swartzy.baby
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2008
- Posts
- 82
- Likes
- 24
Hi All. Up until recently, I was pretty happy with my headphones setup. I have a pair of "modded" Senn HD555's (supposedly turning them into 595 replicas), which I've been pretty happy with. Sound is good, comfort is pretty phenomenal, and they don't necessarily require external amping to sound decent. They are open, however, and leak a metric ton of sound both in and out. So when my wife's watching TV, I can hear everything unless I turn them up at which point she can hear everything. So that's a problem. And while they're pretty punchy, they don't really dig down very deep in terms of lower tones. They're certainly adequate, but nothing to write home about.
So. I happened to run into somebody with a passion for headphones, who had on them a set of Denon AH-D5000's. And, stupidly, I listened to them. So clean, so comfortable, and so isolating. Even straight out of the laptop, which is a feat in itself for a large set of cans. Now, my budget is nowhere near the amount required for a set like that, and even the 2000's are above my abilities at this point. So naturally I'm looking for cheaper sets that sound 95% as good What I want is basically to have my cake and eat it too.
Or maybe not. There are a handful of cans in my price range that get much positive talk on this forum. Before I get ahead of myself, here are my needs (aka limitations):
The two phone's I've listed in the title seem to fit at least several of those criteria. They're both closed, both in my budget (on Amazon), and both seem to not require an amp to be worth the purchase.
Has anybody heard both and can directly compare them? I'm actually starting to wonder if the HM5's are in a very different league (a better one) based on build quality.
In terms of listening habits, I tend to listen to a little bit of everything. And it all needs to sound realistic. Distorted guitars need to have that snarl and distortion. Low bass on tracks by the likes of Massive Attack needs to be powerful and low. Electronica needs to have the sizzle on the strange high-noted squealy bits. I cannot abide a headphone that makes one genre sound excellent while leaving others out to fend for themselves. In this sense, the more neutral of the two headphones seems like it would be the better option. But hell, I don't know.
So there we are. Opinions on the two I've mentioned would be greatly appreciated. I should re-emphasize that I really enjoyed the Denon AH-D5000's. So, if I can get that for my budget let's make it happen. Now I'm excited
So. I happened to run into somebody with a passion for headphones, who had on them a set of Denon AH-D5000's. And, stupidly, I listened to them. So clean, so comfortable, and so isolating. Even straight out of the laptop, which is a feat in itself for a large set of cans. Now, my budget is nowhere near the amount required for a set like that, and even the 2000's are above my abilities at this point. So naturally I'm looking for cheaper sets that sound 95% as good What I want is basically to have my cake and eat it too.
Or maybe not. There are a handful of cans in my price range that get much positive talk on this forum. Before I get ahead of myself, here are my needs (aka limitations):
- Closed Headphones
- Sounds great w/o external amplification (I have no desire or plans to buy an amp)
- Comfortable for listening sessions > 1 hour
- Lower extension, more detail/clarity than Senn 555/595
- Durable construction (this is one thing that appeals to me specifically about the HM5)
- <= $150
- The idea of phones fitting around my ears appeals to me much more than on my ears
The two phone's I've listed in the title seem to fit at least several of those criteria. They're both closed, both in my budget (on Amazon), and both seem to not require an amp to be worth the purchase.
Has anybody heard both and can directly compare them? I'm actually starting to wonder if the HM5's are in a very different league (a better one) based on build quality.
In terms of listening habits, I tend to listen to a little bit of everything. And it all needs to sound realistic. Distorted guitars need to have that snarl and distortion. Low bass on tracks by the likes of Massive Attack needs to be powerful and low. Electronica needs to have the sizzle on the strange high-noted squealy bits. I cannot abide a headphone that makes one genre sound excellent while leaving others out to fend for themselves. In this sense, the more neutral of the two headphones seems like it would be the better option. But hell, I don't know.
So there we are. Opinions on the two I've mentioned would be greatly appreciated. I should re-emphasize that I really enjoyed the Denon AH-D5000's. So, if I can get that for my budget let's make it happen. Now I'm excited