[jschristian44]

they are way overpriced on their website, they are selling the hd595 for close to 300 when you can get them on amazon for 170.  if i ever get another pair it will have to be the sennheiser hd650's, i love the way they are so open and dual cabled.

 

[soundeffect]

amp2xpand, wow now I can't wait until I get them. I watch a lot of movies. The only thing I'm worried about is that the headphones are purple. I'm not sure what AT were thinking. I also hope the sound leakage factor is not a big deal. I'm expecting it, but I hope it's not over kill.  The last ugly headphones I got, sony xb700, I got trampled by how huge they are lol. It still didn't bother me too too much., but of course you want them as nice as possible. 1 more week until I get them can't wait. Hopefully, they'll come in earlier.  For you to praise the AD700 is good, since you have the denon d1001 which is also suppose to be pretty good close headphones. I was considering those also when deciding to buy close headphones.
 
jschristian44 I doubt they will have the HD800 or the likes there for trial.  Just too pricey to have people messing around with. Plus, HD800 and alike are just simple good headphones, why try if you have the money to leap. I think they are just one of those you won't be disappointed type of headphones that if you are disappointed in them, it's b/c you burned a hole in your pocket. If I remember correctly, I've been there only twice once to try out headphones and to purchase one, they have headphone as good as the D2000 and below. But at the same time, it probable just depends on your guitar center.

 

[amp2xpand]

Thats great that you're getting the AD700's. I remember when i had them on order, I just couldn't wait and was still reading reviews to fulfill my eagerness. 
 
I really hope you enjoy them, I sure do; I still enjoy them even after getting some beyer dt880's. The only thing I'm concerned about, is that you may not be use to open headphones. Many complain about the lack of bass quantity from the AD700. The AD700 vs. M50, the AD700 maybe perceived as being too thin compared to the M50's bassiness. But in return, the AD700 gives you awesome soundstage, making it perfect for gaming and movies. For me, I would rate my AD700 higher than my D1000, just because of its better highs and mids. 
 
I hope you tell us what you think when you receive them. 

 

[furjim]

Just a quick comment: you DEFINITELY have to try using the equalizer. Using the "Bass Boost" setting on iTunes makes most things sound SOOO much better. Without it, the bass is extremely weak; with it, the bass seems just right for the AD700. It's still weak, but it's definitely there, and it sounds pretty good. Overall good for the price, but before you buy them make sure you like the look and color because the A700 is also an option.

 

[beeman458]

soundeffect wrote:
 
and yes guys, I have been bitten by the sound bugs and I am itching everywhere and hoping that you guys can help me find my ointment

  (It's been only a month since I first bought my first set).  I'm also open to suggestions too.
 
It all boils down to the size of your budget.  I started out with the AD700's and immediately found myself wanting more.  Research took me to The Sennheiser HD650's.  A lot more expensive but for me, I got what the AD700's weren't capable of giving.
 
For the computer is was the ASUS Xonar STX and an upgraded modular power supply.
 
For the headphones is was the Sennheiser HD650 and a set of custom headphones.
 
For the sound files, it was ripping in WAV and not looking back.
 
Beware, after all the above, the itch gets worse (more expensive), not better.
 

 

[jschristian44]

But I just can't get enough of the open headphones. You should try the AD700 or a pair of grados. Grados and Ad700 are both different, but they share the "airy" trait that most closed headphones lack. Open headphones just sounds more clear, detailed, and realistic to me. The AD700 has a huge soundstage that makes movie watching very realistic, because it surrounds you with audio instead of the "in your head" feeling. I would say the AD700 is best with acoustic music, it really shows off the clean sound of acoustic instruments. The highs and mids are amazing, one of the best for that price ($100). The bass impact is one of the obvious weakness in these cans, but I don't mind. because the quality of the bass is very clean and accurate. the bass here is all about quality over quantity.
 
^^This is why I can't use closed headphones any more.  I just can't stand them after listening to the crisp detail my modded HD555's put out.  It's really amazing.  If you want detail in your songs, like listening to the artists' sigh or breathe while singing, the AD700 can probably do that.  I personally never heard them, but I can hear them in my HD555, and I am pretty positive the AD700's are even more clearer in music than my HD555's are.  Also when watching movies it makes it more realistic.  Especially if you can get a scene where it is raining.  The Lord of the Rings, when the hobbits go into the bar and knock on the door and that old man answers.  Just listen to that part with the AD700 or the HD555, and it will feel like your one of the hobbits next to him.  I can't explain how cool it is.  I maybe exaggerating a little when I say it feels like your a hobbit, but it really does make it feel like your there.

