ffocus11
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2004
- Posts
- 17
- Likes
- 0
Hey everyone, this is my first post at head-fi!
So I'm pretty much a total newbie and I got into this whole headphone craziness about three months ago, when I started reading posts head-fi and have not had peace of mind ever since. I think I'm getting addicted now...
Well, after following head-fi community's posts for about a month, I got my first headphones. They were the Sony MDR-V6 - seemed a proper set of headphones for my needs then, since I live with a roomate and having closed headphones is a blessing. I powered them with my Rio Karma, and the V6 being not very power hungry was a good thing too. (I guess technically my first phones were the MX300 that came with my Karma already, but they don't really count). Anyway, when the V6's first arrived I thought they were some cool headphones - nicely built and fitting well, but sounded somewhat harsh and not very well defined on the higher end (even compared to the MX300). Well, I thought burning in would help and after about 40 hours of heavy bass in the drawyer they did imporove a little, but not a whole lot. Not that I was disappointed with them, but definitely looking for something different. They also sounded somewhat enclosed even compared to the MX300's (which are not nearly as detailed and have A LOT less bass), which I guess simply says that the V6's are just lacking soundstage. Aimee Mann's voice sounded somehow harsh, unnatural and fatiguing after listening for longer periods of time on the, so I knew I needed something else.
Well this lead me to ordering a pair of Audio-Technica a500's only ~3 weeks after I got the Sony's. The reviews were all raving and I thought I could not go wrong with them. They were right. Just when they arrived I could not believe how big they were, I seriously had never seen headphones that big in my life. I had heard people say before they were big, but they were VERY BIG! Just after putting them on, I was pleasantly surprised with the sound that was coming out of them... WOW, they were quite a bit ahead of the sonys and not a whole lot more expensive. Their sound seemed spacious, the bass was strong and clear and the treble was just so much cleaner than the sony's. I could actually feel the singer and the band in the room and not just in your head - and all of this coming from my little Karma. Very soon the v6 went on ebay - the a500's were just so much sweeter.
Anyway, I've been listeing to the a500 for quite some time now and I'm thinking of an upgrade already. Not that they are bad headphones, but this is what head-fi does to you. I'm serious, this is addictive - and I'm only at the initial stages of it. So now I'm thinking of ordering the a900's of instead getting a pair of HD580's and a CMOY. On that account - does anybody know any good CMOY builders? I can't believe I'm looking for an amp already!!!
Oh - by the way. After selling the v6's I got some KSC-35s for portability. They are some nice phones too, definitely worth the money! They surely sound better than the original Karma's MX300, but to my taste the 35's have a bit too much bass which it's not very tight (as opposed to the MX300 having too little bass). But now I'm spoiled with the a500's, so my opinions is very biased. Also, I still find myself sometimes listening to the MX300's, especially when I need some background music for studying - they are just good at that. Both the KSC-35's and the a500's are for me too forward and intense to put them on and not think about the music. That's why I want the HD580's - I think the MX300's too carry that Sennheiser sound that everyone is talking about (although I've never heard anything by Senn that's above the MX300, so I can't really tell).
So these were my first steps into the headphone world. Please note, that my commens above may very well be misleading, since I'm just a newbie and far from an audiophile. I just wonder how far will this headphone obsession take me (and how low financially will I fall)... But in the meantime
Well, after following head-fi community's posts for about a month, I got my first headphones. They were the Sony MDR-V6 - seemed a proper set of headphones for my needs then, since I live with a roomate and having closed headphones is a blessing. I powered them with my Rio Karma, and the V6 being not very power hungry was a good thing too. (I guess technically my first phones were the MX300 that came with my Karma already, but they don't really count). Anyway, when the V6's first arrived I thought they were some cool headphones - nicely built and fitting well, but sounded somewhat harsh and not very well defined on the higher end (even compared to the MX300). Well, I thought burning in would help and after about 40 hours of heavy bass in the drawyer they did imporove a little, but not a whole lot. Not that I was disappointed with them, but definitely looking for something different. They also sounded somewhat enclosed even compared to the MX300's (which are not nearly as detailed and have A LOT less bass), which I guess simply says that the V6's are just lacking soundstage. Aimee Mann's voice sounded somehow harsh, unnatural and fatiguing after listening for longer periods of time on the, so I knew I needed something else.
Well this lead me to ordering a pair of Audio-Technica a500's only ~3 weeks after I got the Sony's. The reviews were all raving and I thought I could not go wrong with them. They were right. Just when they arrived I could not believe how big they were, I seriously had never seen headphones that big in my life. I had heard people say before they were big, but they were VERY BIG! Just after putting them on, I was pleasantly surprised with the sound that was coming out of them... WOW, they were quite a bit ahead of the sonys and not a whole lot more expensive. Their sound seemed spacious, the bass was strong and clear and the treble was just so much cleaner than the sony's. I could actually feel the singer and the band in the room and not just in your head - and all of this coming from my little Karma. Very soon the v6 went on ebay - the a500's were just so much sweeter.
Anyway, I've been listeing to the a500 for quite some time now and I'm thinking of an upgrade already. Not that they are bad headphones, but this is what head-fi does to you. I'm serious, this is addictive - and I'm only at the initial stages of it. So now I'm thinking of ordering the a900's of instead getting a pair of HD580's and a CMOY. On that account - does anybody know any good CMOY builders? I can't believe I'm looking for an amp already!!!
Oh - by the way. After selling the v6's I got some KSC-35s for portability. They are some nice phones too, definitely worth the money! They surely sound better than the original Karma's MX300, but to my taste the 35's have a bit too much bass which it's not very tight (as opposed to the MX300 having too little bass). But now I'm spoiled with the a500's, so my opinions is very biased. Also, I still find myself sometimes listening to the MX300's, especially when I need some background music for studying - they are just good at that. Both the KSC-35's and the a500's are for me too forward and intense to put them on and not think about the music. That's why I want the HD580's - I think the MX300's too carry that Sennheiser sound that everyone is talking about (although I've never heard anything by Senn that's above the MX300, so I can't really tell).
So these were my first steps into the headphone world. Please note, that my commens above may very well be misleading, since I'm just a newbie and far from an audiophile. I just wonder how far will this headphone obsession take me (and how low financially will I fall)... But in the meantime
