[Chadmicheal]

HI, im brand new to this forum, but I have a question for those "in the know". I currently own the Audio Technica ATH A700 headphones, and to me they sound excellent. Of course I bought them years ago, long before I knew what to look for in headphones, and figured they must be good if they were expensive. Nowadays, I'm doing months of research to decide what headphones I will get next. The new set has to be closed back, and not leak sound much. The A700s are my reference point, as they have the minimal sound leakage I am looking for. I am looking at getting either the AKG K550, which I understand have very good isolation, or the Denon D5000 which I've heard have poor isolation and leak a lot of sound. The D5000s would be barely in my price range at $430, while the AKGs are very much within my price range, and I could probably even afford the Fiio E9 with them. I am really wanting the superior sounding Denons, but my main concern is the sound leakage, which I would need to be at a minimum, which is why I'm strongly considering the K550s. I think the ATH A700s sound excellent, so I'm also wondering if Ill notice a big difference in the sound quality between these sets.  
 
So I guess my 4 basic questions are:
 
How much sound does the D5000s leak? My office is right outside my children's room, and if I were to do some late night listening to loud music, would it disturb them?
 
How does the sound leakage on the D5000s compare to sound leakage on the A700s?
 
How does the AKG K550s stack up to either set (the A700s or D5000s)?
 
Is there a big step up in the sound quality between the A700s vs. K550s vs. D5000s?
 
Thanks so much for any input. I'm looking to purchase in the next few days.

 

[KG Jag]

I have the D5000 and A900.
 
Many have said that the D5000 leaks a great deal.  I have not found that to be the case, although I don't like to listen at ear blasting levels (but my wife thinks I listen at very loud levels).  If you're in the next room (and the other folks don't have bat-like hearing) you should be fine the D5000.
 
Having read about the 550, I would expect them to be the most quiet of the three.  It has been reported that to get the best from them, you need a very good seal.  Those like me with beards might find this to problematic.

 

[Chadmicheal]

Thanks KG, I'll certainly take what you said into consideration when making my final decision. Another question for you: do the D5000s leak as much as the A900s? Since the A900 are essentially the same as the A700s, just better sound, I would assume the isolation would be the same.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Thanks KG, I'll certainly take what you said into consideration when making my final decision. Another question for you: do the D5000s leak as much as the A900s? Since the A900 are essentially the same as the A700s, just better sound, I would assume the isolation would be the same.

 
I think that the D5000 leaks a bit more than than the A900.  However, as I am the one wearing them, perhaps I'm not the best judge while they are on my head.  For me at least, leakage from either one is essentially a non-issue.

 

[Chadmicheal]

Thanks so much KG =)

 

[charlie875578]

The mis-conception with the D5000 seems to be that they are a true closed headphone. However, Denon claims that this is not true and that they are actually designed to leak some sound as this provides the truest sound quality. While they're not as open as Sennheiser's 650, they should allow some sound to leak. With that said I would still recommend them. I ordered some from Electronic-Expo.com the other day. Open Box went for $375 after shipping. I used coupon code WELCOME25.

 

[MattTCG]

I'm listening to the d5k as I write this. I've got my wife listening for "leakage" of sound. At low listening levels she says that's it's basically inaudible. At medium levels she says that's it's discernable but that it would not be noticeable in another room at all. At full bore, as loud as I even like to listen, she says that it's not much different and would still not disturb someone in another room.
 
my 2c

 

[charlie875578]

I think most would tell you that they will leak some, but in all, it's not enough to not buy them, even in your listening environment. Also, if you give more detail on music preferences, soundstage desires, desired sound signature, etc, people could give you some more alternatives to the phones you've listed and you may find there is something else out there that suits you even better than what you've listed (However, this can also cause a lot of confusion lOl). 

 

[Chadmicheal]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies =)
 
I am looking for a set of cans for computer listening (gaming and internet radio, mostly rock and trance, but also some classical). I have had my Audio Technica ATH A700s for about 5 years now, and have always found them to sound excellent. Recently, however, the right earphone has been going in and out, and requires me to adjust the plug at the soundcard. At first I thought it was the SC itself, but I invested in an eClaro (from the X-fi xtremegamer), and the problem still occurs. Sometimes hitting the right can will bring the sound back, telling me it is definitely the cans. Anyway, I have a little saved up, and looking to upgrade to a "high end" set. I have researched this for months, looking at everything from the M50's to the Shure 840s, Beyers, Senns, Denons, AKGs and skullcandys. I narrowed it down to the K550s, but before I purchased, I emailed Tyll from Inner Fidelity and asked what he thought, and he recommended the D5000s or Senn HD 600s over the K550s, but then said that if isolation was so important, then I should probably go with the K550s. I am still torn however, between the Denons and the K550s. Isolation is very important to me, but I only get one chance at this, and the cans need to last a while, as I am very poor, and it takes a while to save enough to get good quality cans. I also want to make sure that the cans I get are a definite upgrade from the A700s. I would appreciate any suggestions.
 
Thanks!

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hi guys, thanks for the replies =)
 
I am looking for a set of cans for computer listening (gaming and internet radio, mostly rock and trance, but also some classical). I have had my Audio Technica ATH A700s for about 5 years now, and have always found them to sound excellent. Recently, however, the right earphone has been going in and out, and requires me to adjust the plug at the soundcard. At first I thought it was the SC itself, but I invested in an eClaro (from the X-fi xtremegamer), and the problem still occurs. Sometimes hitting the right can will bring the sound back, telling me it is definitely the cans. Anyway, I have a little saved up, and looking to upgrade to a "high end" set. I have researched this for months, looking at everything from the M50's to the Shure 840s, Beyers, Senns, Denons, AKGs and skullcandys. I narrowed it down to the K550s, but before I purchased, I emailed Tyll from Inner Fidelity and asked what he thought, and he recommended the D5000s or Senn HD 600s over the K550s, but then said that if isolation was so important, then I should probably go with the K550s. I am still torn however, between the Denons and the K550s. Isolation is very important to me, but I only get one chance at this, and the cans need to last a while, as I am very poor, and it takes a while to save enough to get good quality cans. I also want to make sure that the cans I get are a definite upgrade from the A700s. I would appreciate any suggestions.
 
Thanks!

 
Reading the posts above, you know as much about isolation of the D5000 as you can without testing them yourself.

 

[Chadmicheal]

Reading the posts above, you know as much about isolation of the D5000 as you can without testing them yourself.

 
 
Yes, and I appreciate the input! It sucks living in a small town with no hifi equipment store to try these out for myself. Oh well. I just looked at Amazon, and the price of the D5000s just went up (from $430), and open box is such a gamble, so it may be the k550s by default.
 
Thanks for all you input, I really appreciate it!

 

[viralcow]

I actually have both the K550s and AHD5000s with me right now... and honestly I would hate to have to pick one or the other. I do prefer the K550's ever so slightly, b/c of the wider soundstage and vocals.
 

 

 

[Chadmicheal]

Thanks so much Viral, the price increase for the d5000s coupled with your post has sealed the deal for me. I will be ordering the K550s this afternoon. Thanks so much for all the input everyone, I greatly appreciate it.