[electropop]

Well I'm not a huge fan of harbeth's, but I own Linn's Akurate 212's, and keeping them as a reference I haven't found a better closed headphone than the K272/271. Linn if anyone know the musicality you're seeking, though like to see it as a source related issue... I agree to an extent. But the K272's sound good out of practically anything; notes are easy to follow to the pitch were it percussion, brass, strings or woodwinds, good micro detail, no over-emphasis/coloration in any part of the spectrum. I agree with you that the more color a headphone has, the more boring it becomes with its limitations. These are fun phones with any material, except for bass-fi members...
 
Definitely a try though, since you seem to keep the music in priority over the "sound of the phones", which is how it should be. I would not recommend closed beyers, though I've not tried the latest ones, from reading what you seek.

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

Musical !! A terme that'so subjective !!
I call musical what gets the notes good , they start and end at the right time. "Timing" !!
Anyway , it's out of topic,articulation is something that adds to musicality i think , make you feel harmonics , especially vocals !
This is what i am looking for.
If something has to much colourations , or thickness , then soon or later , musicality  will stop.
And i don't care about 15Khz , or in adition about 30Hz too.

Ishcabible, thank you

Ah, then yes, you'd probably love the DT48. The K271's are a bit less detailed and "real" sounding compared to the DT48. The bass extends lower than the DT48, but the vocals sound veiled in comparison. It's a bit more restrained in the highs than the DT48. The DT48 somehow really isn't fatiguing, as EYEDROP said. The only niggle I have is that my pair clamps mighty hard, but they have the old headband. And the dynamics aren't extremely limited. They don't extend past 50hz or past what you can hear, but the mids are to die for, if a trifle colored (Yes, they're the tiniest bit colored. Not enough for complaints though, and my gripes may even be recording problems.) I haven't heard the ESL's as a reference, but I really wish I could.

 

[pire]

So Linn's Akurate 212 ??
Never listen to them but i bet they're good.What is that you don't like with Harbeth's ?
Do you feel there is a  low treble peak with k271-272 as i suspect ??

 

[pire]

One of the reasons i liked k501 was the they reminded of LS3/5A ..

 

[electropop]

Quote:

The DT 48 has a superb midrange with excellent tonality, and is very detailed and precise in timing, no blurring. The bass has little impact and does not extend low, but it is super tight, low distortion, and flat until the rolloff happens at 65 hz. The highs can be a tad bright with some newer recordings, but somehow it is not fatiguing. This headphone has no musicality unless the recording sounds musical and engaging, then it becomes very musical. They are brutally recording dependent, they sound really bad or amazingly good depending on the recording. The DT48 needs very focused listening skills, they are not for casual music enjoyment. They are the epitome of a studio monitor. If you get them, give them a good chance because they take lots of time to appreciate. It is expected you will not like them at first. But once you go DT48, you never go back.   

I'm sorry, but I disagree with your "philosophy". 
 
I've probably said this somewhere before, but I think "musicality" is an extreme form of resolution, transparency, pitch accuracy, timing etc, which means the source, the music, is played as it should. Transients need not be masked by "gentle distortion". If the recording has piercing highs, they should be conveyed by the headphone. Bass needs to be heard not felt... Anyway, if the music comes naturally as it should, you should definitely not need to focus on the music, but enjoy it fully, whether analytically or laid back. One should be able to "read into the music" without dyslexic confrontation, if that makes any sense...
 
Studio monitors are always somewhat peaky and bring the caca in your face so that you can notice certain flaws in the recording/mix. They are only good for that. But extreme detail and musicality can go happily hand in hand without being ANY fatiguing at all, when there is good balance, truthful high frequency reproduction, good transients without "bloom", and so on.
 
Yet I've not heard the DT48, so I can't comment further. Your post made me curious though for the sake of experience...
 

 

[electropop]

Quote:

So Linn's Akurate 212 ??
Never listen to them but i bet they're good.What is that you don't like with Harbeth's ?
Do you feel there is a  low treble peak with k271-272 as i suspect ??

There is none for my ears. Might be that I'm used to it, if there were according to measurements. They're not fatiguing at all though. 
 
