[Drakemoor]

i'm considering buying a new set of cans and have gone through pretty much all of my options (within my budget of course) and now have my eyes set on the hd600's. I've looked for a few reviews and heard that they are dark and have rolled of treble, which isn't really the sort of sound i look for.

I like a slightly bright/lively sound that isn't too fatiguing, i've considered Grado sr-80's but got turned off by reviews saying they are very bright or even harsh sounding. Despite looking through many other models i cannot seem to settle on something i will like as it seems nearly all headphones in my price range have a weakness that someone will dislike a lot and then write about it.

The only real comparison i have are my hp-890's which i consider to be slightly bright but overall very nice sounding, what i'm looking for is a pair of phone with more detail and better midrange clarity than what these offer whilst not being too 'different'. I'd be more than willing to buy the grado's if someone could reassure me they arn't as bright as people claim (surely if they were so fatiguing then nobody would buy them?)

Can anyone suggest some cans that i may like or would be worth trying (i've managed to quickly audition some 595's, i liked the up front sound but didn't think they were that much of an improvement, i also tried the 650's which sounded better detail wise but didn't have that lively presentation of the 595's)

I'd be very grateful if some wise Head-fier's could point me in th right direction

 

[jar]

The best thing you could do would be to get to a Head-fi meet and listen to a bunch of systems. Where are you located?

 

[xand1x]

Greetings,

It sounds to me, from what your looking for in headphones, that a Beyer Dynamic DT880 or HD600 will satisfy you. The HD600 isn't as dark as the 650 from what I hear on the forums; additionally, you can buy cables that allow you to change certain things about the sound signature as well (Cardas, Equinox, Zu, etc.) From what I understand about the DT800 it has a more forward presentation and the lower end isnt too bad either. If possible you should try and get yourself to a meet

! Easier said than done, at times, but the HD600 and DT880 are quite popular on the forums so this would be a great place to start. If you aren't happy you can always sell them on the forums as well

Regards,

xand1x

 

[lmilhan]

By your own description of what you like/don't like, I would say that you are probably not cut out for the Sennheiser sound. I believe the Grado SR225 can be had (used) for around the same price range as an HD600. Don't be afraid of the Grados, as they have many options available for fine tuning their sound in the form of many different pads, and pad mods. If they are too bright, too dark, too forward, too light in the bass department - all of these things can be changed and tuned with pads. I personally don't think you could go wrong with any Grado model.

NOTE: Some people feel that Grados are too bright/forward, but they certainly aren't for me - they are juuuust right.

Good luck!

P.S. What type of music do you listen to? If it is rock/hard rock/metal/punk, or any other type of loud rockin' music, Grado simply can't be beat IMO.

 

[ken36]

From your off the top description, I would suggest you do not want the HD600s. Listen to these guys. Also it always helps to list what you listen to.

 

[Drakemoor]

I listen to mainly guitar based music like Pink Floyd or Dire Straits, i'll listen to anything and everything but good midrange presentation is what i'm after (and from what i've heard the Grado's are well known to offer this).

There are a few things to take into consideration, i live in the UK so getting new pads might be a problem, this also stops me from attending meets or testing cans before i buy them which is annoying. The first headphone demo i had with the senn's ending up with an odd silence, the guy behind the till looking at me with a "how will you be paying then?" expression on his face

I'm leaning towards the 225's at the moment, i can get them for about the same price as the 600's, just out of curiosity how much do the different pads silence the treble and do they come with bowls as standard?

 

[apostate]

The pads make a big difference. The difference between the bowls and flats are substantial IMO. The flats tame the treble and add quite a bit of bass at the expense of some soundstage and less clarity. The first time I heard my 225s with flats it was like listening to a different headphone.

Reversing the stock bowls (putting them on backwards) is somewhere in between. I think the reversed-bowls tend to be closer to the regular bowls than the flats but opinions vary.

Modified Sennheiser 414 pads are also popular and inexpensive. I don't remember how much but something like $8 IIRC.

All of the current Grados come with bowls except for the SR-60s which come with comfies (most seem to feel they don't sound nearly as good unless they are modified).

Washing the bowls also seems to help a number of people in both the comfort of the pads and slightly tamer highs and a little more bass. To my ears it is a slight but noticeable change.

