[rwpritchett]

That's interesting. I was going by what Tyll explicitly said at the end of his youtube review of the srh1540. He said he decided to take down the fsp in favor of the srh1540 due to the lack of resolution in the highs and the ergonomics not cutting it in the fsp.

Tyll updated his srh1540 review on innerfidelity with the following:

Editor's Note: After further consideration I've decided to keep the Focal headphones on the Wall of Fame. The inability of the Shure to play well at loud levels makes the Focal can a continuing legitimate choice for audio pros and enthusiasts alike...even though their fit is a bit cramped. The Shure will still go up as a superior choice for it's comfort and extraordinary sound quality at low volumes.

 

[LNuneek]

Tyll updated his srh1540 review on innerfidelity with the following:

Ahhh Thanks for clearing that up. Makes sense now.

 

[chailee80]

Been researching these today and yes they seem like solid suggestions for me. The srh1540 and mt220 are piquing my interest cause they haven't really been on my radar. The hp50 has been on my radar for a little while. I may have a chance to hear the shure and nad. I singled out an audiophile shop about an hour or so away which may have these. Going to have to hunt down the yamaha a little harder.

2 things I noticed is that Tyll replaced the fsp with the srh1540 on his wall of fame, the other is that the yamahas have something to do with beyerdynamic. Can anyone enlighten me on the relationship between the yamaha and beyerdynamic?

Early last year when they were available on Amazon it stated on their 'as packaged by beyerdynamic'. What that actually meant I don't know, perhaps yamaha uses beyerdynamics drivers or something. They certainly sound pretty good like most beyerdynamic cans do imo.

 

[Stuff Jones]

Are there any closed HPs in this price range that can compete with these on SQ? It seems like everyone is unequivocally positive about how good they sound but build quality and comfort issues prevent them from being universally recommended.

 

[bixby]

  Are there any closed HPs in this price range that can compete with these on SQ? It seems like everyone is unequivocally positive about how good they sound but build quality and comfort issues prevent them from being universally recommended.

Of course!   Sony MDR-7520 are a bit more expensive, NAD HP-50s are similar in sound signature and fit and for me the one that works even better given the right amp are the Mad Dogs.  I am sure there are more, but I have noted those with which I have lengthy personal experience.

 

[Stuff Jones]

  Of course!   Sony MDR-7520 are a bit more expensive, NAD HP-50s are similar in sound signature and fit and for me the one that works even better given the right amp are the Mad Dogs.  I am sure there are more, but I have noted those with which I have lengthy personal experience.

 
The Nads are comparable? I had the impression they were much more smooth and laid back then the Pros.

 

[bixby]

   
The Nads are comparable? I had the impression they were much more smooth and laid back then the Pros.

Comparible ?  Yes!   Identical, No!  
 
Both have slightly elevated low end as shown in the innerfidelity compensated graphs transitioning to a relatively flat midrange then tapering down as you get to lower treble and upper treble.  Both have mild spikes around 3.5k which is typical and accents the lower treble as well as upper female vocal range.  They both dip as they go up then rise around 10k.  The NAD has slightly smaller peaks in these areas but both are remarkably similar.  The Focal does have a bit more air with a peak over 11k, but both are very good headphones with excellent sound quality.  Just depends on which tickles your ear more, I suppose.
 
Check out the compensated and uncompensated (gray lines) on the inner fidelity graphs.  Both are great examples getting very close to the ideal headphone response curve popularized by harmon.
 
Links for NAD graph  click
 
Link for Focal Graph  click
 
EDIT:  The Article about the Harmon curve.  click

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Are there any closed HPs in this price range that can compete with these on SQ? It seems like everyone is unequivocally positive about how good they sound but build quality and comfort issues prevent them from being universally recommended.

 
20-50% of the time, I like the Sony MDR-7506 (available for $85-100) more than the FSP...but much of the time, the 7506 has serious problems due to the nasty peaks in the treble. The FSP sounds excellent with everything.
 
And guess what? The Focal Spirit Professional is still my favorite, even after hearing much more expensive headphones.
 
I had no comfort issues. (Except that there is just no way I would wear glasses with them unless I moved them above the ear cups.) Build quality, I cannot comment on, since I did not own it for an extended period.

 

[ToddRaymond]

A couple months back I picked up a pair of the Spirit Pros used (very lightly) for about half of retail.  I would have been happy paying full retail for them, but since money's been tight these days, I'm especially pleased.
 
