Beyer 880 vs AKG K501 Shoot out

[Gigabomber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike33 Well said, k501 has some of the tightest bass around, every bass note is heard clearly even on fast tracks. I use a little to alot of bass boost and it takes it very well. The bass problem is really overblown, it's a shame people go after quantity over quality.

When I was looking at the frequency response of the k501s (on the old headroom site) the curve looked really sweet though the seven (or so) decibel roll off at 20hz seemed to be countered by an unusually straight response after about 50hz i think it was. I am beginning to think that very large, open cans just don't have it in the bass region quite the same as closed: pure and simple. I remember my ms-2is only had the punchy lingering bass at higher volumes, though I didn't even have my chaintech card or any amp back then.
This idea fits in with what I have learned about Electrostatics and the K1000: look here at what catscratch posted

 

[S_Dedalus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigabomber I am beginning to think that very large, open cans just don't have it in the bass region quite the same as closed: pure and simple. I remember my ms-2is only had the punchy lingering bass at higher volumes, though I didn't even have my chaintech card or any amp back then.

As I upgraded my system, the bass response of my DT770's really started to overwhelm the rest of the music, while the SR-325's really started getting involving. I'd say try your system with a better source than the chaintech. While its great for the price, it just seems lifeless compared to my emu and especially so compared to my vinyl rig. I'll have to try the K501's again once I get a better cartridge and phono stage. It sounds like they could really surprise me.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Haven't tried the DT880...

But the one with bass, maybe?

-Matt

 

[Bill Ward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta It's just possible that the K501's bass is slightly overdamped. But that would mean that some well-judged bass boost would bring up a very tight and clear low end. Has anyone tried kicking the K501 in the fundament to see how it takes bass EQ?

K501 works well with the PPA bass boost IMO.

BW

 

[Gigabomber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by S_Dedalus I'd say try your system with a better source than the chaintech. While its great for the price, it just seems lifeless compared to my emu and especially so compared to my vinyl rig

I am planning on waiting at least til the june 18th meet to get a better handle on sources as there will be several DACs and a couple CD players there for me to try, hopefully going straight to USB and leapfrogging the soundcard entirely. Course I might just end up going with Rapshody net feeds and a decent CD player instead.

 

[amartignano]

I had the K501 and now my "reference" is the DT880. I vote for the DT880 because is more extended, involving and dynamic. But the K501 has their strength: a natural sensation of the "coming of the sound" to the ears, a beuatiful mid, and a great soundstage. They lack "pressure" and "slam" in the bass region: the bass is still enjoyable, but someone (me!) can prefer more impact.

The DT880 is very natural throughout the entire frequency range, from the deepest bass to the highs, it's very well balanced, a little colured in the mid-highs, and the soundstage is not the best I've ever heard. But has a natural capacity to render the timbre of the instruments. I love them. The other cans that are able to reconstruct so well the timbre of the instruments for me are the Grados flat-padded.

bye
Andrea

 

[shimage]

Why the huge discrepancy between votes and posts? I'm not going to vote/comment, since I haven't had very much experience with the K501. If it's anything like the K401, though, there's no way I'd pick it over the DT880.

 

[Gigabomber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimage Why the huge discrepancy between votes and posts?

Probably because many people are just popping in to cast their vote while the more active users are posting and keeping it verbally around fifty-fifty.
What can i say? some people just like to cast votes?

I thought this thread would clear things up, but the posts have still just made me vacillate between these cans as I always have in recent weeks. I guess it just comes down to house sound: maybe i should buy both and take them to the oregon meet

 

[txa]

I own both as well and find myself wearing the 880s 9/10. Like whitefox noted above, more so than the lack of weight in the bass, the 501 can sound flat - wider than the 880, but quite a bit less 3-dimensional. The 880s are fantastic in the 3D department and one of the reasons I like them so much. Not only do the individual instruments have 3D weight, but the entire presentation is very 3D. The midrange is nestled nicely between a rhythmic bassline, airy highs, and soundstage.

