[kukrisna]

Hey All,


So I just did a gig a few weeks ago that ended up blowing the right ear of my Sony 7506s, and to be honest I have been ogling the DT48e as of late. At any rate, I'm heading to London for four months (provided my paperwork goes through), and am in need of a comfortable, closed, possibly studio can.

My musical tastes comprise mainly of classical (everything from solos, to chamber, to big orchestras), jazz (everything from small trios to big bands), classic rock, and vocal stuff, though every now and then I throw in pop, electronic music, rap, hip hop, etc. to keep it interesting. I love watching movies as well, and at times games.

What I'd be looking for is something that will be great sans amp (i.e. straight out of an ipod, or a macbook pro), closed (don't care about isolation, but more about leakage), highly detailed, tonally neutral (slightly emphasized mids or highs are find, though i dislike too much bass, but want it tight and definitely present), good imaging/headstage/separation (hard for unamped, I realize). It'd also be great if they were comfortable!

Price range would be up to $350 I suppose, but preferably as low as possible. As I mentioned, I've been looking at the DT48e (though am waiting for wcmcmanus to present his impressions for another opinion). Others I could consider are the ESW9/10 (though the 10 is really out of my range I think) and the AKG K271s (did I mention I love my K701s? though of course they're not perfect). EDIT: hrmm, it seems the ATH-M50s are also quite interesting. I could also just fix the 7506s and live with that though I never found them comfortable, and also never enjoyed their sound...

Anyway, Head-Fi, I hope you can help me out! I know I've a tall order here, but let's see what you all can throw at me. By the way, if anyone has any doubts that I've used the search function, I have. I read that thread with the 15 closed phones, and I read the others lately that have been seeking closed phones, etc. But I feel none of them really address that which I seek well enough for me to not be more curious, which is why I'm posting this thread.

Cheers, thanks, and Happy Thanksgiving!
-Keith

 

[ph0rk]

If you like k701s, the k271 have some family similarities. Less top end in general, but somewhat similar.

Are these travel-one-and-sit-for-4-months cans or everyday commute cans?

 

[kukrisna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you like k701s, the k271 have some family similarities. Less top end in general, but somewhat similar. Are these travel-one-and-sit-for-4-months cans or everyday commute cans?

the former - i dont tend to listen to music while commuting, and have the IEMs for that at any rate...

thanks for the input!

 

[WittyzTH]

FYI: audio-technica ATH-ANC7s are on sale at amazon.com for about $95. that's a pretty good deal for the travel fone.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WittyzTH /img/forum/go_quote.gif FYI: audio-technica ATH-ANC7s are on sale at amazon.com for about $95. that's a pretty good deal for the travel fone.

I think he means transportable -

Anywho, if you are thinking of some studio work, my workhorse favorites are k271 and the Beryer dt250. Both are quite sturdy, both respond very well to amping but are also good out of pro and prosumer equipment, the beyer may be a tad too warm for classical (I like that, not everyone does).


I have always thought the mdr-7506 had an inexcusable treble spike - I wouldn't ever mix with them (I used to use them to practice my bass - the sound tweaks I made resulted in a terribly dark sound - you need just a smidge of treble for attacks and whatnot).

I haven't heard a DT-48 yet, I'd like to read an impartial comparison of them, too.

 

[WittyzTH]

If I have $350, I would buy two. one for traveling, and another for studio.

 

[kukrisna]

bump

 

[Acix]

Yes, the M50 are warm and sweet, a littel bassy.
You can try the MB quart QP 250/240. The QP 250 are more bassy, but on the bright side. Like the K240DF with punchy bass and more soundstage.

For more gold, you can get the RS1...

 

[paaj]

k271 suits your needs, a little too little bass for my tastes, but using the k701 I guess you're used to that. also a little hard to drive straight from ipod.
esw10 (and 9 i'm sure) sound great, but maybe a little too 'colored' to qualify for the 'studio' requirement. easily drivable, ipod really is good enough for these, I don't really bother with my Hornet anymore.

 

[kukrisna]

hey all, inputs have been much appreciated! and as a result i've sort of narrowed it down to the following options:

a) K271 mkII (mixed readings on the bass...somewhat harder to drive than the rest?)
b) DT48e provided more information, comparisons, impressions, and reviews begin to surface soon (but damn, they're heavy, and apparently, according to wcmcmanus, the headband can be snapped if stretching is attempted!)
c) ATH-M50s though it seems to not be as "surefire" as the endorsements (duh) make it out to be
d) fix my MDR-7506...

while for my trip i wont have an amp, and these things will just be run off an ipod and a macbook pro, if i ever did any serious work i'd of course be plugged into something beefier...

and while i'd love a comparison between all of the above, if anyone has heard just the K271 along with the DT48, and has something to say about that, please speak up! would truly be appreciated!

 

[kukrisna]

bump

EDIT: damn, didn't realize this would be on the next page - i came up with a narrowed-down list at the bottom of page 1...

 

[1Time]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kukrisna /img/forum/go_quote.gif a) K271 mkII (mixed readings on the bass...somewhat harder to drive than the rest?) b) DT48e provided more information, comparisons, impressions, and reviews begin to surface soon (but damn, they're heavy, and apparently, according to wcmcmanus, the headband can be snapped if stretching is attempted!) c) ATH-M50s though it seems to not be as "surefire" as the endorsements (duh) make it out to be d) fix my MDR-7506...

FWIR, for studio and portability, I'd go for the non-surefire M50.

 

[Pianist]

Well, I'll be getting my ATH-M50s hopefully tomorrow. I'll let you know what I think. I prefer accurate sound wherever I go and so I bought the M50s because they seem to strike a nice balance between SQ and portability. I demoed a pair at a local audio store before using my portable MP3 players and they were very comfortable on my head and seemed to sound really nicely balanced with good soundstage, imaging and separation for a closed can.

AKG K271 and DT48 are definitely not very portable and you absolutely need an amp to bring K271 to life. Not sure if the DT48s need an amp though.

 

[kukrisna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I'll be getting my ATH-M50s hopefully tomorrow. I'll let you know what I think. I prefer accurate sound wherever I go and so I bought the M50s because they seem to strike a nice balance between SQ and portability. I demoed a pair at a local audio store before using my portable MP3 players and they were very comfortable on my head and seemed to sound really nicely balanced with good soundstage, imaging and separation for a closed can. AKG K271 and DT48 are definitely not very portable and you absolutely need an amp to bring K271 to life. Not sure if the DT48s need an amp though.

good to know...yeah, can't wait to hear your M50 impressions! thanks

 

[kukrisna]

hey Pianist, any updates? did you receive your M50s?