[Dead-Vocalist]

[size=medium]Wow,[/size]
 
[size=medium]In starting to research some of the recommended headphones from this thread, I have been looking into the beyerdynamic dt48.[/size]
[size=medium]I had not heard of them before, but they have one of the flattest frequency responses I have seen (only the LCD-2s are flatter).  Very impressive, I will definitely have to find a way to get my hands on a pair![/size]
 
[size=medium]I have included links to the images of the frequency response curves for them both below, as they appear on Wikiphonia:[/size]
 
[size=medium]DT48[/size]
 
[size=medium]LCD-2[/size]
[size=medium][/size]

 

[wuwhere]

I wouldn't rely solely on a frequency response curve to make a decision. However, from 2.5kHz, it starts dropping to about 7kHz by about 15dB and that is within the all important midrange. Also, a graph will not tell you if its grainy/harsh sounding.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

I wouldn't rely solely on a frequency response curve to make a decision. However, from 2.5kHz, it starts dropping to about 7kHz by about 15dB and that is within the all important midrange. Also, a graph will not tell you if its grainy/harsh sounding.

Yep, this area is the most important for vocals : )

 

[wind016]

Very informative post Uncle Erik. I just might have to try the Beyer one day too
 
As for the K701/2, I personally felt the Audio Technica W1000 did vocals far more naturally than the K701/2, especially with a tube amp. But the K701 bests it in treble detail. There's just no comparison which headphone does vocals better though. The W1000 wins with a tube amp. The K701/2 vocals cannot match the vocals of W1000 no matter what equipment I have tried; hybrid amps, solid state, tube.
 
However, the K701 was my favorite accoustic/vocal headphone before I had to chance to try the W1000.

 

[rgs9200m]

The Stax Omegas have an amazing ability to convey nuance and shading in vocals, but they have other issues (I sold them after 7 years).
The HD800s are almost as good in this area (most especially with tubes, which are almost a necessity I think with the 800s).

 

[wind016]

What would be better for vocals? HD800 with tubes? or LCD2 or T1 w/ tubes?

 

[wuwhere]

BTW, looking at the DT48 FR graph again, that might be old and not what the newer DT48's FR might be. The LCD starts dropping
from 1kHz to about 2.5kHz (1.5kHz span) by about 12dB but goes up then drops again. Some have commented that the LCD is
a little dark for their taste while others don't. Nothing wrong with that, we all hear differently. I have not listened to either, my comments
are strictly based on the FRs above. I do have an HE6 and it has a really good midrange and I just really like it on vocals.

 

[haloxt]

If what you want to hear is a faithful reproduction of the singers, avoid colored audiophile headphones and use neutral studio headphones. Musical gear can sound better/richer/more detailed than neutral gear for vocals, but it's further away from what was originally sung and intended by the singer. Imo, vocals are the easiest thing to be distorted by gear, partly because they can be complex to record and reproduce, and mostly because subtle differences in nuances, artificial or real, can have very different connotations to the listener, and the difference can vary time to time and listener to listener. Neutral gear, especially when low end, will not reproduce what was originally sung, but will give a more accurate portrayal of the singer's intent than colored gear. Only mid-high end gear can faithfully reproduce some parts of the voice like vocal modulation.
 
I would suggest splitting your purchase evenly between dac, amp, and headphones.

 

[haloxt]

.

 

[InnerSpace]

Think about amps, too.  I sometimes use an SPL Phonitor, which is very clear, neutral and harmonically truthful, but best of all for cases like yours, it has a very adjustable crossfeed function, which - basically - sums the channels to some desired degree ... and because vocals are almost always recorded as center images, it therefore "pushes" the vocals forward, and in fact has a "center level" control to back them off again, as desired.  You could think of it as a vocalist's custom-remix function.  Back them down for normal listening, bring them forward for studying.

 

[Slaughter]

Even though they are technically not in the same league as some of the others recommended, I'm actually surprised the HD580/600 hasn't been recommended. Vocals are the main focus of these phones. You can debate other aspects of these phones, but the vocals are more forward than most other phones. Vocals are full, with good details. The K501 is the best vocals I have heard though.

 

[Don Quichotte]

Quote:

Slaughter

 

The K501 is the best vocals I have heard though.

This is especially true for female vocals IMO. Male vocals may sound a bit light / not chesty enough (depending also on the upstream components).

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

The DT48 is still very much in production. Has been for something close to 50 years at this point. If you want something that focuses on vocals, give the DT48 a try.

As for the out-of-production headphones, I think the emphasis was different in the past. Bass overemphasis wasn't a consumer priority until
the mid 1990s or so. That's when a lot of rap/hiphop went mainstream as well as electronica with low bass. Around the same time, we got blasted with crappy car subwoofers affordable to any dingus who wanted to kill his hearing.

Before that, musical genres weren't so bassy and most consumers would have not found much appeal in something like the Beats. They would not have been taken seriously.

So manufacturers changed with the times and music. Today, people want thumping bass because that's what they've been exposed to and they don't want "bass light" headphones, even if they are accurate to real life. I'm not happy about it; a lot of new headphones are tonally off because people want to listen to rap or house or whatever. But back when the K-1000 (and many others) were developed, that kind of music didn't exist. AKG voiced them for classical, jazz, acoustics, etc. and they aren't (IMHO) half bad with well-recorded rock. But other than organ music, the engineers didn't see a reason to voice for subterranean bass.

This is why you're seeing so many older headphones being recommended here. The good old days really were good old days - assuming you prefer acoustic music. The DT48 is a throwback still in production. And I feel blessed that Sennheiser gave us the HD-800, which is voiced to please this segment of listeners. That is also why you'll find people throwing stones at the HD-800 over its bass. I'm just glad at least one manufacturer found it worthwhile to develop a headphone with natural bass in today's environment.

I agree if you are talking about bass like the Beats.  But there is a middle ground between the Beats and the K501/K1000/HD800 kind of bass.  And that has been around way before the 90's.  The Sextett (1975) has more bass than these bass light phones and less than the Beats, and so did the K141, K340, even K140.  I agree that the above bass light phones are likely voiced for specific genres that don't need bass presence, but that doesn't mean it is natural, IMO it is a coloration to make certain genres sound more clear and resolving.

 

[Slaughter]

Agreed. That is one of the problems with headphones and head-fi in general. People may prefer bass light phones, but it is not natural and that is not debatable. Anyone who has seen any live performances, blues, jazz, classical, country, or whatever, can't argue that there was strong bass presence. Hard to pull off the whole frequency spectrum with one dynamic driver though, so headphone manufacturers forgo the bass presence for clarity. Too bad...

 

[n3rdling]

Electrostats are more detailed than any dynamics I've heard if that's what you're looking for.  The DT48 very well may be the least resolving headphone I've ever heard (not counting cheapy stuff) but that's just going off memory.