[eightbitpotion]

Okay, the order is going to be placed in two days (wednesday night). I have four choices. I need you guys to help me...I need the input...I need the skilled ears!

For starters, let me say what I like: I love MOST music, but mainly electro (Goldenboy, Miss Kittin, DJ Hell...etc), Trip-Hop (Massive Attack, Portishead, Lamb), Trance, ACOUSTIC guitars...(I can't stress this enough), Crisp sounding stuff. Okay, so what do I like in my phones? I love the MASSIVE soundstage, HIGH clarity, PUNCHY bass, pretty even frequency response...I'm not too much of a bass head anymore but I DO EQ the bass up every now and then for some trance (hard to distort is a plus). Most important for me since I obviously described perfect headphones- I love the MASSIVE soundstage, crystal clear sounds, and of course something that sounds organic all around!

Beyerdynamic DT990 - I hear they can be rough sounding depending on what you're listening to and what you're driving them with. I'll be building a millett hybrid soon, so hopefully it's still in the league

. I hear they also have some problems with the highs rolling off...and that's a problem if I'm listening to some classical or some unusual electro.

Sennheiser HD650 - You all knew this was coming. I hear they can be very warm, but I'm not really sure if that's what I'm looking for...it once was, but now I'm going for a crisp sound more than anything. These are really class-A though, and is a dangerous combo with a millett hybrid x_x.

AKG K701 - This is pretty much what I'm leaning towards right now...very massive soundstage, very crisp, very "airy": so it'll be great for acoustic, classical, and electro. I'm not sure how they'd handle...say trance or house music. Any thoughts on this? I'm also not sure what to expect when I amp these suckers up.

UE Super.fi.5 - These are just being thrown in because I ADORE IEMs. I'm not sure though, I have some nice canal buds now, and I don't know if it'd be worth it to invest in these since I doubt they'd have the type of soundstage I'm looking for. (these would be ran at home)

I know I've made a post in the past about this, but it had some other phones in it. I'm nervous and excited to retire my HD485s

. If there's something bad to be said about the K701s...throw it at me because like I said: I'm leaning towards them. Okay thanks for anyone that throws their input in. I can't wait!

 

[EsthetiX]

For me it was definitely the 990's and I listen to a lot of unique deep and lush, yet full detailed range of character electronic that is heavy on ambience/reverb. I think I would grab the Atrio M5's between those and the UE's (but theyre a lot uglier).

 

[Assorted]

In my opinion the 650's do not have a huge soundstage, but it has a bigger punch than the 701's. Classical is better with 650's, again in my opinion.

I haven't heard the DT990, but have you considered Grado (like an RS1)? Not as warm as 650 or airy as 701, but it has a nice rock punch and a quite large soundstage.

 

[eightbitpotion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif In my opinion the 650's do not have a huge soundstage, but it has a bigger punch than the 701's. Classical is better with 650's, again in my opinion. I haven't heard the DT990, but have you considered Grado (like an RS1)? Not as warm as 650 or airy as 701, but it has a nice rock punch and a quite large soundstage.

Yes, but I'm not a fan of how the Grados sit on your ears :-\.

Which one is the most textured and detailed out of the 4?

 

[blessingx]

What amp are you going to be running your choice with?

 

[eightbitpotion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif What amp are you going to be running your choice with?

A millett hybrid.

 

[eightbitpotion]

I'm actually very suprised that NO ONE is voting on the K701s. I'm not sure if that's because they SOUND bad or if it's because not too many people own them. I've been reading reviews comparing the three for the past two or three hours.... (I've read about 10 now)... I keep reading that the K701s have a much higher detail, but it's probably due to the lack of warmness that are apparent with the HD650s. I'm also reading that the K701s LACK bass in comparison to the 650s and 990s....but I'm not a basshead, so I'm not sure if this affects me that much or not. :-\ Wow, when you're talking about half of your check for some headphones....it's a really REALLY hard decision v_v. Thanks for everyone that's voted so far!

 

[Jeff E]

I have owned all 4 that you name. The only one still in my stable is the 701 so you know my personal preference.

You mention that you want Quote:

HIGH clarity, PUNCHY bass, pretty even frequency response.

To my ears in my rig the 701s are the clearest and offer the most even frequency response. For punchy bass the UESF5P win and the DT990s are second. I can't comment on soundstage, or organic sound.

Frankly, I am surprised that you did not consider the DT880 instead of the DT990s.

 

[eightbitpotion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff E /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have owned all 4 that you name. The only one still in my stable is the 701 so you know my personal preference. You mention that you want To my ears in my rig the 701s are the clearest and offer the most even frequency response. For punchy bass the UESF5P win and the DT990s are second. I can't comment on soundstage, or organic sound. Frankly, I am surprised that you did not consider the DT880 instead of the DT990s.

The DT880s were apart of my process of elimination. I saw the 990s to have a more organic sound from charts (correct me if I'm wrong). I read a couple of reviews that claimed that the 880s were simply not up to par with the new 990s...but not in quailty... just in resolution.

 

[eightbitpotion]

Can someone compare the bass to another headphone on the K701 after burnin? I am just finding reviews that say it's "Not as warm as the HD650s"....and that doesn't cut it for me because those are pretty flippin warm O_o. Also, do ANY of these cans flip out with a good amount of EQ? Which ones are easier and more acceptable to EQing?

 

[holland]

Don't know if this will help, but...

 

[eightbitpotion]

Yeah I've already compared frequencies...too many times to count .

 

[Jeff E]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightbitpotion /img/forum/go_quote.gif The DT880s were apart of my process of elimination. I saw the 990s to have a more organic sound from charts (correct me if I'm wrong).

I don't understand what you mean. Can you express this with different words?



Quote:

I read a couple of reviews that claimed that the 880s were simply not up to par with the new 990s...but not in quailty... just in resolution.

I did not find this to be the case. The DT990 that I owned for a couple of weeks did not strike me as more resolving than either the 2003 or the 2005 DT880. I can see where the DT990 ccould be heard as having a slightly emphasized treble, particularly on harsh recordings. I make no claim that my ears are better than anyone else's and I would welcome others' perceptions on this matter. Can you provide links to these reviews of which you speak?

 

[NiceCans]

Many will say that the K701 does not have the bass needed for some of the genres that the OP listed,

but . . . since you said you occaisionaly will EQ up the Bass I should add that the K701 has shown me it has the potential to output a great deal of bass when pushed to do so, in spite of normally being more "mild mannered" and well-balanced.

 

[eightbitpotion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff E /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't understand what you mean. Can you express this with different words? I did not find this to be the case. The DT990 that I owned for a couple of weeks did not strike me as more resolving than either the 2003 or the 2005 DT880. I can see where the DT990 ccould be heard as having a slightly emphasized treble, particularly on harsh recordings. I make no claim that my ears are better than anyone else's and I would welcome others' perceptions on this matter. Can you provide links to these reviews of which you speak?

I'm still looking for the review...I've looked at about 50 reviews on these phones in the past 2 days :-\. I do remember it being the trebles that made the 990s more resolved (from what they said)...and I checked out the frequency response and it backs up the statement (mainly around 16khz-19khz). The bass looks like it may be overwhelming for the 990s though, and that's where the 880s seem like they'd pay off for the reference listeners...more of a true to the source sound than the 990s. I need to find a store that sells so I can compare them right next to eachother :-\. I'm throwing the 880s in the mix unofficially...

What do they go for now?