sleepkyng
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Posts
- 2,438
- Likes
- 10
gerG was way too kind and lent me a pair of his Beyer DT 250-250s.
I have been looking for the perfect pair of cans for some time now and here are they requirements I have decided upon:
1. Must be less than $200.
2. Must be closed cans (not iems or buds) that provide some isolation.
3. Must be durable enough to withstand the occasional subway bump.
4. Must be comfortable enough to wear for at least an hour when walking.
5. Must be detailed and have good bass extension. Neutrality is a plus.
6. Must be easily driven either by very little additonal amplication or straight from a source (in this case a 3rd gen ipod).
I realize that my use for headphones is almost strictly in transit or travelling. When I'm at home, I have a very nice sound system that provides the atmosphere and convienence I like that headphones simply cannot offer. With this said, some of the best moments I've spent with great music has come on trains, walking along streets and dozing off on planes using great headphones and I definitely know that this isolation and intimacy cannot be reproduced easily via a home setup - if for the sole fact that I can't transport my vinyl rig to a train in Western China
The DT 250-250s are almost perfect for what I want. Perhaps the best headphones I have heard for what I am looking for.
Bass
The bass is that much better than a pair of porta pros - easily $100 better. On hip hop albums like Madvillainy (Madvillain - Stones Throw Records), the bass never disappoints. It doesn't rattle my brain, but it's tight and does a great job of giving me the feel and vibe of the music. On "Figaro," the bass hits hard and doesn't fuzz, every syllable Doom lets off is in the right place. Gone are the feelings of muddy bass bluring the rest of the music, destroying the hammond B loops and tamborine lines. With this all said, it should be noted that I am well aware of the limitations of headphones and one reading this should take praise of bass reduction with a grain of salt. For a pair of headphones, I am content and impressed with the bass, but as for a full speaker rig, I would probably be unsatisfied.
Midrange
Here is where the 250-250s really impress me. The presentation of mid lows isn't too recessed and the mid highs aren't too forward. The tone of instruments is well replicated - in this case, V.M. Bhatt's vichitra vina is rendered in all of its glory on A Meeting By the River (with Ry Cooder - Water Lily Acoustics). The tablas and dumbeks are very full and rich, and there is a speed to the delivery that I hadn't expected from cans so "poorly" amped. Much more punch to the music than I had anticipated. Especially on this well recorded album - the soundstage really stands out here. The seperation is really nice, and something that I appreciate when walking around. It's nice to keep the music near my head, but music this good shouldn't sound like it is coming from your brain.
Highs
The highs are good. Not great, but good. On John Adams' Violin Concerto, especially during Chaconne, I felt that there was something to be desired during much of the middle development of the piece. The violins seemed frail (and not in a good way) almost lifeless. On the Christchurch Choir's hymns, I enjoyed the soundstage immensely but the shrill highs tended to be a bit of a killjoy. I think that classical music is probably the hardest to reproduce due to the enormous amounts of subtlety involved, but even still, my old HD600s (amped with a melos sha 1) would probably mop the floor with the 250s. Trying a different high (hah... oh man, sorry it's late) I found vocals from Chan Marshall of Cat Power very nice and Corin Tucker from S-K actually bearable on headphones (something I have found impossible in the past). Where the highs were lacking in the classical music, I found the toned down feel suited both of these crazy ladies fine.
endnotes -
I'm not an "audiophile" and I'm sure if anyone sat down with me and tried to deconstruct how I'm articulating my opinions it would be a mess. With that said, I love listening to music, and find it essential in my daily life - using terminology here will hopefully best describe my experiences with these terric headphones.
The DT 250-250's lived up to all of my expectations. I simply love them - I can rock out, I can listen to hip hop, jazz and when I'm at my least critical, classical. Very few complaints and at the price point it's hard to argue with them. I had no problem driving them from my ipod though I'm sure they could benefit from a PCMKII (is it III now?). The detail of this cans is very impressive. As I have previously mentioned, I think the intimacy of headphones is one of their major selling points for me, so a detailed pair of cans that reveal little "secrets" is a big plus.
