[grawk]

What happened to the DT770 being the best headphone ever?

 

[intoart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonboy403 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you A/B your D5000 against your HD280 or did you compare them based on memory?

Memory. I did, however, A/B the both D5000s and the K701s vs the DT770s and found the DT770s better than either (at 1/3 and 1/2 the price, respectively.) I don't have a definite preference between the 770s and 280s, though they are a bit different, and I have primarily been listening to the 280s lately (especially after getting my Tascam, which has good synergy with them.)

 

[intoart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif What happened to the DT770 being the best headphone ever?

I never said that. What I said (correctly) is that they are great phones (a very different claim.)
As mentioned above, I consider the 280s and 770s different but equal. Lately I find myself listening to the 280s more.

 

[Uncle Erik]

There is some good high-end gear out there. However, you really have to take a critical look at the equipment. Learn how things work and learn how to price out equipment.

Keep in mind that some audio equipment is nothing more than a status symbol and that fashion plays a much bigger role than technology. Also, there are lots of shills on the boards. It's the best advertising money can buy.

If you strip away the fashion, hype, marketing, and obscene profits, you will find fair deals on quality gear. Keep an eye on the classics and innovative products that have stood the test of time. Most of those are not new products. No matter the glowing reviews and foaming at the mouth fanboys, sometimes you can get the best sound possible from older gear bought cheap.

Audio technology has been stalled for a long time. The last real advances were SACD and DVD-A about ten years ago. There is progress in music servers - which is interesting - but nothing else is going on. Everything is mostly a retread of older designs. The trade rags and paid shills proclaim each new model to be the greatest ever, but it's just more of the same. I was reading a rag yesterday and they made a BIG! DEAL! out of a new speaker that has an electromagnet in its woofer. It was breathlessly described as the latest thing.

A dynamic speaker with an electromagnet instead of a permanent magnet is also known as a field coil speaker. They were developed in the 1920s. Field coils were used because, at the time, permanent magnets weren't very good. This is also the reason ribbons never came into wide use - driving them with electromagnets was incredibly heavy, expensive and hot. That's why dynamic cones were used instead. Anyhow, field coils have been produced for decades and you can still get the from Supravox, Fertin and a few small companies.

So don't get caught in the hype. It only exists to keep this industry alive, it is not a sign of genuine innovation and progress. Buy the classic products used, enjoy them, and put your money mostly towards real investments.

 

[atothex]

Meh, I've had the HD280s and DT770s at the same time. Neither are great, but the DT770s are a hell of a lot better than the HD280s. No doubt about it in my mind.

 

[intoart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epicfailman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, your source/amp ould be the weak link in the chain there, and not the headphones. You mentioned owning some AKGs, but you never said what model. Depending on which one, they can be quite hard to drive so the wrong amp wouldn't give the drivers enough juice to stretch their legs. If my memory is correct, D5000s are not forgiving headphones, so poor quality recordings could really ruin your opinion of it. Also, when dealing with closed headphones, fit can change everything as can be seen by the ATH-W5000s. The Denons are not known for fit issues, but I don't doubt it can happen. Or like has been states before, it really could be that you just prefer the Senn's sound signature. I mean, I like my AD700s better than my friends edition 9s, even though I can tell his is better in every aspect of replicating sound...the edition 9s clamp too much and the soundstage is just not there like it is in the Audio Technicas. So while the D5000s are better than the HD280s, you just may have some issues with their sound.

The amp is a slight possibility, though both of the amps I had then (the Cambridge 340A and the Little Dot I+) are certainly very good.
I have always used an audiophile CD player (first Cambridge 340C, now Tascam CD-160 MK II) as a source, so that was definitely never a weak link.

You are probably right that I simply prefer the HD280 sound signature, quite apart from quality. That seems like the most likely explanation. (Of course, another possibility which seems quite probable to me is that the 280s perform far beyond their price bracket.)