Ant

 

[applebook]

There's never going to be a consensus when it comes to decisions like these because the fact is that all of the high-end Grados, Beyers, Senns, Sonys, etc. are great cans but only a few of them will really be the "right sound" for any given person.

Some claim that there is a veil and a noticeable mid-high range roll-off on the HD600, but I can't hear it. Good for me.

 

[dknightd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakemoor The only real comparison i have are my hp-890's which i consider to be slightly bright but overall very nice sounding, what i'm looking for is a pair of phone with more detail and better midrange clarity than what these offer whilst not being too 'different'.

If you want something similar to, but better, than the hp890 then
the hd600 might be a good choice for you. I went from the hp890 to
the hd650 a few years ago. Here is what I said about it then

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...hlight=890+650

The difference between hd600 and hd650 is much less than the
difference between either and a low to mid range grado. If you
find the 890 bright I don't think you'd like a grado. The beyer 880
might be a good choice as well. You might want to buy from
someplace that offers a generous return policy so you have a
chance to listen to them for awhile in the comfort of your home (or buy used perhaps).

 

[gerG]

Unfortunately I have never heard the hp890. I did own the hp910, and I kind of miss them.

However, we are talking another level here. Somehow your description brought the DT880 to the front of the fray. From my perspective they would be the obvious choice, except...

...source and amp? The DT880 are a wonderful listen with acoustic and electric (and hybrid) guitar, but they are power hogs.

Another suggestion: a group called Acoustic Alchemy.


gerG

 

[Drakemoor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerG Unfortunately I have never heard the hp890. I did own the hp910, and I kind of miss them. However, we are talking another level here. Somehow your description brought the DT880 to the front of the fray. From my perspective they would be the obvious choice, except... ...source and amp? The DT880 are a wonderful listen with acoustic and electric (and hybrid) guitar, but they are power hogs. Another suggestion: a group called Acoustic Alchemy. gerG

my setup will be emu 0404>CMOY (haven't a clue how well that would drive the 880's)

I've really got my eyes set on sr 225's at the moment regardless of how much i'm telling myself i might not like them. I sort of described the 890's wrong, they're not bright but can be sibilant and glassy sounding at times although for some reason it's become unnoticeable in the last few months.

lol, i unsuccessfully bid on some MS-2's last night, they were at £80, i bid up to £100 within the last few seconds and then called it quits when i was outbid. I'll take some solice knowing i made him spend £20 more than he had to but still a very good deal at that price

 

[l_simon_l]

With your setup I'd stay away from the HD600s. The cmoy won't do it justice, neither will the source.

I think grados/allessandros would be a better choice. I even prefered the cheap Alessandro MS1 to the HD600s when I used the 0404 as source.

 

[cheechoz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drakemoor I listen to mainly guitar based music like Pink Floyd or Dire Straits.

I am listening to Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms, right now through my HD600's. I just got my Cardas cable today, and there is a big difference in the sound quality from the stock cable. I was almost giving up on Senns, until now. The HD600 is an excelent set of cans, I like even better than the 650. Soft rock and pop, sound very good through these cans. If your the type of person that likes to crank up his music most of the time, then the Grados are the way to go. When it's time to listen to quality recordings, then I put on my Senns.

Also remember, that you need juice to get the best out of the 600's.

 

[markeau]

As a drummer, I too was disappointed with the HD600 - it was easy to hear that cymbals and some vocals did not sound right - missing some mid-highs. To be brief, the Sony 7506 is superb - balanced in every way (well to my canals, anyway

... I also tried the 7509 but they had way too much bass. The only negative with these phones are that extended listening makes me hot and ears sweat some - so I have some Etymotic ER6 which sound the exact same but they have to be screwed in so tight they hurt to be repeatedly inserted/removed.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markeau As a drummer, I too was disappointed with the HD600 - it was easy to hear that cymbals and some vocals did not sound right - missing some mid-highs.

Yep, HD600 has a mid-treble dip. To my ears, it just sort of muffles certain drums, etc. rather than making them sound dramatically wrong. Dips to me are not nearly as much an issue as 'humps' (hope that came out sounding OK

).