Dolphran
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2011
- Posts
- 10
- Likes
- 0
[size=medium]This is my first post here, and you'll please forgive me if my comparison does not follow the full shootout format of the popular reviews here. I feel compelled to post this because of my great surprise recently upon picking up some new headphones and comparing them to ones I've had for a while.[/size]
[size=medium]I'm not a true headphone guy. I appreciate the portability and occasionally love the intimacy, but in most circumstances I prefer listening on speakers. My quest for new phones was prompted by a recent increase in my wearing headphones outside the house - often when walking the dog or grocery shopping. Also by the fact that my Senn PMX-100 (behind the head) phones crapped out, and they are no longer made. For new headphones I definitely need something that can be driven by my smart phone (currently a Samsung Galaxy S II). Great isolation is not necessary for me because most of the time I don't want to be completely disconnected from my surroundings - I don't commute by train, and I don't fly often enough for true noise canceling to be a big draw. But then again some isolation would be desirable.[/size]
[size=medium]This is the first time I have ever done true A/B testing with headphones - I was able to use separate volume controls to keep levels normalized while quickly pulling off one pair and putting on another. [/size]
[size=medium]I have worked in and around recording studios for some years, and my sense of good sound comes from what I hear from studio monitor speakers in well designed control rooms. I guess analytical and neutral would be the terms used here most for that type of sound.[/size]
[size=medium]So having said thatit will [size=small] perhaps [/size]be no surprise to anyone that among the four headphones I'm comparing it is without a doubt the AKG K240 that I love the most - not by a little, but by A LOT. My K240s are Australian-made 600-ohm ones that I've had for perhaps 25 years. I was shocked at how much better than the other three they sounded. My only problem with them is that they are not compatible with portable use.[/size]
[size=medium]I tried to test with a variety of songs - the primary ones I tested with were:[/size]
[size=medium]Ingrid Michelson - The Way I Am from the album Girls and Boys[/size]
[size=medium]Bill Frisell - Pipe Down from the album East/West[/size]
[size=medium]Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters from the album Gaucho[/size]
[size=medium]Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - Tears at the Birthday Party from the album Painted From Memory[/size]
[size=medium]Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman from the album Song Review[/size]
[size=medium]Victor Wooten - Bass Tribute from the album Soul Circus[/size]
[size=medium]311 - Down from the album Greatest Hits '93 - '03[/size]
[size=medium][One note on the choice of Babylon Sisters - there is a triangle hit in the intro that I have often used as a litmus test for localization in studio monitors. Triangles are notoriously hard to locate in the sound field because they can very easily splash all over the place. However I think of this as primarily a test of room acoustics not of the monitors themselves. I am not even sure what this test means in headphones - I suppose it would be mostly about the matching of the left and right drivers.][/size]
[size=medium]In each case the K240s translated the best from the studio monitors (speakers); I felt that all the others were quite colored. I suppose that's OK if you like the color, but it implies to me a limited versatility - requiring you to color match your phones to the source material. But in any case until someone donates some uber-expensive super phones to me, the K240s will be my gold standard. I think I will be shopping for IEMs soon, and now I know to ask the simple question - which ones sound most like the K240?[/size]
[size=medium]Anyway here are my experiences with the other phones in the group:[/size]
[size=medium]I had picked up a pair of TMA-1s based on reviews here and elsewhere. I liked the low impedance, replaceable cable, in-line mic option, durability, and utilitarian aesthetic. I was very excited when they arrived, but upon plugging them in, I just couldn't believe how much I disliked them. Folks had described them as dark, but to my ears this takes dark to a whole new level! I think perhaps TMA stands for "Troglodytes May Appreciate". I really wanted to like these phones, but I just couldn't do it. There was no vocal presence, and cymbals were wearing wooly mittens. But worst of all the mid bottom was both overpowering and muddled. I expected them to at least sound good on Wonder's Moog bass from Boogie On Reggae Woman because they were described as being great for synthesized bottom-end, but that was still a no-go for me; the whole character of the instrument was changed and not for the better. Same with Victor Wooten's bass. As for the intimate details of Ingrid's vocals or Frisell's guitar - in these phones those recordings are dull and lifeless. I can say that the triangle hit in Babylon Sisters was well localized, but that's not much of a consolation.[/size]
[size=medium]In addition to the K240s I have owned a pair MDR-V6s for quite a while. I have recently been using them primarily for my V-Drums electronic drum kit. I also use them occasionally for movie watching if I need to do so quietly. So I now tried these in my comparison setup, and I was quite astonished at how negative my initial reaction to them was. Part of the shock was due to the transition from TMA-1 to these; which was quite jarring. The TMA-1 and the MDR-V6 have opposite problems; whereas the TMA-1 can seem thick and dull like molasses, the MDR-V6 evokes a feeling of thinness and brittleness like a glaze of ice. When I first switched from the TMA-1 to the V6 my initial reaction was OMG AM Radio! But that impression was based more on the transition. It soon became apparent that the V6 certainly did not lack bottom. To the contrary the bass extension seems quite extraordinary. In fact the detail across the frequency spectrum is really amazing. I will remember to use these phones when looking for subtle errors in mixes. One can focus in on any part of the recording and pick out great detail. However the overall effect lacks fullness and musicality. Personally I would not want to use these for everyday listening enjoyment. However I still think they are fantastic for watching movies. Speech (i.e. the center channel of a 5.1 mix) is very clear. Even whispered or heavily accented voices are extremely easy to make out. And the bass extension really makes you feel that the LFE channel is not lost in the translation.[/size]
