[sporky]

Hi,

I posted a little while ago about finding a more comfortable/lighter replacement for my HD 280's. Thanks to the very helpful replies that I got, I've decided to get either the ATH A500 or the D66 Eggo. For those of you who didn’t see my last topic, I'm a college student looking for an extremely comfortable set of cans with great sound and a closed design. I will be using my headphones with my computer (which has a turtle beach santa cruz card). Portability is always a plus, but is not necessary.

While the HD 280 does well in the isolation and sound categories, I find them to be way too uncomfortable and heavy on the top of my head. From what I can gather, the A500 is about as heavy as the HD 280, which worries me somewhat. I have no doubt that the D66 is one of the most comfortable set of headphones out there, but how do they compare to the A500 in terms of sound and comfort? My price range is probably $150 tops (Christmas is coming soon, so I can expect a few checks from relatives

), so I might be willing to go for the A700 if it is worth the extra cash.

Lastly, are there any other choices that might be worth looking into?

Thanks!

 

[D-EJ915]

Quote:

but how do they compare to the A500 in terms of sound and comfort?

Ok, I've got both of them, bought them both from Audiocubes...

1st: The A500s are far more comfortable, albeit more likely to fall off...they are "loose"

2nd: The A500s have a much warmer, richer sound with gobs of bass to throw around.

3rd: The A500 has a 3m cord, which is like 10ft, whereas the D66 only has a 1.5m or so cable...I dunno, so it's not exactly home-able.

I don't think anybody has listened to the A700.

 

[sporky]

Ok, that's one vote for the A500.

Another thing that bugged me about the HD 280 that I forgot to mention is the way you have get a perfect seal around you ears for best sound. I usually find myslef constantly futzing with them to get a good seal. Does the A500 also have this issue?

Thanks

 

[Patrickhat2001]

Hmmm...I've never heard a A500 but I do have the A900. From what D-EJ915 says the A500 and A900 must have a very different sound. I'd characterize the A900 as very neutral and detailed but kinda dry and sterile--definatly not warm and bass heavy.

Going from there do you like the sound of the HD280? If you do something like the A900s are the perfect choice since, to me, they sound like a refined version of the HD280s--better clarity, more present bass and a slightly more neutral sounding timbre. But it is the A500s you want to learn about and not the A900s--sorry I can't help you there.

But I can help you with the D66. As you've probably heard me rant before I love the D66 and think they are the best closed phones $100 and that is after comparing them to the HD280, V6, PX200 and DT231. And if you want to know the truth as of now I'm trying a whole bunch of $100-$200 phones and the crazy thing is the D66s are holding their own against all the closed phones I've yet used in this price range. Freaking nuts, I know, but that is what I'm hearing and so far I'm pretty disappointed that these more expensive phones haven't, thus far, been schooling the Eggos.

From my experience thus far I'd say that the A900 = CD1700 (with foam removal mod) = D66 > Ultrasone Trackmaster.

As I said above the A900s have a nice neutral and detailed sound but are a bit on the steral side and lack enough warmth so they come off as plain and boring sounding sometimes. On the other end of the spectrum are the CD1700 which have a much warmer and groovier sound and better bass IMO but they aren't the most detailed phones around and they can sound pretty congested sometimes. The D66 strike a middleground between these two extremes. They have close to as much detail as the A900 (close, but not quite) and almost as much warmth as the CD1700 (again, close but not quite). The D66s come off as a compromise between these two phones and it's a pleasureable (and cheaper) compromise at that.

So I'd say go for the D66. If nothing else they'd be portable while the A500 wouldn't be. As far as isolation goes the A900 don't provide much more isolation than the D66 because they fit loosely on the ears. With enough messing around with the fit they can isolate more than the D66 but not by much--I imagine you would have to futz around with the A500 in order to get them to isolate properly as well. Having to fuss around with the fit seems like a problem inherent in with a circumaural Audio Techica phones (I've heard others say the same things about the fit of the W1000 as well).

Anyway I hope my convoluted response has helped.

 

[D-EJ915]

I don't know how the A500s sound compared to the A900s, I was just comparing the A500 to the Eggos, and to which they are warm and have loads of bass. I'll probably get the A900s at some point and I can do a comparo of them then. I would have to say, that the A500s can be detailed when necessary...I haven't compared them to other 'phones, but they sound really good on some detailed tracks, and the cymbals sound good and not overbearing like on the Eggos sometimes.