[acud1985]

Hi all...
I'm Giovanni, i'm from Italy and i'm new in this fantastic forum... I read this forum a lot but I register only now. I'm not an audiophile (not now, maybe later) but I listen much music..all kind of music, jazz, classic, rock, pop, sometimes metal, dance a few... I prefer jazz and rock on all.
I have an ipod 5.5g rockboxed and I listen music in flac file..I have an amp (fiio e11) and i have akg q460 quincy jones signature line.. the sound is good, good bass,quite good medium...less high. I bought this configuration 1 year ago...and now i think that I'm ready for next step... I would to buy another earphone, better quality earphone (akg q460 is very good but i want more).. i read many many many recension of a different earphone's kind and i'm a little bit confused now. I like some kind of earphone:
 
Akg k701/702
Akg k612 pro
Sennehiser momentum
Sennehiser hd 598
Sennehiser hd 650
audio tecnica ath m50
 
i would spend about 150/200 euro...
can you help me to find a earphone for my preferred music style?
thanks of all and sorry fot my english.
Giovanni

 

[acud1985]

bump...

 

[PurpleAngel]

 AKG K612 Pro (120-Ohm), 160 Euros, so far I'm hearing good things said about this headphone.

 

[Trunks159]

MDR MA900, Fidelio X1, HE400 are all pretty good.  Just take your pick.

 

[acud1985]

@purpleangel i read comparison in homepage and akg k612 pro interested me.. but i don't know if k612 is good for my favourite music...
@trunks159 i like he400 but is out of my budget
 
i think that my choice is about
akg k 701/7021 (i don't like  fixed cable of akg k612 pro)
hd650 (possibly used for my money budget)
 
i have another question now... my fiio e11 can pilot hd650 or k701/702? i read e12 montblank it's better than e11.. but if i would change my system totally... i can buy fiio x3 (player + amp) and i will resolve all my problems?
thanks of all.
Giovanni

 

[acud1985]

Bump

 

[kookoo]

MA900, It will do Jazz, Pop but not rock that well.
Also a better choice for your setup than the HD650. They are very close in sound signature to each other but the MA900 has much lower impedance.
 
K701 is fixed cable, the price for the K702 is ridiculously high just for the luxury of a detachable cable.

 

[acud1985]

Thx kookoo.. If i would to buy hd650, which setup i should have?
I listen rock and pop much frequently then jazz..and i always listen music in my room,not in public.
I'm interested to buy akg k701/702 (if price of 702 is not ridicolous) or hd650 but with a better setup..

 

[StanD]

You have both closed back and open back HPs listed. The open HPs will have a wider soundstage but poor isolation. Poor isolation means that you will hear the noise around you and because they are open those nearby will get to listen in on your music. I understand, from reviews only, the HP's that you have are closed back on ear HP's which are not too good at isolation. Did you read the review at InnerFidelity? You might use that to compare with your own experience with these.
 
I have Sennheiser 558's which are very similar sounding to the HD598 but will save you $$$, they sound very good and can be used without amping. I bought these to experiment with and did the 5 minute mod to remove the rubber strips inside the earcups. This improved the sound a bit, extremely close to th HD598's.
 
I also have Sennheiser HD600's which really need to be amped and sound fantastic. I compared them side by side with the HD650's which I was intending to purchase, however, I bought the HD600's.
 
I also have the Sennheiser Momentum over/around ear, which I also like. These are closed, have good isolation and sound great. The treble is a little bit recessed as compared to the other two Senn's but still very good. I like them. You should try these in person to make sure that your ears fit inside as there isn't much room for larger ears. They drive easily and can go without amping.
 
I've accumulated more than my share of HP's and of all I like the HD600's the best, they are not good for portable use.
 
If you don't need a portable HP with great sound isolation IMO the HD558 is a great set of cans at a very reasonable price.
Are you interested is bass heavy cans? If so you have to be careful as IMO most bass heavy cans sacrifice too much SQ. I prefer EQing the sub bass, below 100 Hz when I want to kick it up some, but that's another story.
 
Edit: I read about your interest in the FiiO amps. I have an E11 and E12. I really like the E12, the bass boost switch does what I like without muddying up the mids, etc.

 

[acud1985]

Hi stanD and thx for your post.. I listen music in my bedroom so i can buy a open Back Hp too, not necessary closed Hp. On amazon.it hd558=148euro hd598=151euro so i could buy hd598 in this case.
But i read a lot of reviews on hd650 and i'm always much interested to buy that HP..but i'm not sure that my setup is Good to drive them..so i would ask u.. Which kind of portable amp i have to buy to drive hd650 without much euro?
Thx and sorry for my english

 

[StanD]

Hi stanD and thx for your post.. I listen music in my bedroom so i can buy a open Back Hp too, not necessary closed Hp. On amazon.it hd558=148euro hd598=151euro so i could buy hd598 in this case.
But i read a lot of reviews on hd650 and i'm always much interested to buy that HP..but i'm not sure that my setup is Good to drive them..so i would ask u.. Which kind of portable amp i have to buy to drive hd650 without much euro?
Thx and sorry for my english

I found that the FiiO E12 able to drive either the HD600 or HD650 rather nicely. These are 300 Ohm HP's and a simple DAP, iPod or phone  can't do it alone. The Bass switch on the E12 is really nice. I would recommend that you try both the HD600 and HD650 side by side with music that you are familiar with and see which one is to your liking. I preferred the HD600, even though I was expecting to get the HD650. Remember you will need an amp for these. I spent 45 minutes at a store, I brought my own music and HP amp (E12). I had specific pieces of music and knew how many minutes into each that had critical things that I wanted to hear. One thing was a synthesizer sweeping way down into the sub-bass. I also listened for percussion, the metallic clink and clang and brushing  of cymbals. Male and female vocals. Instruments that I was very familiar with. I used this to compare these two HP's and decided on the HD600, which as I said wasn't my first choice. Listening carefully is a good thing.towards making the right choice for oneself. Good hunting.

 

[acud1985]

Ok thanks stan... I have fiio e11 amp..but i read that fiio e12 is better..so i have a question..fiio e11 or e12 can drive easily hd600 and hd650?
Or i must buy a different amp,Maybe better than fiio?

 

[StanD]

Ok thanks stan... I have fiio e11 amp..but i read that fiio e12 is better..so i have a question..fiio e11 or e12 can drive easily hd600 and hd650?
Or i must buy a different amp,Maybe better than fiio?

I have both.  The E11 can get you by if you need to waIt on spending more. I prefer the E12 as it can drive these better and the bass boost it has is perfect for these HPs.

 

[acud1985]

and...a desktop amp for hd650? i saw nuforce icon hdp, violectric hpa v100, bravo audio ocean... but i don't know which is the best for hd650...
or what else?
thanks of all

 

[acud1985]

Bump