So will I get these little wonders? Not right now. Not enough scratch - and with a term in Paris on the horizon, I'll probably be seeing these next summer... unless I can part with some of my other gear
Comments, questions or complaints are definitely welcome. Again I'd like to thank gerG, not only for lending me these headphones, but also for just being a great guy. He knew for a long time that I wanted to try these out and sent them, well packed as soon as I said I was interested.
cheers
I have been looking for the perfect pair of cans for some time now and here are they requirements I have decided upon:
1. Must be less than $200.
2. Must be closed cans (not iems or buds) that provide some isolation.
3. Must be durable enough to withstand the occasional subway bump.
4. Must be comfortable enough to wear for at least an hour when walking.
5. Must be detailed and have good bass extension. Neutrality is a plus.
6. Must be easily driven either by very little additonal amplication or straight from a source (in this case a 3rd gen ipod).
I realize that my use for headphones is almost strictly in transit or travelling. When I'm at home, I have a very nice sound system that provides the atmosphere and convienence I like that headphones simply cannot offer. With this said, some of the best moments I've spent with great music has come on trains, walking along streets and dozing off on planes using great headphones and I definitely know that this isolation and intimacy cannot be reproduced easily via a home setup - if for the sole fact that I can't transport my vinyl rig to a train in Western China
The DT 250-250s are almost perfect for what I want. Perhaps the best headphones I have heard for what I am looking for.
Bass
The bass is that much better than a pair of porta pros - easily $100 better. On hip hop albums like Madvillainy (Madvillain - Stones Throw Records), the bass never disappoints. It doesn't rattle my brain, but it's tight and does a great job of giving me the feel and vibe of the music. On "Figaro," the bass hits hard and doesn't fuzz, every syllable Doom lets off is in the right place. Gone are the feelings of muddy bass bluring the rest of the music, destroying the hammond B loops and tamborine lines. With this all said, it should be noted that I am well aware of the limitations of headphones and one reading this should take praise of bass reduction with a grain of salt. For a pair of headphones, I am content and impressed with the bass, but as for a full speaker rig, I would probably be unsatisfied.
Midrange
Here is where the 250-250s really impress me. The presentation of mid lows isn't too recessed and the mid highs aren't too forward. The tone of instruments is well replicated - in this case, V.M. Bhatt's vichitra vina is rendered in all of its glory on A Meeting By the River (with Ry Cooder - Water Lily Acoustics). The tablas and dumbeks are very full and rich, and there is a speed to the delivery that I hadn't expected from cans so "poorly" amped. Much more punch to the music than I had anticipated. Especially on this well recorded album - the soundstage really stands out here. The seperation is really nice, and something that I appreciate when walking around. It's nice to keep the music near my head, but music this good shouldn't sound like it is coming from your brain.
Highs
The highs are good. Not great, but good. On John Adams' Violin Concerto, especially during Chaconne, I felt that there was something to be desired during much of the middle development of the piece. The violins seemed frail (and not in a good way) almost lifeless. On the Christchurch Choir's hymns, I enjoyed the soundstage immensely but the shrill highs tended to be a bit of a killjoy. I think that classical music is probably the hardest to reproduce due to the enormous amounts of subtlety involved, but even still, my old HD600s (amped with a melos sha 1) would probably mop the floor with the 250s. Trying a different high (hah... oh man, sorry it's late) I found vocals from Chan Marshall of Cat Power very nice and Corin Tucker from S-K actually bearable on headphones (something I have found impossible in the past). Where the highs were lacking in the classical music, I found the toned down feel suited both of these crazy ladies fine.
endnotes -
I'm not an "audiophile" and I'm sure if anyone sat down with me and tried to deconstruct how I'm articulating my opinions it would be a mess. With that said, I love listening to music, and find it essential in my daily life - using terminology here will hopefully best describe my experiences with these terric headphones.
The DT 250-250's lived up to all of my expectations. I simply love them - I can rock out, I can listen to hip hop, jazz and when I'm at my least critical, classical. Very few complaints and at the price point it's hard to argue with them. I had no problem driving them from my ipod though I'm sure they could benefit from a PCMKII (is it III now?). The detail of this cans is very impressive. As I have previously mentioned, I think the intimacy of headphones is one of their major selling points for me, so a detailed pair of cans that reveal little "secrets" is a big plus.
So will I get these little wonders? Not right now. Not enough scratch - and with a term in Paris on the horizon, I'll probably be seeing these next summer... unless I can part with some of my other gear
Comments, questions or complaints are definitely welcome. Again I'd like to thank gerG, not only for lending me these headphones, but also for just being a great guy. He knew for a long time that I wanted to try these out and sent them, well packed as soon as I said I was interested.
cheers
