[ThumperSD]

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 vs Sennheiser HD555
 
Im looking for my first set of cans. It will be used 60% for music and 40% for gaming. I listen primarily to bass heavy music (hip-hop/electronic).
 
Which one should I go with? They both cost practically the same. I do not plan on getting an amp any time soon. It will be connected to my Xonar DX.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

AD700 vs what?

It doesn't matter. The AD700 does terrible with bass heavy music as it has NO bass.

 

[ThumperSD]

I messed up on the title. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Im comparing it to the HD555s which I also heard is weak at the low end. Should I go with something else?

 

[FuzzyD]

I love the AD700 but you need to turn the car around if you're looking for hip-hop cans. They are great for Miles Davis, not so much Mike D.
 
Quote:

 I listen primarily to bass heavy music (hip-hop/electronic).

 

[ThumperSD]

What would you recommend under $100?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

There is another thread currently asking exactly the same thing. Also this subject comes up multiple times a week. These two headphones are constantly compared and argued about, but both are known to not be great when people want some decent bass out of their headphones.

Fact is, most headphones that do well for gaming usually lack a bit of low end, so they aren't exactly great for bass heavy tracks.

How much is your budget, do you want closed vs open, what?

I found a good compromise to be the Creative Aurvana Live. It's pretty much a rebadged Denon D1001 for cheaper. It has solid bass, decent soundstage for a closed headphone, and crisp clarity that compares to the M50. I was on a quest for a decent solution for gaming and music in the $100 or less range, and the CAL was it for me.

 

[ThumperSD]

Im looking for open headphones. What do you guys think about the Grado SR80?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

From what I have heard and read, the Grados have a miniscule soundstage (even less than many closed headphones!), and don't really do too well with gaming. I dunno how they did it, but Grado made open headphones sound claustrophobic, it seems...

 

[pejayjay]

I really don't mind Grado bass (I really like them for electronic music, less so for hip hop), but they're not exactly known for their bass.  But the AD700's bass really sucks (amazing soundstage though).
 
They're on my list of things to buy, so I can't say personally, but it seems like for your budget/needs a decent choice might be the M50's..

 

[ThumperSD]

Quote:

I really don't mind Grado bass (I really like them for electronic music, less so for hip hop), but they're not exactly known for their bass.  But the AD700's bass really sucks (amazing soundstage though).
 
They're on my list of things to buy, so I can't say personally, but it seems like for your budget/needs a decent choice might be the M50's..

Do they have an open back version of the M50?
 
Quite honestly I dont have if I should go with an open back. I know they offer better sound stage and may lack a bit in bass compared to closed. I do not care about noise isolation whatsoever.
 
Also how does the sound stage of the M50s compare to ATH-AD700? Im a complete headphone noob

 

[ThumperSD]

Up. I'd like to make my purchase tonight so I can have them by Wednesday.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

You can't compare a tiny soundstage (M50), over the humongous soundstage that that AD700s have.

You're seriously gonna have to choose what's more important, soundstage and clarity vs fantastic music cans that just aren't great for gaming. That or compromise.

 

[Riku540]

Why choose when you can have both? Pick what you will use most now, save up, and come back for the other. There's always a hidden option 'C' somewhere.

 

[SoSpecial]

I rather think of the M50's as more Intimate then tiny when it comes to sound stage. The Sound is forward and intimate rather then engulfing. To me I believe that the small sound stage isn an attribute to their popularity cause it correctly accentuates their sound signature.
 
The Ad700's are popular for the same reason, even more so when you consider their popularity with the gaming community.  Their open back design and light bass but nice bright highs and detailed mids are only made better when their seperation of sound is taken into account. This is attributed in large part to their soundstage.
 
People don;'t understand that more  =/= better. So people assume they want a headphone with as wide of a soundstage as possible, but they don't think of soundstage in the correct way. Soundstage is merely the presentation of the sound. Do you want it open spacious and vapid, or close intimate and forward. When we look at headphones which are a comprimise to these who use their soundstage to great effect we start to see the larger picture.
 
A few note worthy headphones would be:

1. Denon D2000 : For a closed can they have a large soundstage and a nice smooth sound signature.
2. Senhieser HD555: For an open headphon their soundstage is quiet crampt, probably my biggest problem with them to be honest.

 
 
I wont go through them all but to the op I will suggest semi open headphones in this price bracket are general excepted to be quit good. A nice cheaper solution to your gaming AND music needs would be A JVC RX700/900. A little more expensive headphone would be an AKG K240. Both of these are good headphones, I personaly own and JVC RX700 and it is very good for it's amazing value.
 
For starter headphones I have very few I'll suggest, the RX700's being one of the cheaper ones, the M50's are also a very good entry level headphone.

 

[Trysaeder]

I like it how head-fi says there's more or less or something and then the next time you hear it, there's tons of it or none at all. Get Chinese whispers sped up 100 times, and you have head fi.
This applies to a lot of things here, not just the AD700 bass.