[eucariote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Signal2Noise /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm curious how the Shure ended up being the victor in this particular study when clearly you have it ranked in the middle?

My goal in the roundup was actually to find headphones that don't leak any sound (to use in a very quiet study with my wife nearby). So the first two were disqualified because they leak sound rather badly. But I ranked them anyways so it'd be useful for people who don't mind sound leakage.

 

[swbf2cheater]

The 840s bass is not fake. It's not exaggerated. Many other "bass" headphones fake the bass and jump amp the crap out of it. People say the 440 is more balanced than the 840 which I think is flat out wrong. The 840 does everything very well. The bass is incredibly refined and subtle, but very present. That doesnt really make sense in text format but when you experience it, it should make sense.

The bass is not as powerful as most other sets, but its also not at all amped or fake sounding, or overexaggerated. They are not NOT BASS HEAVY cans.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucariote /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's because I buried it in the rankings..

Twas right under my nose! Thanks. The AKGs, as I like the two I have and they won the sound leakage are now finally top of my list to get.

 

[vkvedam]

Outstanding write up. 840s are indeed a great achievement from Shure. Thanks for sharing eucariote.

 

[swbf2cheater]

and mine are FORR SALEEE 1 day olddd

shameless plug, i norite?

 

[sohels]

Excellent review! Lucid, forthright, pragmatic and believable - a very welcome relief from the ludicrous stuff that I usually run into.

 

[yashu]

EDIT: I re read, if you are getting mkII akg 271s, then nevermind anything i said of them, it only applies to the previous versions.

The dt770s have been redesigned, and you have the older design like most of us. I would fo for the dt770s. AKG pleather pads on my 770s made them sound amazing, and i am trying to get jmoney pads.

You should really look into the AT m50. Efficient, extremely good build quality, the hf is like silk, and best of all, they isolate extremely well. unless you heqd is huge, i can't see clamping force being an issue.

out of every phone i have touched, the m50s still are in my top 5, i think. What sound you get for your money is incredible. The hd555/595s from sennheiser are good all rounders and have a ton of mods to turn them into a really comfey hd600 basically. They are open air, so no isolation. just like grados, you do not need to remove them to have a conversation.

Personally I w0uld get the the m50s, and also look at craigslist or ebay for a non mkII pair of 271a in the box.


Out of these i would take my k271Ses and go home an enjoy the fruits all the labor that went into building a respectable set of closed cans. These are not at all just k240Ses with closed backs. The k271k not the mark II, but the original 271s is easy to find,

I got mine basically new in box from craigslist seller.

Once i gently oiled the pleather, was sure the mute switch was working without an audible difference, i don't remove the feature because it can come in handy. They are very simple to EQ, and can dip down into those lower octaves with power as well as the snap of a fast percussion attack. They are nothing like tthe k240s The k240 S and newer sound like music through a musty sock. Not so with the 271s. my wife can even tell the difference.

I can speak for most of the phones in this shootout. The beyer dt770s and the akg 271s are a really good choice.

The Shures are waaaaaay to revealing for listening for enjoyment,. By this i mean their going to highlight every problem with the recording and also add a bit of siblince. I much much much prefer the AT m50s over the shure 440s or 840s. i have kept them if i want to have a clean, flat, without personality, audio device to hear music i may produce from time to time. They are more accurate than most nearfield monitors, just not in the sound staging, you still need speakers to handle that one. Although, separation of instruments is most certainly there, as well as the take the headphones off and look around because you didn't know if it was in the recording or real life.

The M50s can do it without shredding your ears. (for the price, they are hard to beat, honestly. I should sit down with my k271s and m50s and see once and for all, which is the most musical, yet accurate. I have DT880s, but they are twice the price or more, however, they do not win in every instance.) What you can get for your money today can floor you if you know where to look.

 

[MrGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice write up but I have to disagree with your verdict or atleast the way you have worded it. I had most of the cans you have listed and the Shure was vastly outclassed by the Beyer DT770, Denon D5000 and the Ultrasones. They are versatile sure, but they dont do anything exceptionally well, and are just plain boring. They sound like headphones, while the bigger ones try and sound like speakers. While for 130 bucks, it may very well be a good purchase, it cannot compete with the other cans in any category IMO. My 2 cents.

I agree.

I also think that the DT770 (both the premium and pro, in fact), does a significantly better job of some genres than the OP writes; the Grado SR225 for example I think by comparison does a relatively lousy job of both Jazz and Classical - and with some recordings the DT770s bass boost actually serves to compensate for some older recordings. It also, in my opinion, even though I am a fan of neutral headphones for electronica, think it does a better job of electronica than the Shures and also the lower model of Denon - which suffers greatly from sibilance (D2000).

I also dont agree with the notion that the DT770/80 highs are harsh. In fact I would suggest they are the opposite - overly blanketed, even moreso than the mids relative to the bass.

I would also rate the Grados last in bass, and probably highest in the highs (I've heard that the D5000 is more sibilant than the D2000 and if that is true I would rate it low in Highs).

