[minusfive]

 
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No... Why closed cans with classical?

Because 95% of what I listen to is classical, and I need to use them at work.

 

[minusfive]

 
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You may have to watch prices for a few days/weeks, but the Pro 900 (yes, Ultrasone) can be found as low as $300 new.  It's not really the best match for classical, but it is kind of like a much-improved M50.

 
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Try some Ultrasones. The 900 have the most boosted bass in the Ultrasone line.

Thanks, but I'm actually looking to step a bit away from the bassy ones, moving towards something more neutral, more adequate for classical. Any other recommendations?

 

[Meewoo]

Am I a weirdo? I listen mostly Jazz and classical, but I don't have all headphones you guys mentioned above. No, I only use open one, and I think AKG is perfect for classical.
 
For close one, why not the new K-550? I never tried them, but AKG house sound and some impressions make me recommend it.

 

[minusfive]

 
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My SRH-940 will come the next day as yours. Besides the Denon D2000 I also have the HD598 and Fisher Audio FA-003w to compare it with. Wow you will have three new headphones this week.

Well, I don't plan on keeping them all. Let's just hope I stick to my plans .
 
Please let me know what you think of the 940s vs. the D2000, I'm interested in that comparison.
 

 

[minusfive]

 
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@minusfive
 
I listen to (and play) a lot of classical pieces and I just want to share you my personal experience. I've gone around IEMs and cans with different signatures and I find neutral [and natural] cans the best for classical (balanced next). V shaped and coloured cans are not suited for classical IMO. Best closed can under 400? I haven't heard a lot of closed cans so I don't really know.
 
But one thing for sure, the Shure SRH940 lacks bass (under-neutral) and is a bit coloured. You have been warned. 

Very interesting perspective, thanks for replying!
 
I know this is a hard question, but would you mind expanding a bit on this colourization you talk about? I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[minusfive]

 
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The other Beyerdynamics that might be worth considering are the DT250, which feature a very balanced response and clear yet balanced bass.

I noticed you own the DT 250/250. I read somewhere that those sound better than the 250/80... have you auditioned those by any chance? Is there any truth to that?
 
I also saw that you owned the DT 880/250 which I've read are some of the most neutral headphones around... how would you compare them to your 250/250?
 
Lastly, what kind of music do you listen to?

 

[minusfive]

 
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SRH-940 should be here tomorrow. A900 + DT 660 on Thursday. I'll report back.
 
Please keep the recommendations coming in the meantime, if you think of something .

Ordered the DT 770 / 250 Ohm as well, for completeness . They're supposedly less bassy than the 80 Ohm version. Should be here tomorrow as well, along with the other 2 .
 
Got the SRH-940s at around 11am EST and have been using them almost exclusively since then. Here are by n00b impressions so far:

1. Sure, they certainly have less bass than the M50s, but it is there. And whatever is there is actually well controlled and detailed—I actually find it more than adequate. Bear in mind I'm running them off an E10.
2. There's more audible background noise than on the M50s, which, to my ears, tends to affect dynamics/transient response slightly.
3. There's a bit more detail, I guess, but not that much more over my M50s.
4. They do sound a bit mid-centric. Perhaps a bit more than I'd like. If the M50s had a "v-shaped" tonal response these feel like a slight "n". Not sure yet how I feel about this.
5. I hear what people talked about when they said there was a dip in the upper lows/lower mids—it gives you the feeling that *something* is missing there. Hard to point out, though.
6. I feel the M50s are a bit more... musical? Like they M50s have better PRaT and attack. Pieces like Beethoven's 9th feel less emotional on the Shures, and some of my piano reference pieces like Schubert's Impromptu No. 2 in E Flat Major and a bunch of Chopin's Etudes feel like the piano lacks body and impact, compared to the M50s. The M50s can be a bit boomy on these, so something in between would be nice.

 
To sum it up, I'm not sure the Shures are worth the $100+ upgrade, TBH. Then again, I may not know what I'm talking about .

 

[minusfive]

 
Quote:

 

Ordered the DT 770 / 250 Ohm as well, for completeness . They're supposedly less bassy than the 80 Ohm version. Should be here tomorrow as well, along with the other 2 .
 
Got the SRH-940s at around 11am EST and have been using them almost exclusively since then. Here are by n00b impressions so far:

1. Sure, they certainly have less bass than the M50s, but it is there. And whatever is there is actually well controlled and detailed—I actually find it more than adequate. Bear in mind I'm running them off an E10.
2. There's more audible background noise than on the M50s, which, to my ears, tends to affect dynamics/transient response slightly.
3. There's a bit more detail, I guess, but not that much more over my M50s.
4. They do sound a bit mid-centric. Perhaps a bit more than I'd like. If the M50s had a "v-shaped" tonal response these feel like a slight "n". Not sure yet how I feel about this.
5. I hear what people talked about when they said there was a dip in the upper lows/lower mids—it gives you the feeling that *something* is missing there. Hard to point out, though.
6. I feel the M50s are a bit more... musical? Like they M50s have better PRaT and attack. Pieces like Beethoven's 9th feel less emotional on the Shures, and some of my piano reference pieces like Schubert's Impromptu No. 2 in E Flat Major and a bunch of Chopin's Etudes feel like the piano lacks body and impact, compared to the M50s. The M50s can be a bit boomy on these, so something in between would be nice.

 
To sum it up, I'm not sure the Shures are worth the $100+ upgrade, TBH. Then again, I may not know what I'm talking about .

