[Wildcatsare1]

New gear and order of preference/head time...
 
1. HE560, grill mod, Focus A Pads, Norne Draug 2 Cable
 
2. Tie: Alpha Dogs, Norne Vanquish Cable; Grado PS500e, G or L Cush Pads
 
3. PSB M4U1
 
Distant.....
 
4. E-10

 

[cdsa35000]

Okay...thanks.  I wanted to know if you knew how the F1 and the SA5000 or SA3000 fared against each other.  I have been thinking of picking a used SA5000.  Would you recommend the SA3000 or the SA5000?

I don't but here's one: http://www.sonicstudios.com/mdr-f1.htm
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The stock SA5000 sounds bad, to me without modding it was too direct, piercing, spiking, thin, sharp highs tsss, earsbleeding fatiques, can't listen longer than 1 hr.
As you can see the porous diaphragm is paperlike and will sounds paperlike.

Only after some damping and the "closed back" mods and replacement with SA3000 drivers (less piercing, more bass than SA5000 due without the extra thick black felt ring at the back of SA5000 driver) to tame the piercing and retain the bass, I was satisfied, everything sounds airy, controlled and "livelike", so finally I can listen to it for 8+ hrs (uninterrupted) with pleasure.
But the soundstage is very close-in and not deep, not far away, sounds concentrate mostly in the center/top/left/right and front/back is mostly absent without Surround processing or 3D headrecording/HRTF.
But it sounds livelike as you are really in the action scene itself with movie/games/concerts etc.

But if you can't do modding and like loud volume and EQ sounds, these are not for you as these diaphragm can't stand loud volume as it will sound literally like tearing up a papersheet.
Due the bass distortion reaching almost 10% at 90/100dB will tear down whole Freq. spectrum, but to me at moderate volume approx. 55dB is loud enough.
Measurements at: http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads
Try flapping, tearing and ticking etc. to a thin blank printing papersheet (with visible porous structure) to hear its soundlike signature.
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If you really want to try porous diap. with less (piercing) treble and carefree without using headamp, connecting to portable/light sources, than the Aurvana Live 1 will be a good start:
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000ZJZ7OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421317469&sr=8-1&keywords=aurvana+live
nvm I see you have D2000 which has the better bigger same type CAL drivers, so with SA3000/SA5000 will be a hit or a miss.

 

[BobG55]

HD600 - My favourite all time HP
 


T1 - My 2nd favourite HP - better than the HD800 IMHO
 


HD650 - My 2nd-(b) favourite - w/some recordings they're unequaled
 


SRH1540 - Excellent HP - last but not least

 

[elvergun]

 

HD600 - My favourite all time HP
 


T1 - My 2nd favourite HP - better than the HD800 IMHO

 
So, you basically think that the HD600 is better than the HD800?

 

[BobG55]

 

 

HD600 - My favourite all time HP
 


T1 - My 2nd favourite HP - better than the HD800 IMHO

 
So, you basically think that the HD600 is better than the HD800?

I will answer plainly : Yes FOR ME, to my ears & taste.  I owned the HD800 twice w/very good sources & amps ie. GS-1 & the HD800 sound is just not for me.  That's the best answer I can give you.  

 

[takato14]

So, you basically think that the HD600 is better than the HD800? :blink:

Not THAT surprising, the HD600 has less tonality problems than the HD800

 

[Koolpep]

   
So, you basically think that the HD600 is better than the HD800?

I have never heard the HD600 but I have heard the HD800 a lot with my friends on the best amps etc. It's probably one of the best headphones on planet earth but I also think it's probably not the one I would enjoy the most. That would be probably the TH900. Depends on your musical taste and what you enjoy in headphones. 
 
However, if I had the HD800 I would certainly not sell it either, it's near perfect in sound reproduction/recreation and for some genres I would LOVE it to bits.
 
Cheers,
K

 

[marts30]

I'd take my K7XX over the HD800 any day... HD800 treble was a killer, and I didn't want to mod such an expensive headphone. Also I wouldn't call it a great all-rounder, K7XX I like with nearly all music I've tried it with.

 

[Koolpep]

  I'd take my K7XX over the HD800 any day... HD800 treble was a killer, and I didn't want to mod such an expensive headphone. Also I wouldn't call it a great all-rounder, K7XX I like with nearly all music I've tried it with.

Yep, that's how different people and their tastes are. I listened for two weeks to a K701 and had a Q701 myself. Both were "nice" but I couldn't get myself to listen to them, something was always missing, couldn't put my finger on it. Anyhow, I ended up selling my Q701 and I don't miss it.

 

[takato14]

1: Sansui SS-100: Ortho HD600 with bass. Same general signature, better low and high end extension, better control, better transients. Cleaner; less grain/distortion. Airier. Less comfy. My favorite listening experience so far.
 
2: Pioneer Monitor 10-II (modded): Not much done to it yet, just some foam to eat up the enclosure resonances. Close to the SS-100, but less flat. Still some earcup resonation B/S. Equivalent distortion figures, better power handling. Bass doesn't dig quite as deep, but hits harder. Very comfy. Isolates well. Good for portable.
 
Everything else has been obsoleted...

 

[JoeDoe]

Now that the collection has been paired down:
 
1. HE 500 with Cardas Fatpipe, FocusPads, grill and Fuzzor mod.
 
2. RS1i recabled with HPL Silver Ray 
 
3. SennGrado in Cocobolo cups with Yew Audio quad OCC cable
 
 
*It's a little crazy how close the SennGrado is to the RS1 sometimes...

