[rhizome]

hi all, looking for a little advice on a future headphone purchase. until recently, i've been pretty happy with the music coming out of my hd600/oehlbach and sr225/flats played through an rme digi pad and perreaux sxh1. however, since i picked up the er4s, i've started to reevaluate what i want out of a headphone (educational little buggers... looks like they'll end up teaching my wallet a lesson anyway

).

i find the 225s almost impossible to listen to now. they seem very dark with flabby bass and muddy treble. i can barely believe i'm listening to the same cans i've enjoyed for so long. the lack of extension in the highs (or perhaps they are just obscured by the bass?) is what really gets to me. with a little eq i can clean things up a bit, but it just doesn't sound natural this way.

the 600s are not quite as bad. they extend farther in both directions, and sound cleaner, but of course, the signature senn character is there. the highs are too recessed. the bass is maybe a tad overdone, but acceptable. at long last, i have finally given up on trying to enjoy their soundstage. i can see why people like the laid-back, speaker-like presentation, but it's a confusing size to my ears, neither here nor there. in fact, i like the way the grados do things more now. it just seems more natural from a headphone. separation (and 'air'?) is more important to me than the width of the soundstage. i get more involved if i can hear the relative space between sounds better. that said i would happily stick my ears into an r10 or omega2 soundstage

on the other hand, i am completely addicted to the detail, extension, and coherency of the etys. the resolution and separation are fantastic. however, it's just not the same as listening to a full-size can. i'm not sure how to put it.. they don't have the weight, the body. so basically, what i'm looking for now is something with etyish detail/resolution/extension/neutrality/etc, but with a little more *oomph* and immersion. i don't expect to find anything that will perfectly match the ety's strengths - i'm definitely willing to sacrifice on those characters for a more palpable sound, and perhaps a slightly larger soundstage than the 225s. i guess extension and resolution without any gaping holes or humps in the freq response are the most important things to me at this point. oops, this has gotten to be more rambling than i intended...

right now i'm thinking about ms-pros. i don't want to spend too much more than that, but if i can't get what i'm looking for at that price point, i'll put off the purchase until i can satisfy my ears (it could happen!) i'm definitely open to source/amp upgrades as well. currently considering an e-mu card and/or aos piccolo dac. his pace ppa/dac combo looks quite tempting as well... i'm trying to stick to pc/solid state for now. for the record, i have listened to cd3ks, 650/zu, dt880s, and rs1s, and i don't think they are what i'm looking for. admittedly, i only heard them briefly at hirsch's last meet, and i could be convinced to give them a second chance. i really enjoyed the hp2, but of course that was out of a vpi scout and ear hp4

loved the stax sound as well. unfortunately, i didn't pay too much attention to the ms-pros. thanks for reading, any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[adhoc]

hi,

IME, i would say that the akg k501's are exactly what you are looking for.

i too own etys, and have owned the dt880- while something nice, it just couldnt give me what the etys provided.

the 501s on the other hand, are another story. do not be fooled by their low price tag - imo, they are worth far more than their price tag would suggest.

 

[Guyferd]

cd3000 IMHO!
Sound is between 225 and hd600

It's quite energetic has good details and large soundstage

 

[minya]

Stax.

I guess I'll issue an addendum. I, too, were where you are now. Had tried a bunch of different headphones, enjoyed them, but none really "did it" for me until the Ety 4S. But after a while, their lack of soundstage and (the kicker) lack of comfort did them in. So I upgraded to a mid-fi Stax setup (SR-404 + SRM-313) and found precisely what I was looking for. All the detail, speed, even better bass response, and to boot, the 404s are the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

- Chris

 

[TonyTripleA]

Well, you know what you want and that's a great place to be. After I got my etys it took me a while to know where I wanted to go... ety detail and clarity with those beautiful clear highs, but oomp and presence in the bass and mid bass.

Based on exactly the same reasoning as you I settled for the MS-pros based on advice here. You'll certainly read about a few satsified customers, I would rate myself as one also.

I didn't fully appreciate the MS-pros till I tried a few amps (I've been busy auditioning and educating myself before a purchase). Your real problem is I'm not absolutely sure these musical, satisfying and all round great cans will deliver the ety clarity you and I love. I don't think much will in our price bracket will (I have not heard the crazy high end stuff but I sure can see how you get there !!! DANGER WARNING HEAD-FI WALLET ALERT !!!).

