[fiddler]

Quote:

Originally posted by taipeileviathan about the corda tho, i haven't been hearing too much about them on the forums. anybody wanna compare the corda vs the TAH? i'm actually quite curious myself as to how those two stack up against each other...

Do a search, there have been lots of comments on the Corda in the past. I haven't heard the TAH, but I have a CMOY which is supposed to be better than the TAH, and my Corda (well, Corda quasi-Blue now) totally smokes the CMOY, so if my logic isn't off, the Corda should slaughter the TAH.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally posted by WillSmoke What would be a good amp for ety4s thats actually portable. Would a porta Corda be a good choice, its the most portable amp i can think of, its also moderatley priced, so i could still get a diff home amp.

Etys, the HeadRoom Total Airhead and the iPod, all put snug in HeadRoom's iPod-Bag. I lack comparison, but the only disadvantage I can find regarding the TAH is the high-end roll-off due to the the HR process, but nevertheless I am not going to compromise crossfeed-comfort for for a little big of high-end.

 

[darkclouds]

I'd try out Fixup's super mini for real a super portable system. That amp looks tiny. I'll get one soon just for use with my mdp. I have an AH and owned a TA, both are larger than my mdp. I also have a penguin tin built by JMT, which is smaller than the TA. Sound wise, they all are fine for portable use. I'm just looking for something smaller. The super mini may just be the ticket.

 

[WillSmoke]

I think im gonna get a pair of Beyer250-80's for my computer and no-amp use. And as opposed to going with a living room-esque sit and relax headphone, i think im going to go portable (i own a new powerbook and an ipod. when i mean "portable", i mean having a stationary setup in several different places, not constantly moving "portable"). So i think i will get the ety4s' with an ...TAH, i wanted a meta42 or a porta corda, its just simply to much of a hassle obtaining these, and i cant find anyone willing to sell. Oh well, ill upgrade to a new amp later, probably a cosmic in a year or so.

 

[Magicthyse]

For your use, if it's initially for home-only with your choice of music, perhaps some decent open cans are better?

If you have to have closed cans, then the Sennheiser HD280 is also worth a look bearing in mind your types of music. The sound on the HD 280 is outstanding for the money for use expecially with classical music, but unfortunately the bass is somewhat deficient in volume (although the response is there) - so it's best used with the PC or a home system which has an EQ of some description. It's not really a phone you can wear outside though.

Th DT250-80 is a 'neither here nor there' phone. It looks very inoffensive so you can get away with wearing it outside, and it kind of works OK with everything. What I think is more a problem with it is the quality of the sound, which is merely OK. People talk about 'rolled off highs' which is true and is not such an incredible problem, but it doesn't really have the detail either - all of which IMHO makes it a poor choice for classical.

I'm sure you'll be OK with it once you get it, but I'm sure you can do a lot better.

I haven't heard the MDR-V6 / 7506 yet, but I'd say listen to that too - don't jump at the DT250-80's given your choice of music of 'discerning' rock and classical.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magicthyse [Th DT250-80 is a 'neither here nor there' phone. It looks very inoffensive so you can get away with wearing it outside, and it kind of works OK with everything. What I think is more a problem with it is the quality of the sound, which is merely OK. People talk about 'rolled off highs' which is true and is not such an incredible problem, but it doesn't really have the detail either - all of which IMHO makes it a poor choice for classical. I'm sure you'll be OK with it once you get it, but I'm sure you can do a lot better. I haven't heard the MDR-V6 / 7506 yet, but I'd say listen to that too - don't jump at the DT250-80's given your choice of music of 'discerning' rock and classical.

I have to disagree with this somewhat. Having owned the DT250-80, the V6/7506, and the HD 280 Pro, IMO the DT250 are easily the most enjoyable. They have very good detail, even for classical; it's just not as harsh or forward as the V6/7506. They also have smoother midrange than either of the others, and their bass is better than the HD 280 (and almost as good as the V6/7506). The V6 and HD 280 are true "studio" headphones, meaning they're very analytical. I find this to be somewhat fatiguing at times; the DT250 are much more musical and enjoyable, IMO, and they're also the most comfortable of the three for most people.

 

[Magicthyse]

Ya think? I can't agree with the detail bit - especially for classical. They are very comfortable though, although I noticed they apply a little more pressure on the ears than the HD280. I've been listening to some Bach chamber music and when the cellos / double basses come in, there's a slight but definite loss of composure for everything else.

And you guys tout them as bass-friendly - yes, there's plenty of bass on offer - but in fact, trying them with bass-heavy music (both very 'thud' bass drum and synth bass lines), and while A/Bing the MDR-D66SL / HD280Pro / RP-DJ1200A and the DT250-80, the 250 was the only phone which very noticeably lost midrange composure when there was heavy bass going on at the same time. And it gave less bass than the RP-DJ1200A. And we're talking from a fixed source and not at ear-blasting levels (well, not for me and m friend at least - we do listen to a lot of loud rubbish though)

BUT it does sound reasonably pleasant. Nearly so for classical as my RP-FDA100. But there's not the detail you want to hear in a classical recording. Pleasant or fun though - as the V700-bashers here should know - doesn't necessarily mean good, although this is not a bad thing. I still say that the Dt250 is a very mediocre phone - especially at the relative prices in the US.

