holes in the back closes the soundstage and makes them almost grado-like. I really really like these.
Sony D66SL Eggo – Slightly low on bass but overall great presentation of sound with good balance of lows, mids and highs. They provide the detail that KSC35 doesn’t allow for. Although it’s a closed set of cans, it provides very little isolation until the chamber is filled with cotton. 5.23.2006 – With the bluetak and cotton in place, the highs and mids seem to open up. The only problem is that they seem to lack bass now.
Koss KSC35 – Out of the iPod, it can sound slightly boring with dull lows and highs. Without amplification, bass overrides mids and highs but with amplification, bass tightens up while mids and highs come alive with overall sound becoming more balanced. It’s missing the detail of high end cans but damn good for the low price.
8.27.05 – With a 75ohm resistor added, the bass tightens up somewhat and the cans get a bit more soundstage. Today it was re-cabled with Canare 4E5C and the bass has tightened up considerable and now really punchy. Overall it sounds smoother as the mids and highs aren’t being totally covered by the lows. After one hour, I have to say the mid range is really nice. It now has more of everything and faster dynamics. I love it. The only problem is that the Canare can be a bit stiff for clip-ons.
4.3.06 – after another stint with a recabled ksc35 and canare (cover removed and replaced with techflex), I really have to say that these cans are not good candidates for re-cabling. The stiffness of the cable and microphonics of the techflex make for a really bad combination of poor portability. The cable also has some memory of being wound up and thus want to retain that state, making straightening the cable difficult and at best tedious.
Koss Plug – Flat boomy one note bass and non-existent highs and mids. Impossible to keep in ears with included foams. Not even worth the money that you pay for them.
Audio Technica EM9D – Bass is present and goes deep but not enough. Highs are even more refined than the EM7 but it’s missing mids, causing it to sound slightly hollow. Beautiful set of cans.
Audio Technica EM7 – Where is the bass? Nice details but lack of bass sucks the enjoyment out of them. Needs more isolation so it’s difficult to find a good environment to use these in.
Audio Technica FC7 – Dark sounding and flabby bass. Good value cans but too dark for me.
Grado SR60 – Great value but MS-1 are an even better value. Slightly boring sounding and bass isn’t as deep as MS-1. Doesn’t have the typical Grado piercing highs.
Grado SR80 – These remind me of the V6 sound but bass doesn’t go as deep nor as tight. Piercing highs.
Grado SR225 – Very dynamic sound but piercing highs when compared to Alessandros. Bass is tight and deep but the highs can be a bit piercing sometimes. Mids are present but they still thin
Alessandro MS-1 – Great bang for the buck. Lightweight. Easy to wear for hours on end and good neutral sound. I wish I didn’t sell mine.
Alessandro MS2i – I can’t tell the difference between these and the MS2. I don’t know what others on the board are hearing but there doesn’t seem to be any discernable increase in bass.
Shure E2C – Dark cans with slightly flabby bass. Boring sounding.
Etymotic ER6i – Not much more bass than ER4P and definitely less detailed. Boring sound out of the iPod.
Beyerdynamic DT531 – Very dynamic sound but gives ear pain after use. The foam covering the drivers rubs against my ear tips and becomes uncomfortable after a short while.
Sharp MD-33 – Bass is too heavy for my tastes but isolation is great. Reminds me of the ksc35 sound.
RS1 Notes
New – the cans sound like great with good balance and a pretty large soundstage. Details jump out at you while sounding effortless. Wow, I’m in love.
6 hrs – suddenly the treble has come alive and is a bit piercing, basically the grado signature sound but mids still sound liquid as before. No change to the bass level or quantity. Still great but needs more burn in! These are the most comfortable grados I’ve ever used, other than the MS1 and SR60.
100 hrs – the midrange on these suckers is so thick compared to the ms2 or the sa5000. bass is still deep and tight and the highs are very detailed. Cymbals hits can be clearly distinguished whereas on the ms2, they might be smothered together. Sa5000 has no problems with delineating cymbal hits. I can understand the strong points of these cans but such thick mids is bothering me somewhat. It’s obviously not a neutral sound but having such strong mids doesn’t sound too bad either.