[size=medium]Well, after my disappointment with the TMA-1, I was wondering about what other replaceable-cable closed style phones I could try. I was able to get a pair of M-Audio Q40s right away which allowed me to hear them side-by-side before I returned the TMA-1s. When I first put on the Q40s my initial impression was that they are similar in many regards to the TMA-1. They both suffer in comparison to the K240s (and studio monitor speakers), and in similar ways. Switching back and forth between the TMA-1 and the Q40 yielded a much more complicated picture however. For me, their most common attribute is a negative - the unnatural bottom. But the overall sound is still markedly different between the two. The TMA-1s are much more intimate. Perhaps, to put it less flatteringly, one could say that the sound originates right at your ears. Whereas the Q40s sound much more distant by comparison. This in some sense makes up for the lack of high end in the TMA-1s because for instance cymbals become nearer if not clearer. On the other hand the Q40's pronounced bottom doesn't seem to interfere with the rest of the spectrum in the same way it does with the TMA-1s. With either phones, switching back to the K240s is like a breath of fresh air, and in comparison to the K240s I think the Q40s perhaps edge out the TMA-1s. But going back and forth only between the TMA-1s and the Q40s I have some trouble picking a winner. The intimacy of the TMA-1s really stands out, and I think that as DJ phones this could be a big win because it might help distinguish the sound in the cans from loud ambient sounds in a club setting. But I have not put this hypothesis to the test. Lastly, I plugged the Q40s into my V-Drums kit, and I was really impressed with them for that purpose. I think that with the V-Drums the distance they impart helps keep the electronic drumming experience from being too in-your-ears, and their response characteristics are great in this setting. I will be keeping them for this purpose.[/size]
[size=medium]So that's it for this review. I'm still on the lookout for headphones for outside the house. I'm really glad that reading this forum prodded me to do my own testing. I always knew I liked my K240s, but I was really surprised at the differences I encountered in this comparison. I think I won't go too wrong in the future if I seek out phones that are reported to have a similar sound to the K240s. To that end I have just ordered the Superlux HD668B. They were back ordered so I am submitting this review before being able to add them to the comparison. My hope is they will be similar to the K240s while being drivable from my cell phone's output.[/size]
[size=medium]I'm not a true headphone guy. I appreciate the portability and occasionally love the intimacy, but in most circumstances I prefer listening on speakers. My quest for new phones was prompted by a recent increase in my wearing headphones outside the house - often when walking the dog or grocery shopping. Also by the fact that my Senn PMX-100 (behind the head) phones crapped out, and they are no longer made. For new headphones I definitely need something that can be driven by my smart phone (currently a Samsung Galaxy S II). Great isolation is not necessary for me because most of the time I don't want to be completely disconnected from my surroundings - I don't commute by train, and I don't fly often enough for true noise canceling to be a big draw. But then again some isolation would be desirable.[/size]
[size=medium]This is the first time I have ever done true A/B testing with headphones - I was able to use separate volume controls to keep levels normalized while quickly pulling off one pair and putting on another. [/size]
[size=medium]I have worked in and around recording studios for some years, and my sense of good sound comes from what I hear from studio monitor speakers in well designed control rooms. I guess analytical and neutral would be the terms used here most for that type of sound.[/size]
[size=medium]So having said thatit will [size=small] perhaps [/size]be no surprise to anyone that among the four headphones I'm comparing it is without a doubt the AKG K240 that I love the most - not by a little, but by A LOT. My K240s are Australian-made 600-ohm ones that I've had for perhaps 25 years. I was shocked at how much better than the other three they sounded. My only problem with them is that they are not compatible with portable use.[/size]
[size=medium]I tried to test with a variety of songs - the primary ones I tested with were:[/size]
[size=medium]Ingrid Michelson - The Way I Am from the album Girls and Boys[/size]
[size=medium]Bill Frisell - Pipe Down from the album East/West[/size]
[size=medium]Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters from the album Gaucho[/size]
[size=medium]Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - Tears at the Birthday Party from the album Painted From Memory[/size]
[size=medium]Stevie Wonder - Boogie On Reggae Woman from the album Song Review[/size]
[size=medium]Victor Wooten - Bass Tribute from the album Soul Circus[/size]
[size=medium]311 - Down from the album Greatest Hits '93 - '03[/size]
[size=medium][One note on the choice of Babylon Sisters - there is a triangle hit in the intro that I have often used as a litmus test for localization in studio monitors. Triangles are notoriously hard to locate in the sound field because they can very easily splash all over the place. However I think of this as primarily a test of room acoustics not of the monitors themselves. I am not even sure what this test means in headphones - I suppose it would be mostly about the matching of the left and right drivers.][/size]