 

[CrazyRay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have always used an audiophile CD player (first Cambridge 340C, now Tascam CD-160 MK II) as a source, so that was definitely never a weak link.

I don’t think that these are quite Audiophile quality?
In my opinion you can do much better than this.

 

[grawk]

It's easy to believe that what you have is as good as it gets if you've never experienced better. If you're happy with what you have, more power to you.

 

[WittyzTH]

I think the OP should read this twice.

It can be applied in the case of your source and amp too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only problem that I see is that you consider the D5000s very expensive. They are in the "high end" of headphones to those used to using earbuds, but after owning the D7000s for a few weeks I would only consider them to be on the high end of the mid-fi scale in the headphone world. There is such a thing as "high end" headphone but you're going to have to spend four figures to be truly blown away. The good thing though is that if you can afford to be without the money in order to experience one, you really stand very little to no risk of losing any of your initial investment. The truly "high end" of headphones rarely ever lose value and tend to actually appreciate over time. In most cases you could look at it as being paid to sample the high end. That's how it has worked for me with many of the ones I have owned over the past few years. Knowing your preferences for solid bass reproduction I would suggest seeking out a Audio Technica L3000 or a Grado PS-1. If you can't find one of those available, or simply can't afford one at this time, try making it to a local meet some time where the truly high end is represented and see just what you're missing. I think you'll be surprised when you hear for yourself that what most people refer to as the last "5-10%" really sounds more like the last 30-40%.

Also, Uncle Erik, as usual, got a good point.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by intoart /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have tried quite a few headphones at a wide range of prices, including the very expensive D5000s. I am back to listening to my $80 HD280s instead. I used to believe that "you get what you pay for", but I no longer think that that is true for headphones. The AKGs were 4X as much as the Sennheisers, the Denons were 6X as much, and neither seemed much better, let alone mind-blowingly better. Is there such a thing as "high end" headphones, or is that just a myth? What would I have to pay for something enough better that I would be unwilling to go back to the HD280s?

Of course theres better, but preference overrides all.. If you really want to get down to it, a person can claim a 70.00 dynamic has more clarity then a high end Stax, & honestly believe it. It's all about perception. If you really get down to it..

 

[wang228]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of course theres better, but preference overrides all.. If you really want to get down to it, a person can claim a 70.00 dynamic has more clarity then a high end Stax, & honestly believe it. It's all about perception. If you really get down to it.

My thought as well.

 

[xaval]

Although my wife can tell the difference between her ipod with stock buds from my Audiolabs with the Senns or Sones she just doesn't give a damn about it and just as long as her stuff works it's all good. Heck, she loves her stock car stereo more then the stuff on the listening room... It settles it for me... and her.

 

[odigg]

What a subjective question the OP has asked!

There are some people who will always say that if you listen to a headphone that costs above $1K attached to a rig that costs $2k you'll realize why people spend so much on headphones.

Then there are people with $300 rig who will listen to the $3K rig and always say the $300 rig sounds just fine and the $3K rig sounds worse or different, not better.

Figure out which group you are in and buy your stuff accordingly. I suspect people from one group will think the people from the other group are a little (or totally) crazy.

Personally, after having heard some of the most talked about, respected, and sought after headphones/rigs on this board, I've ended up in the $300 rig group.

 

[VoLTaG3]

The thing is most of their ears are not exactly "trained" in the sense of knowing how certain instruments should sound. Most people actually think drums on apple earbuds sound like drums in real life....it's sad. Once you learn what to listen for in music and how instruments are suppose to sound true to life then you will easily see why these headphones cost sooo much $$$$$.

Also your source plays a huge roll in the outcome of the sound. Your hi-end headphones are only as good as the weakest link. It's like having a Ferrari engine matched up with cheap aftermarket parts like a transmission, clutch, axels, ect...The Ferrari engine will not reach anywhere near it's true porformance.

 

[Shoewreck]

If more expensive gear doesn't sound better to you - just sit down and relax until you find your current gear lacking something important to you.