[atomikn00b]

Just out of curiosity.
Does anyone here know of any other headphone that is easy to drive and offers as close as possible the sound of the HE-500s costing no more than $300 and is closed?
Doesn't have to replicate it.
Just sound as close as possible with that price in mind.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

A modded T50RP? Mad Dogs maybe?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Just out of curiosity.
Does anyone here know of any other headphone that is easy to drive and offers as close as possible the sound of the HE-500s costing no more than $300 and is closed?
Doesn't have to replicate it.
Just sound as close as possible with that price in mind.

 
Heya,
 
Mad Dogs or Paradox. And juggle pads until you find what suits you best. I liked the Mad Dogs with Stax Pads the best.
 
Very best,

 

[atomikn00b]

Interesting. I considered them in the past but thought they might have been too big to use "half-portably".
 
To an inexperienced ear, how much of a diminishing return is it from the mad dogs to the he-500s?
Also to the experienced and discerning ear, what are the differences?
 
My judgement on size was based on looking at pictures only.
Are they smaller or larger than the older Denon lines (D2k, D5k, D7k)?
 
Finally, how do they compare to the HE-500s little brother (HE-400)?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Interesting. I considered them in the past but thought they might have been too big to use "half-portably".
 
To an inexperienced ear, how much of a diminishing return is it from the mad dogs to the he-500s?
Also to the experienced and discerning ear, what are the differences?
 
My judgement on size was based on looking at pictures only.
Are they smaller or larger than the older Denon lines (D2k, D5k, D7k)?
 
Finally, how do they compare to the HE-500s little brother (HE-400)?

 
Heya,
 
The Mad Dog sits right up next to flagships in my opinion, for a closed headphone. Very few highends are closed, but of the closed highends, the Mad Dog is quite close. Too close for comfort, considering the price. It's why the Mad Dog is so good. The Mad Dog I spent time with has Stax Pads, super comfort, the sound stage was great, and the isolation was superb. It sounded like a closed LCD2 basically, a dark, very warm, excellent sound. Highly recommended. Competed with my D5K completely, but as an ortho, handled speed better and had better controlled bass. Differences between the Mad Dog and HE500 I will say are basically just flavors. Little things are obvious, like sound stage, comfort, brightness of treble, etc. The HE500 is a little more natural sounding, a touch brighter, heavier in weight, with a bigger sound stage, a bit more airy. But the Mad Dog is so close that for it's cost, I would generally recommend the Mad Dog since it's considerably cheaper, and way easier to power properly.
 
They are about the same size as the Denons. They're not small. But the build of the Fostex is durable. It's a storm trooper helmet and has a detachable cable.
 
The HE-400 and the Mad Dog are very similar. Let's just call them so similar that one is open and one is closed.
 
Seriously Mad Dogs with Stax Pads are one of the best closed headphones there is.
 
But like all things, it's all about preference to flavor.
 
Very best,

 

[atomikn00b]

fascinating.
In terms of subbass quantity. About how much do the mad dogs have in comparison to the Denon line.
 
On a scale of 1-10, if Denon subbass level was 10, where would the Mad Dogs fall?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

fascinating.
In terms of subbass quantity. About how much do the mad dogs have in comparison to the Denon line.
 
On a scale of 1-10, if Denon subbass level was 10, where would the Mad Dogs fall?

 
Heya,
 
The Mad Dogs don't have the same volume as the Denons in bass, maybe 1 or 2 db difference, so it's close, but the thing is the Mad Dog has better control, Denon bass is loose, the Mad Dog's bass is tight, a nice hum, not a rumble, so it's controlled, well textured, not boomy at all. The Mad Dog sub-bass would be a 9 in my book. Orthos just do bass and mids so well. But I'm referring to Stax Pads on the Mad Dogs, it made a difference compared to the 840 pads and what not.
 
Very best,

 

[atomikn00b]

So you're saying that in terms of QUANTITY, the Mad Dogs are a 9 if the Denon is a 10?
 
Also. What about clarity/cleanliness of sound? I'd like something that doesn't seem to have a veil.
Do the mad dogs fit that? Or should I expect a small veil?
 
As a reference I found the HM5 to have a small veil.

 

[Chops]

Considering that the forum members here say the Mad Dogs compare easily to cans costing upwards of $1200 and more, I'm willing to say that they would probably make you very happy, if not exceed your expectations as far as how they compare to your HE-500's.

Going strictly off of memory from several years ago, I think the Mad Dogs totally stomp the HD600's, HD650's, and K701's into the ground. They don't compare to the Mad Dogs. And for closed headphones, they are just as "open" sounding if not more than the others. The Grado SR325is' I had pretty much sucked in all aspects, so I'm not even going to bother comparing them to the Mad Dogs. Honestly, I think the SR80i's sounded better, though still sucked compared to anything else I've had.

Check out the Mad Dogs. I highly doubt you'll be disappointed by any means.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

So you're saying that in terms of QUANTITY, the Mad Dogs are a 9 if the Denon is a 10?
 
Also. What about clarity/cleanliness of sound? I'd like something that doesn't seem to have a veil.
Do the mad dogs fit that? Or should I expect a small veil?
 
As a reference I found the HM5 to have a small veil.

 
Heya,
 
The Mad Dog with Stax Pads had nearly the same level of bass, quantity wise, as the Denon D5000. The Mad Dog had better quality though, it was tighter, better controlled, less loose, fast, ortho bass. It was what I would call "near perfect" in that sense. Would I use the Mad Dog with Stax Pads over my D5000? Absolutely. The only reason I don't is because I'm a sucker for wood, and I love the woodback of my Denons. Otherwise, frankly, the Mad Dog with Stax Pads is the better headphone in all respects sonically.
 
The clarity of the Mad Dog is very good, it's an ortho. Zero veil. Zero recession as far as I'm concerned.
 
Very best,

 

[atomikn00b]

Awesome. Thanks for the help.
 
I apologize if I sounded like I was asking for much
 
Guess I'll be saving for some mad dogs then.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Awesome. Thanks for the help.
 
I apologize if I sounded like I was asking for much
 
Guess I'll be saving for some mad dogs then.

Heya,
 
Specifically save up extra for the Stax Pads too. Big difference in every aspect. They're costly. But man do they have a good sound. The bass was other-worldly while having a high-end sound in every aspect.
 
Very best,

 

[Chops]

Heya,

Specifically save up extra for the Stax Pads too. Big difference in every aspect. They're costly. But man do they have a good sound. The bass was other-worldly while having a high-end sound in every aspect.

Very best,

So what's with these Stax pads and where does one get them? Are they even better than Dan's latest offerings, the leather Dog Pads, the ones that I have?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

So what's with these Stax pads and where does one get them? Are they even better than Dan's latest offerings, the leather Dog Pads, the ones that I have?

 
Heya,
 
Isolation increases, sound stage appears deeper, bass digs deeper, the comfort is excellent. You get them from where ever you can, ebay, places that sell parts, etc.
 
Very best,

 

[Chops]

Heya,

Isolation increases, sound stage appears deeper, bass digs deeper, the comfort is excellent. You get them from where ever you can, ebay, places that sell parts, etc.

Very best,

And you have directly compared the Stax pads to the latest leather Dog Pads?