If we're talking enjoyable for general listening, even the Sony MDR-D66 Eggo Pros provide virtually identical enjoyment, slightly worse bass volume and response (not an issue for classical and "old-man rock"), slightly better imaging, better build quality - albeit with slightly questionable durability due to it's design - combined with far better versatility (40 ohm impedance, 106db SPL). It also folds, is as comfortable and caters for the same range of head sizes as the DT250's (mebbe slightly more pressure on the jawbone), and - costs $100 as opposed to $170.

Oh, and me being me, I must mention the looks - dull as ditchwater on the DT250, stealthy style on the D66.

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ Got 10k? Sony r-10 headphones + r10h custom built headphone amp. Biggie.

Yes!!! I think like you....

 

[taipeileviathan]

hehe willsmoke, glad to see that u're rethinking everything that u thought u'd already decided upon. it's all part of the fun eh? this anguish before the final decision... although i must say, if you've already narrowed ur choices down to phones that are competitors within a certain price range, it would be in ur best interests to find a place and audition them all (and i'm sure most ppl here would agree with me). originally, my shopping list was going to be either HD600's + amp, grado rs2's + amp, or ety4p's. when i finally auditioned all of them, i ended up lusting for the ATH-W100's and i bought a pair of stax phones cuz i couldn't get enuff of that detail, transparency, and soundstage. i thought originally that the lack of bass would really bother me, but i found out only after listening that it doesn't at all... and one thing i've just recently learned (from reading macdef's bose faq

), bring your own music! i hadn't thought of that before and would've been to meek to ask the shopowner to change the music for me, but as the one spending the money, u have the right to ask. plus auditioning phones is just plain fun, u get to put on all these different phones and check out all their sounds, kinda like test-driving cars...

btw, u can buy the porta corda @ jan meier's website. from what i've heard, he's a great guy to deal with, so in the end the porta corda could still be a good choice...

hehe, it's all up to u...

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magicthyse And you guys tout them as bass-friendly - yes, there's plenty of bass on offer - but in fact, trying them with bass-heavy music (both very 'thud' bass drum and synth bass lines), and while A/Bing the MDR-D66SL / HD280Pro / RP-DJ1200A and the DT250-80, the 250 was the only phone which very noticeably lost midrange composure when there was heavy bass going on at the same time. And it gave less bass than the RP-DJ1200A. And we're talking from a fixed source and not at ear-blasting levels

Compared to bass-heavy headphones (like the D66 and DJ1200) the DT250-80 is going to sound like they don't have a lot of bass (although I'm amazed you felt that way about the HD280 Pro).


Quote:

BUT it does sound reasonably pleasant. Nearly so for classical as my RP-FDA100. But there's not the detail you want to hear in a classical recording. Pleasant or fun though - as the V700-bashers here should know - doesn't necessarily mean good, although this is not a bad thing. I still say that the Dt250 is a very mediocre phone - especially at the relative prices in the US.

I clearly place it above all of those you've mentioned -- without hesitation.

 

[Magicthyse]

D66? Bass heavy?

Your last sentence - by what reason?

You're guessing, aren't you?

 

[lini]

WillSmoke: What about a Porta Corda and a DT250/250 for potarble and a Corda plus an AKG K240S for home use? The DT250/250 should even work unamped from your iPod and iBook, but maybe the Porta Corda would add some more sound quality and dynamics... I guess, Jan Meier could make you a good package deal on these four products.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: Will smoke, too. Man, pass the b...!

 

[andrzejpw]

I'm a little bit confused here. On one hand, we're talking about HD600s, blockheads, cardas, etc. On the otherhand, we have beyer 250s. Now, while the beyers are great phones, they are in a different league than the 600s. Just wondering if we're trying to budget or not. . .

personally, on the beyers, I loved them. Versus the sennheiser 280s, there was no contest. The beyers offered much more subtle detail.

 

[dgs]

My 2 cents:

If money really is no object, then my favorite and current set up is as follows:

* Etymotic 4p with s conversion cable
* Senn 580 with Equinox Cable

* both run into Meta 42 for portable and to Corda HA1 for at home.

This pretty much covers the gamut in wonderful sound--many many hours of onanistic ear-pleasure.

I can't speak to the r10s...never heard them...but I really enjoy my set up. Both amps amd both phones sound great across a wide spectrum of music and sources.

 

[TimSchirmer]

If it were me, i'd just spend 6000 on a speaker system, and spend the other season passes to

But then again, if you already have all the money in the world, your dream speakers, and all the music you could ever want (trust me, this is impossible) then it would be okay to get an esoteric headphone system.