[shiznit]

I wanna jump in to the headphone game and I have been doing a lot of research but I still need some help. I was leaning toward A900s as I game a lot (thank you all for the feedback), but apparently they don't cut it listening to music and I want my first headphone purchase to be good for both and last me a while, so I might go with open phones.

AD900 get a lot of praise and seem to be the ticket, they are $220 shipped. On the other hand HD580s also get a lot of praise and based on my dislike for overpowering highs I'm thinking that I might actually like what people describe as laid-back Senn sound. I can get hd580s and a PIMETA amp for around the same price as the AD900s. I'm also thinking of building my own PIMETA or PPA if I could get the parts cheaper enough than the cost of a pre-built one to justify the extra trouble. My source is X-FI XtremeMusic w/LM4562 opamp (thanks to the nice guide on Head-Fi), bit-matched playback and Foobar w/ASIO. Any opinions, of other headphones that might work?

 

[Jigglybootch]

What gives you the impression the A900 doesn't cut it for music? I have the A900 and they are fantastic. If you're going to be gaming, the A900 are the better choice. You won't need an amp for them and you can plug them directly into your sound card (or whatever headphone jack you would normally use).

 

[shiznit]

i keep reading about crappy mids and nasal vocals...

 

[Sine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shiznit /img/forum/go_quote.gif i keep reading about crappy mids and nasal vocals...

That refers to some people's opinions about the A900. Keep in mind:

A900 = closed
AD900 = open

Below is a thread from someone who's heard both. AD900 seems to have solved all the A900's problems.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ighlight=ad900

 

[MusicallySilent]

Would you reccomend the AD700 Also since i can't really afford the 900? Just based on features?

 

[jesse_w]

If you don't mind open headphones, I would go for the 580s and a pimeta. The pimeta is an easy to build and wonderful little amp, and the 580s are really in another class compared to the a900s (I prefer the 580 even unamped out of most decent headphone jacks).

This is not to say that you will prefer their sound signature, however. The a900s tend to be a bit on the bright side unless you have a warmish source in which case the lower midrange tends to be a bit recessed. They are fun but a bit quirky. The hd580s are warmer and almost completely non-fatiguing. All around they resolve more, and have more body and extend more. They have less verve, especially if driven poorly, though. The imaging is more diffuse, but unless you're a pro fps player I would go with the 580s.

I've owned both headphones. I had the a900s and the px100s for a while, and then the er4s and some sr-80s and I always ended up with the px100s on my head because I just preferred the sound signature. So I moved up in the Senn line. Its important to figure out what you want because the 580s might just not do it for you even though they're 'better'. See if you can listen to something.

jesse