I haven't heard the K271

I agree with the assessment that they improve a lot with amplification - they get a whole lot more solid and lose a lot of their slop when they are amplified well (I had a cheap tube amp at one point and didnt find much improvement, compared to a quality amp).

Your comments about the DT250 leaking sound worry me, as it has a huge amount of isolation. Which begs the question, how loud are you really listening?

I think headphones with large bass and sucked out midranges sound better at low volumes (DT770pro, Denons), so you might want to try that.


Just some thoughts.

Thanks OP

 

[phandrew]

You should of done DT150 over the DT770.

 

[K_19]

If I were able to somehow get SRH840's highs and lows balance and combine it with K271's mids and form factor, then that would probably be my final closed headphone and I'd be done with it. I really liked the SRH840's except in two areas: mids balance (which, IMHO to my ears, they get totally wrong) and form factor (too darn heavy to be comfortable). They more or less get everything else right (enough for a closed headphone, anyway), but those to flaws to my ears were annoying enough to me for it to be eventually sold away.

 

[hentai]

I thought k271s would perform well against the rest in the list but surpisingly not for this case.

 

[Shimmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hentai /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought k271s would perform well against the rest in the list but surpisingly not for this case.

Everyone has their own set of ears and preferences

. A nice, interesting write up though.

 

[yashu]

Yes, although I still think the AT m50 sould be included as it fits what the OP is after without issue. It isolates, sounds extremely balanced and natural, and to add to that, metalic sounds don't shred ears.

They also can run right out a DAP if you aren't expecting concert level volume. I have had trouble with Beyer DT770s and above, and I know for sure the k271 non mark 2 cannot do this either. I don't know if it is a breaker, but yeah.

The K271s, I am going to reiterate, try and get a non mark 2 pair. People are/were selling them left and right for a while there. I feel the sound of the k271 studios without the mark2 changes is just the right balance of AKG "house" sound, isolation, fit, and of course the sound. They are taking a similar path as the DT770s, but you don't get a huge smile curve like the 770s, maybe a little grin, which is ok, because itis somewhat needed to have a sense of space and air in a closed 'phone.

The 880s leak suprisingly little, so the poster asking about volume makes sense. They may be open, but not grado-open. I think the older k271s appreciate better aplification far more than the MK2s, but that is my opinion. You may like entirely different aspects of tonal quality.

Shure 440s are shrill awefuly "pro" phones that don't like to play, and all work and no play makes jack an ear shredding machine. I am guessing therei is something to the 840s that reders this statement false, because people tend to really go for the 840s over the 440s.

Shures are built like tanks. The Old style Beyers inthe pic are built to withstand a nuclear blast, but not the re-design. I have the old style and don't mind if I look like I just walked out of a delorean time machine. They sound good, and cna be easily modded with some leather pads to make them sing sing just as well as the k271s. The 271s and the 770s are a lot alike in their peak operating conditions. The Beyers seem more punchy, and the AKGs seem to have a greater headstage.

Best of both are the AT m50s. These phones seem to combine the good of both and place them into a single headphone. I don't see very many people that dislike the m50s based on their cost. This implies that many feel they are worth their cost.

Havig only a brief Denon listen, and owning a lesser Denon, they are very spacious when it comes to separation. But, do you wnt hear *everything* and then some? Sometime, as with words, things are better left unheard. I like their look and fit, as well as some of the mods that can be done easily. Really, they are all great phones. It would be hard for me to pick one out too.

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_19 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If I were able to somehow get SRH840's highs and lows balance and combine it with K271's mids and form factor, then that would probably be my final closed headphone and I'd be done with it. I really liked the SRH840's except in two areas: mids balance (which, IMHO to my ears, they get totally wrong) and form factor (too darn heavy to be comfortable). They more or less get everything else right (enough for a closed headphone, anyway), but those to flaws to my ears were annoying enough to me for it to be eventually sold away.

For closed cans I thought the SRH840 were great! Sure they have some minor sonic issues, but overall I thought they were extremely natural, though a little shy in the bass.

My issue was that I just couldn't wear them. They were downright painful on the top of my head. Heavy and unpadded.

I actually prefered their sound signiture to my next fave... the M50, which are now my go-to 'fun' cans. They isolate very well, have a relatively natural sound and are extremely comfortable (though nowhere near the 'slipper-like' comfort of the DT880, 770 etc.). Sonically they are a bit U-shaped. Big bass, good highs with the mids recessed a bit. This happenes to work very well for some music and I agree with yashu that it should be included in your 'must try' list.

I didn't care at all for the DT770 / 250. I'm told that my issues with it (no bass, shrill and grating highs) would be taken care of by going to the 600 ohm version... but I didn't bother.

shane

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane55 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't care at all for the DT770 / 250. I'm told that my issues with it (no bass, shrill and grating highs) would be taken care of by going to the 600 ohm version... but I didn't bother. shane

I've been thoroughly enjoyed my recently acquired 600Ohm DT770, quite better than 250Ohm version, definitely not shrilling bright as 250Ohm and have some serious bass. The midrange is still typical Beyer, cold and lifeless, K271S is definitely a winner there. Other than that they can easily replace my trusted K271S, as they seem more technically potent and comfortable, we'll see.