K601 vs K501
Although the audition time was brief (approximately 30 minutes), it was plainly clear that the K601 are on another level compared to the K501. The K601 tends to sound effortless while providing for a better feeling of musicality and euphonic bliss. While the K501’s midrange is sweet, the K601 somehow takes it to another level and sounds smoother and fuller. With its larger amount of bass, the K601 sound better balanced than the K501 and is more euphonic. It somehow gets music right and makes me feel like I’ve gone to a land where music is perfectly presented. I am itching to get a pair and considering the $219 price, I am having a hard time holding back. If these are this good, I can only guess how much better the K701 are. The toilet look is still a bit of a turn off but it won’t matter if they also sound this good.
I had also briefly compared these to the DT880 and I think that these are a better set of cans. They have comparable bass but again, the K601’s euphonic nature makes them the clear winner to me. They are so close in sound that if it weren’t for the K601’s musicality, I would say that they are almost identical based on a brief listen.
4.20 Update – I was able to compare the k601 to the new dt880 at hifi in Taipei yesterday and the newer dt880. while the k601 sound pretty good on their own, they don’t have the musicality of the dt880. this seems to be something that was lacking in the old version but this new version has it in spades. They have approximately the same amount of bass, mids and highs but somehow the dt880 does it so much better and makes the music so much more enjoyable. The akgs sounded dry in comparison. There wasn’t the sparkle and toe tapping timber that the dt880 has. I can’t wait to spend more time with mine.
KSC35 vs KSC75
No hole in foam, no recable, no resistor – all stock
Jun-20-2006 KSC35 – Out of the box, bass is really boomy and seems to be more so with amplification. Clear highs are present but the edges seem to be a little soft. No sibilance noticed at all. Mids are also present but slightly recessed. As I’ve noted before, the boomy bass seems to smother everything but if you can get past that, it sounds great. Bass is a bit punchy while mid bass is boomy. Doesn’t go as deep as I would like. Less sensitive than the KSC75. I expect much of these impressions to change after further use. They have maybe 3 hrs on them at the moment.
KSC75 – First off, there is less bass here than the KSC35 and doesn’t go as low. Seems to be mainly concentrated in the mid to upper bass. Highs are more sparkly and have a better bite to them. Mids also seem to be more present but only slightly more than the KSC35. As the bass isn’t as boomy, the overall sound spectrum feels less constricted. Bass isn’t very detailed unfortunately with very soft edges to the notes. Slow hits and doesn’t go very deep.
I'm still on my search for the right set of headphones and rig but slowly I'm getting there. I have a much better understanding of what qualities in a headphone that I like, what I can tolerate and what I absolutely cannot stand. I don't think the search will ever end as my curiosity is never satisfied what with all of the new offerings that pop up every once in a while. What a great and yet dangerous hobby.
Here is a list and collected impressions of a few cans that I've had the luck of trying out. Thanks again everyone for making this such a fun place.
Audio Technica EC7
Audio Technica EW9
Audio Technica ES5
Audio Technica ES7 – Boomy bass when driven out of the ipod but off of an amplifier, the bass becomes tight and punchy. Highs can be a little piercing but unsure if that is because they are closed cans. The soundstage is closed in, almost grado like. The bass makes these cans a lot of fun to listen to but they’re not made for critical listening. Comfort on these things isn’t great as they put a lot of pressure on the ears and also on the top of my head, making them uncomfortable after one or two hours. Isolation is acceptable but not as good as the modified Eggos. Great at low volume and retains its punchiness.
Audio Technica A900LTD – Bass on these bad boys is deep, tight and detailed. The soundstage is quite large although not as large as the CD3000. Highs are detailed without being fatiguing. Others on the board have complained about a lack of midrange and in some sense I agree but to me it sounds like they are slightly hollow sounding. I think the midrange is fine and the hollow sound isn’t bothersome either. Overall, the CD3000 sounds better. Better mids, better highs, better soundstage but I’d say that the A900LTD beats it in the bass department.
