[Gossling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CYoung234 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Gossling, I spent some time last night listening to both the AKGs and the SRH840's while working on a paper I am writing. I was just listening from my laptop as source, and was using some different material (Masters of the Trumpet and an old Sony NY Phil recording of Shostakovich and Poulenc Piano Concertos). At any rate, the Shures seem to be getting better with time. They are actually a very good choice overall, as they do many things well. The steely high end is diminishing as they break in more, and they are, all in all, a well balanced set of headphones. They sound like they would be a good choice for you now, and would get better as you improve your amplification later. My only two caveats with these phones are the slightly steely high end and the soundstage. The steeliness seems to manifest itself mostly with loud string sections that are recorded a touch hot. The soundstage suffers mainly when you compare it to something like the AKGs. Finally, their ease of driving is a real plus. The AKGs can be driven by my laptop, but I have to turn the volume up almost all the way.

Okay, thanks so much for the comparison and info! Sounds like they're probably the best for me, but I'll wait for a few more opinions on the DX3 before pulling the trigger. Not really in any rush as no retailers have them in stock, anyways. I never really had doubts about your credibility, but now with your description of the "steely" highs that sounds consistent with Pianist's description of "plasticky" highs, I truly believe your opinion is one of the more valuable opinions on this forum.

Thanks again

 

[Acix]

Hard to compete with the K702 especially for classic or acoustic music.

1. Open hps have more dynamic, (best for classic).
2. Sound stage.
3. Resolution on the bass / sub of the lower notes.

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hard to compete with the K702 especially for classic or acoustic music.

That is . . . until you hear the K501! To me, it's "no contest" with respect to midrange performance. : )

 

[CYoung234]

Well, I made the leap and now have a very nice used pair of K501's. They sound great! I am A/Bing them with the K601s right now, and it is hard to tell for sure which one I like better. I am surprised that they are as different as they are. Unamped from a laptop, the 601's are easier to drive, but the 501's sound somehow a bit more real. The 601's are a touch larger than life. I will be doing some more listening today from a Gilmore headphone amp, so I will post again with some updated impressions.

Oh, source music for this test:

CSO / Bernstein Shostakovich 7, 3rd movement
NY Phil / Bernstein - Shostakovich / Poulenc Piano Concertos
Mackerras / Vienna Phil - Janacek Taras Bulba
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
Coldplay - X and Y
John Mayer - Heavier Things

 

[dweaver]

The AD700 sopund pretty nice for classical IMO, the sound stage on the AD700 is huge and instrument seperation if very good. Best of all they work very well without an amp. The bass is also adequate and very accurate. I have tried HD555/595 AKG K240, BD DT990, and none of them hold a candle to the AD700 for me. I have also heard the Shure 440/840 and they did sound very nice for closed HP's so would be good, out of the two Shure's I think the 440 would be a good choice as it doesn't need as much juice as the 840. But given a choice between open and closed I would choose open unless I was in a noisy environment.

 

[CYoung234]

Okay, I just spent another hour A/Bing the K501 and K601 using my OPPO source with a Gilmore headphone preamp. A very enjoyable hour, I might add. At any rate, these phones are somewhat more similar when driven with a high quality amp. What I am noticing that is different is that the 601s tend to have a slight compartmentalization of the soundstage. What I mean is that instrument separation is so good that the bigger picture can become slightly disconnected, almost like individual instruments had little walls around them. The end result of this is that certain recordings sound less cohesive on them. On some recordings, mainly rock / pop, like the John Mayer CD or Sheryl Crow, this is very pleasant. On large scale orchestral stuff though, the 501's really shine. You can still hear everything, but the overall result is more cohesive. The 501s seem to have a bit better bass extension as well. The mids and highs are really good with both of these phones.