[Goober]

Could someone tell me how these sound? I was always under the impression that they had slightly rolled off highs, a warm midrange, and recessed bass but I've been looking at some past opinions and have discovered that the bass may be completely the opposite. Could someone clarify please? The only half way decent headphone I've had to compare against was the HD535 and I though it had more than enough bass, a slightly recessed midrange and a bright treble.

 

[Duncan]

Well, this is to MY ears... and (as some people sometimes criticise) if you look at my signature beneath this post, I do have both pairs...

The HD580s are more than likely the more accurate of the two pairs, but they don't sound like it when you do a direct A/B comparison... the HD580s sound quite bassy, no midrange to speak of and a sparkling (potentially bright) treble

Whereas the CD1700s sound about level, if not ever so slightly bassier - to my ears the bass is of a slightly more refined character (probably due to the closed nature of the CD1700 housings)... the mids, these are sumptuous, cuddly you could say ~ pretty ideal for vocals and instruments, but can sound syrupy if partnered with a wrong component (hence why I sold my original pair last year), and the treble? - I wouldn't really say rolled off, more - polite, there is less sibilance to my ears than the HD580s, but maybe it could do with slightly more sparkle to generate that last little ouce of excitement.

Not really appropriate to the context of your thread, but it may help you decide if you look at other reviews... I find that the HD580 is at one end of an (admittedly small) scale sonically, with the CD1700s at the other, and the ETY ER4Ps right in the middle - hitting the sweet spot, so - its really a case of picking your poison

I hope its of help?!

 

[Goober]

So you'd say the CD1700 has even more bass than the HD580? If so that's not good. Didn't you use to also own the HD565? Is the bass on the HD580 similar to the 565? I think your opinions on the 565 (if I'm not confusing you with someone else) were similar to mine on the 535, at least in regards to the treble and midrange.

Do you think the CD1700 would work OK with a sound card? It's really hard to find something that's closed and not too bassy or bright and doesn't cost a fortune.

On something that's completely off topic, I feel that for headphones to sound neutral they may need to have a slightly recessed treble to compensate for the driver being so close to the ear. I just came up with this theory after reading about how headphones are more dangerous to your hearing than speakers because the high frequencies don't have time to dissipate any in the air or something like that.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

So you'd say the CD1700 has even more bass than the HD580? If so that's not good.

Not exactly more, just better defined to my ears

Quote:

Didn't you use to also own the HD565? Is the bass on the HD580 similar to the 565? I think your opinions on the 565 (if I'm not confusing you with someone else) were similar to mine on the 535, at least in regards to the treble and midrange.

The HD565s are more congested than the HD580s, bassier ~ but with not a lot of control.. to me the mids and treble on the HD565 are very 'Senn Sounding' (as per the HD580s in my orginal post, but with less control)

Quote:

Do you think the CD1700 would work OK with a sound card? It's really hard to find something that's closed and not too bassy or bright and doesn't cost a fortune.

I'm not sure really - they're not THAT bassy... they're a fair bit less bassy than the V6, lets put it that way... they're not bright, but neither are they dull... but they ARE sensitive (106 db mw) which means odds on, if you've got a noisy (hissy) card - you'll hear it through the 'phones

Quote:

On something that's completely off topic, I feel that for headphones to sound neutral they may need to have a slightly recessed treble to compensate for the driver being so close to the ear. I just came up with this theory after reading about how headphones are more dangerous to your hearing than speakers because the high frequencies don't have time to dissipate any in the air or something like that.

On this assumption, the CD1700s sound pretty good for you (judging by my own opinion!!)

 

[eeyssjr]

I had have CD1700, and had 580s.

I hate 580 due to the IMO grainy sputty treble which is awful.

CD1700 are absolutely great, and i kept them for 4 years before upgrading to CD3000. The treble is super sweet and clean. never harsh, bass tight, and bags of detail. Thats all i can say really, i love CD1700, and always will. I just couldnt sell the meven though i replaced them.

Theyre also more comfortable than 58. (less inward pressure (maybe good, maybe bad thing for you)

 

[redshifter]

re: cd1700

- out of the box they have muffled highs. i did a mod that removes a foam filter over the transducers fixes the muffled sound.

- they tend to sound forward: it is an unusual mix of laid-back and too-much-sound at once. they sound best with acoustic with fewer instruments recordings.

- because of their design they can sound different depending on the position over your ears.

- they are comfortable, although the headband irritates my scalp.

- they are very source dependant. if your source/amp/cables don't work well with the cd1700 they can sound pretty bad.

- on the plus side they have great detail, wonderful midrange, powerful bass, and good treble. they are picky about your source, though, and may not work well with everyone's setup.

 

[reynman]

Quote:

It's really hard to find something that's closed and not too bassy or bright and doesn't cost a fortune.

IMHO I'd recommend the Beyer 250-80. It is a closed headphone that can be powered by a portable or a soundcard, though an amp takes them to another level. It has great bass and the highs are not bright. In fact some people say it may be rolled off (for some, it means the cans have good balance). The Beyers are comfortable and have a tighter fit, though the 1700 earcups are larger. Since the Beyers have a tighter fit they have better isolation. The Beyers are constructed very well. My almost 2 year old son has dragged the Beyers around our condo a few times. Still play flawlessly. Both of their cords terminate to one side. The Beyers are secured by pin/plug and a screw. Replacement of the cords will be easier with the Beyers. I purchased mine for about $225.

I have the 580 and 1700 as well. Both have different, but great sound. The 1700 are more forward and the highs are not as crisp. Since the 1700 are low impedance phones you can run them without from a portable or a soundcard. I purchased mine from fellow head-fier acidtripwow for a great price.

You can't go wrong with either the 1700 or 250-80. The Sonys are a rarity, but I've seen a couple in the Gear for Sale/Trade forum.

Regards - reynman

 

[Goober]

Actually, I've looked at the Beyer 250-80 as a possible option but everyone says it's really bassy. The frequency response graphs of the 250-250 actually show the bass to be flatter than the HD580 but it's hard to ignore general consensus.

 

[reynman]

Goober,

Give Todd @ Headroom a call. He was the one who recommended the 250-80. I needed a closed, comfortable, can with good isolation for late night gaming and listening sessions (2-4 hours). At the time, I needed something that would not disturb my wife and infant son.

As for the bass issue, the 250-80s has it, but not to the point of being obtrusive and annoying during extending listening sessions.

For comparison, I can only listen to my Grado 325s for about 45 minutes before the forward presentation of the bass (a smidge boomy) and the CRISPNESS/SIZZLE of the highs are becomes a bit much.

Regards - reynman

 

[Matthew-Spaltro]

I think the ATH W100s blow away any of the cans you guys have mentioned so far.

 

[Goober]

Maybe, but they cost twice as much so you'd kind of expect them to sound better.

 

[eeyssjr]

I'm not so sure theyre better than CD3000 i mentioned. These can hold their own with some of the best headphones in the world.