[Cerith]

OK, I am very happy with my portable music gear:

SONY VGF-AP1L Pocket Vaio with ATH-EC7 phones.

I now want to purchase my first set of full sized headphones. I have a few newbie questions:

1) Besides the obvious (construction) what is the difference between closed and open headphones. Music quality, sound signature etc. What are their differences musically. Is one better than the other or is it a matter of preference.

2) I prefer music to be detailed, clear tight sounding without any harsh tinny highs. I like bass tight, not muddy or deep. With that in mind and taking in consideration question 1 these are the phones I am considering:

Open:

1) AT AD1000
2) SONY SA3000

Closed:
1) SONY CD3000
2) AT A1000

I am going to use these with my HK AVR-430 and HK DVD31 Deck. Down the line I plan on buying the Gillmore Light amp to power them along with the HK deck.

Any thoughts and suggesstions?

Thanks

 

[go_vtec]

How about ATH-W1000? Fairly easy to drive and well-damped and tight sounding (no bloated bass). CD3K is quite good, but I found it little bit more picky about the source/amp than AT cans.

 

[fr4c]

since you dont like highs, CD3000 can get very bright if you didnt match the equipment well. you should look at the HD650.

 

[warubozu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr4c since you dont like highs, CD3000 can get very bright if you didnt match the equipment well. you should look at the HD650.

Agreed, CD3K's can be a little bright if you don't have the right amp. It does however have some tight bass IMO and are very detailed. In fact it maybe a little too detailed if you don't have a great source because they will reveal all the flaws of that source.

AT-W1000's are great cans delivering a good soundstage that's just a tad smaller than the CD3K's. The W1000's isn't as bright as the CD3K's and doesn't have as much bass as the CD3K's, bass is also tight out of the W1000's.

You might want to give the AT-A700's or AT-A900's a try as they both deliver lots of bass that is tight and both cans have excellent soundstage. They are both easy to drive and don't require an amp. Both cans have a foward sound like the W1000's and at a cheaper price than both the CD3K's and W1000's.

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warubozu You might want to give the AT-A700's or AT-A900's a try as they both deliver lots of bass that is tight and both cans have excellent soundstage. They are both easy to drive and don't require an amp. Both cans have a foward sound like the W1000's and at a cheaper price than both the CD3K's and W1000's.

the A700 and A900 are very good headphones, but what i dont like about them is the lack of mids. makes guitars and vocals sound like crap.