Headphone inventory:
Current: Sennheiser HD580, Alessandro MS1
Past: Sennheiser px200, Koss KSC75
I've recently moved cities/job, and have started walking 30minutes to commute through a busy city centre.
I used to have the Sennheiser px200 for a similar purpose when I rode the subway, and I remember it doing a nice job.
I wasn't too keen to stick IEMs into my ears, so I looked for a portable, closed headphone.
Although the px200 had a beautiful, mellow mid range that was amazing with saxophones, it was hampered by a recessed bass which was frustrating to listen to at times, hence I chose not to go for the new edition px200ii.
I considered 2 options in the similar form available at my local headphone shop - the Ath W55 and the Dtx 501p.
I decided to go for the Dtx 501p as it had the advantage of folding up smaller than the audio technica. It also came with a case (and airplane adapter!)
I have had the headphones for almost 3 weeks now, and use it 5x/week at least.
Build quality - It has held up well so far- it's definitely not as sturdy as the px200 was, but is built pretty well nonetheless.
Portablity - excellent - folds up a little larger than a CD case.
Comfort - compared to the px200, which I could only wear for an hour or so before my earlobes started aching, the DTX 501p is very, very comfortable. The soft, larger supraaural pads are very cushy and nice, though can get a little warm when you walk as briskly as I do!
Isolation - very good for a supraaural headphone which is comfortable as these. Deep rumbling noises you can hear, but I would say that ambient noise on average is attenuated by approximately 50%. Very happy with this aspect.
Sound - These headphones have quiet a dark signature. The highlight has to be the bass - deep, well defined and crisp. This is no Dr. Dre Beats- you won't get earth shaking bass, rather, you get a crisp, solid bass note that is neither anaemic nor overbearing. The mids are a little grainy compared to the electric MSI and you don't quiet get the roundness that the HD580 or MS1 provide. There is definitely a roll off at the very highest highs - this all contributes a rather dark, non fatiguing sound. The soundstage, as typical for a closed headphone, is very narrow, but there is good instrumental separation.
I listen to an eclectic range of genres. I find these phones shine the best with RnB, and probably struggle the most with classical.
Overall, I'm very happy with these headphones- yes there are slight sacrifices in sound qualities compared to open, larger siblings, but for such portable, isolating and practical phones, I would be very surprised if you weren't happy with these especially for the price they go for.
Cheers for reading- I will add updates as time allows.
Current: Sennheiser HD580, Alessandro MS1
Past: Sennheiser px200, Koss KSC75
I've recently moved cities/job, and have started walking 30minutes to commute through a busy city centre.
I used to have the Sennheiser px200 for a similar purpose when I rode the subway, and I remember it doing a nice job.
I wasn't too keen to stick IEMs into my ears, so I looked for a portable, closed headphone.
Although the px200 had a beautiful, mellow mid range that was amazing with saxophones, it was hampered by a recessed bass which was frustrating to listen to at times, hence I chose not to go for the new edition px200ii.
I considered 2 options in the similar form available at my local headphone shop - the Ath W55 and the Dtx 501p.
I decided to go for the Dtx 501p as it had the advantage of folding up smaller than the audio technica. It also came with a case (and airplane adapter!)
I have had the headphones for almost 3 weeks now, and use it 5x/week at least.
Build quality - It has held up well so far- it's definitely not as sturdy as the px200 was, but is built pretty well nonetheless.
Portablity - excellent - folds up a little larger than a CD case.
Comfort - compared to the px200, which I could only wear for an hour or so before my earlobes started aching, the DTX 501p is very, very comfortable. The soft, larger supraaural pads are very cushy and nice, though can get a little warm when you walk as briskly as I do!
Isolation - very good for a supraaural headphone which is comfortable as these. Deep rumbling noises you can hear, but I would say that ambient noise on average is attenuated by approximately 50%. Very happy with this aspect.
Sound - These headphones have quiet a dark signature. The highlight has to be the bass - deep, well defined and crisp. This is no Dr. Dre Beats- you won't get earth shaking bass, rather, you get a crisp, solid bass note that is neither anaemic nor overbearing. The mids are a little grainy compared to the electric MSI and you don't quiet get the roundness that the HD580 or MS1 provide. There is definitely a roll off at the very highest highs - this all contributes a rather dark, non fatiguing sound. The soundstage, as typical for a closed headphone, is very narrow, but there is good instrumental separation.
I listen to an eclectic range of genres. I find these phones shine the best with RnB, and probably struggle the most with classical.
Overall, I'm very happy with these headphones- yes there are slight sacrifices in sound qualities compared to open, larger siblings, but for such portable, isolating and practical phones, I would be very surprised if you weren't happy with these especially for the price they go for.
Cheers for reading- I will add updates as time allows.
