DavidMahler
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Posts
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I just had a funny realization. I was thinking about comparing the sound of different headphones to visuals. Here's what I came up with.....
I'm only going to discuss my favorite cans....
The high quality Sennheisers HD600/650
They sound like a photo which has aged a little bit and developed a beautiful warm sepia tone. The angles are never hard and while the photo certainly doesn't look the most realistic of all the choices out there, it conveys a certain antiqueness which makes it the most pleasing in some circumstances.
The Beyerdynamic DT880.
This is the other side of the spectrum......If this were compared to a photograph it would be compared to a very modern digital camera shot where the lighting while more realistic was a bit overpronounced than the antique photo. You know how when you look at digital photos sometimes like look almost "too real".....they look stiff. Well I'm not going to call the 880s stiff but I certainly think the angles are overemphasized. Again this can be beneficial at times.
The AKG K701
This is again comparable to a digital photo, but here the angles are less sharpened. What happens as a result is good and bad. Good because its a more accurate showing of reality, but bad because the digital presence is still there while the angles don't feel defined enough. What this means is you feel like you're looking at a digital photo where the camera was not so great. I don't find the K701s to be as transparent as the DT880, though they are certainly more neutral.
The Sony R10.
I have been fortunate to acquire one of these. While I certainly would be wrong to say these escape the feeling of reproduction of sound, they are dramatically closer to making you feel at one with the object. I find the sound to be very versatile and painterly........it reminds me of Vermeer in fact, a very realistic reproduction but still is artistic, but there is a feeling of humanity there that doesnt exist with the other headphones. I would imagine these headphones would not suit purely electronic music as they seem to need that human element to come alive. But when they are met with that human element they are very painterly.
I do think the R10s are the best of the bunch, but I think the other four mentioned can stand with the R10s, I am especially fond of the Sennheisers.
I'm only going to discuss my favorite cans....
The high quality Sennheisers HD600/650
They sound like a photo which has aged a little bit and developed a beautiful warm sepia tone. The angles are never hard and while the photo certainly doesn't look the most realistic of all the choices out there, it conveys a certain antiqueness which makes it the most pleasing in some circumstances.
The Beyerdynamic DT880.
This is the other side of the spectrum......If this were compared to a photograph it would be compared to a very modern digital camera shot where the lighting while more realistic was a bit overpronounced than the antique photo. You know how when you look at digital photos sometimes like look almost "too real".....they look stiff. Well I'm not going to call the 880s stiff but I certainly think the angles are overemphasized. Again this can be beneficial at times.
The AKG K701
This is again comparable to a digital photo, but here the angles are less sharpened. What happens as a result is good and bad. Good because its a more accurate showing of reality, but bad because the digital presence is still there while the angles don't feel defined enough. What this means is you feel like you're looking at a digital photo where the camera was not so great. I don't find the K701s to be as transparent as the DT880, though they are certainly more neutral.
The Sony R10.
I have been fortunate to acquire one of these. While I certainly would be wrong to say these escape the feeling of reproduction of sound, they are dramatically closer to making you feel at one with the object. I find the sound to be very versatile and painterly........it reminds me of Vermeer in fact, a very realistic reproduction but still is artistic, but there is a feeling of humanity there that doesnt exist with the other headphones. I would imagine these headphones would not suit purely electronic music as they seem to need that human element to come alive. But when they are met with that human element they are very painterly.
I do think the R10s are the best of the bunch, but I think the other four mentioned can stand with the R10s, I am especially fond of the Sennheisers.
