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Hi, tdockweiler:
I have a question for you if you do not mind. I have seen you written about some other headhones that I have interest. Since you also like the TB/DJ100, I thought I ask you.
I almost exclusively listen to various classical music and am really more into the music itself rather than the absolute pristine sound quality. However, I am also open to better sound.
That said, I am now satisfied with the TB/DJ100 (slight treble booster EQ, especially around 4-6 kHz) ; AT M50 (mostly for iPods), and HD280 (using with UCA202 because it likes higher impedance). Frankly, I am also extremely happy with the Pro35a (an older Koss made for Radio Shack, the older version of KTXPro1). This is some special budget headphones made by Koss.
As you can see, most of mines are closed headphones.
My question is this for you: Are there open headphones costing between $200 - $300, that have MUCH better sound quality than the TB/DJ100?
Thank you in advance.
BTW, I have the PA2V2 AMP and the UCA202 DAC/AMP.
Well, most of them I would suggest are "technically" better, but just not as fun to listen to for me.
I'm a big fan of the HD-598. I wouldn't call it better, but just different. More like another flavor. It seems to be even smoother and more forgiving of bad tracks sometimes. I could listen to that thing all day with the worst tracks I can find and it still wouldn't bother me I think. It's much warmer than the DJ100 and often has me thinking it's less clear. It's soundstage is much larger though, but nothing ever sounds too distant. Vocals are up-front, but this depends on the recording of course. The HD-598 is one of the few headphones that's a "do everything" headphone. I could maybe live with just that and be happy. Good for movies, games and music. It makes most every track I have sound good. Makes you want to just stop analyzing everything. I find it more engaging than the HD-600/650 due to it's more forward mids and extra treble.
People will think i'm crazy, but I actually think the HD-598 is easier to drive than the DJ100. Even out of my portable players it sounds good. I think the HD-598 is worth $175 max..maybe $200, but $250 is a joke. I won't even mentioned the HD-600 since I haven't gotten that to ever sound amazing and now it's $399, which is robbery.
The HD-580 for $150 used is decent, but I think the DJ100 has it beat. HD-580 has more forward upper mids than the 600. Sounds clearer and more detailed too. Same drivers, but the grills change the sound. I was surprised how much more I liked the 580 over the HD-600!
The HD-600 with DHC cable is pretty impressive, but I know people hate the cable discussion and Double Helix wire isn't cheap. It really clears up the sound, which is exactly what the HD-600 needs.
I also love the Q701, but it needs a powerful amp to sound at it's best. The E9 is the absolute minimum, although I got it to sound good from my E11, but not with a LOD cable. Buying a Q701 with just a E11 is a mistake I think.
I don't even know why the q701 is better than the DJ100. I guess it's clearer (not even sure about that) and has a larger soundstage. I don't actually think it has more detail. The Q701 is fairly warm, but not enough for some. I wouldn't call it forgiving and with some badly recorded music it can cause issues.
I'm a big fan of the K601. It's a mix of the K702 and maybe the HD-600. It's much warmer than the Q701, has fuller mids, smaller soundstage and much more bass (including mid-bass). I paid $200 for mine and I guess it's getting hard to find.
For me, the near perfect headphone is the 598. Sometimes I wish it was a little clearer though. Often I feel as if it's kind of not clear enough for a $250 headphone. I actually prefer the 598 to the HD-600, but with DHC on my HD-600, it's a pretty close one. I don't like the HD-600 as much as most because it's too warm and muffled with stock cable. Yeah, i'm weird..
BTW for classical, the K501 is amazing. Much smoother and neutral than the K601 and K702. It's a pain in the butt to drive though. I only got rid of it because it's soundstage is massive. Bigger than the AD700 even! If I listened to more classical I'd have kept it.
Also..I think the KRK KNS-8400 is technically better than the DJ100 ($150) but just not as fun to listen to and too unforgiving. The mids on the DJ100 are much fuller sounding too and not as thin. KNS-8400 is a detail monster and pretty nice for classical despite being closed.
))) I think I'm going to do Friday as my DIY day.
