[Ohoen]

An odd question, I know. Tool happens to be my favorite band, though, so I know their recordings very well, and they're a lot more sonically complex than a lot of the other stuff I listen to. Both of these things make Tool a good measuring stick for me, imo. I've been listening on my V6s and HD580s and been disappointed with the performance of both. At good, rockin' decibel levels the v6s are too bright for me. And at any level the 580s are too mellow. I'll say this now, I'm not knocking these two phones, I'm having a great time with them listening to other stuff, but they're not doing it for me with the hard rock, especially Tool. So, any suggestions? I'm assuming the Grados will be way too bright if the v6s are. I'm very interested in the Beyer DT770s. I'm just using the jack out of my integrated Pioneer at the moment, so scold away on that front. I know there's a lot more to come from the Senns with an amp and that the v6s will get better as well but that's easy. I plan on doing something about the amp situation within the next few months. So, other than the Grados, what's a good phone for hard rock? I'd especially like to hear from you TOOL fans out there. Thanks. Oh, and I'm pretty much a noob so if this stuff has been covered endlessly I apologize.

 

[bangraman]

How about a Beyer DT250-80? Bassy (but not too much), missing top (read: not bright), pretty smooth but articulate. Sounds right up your street.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Ohoen,

Your tastes are crying for a pair of Sony CD3000 headphoens. Don't listen to the bad press, they are powerful at the high end frequencies, but not overly bright like my V6s. They rock with bass, are sweet on the mids, and just totally enjoyable all around cans. I wish I would have gotten mine earlier. If anyone says they suck, make sure you find out from them just how much time they spent with these headphones, and kepe that in mind. I have owned mine for about a week and have used them for about 5-8 hours a day since then.

 

[elnero]

I had a very similar experience with Tool and the 580's. They also happen to be my favorite band. I used a Cmoy amp as well but still found them far to mellow. A better amp may help but I'm not thoroughly convinced of that. The 580's did a lot of things right but I felt they were just too laid back for my tastes.

This is pure speculation on my part but in addition to the 770's, 250-80's and CD3000's from Jan Meier's observations the Beyer DT880's sound like they may be a contender as well.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

If the V6's are too bright, then choosing a Beyer headphone will probably be right up your alley. I liked the 250-80 with AEnima, though I could not keep the headphone due to its small size. The 770 may sound thick if you don't have a good amp to keep it in line, so the 250-80 would probably be the best choice if you have no intention of getting an amp and have an average to small head. If you want something cheaper and don't mind a clip-on, the Koss KSC-50 or KSC-35 (if you can find it) might be a good choice too.

I fully support your Tool addiction. They are my favorite band also.

 

[zeplin]

ohoen: Tool is definitely one of my top three favorite rock bands of today. i use my ety's when listening to tool. since the ety's drivers are so small, they are better suited for, as you stated, "tool's sonically complex tones." ety's are extremely fast and articulate. and it's not like they're fast in only a couple aspects of the sound spectrum, they stop on a dime in on bass notes, midrange notes, as well as the highs along with everything in between. plus, a lot of songs made by tool have sounds upon sounds layered on top of eachother. one of the great advantages of etymotic (and many ety owners will point this out if you ask them) is with complex music, one can follow and single out a single instrument for as long as that particular song lasts. in other words, the spaciousness and separation on the phones are incredibly life-like and wonderfully presented. also, since the ety's are so revealing (they give you everything on a particular recording plus more), you begin to notice some sounds that weren't there before, especially with tool...it happened to me not too long ago! what an experience that was

many will also tell you that the bass presentation on the ety's are small, but i have never got why some say that because the ety bass is different, but not non-existent or small! so if you trust me, don't believe others when they knock the bass presentation...that is if you decide to take my word for it. good luck in your search. if you have any questions about ety's that need answers, feel free to ask away. also, don't forget to tell us what you end up deciding on along with your own little personal review of the phones when playing tool. take care!

