[spacemanspliff]

uh the 701s without an amp? would sound crappy at best. akg isn't known for making easy to drive cans.

 

[jimbobuk]

surely the AKG K1000s deserve a mention, they're soundstage is pretty much unique in the headphone world. A bit out of your budget though, especially with their amp requirements.

 

[Clutz]

The HD590's have a good soundstage, particularly for gaming, IMO, and cost a lot less than most of the other options suggested. If you want it for gaming and casual listening, that's what I'd do.. But I also don't buy into the HD590=t3h sux camp. I like mine.

 

[fjf]

The DT880 gives you the feeling of being in a concert hall, let's say 10th row, with a very nice instruments separation and the voices (specially females) so naturally presented that sometimes I look up, surprised, looking for what produced that tone. Unamped is listenable (not crappy), but the music is colder and into your head, with poor separation of sound sources.

 

[halcyon]

Closed better for artificial reverberant added soundstage.

Open are better for more natural, if less evident soundstage.

If you just want added artificial spaciousness, consider also using a digital sound processor (like the AKG hearo plugin). Much more adaptable than having a headphone introduce its own non-changeable reverberation.

 

[slwiser]

This is what I have said about the DT880 soundstage before:

<<I consider that the DT880 placed me in the orchestra pit with the instruments all around me, while the ATH-W1000s put me a few rows back into the auditorium listening to all the ambiance of the performance itself from the orchestra and the auditorium. Due to this I suggest that the ATH sound delivery carries more emotion with the music than the DT880s and others with a similar sound. I attribute this to a better sense of soundstage, maybe this isn't correct but that is my sense of things. The A900LTD has at least this much ambiance for me. This may say that the ATH sound has more smoothing while the DT880 has more detail but the attack and decay of the notes with the ATH sound suggests no loss of detail in the ATH family for me. This sounds contradictory to me I think but that is how I feel about this particular sound comparison.>>

I thought the DT880 put me in with the performers not back a few rows compared with other phones I had. What do I know about this stuff....anyway?

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjf The DT880 gives you the feeling of being in a concert hall, let's say 10th row, with a very nice instruments separation and the voices (specially females) so naturally presented that sometimes I look up, surprised, looking for what produced that tone. Unamped is listenable (not crappy), but the music is colder and into your head, with poor separation of sound sources.

 

[fjf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser <<I consider that the DT880 placed me in the orchestra pit with the instruments all around me

Well, in my experience this depends on the recording. With some you are in the middle of the players, and with others you are further back. I haven't heard other headphones, so I cannot discuss comparisons. Just stating my feelings.

 

[NilsTentacles]

I think the soundstage is very hard to judge at all with headphones - not like speakers. it change alot wether I close or open my eyes, how I lean my head, etc. And it's harder to tell where instruments are placed if the recording is made with seperate mics for each instrument. I need to hear alot of the "recording room" when I listen to headphones to see a decent soundstage.

 

[philodox]

I will say that after hearing that Stax test CD, you haven't heard true soundstaging through headphones until you've heard a proper binaural recording. It was almost scary how real it sounded on my AKG K340's.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjf The DT880 gives you the feeling of being in a concert hall, let's say 10th row, with a very nice instruments separation and the voices (specially females) so naturally presented that sometimes I look up, surprised, looking for what produced that tone. Unamped is listenable (not crappy), but the music is colder and into your head, with poor separation of sound sources.

I would say 3rd row myself... they are more upfront than Sennheiser HD580 or AKG K501 (which I both have), but no way are they "in the orchestra pit" like Grados.

 

[slwiser]

That was more of a comparison for me, that being in the orchestra pit. So take it for what it is worth, a relative thing not absolute.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch I would say 3rd row myself... they are more upfront than Sennheiser HD580 or AKG K501 (which I both have), but no way are they "in the orchestra pit" like Grados.

 

[fjf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch I would say 3rd row myself... they are more upfront than Sennheiser HD580 or AKG K501 (which I both have), but no way are they "in the orchestra pit" like Grados.

Ok, Ok, let's split it: let's say 6.5th row

 

[Luminair]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostWhoWalks I KNOW that the DT880s sound like crap without a decent amp.

Define crap? Like $25 airplane headphone crap? Or still $400 worth of crap?

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luminair Define crap? Like $25 airplane headphone crap? Or still $400 worth of crap?

Like badly underdriven high end headphones.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Like badly underdriven high end headphones.

Niiiice.

A capable amp is a must with any headphone, and much, much more so with high impedance headphones. You're unlikely to get speaker or op-amp clipping with any source capable of 25mW/25mW into 32ohm headphones, but try that same source with 250+ohm and cry at the deplorable sound quality.