[fabio-fi]

Im selling my HD-25's. I think im ready for the next level.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Im selling my HD-25's. I think im ready for the next level.

good luck.

 

[OK-Guy]

finally got my Amperior's today, these are for portable use only (can't get on with buds).... got to say perhaps these weren't 'made for iPod' afterall... perhaps the label should read 'made for Walkman Z'... I've had them on a continuous burn-in with my WM-X for approx 11hours, the differences in sound are really apparent (always thought that was in peoples minds, before head-fi like) though I've only listened to a few tracks but the synergy between the WM-Z & the Amp's is very impressive (not so much with WM-X, probably because that's a warm DAP)... looking forward to the bass becoming punchier and a bit more at the top-end which sounds a lil recessed at present... I'm liking these.

 

[StratocasterMan]

Windsor, I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed your impressions here. As a newcomer to the Head-Fi world, but not a newcomer to music appreciation, I decided to purchase the ATH-M50 (white w/ coiled cord) a couple months ago. I did quite a bit of reading first. I had never ventured beyond the $30 price range in headphones prior to that. At the same time, I purchased a FiiO E17 DAC / amp, having never owned a DAC or an amp previously. For me, the combined purchase was more than I had ever previously thought about spending on a headphone rig.
 
I am still in the honeymoon phase, and I'm thrilled with the ATH-M50 / FiiO E17 combination. It provides the best sound I have ever heard through headphones, and I'm enjoying it immensely. It was thanks to my reading on Head-Fi that I decided to purchase these items and hear what they could do. It was a huge upgrade in sound for me and I couldn't be happier with my purchases.
 
Now I'm hooked, and I know down the road I'll be upgrading again. I'm so glad you included the ATH-M50, because it confirmed for me that I'm getting approximately the performance out of my gear that I was expecting. I'm encouraged by the performance of the ATH-M50 against such lofty competition, and it makes me feel that I shopped wisely given my budget.
 
You managed to cover most of the headphone models I've been reading about as I daydream about my next step up to even better gear. In a perfect world, I wish the HD 650 as well as the popular HiFiMAN models and maybe the Beyerdynamic T1 could have been included in your comparison, but you covered almost all the bases for me. Your comparison and impressions have been very helpful to me as I contemplate my next moves on the way to sonic nirvana. Thanks.

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

Windsor, I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed your impressions here. As a newcomer to the Head-Fi world, but not a newcomer to music appreciation, I decided to purchase the ATH-M50 (white w/ coiled cord) a couple months ago. I did quite a bit of reading first. I had never ventured beyond the $30 price range in headphones prior to that. At the same time, I purchased a FiiO E17 DAC / amp, having never owned a DAC or an amp previously. For me, the combined purchase was more than I had ever previously thought about spending on a headphone rig.
 
I am still in the honeymoon phase, and I'm thrilled with the ATH-M50 / FiiO E17 combination. It provides the best sound I have ever heard through headphones, and I'm enjoying it immensely. It was thanks to my reading on Head-Fi that I decided to purchase these items and hear what they could do. It was a huge upgrade in sound for me and I couldn't be happier with my purchases.
 
Now I'm hooked, and I know down the road I'll be upgrading again. I'm so glad you included the ATH-M50, because it confirmed for me that I'm getting approximately the performance out of my gear that I was expecting. I'm encouraged by the performance of the ATH-M50 against such lofty competition, and it makes me feel that I shopped wisely given my budget.
 
You managed to cover most of the headphone models I've been reading about as I daydream about my next step up to even better gear. In a perfect world, I wish the HD 650 as well as the popular HiFiMAN models and maybe the Beyerdynamic T1 could have been included in your comparison, but you covered almost all the bases for me. Your comparison and impressions have been very helpful to me as I contemplate my next moves on the way to sonic nirvana. Thanks.

 
Hi, and thanks for saying about the review - I'm glad it was helpful to you.

The M50 is a great value headphone that I find very enjoyable and I wish you continued enjoyment of that and the E17 (I'm thinking of getting one of those for portable use). 