 

[ClearYourMind]

What do ya'll think of the HD590's sound when listening to Tool, or any complex fast past, heavly layered, music.

I'm planning on getting the HD 590's. Even though I listen to such a wide varrity of music, they seem like the most comfertable. I like how it looks, how it only has a cord on one side, comes with a 2 year warranty, comfortable!!!, and I've heard it does sound real nice. I'm choosing the HD590's over the HD580's cuz I've heard the 580's are a bite brighter and for classical i guess that's a bad thing?... also the HD 590's are easier to drive unamped.

I do listen to a lot of rock though, and bass heavy music, but also to alot of mello music. Sublime, Weezer, Bach.

List of my music taste:

Godsmack
Distrubed
Drowning Pool
Ademas (did i even spell that right?)
Sublime
Weezer
Violent Femms
50 Cents
Eminem
Tool
Kottom Mouth Kings
Prodigy
Bach
Mozart
Celtic Harps
Nature Sounds
New age weirdo music
Meditation
Comedy - Lewis Black & others (Live speaking stand up comedians)
Remmstein (spelling?)
Nirvana
AFI
Alien Ant Farm
Bush

..umm thats all I can think of right now. lol. HD 590's still a good choice. I love Sennehiser's comfort, and I love open-air headphones. I have no amp.

My music taste are pretty "interesting" aren't they.
lol

 

[dgs]

Tool?

I have two recommendations:

* Etymotic 4p (get the adapter for 4s), but you'd probably like to have the 4p because they have a little more roll-off in the upper treble, whereas the 4s are a bit brighter. It's nice to be able to switch back and forth.

* 580s--get the Equinox cable from Stefan Audio Art. It made the 580s much more in-your-face and better suited for my Tool listening sessions. Even more than an amp, the cable has a large impact. But a less dark amp will help you too, like a Meta42.

By the way, are the V6's too bright? or too Harsh in the treble. WHen I first started in this hobby, I mistook treble harshness for brightness and stayed away from "bright" phones for a long time. But once I heard "bright" phones that weren't harsh, I found them much more acceptable. Just a thought.

Happy tooling.

 

[HD-5000]

I couldn't help it, but I have to say Tool is my favorite band too. What do you guys think is their best CD? Without question, Lateralus, Aenima, Undertow and finally Opiate. IMO they just keep getting better.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

I just started a new thread where we can discuss the music of Tool. Please find it here.

 

[scamper]

DT 770 Pros are Rock Phones. I don't personally listen to Tool. The closest I probably get is Rodan and Rodan's "Rusty" sounds lush coming out of them.

 

[Ohoen]

Thanks for all the advice folks. My research will continue. Rest assured I'll start to scream if I find THE Tool cans.

 

[Ohoen]

dgs said:
By the way, are the V6's too bright? or too Harsh in the treble. WHen I first started in this hobby, I mistook treble harshness for brightness and stayed away from "bright" phones for a long time. But once I heard "bright" phones that weren't harsh, I found them much more acceptable. Just a thought.


That sounds more accurate. When I say "too bright" I mean to describe the high end as harsh and unpleasant, or overpowering. Does this mean Grados might still be worth trying? Here I'm just going on Headroom's recommendation of them as their favorite rock phone.

 

[elnero]

You might want to give the Grado's a try. I believe there is a Hi-Fi shop in Montreal that carries them. I don't have the link right at the moment but I believe Zanth posted it a couple of weeks ago.

I'm kind of in the same boat. Even though I'm intriguied by Grado's I'm fairly sensitive to high frequencies so I've stayed away because of the reports of brightness. I may try some in the near future though, just to see for myself.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

I prefer the grado rs-1's w/ senn pads over the beyer 250-80's for tool. The rs-1'a give more detail, about the same impactful bass, beautiful mids and much more realistic cymbol reproduction. I don't find either headphone to be bright, just don't use the bowl pads for the rs-1's.

Biggie.