[JiggaD369]

OK Ive narrowed it down to these choices....K701, K601, and DT880. Which of them produces vocals and accuracy the best?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrie 1. Yes, I've listened to the A900. 2. Yes, I've extensively A/B'd the HD650 and HD580 side-by-side. Any questions?

Only one: how in the world did you come to that conclusion (#2)? It's just plain wrong. What did you find deficient in the HD580 to make them mid-fi?

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotJeffBuckley Only one: how in the world did you come to that conclusion (#2)? It's just plain wrong. What did you find deficient in the HD580 to make them mid-fi?

NotJeff, a lot of people around here base their definition of "hi-fi" on price (as if price had a direct corollary with sound quality). I tend to believe most of the folks who do this either don't trust their ears, have poorly defined sonic goals or both. It's rampant though, and I'd be surprised if you haven't noticed.

P.S. the term "mid-fi" is really pretty vague and dumb. Very similar to "veil" in that regard, a lazy man's fuzzy-thinking putdown.

 

[slwiser]

What is the difference between the HD600 and HD650? How about the HD580 and HD600? How about the HD580 and HD650? What is huge when comparing differences?

A900 vs A900LTD? The physical changes are major and each alone has the potential for major sonic changes.

Summary:

A cord that keeps the grounds separate. The ground cord was an issue last couple of years as being able to make "huge" differences in sound all by itself. One reason people recable headphones is to get the grounds separate. This is not required for the A900LTD.

How about driver differences between the A900 and the A900LTD? Reported to be significant. The words in the description suggest the same driver as in the D1000. The phone with this same description was described by one of the leaders here as being near the sonic equal to the W2002 in a review. Apparently this quality of sound was a major surprise for him in the ATH-D1000.

How about the A900LTD pads, it uses the A1000 pads that people last year considered as a significant upgrade for the A900 which tighten its bass? This is a done deal for the A900LTD.

From attempting to read some of the translated blogs in Japan, it appears that some think that the A900LTD is more an Audio-Technica experiment in sound. Meaning that the A900LTD was different enough to be considered a change in direction to where their house sound may be headed. This suggests a major sonic difference from the original.

This is my case for stating that the differences between the A900 and the A900LTD are more than casual.

Here is a phone, the ATH-A900LTD, that is closed which has the soundstage as good as the DT880 with cardas cables in my opinion. This phone has all the clarity of the ATH-W1000 with more and tighter bass with the extended highs of the DT880 without its brightness.

When I heard the Senn HD580 and compared it with my DT880, my impression was that the HD580 fell far behind in sound quality. It is also clear that many here compare the DT880s to the HD650 and some prefer the DT880s to the HD650s. From these comparisons and my own impressions this would put the A900LTD in league with the HD650s.

If the Audio-Technica sound is not something you like and the Senn is, then this does not make one better or worst than another. It simply means one is preferred by some over the other. You like apples, I like oranges type of thing.

Each individual ear canal itself makes a world of difference between what people hear. Maybe my ear canal is not as crooked as some others and this is my problem resulting in my preferences. Oh! maybe it is my head, thats probably it..

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrie Last time I heard, the A900 was very squarely in the middle the mid-fi camp, and not even on the high end of mid-fi. Lacks a bit of extension on both ends, lacks midrange and bass detail, somewhat loose bass, etc...it is a good all-rounder, but taken each component it isn't quite high-end, and unless the LTD is a huge improvement over the original, I wouldn't consider it high-end either. In terms of technical capability, it's on par with the HD580 and not the HD650.

 

[KB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser What is the difference between the HD600 and HD650? How about the HD580 and HD600? How about the HD580 and HD650? What is huge when comparing differences? A900 vs A900LTD? The physical changes are major and each alone has the potential for major sonic changes. Summary: A cord that keeps the grounds separate. The ground cord was an issue last couple of years as being able to make "huge" differences in sound all by itself. One reason people recable headphones is to get the grounds separate. This is not required for the A900LTD. How about driver differences between the A900 and the A900LTD? Reported to be significant. The words in the description suggest the same driver as in the D1000. The phone with this same description was described by one of the leaders here as being near the sonic equal to the W2002 in a review. Apparently this quality of sound was a major surprise for him in the ATH-D1000. How about the A900LTD pads, it uses the A1000 pads that people last year considered as a significant upgrade for the A900 which tighten its bass? This is a done deal for the A900LTD. From attempting to read some of the translated blogs in Japan, it appears that some think that the A900LTD is more an Audio-Technica experiment in sound. Meaning that the A900LTD was different enough to be considered a change in direction to where their house sound may be headed. This suggests a major sonic difference from the original. This is my case for stating that the differences between the A900 and the A900LTD are more than casual. Here is a phone, the ATH-A900LTD, that is closed which has the soundstage as good as the DT880 with cardas cables in my opinion. This phone has all the clarity of the ATH-W1000 with more and tighter bass with the extended highs of the DT880 without its brightness. When I heard the Senn HD580 and compared it with my DT880, my impression was that the HD580 fell far behind in sound quality. It is also clear that many here compare the DT880s to the HD650 and some prefer the DT880s to the HD650s. From these comparisons and my own impressions this would put the A900LTD in league with the HD650s. If the Audio-Technica sound is not something you like and the Senn is, then this does not make one better or worst than another. It simply means one is preferred by some over the other. You like apples, I like oranges type of thing. Each individual ear canal itself makes a world of difference between what people hear. Maybe my ear canal is not as crooked as some others and this is my problem resulting in my preferences. Oh! maybe it is my head, thats probably it..

Dear Slwiser,

OMG what a awesome post.

Cletus

 

[leofahrer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiggaD369 OK Ive narrowed it down to these choices....K701, K601, and DT880. Which of them produces vocals and accuracy the best?

...I don't know your setup, but I'd think about taking the K601 and spending the dollars left on an amp, if you don't have one already...

Leo

 

[JiggaD369]

Already ordered the K701's last month. Waiting on for getting a M3 built soon. Still hung on what DAC to get.

 

[Tachikoma]

Ohhhhh boy.

Do some searching on your own this time, eh?