Audio Technica CK7 – Great sounding balanced set of cans but their “balanced” sound allows the bass to disappear in the background din in outside environments. With the stock tips, they are slightly sibilant but are great with the e2c soft tips. For a set of cans this small, I’m amazed by the sound quality and soundstage. Numerous times, I thought a sound was coming from elsewhere when they were coming from the cans. Amazing. Unfortunately, they’re only good for office use of where the external noises aren’t too loud.
Audio Technica CK5
AKG K81DJ – Very musical and fun sounding set of cans. Highs are slightly rolled off but well balanced with bass and mids. Their downfall is comfort. The clamping force was too high at first but stretching out the headband helped that. Unfortunately, the put too much pressure on the top of my head and being supra aural, they smash my ears causing pain after a half an hour of use. I would keep these if it were not for the pain.
AKG K701
AKG K240S – Hole cut into cloth covering drivers and also holes cut into paper/felt material covering holes to the driver cavity. Recabled with Canare Starquad and silver plated copper internally. The stock cans were too dark and congested sounding for my tastes. Although they were not burned in, I don’t think burn in would’ve helped to open up the highs and lift the veil. The hole in the cloth allowed the highs to come through and lifted some of the veil while the recable made the bass less boomy and became tighter. The holes in the paper cover made the biggest change and allowed them to sparkle on the high end while increasing detail and opening up the soundstage. They are fun cans to listen to now!
Beyerdynamic DT880 v.2006
Etymotic ER-4P – Wow, amazing details and clear highs but the bass from these cans is too disappointing. While it’s there and it goes deep, there just isn’t enough oomph. They really are one of the best IEMs out there and provides the best isolation out of everything tested so far.
Shure E4 – While the clear highs and details are there, it doesn’t have the same level of clarity as the ER4P but is almost there. Bass is much better than the Etys but still not enough to provide for a enjoyable listen, especially while on the go. As they don’t isolate as well as the Etys, a lot of outside noises get in and work to reduce the amount of bass heard. They really are good IEMs and deserve the praise that they’ve received but I can’t use them for portable music because of the loss in bass.
Grado HF-1
JVC FX77 – Boomy bloated bass, somewhat wooly sounding. They are very forward sounding with the bass taking the front stage. Highs and mids are in the background but not totally covered by the bass. Still, they’re more balanced sounding than the Sony EX71/81. The isolation on these is great. I’m able to use them on the plane without having to turn up the volume excessively.
Sony SA5000
Panasonic HJE70
Not bad sound canal phones but are a bit expensive for their sound. The build is incredible but that doesn’t make up for the sound. While they are much smoother than the Sony EX series, they still have the boomy bass typical of this class of cans. These walk all over the EX series but can be a bit difficult to achieve a seal sometimes. They can sometimes sound a bit hollow, which might be attributed to slightly less mids.
Westone UM2
Comply tips - whoa, what happened to the treble? nice bass but a bit boomy
Shure Comfy tips - ouch, highs are brought forward and details jump out at you but at the expense of some sibilance. this seems like it can become fatiguing after a short while
Shure Clear Silicone tips - seems to be right combination of highs and bass but highs are slightly rolled off and bass is a bit tubby
Tri-flange – this combination when cut down to dual flange seems to have the best combination of fit, isolation and sound.
Alessandro MS2 – Shortened cord with Neutrik connector. For some reason, it seems like the highs are now lifted and the bass goes deeper with the shorter cord. Not sure if it’s placebo or I just haven’t used them enough recently but the definitely sound more fun now.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro – Great bass and musicality but where are the highs? Boosting the treble seems to help a bit but still not as clear sounding as the E4. Mids are alright but not as smooth as Grados. These are odd headphones as they don’t really go into your ear canal and stick way out of your ears. With the mid sized tips, my ear canal gets over pressurized when first inserted and any attempts to adjust the pressure only breaks the seal. Quite frustrating. Small tips don’t give a good seal and is too easy to break the seal with any movement.
Pioneer EJ20 – Bland boring sound. No highs and bloated lows. Reminds me too much of the Sharp MD33 but worse.
Sennheiser HD580 – So close in sound to the HD600 that I had decided to keep these over the HD600. They really are the best bang for the buck headphones, especially used. They sound so smooth with Jazz and almost every type of music that I regret letting them go. Their comfort has been unparalleled by almost every other headphone out there with exception of the SA5000. By removing the foam liner between the cushion and drivers, they really open up and lose the infamous Sennheiser veil, becoming a headphone not only for critical listening but also for fun.
