[vYu223]

Hey everyone,

I'm finally willing to get full-sized, open, circumaural headphones, as they offer more than IEM's can.

What I'm looking for is reference sound - Untouched, neutral, transparent, "artist-intended" sound. That means I don't want emphasized bass, mids, or even highs. I'm not looking for "pleasing-to-the-ear" sound, as a lot of the non-reference headphones have "pleasing-to-the-ear" sound (such as emphasized bass). I want it to be as if I'm plugging the source (no EQ/no crossfeed/no sound enhancements) directly into my brain, without the headphones in the first place. But of course, that is impossible.

I will be using an amp.

Price range is ~$300.


One headphone I've read about is the akg K701, but I'm reading mixed views on it... so confusing.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ZarakiSan]

I have one, but I still say you need to try our the DT880. It's said to be similar to the Ety's, bright, and light on the bass, extremely detailed, and to boot, they're comfortable as well.

 

[Faust2D]

Koss A/250 was called on few occasions Ety ER-4 on steroids. I will have to agree with this myself. Very fast and detailed approaching stats and all this comes with deep punchy bass.

 

[vYu223]

Edited first post for clarity.

I'm not necessarily looking for headphones that would be similar to the Ety's; just forget whatever I said about them.

Also, @Faust2D: Are you sure? I'm willing to spend ~$300.

 

[wnmnkh]

K701.


A-250 are damn hard to find now since they are discontinued.

 

[Killercrush]

Grado SR100/200/300 with HP1000 drivers & HP1000's are what you're looking for but these are between $500-2000 now..

 

[Covenant]

If neutrality is your goal, look for headphones that are also marketed for studio use. While i havent heard them personally, AKG 240S comes to mind.

Ultrasone Pro 750/2500 should be a consideration as well, as they are fairly neutral, and primarily manufactured for the studio market.

The discontinued Sony SA5000 would be my primary reccomendation if you can find one. Very neutral, highly detailed, ultra fast transient response. If there are any flaws whatsoever in your source material, you'll hear them on these.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif The discontinued Sony SA5000 would be my primary reccomendation if you can find one. Very neutral, highly detailed, ultra fast transient response. If there are any flaws whatsoever in your source material, you'll hear them on these.

Is it really discontinued? They're still listed at the Sony website and I think they're still available. They are a good recommendation - I think the OP would enjoy them.

I'd also recommend studio headphones. The AKG K-240DF is discontinued, but they still turn up fairly often and are in your budget. The Beyerdynamic DT48E sells for $306 at B&H (have them e-mail you the price) and is the most neutral, accurate and analytic headphone I've heard. You listen deeply into a recording and they reveal anything and everything about the recording and your gear. They are highly rewarding with vocals and piano, though still excellent with acoustic material.

 

[synaesthetic]

No headphone is perfectly transparent.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it really discontinued? They're still listed at the Sony website and I think they're still available. They are a good recommendation - I think the OP would enjoy them.

You're right, they do still appear to be in production. Retail price is over double the OP's budget though. If you can find one used it would be much closer to your price bracket.

Here's the link to the Sony USA entry: MDR-SA5000 | Stereo Headphones | Sony | SonyStyle USA

I've owned them in the past, so I've no hesitation for reccomending them with the OP's goals in mind. One look at their frequency response gives an idea of the technical capabilities of these 'phones.

 

[jellojoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vYu223 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edited first post for clarity. I'm not necessarily looking for headphones that would be similar to the Ety's; just forget whatever I said about them. Also, @Faust2D: Are you sure? I'm willing to spend ~$300.

The Koss A/250 punches well above it's price. I've noticed that on some tracks the treble can get sharp though. The AKG K240DF is also excellent.

 

[vYu223]

Aahhh, the sony SA5000's are about $400 after shipping!

I can get the K701's for $270 after shipping on Amazon Marketplace.

How does the SA5000 compare to the K701?

 

[Peter Pinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vYu223 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey everyone, I'm finally willing to get full-sized, open, circumaural headphones, as they offer more than IEM's can. What I'm looking for is reference sound - Untouched, neutral, transparent, "artist-intended" sound. That means I don't want emphasized bass, mids, or even highs. I'm not looking for "pleasing-to-the-ear" sound, as a lot of the non-reference headphones have "pleasing-to-the-ear" sound (such as emphasized bass). I want it to be as if I'm plugging the source (no EQ/no crossfeed/no sound enhancements) directly into my brain, without the headphones in the first place. But of course, that is impossible. I will be using an amp. Price range is ~$300. One headphone I've read about is the akg K701, but I'm reading mixed views on it... so confusing. Thanks in advance!

Attempting to take all of your listening and financial criteria into consideration, the one you probably want is the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vYu223 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How does the SA5000 compare to the K701?

I've only spent at most 30mins with the AKG701, so take my comments with the associated grain of salt. But i've yet to hear any dynamic headphone which matches the Sony for speed and detail retrieval.

Highs are not rolled off on the Sony, extending all the way to the top. The K701 also has well extended highs, but they are possessed of an extra shimmer or sparkle compared to the Sony. The Sony's treble strikes me as being the more accurate of the two, I think the 701 emphasises treble just a tad to get that extra sparkle.

Mids on both are fairly dry, analytical, matter-of-fact. Bass on the Sonys struck me as more controlled and present, with a much faster attack and punch.

One thing to note about the SA5000 is it is very attack-oriented, in that it doesnt exaggerate decay in the slightest, it doesnt emphasise bass resonance, it doesnt colour the mids. All of this contributes to a sense of extreme detail and speed. Complex music and congested passages are child's play to the Sony.

The drawback of the headphone is that because of this very lean presentation, precision and speed emphasis, music tends to lack weight. From a euphony perspective, more bottom end and a slightly longer decay become desirable. This is why I eventually sold them and invested in the HD600, as the Sonys just didnt do music in a pleasing enough way for me. They sacrifice musicality for technical ability in alot of ways.

 

[Peter Pinna]

When you consider all of his criteria, including his budget of $300 or less, do you think the DT 990's would be a good fit for him?
Also, I don't know if I've ever heard the SA 5000. I think not because I don't remember ever hearing a Sony headphone that wasn't "colored" in some way, especially the mids. Interesting what you say about it, I'm going to have to try to hear it, out of curiosity.
I would have recommended the Pro 2500 to him except for two things, the price and the sound stage. He might not want the original left-middle-right typical sound stage altered, even if the Pro 2500 sound stage is more fun in the listening. The AKG K701 is also beyond his budget and the low frequency response of this headphone is too "light" for my tastes. The rest of the frequencies do sound accurate on this headphone, IMO.
OP: What do you think about all this?