[appar111]

After reading Fewtch's comments about how the Go-Vibe could drive the K501's adequately, and the K501's being so cheap nowadays, I thought I would possibly pick up a pair of them, or one of the following:

AKG K501 - $129
Beyer DT150 - $163
AKG K271S - $160(?)
Senn HD280 - $75 ($95 if I get GC's 2-yr replacement plan)
Beyer DT250-250 - $148

I've been pretty impressed/happy w/ the Go-Vibe for months now with my DT990's (2004 version), and want to add some sonic flavor to the mix w/ a new can. True, I've had the HD280's before (and the DT250-250's for a short time) but liked their sound signatures, plus I'm leaning more towards a closed can, so they're back in the running.

If I play my cards right, I may be able to grab two of the above. All with the possible exception of the K501 should be adequately powered by the Go-Vibe (and w/ Fewtch's comments, the K501's might be just fine with the Go-Vibe, although bigger amps would provide bigger improvements, obviously).

So, for a rock guy, who also listens to some musical scores (Danny Elfman stuff, Star Wars, Signs, etc.) and some jazz, which would be the two best other headphones besides my 990's?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

I don't think there's a reason to get the HD280 unless you need mega isolation, or like listening to low bass test tones.

The K501 is certainly a good deal for the price, and would provide a major change of pace from the DT990, and would be good for orchestral listening, all assuming you don't mind the quiet bass. At the price, it wouldn't hurt to give them a spin, though.

Unless you want the isolation, or greater bass of the K271, I don't think it makes sense to get it over the K501, you'd be basically sacrificing soundstage, detail, realism, etc.

The other two Beyers certainly wouldn't be the change of pace that the K501 would, so I think it comes down to asking yourself, whether you want something more similar to the 990 or drastically different from it.

 

[appar111]

Iron_dreamer-
As always, you never fail to give great advice. The K501 seems to be a great choice for one of the pairs (turns out I can afford two pairs). Since it will be a major change of pace from the DT990, I'm pretty open as to what the other pair could be. I do need isolation in at least one of my pairs, and since the other two (DT990 and K501) would be open, I do need to get a closed option.

IIRC, the 250-250 doesn't really block out much sound, but the HD280 sure does! So, I'd be looking at the , DT150, HD280 and the K271S for closed choices unless there's another choice that I've overlooked (I don't think I'll go back to the DT770-80).

 

[audioaddict]

just got my HD280 for nyc transit use (sure to get laughed at by the very thugs I am trying to block out), i'll post here since this seems to be the most recent HD280 thread. anyway i read every HD280 review out there. And they are pretty much true.

The way it achieves such high isolation (can't hear my wife) is that the plastic headband is made so that the cans naturally want to come to meet in the middle thus sandwiching your head (I think i read 3 newtons or something). Some of the force gets transmitted to the top of the headband so it feels a little unpleasant there too. that said it isn't painful, and you get used to it after a while, i have a grand ole head, and have had the cans on for over 3 hours. my medical training tells me that you should have the cans positioned as far back as possible to avoid the blood vessels in your cheeks and temples, which can spasm and guarantee you a grand ole headache.

the fit is really important for the bass response, i think one reviewer said the bass extension can sound like a truck idling outside, and damn it's that low. lack of mid bass means you have to EQ for rock. but every genre else i don't understand how people can ask where is the bass, when my teeth are shaking from the rumbling low bass.

soundstage is phenomenal for closed cans, i listened to some tracks with fake thunderstorms (you know da kine), and they sound like thunderstorms outside.

sounds really good and loud on a portable too (treo 650; although the MP3 scaling EQ sucks) even better than my cheapo AC97 sound.

they make me look like a dork, but I don't care, they sound pretty good out of the box already, yeah i'm burning them in alright, burning them in right over my ears.