Sennheiser HD600 – Slightly smoother than the HD580 but not worth the price difference. Overall sound and quantity is almost identical to the HD580.
Sennheiser PX100 – Horrible. I don’t understand how others on Head-fi hold these in such high regard. Overly bloated bass with lack of highs make these difficult to really enjoy. They are extremely comfortable but the fact that they’re open cans makes this poor portable headphones.
Sennheiser PX200
Sony V6
Sony 710SL – Bland, boring, boomy bass, rolled off highs, veiled. What else can I say? They suck.
Sony EX71
Sony EX81 – These have been modified to remove the clips. With the clips in place, they are a well balanced set of cans with slightly strong bass. Without the clips, they become very similar to the EX71 with the bass overpowering everything. In a portable situation, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing especially coming out of the anemic iPod.
4.21.2006 Compared to the FX77, the bass isn’t too bad. Talk about bright! They are ever so slightly sibilant. What happened to the mids? Oh, I guess they didn’t have much to begin with.
Sony EX90 – Great balance out of these canal phones. Much better than the Panasonic HJE70 and don’t have the boomy bass that these cans are notorious for. Amazingly, they also throw a pretty decent soundstage. Isolation isn’t as good as other canal phones and certainly not as good as IEMs. Bass is decent out of the Nano but become tight and punchy when connected to an amp. They could have a bit more detail but overall they’re a great set of IEM. With Shure medium soft flex tips, the highs and mids become more pronounced and even better balanced. Covering the holes in the back closes the soundstage and makes them almost grado-like. I really really like these.
Sony D66SL Eggo – Slightly low on bass but overall great presentation of sound with good balance of lows, mids and highs. They provide the detail that KSC35 doesn’t allow for. Although it’s a closed set of cans, it provides very little isolation until the chamber is filled with cotton. 5.23.2006 – With the bluetak and cotton in place, the highs and mids seem to open up. The only problem is that they seem to lack bass now.
Koss KSC35 – Out of the iPod, it can sound slightly boring with dull lows and highs. Without amplification, bass overrides mids and highs but with amplification, bass tightens up while mids and highs come alive with overall sound becoming more balanced. It’s missing the detail of high end cans but damn good for the low price.
8.27.05 – With a 75ohm resistor added, the bass tightens up somewhat and the cans get a bit more soundstage. Today it was re-cabled with Canare 4E5C and the bass has tightened up considerable and now really punchy. Overall it sounds smoother as the mids and highs aren’t being totally covered by the lows. After one hour, I have to say the mid range is really nice. It now has more of everything and faster dynamics. I love it. The only problem is that the Canare can be a bit stiff for clip-ons.
4.3.06 – after another stint with a recabled ksc35 and canare (cover removed and replaced with techflex), I really have to say that these cans are not good candidates for re-cabling. The stiffness of the cable and microphonics of the techflex make for a really bad combination of poor portability. The cable also has some memory of being wound up and thus want to retain that state, making straightening the cable difficult and at best tedious.
Koss Plug – Flat boomy one note bass and non-existent highs and mids. Impossible to keep in ears with included foams. Not even worth the money that you pay for them.
Audio Technica EM9D – Bass is present and goes deep but not enough. Highs are even more refined than the EM7 but it’s missing mids, causing it to sound slightly hollow. Beautiful set of cans.
Audio Technica EM7 – Where is the bass? Nice details but lack of bass sucks the enjoyment out of them. Needs more isolation so it’s difficult to find a good environment to use these in.
Audio Technica FC7 – Dark sounding and flabby bass. Good value cans but too dark for me.
Grado SR60 – Great value but MS-1 are an even better value. Slightly boring sounding and bass isn’t as deep as MS-1. Doesn’t have the typical Grado piercing highs.
Grado SR80 – These remind me of the V6 sound but bass doesn’t go as deep nor as tight. Piercing highs.
