[aerius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peelax I've considered AKG 701s, or may be a dac change would help, I am intrigued by the DAC-Ah.

Definitely NOT the K701, I found it to be just as dull if not worse than a Senn 600 as far as rocking is concerned. Cables, amps, sources and so forth will slightly enhance the fun factor of the 600 with rock, but it's not going to transform it into a headbanging beast, you need another headphone for that, like a Grado. The 225 is probably the best bet but if you can't quite afford that there's always the MS-1 which comes pretty close.

 

[Skylab]

Get thee some Darth Beyers from Headphile, pronto! And thou shalt be rockin' away, man.

Seriously, GREAT match with the Aria.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerius Definitely NOT the K701, I found it to be just as dull if not worse than a Senn 600 as far as rocking is concerned. Cables, amps, sources and so forth will slightly enhance the fun factor of the 600 with rock, but it's not going to transform it into a headbanging beast, you need another headphone for that, like a Grado. The 225 is probably the best bet but if you can't quite afford that there's always the MS-1 which comes pretty close.

Funny you mention this... I found the K701 a rockin' delight paired with a standard build pint. Great with dire straits, floyd and more ambient kinds of rock tunes.

 

[Meyvn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peelax I think I'm pretty much sold, I must admit I very nearly went the grado route anyway when I first started out

If you're worried about comfort (which honestly, you should be; bowls are AWFUL, especially compared to the HD600 pads), you should try picking up either some comfy ripoffs from Radioshack (just look for the pair of their pads that look like they'd fit on Grados), or even better, the HD414 pads. You can get them from Sennheiser USA, and if you order them and the SR225s online, you may even get them around the same time. They're supposedly on backorder, but I got mine within a few days of my order.

 

[Meyvn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 Funny you mention this... I found the K701 a rockin' delight paired with a standard build pint. Great with dire straits, floyd and more ambient kinds of rock tunes.

Yeah. I'm in agreement here; I find the K701s to be great all rounders, and that includes rock.

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerius Definitely NOT the K701, I found it to be just as dull if not worse than a Senn 600 as far as rocking is concerned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 Funny you mention this... I found the K701 a rockin' delight paired with a standard build pint.

perfect example of differences in perception, taste, and upstream equipment affecting choice and recommendations . . . leaving one to agree that the best answers come from your own listening experiences and comparisons.

that having been said, I guess I will be seeing for myself later this week when my K701 arrives. I am anxious to find how it compares to the HD600 I just sold, the K501 I have, and my recently acquired SR60 representing the Grado flavour. I may not be able to resist throwing in my $o.02 at that time.

I have a question though regarding the SR225 being the king for rock . . .
SR225 is often recommended for rock, and judging by what I hear in SR60 I can now appreciate that recommendation. But, is there a 'SR225-clone' that can do rock as well yet offer the unsurpassed comfort of HD600?
(mine were well broken-in and did not have the skull-crushing grip some have complained of)

 

[Cousin Patty]

I think the K701's are great for rock/metal too. I also own a pair of SR225's and the K701's have just as much kick as the SR225's do for most of the heavy metal that I have, and come close (sometimes even surpassing the SR225's) at presenting distorted guitars. For example, on Metallica's Black Album, I find the K701's superior to the SR225's at presenting the guitars and drums. They are very versatile headphones. They only start to show their weakness with rock and metal when it comes to some of fastest and most intricate recordings. The K701's are NOT in my opinion dull at all. I find them to be very lively. Theyve got alot of sparkle and punch.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiceCans But, is there a 'SR225-clone' that can do rock as well yet offer the unsurpassed comfort of HD600? (mine were well broken-in and did not have the skull-crushing grip some have complained of)

Nope - if there was we'd be recommending that. Comfort is easily fixed, sound quality is harder to come by.

225 sometimes sounds faster than the RS-1 to me. Perfect to get your toes tapping.

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 Nope - if there was we'd be recommending that.

D'oH! I guess you would.
nevermind

 

[aerius]

I kid you not, I fell asleep listening to Slayer in the middle of the day with the K701, such was the incredible boring sleep inducing powers of the K701. I didn't think it was possible, yet it happened. It's not my thing, I can't stand the blandness which others call "neutrality". Oh well.

 

[peelax]

Quote:

They only start to show their weakness with rock and metal when it comes to some of fastest and most intricate recordings. The K701's are NOT in my opinion dull at all. I find them to be very lively. Theyve got alot of sparkle and punch.

I think my acid test will be if a pair of headphones deal with meshuggah

The 600s seem to deal with it almost too easily which is great because there is loads of detail in their music and it sort of opens it up, but the music isn't _all_ about the detail its about the heavyness and that doesn't seem to come through properly. Funnily enough I prefer listening it to it in my car despite having a pretty crappy stereo (although I think this could be an unhealthy habit). I also own a pair of 580s which I find slightly better too, I think a sound in that direction would be good, which I guess is a more grado sound?

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I subsequently replaced the HD650 cable with a Cardas replacement cable, which took me to the next level of impact and immediacy of sound. With those two improvements in place, I am getting all of the gorgeous decay and soundstage that the Sennheiser 580/6XX are famous for, and a LOT of the ("eye-blinking") impact that the SR225's are famous for. But, when I am in a particularly visceral, dionesian mood, and I really need to totally ROCK OUT, I switch to the SR225's (with their particular emphasis in the upper mids) until that beast in me is satisfied (and what a magnificent beast he is).

I would like to some day get a cardas cable, however I must admit I am slightly dubious about how much difference they will make and so I am a bit hesitant about spending that sort of money.

Quote:

that having been said, I guess I will be seeing for myself later this week when my K701 arrives. I am anxious to find how it compares to the HD600 I just sold, the K501 I have, and my recently acquired SR60 representing the Grado flavour. I may not be able to resist throwing in my $o.02 at that time.

I will be very interested in your verdict NiceCans.

Quote:

Get thee some Darth Beyers from Headphile, pronto! And thou shalt be rockin' away, man.

Interesting I didn't know about that company before.