[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif The music should sound natural rather than impress you, the best the system the more natural you will feel it....

X2! To me; the MS-1 and MS2i sounds most like my speaker system which has a very neutral, slightly forward presentation which suits my listening habits and sounds "right" to me.

I have always found that when speakers "blow me away" that the exact characteristic that stood out and impressed me the most at first listen, turned out to be a grating flaw after time and took away from the naturalness of the music.

 

[erlik]

If these are your first real headphones it's very possible that you are not impressed just because this is not you type of headphone. Are you a basshead? do you like a laid back or forward presentation? Do you like bright headphones, or maybe natural sounding ones?

The reason there are so many headphone brands and signatures is that there are many tastes in sound. look for exemple at the V-moda vibes: some peoples find them fun and love them, other find them sub-par. it's all a question of taste!

Also keep in mind that high impedence headphones such as the HD 208 usually need a good amp or at the very least a high powered headphone jack to give their best. These kind of headphones directly out of an ipod headphone jack are usually unimpressive.

If you can I would strongly suggest you go to a meet or try to find a dealer where you can demo several headphones and try to find '"your" sound. My first meet was a real eye opener for me. Also at a meet people can helps you diagnose if the problem lies whith your headphone, amp or source (you sound is only as good as the weakest link).

If you can't do that I would follows Facelvega 's advice and start with something cheaper, see if you like the sound, if not sell it and buy something else. Also you can to some extent find which kind of sound you like by playing with a graphic equaliser (most software music player have one): try boosting the bass, the mid or the highs to see which kind you like. This is not a substitute to trying headphones but it will at least steer you somewhat in the right direction (so that you don't start by buying a bassy headphone if you like a bright sound).

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cylanes /img/forum/go_quote.gif Step 1. Get good music Step 2. Get in a good listening position (Very comfortable chair) Step 3. Get some liquids to keep system fluent Step 4. Dim the lights in the room Step 5. Start the music Step 6. Listen to it like you never listen before. Step 7. Relax Step 8. Enjoy Step 9. Enjoy Step 10. Do NOT fall asleep

Well put!
Ten (10) "simple" steps to enjoy music listening.

 

[PhilS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindibadgi /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK so I'm a newbie. I've never listened to anything but cheapo phones really, and my most audiophile experience is the home rig of Denon CD player and receiver with Paradigm speakers. * * * OK so this is turning into a rant, but is there hope for me? Are there ten easy steps to refining my listening ability? I don't hold out much hope.

If you only rarely drink wine, or your experience is primarily with $5 to $10 bottles of wine you buy at the grocery store for a special dinner on occasion, I'll bet if someone pours you a glass from a $500 bottle of wine, you probably won't be all that impressed and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.

In other words, it takes a some time and experience (with somewhat of a variety of equipment) to appreciate true high fidelity sound and the audible benefits afforded by good quality phones, a good headphone amp, a high quality source, etc.

 

[bindibadgi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex0du5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 2 hours a weekday on the bus? C'MON GUYS! This is a no brainer! Sennheiser HD25-1.

I know this is a well respected portable headphone, but I'm not sure that a supra-aural phone would be comfortable, at least with the clamping force that Senns are reputed to have (I know the 280 Pro kind of feels like a G-clamp on my head).

The main reason I thought of the a900 is that it seems they would be good at home. I'm not afraid to look downright ridiculous in public, so I don't care if it's their size that lets them down as portable.

One question though: is it even possible to wear the a900 around the neck? I find the 280 Pros quite comfortable around the neck, when the cups are turned out. Is this possible with the a900? I suspect it can be done but not with any degree of comfort. I could live with them if it is possible, even if it's uncomfortable.

Thanks for all the help guys. This site is really helpful I've found, even though all I do is ask pesky questions all day.

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnmnkh /img/forum/go_quote.gif A900 are 170$ cans. I'd not consider them as 'budget' cans, but rather consider as a entry of HiFi cans. A900 are worth for try; if you don't like it, you can always sell them here.

