[bluestreek]

I recently bought the HD595 and after burning them in for several hundred hours I have to say that they are crap. They sound great for music with no vocals. They sound great for gaming and movies.
 
BUT when I listen to them for normal music it sounds like the instruments are absolutely overpowering the vocals.
 
When I listen to my ipod headphones I can hear the vocals really clearly like the musician is singing right to me and the instruments are in the background. Is this how all high end headphones are? Does anyone else have this experience. Struggling to hear what the singer is singing absolutley ruins most of my music for me and gives me a monster headache.
 
Any suggestions for other headphones?

 

[idletime1213]

Defective unit? The HD595 should trounce the ipod earphones every way till Sunday in every acoustic measure except size.

 

[tnmike1]

what are you using??  iPod amped??  Unamped??  This is the first I've read of these 'phones not performing well, so just wondering if amped or unamped and if amped are youusing portable amp or something larger?

 

[Vitor Machado]

Quote:

what are you using??  iPod amped??  Unamped??  This is the first I've read of these 'phones not performing well, so just wondering if amped or unamped and if amped are youusing portable amp or something larger?

But... they're supposed to work well unamped right? (I'll buy an HD555 soon and plan to use them unamped

)
 
Maybe the OP forgot an U-shaped EQ active on the iPod or something?

 

[bluestreek]

I have used them amped with fiio e7, out of zune hd, and out of my pc with and without an external soundcard. I also cant tell any sort of differance between playing flac and 128kbps mp3.
 
For example one of my favorite bands is Keane - I really don't like listening to them with the hd595 as I really struggle to hear what the singer is singing over the instruments. This makes them quite fatiguing to listen to.
 
EDIT: 
Just switched my headphones between senns and ibuds during 100 years - five for fighting. Sounds better on ibuds. It definately sounds flatter but the vocals are far clearer on my ibuds.

 

[Vitor Machado]

Quote:

I also cant tell any sort of differance between playing flac and 128kbps mp3.

I'm not trying to be an a-hole, but I can do that even with my $20 Philips straight to my onboard audio.
 
Maybe you really got a defective unit, or maybe your ears are too used to crappy iBuds sound, I don't know really...

 

[bluestreek]

Quote:

Quote:

I also cant tell any sort of differance between playing flac and 128kbps mp3.

I'm not trying to be an a-hole, but I can do that even with my $20 Philips straight to my onboard audio.
 
Maybe you really got a defective unit, or maybe your ears are too used to crappy iBuds sound, I don't know really...

I listened to my friends hd25-II and they sound incredible. I can tell on nice speakers. Also the 595 just hurts to listen to. I really don't get it.
 

 

[Melvins]

.....wow this is weird. You definitely don't need an amp for those

 

[Tablo]

Maybe the OP got a fake unit?

 

[Melvins]

or he's deaf haha jk.

 

[bluestreek]

Quote:

Maybe the OP got a fake unit?

 


Quote:

or he's deaf haha jk.

 

 

[ldtboyl]

Maybe this the OP is just trolling

 

[bluestreek]

Quote:

Maybe this the OP is just trolling

................
 
Im just trying to understand why I hate my $150 headphones

 

[Region2]

I owned the HD555 and gave them away because I didn't care for the veiled sound.  The vocals also sounded a bit muffled to me, but as I was listening heavily to the very forward Grado during that bit, it stands to reason that I didn't care for that dark signature at that moment.
 
I wouldn't be so quick to call a person a troll.  This is a subjective hobby.  The OP doesn't care for the HD595.  You'd be better off selling them and moving to another pair of headphones that work for you.  Since you like the HD25-II, you already have a good place to start.

 

[ssavage]

where did you buy them from?