I do note that you didn't like the RS-1 sound. Can the MS-pro really be too much different from the RS-1 sound you don't like? There is a review here on Head-fi of the two.

Be careful with what you pair up with the MS-pros. I am a dissatisfied user of a NAD T741 surround receiver (which I had before I got these cans and still enjoy for surround sound). My low end computer card and even my Ipod beat this amp even when my NAD C542 is used with it as its source.... that's what got me auditioning amps... I get to hear the Perreaux next week (its being ordered in for my audition, nice hey).

I did enjoy the Musical Fidelity X3 amp I heard today, tremendous bass (although not quite as low as I might have expected but this was made irrelevant by how smooth and mellow the mid bass was... only one thing, not what I would call clear/well defined, not bad, just not exceptionally detailed). I was a bit dissappointed with the high end but this really didn't seem to take away from the musical enjoyment. Not sure if this tube amp is well suited to low impedance cans like the pros... as Jan Miere discusses on his technical page on the web, it could be the output jack has an impedance a tad high. Alternately, it could just be the amp being a bit rolled off on the upper treble. The Marantz 6000 used as source was unlikely to be the cause I feel.

I should also mention that Kunwar wrote a nice review of the Talisman amp which I also hope to audition soon.

Cheers, and good luck...

TonyAAA

 

[acs236]

The Etys will do that to you. I agree with adhoc -- you might like the AKG 501. After getting my Etys (and listening, at the time, to the Senn 580s) I was having major issues getting the mids to sound right -- the Ety's are just so good in that regard. The AKG 501 did it for me, or at least was pretty close. I also listen to the CD3000, and would recommend that too -- however, it's a pretty major difference from the Etys. Still, give it a listen -- you may like it.

 

[rhizome]

k501s are an interesting suggestion, i hadn't considered them before. might be worth a try for that asking price.

i don't think the cd3ks are what i'm looking for. didn't like the soundstage. i was considering a pair before i got the etys, though....

as for stax, the 404s do seem like a damn good deal, but i think i want something more exciting now. i can live with the etys as my neutral option for a bit. stax will be next on the list, especially if i am able afford a source upgrade in the near future.

so, i'm still gravitating towards grado. as for the rs1, i probably shouldn't have included them on my list. i only checked them out very briefly, and it wasn't with the kind of music i'm interested in a full size can for. the mid bass was thick, but the separation and extension were there. a little color might be good for me. or maybe the rs1 owners just write the best reviews... the tonal balance of the ms-pro appeals to me a bit more. and let's face it, they just look damn good

 

[rhizome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyTripleA I get to hear the Perreaux next week

i'm very curious to hear your impressions of the ms-pros with the perreax. i was starting to think ra1, but perhaps the perreaux will treat them nicely as well...

 

[TonyTripleA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhizome i'm very curious to hear your impressions of the ms-pros with the perreax. i was starting to think ra1, but perhaps the perreaux will treat them nicely as well...

Bear in mind that in Aussieland the RA-1 is A$800 and the Perreaux is from A$650-695. Looking at the specs of the Perreaux is pretty impressive... but that HeadRoom sale has me wondering how good a Headroom Max might be???

I'll post some Perreaux/MS-pro auditioning impressions later this week.

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[AdamZuf]

i would think twince on MSP's and RA-1.
RS-1 + RA-1 ; a bit lacking in the high end. definetly less bright even then a warm CD3k's setup.
RS-1 = brighter then MSP.

haven't tried the MSP's myself. can anyone confirm?

BTW, i suspect that the MSP's should have a quite similar "thick" midrange. an MSP owner told me that they have more lower midrange then the RS-1. can anyone confirm?

 

[rhizome]

the high end is important to me. i could deal with something darker than the etys, but i definitely want something brighter than the hd600s. hmm. off to search for ms-pro/ra-1 posts...

 

[AdamZuf]

i posted a thread regarding the instrument seperation of the RS-1 and MSP's. i would like to improve it with the RS-1 (although they are very detailed)

got no answer for now.
i'm probably going to try the RA-1 to see how it works in that regard too.