[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Just my opinion, but the DT880 is a tough act to follow. As much as they get slammed around here for too much treble, they're a very high end headphone and it's rare when I find others that can stand up to them (to my ears). So far it's been only the AKG K501 and Beyer DT250-80 that didn't totally disappoint me compared to the DT880, although IMO neither of these cans are as good as the 880. But at least they aren't shamed to be in the same room with them. My HD580s were out the door fast when the DT880 arrived. Maybe it's the contrast in sonic signatures more than anything else, I dunno... the HD580 sounded muffled, claustrophobic and dull once I had the 880s for awhile, and I just couldn't stand them.

Hmm, it was never the treble that I didn't like about the DT880. I love a good bright headphone. It was the total lack of impact that turned me away, combined with the cold flavor.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karajan Hello people, although i am an enthused and interested reader of this much interesting forum, this is my first post in here. Well, let's begin.. Although I am not an uber audiophile at all, i think i have a pretty decent musical hearing and i have listened to and possessed for long periods of time a number of other hi-fi headphones( hd580, hd600, hd280, beyer dt880, grado sr60) and sorry but I have to say senn hd595 are the worst of them all. An extremely boring headphone. The bass maybe is there but muffled and cloudy; the sonic aggression is poorer than expected, even when speaking of Sennheiser cans; the soundstage is weird and not that large: indeed my ears feel it smaller than with the hd580, 600 and of course with the DT880 the highs are worst than hd600 and hd580(again, DT 880 excels) I have tested them with all types of music and a number of sources( from radio and I-pod to headphone amplifiers; from a tv jack to a denon CD player plugged to an integrated amplifier. I am not a believer in burn-in, but I have burned them for a whole week, just in case. And, sorry HD595 lovers, but i can't stand the sound. Boring, cloudy, and lacking of power and agression to say the least. Extremely dissapointing, period. What is all the fuss about these headphones? That's just a humble opinion and just a humble opinion, no ofense intended. And sorry for my somewhat weird English, this language is not my mother tongue, and moreover i am not used to speak or write in English in my daily life. Regards

Right. Points taken. I am just shocked by some your observations of the headphones yet agree with others.

I disagree with "The bass maybe there but muffled and cloudy"
How so? I thought they were rather detailed in the bass and well controlled. This might be due to your source or insufficient burn-in. I am a firm believer in burn in through my various personal experience and I have noted that the effects of burn-in is most apparent in the bass and midrange. You will notice that detail and extension may increase.

I agree and disagree with "the sonic aggression is poorer than expected"
I'm surprised you said that since you have a very solid Sennheiser background. I find that all the high end Senns have much poorer impact than the HD595, although, the leading edge of each note is much better defined. I percieve impact as inversely proportional to the distance from the performers that the headphones put you. I guess we are talking about raw impact, not dynamic impact or contrast, ie how in-your-face the bass is and not how crisply the bass is presented. The HD595 should sound to you as much more forward sounding than ANY of the other high end Senns that you've tried. The sonic aggression you're talking about should also be more vigorous, although not quite as agressive and forward as the SR60. What did you expect? Where did you think the so-called sonic agression of the HD595 was to be placed in relation to all the other headphones you've tried? This is how I would put it (I haven't tried the HD280, so I'll refrain from commenting on them): SR60 > HD595 > HD600/580 tied. Did you not observe this?

I agree with "soundstage is [weird] and not that large..."
True. It (The HD595) definitely doesn't compare to the high end Sennheisers and Beyerdynamics that you've tried. I've got nothing else to say apart from to ask you to explain what was weird about the soundstage. You can't expect a very realistic soundstage from headphones. You can, however, expect good instrument spacial separation which could contribute to a good soundstage.

Gotta run...