501 has a more present midrange (bigger instruments and vocals) and a cleaner (starts and stops) presentation than 880. So it comes down to preference and the music you listen to. If you love a close, intimate, and clean midrange over all-else, the 501s can not be beat. If you have a wide variety of music types, enjoy a little thump down low, and value a holographic presentation, the 880s are hard to be beat.

Frequency-wise, 880, to my ears, is one of the most neutral phones out there. Nothing really stands out, with the exception of a peak just past the presence region to give the cans a bit more air. On HD650s, bass and warmth stand-out. On 501s, mid-range stands out. On SA5000s, high frequencies stand out. 880 is like - nothing exciting. Until you listen for longer periods and realize the presentation just envelopes you and allows you to look at any part with great synergy with the rest. Like Andrea, I am pretty smitten with the sound.

Don't mean to add to the confusion - just wanted to back up my vote with some words.

 

[fmplautus]

I have never heard the Beyer 880, although I have a pair of Beyer 231s that I think are great bargains. That said, the AKG-501 remains an absolutely unique headphone. Clear and clean, and not lacking bass impact at all for this set of ears. I prefer their fast, tight presentation over anything else I've heard as far as conventional dynamic phones. I sold my Senn 600s after I got the 501. There's been no looking back.

 

[wualta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDA You mean that "bass growl" sounds like resonant bass, or that the lack thereof does? The former makes more sense to me, but I want to make sure.

"Growl" sounds like a good description of resonant (ie, underdamped) bass. Underdamped drivers don't stop when the signal stops. They're sycophantic overachievers, trying to kiss up to your ears.


Quote:

Low notes take longer to fade than with most of the other headphones I've tried. It works quite nicely with some music, but I find it annoying sometimes.

Yep. That's why many dyed-in-the-fi oldsters will eventually buy nothing but critically-damped (ie, not too much, not too little) or even overdamped gear and if the recording they're listening to doesn't supply the growl or sheen or whatever, they just suffer along with it, telling themselves "Hey-- that's what the $@*#! producer put on the disc!" As we know, it's complaining about too much spit on the vocal mic's diaphragm that keeps these crusty oldsters off the streets. To them, underdamped bass is for kids. But I digress.

 

[Gigabomber]

Really am about to pull the trigger on both since they are a lot easier to sell than the Senn cans flooding the for sale forum.

 

[E.B.M.Head]

I probably would take the fairy ... lol. Maybe if I'm really nice to her she might also offer me some Stax Headphones

. But if thats no option, then I probably would be a bit decadent and get both. My K 501 is the perfect dynamic headphone for classical music, and I love the Beyer Sound for all other music. I couldn't be happy with just one of them.

 

[BrokenEnglish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigabomber Really am about to pull the trigger on both since they are a lot easier to sell than the Senn cans flooding the for sale forum.

seriously... that's the way to go! get both and take your time to form your own impressions. sometimes i'm really shocked about forum-impressions on the sound of some cans, i'm pretty familiar with (e.g. dt880, hd650): some people simply seem to have quite unique ears or maybe they own very advanced or very limited hardware feeding their phones.... but their impressions are surely not the ones, i'd expect. i came to the conclusion, that there's an own psychology of cans-preference, that's only partly related to sound-attributes, but forms our final judgement on the sound of cans in reverse order. so i decided to take recommendations around here just as appetizers...
have some nice listenings!

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokenEnglish i came to the conclusion, that there's an own psychology of cans-preference, that's only partly related to sound-attributes, but forms our final judgement on the sound of cans in reverse order. so i decided to take recommendations around here just as appetizers... have some nice listenings!

In fact there's no separation to be maintained between form and function ... So when you like a particular 'sound signature', you'll like anything else about its source, and when you're intrigued by anything else, you're bound to like the sound either. There's no conclusion to be drawn, it's pretty straightforward actually.

Edit: Therefore, for example, me being not particularly drawn to the 'form' of Beyer phones, DT880 included, I can assume, maybe, ...