stenvex
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 1, 2003
- Posts
- 9
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Synopsis: a lover of audio chooses the 831's on reccomendation, tries to surpass with AT and achieves only an Icarus state.
I was pretty happy with my 831's. I am an audio detail freak, so they seemed perfect for me. But surely there was more bass to be had, without sacrificing the detail and clarity to which I had become accustomed.
Alas, this was not the case. The purchase of my new AT phones was anticlimactic. $300 US later, I was dissatisfied. I decided to give them a month - perhaps it was adaptation; perhaps I had simply become accustomed to the 831's and needed to "retrain" my ears. They are pretty - titanium earwells and those suspension wings instead of a strap. If I were shooting a movie which required headphones, I might choose AT without question. But listening was a different matter.
It's not that they sound bad - they are fairly even and balanced. But they sound "muddy", even after a month of burn-in. When I switched back to the 831's after a month, my jaw dropped at the level of detail that I had been missing. I had tried to discount this previously as the effect of changing phones, but now it was apparent - the AT phones suck in comparison to the Beyer's.
Even if they were dead-even with the 831's in audio quality terms, the AT's fabric-covered cord would make the choice easy. It's annoying. The coiled rubber cord of the Beyer's interferes far less with the enjoyment of my music.
I titled this as an unprofessional review because I do not fancy myself an audiophile, just someone who is discriminating about the sounds that deliberately meet my ears. The AT phones failed. The Beyer's are not quite good enough - the absence of lower bass is annoying. But the AT's did not fulfill this desire either. If I can get some more contracts I will purchase the CD-3000's and see if they meet my expectations.
I know that there are holes in the above opining - if you have questions, pleasze feel free to post and I will attempt to respond ASAP.
I was pretty happy with my 831's. I am an audio detail freak, so they seemed perfect for me. But surely there was more bass to be had, without sacrificing the detail and clarity to which I had become accustomed.
Alas, this was not the case. The purchase of my new AT phones was anticlimactic. $300 US later, I was dissatisfied. I decided to give them a month - perhaps it was adaptation; perhaps I had simply become accustomed to the 831's and needed to "retrain" my ears. They are pretty - titanium earwells and those suspension wings instead of a strap. If I were shooting a movie which required headphones, I might choose AT without question. But listening was a different matter.
It's not that they sound bad - they are fairly even and balanced. But they sound "muddy", even after a month of burn-in. When I switched back to the 831's after a month, my jaw dropped at the level of detail that I had been missing. I had tried to discount this previously as the effect of changing phones, but now it was apparent - the AT phones suck in comparison to the Beyer's.
Even if they were dead-even with the 831's in audio quality terms, the AT's fabric-covered cord would make the choice easy. It's annoying. The coiled rubber cord of the Beyer's interferes far less with the enjoyment of my music.
I titled this as an unprofessional review because I do not fancy myself an audiophile, just someone who is discriminating about the sounds that deliberately meet my ears. The AT phones failed. The Beyer's are not quite good enough - the absence of lower bass is annoying. But the AT's did not fulfill this desire either. If I can get some more contracts I will purchase the CD-3000's and see if they meet my expectations.
I know that there are holes in the above opining - if you have questions, pleasze feel free to post and I will attempt to respond ASAP.
)
