[commando]

Ok, I heard HD600s today, and i'm finally ready to get myself some open cans, even though I probably won't get much use out of them. Any thoughts on which one I should get? I'm leaning towards the 595s as they're quite a lot cheaper. I like headphones to have deep strong bass and reasonably strong highs too.

Thoughts? I'll order from somewhere in the states that'll deliver to NZ, maybe headroom or todd.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Many people think the 595 sounds a lot like the A900, which means you'd probably like them, but also means one or the other would be redundant, and what's the sense in having two nearly identical sounding cans?

 

[commando]

I've read a few people say they're similar and switching wouldn't really be an upgrade. I heard the HD600s today, they definitely have lower and stronger bass than the A900s, and probably a little more detail too, and the 600s were brand new and not burned in.

I heard 570s a while back, before I had A900s, and really liked the sound.

Not sure now if i'll bother - kinda expensive if they're a sidestep from the A900s.

 

[Helter Skelter]

I love my HD595s and think thy're great, but they don't have a whole lot in the bass punch department. This can be remedied to a degree with a good amp and some EQ adjustment (to the point that I'm more than happy with them), but they still might not be for you in that respect. They do have great highs without being overly bright or fatiguing, though.

 

[nierika]

Why won't you get much use out of a pair of open cans? Too noisy in your listening area? I definitely prefer open-back unless I need the isolation.

I've never heard the 600s but used to own the 595s and currently own the 650s. The 595s have good bass but the deep bass is not as powerful as the 650. Helter Skelter mentioned EQing the 595s but I didn't think they handled a bass boost very well (slight increase in distortion). As far as "reasonably strong highs" goes, the 595s have that, but I'm not sure about the 600s (I've read they're brighter than the 650s stock?). Maybe you could throw the 590s into the mix? They're quite a bit cheaper since the 5x5 series came out and would definitely deliver on the bass and highs (with a hit to the midrange).

 

[commando]

Yeah it's kinda noisy where I listen (at work), but I might get some and just swap between open and closed as the noise levels dictate. From what I heard with well burned in 590s, I prefer the sound of open cans.

Can anyone compare the A900 bass with the 595s?

 

[Helter Skelter]

Well, it wasn't so much a bass "boost" as I performed the boost and then zeroed it so the highest point on the EQ is at 0dB. I don't hear any clipping or distortion when doing an A/B comparison of the EQ on or off. Bass boost on my little Sony PCDP is another story. Yech.

Nicest improvement was putting the AD8620/10 opamps in my Classic, though. The OPA2227/227 combo was very nice, but the AD8620/10 pairing added just a touch of bass punch that was still missing without sacrificing any detail elsewhere.

 

[nierika]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando Yeah it's kinda noisy where I listen (at work), but I might get some and just swap between open and closed as the noise levels dictate. From what I heard with well burned in 590s, I prefer the sound of open cans. Can anyone compare the A900 bass with the 595s?

I went from A900s->595s (the original 120ohm model). From memory, the 595s bass was tighter (even unamped) with a more even bass response.

 

[commando]

Hmmm. From the comments i'm not sure it's a worthwhile upgrade. I'd love to have some open cans, but I wonder if these are the ones for me. Or if I should bother at all. The A900s are good, but to me, they're not "OMG this is amazing" good, which is what i'm after.

 

[acs236]

I don't want to influence you too much -- you may know my thoughts on the 595. I did review them on your site. But my thoughts aside (taken with a grain of sale, etc.), I don't think the 595s are cans that will be "'OMG this is amazing' good" -- they're just not that exciting. Whether you want to call this being neutral or not, I think it's objectively true.

I should add that I've found the 595 to be very amp dependent, and they do sound enjoyable out of at least one of the amps that I own. What amp will you be using?

 

[commando]

Yeah i've read all the reviews on my site.... thanks

I'll ponder this for a while... my bank ballance is still recovering from xmas! I heard the HD600s today and it was a bit of a rush decision... i'll sleep on it

 

[Nak Man]

If you like good and punchy bass then 580/600 would suit your preference better. HD595 have more neutral (or to some, leaner) bass but you can still feel the good vibration. However, 595 strength lies in the midrange and details area - in addition to more forward presentation. And I believe those are also major differences between 595 and 900.

If you want a complete and thorough transformation, get the 650 - they combine both 595 and 600 good traits and extend them further. Recent price drop made 650 priced at 1.5x 595 and imo put the price/performance ahead of 595. Save a bit more and get the best of both worlds.

With 580 I remember turning down volume when listening to one particular song - with 595 I completed entire song blissfully, while with 650 I didn't even think about the volume control at all.

 

[acs236]

These are good points. In many ways, I prefer the 595's bass to the 580/600, because the latter have what to me is a very annoying mid-bass hump, so I prefer the neutral bass presentation of the 595. Because the 650 smoothed out the 580/600 hump, I prefer them all things considered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nak Man If you like good and punchy bass then 580/600 would suit your preference better. HD595 have more neutral (or to some, leaner) bass but you can still feel the good vibration. However, 595 strength lies in the midrange and details area - in addition to more forward presentation. And I believe those are also major differences between 595 and 900. If you want a complete and thorough transformation, get the 650 - they combine both 595 and 600 good traits and extend them further. Recent price drop made 650 priced at 1.5x 595 and imo put the price/performance ahead of 595. Save a bit more and get the best of both worlds. With 580 I remember turning down volume when listening to one particular song - with 595 I completed entire song blissfully, while with 650 I didn't even think about the volume control at all.