-DT880s have a tad more bass quantity, although not as clean as K70x bass, which seems more extended and detailed in comparison.
-K701 have clearly more upper midrange/lower treble presence, while DT880s sound laid back in comparison.
-DT880s are brighter and more edgy in the upper treble around 8Khz and have more treble extension. In this region of the spectrum, K70x sound smooth in comparison.
The limited time I tested both I felt their sigs were fairly close. I found both to be bass light with great clarity in the other ranges. That part might be subjective but I strongly feel neither are good for EDM/Rock.
Akg K7xx - Bass light
Senn 5xx - Artificial sounding
Beyer 880 - Same sound sig as akg k7xx
Sen 650 - Very fun headphone, needs a good amp
Beyer 990 - Good for EDM/rock but takes a couple of weeks to get over the listening fatigue.
Grados - 3 weeks and every moment hurt my ears.
Audio technica 900 - Good sound but a little bass light, not the best for edm
The AKG K7xx series has a very different sound signature than properly powered 250 and 600 Ohm versions of the DT 880. If you are judging from neutral, the bass of the DT 880 is extended and excellent--especially in its class. The AKGs, especially the K701/2 & Q701 deliver a very large sound stage that is unique in mid-fi. The Annies and K712 deliver more bass and less sound stage. See:
I also disagree that the Senn HD 518, 558 and 598 are "artificial sounding". That I would reserve for the K701. The Senns have the famous Senn veil that provides a rich and smooth sound--like sipping good whiskey. The 518 is voiced on the warm side, while the 558 & 598 are more balanced. If you are looking for excellent cans in their class that will put off the fewest people, start with these three cans.
The new Grado "e" cans are less strident/bright overall than the "i" and "is" versions.
The AKG K7xx series has a very different sound signature than properly powered 250 and 600 Ohm versions of the DT 880. If you are judging from neutral, the bass of the DT 880 is extended and excellent--especially in its class. The AKGs, especially the K701/2 & Q701 deliver a very large sound stage that is unique in mid-fi. The Annies and K712 deliver more bass and less sound stage. See:
I also disagree that the Senn HD 518, 558 and 598 are "artificial sounding". That I would reserve for the K701. The Senns have the famous Senn veil that provides a rich and smooth sound--like sipping good whiskey. The 518 is voiced on the warm side, while the 558 & 598 are more balanced. If you are looking for excellent cans in their class that will put off the fewest people, start with these three cans.
The new Grado "e" cans are less strident/bright overall than the "i" and "is" versions.
We'll just have to agree to disagree. I used to be the biggest sennheiser fanboy and the last couple of years I've really looked elsewhere. The 650's are the only headphones I've enjoyed recently from senn. I'm hoping to hear the 700's and 800's at the NE meet.
The Beyer 880's I can't get into. They don't seem to do anything overwhelmingly well in that price range. Atleast with the k7xx I feel they are an excellent competitive gaming headphone.
I feel that the K702 are technically better headphones than the HD598s, but I'd put money on the vast mojaority of people preferring to listen to the HD598s for most genres of music. The 598s sound liquid smooth and great with most things (except particularly fast or aggressive music, for they are too slow), but the K702s are ruthless and sound amazing with the right recordings but terrible with less than exceptionally mastered material. They are very analytical/cold in their approach vs the warm/musical presentation of the 598s. Plus, the K702s are a bitch to drive properly and the 598s are not. I personally wouldn't live without either but for a music lover just wanting one, I'd always suggest the HD598s...... or the NAD HP50...... or the Yamaha HPH200....... or the Sony MA900!!
Hmm... That's really interesting... I was thinking about going with the SB Z for my Philips Fidelio X2's, but after seeing that output impedance.... Yeesh. Anyways, what would you recommend for Sound Cards? I would need something that can do virtual surround sound and up scaling to 8 channel sound, so please keep that in mind. I was almost ready to order too... Murphy's Law always applies I guess.
SBZ is fine, just add an optical Vali/Magni (I would go with Vali, only $20 more for tubes) or something and boom! Impedance problem solved.
Why do you need scaling up to 8 channels? If you mean 8 virtual channels, then I can guarantee you you've been reading too much marketing baloney. If it's 8 physical channels, then that's not going to happen. The sound cards I know of only support up to 7.1.
The AKG K7xx series has a very different sound signature than properly powered 250 and 600 Ohm versions of the DT 880. If you are judging from neutral, the bass of the DT 880 is extended and excellent--especially in its class. The AKGs, especially the K701/2 & Q701 deliver a very large sound stage that is unique in mid-fi. The Annies and K712 deliver more bass and less sound stage. See:
I also disagree that the Senn HD 518, 558 and 598 are "artificial sounding". That I would reserve for the K701. The Senns have the famous Senn veil that provides a rich and smooth sound--like sipping good whiskey. The 518 is voiced on the warm side, while the 558 & 598 are more balanced. If you are looking for excellent cans in their class that will put off the fewest people, start with these three cans.
The new Grado "e" cans are less strident/bright overall than the "i" and "is" versions.
SBZ is fine, just add an optical Vali/Magni (I would go with Vali, only $20 more for tubes) or something and boom! Impedance problem solved.
Why do you need scaling up to 8 channels? If you mean 8 virtual channels, then I can guarantee you you've been reading too much marketing baloney. If it's 8 physical channels, then that's not going to happen. The sound cards I know of only support up to 7.1.
7.1 is 8 channels, as the .1 is the subwoofer channel. By 8 virtual channels, I worded that backwards when I wrote it. I meant something completely different, which a sound card isn't necessary for. Ignore that, it must have felt like it was 4AM when I wrote that.
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