[TMRaven]

Are you sure it isn't harmonics?

 

[ThusWeHave]

Using a frequency generator I can hear below 20 Hz, but only faintly unless the volume is turned up a fair amount.  Do many songs use tones that low?

 

[TMRaven]

Again you might be hearing harmonics.  Although in ideal environments people can sometimes hear down to 15hz, anything below 20hz is mostly felt instead of heard.  And you defintely won't be getting 40mm drivers of a headphone giving you a proper visceral feeling from anything sub 20hz.

 

[Ishcabible]

You can feel the waves that 20hz put out, but as it was said, you probably aren't hearing the actual tone.
 
And the K518's can sound a bit muddy, but it's kind of catch 22 for pretty headphones within reasonable price. HD25 pads fit them, apparently (never tried this. I've only ever demoed the K81's, not owned a pair), so comfort with velours can be slightly alleviated. You can try a few mods that have been documented to tame the bass, but I'm not sure how keen she'd be with you opening up her headphones.
 
Linky: http://www.head-fi.org/t/453167/k81dj-mods

 

[ThusWeHave]

Thanks for the input.  As far as mods go, I was thinking about removing the foam pads (after she's already opened the gift, of course) since it would be easy to do and members from the thread you linked and from the K-81 appreciation thread (http://www.head-fi.org/t/162552/official-k-81-dj-thread/2625) have said it would improve the sound.  I was going to let her listen to them unaltered first though.  
 
I'm still considering the Beyer DT-235s..I don't think they look as bad as a lot of people say, and they're supposed to be more comfortable.  I asked one of my female friends to choose between the two based on looks and she chose the Beyer (not that every girl's opinion is the same..).  I like how they have a single cable from the left cup as opposed to a cable from each on the AKGs.  I need to hurry up and decide though, so they get shipped here on time.  Which of the two are better sounding for R&B, Beyers or AKGs?  
Quote:

You can feel the waves that 20hz put out, but as it was said, you probably aren't hearing the actual tone.
 
And the K518's can sound a bit muddy, but it's kind of catch 22 for pretty headphones within reasonable price. HD25 pads fit them, apparently (never tried this. I've only ever demoed the K81's, not owned a pair), so comfort with velours can be slightly alleviated. You can try a few mods that have been documented to tame the bass, but I'm not sure how keen she'd be with you opening up her headphones.
 
Linky: http://www.head-fi.org/t/453167/k81dj-mods

 

 

[Ishcabible]

I've only ever heard the AKG's, but it'd be hard to fault them for R&B. I wouldn't listen to indie-folk with them because of the recessed mids, but R&B would be pretty chill imo. I'll wait for someone else to chime in about the Beyers. Maybe Joker will see this thread.

 

[nylan8301]

I can weigh in a little bit on some of these headphones:
 
AKG K518: While these may look nice, I tend to find them kind of uncomfortable. Mind you, I've not properly broken the pads or headband in yet and I have a larger-than-the-norm head, so YMMV. They should perform admirably with the rhythm and blues. I will say it has an awfully short cable. I would say maybe 1.5 ft. Short for me (because I'm a larger than average gentleman).
 
Beyer DT 231/235: I own the DT 231, which looks identical to the 235. While I think they would be very comfy (once broken in, otherwise, they are going to be somewhat uncomfortable). I should bring attention to the fact that the cable is 8 ft.
 
Senn HD-25 / 25-II: These would be the ideal all-around headphone...except they are $200. Perfect cord length, very comfortable (with the velour pads), and adequate cable length. How much do you love her, again?
 
Panasonic HTX7: Sound kind of grainy to me in the upper frequencies, but I bought a set for my wife and she loves them. She listens to a lot of dubstep and techno, so I would say they are bass-heavy. However, far too large for her liking, I think.
 
Senn PX100/200: I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser house sound (excluding the HD 25-II...they do not sound like normal senns), so I can't say I would recommend them, but they fit the bill on looks, decent quality, and the PX200 might give enough impact.
 
Used Audio Technica ES7 or ES55: I have heard the ES7, but not the new ES55. They look really good and I really enjoy their midrange, but they may not have enough bass impact for the R&B. Otherwise, they also fit the bill. May also be out of price range (haven't looked in a while) EDIT: ATH-ES55BK is 70 shipped on Amazon right now. I would do a couple of quick searches around head-fi and see what people say.

 

[ThusWeHave]

Thanks a lot for the input.  Yeah, the Audio Technicas and both Senns are a bit above our agreed-upon gift budget of $60 (so it's not just me being cheap 

).  She wasn't a huge fan of how my HTF-600s look, so I don't know if she'd go for the HTX7.  I did read about the short cable on the AKGs.  A long cable (such as the Beyers') can be shortened easily enough (I've braided my HTF-600 cable and it's a manageable length now, between 3 and 4 ft), but if the cable is too short that could be a problem..
 
EDIT:  How would you compare the sound the K518's sound with the DT231/235?  I've read the 235 sounds similar to the 231.
Quote:

I can weigh in a little bit on some of these headphones:
 
AKG K518: While these may look nice, I tend to find them kind of uncomfortable. Mind you, I've not properly broken the pads or headband in yet and I have a larger-than-the-norm head, so YMMV. They should perform admirably with the rhythm and blues. I will say it has an awfully short cable. I would say maybe 1.5 ft. Short for me (because I'm a larger than average gentleman).
 