 

[HFat]

appar111, I'm not familiar with all the artists listed in your profile, but I think the K271S would be a safer choice than the K501 with that stuff. The K501 is peculiar and picky while the K271S is pretty forgiving. I also don't share IronDream's point of view: the K271S sounds more realistic to me and I prefer the K501's bass... but they both sound gorgeous in their own way. You owe it to yourself to try the AKG sound IMHO.
The K271S is pretty hard to drive though. It's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned but check the sensitivity and impedance if you're worried by that kind of stuff.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 After reading Fewtch's comments about how the Go-Vibe could drive the K501's adequately, and the K501's being so cheap nowadays, I thought I would possibly pick up a pair of them, or one of the following:

Just wanted to say that my definition of "adequate" might not fit yours

. The combo is a bit on the thin side, and may be too lacking in bass (with the AD8620 opamp anyway). I found the Pimeta to be a major improvement, but at the time I was listening it was adequate (then again I didn't have any other amps). Just wanted to clarify that...

 

[appar111]

Well, I can always get just one additional pair of headphones and a different amp, but I don't know if the Pimeta would be a serious step above the Go-Vibe.

 

[Screamager]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audioaddict ...they sound pretty good out of the box already, yeah i'm burning them in alright, burning them in right over my ears.

Well, if you think they sound good out of the box your in for an ear opening surprise. I thought they were crap out of the box, they need a LOT of burn-in time but they improve dramaticly.

so Enjoy!

 

[AlienPyro]

Quote:

The K271S is pretty hard to drive though. It's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned but check the sensitivity and impedance if you're worried by that kind of stuff.

How hard to drive is it, exactly? Could you give examples of what amps can or cannot drive the K271?

 

[Asr]

The K271S is unusually hard to drive for a 55-Ohm headphone (that's the number AKG gives). They require at least double the power of my KSC 35/75 (which are both 60 Ohms), and a touch more power than my MDR-V6 (60 Ohms as well), for the same volume level. Both of my amps (Little Dot Micro+ and Xin SuperMini-3) can deliver enough power for it (and beyond), but on the other hand, the synergy isn't so great.

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlienPyro How hard to drive is it, exactly? Could you give examples of what amps can or cannot drive the K271?

I'm not the guy to ask about amps... but all amps should be able to drive it just like any amp should be able to drive any other regular headphone.

The thing is, it's "exactly" (according to the box) a 91 SPL/mW, 55 ohms load and some of my sources struggle with it more than any other headphone I've tried while others seem to be driving it nearly as effortlessly as my other phones.
In theory, you'd need an amp that performs well while supplying the K271S the unusally large amount of power it craves despite the relatively low impedance. So amps designed mainly to throw voltage at high-impedance phones (such as the OP's Go-Vibe according to what I've read on these forums) might not perform too well with the K271S... but you should be asking someone who's got a clue really.

EDIT: I started to write this before Asr's post but I can't be arsed to remove the redundant information.

 

[appar111]

HFat-
I think you may be right on the K271S. If I need a closed option, I may be better off sticking to the HD280 for a closed can (since I really want to shut the world out sometimes), since it's fairly easy to power w/ a Go-Vibe (plus it sounds killer through the headphone out of my Sony receiver)... Or if I want to dump the extra $, I can always take the plung and try the DT150's.

 

[audioaddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 HFat- I may be better off sticking to the HD280 for a closed can (since I really want to shut the world out sometimes).

i don't know how loud the treo 650 goes, but i'm hearing movie dialog at 20% volume in the subway loud and clear, the isolation really does away with having to blast the volume just to overcome the din. drawback is when i take them off i forget (quickly) how loud the subway is with the constant screeching, beeping and cussing. also forgot to adjust the cans as posteriorly as possible, and got a nice maxillary face-ache.

does make me look like a dork like this

, but i don't mind since as my friend says I'm already married

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 Well, I can always get just one additional pair of headphones and a different amp, but I don't know if the Pimeta would be a serious step above the Go-Vibe.

To my ears, it definitely is. Particularly with medium and lower impedance headphones (not as much with 300 ohm Senns for example).

 

[AlienPyro]

Thanks Asr and Hfat.

Could someone who's used the DT 250-250s or 250-80 please speak up? These headphones have fairly positive reviews, but are rarely mentioned here.