I might've listened the Harbeth's in a poor room (was big though), or with poor equipment. Compared to the Linn's, while natural and similarly non-provocative yet fast, they lacked that certain drive and ability to get those bass-notes correct. Might be that they were there but were perhaps masked by something... Was hard to hear everything though, which comes back to my theory on "easy listening" in my previous post

 

[pire]

Harbeths are not perfect (what is?) , but they can resolve details even in the bass notes very good , especially the M30.
I also love Triangles , wich are very coloured in comparison, but do they have fantastic timiming , pace and dynamics yet easy listening !!
Anyway, it's a headphone's board, thanks for your suggestion , i 'll try the k272.but the DT48 made me curious ...

 

[RexAeterna]

RexAeterna,
that's what i thought .. 240DF!
But can;t find them new , can you compaire them to K271-272 ??
Any info about them ??

i have no idea. all i have closest to the k271 is the newer akg 240 studios from what i believe the same but the k271 are the closed versions. i can be wrong. tho i can say and others as well that all best of akg headphones are discontinued especially the 240 series. akg made some gems during the 70's,80's and even early 90's. lot of them consider the vintage akg's much more accurate but will require some or lot of reconditioning with the rotted foam discs and rotted foam pieces that has to be clean and pads replaced or re-stuffed and people don't like them much cause vintage akg's are known to be very difficult to drive so lot of people won't experience the benefits cause high impedance of 600ohms. likely my vintage amps i have around here have an output impedance of 680ohms so i have no problem with high impedance headphones.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Sorry I'm late to the party, but I love the gear discussed here!

I'm a big fan of the K-501, K-1000, K-240DF, and the DT48. I agree with Eyedrop, the DT48 is truly special. Hunt down a used pair for $100-$150 and you'll love them. The K-240DF is a good listen, but I usually pick the DT48 over it. And the K-1000... get one if you can. Remarkable headphone and I savor it like a fine wine.

And I had thought about telling you to just get an ESL-63 and be done with it, but the ESL-988 is more or less the same. I think you're on the right track.

 

[pire]

Thanks UncleErik , i just show we share some ideas
No info though about k271 here ...
So since now the closest thing to ESL's was to me the k501 , that's why i always return to it !!
It's not only it's character but the remarkable opennes that comes close to panels ,
i still like Hatbeths in some points though.
I cannot listen to DT48e (25 Ohm ????) , so i am afraid of some closed sound ,if it comes close to the midrange of a good monitor speaker , articulated, nice "colours" of instruments, focus, that can give you the "drama" that vocals need , then i found what i am looking for

 

[pire]

Also , seems that nobody likes or have an idea about DT100, and i am wondering if we loose something here

 

[blacknile]

My AKG K240 MKII Made in Austria have one of the sweetest midranges I've heard. I would definitely call them musical. 

 

[Ishcabible]

Quote:

Thanks UncleErik , i just show we share some ideas
No info though about k271 here ...
So since now the closest thing to ESL's was to me the k501 , that's why i always return to it !!
It's not only it's character but the remarkable opennes that comes close to panels ,
i still like Hatbeths in some points though.
I cannot listen to DT48e (25 Ohm ????) , so i am afraid of some closed sound ,if it comes close to the midrange of a good monitor speaker , articulated, nice "colours" of instruments, focus, that can give you the "drama" that vocals need , then i found what i am looking for

 
What's the problem with 25ohms? Mine is 5ohms.

  It sounds a bit closed (not that big of a soundstage)
 
I've never tried a good monitor speaker though. And I really don't think the K271 is much of a consideration if you can afford a DT48. I love my K271, but it doesn't really compare in terms of realism.
 
 

 

[Greeni]

I have heard a few Harbeth, the headphone in your price range that suggest reminiscent for me is the Beyerdynamic DT150. Also it may sound strange to you, but the unique carbon based vdh the First interconnect will help you get closer to the sound you are looking for.
 
 

 

[Adda]

I have compared the K240DF to K271 mkII's, they have a similar balance, and both have that AKG sound, the K271's have a bit more bass, but lacks the clarity, detail and natural soundstage of the DF's.
Even though they are similar, the DF's walk all over the K271, just like all the other 55 ohm models.
Don't underestimate the amp requirements for the DF's though, they only truly wake up once they are properly driven, and that takes one heck of an amp.
They are also very sensitive to the quality of the source and the material played on them, forget about lossy audio, portable players and poorly produced music when using DF's.