Headphone recommendations? Tried Senn 595 and am on the fence

[tomjonesrocks]

I'm currently "auditioning" headphones for home and in-the-office (through a PC w/Audigy 2) as well as Ipod use, and somehow while searching reviews, etc., I ran across this site. It rocks!

I'm new to "quality" headphones, but after researching Amazon.com reviews I wound up pulling the trigger on Sennheiser 595s for $180 because they supposedly could be powered by low-output sources, and really had glowing reviews.

I found the "detail" on the 595s to be wonderful. However, I listen to primarily "alternative" rock and for that, I just can't help but miss the depth (unrealistic depth?) of other (lower end) 'phones I've heard. As tight and crisp as these headphones sound in the upper and midranges, they don't really blow me away--the sound doesn't fill out the way it seems it should to my ears. For $180 I thought I'd be stoked. In conventional terms, it sounds to me like I'm listening to a incredible, high-end speaker setup but the subwoofer needs to be adjusted upwards a couple notches. I'm just not totally satisfied I guess. I could invest in a headphone amp and keep these if that would help, but while I am still in my return period I've decided to audition a few more pairs and keep which ones I like the best and return the others.

Does anyone have any suggestions to offer based on my opinion above? Is there something in the $180-ish (or even slightly more $) that has similar clarity to the 595s but with a stronger low end / fuller sound?

So far I've definitely decided to give Grado SR60 a test run and have already ordered those. Beyer DT990 is a 'phone I'm curious about but haven't found a retailer with a liberal return policy. Ditto with Audio-Technica ATH-A900. Senn HD650 seems extremely well reviewed here, but I don't know how much different those are from the 595s I've already got, and at $200 more, that's a lot of extra money. Also I don't know about how they do with low-output devices.

Any more suggestions? Thanks...

 

[apostate]

My 120 Ohm 595s sound pretty anemic without an amp wrt to bass. Not sure how much better the 50 Ohm versions respond but bass is perfect for me with an amp.

That being said, I don't think it's ever going to compare to the overpowering boomy bass found in a lot of consumer gear.

IMO, with an amp, it's very well balanced with mids/highs, pretty tight and a little lower on bass impact compared to my 225s w flat pads (but then so far every headphone I've tried so far hasn't had quite the impact of the 225s w flats). Definitely doesn't sound thin to me when amped, when unamped mine's pretty lifeless.

Todd the Vinyl Junkie and Headroom both have nice return policies and are sponsers (see the links at top).

Also, older DT-990s sold through Amazon pretty cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8

Even though Amazon acts as a middle-man, looks like you get a little more protection than you might otherwise (definitely read the whole agreement though, some additional conditions to consider).

Ant

 

[Spaceage]

I've had the HD595s for about 2 weeks now. I bought them for the same reason as you, to run directly out of my Sony HD5 portable. My advice is to get yourself a pair of Grados for listening to your alternative rock and keep the Senns for everything else.

My Allesandro MS1s are a generally better for rock, but not always. "OK Computer" is clearly better on the MS1s, but I prefer "The Bends" on the HD595s. The key thing is that they sound different enough to cover a lot of options in my music library.

Also, if you feel like you aren't getting enough bass kick, just eq the bass up slightly. A lot of people here are about keeping it flat, but there is nothing wrong with tuning the sound to your taste.

I've also used the PA2V2 portable amp with the HD595 and it doesn't sound any better, just different. I could reproduce the sound by bumping up the bass and midrange in the EQ and lowering the treble. It will give you higher volumes, but with a 50ohm HD595 it isn't necessary.

 

[lostbobby]

nobody mentioned AKG K501, I just got them and listened a couple days (started burnin, then I had to leave them at home). Quite nice with a good amp and bass equalized up a bit, tho people's experiences here seem to be varied as to the bass. Lots of threads in head-fi

 

[azncookiecutter]

How about a pair of Grados? They seem to be more suited to rock, compared at least to the HD595s. Maybe perhaps a pair of SR225s, or MS-1 with a cheap amp, like a PIMETA or PA2V2. A high current amp really helps with the bass on Grados.

 

[Murdoch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apostate Also, older DT-990s sold through Amazon pretty cheap: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8 Ant

The dt-990 was my first thought too. Reputed to have much better (read: more) bass than the 595. Don't know how detailed it is compared to the 595, but should be suitable for the kind of music you like.

