[snoxu]

To make this short, I'm not that happy with my recent purchases. The HD650 and a Corda Opera. The Senns are about a month old and I got the the Opera yesterday. My laptop has been my source, but I have had a chance to audition a Rotel 1072 CDP. Also auditioned the HD600 and the K701 but with my laptop as the source.

While the Opera/HD650 is a good proficient combo, I feel the sound is somewhat dry and uninvolving (that's me being polite, I really want to be harsh and say boring lol).

The CDP did improve things. Impact and bass reproduction was noticeably better, but my overall opinion of the sound remains the same.

While auditioning I played some:
Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral
Radiohead - OK Computer
White Stripes - Stijl
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Autechre - Untilted
Aphex Twin - Drukqs
Outkast - Stankonia

I'll lump my tastes into rock/electronic music/hip hop.

I feel like my setup can not rock me. It's somewhat dry and there should be a bit more detail and "meat" to the sound, that's missing.

So far I've been told to give burn in some time, that I need a better source, that I should try the Denon D2000, Ultrasone Proline 750, or Beyers. I can see where this is going lol.

I dunno, maybe my setup is not my cup of tea? Whoever wants to chime in feel free to do so.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

You simply must hear the Beyers DT-990s('05e) with the Opera...That's my firm recommendation for you

Good luck~

 

[snejk]

Go Grado. I have the 650 as well and I won't hesitate and call that can boring and uninvolving.

(flame prevention: Not saying that it isn't a good can for the people that like the more laid-back signature of the Senn HD650)

 

[MaloS]

I think your main issue here is the sennheiser speed - they are slow, and very laid back in their soundstage (big, but nothing ever comes forward into the middle).

I'd really suggest you try a headphone with more forward sound, and maybe stronger treble energy.

My favorite with Radiohead so far has been k340, but w5000 and Grados do not slouch either, I cannot say anything about Denons or Beyers. You should also keep in mind that Opera is a very neutral product (like all Meier's amps), so that might not work out in the end for you either. If you can, try to audition some other cans, and then build a system that suits the final desired results around the can that fits you best.
If you are looking for soundstage, give Beyers a try (I am not going to recommend expensive headphones for trials).
If you are fine without soundstage, grab an sr225 for some experiments, and resell it if you don't settle on its sound. (Its comfort can be changed with different pads).
Alot of people recommend Denons if you are looking for a more forward sound like the hd650, and with more treble energy.
Forgot to add - Ultrasones are one of the cans that work very well with Opera, so you should give Proline 750 or 2500 a shot. Maybe if you feel nuts later on, go for the top...

Cheers. By what you are describing, hd650 is not for you.

 

[Pibborando]

The new White Stripes album Icky Thump on my DT 880's is amazing. You might want to look at the 990's though. They are a bit brighter and more "exciting" while the 880's are very neutral. I still think they ROCK though.

I've also heard the Grado SR225's and they definitely are great for rock. Comfort is not nearly as good as Beyers though.

 

[DJShadow]

The upfront and fast nature of the SA5000 suits your tastes very well.

 

[epaludo]

Reading your post i couldn't stop thinking of Grado. Even a cheap SR-60 may give you a nice smile. Thing that the HD650 couldn't. Of course that if you have money you can buy a SR-225 or even sell the HD650 and get a RS-1.
There's also the K701 which has a tremendous soundstage. Deep bass. Some people may thing the K701 lacks bass, not my case. The bass isn't so proeminent as in the HD650 or RS-1, but it's there and it's super deep. The instrument separation is also superb.
Sorry, but i can't comment on the Denons, Audio Technica and Ultrasones ...

 

[snoxu]

About the k701, I auditioned them recently against the HD600 and HD650 with my laptop and the Opera. When I put the k701 on my first thought were where's the bass why does it sound thin, but compared, the instrument separation on the k701 was better than the Senns, for example I could hear the bass guitar more distinctly during a Radiohead track, while with the Senns the bass guitar was a bit muffled.

After that I put on some Aphex Twin with the k701, and right away I thought these cans are not for me. I prefer the Senns over the k701 for electronic music and hip hop. In conclusion I wasn't that impressed with the k701, only thing that stood out was the instrument separation which made it sound crisp.

 

[epaludo]

Have you tried any Grado already then ... ?

 

[snoxu]

No. I've read Grados in Europe are expensive, but maybe I'll get around to getting a pair.

edit: Thing is I'm under the impression Grados don't do electronic music/hip hop that well, which is something that would put me off...

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by epaludo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Reading your post i couldn't stop thinking of Grado. Even a cheap SR-60 may give you a nice smile. Thing that the HD650 couldn't. Of course that if you have money you can buy a SR-225 or even sell the HD650 and get a RS-1. There's also the K701 which has a tremendous soundstage. Deep bass. Some people may thing the K701 lacks bass, not my case. The bass isn't so proeminent as in the HD650 or RS-1, but it's there and it's super deep. The instrument separation is also superb. Sorry, but i can't comment on the Denons, Audio Technica and Ultrasones ...

I'm on the same page with epaludo. when I was reading your post I could not stop thinking about a Grado since you want things fast. The SR225 would be a great start. I brought those first and loved them. Then I am burning in a RS1 and I'm in heaven. What also helped was using foobar with asio and flac files. I'm just using a HR Microstack (as I haven't heard the Opera), and it's rocking ATM. The other thing is I have the HD650 and the sound is laid back, but fun; definitely not fast as you may want. BTW, I heard/own most of the albums you were listening too and I'm happy with them on the Grados. In my profile there are some of the genres I like. Can't comment as well on Denons or AT or Ultrasones; but I feel give the grados a shot. You could purchase it from Headroom or TTVJ that gives you 30 days money back if you don't like them. Good luck on your search (edit here. didn't realize you were in Europe, so you can't use Headroom). I went through AKG 701, DT 990, HD 650 and now Grado to get here. Also, I had to get my laptop up to speed with foobar2000, asio, flac, and the DAC.

 

[NiceCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snoxu /img/forum/go_quote.gif No. I've read Grados in Europe are expensive, but maybe I'll get around to getting a pair. edit: Thing is I'm under the impression Grados don't do electronic music/hip hop that well, which is something that would put me off...

Alessandro, the international Grado

I love my sr225 for electronica, but prefer my k701 + J.River's Media Center's virtual subwoofer, which turns k701 into a bass monster . . . even with my measley little H-5

 

[qazwsx]

You could also try to audition some Beyerdynamics if you can.

 

[EsthetiX]

990 baabyyyy

 

[003]

MS2i or MS-Pro

They do electronic/hip hop fine.

If not you could always get a cheap, bass heavy headphone for that music, like the K240S.