I would have loved to include the T1 in the comparison, but I never managed to get a hold of one for it - the T1's definitely a high-quality headphone that's well worth a listen (or five).
 
Re. adio nirvana, I'd say that there's no perfect headphone. For me it's all about what is enjoyable to listen with, which is often any headphone that I forget I'm wearing as the music takes precedence.
 
I'm really happy with the HD 800 as my main headphone these days and if I was to re-do the comparison I would probably rate each headphone slightly differently, with the HD 800 ranking slightly higher. The main reservation I had about in the comparison was its lack of bass weight relative to the other headphones, but the quality of the HD 800's bass is so excellent that I just enjoy it! 

 

[vlach]

Great review and comparisons Windsor!

I am expecting my HD700 to arrive early next week and had not seen this thread at the time i purchased them. Needless to say it is very re-assuring to see how well you ranked them, especially given the fact that I was unable to hear them before buying them and relied entirely on impressions from other owners.

I did hear the HD800 twice and to me they are the best headphones I heard so far. In particular I was very impressed with the clarity, resolution, detail & speed. If I had to criticize anything about them I would say they could sound just a tad richer and/or fuller. This is why I have great expectations from the HD7000 based on your comments about the improved bass and body compared to the HD800. Hopefully they turn out to be all that.

Regardless, I will post my impressions shortly after receiving them. I also hope to have an opportunity to compare them against the T1 in order to decide which one I ultimately prefer...

 

[jim wong]

hey bro ? can u suggest me hd600 or amperior ..which one is better? cos i confused between this two ... hope u can tell me .. thk you 

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

hey bro ? can u suggest me hd600 or amperior ..which one is better? cos i confused between this two ... hope u can tell me .. thk you 

 
Hi -
 
Neither the HD 600 or Amperior is 'better,' because what I think is better you might not. Here are some pointers though.
 
The HD 600 is an open headphone that is very neutral-sounding and excellent with a wide variety of musical styles. The Amperior is more closed with a more intense sound that is also suitable for a wide variety of musical styles, but isn't as adept at effectively replicating the soundstage (placement of instruments) in recordings such as classical and some jazz.
 
The Amperior is an excellent portable headphone; the HD 600 is less suited to portable use.
 
I hope this helps.

 

[jim wong]

oic..okok thk you bro 

 

[avoshake]

Hey Windsor, really like the review.

I'm wondering how you would rate the impact/presence of M50 bass compared to the HD600 as an open phone. I haven't had a chance to really listen to some decent open phones and am wondering how the bass differs between higher tier open phones vs cheaper closed.

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

Hey Windsor, really like the review.

I'm wondering how you would rate the impact/presence of M50 bass compared to the HD600 as an open phone. I haven't had a chance to really listen to some decent open phones and am wondering how the bass differs between higher tier open phones vs cheaper closed.

 
The M50 has much more sub-bass and overall impact than the HD 600, which presents bass - and other sonic regions - with a softness that is neutral-sounding and well-balanced across the entire frequency range.
 
As a generalization, in higher tier open headphones I have heard, the bass has had more clarity/detail and air/spaciousness, and a natural sound. In cheaper closed headphones I have heard the bass has relatively lacked clarity/detail and air/spaciousness and sounded more unnatural probably due to a number of factors such as tuning inc. cup resonance and frequency response. 

 

[TMRaven]

Open cans tend to have sub-bass rolloff. You'd need to venture into the highest end of open headphones or planar magnetics in general to have close to the same extension as m50-- m50's bass extends very well, but is a bit bloated.

 

[avoshake]

Thanks Windsor and TMRaven for the informative feedback

 

[Windsor]

I just posted a review of the Amperior: http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-amperior-on-ear-headphones/reviews/7081

 

[Dionysus]

Very nice right up extremely informative I'm giving the hd700 a shot after reading this, although I just re purchased the hd650 I want to hear if they are my cup of tea. I am finding the muddy bass on the hd650 not for me and I hope the hd700 resolve that.