[oldson]

i am looking to upgrade my ath-a900 cans!
i am after something with excellent detail, good base(not boomy)and without the recessed mids, of my current set!
i have drawn up a shortlist:-
senn hd650
ultrasone pro 900
akg k701/2
ath-ad1000
dt880
dt990
sony sa5000
denon ah-d2000

budget is upto £350, will be used with an amp!
was all set a while back on hd650, until i read that base can be boom, some argue this.
i am going around in circles. auditioning is difficult, as most stores near me only seem to stock senns.
cheers guys

 

[oldson]

c'mon guys
i just ordered the gs solo.
help me choose the cans??

 

[Moocher]

You should know the drill by now. What music do you listen to? What did you like/dislike about the a900s? What is your source? How much do you want to spend?

Mooch

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldson /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am after something with excellent detail, good base(not boomy)and without the recessed mids, of my current set!

That rules on the DT880's. They excel in bass and detail but do not have very nice mids. From what I've read, the AD900's/AD700's are better than the AD1000's so maybe go for them? They're fairly detailed, light but noticeable bass and very sweet mids. Massive soundstage too.

 

[00264167]

it depends on what your tastes are and what music you like. im no expert but from everything ive read the 650s have a warmer sound from the hightened bass, good for classical, jazz etc but not as fast and treble emphasised/bright as the sa5000 and pro900 which are better for faster music, rock, electronic etc.

i guess if you prefer the darker sound the 650's would kind of suit that. the 701's are said to be flatter than the 650's but with more midbass warmth than the sa5000's (although the 701 espically is quite sensitive to what its driven by, many say it sounds thin or dull on the wrong setup and the 650 has to be well driven to get the best from it).
if you like a brighter faster sound then its the pro900's or the highly detailed sa5000 (maybe the dennon too but i think its slightly more laid back than the pro900 and less exciting).

i only have experience with the ultrasone 750 and can say the bass is good, punchey not boomey and a few db higher than the rest of the frequencies, the mids are below the bass and highs but i wouldnt call them heavily recessed. its not so pickey/variable sounding depending on the source either.
i will have the sa5000 tomorrow so should be able to give feedback on that but the bass is said to be less than the ultrasone but balanced and the 701's bass even less than the sa5000. ive often read that the dt990 has too much bass but the 880 has too little but quite detailed overall.

you should be able to get any of them for £350, i think the sa5000 is the most expensive at £300 the rest are around £200.

i know there are people on here with experience of all these that can better answer this and ive generalised alot but thats my impression of those from everything ive read here.

 

[oldson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00264167 /img/forum/go_quote.gif it depends on what your tastes are and what music you like. im no expert but from everything ive read the 650s have a warmer sound from the hightened bass, good for classical, jazz etc but not as fast and treble emphasised/bright as the sa5000 and pro900 which are better for faster music, rock, electronic etc. i guess if you prefer the darker sound the 650's, 701's would kind of suit that (although the 701 espically is quite sensitive to what its driven by, many say it sound thin on the wrong setup and the 650 has to be well driven to get the best from it). if you like a brighter faster sound the its the pro900's, sa5000 (maybe the dennon too but i think its slightly more laid back than the pro900 and less exciting). i only have experience with the ultrasone 750 and can say the bass is good, punchey not boomey and a few db higher than the rest of the frequencies, the mids are below the bass and highs but i wouldnt call them recessed. i will have the sa5000 tomorrow so should be able to give feedback on that but the bass is said to be less than the ultrasone but balanced and the 701's bass even less than the sa5000. ive often read that the dt990 has too much bass but the 880 has too little but quite detailed overall. you should be able to get any of them for £350, i think the sa5000 is the most expensive at £300 the rest are around £200. i know there are people on here with experience of all these that can better answer this but thats my impression those from everything ive read here.

interested in your views on the sonys!
i have to wait 1-4 weeks for the solo to arrive, so i have a bit more time to gather opinions.
i listen to a wide range of music , so i need something that performs well at everything! my gut feeling is the senn's, but are they as detailed as the sonys , for example?
i doubt for my budget , there is something that excells at everything, but like everyone else, i want the best i can afford.
thing is, do i wait for the new senns, to be released? who knows what they will be like and what price??
just wish i could try all the options, but that is not possible.
cheers for your input guys

 

[gordolindsay]

To me the HD650's have all the detail of the k701's or dt880's, just presented in a different way. The GS Solo would be a perfect amp for the 650's and depending on your source, should be an excellent setup. I've owned the three phones I mentioned and MY perfect headphone would be a mix between the 650 and 880. I went from 880 to 650 because it didn't give me the nice warm bottom end I was looking for (that doesn't sound all that great does it?). The 650's are a little slow/veiled/boring with the wrong setup, which I had the first time around with them. So I got the k701's looking for something new. They were neat to listen to with the new perceived detail, huge soundstage and clearer treble. But after a couple weeks of listening, I was missing my 650s.