I don't. I may be in a minority here, but I do not consider cans such as the HD555, HD595, A500, 700 & 900, and related cans to even be entry level HiFi. Do they sound better than bose and your run of the mill behind the neck sonys? Yeah, but other than that... they don't sound that spectacular, and they are not going to blow your mind or anything like that, at all.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't. I may be in a minority here, but I do not consider cans such as the HD555, HD595, A500, 700 & 900, and related cans to even be entry level HiFi. Do they sound better than bose and your run of the mill behind the neck sonys? Yeah, but other than that... they don't sound that spectacular, and they are not going to blow your mind or anything like that, at all.

For me, entry level HiFi means that it's a headphone that will scale with an amp and better source. To that end, I am sure that the HD595 is HiFi: it scaled quite nicely with my source and amp upgrades. And on my setup, they manage to blow me away more then other headphones that cost more. Cost is not an indication of how you'll like the headphone IMO. There are some expensive headphones that just aren't my sound signature and never will be.

 

[ChaseD13]

the 280s have great extension (blu tak mod them for super bass). BUT i dont find them to have an impressive sound. it didng sound real to me much. they make awesome gaming phones, decent mixing phones, but music isnt so hot. electronica is good though.

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davesrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me, entry level HiFi means that it's a headphone that will scale with an amp and better source. To that end, I am sure that the HD595 is HiFi: it scaled quite nicely with my source and amp upgrades. And on my setup, they manage to blow me away more then other headphones that cost more. Cost is not an indication of how you'll like the headphone IMO. There are some expensive headphones that just aren't my sound signature and never will be.

True cost is not everything, it is only a small part. I am not speaking on cost though, I am speaking from personal experience.

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif True cost is not everything, it is only a small part. I am not speaking on cost though, I am speaking from personal experience.

Fair enough....I don't know if we should all come to an understanding of what "entry level HiFi" means. I was merely saying that I think it's any headphone that lets say a "regular" person off the street might buy, but can scale up with source and amp. And because so much of our evaluations of a headphone has to do with our preferences, YMMV when listening to these headphones on higher end equipment.

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif True cost is not everything, it is only a small part. I am not speaking on cost though, I am speaking from personal experience.

It's a semantic difference, really; one side is calling hifi only that stage of hearing only the weak link, of feeling the pea under the thirteenth mattress, while the other side is willing to grant the term to anything that lets you begin to realize what it might be like to feel a pea through thirteen mattresses. But if you're going to add in the modifying term "entry-level", then it seems to me the second definition is more useful, because in the first definition there is no entry level at all.

 

[xinoxide]

i like that, the pea under the thirteenth matress, that is an amazing way to put a hi-fi experience, and that is exactly what it is like.

if i were to lose, or never have the ability to enjoy anything(including my ability to enjoy music), i would not be as happy with my life asi am, im sure of that.

 

[blehmann]

I am surprised that nobody suggested some of the really inexpensive, albeit quite different, popular listening devices around here. You can buy the koss ksc-75 for 1/10 of the price a900, the senn px100 for a quarter of the price, ditto the creative 630/senn cx300, and so on. These are very different from cans but all have very good sound that is suitable for riding on a bus to different degrees. Find yourself a good audio shop to try out some of the budget favorites around here. There are quite a few.

 

[bindibadgi]

Now there's a practical suggestion. However, I'm kind of after an all round solution, with a big emphasis (at the moment - my "needs" seem to change regularly

) on home use, where I would be following the very excellent ten easy steps above.

That's kind of why I keep leaning towards the a900, even though it's unanimous that these are NOT for out of the house. Why is that I wonder? Do people lack self confidence to walk around with enormous cans like these, or is there another reason. They have a reputation for comfort. Does that mean they are susceptible to head movements and would fall off while walking? 300g or whatever sure doesn't sound like the weight would rule them out for me. Heck I think my belt and the stuff on it weighs about two kilos!

So why are the a900s not for out of the house? I would like to know if they are reasons which I would consider relevant to me.

 

[uraflit]

the a900s are HUGE. the cups are the size of dvds. and they stick out all over the place. it wont fall off your head if you nod, but it's just won't look right in public.

my suggestion? say what kind of music you like. heavy bass? sparkling highs?

or, just get a pair of ksc75s... then come back and tell us what you like/dislike about them. we can offer better solutions afterwards so you don't waste your money.

~$20 or less is hard to beat!