 

[StealthR6]

Yea the AKG K501 are my fav can right now..but if he wants bass then this is not the can for him. Maybe something like an AT A900 or DT770/80 Pro... the beyer will need an amp though. The PA2V2 for $60 pairs up pretty good w/ it.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murdoch The dt-990 was my first thought too. Reputed to have much better (read: more) bass than the 595. Don't know how detailed it is compared to the 595, but should be suitable for the kind of music you like.

Having owned the pre 2005 DT990pro and DT770pro, I can safely say that I enjoy the DT770pro more. The bass on the DT990pro is too boomy (seems to be the enclouser design causing this problem (some cleaver modding could fix this)).

At any rate, the old version of the DT770pro can still be found for their closeout price of about 170$. You may want to add this to your list of headphones to demo. They have the low end that you want, plus they have a very nice and fun sound to them despite their slightly recessed mids that lend themself decent to rock headphones (perhapse more suited than the sennheiser house sound).

I have mine with a little PA2v2, and have no complaints about being able to drive them (250ohm version).

The higher end grados are worth a look too (225, 325i), although the comfort may be an issue for you.

 

[tomjonesrocks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Towert7 I have mine with a little PA2v2, and have no complaints about being able to drive them (250ohm version).

Will check him out. Is PA2V2 better than say, a PINT, CMoy, etc.? Kind of not too familiar with the portable amp scene (yet) but am quite interested. Definitely will purchase something soon.

Thanks!
Scott

 

[TomH]

Relative to the other cans I own and have tried, the 595s (50ohm) have particularly articulate and deep bass. I learned within two weeks of owning them that they need a suitable amp. High impedance integrateds and receivers render them boomy beyond belief. The iPod limits their extension a bit. I get equally satisfying performance from 2006 Total Bithead ($199), Gilmore Lite ($300), and Micro/DM ($300). The Micro has the most bass and the G-lite the tightest, but with this can the Bithead really sounds good.

Grado 225 bass does not go as deep and if it is punchier, the difference is subtle. Only my e-stats outperform the 595 for extension and impact.

Certain other aspects of the 595 I could analyze more critically, but the bass is not IMHO one of its shortcomings.

 

[tomjonesrocks]

After having the 595s for a few weeks, I'm still not ready to pull the trigger and return them. I *really* like some of what they do and that's hard to give up. If they just had some more kick on the low end they'd be almost perfect for me I think--but then I haven't heard 1/8 of the headphones you guys have. Nevertheless I still have a little more time to explore other things though.

I think I have ruled out the Senn 650 as an option though, I think I really do like that intimate feel of the 595s and wouldn't really like "moving back in the audience".

If I ordered a pair Beyers to pit these up against, what are the differences between the 880DT and 990DT? I can't seem to determine that from my searches.

Thanks!

 

[db597]

I notice from your profile that you've ordered the PA2V2 already. Why don't you wait to see if it improves things first before going for another set of headphones? If bass is really what you want, the DT770 80Ohm is the one to get.

As for your earlier question, I think the PA2V2 is of similar quality to a Cmoy, but with a warmer sound (more bass, with a treble that's relatively more recessed). So depends on what type of sound you prefer. The Pint is 1 step further up on the ladder, if you can find one.

 

[tomjonesrocks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 The Pint is 1 step further up on the ladder, if you can find one.

Would have LOVED a PINT--but couldn't seem to figure out how to buy one now that it seems that materials to make them have been discontinued. Love the mint case--so cool. So for just ease (and from good reviews) I went with the PA2V2. I read specifically that it had minimal impact on 595 though--ordered the amp mostly out of curiosity to see what it would do with KSC-35 and SR60.

Notice one on Ebay just went for $113 though, but yeah, they're not sold there often. I guess I'll just wait for the next version to come out and hopefully there will be people here building them.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomjonesrocks Love the mint case--so cool. So for just ease (and from good reviews) I went with the PA2V2. I read specifically that it had minimal impact on 595 though--ordered the amp mostly out of curiosity to see what it would do with KSC-35 and SR60.

If you really want the mint case, you can always get a penguin amp that often appears on eBay. It uses two LM6171 opamps... so it's (theoretically) a step up from the Cmoy. Here's one on auction now:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portable-Headp...QQcmdZViewItem

But personally, I'd recommend something more robust - the mint tins get scratched and dented after a while. Though now that you've ordered a PA2V2, these amps are probably not big enough a difference to make it worth the upgrade.

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