[BriX]

Quote:

The W5000 has been panned by both Tyll and here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-hifiman-he-400-added-12-24-12#user_ATHW5000
 
Don't pay $800 (or anything near it) for a can as colored as the something like the M50.  Get the neutral HE 500 or pay a little more and get the darker LCD-2.  In either case you'll need an amp with a decent amount of power.  Pay less and get the HD 650.

Thanks for the info.  I didn't pay anywhere near that much for the M50 (think it was somewhere around $100, about 3-4 years ago).  It's been a fun, tough and a good bombin' around set of cans but I would like to have something better.
 
I have listened to the 650 and it was very nice but my little amp can't power them and I would like to remain lower impendance, higher sensitivity, and as mentioned in my post, closed back, so as wonderful as the LCD-2 and HE-500 are they don't fit my requirements.
 
Regards,
 
- B 

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Had these as well with the Beyer pads, even after I stretched them they were really clampy on my jaw. Loved them otherwise though.

To bad since they have great sound.
 
I'm lucky to have a very small head

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Bumping this one because there's already 4 pages gone
 
Thanks for the help
 
 

M-audio Q40 or Takstar Pro80 would be my suggestion. They're both sub $100. The Q40's has more bass the Pro80's has bigger soundstage (but are by no means bass light,

 

[DemonFox]

Quote:

Hi everybody,
 
Today I was listening to a Beyer T70P through my Leckerton UHA-6S.MKii and I really liked it...but...there were a couple of things that could make it perfect. 
 
First of all what I liked about it:
 
- Very comfortable.  Truly circumaural (I can fit my dumbos under it)
- Nice depth and soundstage.  Sounds like an open-back - breathy, open, and non-fatiguing -  without everyone around me thinking the same (closed back isolation is a plus in my books).
- Very pleasant, balanced mids. 
- Fast. 
- Extremely clear highs.
- Decent bass detail.
- Super-dee-duper-ly easy to power.
 
What would make it better (in my books):
 
- More low and sub bass without sacrificing punch and articulation.
- A little less on the crystal-shattering highs.
- A tiny bit more low-mid purr and mid-range syrupy sweetness.
 
Is there anything out there that can satisfy all of these positives plus my additional requests?
 
If so, can it be done for under $800? 
 
Also, does anyone think that the sibilance and recessed lows were do to my amp pairing.  I was running 16/48 from a downsampled 24/96 flac via USB into the 6S.MKii [OPA627].  I've noticed that running via optical toslink is far more open and analytical but it doesn't improve the bass and sub-bass depth (a welcome change for my M50s but a bit chilly and boogieless on the T70p). 
 
Does anybody have any experience with the ATH-W5000?  The Buyer's Guide says the lows are "punchy and accurate without overextending" however other reviewers have found the bass lacking and recommend it for music favouring 250kHz+up.  On the Audio Technica website someone suggests the ATH-W1000x for anyone looking for a more balanced sound (than the W5000).  Can anyone comment on this?  I only mention AT because I am somewhat familiar and fond with the sound having had M50s.
 
Are there any other good options?  Please let me know. 
 
 
Thanks for your consideration.
 
Best,
 
- B

 
Totally agree with you on all fronts and have asked that exact same question. I loved the T70 oh so much but wish for a little less top end and a little more bottom end. That bass was so sweet but lacked big time in the sub bass department. They fix those two things and leave the huge sound stage and amazing comfort and isolation and they'll have one of the best closed cans on the market.
 
So far my HD650's/D5000's and Arrow 3G are doing the trick something fierce right now as my main cans but I think its time to sell the Denons and start looking for something that matches the T70's features but adds that extra kick in the pants. The Denons may actually be that pair but I still think its time to try something else. 
 
HE-500's or LCD 2's or top of the list but I was hoping something closed but not sure which way to go. TH600's come to mind but that's all I can come up with. 
 
 
Thanks,
 
 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

The W5000 has been panned by both Tyll and here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-hifiman-he-400-added-12-24-12#user_ATHW5000
 
Don't pay $800 (or anything near it) for a can as colored as the something like the M50.  Get the neutral HE 500 or pay a little more and get the darker LCD-2.  In either case you'll need an amp with a decent amount of power.  Pay less and get the HD 650.

Thanks for the info.  I didn't pay anywhere near that much for the M50 (think it was somewhere around $100, about 3-4 years ago).  It's been a fun, tough and a good bombin' around set of cans but I would like to have something better.
 