[size=medium]In each case the K240s translated the best from the studio monitors (speakers); I felt that all the others were quite colored. I suppose that's OK if you like the color, but it implies to me a limited versatility - requiring you to color match your phones to the source material. But in any case until someone donates some uber-expensive super phones to me, the K240s will be my gold standard. I think I will be shopping for IEMs soon, and now I know to ask the simple question - which ones sound most like the K240?[/size]
[size=medium]Anyway here are my experiences with the other phones in the group:[/size]
[size=medium]I had picked up a pair of TMA-1s based on reviews here and elsewhere. I liked the low impedance, replaceable cable, in-line mic option, durability, and utilitarian aesthetic. I was very excited when they arrived, but upon plugging them in, I just couldn't believe how much I disliked them. Folks had described them as dark, but to my ears this takes dark to a whole new level! I think perhaps TMA stands for "Troglodytes May Appreciate". I really wanted to like these phones, but I just couldn't do it. There was no vocal presence, and cymbals were wearing wooly mittens. But worst of all the mid bottom was both overpowering and muddled. I expected them to at least sound good on Wonder's Moog bass from Boogie On Reggae Woman because they were described as being great for synthesized bottom-end, but that was still a no-go for me; the whole character of the instrument was changed and not for the better. Same with Victor Wooten's bass. As for the intimate details of Ingrid's vocals or Frisell's guitar - in these phones those recordings are dull and lifeless. I can say that the triangle hit in Babylon Sisters was well localized, but that's not much of a consolation.[/size]
[size=medium]In addition to the K240s I have owned a pair MDR-V6s for quite a while. I have recently been using them primarily for my V-Drums electronic drum kit. I also use them occasionally for movie watching if I need to do so quietly. So I now tried these in my comparison setup, and I was quite astonished at how negative my initial reaction to them was. Part of the shock was due to the transition from TMA-1 to these; which was quite jarring. The TMA-1 and the MDR-V6 have opposite problems; whereas the TMA-1 can seem thick and dull like molasses, the MDR-V6 evokes a feeling of thinness and brittleness like a glaze of ice. When I first switched from the TMA-1 to the V6 my initial reaction was OMG AM Radio! But that impression was based more on the transition. It soon became apparent that the V6 certainly did not lack bottom. To the contrary the bass extension seems quite extraordinary. In fact the detail across the frequency spectrum is really amazing. I will remember to use these phones when looking for subtle errors in mixes. One can focus in on any part of the recording and pick out great detail. However the overall effect lacks fullness and musicality. Personally I would not want to use these for everyday listening enjoyment. However I still think they are fantastic for watching movies. Speech (i.e. the center channel of a 5.1 mix) is very clear. Even whispered or heavily accented voices are extremely easy to make out. And the bass extension really makes you feel that the LFE channel is not lost in the translation.[/size]
[size=medium]Well, after my disappointment with the TMA-1, I was wondering about what other replaceable-cable closed style phones I could try. I was able to get a pair of M-Audio Q40s right away which allowed me to hear them side-by-side before I returned the TMA-1s. When I first put on the Q40s my initial impression was that they are similar in many regards to the TMA-1. They both suffer in comparison to the K240s (and studio monitor speakers), and in similar ways. Switching back and forth between the TMA-1 and the Q40 yielded a much more complicated picture however. For me, their most common attribute is a negative - the unnatural bottom. But the overall sound is still markedly different between the two. The TMA-1s are much more intimate. Perhaps, to put it less flatteringly, one could say that the sound originates right at your ears. Whereas the Q40s sound much more distant by comparison. This in some sense makes up for the lack of high end in the TMA-1s because for instance cymbals become nearer if not clearer. On the other hand the Q40's pronounced bottom doesn't seem to interfere with the rest of the spectrum in the same way it does with the TMA-1s. With either phones, switching back to the K240s is like a breath of fresh air, and in comparison to the K240s I think the Q40s perhaps edge out the TMA-1s. But going back and forth only between the TMA-1s and the Q40s I have some trouble picking a winner. The intimacy of the TMA-1s really stands out, and I think that as DJ phones this could be a big win because it might help distinguish the sound in the cans from loud ambient sounds in a club setting. But I have not put this hypothesis to the test. Lastly, I plugged the Q40s into my V-Drums kit, and I was really impressed with them for that purpose. I think that with the V-Drums the distance they impart helps keep the electronic drumming experience from being too in-your-ears, and their response characteristics are great in this setting. I will be keeping them for this purpose.[/size]
[size=medium]So that's it for this review. I'm still on the lookout for headphones for outside the house. I'm really glad that reading this forum prodded me to do my own testing. I always knew I liked my K240s, but I was really surprised at the differences I encountered in this comparison. I think I won't go too wrong in the future if I seek out phones that are reported to have a similar sound to the K240s. To that end I have just ordered the Superlux HD668B. They were back ordered so I am submitting this review before being able to add them to the comparison. My hope is they will be similar to the K240s while being drivable from my cell phone's output.[/size]