Beyer DT 231/235: I own the DT 231, which looks identical to the 235. While I think they would be very comfy (once broken in, otherwise, they are going to be somewhat uncomfortable). I should bring attention to the fact that the cable is 8 ft.
 
Senn HD-25 / 25-II: These would be the ideal all-around headphone...except they are $200. Perfect cord length, very comfortable (with the velour pads), and adequate cable length. How much do you love her, again?
 
Panasonic HTX7: Sound kind of grainy to me in the upper frequencies, but I bought a set for my wife and she loves them. She listens to a lot of dubstep and techno, so I would say they are bass-heavy. However, far too large for her liking, I think.
 
Senn PX100/200: I'm not a fan of the Sennheiser house sound (excluding the HD 25-II...they do not sound like normal senns), so I can't say I would recommend them, but they fit the bill on looks, decent quality, and the PX200 might give enough impact.
 
Used Audio Technica ES7 or ES55: I have heard the ES7, but not the new ES55. They look really good and I really enjoy their midrange, but they may not have enough bass impact for the R&B. Otherwise, they also fit the bill. May also be out of price range (haven't looked in a while) EDIT: ATH-ES55BK is 70 shipped on Amazon right now. I would do a couple of quick searches around head-fi and see what people say.

 

 

[roma101]

I recommend looking at the ATH-SJ5. Bassy but really well balanced with a good soundstage. My second recommendation would be the RP-HTX7, but of the two I prefer the ATH-SJ5 most definitely. 

 

[ThusWeHave]

Thanks for the recommendation.  I just read through this thread comparing the SJ5s to the K518s: http://www.head-fi.org/t/218198/ath-sj5-vs-k81dj/120.  Some prefer the sound of the SJ5s, some prefer the K518s..it seems like the bass is the biggest difference.  The SJ5s sound more comfortable though.  Do you know how they compare to the Beyer-235s?
Quote:

I recommend looking at the ATH-SJ5. Bassy but really well balanced with a good soundstage. My second recommendation would be the RP-HTX7, but of the two I prefer the ATH-SJ5 most definitely. 

EDIT: @nylan  Just saw your edit about the ES55 for $70, and found it on Amazon.  I'll look into them; if they're a significant step up I won't mind throwing down ~$10 more and getting them.  Thanks for taking the time to do that search.

 

[roma101]

That I don't know, sorry. The SJ5 do have a little clamp but I don't find it so bad. I personally love the way they look too.

 

[ThusWeHave]

I'm looking at (shipped):
 
$54.90 for the Beyer DT-235
$52.49 for the AKG K518  (equivalent in price to the Beyers as I see it)
$73.63 for the Audio Technica ATH-ES55 
 
The SJ5 was a bit more costly unless I ordered from Japan, which probably isn't a good idea at this point.
 
Is the ES55 leagues ahead of the other two in terms of sound?  How do the Beyers sound compare to the AKGs?  I know |joker| rated the Beyers higher in sound in his shoot-out thread..
 
EDIT:  Looks like the ES55 is around $80 now, which is probably out of price range

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Quote:

I'm looking at (shipped):
 
$54.90 for the Beyer DT-235
$52.49 for the AKG K518  (equivalent in price to the Beyers as I see it)
$73.63 for the Audio Technica ATH-ES55 
 
The SJ5 was a bit more costly unless I ordered from Japan, which probably isn't a good idea at this point.
 
Is the ES55 leagues ahead of the other two in terms of sound?  How do the Beyers sound compare to the AKGs?  I know |joker| rated the Beyers higher in sound in his shoot-out thread..
 
EDIT:  Looks like the ES55 is around $80 now, which is probably out of price range

In terms of sound its about preference. I personally prefer the sound of the SJ55s, but I prefer the comfort of DT235. However, this is only a brief (read 30 minute) demo of the latter. I have extensively demoed the SJ55. However the comfort was glaring. The DT235s were much more comfortable for me, but that is not to say that the SJ55s are uncomfortable. But the pads feel cheapish in comparison to the DT235 velour pads. ES55s I demoed too long ago to actually recall unfortunately. 
 
Oh and I never heard the K518s.
 

 

[ShamanSleeve]

Quote:

I'm looking at (shipped):
 
$54.90 for the Beyer DT-235
$52.49 for the AKG K518  (equivalent in price to the Beyers as I see it)
$73.63 for the Audio Technica ATH-ES55 
 
The SJ5 was a bit more costly unless I ordered from Japan, which probably isn't a good idea at this point.
 
Is the ES55 leagues ahead of the other two in terms of sound?  How do the Beyers sound compare to the AKGs?  I know |joker| rated the Beyers higher in sound in his shoot-out thread..
 
EDIT:  Looks like the ES55 is around $80 now, which is probably out of price range

My friend just got the AKG K518 and I thought they where a pretty enjoyable headphone for 50ish dollars. He seems to like them alot also, I haven't heard the ATH-ES55 but I don't think you'll go wrong with the Beyer's or the AKG's. As far as looks go I really like the K518, either way they'll be good cans for the price though.