I have listened to the 650 and it was very nice but my little amp can't power them and I would like to remain lower impendance, higher sensitivity, and as mentioned in my post, closed back, so as wonderful as the LCD-2 and HE-500 are they don't fit my requirements.
 
Regards,
 
- B 

Good luck with your search.  Without a decent amp, your options are greatly limited in the $200 to $300 and up price class.  Your choices for new cans boil down to the Grado/Alessandro family (probably too bright for you), Sonys (probably not enough bass) and [mostly portable] cans designed to play directly out of portable devices.  In that regard you might want to look into the new Denons, like the AH-D600 Music Maniac, which have fallen greatly in price.

 

[kvtaco17]

Whoa waot

Excellent! Happy I could help! Well hell if you want the e17 and e9k I'll sell em to you lol 

Selling them to fund other projects so let me know if your interested.

Good luck!


Thanks,


:evil:

whoa wait how much?

 

[BriX]

Hi DemonFox,
 
Thanks for your response.  The TH600s do look interesting.  By the sound of it they are quite similar to the Beyers.  Good recommendation.  I will keep it in mind.
 
Best,
 
B

 

[BriX]

Quote:

Good luck with your search.  

Thanks.  
 
Quote:

Without a decent amp, your options are greatly limited in the $200 to $300 and up price class.

 
I listened to a Bryston BHA-1 today.  Listening to re-terminated balanced T1s through it sounded fantastic, but listening to the same amp with unbalanced Q701s wasn't just a step down (which it should be) but was quite bad.  The BHA-1 is a decent amp for balanced headphones and mediocre-at-best amp for unbalanced cans.  The Leckerton, while small and modestly powered, is a decent amp for the purpose it is designed to serve.  I have enjoyed the portability of the MKii and I can't tote a wall-wart shackled tube amp around with me.  The fact that my options are limited is heartening.  I would rather have clear, but few, options than a sea of possibilities.    
 
Quote:

  Your choices for new cans boil down to the Grado/Alessandro family (probably too bright for you), Sonys (probably not enough bass) and [mostly portable] cans designed to play directly out of portable devices. 

I've owned Grado's in the past - 325is.  They were a bit bright but nice for some styles - jazz and classical.  They are open back, which is a problem and not terribly comfortable either.  Haven't tried the Alessandro's but I have heard similar things about them (very clear and pure but chilly).  Not sure exactly what you mean by "cans designed to play directly out of portable devices" - low impedance? high dspl/mW sensitivity? IEMs? lousy ones?  I will take a look at the DH600s.  Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Part of this exercise is to find out if what I want actually exists.  According to you it doesn't.  That's valuable information to me.  Perhaps there are others here who agree with you.  I may need to settle on less or upgrade further to get what I want.  Perhaps the Beyer T70Ps are what I really want, I just need to find a better amp pairing?  I hope to get a few opinions on this to make a more informed decision.
 
 
Thanks again for your thoughts.
 
Sincerely,
 
- B 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Without a decent amp, your options are greatly limited in the $200 to $300 and up price class.

 
I listened to a Bryston BHA-1 today.  Listening to re-terminated balanced T1s through it sounded fantastic, but listening to the same amp with unbalanced Q701s wasn't just a step down (which it should be) but was quite bad.  The BHA-1 is a decent amp for balanced headphones and mediocre-at-best amp for unbalanced cans.  The Leckerton, while small and modestly powered, is a decent amp for the purpose it is designed to serve.  I have enjoyed the portability of the MKii and I can't tote a wall-wart shackled tube amp around with me.  The fact that my options are limited is heartening.  I would rather have clear, but few, options than a sea of possibilities.    
 
Quote:

  Your choices for new cans boil down to the Grado/Alessandro family (probably too bright for you), Sonys (probably not enough bass) and [mostly portable] cans designed to play directly out of portable devices. 

...  Not sure exactly what you mean by "cans designed to play directly out of portable devices" - low impedance? high dspl/mW sensitivity? IEMs? lousy ones?  I will take a look at the DH600s.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 
The Bryston is about a $1,400 amp.  There are a great many options priced far below it, both in desktop and portable form, that will properly drive almost any can on the market today.  Just saying--spending $100 to $250 on a portable amp can put a great many quality cans into play.
 
Yes--"cans designed to play directly out of portable devices" means low to medium Ohm rated cans with sensitivity of about 100 dB and above.  This is not the IEM section of the forum, so I was not talking about them.  That leaves us with portable cans (generally on ear), full sized cans designed for use on the go and lifestyle cans.  Some are quite good (e.g. Senn Amperior).  Some are good, but overpriced relative to their performance--like the Beyer T5p (the similarly priced T1 blows it away) or T70P (the much cheaper DT 880 wipes the floor with it).  A large number of others are bad to mediocre. 

