Keep 595s or trade for 880s?

[Quake120]

I've had my 595s now for a week and a half to 2 weeks and I think I understand why people say they are too technical or "boring". I don't like the word boring to describe headphones because music is never really boring to me, but anyways, there is something about the sound that makes everything sound too ...flat, I guess.

I am still within the 30 day return window at Amazon.com and am contemplating exchanging these for the Beyerdynamic DT880s.
Are the Beyers any bassier than these? From what I've read the highs on the 880s kill the 595s. Keep in mind I'll be using any headphones unamped for awhile...

The other option I have is sticking with the 595s for another few months and getting myself the DT880s for Christmas.
Any suggestions? How drastic is the sound difference?

 

[yashicaman]

Send 'em back and send 'em back now. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD-595's and even though I think that they are really good, I've moved on to AKG 701's and Grado 325i's for open phones and AKG 271's for closed and Yuin Pk1's for portable use. I still like my 595's but I use them rarely. I've given them to my 8 (soon to by 9) year old son (they really work well unamped). He's pleased. I'm pleased that they are getting used. And I do listen to them from time to time.

Now, I've never heard Beyer 880's but have heard a lot of good things about them. Go for them. Embrace them. Lose the Sennheiser's before it's too late. Move on. Hurry! Time's a wasting!

BTW, AKG 701's are really amazing. Both the Beyer 880's and the AKG 701's really want to be amped to sound their best. The one advantage of the Sennheiser HD-595's is that they are really good unamped (and not much better amped so why waste your lolly?).

Cheers!

 

[Quake120]

I see SO much raving about AKGs on Head-Fi. Are they THAT good?
Ugh... I need another job to support purchasing these headphones

 

[yashicaman]

Yes, the AKG's are that good. The 701's are a revelation. They do need to be amped, but wow! Excellent soundstage, neutral presentation. well-balanced, good bass, terrific mids, non-fatiguing highs.

The AKG 271s are my choice for closed cans. They are polite, but non-fatiguing. Bass is lean, but accurate. Mids are great. Not as delightful as the open 701's, but they do share sonic characteristics.

I have a pair of AGK 301's and they are decent. I got them for 29 bucks plus shipping (used, of course) and they are a veritable bargain. I thought that one of my kids would like them as a step up from their Sennheiser HD-201's.

It would be good to hear them first. Anyway, I like 'em. I use my 701's at work with the headphone output from my McIntosh MA5100 integrated amp. I'm not sure they are really suited for portable amp use. Not that I haven't been fooling with my Decware Zen Head with these cans and my Philips Ipod clone.

I might have to get a pair of Beyer 880's one of these days as I've been intrigued by them.

Cheers!

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yashicaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, the AKG's are that good. The 701's are a revelation. They do need to be amped, but wow! Excellent soundstage, neutral presentation. well-balanced, good bass, terrific mids, non-fatiguing highs. The AKG 271s are my choice for closed cans. They are polite, but non-fatiguing. Bass is lean, but accurate. Mids are great. Not as delightful as the open 701's, but they do share sonic characteristics. I have a pair of AGK 301's and they are decent. I got them for 29 bucks plus shipping (used, of course) and they are a veritable bargain. I thought that one of my kids would like them as a step up from their Sennheiser HD-201's. It would be good to hear them first. Anyway, I like 'em. I use my 701's at work with the headphone output from my McIntosh MA5100 integrated amp. I'm not sure they are really suited for portable amp use. Not that I haven't been fooling with my Decware Zen Head with these cans and my Philips Ipod clone. I might have to get a pair of Beyer 880's one of these days as I've been intrigued by them. Cheers!

IMO the 701s are not neutral or precise. And the 701s lacks the heralded midrange that AKG is known for. The 501/340/K1000 are better in that department.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yashicaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, the AKG's are that good. The 701's are a revelation. Cheers!

You can try the Ultrasone models. they are more close to the Sennheiser sound
and even much, much better. if you don't like the Ultrasone. You can move to the K702..

 

[will75]

Quake, does the music sound distant from your ear while listening to them? Almost as if you want to push them closer to your ears to really get into the music?

If so, make Grado your next step like I did.

 

[myinitialsaredac]

The 701s IMHO are very neutral/precise/analytical. They IMHO almost need tubes for some liveliness otherwise they are more like tools than headphones. Dont get me wrong I rock out with them in the SS but with tubes they make my ears well you know *happy* =). They however lack in the bass department imo.

Comparatively I think they have one of the largest soundstages out there and get my recommendation as a great headphone. Though for a forward presentation you may want to try grados like mentioned above.

Dave

 

[ZildjiaN]

DT880's are nasty dude, I really recommend them.

 

[Quake120]

Quote:

Originally Posted by will75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quake, does the music sound distant from your ear while listening to them? Almost as if you want to push them closer to your ears to really get into the music? If so, make Grado your next step like I did.

Hmm, it's not really the distance of the sound that bothers me, it is how it sounds so flat. I have never heard a Grado so I guess I have no comparison. The 595s sound amazing when it comes to music that is recorded live or music that is a lot of acoustic guitar work, but listen to something fast and/or heavy like Tool, Chevelle, Deftones, Rage, etc it sounds like they lose their separation and definition. Depending on the song, the bass can actually be pretty good, but there are some songs that must have been EQd to have no bass at all.
Maybe one day I'll have to grab a pair of Grados for rock/alternative use. I listen to pretty much every genre of music so I don't think there is any way I could get away with one pair of headphones

.

Quote:

DT880's are nasty dude, I really recommend them.

Have you ever heard the 595s? How do the two compare?

 

[nickchen]

The DT880 (any version) are airier and have much better resolution than the muddy HD595.

I really recommend getting a DT880 or K701 in exchange. Which of both is merely a genre question IMO, the K701 is an acoustical pig (classical, jazz, folk, singer/songwriter etc.), whereas the DT880 suits better to "popular" and rhythm-orientated genres.

 

[apatN]

Yeah, get the DT880s. They sound great and I won't upgrade for a while. These will keep you happy for some time. Get an amp for Christmas and see how you like the sound. I'm doing the same. I'm getting an amp (next saturday

), a DAC after that and maybe after that I'll trade my DT880s in to try something else.

I don't think you can say anything about the sound until there's no good source and amp. So you might be getting the K701s or HD650s and they all sound like crap. Get one of them and build a rig around them.

 

[ElephantTLK]

I have both. Sennheiser HD595 & Beyer DT880. If you want much more bass i would not recommend DT880. Dont get me wrong. Bass is just great on DT880 (quality) but it lacks "body", quantity. There is big difference between these two cans. When i go from DT880 to HD595 i cannot believe how "muddy" they are (highs). And yes DT880 are much more bright sounding cans. On some songs too bright. But overall i like sound sig of DT880.

Edit: and sorry for my bad english. Not my language.

 

[apatN]

The DT880s aren't bassmonsters, no. But they have 'much' more bass than 595s.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quake120 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are the Beyers any bassier than these? From what I've read the highs on the 880s kill the 595s.

About 10 times bassier. The 880 top end is more controlled but dull and lifeless in comparison. Two completely different sounds, these 'phones. One is exciting and fast, the other laid-back, dull and rather uninteresting. Having said that, the 880 is more preferable in many instances. It's up to each listener to decide which sound is preferable.