[opresterud]

Wanting to buy some good cans, and thinking about the DT770-80 (since they should also work with Cowon D2, at least so is said...).

A lot of people seems to just say "they sound good for all music", but it also seems they are quite heavy on bass. I will listen mostly to Springsteen, both live and studio, and that kind of sound is then of course my main priority. Too heavy on bass doesn't feel correct....

I know this is subjective, but can anyone comment on the DT770 and Springsteen...? Or recommend some other cans which might be better. I would like to keep the same price range.

 

[Jaska]

I listen to a lot of Springsteen, and of the headphones I have at my disposal, I usually opt for my Grados. A very good match, IMO.

 

[opresterud]

Grados are sadly hard to get from Norway, either they are extremely over-charged, or have to be self-imported it seems. AKG, Senn and Beyer are those brands which it seems to be easiest to get.

See you have the DT770 2005ed, how would you rate that one with Springsteen?

(the cans to be replaced are some 12-13 years old Philips SBC3396, which does in fact sound quite good but are falling apart... Not very heavy on bass, comparing to my portable PortaPros they sound much more "balanced" regarding deeper tones, that is what I do not like about the PortaPro, which seems to over-bass at least the Springsteen music in my ears)

 

[Jaska]

If you search these forums, I recall seeing some good information recently about ordering Grados via Internet to Norway. If that doesn't pan out, you might consider an Alessandro headphone instead (more internationally friendly "Grado" variant).

EDIT: I'm not trying to sidestep your question about Springsteen and the DT770 Edition 2005, but honestly I don't think I've listened to them for more than a fleeting moment with his music. If you have a favorite or particular track or album in mind for the sake of comparison, I will be more than happy to give you a quick write-up on my reactions.

 

[limpidglitch]

grados can indeed be easily self-imported to norway, just remember the 25%vat. my GS1000 costed me about 8000nok (last summer, favorable exchange rate), which is quite reasonable compared to the 12000-13000 they would have cost me bought domestically.
I'm not a springsteen fan, but grado is pretty much ideal for all sorts of rock, pink floyd and madrugada knocks me down every time.
(din frustrasjon over det norske hodetelefonmarkedet vil bare vokse, med mindre du begynner med litt selvimport)

 

[opresterud]

Found a source who could ship Grado to Norway, it seems. Looking at costs, the Grado SR 225 is the one I would opt for. Of course, the 325i looks tempting, but it is then costing a little too much for a first-try. The USD exchange rate is not very favorable at the moment... I might travel to the US later this year, so I have an option to upgrade then.

Would the SR 225's be a bad choice, just picking from the price tag? Or can even the SR 125's be good?
Pink Floyd kind-of-sound is of course also something I would prefer that sound good! I am not listening to any kind of heavy/techno/hiphop etc.

But still, I would also like to know if the DT770 might fit my sound or not

(or eventually AKG)

 

[sachu]

I am a big time fan of the boss...listening to nothing man right now on my DT770-80s through my CK2iii..sounds brilliant.

 

[cristox]

What about the Alessandro MS-1.
They are in fact factory-modded Grados.
Alessandro ships them for 99$ (incl. shipping) worldwide.
I own those and i really like their clarity and thier power in the midrange.

 

[tfarney]

Grados have a reputation for being uncomfortable, mid-range heavy, and shallow of sound stage. Of course a much more positive way of putting that is that while they are uncomfortable for some people, they have a great midrange presence and an aggressive, forward presentations.

Still, I don't think I'd pay a premium for them sound unheard, when Senns, AKGs and Beyers are readily available. Besides, Springsteen's most recent recordings are very badly mastered, with too much digital compression and eq and loudness pumped to the max. "In your face" headphones will only exacerbate the problem. I'd look for something a bit laid back.

Tim

 

[lon420]

The DT770/80 is a good match with the D2. If you think the bass is too much, just tone it down a bit with the EQ. I do agree with the above poster in saying that mastering in Springsteen's recent recordings aren't mastered real well, but older Boss should be good for the most part.

 

[Shoreman]

To the OP:
You might be interested in this, if you haven't seen it already. Click on the "My Lucky Day" video clip.

Amazon.com: Working on a Dream: Bruce Springsteen: Music

Check out the headphones Clarence (maybe the others too--couldn't tell) is wearing.

I also want to second the two posts above re: Brendan O'Brien's mastering of Springsteen's recent stuff. I could not agree more. Going back over my collection, this ultra-compressed technique seems to have started with The Rising, but that's highly unofficial. I do know that some of Bruce's best writing in years has really suffered because of it. And it's not like it isn't obvious to any reasonably attentive and objective listener. There are comments about it all over the internet.

 

[limpidglitch]

though presterud seems to be a real springsteen fan, it seems rather silly to let a series of bad produced album make the decision of headphones.
I have never found any headphones that can compete with grado on vocals. or acoustic guitar. If you don't like the technostuff, it seems rather cool too, because grado is pretty much the anti techno/hip-hop headphones.
some of the best tings i have ever listened to on a grado is: patty smith (horses, ethiopia), pink floyd (ummagumma live, dark side…, wish…) beatles (sgt. peppers…, let it be) and the doors

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Springsteen's most recent recordings are very badly mastered, with too much digital compression and eq and loudness pumped to the max. "In your face" headphones will only exacerbate the problem. I'd look for something a bit laid back.

I'll agree with that in theory, and I've actually found that the DT770-80/Pro doesn't sound to me like the midrange is as recessed as some say it is, probably due in part to so much music on audio CDs suffering from boosted midrange and very, very high peak levels (interesting to see how many new CDs actually show 100% peak level when ripped with EAC).

Still, I don't think I would base a headphone choice on this. I'd sooner use an EQ, as I much as I wouldn't like the idea. All of my older Springsteen albums are the original unremastered versions, so for the most part they sound okay. For the more recent releases, I find that no matter which headphones I use, I have to set the volume pretty low to avoid a headache.

 

[opresterud]

Thanks for all the replys

Well, I am going to grab Beyer DT770-80/Pro and Senn PX200 (for portability) from a local supplier, and also try to get Grado SR-60 from a site I found. Then I will have something new to toy around with, and can eventually decide if it might be a reason to swap the DT770s for some better Grados at a later stage. PortaPro and Philips SBC3396 will be retired, but I am honestly looking forward to hear how the SBC3396 will compare...

 

[jamescodway]

What do listen with right now (as some reference)?

I find my DT770/80 harsh in the upper mid/treble for rock... can you audition 1st? I also find they need a desktop amp to sound 'present'.


James