[das_bill]

I am looking for a good set of very "liquid" or "musical" headphones. I really like the sound of my ATH A500s but I also love the sound of my etys. I liked both sennheisers and grados when I listened to them but the lower end grados seem to be a little harsh.

With that said what are some good choices in the 100-300 price range.

 

[Jazper]

I don't know why the sa5ks are there- they have a nice accurate midrange but I wouldn't call them euphonic. They can be made more euphonic with amplifiers and such..


I voted the HF-1, based on my experience with the RS-1s, MS-1s, MS-2s and the SR325s. Grado do midrange, nuff said.

 

[mulveling]

When I think liquid and musical in that price range, I think HF-1 (w/ vwap pads) and K340. They easily beat out the hd580/600 in that area.

 

[das_bill]

actually i was going to put up the k340 in the pole but i have no idea what kind of amp i would need for them and they are hard to come across.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by das_bill I am looking for a good set of very "liquid" or "musical" headphones. I really like the sound of my ATH A500s but I also love the sound of my etys. I liked both sennheisers and grados when I listened to them but the lower end grados seem to be a little harsh. With that said what are some good choices in the 100-300 price range.

HD580/600 are very smooth and nonfatiguing, but I wouldn't call them 'liquid'. The term 'airy' suits them better. Midrange blends in so well with bass & treble that it's difficult to separate out the midrange and talk about how it sounds -- very coherent cans. They certainly aren't forward or midrange-heavy.

"Musicality" is a subjective term, which I interpret is meaning any combination of qualities (which don't fit other audiophile terminology) that helps a person enjoy the music more. Hard to say if you'd find the HD580/600 'musical'. Some people find them boring. Some find them magical. It's all subjective.

 

[EdipisReks]

the DT880 have a very nice midrange but i wouldn't call it "liquid". frankly, the only phones i've heard that i would really describe as having a liquid midrange is the Grado RS-1, which is way past your budget.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by das_bill I am looking for a good set of very "liquid" or "musical" headphones. I really like the sound of my ATH A500s but I also love the sound of my etys. I liked both sennheisers and grados when I listened to them but the lower end grados seem to be a little harsh. With that said what are some good choices in the 100-300 price range.

I'm unable to vote for the HD595. Where is it

 

[JaZZ]

The HD 650 is exemplary for a liquid midrange -- but it's not on the list.

 

[Andrea]

Yep, and where's the HD650

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by das_bill actually i was going to put up the k340 in the pole but i have no idea what kind of amp i would need for them and they are hard to come across.

You need a pretty beefy amp for the K340's to do their thing properly.

The Sennheisers and Audio Technica's aren't really known for a liquid midrange. The Senns midrange is just ok and the AT's is sucked out in most models that I've heard.

The K501's are nice, and I think that the K271S and K240S should definately be on the list as they are also known for this [and you can get by without breaking your wallet on a crazy powerfull amp].

Grado's have a nice midrange as well, but it is distinctly different from the AKG midrange which I prefer.

 

[ken36]

My voto goes to the HD650s, but with a good amp.

 

[Andrea]

I'd have voted for the HD595 btw.

 

[saint.panda]

The Stax SR-404 was super-liquid (overly so for my taste) so the SR-303 should be similar and would roughly fit the upper maximum budget threshold. You would need an electrostatic amp, however, which is another major investment.

Edit: The AKG K271 was really liquid, too, for a closed headphone.

 

[Kameleon]

How are people picking anything other than the K501? I love my HF-1s, but for liquid midrange, there's no competition to AKG.

 

[pbirkett]

I voted DT880, not sure what liquid means though, but I thought the midrange on the DT880 was lovely and smooth.