Grado SR225 – Very dynamic sound but piercing highs when compared to Alessandros. Bass is tight and deep but the highs can be a bit piercing sometimes. Mids are present but they still thin
Alessandro MS-1 – Great bang for the buck. Lightweight. Easy to wear for hours on end and good neutral sound. I wish I didn’t sell mine.
Alessandro MS2i – I can’t tell the difference between these and the MS2. I don’t know what others on the board are hearing but there doesn’t seem to be any discernable increase in bass.
Shure E2C – Dark cans with slightly flabby bass. Boring sounding.
Etymotic ER6i – Not much more bass than ER4P and definitely less detailed. Boring sound out of the iPod.
Beyerdynamic DT531 – Very dynamic sound but gives ear pain after use. The foam covering the drivers rubs against my ear tips and becomes uncomfortable after a short while.
Sharp MD-33 – Bass is too heavy for my tastes but isolation is great. Reminds me of the ksc35 sound.
RS1 Notes
New – the cans sound like great with good balance and a pretty large soundstage. Details jump out at you while sounding effortless. Wow, I’m in love.
6 hrs – suddenly the treble has come alive and is a bit piercing, basically the grado signature sound but mids still sound liquid as before. No change to the bass level or quantity. Still great but needs more burn in! These are the most comfortable grados I’ve ever used, other than the MS1 and SR60.
100 hrs – the midrange on these suckers is so thick compared to the ms2 or the sa5000. bass is still deep and tight and the highs are very detailed. Cymbals hits can be clearly distinguished whereas on the ms2, they might be smothered together. Sa5000 has no problems with delineating cymbal hits. I can understand the strong points of these cans but such thick mids is bothering me somewhat. It’s obviously not a neutral sound but having such strong mids doesn’t sound too bad either.
K601 vs K501
Although the audition time was brief (approximately 30 minutes), it was plainly clear that the K601 are on another level compared to the K501. The K601 tends to sound effortless while providing for a better feeling of musicality and euphonic bliss. While the K501’s midrange is sweet, the K601 somehow takes it to another level and sounds smoother and fuller. With its larger amount of bass, the K601 sound better balanced than the K501 and is more euphonic. It somehow gets music right and makes me feel like I’ve gone to a land where music is perfectly presented. I am itching to get a pair and considering the $219 price, I am having a hard time holding back. If these are this good, I can only guess how much better the K701 are. The toilet look is still a bit of a turn off but it won’t matter if they also sound this good.
I had also briefly compared these to the DT880 and I think that these are a better set of cans. They have comparable bass but again, the K601’s euphonic nature makes them the clear winner to me. They are so close in sound that if it weren’t for the K601’s musicality, I would say that they are almost identical based on a brief listen.
4.20 Update – I was able to compare the k601 to the new dt880 at hifi in Taipei yesterday and the newer dt880. while the k601 sound pretty good on their own, they don’t have the musicality of the dt880. this seems to be something that was lacking in the old version but this new version has it in spades. They have approximately the same amount of bass, mids and highs but somehow the dt880 does it so much better and makes the music so much more enjoyable. The akgs sounded dry in comparison. There wasn’t the sparkle and toe tapping timber that the dt880 has. I can’t wait to spend more time with mine.
KSC35 vs KSC75
No hole in foam, no recable, no resistor – all stock
Jun-20-2006 KSC35 – Out of the box, bass is really boomy and seems to be more so with amplification. Clear highs are present but the edges seem to be a little soft. No sibilance noticed at all. Mids are also present but slightly recessed. As I’ve noted before, the boomy bass seems to smother everything but if you can get past that, it sounds great. Bass is a bit punchy while mid bass is boomy. Doesn’t go as deep as I would like. Less sensitive than the KSC75. I expect much of these impressions to change after further use. They have maybe 3 hrs on them at the moment.
KSC75 – First off, there is less bass here than the KSC35 and doesn’t go as low. Seems to be mainly concentrated in the mid to upper bass. Highs are more sparkly and have a better bite to them. Mids also seem to be more present but only slightly more than the KSC35. As the bass isn’t as boomy, the overall sound spectrum feels less constricted. Bass isn’t very detailed unfortunately with very soft edges to the notes. Slow hits and doesn’t go very deep.
