I think that link nailed the terrible truth, perfectly. It is the disease that drives the commercial audiophile world. The coloration of the system that we percieve as being more representative of "real" music. Truth is, we all hear differently, what sounds linear to me may sound recessed or peaky to others. As an example, I got to hear a pair of Lawton modded D7000's recently - bludy awful is what I think. Upper mids and top resemble the R10 a little but the mids were way off and bass was anemic to the point that it didn't even feature. The owner, a respected member of our community who does his homework and reads all the reviews, loved his headphones. And really, that is where the story should end. It is not what others tell you about your headphones, but what you tell yourself about the experience of listening to your headphones. If they offer you what you need then don't go looking. There may come a time when you need something different, well, time has come for the next leg of the journey. Not all people need to make this journey and many will be happy with the sound they have found. It should not be about the price tag, expensive gear does not always sound "better". Another example - HD800 paired with Benchmark amp - razor blades to my ears, but to the owner, a match made in heaven. Now HD800 with Vinnie's Isabellini - the name says it all. BUT I am getting off track ....
Is it possible to achieve "high end" sound for under $150? unlike many naysayers , I would say yes. BUT it will not be without a little work on your part to shape the headphone to sound the way you need it to. I have given up modding dynamic headphones as they all sound...... dynamic
. It was part of my journey to discover the delicate balance of planar drivers - electrostatic headphones are generally expensive and thrive with expensive electronics needed to drive them well. Electrets on the other hand are 1. vintage 2. cheap and can deliver almost all the sound characteristics without any real need for modification. My personal nirvana has been the discovery of orthodynamics. Necrolic mentioned them a few pages ago and I was much like anyone else "how can a 30 year old headphone compete in todays market?" I listened to a fellow amp builder carry on about them for over a year before I finally took the plunge and it has been the most satisfying plunge yet. They are not for everyone, they don't sound dynamic and people who want that Beyer or Sennheiser sound will not like them but like the DT48, they are straight shooters which have the ability to be tuned to a wide audience. Their mids are like few others and the best comparison I have is the Jenna modded R10. Bass can be tight AND deep, while the top end can sparkle like only the stats can. So why can they still be found on popular auction sites for under $100?
because ..."how can a 30 year old headphone compete in todays market?"
I read a comment from a meet a while ago where there was a highly evolved YH100 and an HD800, and the comment was that the major difference was the soundstage. The HD800 is a ring radiator, the old yamaha orthos are center pinned planar drivers which essentially behave like ring radiators, so yes, I can see why they sound similar. YH100 driver construction is robust and if manufactured today would most likely cost more than the HD800 ( from a pure manufacturing standpoint )
Enough of my planar rave. What makes last years top end headphone any different from the new uber version sitting on the shelf enticing you to buy it. Mostly sales gimmick and some variation in manufacture but when it coms down to it, the HD650/580; K701/K501; etc drivers are not that different. So another way to get that high end sound for $150 is to buy the past years forgotten models. The K501 and HD580 are 2 superb examples of this.
Time for me to stop before I end up delving into the manufacture process
, that would need a trip to the Emerald Isle to kiss the Blarney stone.
..dB
