AKG501 or Senn600?

[hsnam]

hi all,
I currently own an AKG240M, and I'm thinking about upgrading to either AKG501 or Senn600. I listen to mostly classical (piano concertos/sonatas mostly) and jazz, but I also listen to "pop". Since I don't think my dealer carries both, I can't listen to them at the moment. Could people share their opinions of both? Thanks very much!

 

[mbriant]

I own 501's and Senn 580's which are close to 600's. Both are excellent phones.

Both phones sound their best with a good quality headphone amp. You can use the Senns without, but I wouldn't recommend the AKG's without an amp. They sound too thin without one.

The Senn's offer a full, warm sound. The bass can be slightly muddy at times but an amp helps rectify this. Some people, including myself, found the Senn's to be uncomfortable at first because they tend to clamp onto your head and because of their size, start to hurt your jaw. They do losen up with time and the headband can be carefully bent to alleviate the problem.

The AKG's offer a wider soundstage and the instruments seem to be further away. They seem to be light in the bass department, but as you get used to their particular sound, you discover that the frequencies are nicely balanced and that the bass is there, just not as prominent as the Senn's. The AKG's (IMO) are the most comfortable. If you move your head suddenly while listening to them, they sometimes slide against your hair/jaw which gives an audible microphonic sound. They're fine however if you remain still.

Again, neither phone can live up to it's potential without an amp.

IMHO

 

[dhwilkin]

I haven't heard the AKG 501, but like mbriant, I do have the 580s. Personally, I find the 580s very comfortable, no pressure problems to speak of. Either one should work quite well w/ classical. For pop, it really depends on the song. I have a feeling the 580s will do better here, because according to mbriant, they are warmer and have somewhat more emphasized bass. My biggest problems on pop is the 580s tend to slow it down a little and sometimes the band just sounds too far away. However, these characteristics would probably be even worse on the 501s.

 

[albau]

I have K501 and had HD600 and fully agree with mbriant. Both are excellent phones especially for classical but I prefered K501 over HD600 mostly because of personal comfort and imaging preferences. HD600 seemed too warm and bassy to my tastes while K501 are very ballanced and have superb instrument separation. I used both with Creek OBH-11 amp.

 

[Voyager]

I can't speak for the AKG 501s, but the Senn HD580s are wonderful. I use mine with a Rega Ear headphone amp, which pairs well with it. They are truly magical phones and are great for classical. However, the AKG 501s should also sound good, and Headroom has them at a good price.

 

[KR...]

It also depends on what type of cassical music you listen to. I'm a big Wagner fan, so I need more impact for that

Both are being decribed as having a very polite sound. I have the 600's, and they are much more polite than current grado line, and even my HP-2's.

Do try them before if you can. Headroom does however have a sale on the 501's, so look into that.

Good luck.

 

[bootman]

Voyager, how do the grados sound with the rega amp? I was looking into getting a rega.

Thanks!

 

[xxbaker]

hey i know you're picking between the 501s and the 600s, but a lot of people are mentioning the 580s so i figured i'd post this link because it's got a nice price.

CLOSEOUT: Sennheiser HD 580 Comsumer - CompUPlus Direct

 

[Cankin]

This is the best bump ever!

I believe HF was only 2 day old on Jun 22 2001

 

[Drosera]

Wow, bump from the past!

It was an interesting link though, but it seems to be sold out now.

 

[xxbaker]

whoa weird... didn't even notice how old this was. no idea how i ran across it...

 

[ciphercomplete]

I was about to chime in. lol

Nice bump.

 

[sean3089]

If you move your head suddenly while listening to them, they sometimes slide against your hair/jaw which gives an audible microphonic sound. They're fine however if you remain still.

I noticed this as well, and figured out that it went away after I took off my glasses -- the pads were rubbing the frame.

 

[mow_the_hawk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant /img/forum/go_quote.gif I own 501's and Senn 580's which are close to 600's. Both are excellent phones. Both phones sound their best with a good quality headphone amp. You can use the Senns without, but I wouldn't recommend the AKG's without an amp. They sound too thin without one. The Senn's offer a full, warm sound. The bass can be slightly muddy at times but an amp helps rectify this. Some people, including myself, found the Senn's to be uncomfortable at first because they tend to clamp onto your head and because of their size, start to hurt your jaw. They do losen up with time and the headband can be carefully bent to alleviate the problem. The AKG's offer a wider soundstage and the instruments seem to be further away. They seem to be light in the bass department, but as you get used to their particular sound, you discover that the frequencies are nicely balanced and that the bass is there, just not as prominent as the Senn's. The AKG's (IMO) are the most comfortable. If you move your head suddenly while listening to them, they sometimes slide against your hair/jaw which gives an audible microphonic sound. They're fine however if you remain still. Again, neither phone can live up to it's potential without an amp. IMHO

Hey, I know its an old post but still. I am looking at the same options here. Which would be preferable for jazz? and would either be driven fine from and ASL tube amp?

 

[ciphercomplete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mow_the_hawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey, I know its an old post but still. I am looking at the same options here. Which would be preferable for jazz? and would either be driven fine from and ASL tube amp?

I think both are best from a tube amp.

Honestly, it depends on the Jazz recording as too which one is better. Newer and well recorded stuff absolutely shine on the k-501. For older stuff that is really channel separated like Coltrane's Love Supreme, where John is blarring in one ear and the rest of the band is playing in the other, sound better on the HD580/600.

If you listen to alot of Jazz then you should own both if possible. However, you can't go wrong with either one.