 

[kman1211]

1.) Sennheiser HD 650: Full, rich, clean, smooth, and thick. Very musical and euphoric. More articulate, faster, and more euphoric and musical than the HD 600.
 
2.) AKG K712 Pro: Spacious, powerful, detailed, quite neutral with a little extra aggression up top. Excellent extension both ways. I prefer the HD 650's tuning to this headphone slightly. 
 
3.) Beyerdynamic DT 150: Pretty much a closed-back HD 650, but a bit cleaner and slightly different tonality. The sound isn't quite as 3D as the two headphones above but it's a bit cleaner sounding. I don't like it's tonality quite as much as the two headphones above.
 
4.) Sennheiser HD 600: A slightly brighter and slightly less bassy sound than the HD 650 but pretty much slightly inferior to the HD 650 in almost every way, harsher, less refined, less 3d sounding, slower, etc. Pretty close to the HD 650 but just not quite as good. A little more balanced sounding than the HD 650.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  No, I've just been getting a lot of gear in the mail. I sent some headphones to Tyll for measurements, ranked what I had left out of boredom, then got a pair of K812s as a loaner and re-ranked, then got all of the headphones I sent out back, and then got the SS-100 in the mail and re-ranked.
 
This all happened within the scope of a week and a half. Lol.

Wait? Do you live in Michigan like your profile picture shows? When I get back once college breaks out for the late spring, I have to go to a Head-Fi meet-up sometime just to listen to your headphones. Michigan and Utah have practically no audio shops that carry audiophile headphones, let alone obscure, retro ones which carry a certain mystique.

 

[takato14]

 

  No, I've just been getting a lot of gear in the mail. I sent some headphones to Tyll for measurements, ranked what I had left out of boredom, then got a pair of K812s as a loaner and re-ranked, then got all of the headphones I sent out back, and then got the SS-100 in the mail and re-ranked.
 
This all happened within the scope of a week and a half. Lol.

Wait? Do you live in Michigan like your profile picture shows? When I get back once college breaks out for the late spring, I have to go to a Head-Fi meet-up sometime just to listen to your headphones. Michigan and Utah have practically no audio shops that carry audiophile headphones, let alone obscure, retro ones which carry a certain mystique.

I do. Claritas and I were actually talking about a GR meet recently... Perhaps I should start a thread. I'd love to share my gear with others who can actually appreciate it.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  I do. Claritas and I were actually talking about a GR meet recently... Perhaps I should start a thread. I'd love to share my gear with others who can actually appreciate it.

I would definitely appreciate it! I have just posted a list of headphones I have demoed or owned in another thread. This is it:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I have extensively demoed (or owned, in bold) the following headphones: AKG K812, K712, K702, K701, Q701, K550, K271, K240 Studio, K77; Audio Technica ATH-M50X, ATH-M50, ATH-M40X, ATH-M40fs; Beats by Dr. Dre Executive, Pro, Solo HD, Studio; Beyerdynamic T5 P, DT 990 Premium 600 ohm, DT 990 Pro, DT 880 Premium 250 ohm, DT 880 Pro, DT 860, DT 770 Pro-80; Bose Quietcomfort 15, Quietcomfort 3, Quietcomfort 2, AE2; Creative EPH-630; Denon AH-D7100, AH-D600, AH-D340; Etymotic ER-6; Grado PS500, Grado GS1000, RS1i, RS 1, RS 2i, RS 2, SR325is, SR325i, SR225i, SR225, SR125i, SR125, SR80i, SR80, SR60i, SR60, iGrado; Koss Porta Pro, KSC75, The Plug, UR10; The House of Marley Redemption Song; Sennheiser HD 800, HD 650, HD 600, HD 598, HD 595, HD 558, HD 555 (also modified to HD595), HD 380, HD 280, HD202, HD201, PX 100, Momentum On-Ear, Momentum Over-the-Ear; Shure SRH1540, SRH940, SRH840, SRH440, SE835, SE535; Skullcandy Aviators, Crusher, Hesh; Sony MDR-X05, MDR-XB500, MDR-7506, MDR-V6, MDR-55, MDR-CD30 (I almost forgot about these; purchased at a garage sale about 10 years ago); Superlux HD681, HD688B; Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 (family member owns them); Ultrasone HFI-780; Westone UM Pro 30, UM Pro 20, UM Pro 10.

 
I just sold the HD600 and I liked it but... yeah, just wasn't for me.
 
I would rank the few I own right now like this. The last three are actually back at my permanent address in Michigan:
 
1. (Soon to repurchase) Beyerdynamic DT 860 -- I loved it so much I have to re-buy it. Much to my regret, I had sold it to fund a non-headphone-related purchase, but it is my favorite sub-$500 headphone at this point. It is being discontinued, sadly. In my honest opinion, it is one of the most underrated headphones here.
 
2. Superlux HD681 -- hot, spicy, zippy treble but it is extremely fun and surprisingly neutral sounding at the same time.
 
3. Sennheiser HD 201 -- The headphone that is real reason for me being in this hobby. My parents were at Guitar Center getting guitar equipment and I was demoing headphones and I fell in love with this. I was just barely a teenager at the time and I asked if I could get these headphones with the money I had saved up. I bought them, and not but a half year or so later, I was donning a pair of HD555s. These are not very good sounding at all to me now that I have familiarized myself with many, many more models of headphones, but they are much better than the Beats and sealed Sony's I have tried.
 
999. Sony MDR-CD30 -- From my pre-audiophile era, this was bought at garage sale way before the time I knew anything about DACs, open-back headphones or outboard amplifiers. They are pretty terrible sounding; congested, grainy, muddy, lifeless--in short, better than maybe $3 Coby's but even that is perhaps stretching things a bit.