Another thing: I think the soundstage might be a bit better on the Shures, but not much. Instrument separation seems better on the M50s to me.

 

[DaftZomb]

 
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I noticed you own the DT 250/250. I read somewhere that those sound better than the 250/80... have you auditioned those by any chance? Is there any truth to that?
 
I also saw that you owned the DT 880/250 which I've read are some of the most neutral headphones around... how would you compare them to your 250/250?
 
Lastly, what kind of music do you listen to?

As I saw someone else say in another thread, semi-open means 95% open. They are very, very flat/neutral but they leak sound like a mofo. Press the cans together and there's not a bit of reduction in sound, whereas the 770s reduce it quite a bit. In short, 880s leak like an open can.
 

 

[minusfive]

 
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As I saw someone else say in another thread, semi-open means 95% open. They are very, very flat/neutral but they leak sound like a mofo. Press the cans together and there's not a bit of reduction in sound, whereas the 770s reduce it quite a bit. In short, 880s leak like an open can.

Thanks for your reply.
 
Oh, I understand. I'm not interested in the 880s. I was more interested to know how the 250s compare to the 880s, considering the 880s are supposed to be super-flat, and some say similar things about the 250s.

 

[john57]

 minusfive
 
Just try using the 940 for a while before going back to the M50. Sometimes when people say one headphone is more musical it means that the brain has been trained better on that headphone that has been in use for some time. Many headphones I have tried have dips in the treble region as well as peaks. Both the graphs on Headphone web site and inner Fidelity shows that the M50 have larger peaks than the Shure's However my ears do not always agree with the graphs. The graphs for the lower frequency sweeps for the M50 does not match between Inner Fidelity and Headphone charts. I have disagree with some of the more well known reviewers comments before. When I get my Shure's in the next day or two I will be comparing it with my other headphones and with the sound of recordings that I have head live.  It is good that you have a chance of trying out different headphones 

 

[minusfive]

 
Quote:

 minusfive
 
Just try using the 940 for a while before going back to the M50. Sometimes when people say one headphone is more musical it means that the brain has been trained better on that headphone that has been in use for some time. Many headphones I have tried have dips in the treble region as well as peaks. Both the graphs on Headphone web site and inner Fidelity shows that the M50 have larger peaks than the Shure's However my ears do not always agree with the graphs. The graphs for the lower frequency sweeps for the M50 does not match between Inner Fidelity and Headphone charts. I have disagree with some of the more well known reviewers comments before. When I get my Shure's in the next day or two I will be comparing it with my other headphones and with the sound of recordings that I have head live.  It is good that you have a chance of trying out different headphones 

Good advice, thanks! Yeah, I plan to keep all these for at least a couple of weeks, to give them a good chance. Unless I really dislike one of them, in which case I'll sent it back so I can try another .
 
Another note on my 940's experience so far: uncomfortable! Not that this should affect your decision, if you're reading this; our heads are likely different shapes, so what's uncomfortable to me might be super comfy to you.
 
But so far they're way more uncomfortable than my M50s, and the M50s are not necessarily the most comfortable headphones out there, so that's saying something. The headband of these Shures feels like it's digging a hole on my skull, and the pads another behind my ears.
 
I hope I can physically resist them enough to give my brain enough chance to better appreciate their sound :^/.

 

[Brooko]

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Another note on my 940's experience so far: uncomfortable! Not that this should affect your decision, if you're reading this; our heads are likely different shapes, so what's uncomfortable to me might be super comfy to you.
 
But so far they're way more uncomfortable than my M50s, and the M50s are not necessarily the most comfortable headphones out there, so that's saying something. The headband of these Shures feels like it's digging a hole on my skull, and the pads another behind my ears.
 
I hope I can physically resist them enough to give my brain enough chance to better appreciate their sound :^/.

Don't even try.  There's more than one or two people who've commented on the unnatural sound and on the comfort of the SRH940.
 
After really enjoying the SRH840 (comfort and sound) I found the 940's to be pretty much a let-down.  Good with jazz, female vocals etc - but too narrow in the genres that they did excel with.
 
If you are looking for a good and comfortable closed can for classical - try the FA-003 or the HM5 (HM5 is new - an FA-003 clone).  Very balanced can - not a bad sound stage for a closed headphone.  I enjoy them - particularly with violin and piano concertos. 

 

[nikp]

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Very interesting perspective, thanks for replying!
 
I know this is a hard question, but would you mind expanding a bit on this colourization you talk about? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Colourisation is adding stuff to the original intended music. It's not entirely a bad thing (smoothens/makes it more musical and dynamic/etc) but it alters the sound. In classical, I prefer the intended and original sound as well as the (sometimes) harsh melody the violin makes as the bow scrapes dynamically (ah I got the word here - natural). I much more enjoy it "raw than cooked". For pop and rock genres, it's another thing. V shaped almost always sound best with them. 
 
Imo, open cans is the only way to go to experience this naturalness. It's like a living creature in the open forests not in captivity. 

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Thanks for your reply.
 
Oh, I understand. I'm not interested in the 880s. I was more interested to know how the 250s compare to the 880s, considering the 880s are supposed to be super-flat, and some say similar things about the 250s.

 
The 880s are not super flat. They're just flat (maybe just a tad brighter).
 
 

 

[Jordan8]

SRH940 is a good choice. You can also go with t70. They could be found a little over 400.