 

[ChrisAfric]

Hello guys! I am just planning to buy a new pair of headphones and I'm using ATH M50 at the moment.
 
Below are my details:
 
- My budget is = $300 - $400
- I prefer OPEN and Over the Ear cans.
- I am going to use this basically for my PC most of the time.
- I have an Asus Xonar STX.
- I'll be using this for 50% gaming and 50% music.
- I prefer the type of headphones which is an "all around" type of cans as I listen to many genres of music. I am not really an audiophile but I really do notice the difference when I use my ATH M50 and other headphones. The sound that my M50 produces is really good or pleasant to my ears.
 
What I'm interested at the moment is Beyerdynamic DT880 and comparing it with Sennheisser HD598. Hope to hear more suggestion from you guys!
 
Thanks!

 

[jchuillier]

Quote:

M-audio Q40 or Takstar Pro80 would be my suggestion. They're both sub $100. The Q40's has more bass the Pro80's has bigger soundstage (but are by no means bass light,

Thanks for the tips, can anyone tell me how these 2 would relate to an AKG 518 LE ? Since it's the one I'm most used to so that I can start to compre in my mind
 
Thanks again

 

[peter123]

Quote:

Thanks for the tips, can anyone tell me how these 2 would relate to an AKG 518 LE ? Since it's the one I'm most used to so that I can start to compre in my mind
 
Thanks again

Sorry haven't heard the 518 LE's. Hopefully someone else can be of help.
 
You could also ask in the Q40 or Takstar thread for a better chance to get a good answer:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/275459/m-audio-q40-impressions-long-w-pics/915#post_9339586
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/585356/the-takstar-technical-pro-gemini-greathon-thread/720#post_9339317

 

[LockBR]

Quote:

 
I thinked on DT990 to. Or a cheapest option like DT770 Pro.
 
So, what's the final word? DT990 for both options?
 
I'll probably get them here at Head.Fi, with another member. 
 
The DT990 is a good choice for music? (Hip-hop, dance, psy, instrumental, jazz) I know they are awesome for movies, but..
 
What you suggest if i buy one for each option?

 
@DemonFox or anyone could help this poor guy? 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hello guys! I am just planning to buy a new pair of headphones and I'm using ATH M50 at the moment.
 
Below are my details:
 
- My budget is = $300 - $400
- I prefer OPEN and Over the Ear cans.
- I am going to use this basically for my PC most of the time.
- I have an Asus Xonar STX.
- I'll be using this for 50% gaming and 50% music.
- I prefer the type of headphones which is an "all around" type of cans as I listen to many genres of music. I am not really an audiophile but I really do notice the difference when I use my ATH M50 and other headphones. The sound that my M50 produces is really good or pleasant to my ears.
 
What I'm interested at the moment is Beyerdynamic DT880 and comparing it with Sennheisser HD598. Hope to hear more suggestion from you guys!
 
Thanks!

I don't know your sound card and will assume it does not have an amp feature.  If that is true, the HD 598 is your better choice, especially since gaming will be 50% of your use.  Even with the 598 you may have to pick up an amp to get the best from it.
 
The AD900 and AD900X are more efficient than the HD 598 and are worth a look/listen too.

 

[TerminatorT1000]

What is your budget?
 
Up to $200
 
Are you OK with open cans (they leak sound)?
 
No, closed cans definitely
 
What equipment will be powering these cans?  Will you be using an amp?
 
my desktop using integrated sound from the motherboard. Might get an amp but I don't know very much about them.
 
What is the format of your music and other sounds you will putting into these cans?
 
320kbps MP3s and FLAC.
 
Describe the sound signature that you are seeking?
If you don't know your preferred sound signature (and even if you do), what genres of music do you plan to run through these cans?
 
I listen mostly to classic rock (Styx, Pink Floyd, Foreigner, et. cetera), some electronic and house, occasional dubstep, and some harder rock.
 
Do you plan to use them outside your home?  If so, in what way & with what equipment?
 
I do plan to use them outside my home, but not too often, they'll be mostly indoor use, but I have roommates and don't want to bother them with too much leakage.  Outside of home they would be powered with the samsung galaxy s3 or an ipod touch.  I don't know much about amps so if there are any suggestions I'll consider them.