[mgoretex]

Hi,

I'm looking for a pair of closed, COMFORTABLE, and good sounding pair of phones. These have to sound good without an amp, since I got no $ for it right now

Bass is also a consideration for me since my music tastes are mostlu hip hop and techno.

I read that a lot of you recommend the senns 280PRO and the beyer 250-80, is there anything else out there? If not, which of the two would you suggest?

Thanks!

 

[kyr]

sony mdr-v6/7506?
AT?

 

[mgoretex]

I listemed to the Sony V6 and it is TOTAL crap, dont like that sound at all. At least compared to the DT250-250 which I also listened to. I guess the question is this: How comparable is the Senns 280PRO or the DT250 to the overall sound quality of the senns 590?

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by mgoretex I listemed to the Sony V6 and it is TOTAL crap, dont like that sound at all. At least compared to the DT250-250 which I also listened to. I guess the question is this: How comparable is the Senns 280PRO or the DT250 to the overall sound quality of the senns 590?

You might have listened to the Sony V600, not the Sony V6. Was the Sonys that you tried large, fully circumaural (completely encases your ears) and mostly plastic - or mid-sized, barely circumaural and have a metal-and-leather headband?

 

[mgoretex]

Eagle,

You are right i tried the V600... I thought that these were the same phones... guess not! thanks for the correction

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

The beyers are kind of like the senns but with more impactful bass. I enjoyed them while I had them.

Biggie.

 

[kyr]

the HD590 is better than either the DT250 or the HD280pro in terms of pure detail. But without an amp, HD590 can't quite reach their potential, and their presentation isn't really musical-they get peaky on the highs and muddied in the lows. Besides, they might be a bit bright for your musical tastes...they are better for classical and jazz, IMO.

 

[bangraman]

I think the Audio-Technica ATH-A900 would be right up your street. Crisp sound, a practically open sounding phone (but nevertheless fully sealed) with bags of snappy bass presence and a wide soundstage. It doesn't need an amplifier and is outstandingly comfortable. It is however rather large and not exactly portable.
Apart from that, given the choice between the DT250-80 and the HD280, I would pick neither and go for the MDR-V6/7506. I've owned all three and the 7506 is the only one I'm definitely keeping.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman I think the Audio-Technica ATH-A900 would be right up your street. Crisp sound, a practically open sounding phone (but nevertheless fully sealed) with bags of snappy bass presence and a wide soundstage. It doesn't need an amplifier and is outstandingly comfortable. It is however rather large and not exactly portable. Apart from that, given the choice between the DT250-80 and the HD280, I would pick neither and go for the MDR-V6/7506. I've owned all three and the 7506 is the only one I'm definitely keeping.

bangram,

You're just the person I've been looking for since you've owned *all* the phones that I'm interested in at the moment. I currently have the 7506's, which I really like apart from the thin mid-range. I've been considering both the Beyers and the HD280 to make up for this. What is it about the Beyer/Senns that lead you to prefer the Sony's? Also, one of the things I like about the Sony's is that they are easily driven by a portable. How do the others match up in this respect? Finally, how much are the AT's? Where do you get them? And can they be driven by a portable as well as the 7506's?

Thanks.

Thanks.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I think bangraman didn't enjoy the sound from either the DT250 or the HD280 as much as he does the sound from the 7506. Not only that, but both the DT250 and the HD280 have other drawbacks that cut into their practicality - the DT250 doesn't fold up at all, and the HD280 sticks out the sides too much for many people's liking.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Davie bangram, You're just the person I've been looking for since you've owned *all* the phones that I'm interested in at the moment. I currently have the 7506's, which I really like apart from the thin mid-range. I've been considering both the Beyers and the HD280 to make up for this. What is it about the Beyer/Senns that lead you to prefer the Sony's? Also, one of the things I like about the Sony's is that they are easily driven by a portable. How do the others match up in this respect? Finally, how much are the AT's? Where do you get them? And can they be driven by a portable as well as the 7506's? Thanks. Thanks.

Beyers: too mild and wooly (in character... not in detail) for most music, and being honest even wooly music to me doesn't sound as good on it as the MDR-7509. It doesnt seal that well, doesn't fold. Noticeably more difficult to drive when compared to the MDR-7506 and the HD280 Pro.
Senns: I didn't realise this but after some people mentioned that the Sennheisers sounded thin, I unpluged them from my console where I'd always used them, and tried them in a portable, which I hadn't done before. They're right, it sounds a bit thin all around, though its not a disaster by any means. The other thing is that you would have to be pretty brave to wear this in public. It's probably slightly more difficult to drive than an MDR-7506 but it's close.
All that considered the 7506 is a compromise but a good one, especially for portable use. I'm not quite sure what you mean by thin midrange, care to mention any music that demonstrates this so that I can listen out for it? The HD280 is currently in storage awaiting a sale or trade and the DT250-80 was sold some time ago. By way of comparison I'm not considering letting go of the MDR-7506 for a long time.


All this of course depends on your personal preferences. If you're into milder phones (CD1700 etc) then you will love the DT250 sound. But I like a crisp detailed sound which doesn't have to be mild, but not teeth-grinding to the extent of the Grados. On the other hand if you like Grados, then the chances of you liking the HD280 are very high.
So, I love the MDR-7506, I appreciated the DT250-80 but not enough to keep them, and the HD280 I found very useful but it's probably not something I'd wear for enjoyment.
The personal preference thing is best explained if I relate to you Duncan(the European Moderator)'s opinions at our meet, he has a V6 (which made me want the 7506) which he probably isn't going to part with anytime soon, he ripped the HD280 off his head very soon after he'd put them on, and he waxes lyrical about the DT250 (he bought mine). He's obviously a milder man

The Audio-Technica is pitched at a halfway point between the grates of the Grado and the low end punchiness of some of the Beyerdynamics... Then in my opinion it improves on them. That's before we get into physical aspects like build quality and comfort, where it crushes the competition. The only down-side is that it's not portable.
ATH-A900: You get about the same volume on a Sony minidisc on an A900 as the MDR-7506. It's completely safe to say that anything you can use the MDR-7506 out of, the ATH-A900 will work as well. It is however clearer, wider and the bass kicks. It is very large compared to the MDR-7506 though and obviously doesn't fold. You can get them from Audiocubes.com for just under $200. Hope that helps.

 

[Davie]

bangraman,

Thanks. That is indeed very helpful. I really like the 7506's, and also consider them the last of my headphones I would want to part with. But for $100 (or any price really) I'm not expecting perfection.

As to the midrange, I'm drawing a bit of a blank at the moment about particular recordings. In general, I find it to be more of a problem with classical than jazz or rock, so I'm really looking for a classical music phone that can be used with a portable. I think the 7506's are great for jazz, because they capture bass and percussion (including piano) so well. I guess one recording that comes to mind is a mid-70's Kuikjen (sp?) recording of Bach's Sonatas & Partitas on baroque violin. You've basically listening to a single instrumental voice, and it lacks oomph on the 7506's.

The AT's sound like they might be just the ticket.