I don't know that I can offer much that hasn't already been covered through this thread.  After a couple of hours of wearing them on my big dumb head, it does become a little uncomfortable due to the pressure of the top/middle part of the band.  That would be my only minor quibble. They're exceptionally neutral and transparent, with plenty of resolution.  They're certainly not overly musical, but I personally don't find them to be terribly fatiguing either.  It's not the most 'fun' listen, but for what I use them for, I truly couldn't be happier with 'em.  I have had Focal's K2 line in my car (along with the 8" Utopia sub) for a couple of years now, and plan to one day pick up their Diablo Utopia stand mounts, so I'm definitely partial to their stuff.  I s'pose these 'phones are relatively stale sounding compared to most of their other stuff–the guy who sold me 'em found them to be too boring/flat, despite using them in a modest studio–but their sound hasn't bothered me.  (Aside:  Since my girlfriend and I listen to a lot of music together with the two channel system, I find myself not using headphones nearly as much as I used to; otherwise I'd definitely save for some HE-560s.)  I've been using them with a Schiit Fulla, which I've found to be a fantastic pairing.  Apart from general listening from my lossless library, I've also been sorting through the terabytes of live recordings I've been collecting, a lot of which I haven't had a chance to organize and dump into iTunes.  The Spirit Pros provide a good, clean window into what's worth keeping, and what isn't.  Sometimes I will put together orange book-lengthed compilations made up of live recordings to burn for friends, and they've been great when using to mix and master that schtuff.  I also use 'em whilst playing my Yamaha DTX-9750 drums.
 
Colour me a happy customer.

Addendum:  They seldom leave my desk, and I tend to go easy on my stuff, so to that end I don't imagine I'll have any issues with them cracking/breaking.

 

[Stuff Jones]

  Comparible ?  Yes!   Identical, No!  
 
Both have slightly elevated low end as shown in the innerfidelity compensated graphs transitioning to a relatively flat midrange then tapering down as you get to lower treble and upper treble.  Both have mild spikes around 3.5k which is typical and accents the lower treble as well as upper female vocal range.  They both dip as they go up then rise around 10k.  The NAD has slightly smaller peaks in these areas but both are remarkably similar.  The Focal does have a bit more air with a peak over 11k, but both are very good headphones with excellent sound quality.  Just depends on which tickles your ear more, I suppose.
 
Check out the compensated and uncompensated (gray lines) on the inner fidelity graphs.  Both are great examples getting very close to the ideal headphone response curve popularized by harmon.
 
Links for NAD graph  click
 
Link for Focal Graph  click
 
EDIT:  The Article about the Harmon curve.  click

 
Thanks, that's interesting. I was tempted by the NADS awhile back but decided against them in large part because of their heinous design.
 
What about the Mikros 90 vs the Pros SQ wise? I own the 90s and they are remarkably good, especially for the price. Like Focal, Martin Logan is a high end speaker company dabbling in the HP business.

 

[bixby]

   
Thanks, that's interesting. I was tempted by the NADS awhile back but decided against them in large part because of their heinous design.
 
What about the Mikros 90 vs the Pros SQ wise? I own the 90s and they are remarkably good, especially for the price. Like Focal, Martin Logan is a high end speaker company dabbling in the HP business.

have not heard the mikros, sorry

 

[musiclvr]

Thanks, that's interesting. I was tempted by the NADS awhile back but decided against them in large part because of their heinous design.

What about the Mikros 90 vs the Pros SQ wise? I own the 90s and they are remarkably good, especially for the price. Like Focal, Martin Logan is a high end speaker company dabbling in the HP business.

Let me see if I can get back to you today or tomorrow. I have both the FSP and Mikros 90. I really like them both so it'll be fun to compare the two.

 

[bixby]

Let me see if I can get back to you today or tomorrow. I have both the FSP and Mikros 90. I really like them both so it'll be fun to compare the two.

What a nice gesture and a civil thread.  I read way too much negative stuff in some threads.  I like it when members help each other.
 
I am in a good  mood.  My son is traveling and lost his phone, yet a complete stranger called to get address to return it.  I will certainly pay it forward!
 
Cheers

 

[Stuff Jones]

Let me see if I can get back to you today or tomorrow. I have both the FSP and Mikros 90. I really like them both so it'll be fun to compare the two.

 
Cool, thanks. Looking forward to it. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

Let me see if I can get back to you today or tomorrow. I have both the FSP and Mikros 90. I really like them both so it'll be fun to compare the two.

 
Sweet. I've heard good things about the Mikros 90. Some guy who had all these ultra-high-end headphones mentioned he likes it even more than them!