[Veniogenesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougmwpsu Since I was just looking at your thread titles from the past month and saw no "I love my at500's now!!!" and since you were already interested in putting more money down, I made the assumption that you were still unhappy with your purchase.

The above quote was in a conversation between Azure and Dougmwpsu

Azure is currently looking around for an upgrade from/for his A500s. And so am I. Strangely enough, we post about the same things, we ask the same questions, we have similar setups, we have similar budgets, and we expect similar things.

Freakishly, we've both (in separate discussion threads) arrived at the DT880 as our answer and we've both been hesitant because of the amp requirements.

Wow.


But I think I've been too abusive of my A500s. Ever since I entered the world of headphones 11 months ago with my A500s purchase, I've never said one word about how I loved my A500. But the discussions over the past few days have kept me thinking. Are the A500s good phones? Am I satisfied? Am I happy?

I've come to realize the answer: YES!


I LOVE MY A500s!!

On the one hour busride to and from school every day, I listen to my A500s. The terrifying booming sound of the bus were cut off by the A500's great isolation. The A500 had totally transformed 1/12 of my life in that respect.

And then I'm at school. I listen to my A500 during the busy and noisy lunch break. I can actually eat my food quietly and peacefully now. I am happy. That's another 1/24 of my life. Total: 1/8 of my life.

And then I'm at home. No longer do I have be bothered by my father's incessant TV running its speakers at full volume all night. That's 5 hours out of 24 in a day. Wow... 8/24 total.

1/3 of my life has been made peaceful and enjoyable because of these phones.

Am I bothered by the A500's somewhat boomy bass and somewhat sterile sound? No! Am enjoy my music. Do I wish for something better? Always.

But has the A500s served me well over the past few months? Has it changed the way I look at music? Yes.
Sure, I've gone to orchestral concerts and listened to great music.
But no, I've never heard trance or electronica or rock or pop except through my terrible Sony radio/cd player. The A500s have made me realize just how great music can be.


But yes. I am now ready for something larger. Something greater.
Something... wonderful.



... and which will make my pocketbook cry for the rest of my life.

 

[Azure]

Heh, I love mine too, but I thought it'd be a waste to create a thread just about that when I already created one about my disappointment with them. And yes, what is up with us following the exact same path? It's pretty similar, but you seem to have a bit larger budget (The fact that you even considered the SR-71 means a lot) and will be getting your gear quicker. Last night, because I decided to get my headphones first, I felt that I could up my budget on my amp that I'll next year. This meant that I'd be looking at the Gilmore Lite...but you already posted about getting it when I woke up today. Oh well, at least this way I can get some accurate impressions before I buy them myself (Since you seem to be getting your DT880s first, could you do a comparison between the A500s and the DT880s, both unamped?

 

[Veniogenesis]

Hahaha yea. I had the same budget as you did ($200 - $300 for the whole setup) until yesterday. I just couldn't stand the pressure.

Even now, I don't know.

I can talk the talk, but I'm not sure if it'll end the way I want it to.

 

[Elephas]

I've never heard an ATH-A500.

I used to own an A700, which now belongs to a friend. I've compared it with the DT880 and they are very different headphones.

The A700 is closed and isolates well. Not much leakage either. The DT880 is open and sounds "airier" as if music is coming from a larger space from around your head.

The A700 is more muddy and boomy, and details are less clear. Highs seem muffled in comparison. The DT880 is bright and highs are clear and sharp.

A700 bass is strong and heavy, but it is the boomy kind. To some listeners, the DT880 may seem to have a lot less bass.

Unamped from an iPod loaded with lossless, the DT880 is not so bad, but loses a lot of its composure. Highs are over-emphasized and bass is recessed. The A700 also sounds a bit worse unamped, but the difference isn't as great.

I currently own two other headphones more expensive than the DT880. I've also demoed the HD600, HD650, SA5000, and several other headphones. The DT880 is different from all of them and may lose in specific areas, but overall I find it just as enjoyable as the others.

Hope this helps you guys.

 

[Azure]

Aren't the DT880s classifed as "semi-closed" on headroom? The only part that concerns me with the DT880s is the lack of bass you mention. I guess you could say that I'm a bass head, and the A500s have a great amount of bass but could have more, so having less bass than that wouldn't be too thrilling (Is there still less bass when the DT880s are amped?).

 

[Veniogenesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Aren't the DT880s classifed as "semi-closed" on headroom?

Semi-closed is the same as open in terms of isolation.


Regards,
Venio