A brief experience with ad2000, dt880, hd650, hd600 and stax
Oct 24, 2008 at 11:31 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 4

hentai

1000+ Head-Fier
Joined
Aug 6, 2004
Posts
1,488
Likes
15
Hi Everyone, I went to town to test the ad2000 again as many people seem to like them. In the end i test some other headphones as well and like to share my feelings on them briefly

The headphones were all stock and they were tested on ec/ss amp and original master cdp for your info. music was diana krall. The stax srs 3050 is on another different setup of ( I assume ) higher quality as it was at different store.

Ad2000: The sound was forward, fast and engaging but i couldn't get over with how the vocal sounded. Diana's vocal didn't sound natural to me at all (Is that her voice?). I remember someone mentioned that ad2000's midrange is unpleasantly coloured.

Dt880: The ec/ss didn't seem to have enough juice to drive the beyers. It sounded distant and uninvolving. I dunno which version the dt880 was.

HD650: Smooth but didn't have the clarity i liked to have. They still sounded the reason why i sold them. I thought they sounded better on x can v3 and gs1.

Hd600: Ahh It sounded more natural than hd650 to my ears. It was definately brighter than hd650 but still smooth. I might want to add a pair of hd600 to my stable as it sounded more 'correct' than the rest.

Lastly the stax srs3050. The detail, soundstage were really good (they were tested on a highend sony cdp i supposed) but something was really lacking that i couldn't enjoy them. What was it? I couldn't describe. Its not because of no bass ( it did have bass) as i am not a basshead but I thought music sounded more than what the stax presented. Maybe it was still new, the store owner said it needed 500 hours to sound good.Prob the high end stax fill in the lack. ( i may aim for one in few years time)

So in the end HD600 to me sounded the best amongt the dynamic cans i tried on that particular setup and as for the stax is a different story and different flavour. Thanks for reading.
 
Oct 24, 2008 at 3:15 PM Post #2 of 4
Electrostatics sound different Dynamics. Hence they may not sound impressive at first listen.
But let your ears and mind adapt to the sound and they will most probably grow on you.
lambda.gif


They are not for everybody though, and you may be one of them
Enjoy the HD600!
 
Oct 24, 2008 at 4:53 PM Post #3 of 4
The "new" version of the HD580/600s are very, very hard to beat - if you've got a good set up to drive them.

But... I found the "new" version of the HD650s, I bought recently, sounded identical to the HD580/600s.

And... the AD2000s sound much, much better when they're properly burnt in, and with a good set up. The exaggerated upper mids, disappear, and leave a remarkably balanced sound - very similar to the HD580/600s, but with a wee bit more speed, detail and air. The HD580/600s still sound a hair richer... and... the AD2000s a hair more clear and detailed.

I have a difficult time deciding which I prefer, especially when I include the RS-1s and D5000s in the mix - though, I suppose the HD580/600s get a bit more of my attention. They're all so very similar - though the D5000s do seem to have a bit more refined resolution and detail than the rest.

I guess... if I decide to try electorstats - it will be the Koss ESP950 with a Stax amp. Most of the reviews / comments I've read indicate that combo has the most pleasing combination of sounds (electrostat and dynamic), that may have the most drive and impact in the bass and mids of the electrostats, other than, possibly, the O2s. Whatever... they appear to be the bargain of the bunch, by a fair margin, which also have great sound.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top