[moonboy403]

I used to call the AD700 a mini W5000, but truthfully speaking, I'm stretching it a little bit.

For W5000, I found perfect synergy pairing it with the ECD-1 and Phoenix.

 

[Bengt77]

My headphone journey started with the Sony MDR-CD250. A nice closed headphone with very good sound for the money (they cost me less than €50, back when the introduction of the euro was still years away). Then, years later, I got the Philips SBC-HP840. It was okay, but would hurt my ears after listening about an hour. Not due to it's fit, but due to how it sounded. Very fatiguing, even though it was semi-open. About two and a half years ago I got the ATH-AD900 and loved them from the start. Very transparent, full and warm. It offered everything I was looking for. Until I realized I started to listen to more and more electronic music. That's when the realization hit me that the AD900 didn't do that genre all too well. It was lacking in bass authority, mainly. Plus, it was a tad too colored sometimes. The AD900's colorization is a big plus when listening to vocal music, though. Anyways, I started looking for closed headphones and since I fell in love with the Audio-Technica sound, I mainly looked for closed ATs. After doing a lot of research I got myself the ATH-A900Ti. Well, are they a nice step up from the AD900! Bass is fuller, warmer and has more authority. Mids are less prominent and thus not as upfront. Highs are very, very nice. They go all the way up to 38.000Hz and while no human can hear all those frequencies, it definitely does liven up the sound. Sure, there's less sound staging than in the AD900, but overall I find the A900Ti to be a very nice step up from it's open nephew. You might want to look into the closed Audio-Technicas as well. The woodies are supposed to be very nice as well, though are said not to be as full-bodied when it comes to bass presentation.

Really, I have no idea if my experiences will be of any value to you, but I just thought I should share them here. Good luck on your (next) journey!

 

[Solodarn]

here is a quick question for you, with your electronic music are you focused more on songs that just have the music minus many vocals? While my music tastes vary quite a bit as well, my general focus is on electronic music including a lot in what could be called ambient but also some mixed with real instruments. But what tends to tie all my music together is female vocals.

I bring this question up for an important reason, I own the 990s 05 and love them for electronic music, and I also now own the AD700. Comparisons between the two have lead me to a general thought that the 990s are excellent at a great reproduction across the whole spectrum but for electronic can really make the bottom end and high end stand out which really can help immerse you into a track that is focused around the music. However, I find that female vocals usually stand out in a much more pleasant and enjoyable way with the AD700s while not being quite as immersing as the 990s for the full song. Of course there is a price difference to take into consideration, but from what I hear I expect a similar difference to occur at the higher end. The vocals on the 990s seem to slip into the rest of the song without being made prominent at all and perhaps even taking a backseat to the rest.

I am looking to get a pair of AD900s now after hearing the 700s simply because so much of my music library revolves around fantastic female vocals, and from what I hear the AD900 seems to carry over many of these qualities I like in the 700 but a bit better. Certainly not to say the 990s do a bad job, and often times I put them on to really be immersed into every part of the song. But there are times I enjoy focusing on the vocals and letting the music sort of take a second seat which the AD700 serve me well for and, if I ever make the buy, hopefully the AD900s will but even better

 

[runswithaliens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solodarn /img/forum/go_quote.gif here is a quick question for you, with your electronic music are you focused more on songs that just have the music minus many vocals? While my music tastes vary quite a bit as well, my general focus is on electronic music including a lot in what could be called ambient but also some mixed with real instruments. But what tends to tie all my music together is female vocals.

Hello Solodarn, I do enjoy female vocals; from trip hop and world lounge to the timeless Ladies of Jazz... although there are not so many vocals in ambient electronic music that I sometimes favor lately.

At this point I am ready to order a pair of Denon D5000s and a Little Dot I+ or similar tube amp. Just need to come to the full decision on the amp and during the daylight hours.

I came to the conclusion just recently, after getting my ATH-A55s out again, that when it comes to music listening, I prefer the in-head sound of closed cans over the out-there sound of open cans... because when I close my eyes, the space between my ears is vastly greater than the space allotted to me on this planet. Or something like that.

 

[RedSky0]

With what you're saying above there, it might be because the AD700s being your reference are so airy. Open cans, particularly the Grados of which my only frame of reference is a pair of MS1s I heard were very much more upfront and in your face than my AD700s despite both being open cans.

Another vote for the HD600s by the way. I had the same indecision coming from the AD700s and going to the HD600s I was very happy overall once I got used to the sound. My only other high end points of comparison were previously owned Proline 750s and my ER4Ps though, so I'm less experienced than some (most?) here. The HD600s are definitely an improvement in clarity, positioning, bass and midrange, although their soundstage is equally high but narrower horizontally.

 

[runswithaliens]

Just ordered the Denon d5000s for a great price from Headroom (headphone.com). And yesterday I also ordered the Yamaha RH5MAs; along with a bunch of new/used CDs to listen to on the new Cans. Thanks for the helpful replies. The Senn's are definitely near the top of my list when it comes time to get a new set of open cans... although, hopefully these Denons and Yamahas I just ordered will quench my thirst for new ear candy for a while at least.