I definately would not wait for a new headphone to be released. I would get something you think you might like now and if they do release a new one and it sounds like it might fit your style better, sell your old ones and get the new ones.

 

[00264167]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldson /img/forum/go_quote.gif interested in your views on the sonys! i have to wait 1-4 weeks for the solo to arrive, so i have a bit more time to gather opinions. i listen to a wide range of music , so i need something that performs well at everything! my gut feeling is the senn's, but are they as detailed as the sonys , for example? i doubt for my budget , there is something that excells at everything, but like everyone else, i want the best i can afford. thing is, do i wait for the new senns, to be released? who knows what they will be like and what price?? just wish i could try all the options, but that is not possible. cheers for your input guys

yes there arent many places in the uk that stock a decent range to try them, the only alternative is to order from somewhere like amazon and send it back if you dont like it.

if u have a chance to try the senns somewhere it might be worth it as alot of people here are happy with them over eveything else (albeit with the necessity of an amp) but they have their own warm coloured sound signiture which is the opposite of the sa5000's sound which is supposed to be colder, more detailed (even more detailed than the 701) and treble focused but i'll post my experience later.

the 701's are said to be good alrounders and theres a big comparison thread to the sa5000 a few days back, but ive just read too many people who say the 701's are lacking bass, highly amp dependent and the soundstage is too big.

personally id go for the pro900 for an allrounder as it doesnt have the warm colouration of the senns so will cover a broad range of music, is closed so better isolation and not highly dependend on an amp to get the best out of it so can be used staright from a decent portable player. ultrasones do have their own sound signiture too which i dont think anyone would say is dull.

 

[pabbi1]

If you are concerned about the 650, give the 600 a look - and get a nice cable to go along with.

 

[panda]

out of your list the sony is the best.

 

[scytheavatar]

The A900 is already one of the most all rounded phones you can get. So if you are happy with it you should be looking at the A1000X and A2000X. Or you can look into the A900 Ti, which most people will agree is a big improvement from the A900. If you want to get away from the Audio Technicas the HD600 is probably your best choice for well rounded phone. So, what exactly are you looking for from the A900?

 

[00264167]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldson /img/forum/go_quote.gif interested in your views on the sonys!

just got the sa5000's, my inital impressions: significantly lighter than the ultrasones, better build quality and alot more comfortable.

sound: what has been said about these before on here is quite accurate, neutral sounding, alot more flatter than the ultrasones but with alot less bass/body. i would not say they are harsh in the treble at all which some people said they were.

comparing the sound to the (well burnt in 1 year old) ultrasones the sonys are much more neutral a little on the bass light side making them sound a bit lean (but imo thats better than bass heavy which youre stuck with as you can eq it in and it sounds fine when you do) i wouldnt want to have less bass than this. theyre a bit more detailed and snappy, less bass induced body, less musical slam than the ultrasones, smoother more accurate treble, unfortunately not as 'deep' sounding spatially and less around your head type of sound you sometimes get with the ultrasones.

a'b ing between the ultrasones and the sonys makes the ultrasone colouration quite apparent,- some recessed midrange- noticeable but not heavily recessed, boosted controlled bass and weird metallic sounding unnatural treble at times (like a narrow band recess in the treble/high upper mids right next to a narrow band treble spike). although the sonys are a better phone the particular colouration of the ultrasones makes them more musical, exciting, emotional with more slam than the unequilised sonys for general listening so if your not bothered with absolute neutrality then the ultrasones are the ones out of these two and alot more cheaper.

 

[REB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are concerned about the 650, give the 600 a look - and get a nice cable to go along with.

X2. The HD600s are great phones, with good bass that isn't boomy. Hard to go wrong with them.