 

[jschristian44]

yeah if you have the realtek hd config on the bottom right of your windows taskbar, it should be an orangish speaker thing.  click on that and go to equalizer, then choose the "Rock" preset.  i went through them all and the sound effects, and found that the rock preset was the one with the best highs/bass combination.  also, i would use Winamp instead of iTunes.  Winamp has always been my favorite high quality listening software, and it allows you to rip your cds into .wav files.  of course they will be near 600mb a piece, but it's worth it hearing the awesome sound.  anyways, good luck!

 

[tasteful]

Eh, I think FLAC would be recommended, for lossless compression and tag support.

 

[beeman458]

jschristian44 wrote:
 
Winamp has always been my favorite high quality listening software, and it allows you to rip your cds into .wav files.  of course they will be near 600mb a piece, but it's worth it hearing the awesome sound.
 
FWIW, one and a half terabyte drives can be had for under a hundred bucks and you can store a boatload of six hundred meg albums on one of those; no need for compression.
 

 

[jschristian44]

yeah i know,  i have two 500gb hard drives so im not exactly worried about space at the moment.  also have 2 full 1080p 24" monitors so im not worried about screen space at the moment either.  also have 2 printers so im not worried about printers either.  but yeah if i need hard drives, now is the time to get them, they are extremely cheap.  i remember when just 1tb drive was like over 200 dollars.  now you get get a 2 tb driver for 100 or less.

 

[beeman458]

Right now I'm watching the price of solid state drives.
 

 
Ooh, shiny, I want.
 

 

[jschristian44]

yeah i was into SSD drives a little back, but i figured, i really have no use for them and their not all hyped what theyre set out to be.  they are still the wave of the future that aren't near to being completely functional like hard drives are.  sure having windows load up in 10 seconds or internet browser opens up right away, etc.  but for me, i already got a really fast system and i don't think it will be worth the price they're going for now.  when i was into gaming a lot i wanted one just to get better rates, but even there it doesn't help much.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Quote:

yeah if you have the realtek hd config on the bottom right of your windows taskbar, it should be an orangish speaker thing.  click on that and go to equalizer, then choose the "Rock" preset.  i went through them all and the sound effects, and found that the rock preset was the one with the best highs/bass combination.  also, i would use Winamp instead of iTunes.  Winamp has always been my favorite high quality listening software, and it allows you to rip your cds into .wav files.  of course they will be near 600mb a piece, but it's worth it hearing the awesome sound.  anyways, good luck!

If you're still using a Realtek onboard sound solution you have most definately "put the cart before the horse."  Almost any soundcard would be better than that.  I could not believe the difference when I upgraded to the auzentech xfi prelude from realtek.  That was even with a crappy razer 5.1 headset (i will say the positional audio was amazing, and a stereo headset can't touch it).  Now with my AD700's the sound is just amazing.
 
As for my comment about positional audio I almost wonder if my brain trained itself to listen to the 5.1 headset and that's why i can't tell when sound is coming from in front or behind with cmss 3d.

 

[jschristian44]

nah, i had the razer barracuda 5.1 set and that thing was the first real pair of headphones i ever owned.  the detail in games was phenominal for me, even with onboard realtek.  they were the most comfortable too.  then i got the hd555's and fell in love with them.  they had the comfort of the barracuda's but more detail.  i know upgrading the sound card would make it better but i am trying to listen to the slogan around here "sorry about your wallet".  realtek is just fine for me, this can be an expensive habit, but i want to keep it pretty simple.  if i get a sound card, ill want an amp, if i get an amp, ill want better headphones, etc etc.  ive learned my lesson with computers.  i have a pretty high end computer right now, minus the sound card of course.   if i can get a decent amp and sound card for around 50 dollars id do it, anything you recommend?

 

[jschristian44]

how much better would these make my hd555 sound?
 
FiiO E5 Headphone Amplifier
ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Sound Card
 
almost 100 dollars paired together.  how much clarity/bass would i get outta both of those?  would it be worth 100 dollars?  i think my hd555 are worth 100 dollars, so take that information and let me know.