Looking for good set of open cans exclusively for classical music
Apr 2, 2011 at 4:11 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16
1eye1derweasil

1eye1derweasil

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Okay, first off I already own the ATH-M50 and I'm very happy with it, use it for music(electronica), buuut they don't perform well enough for classical (and I listen to a lot of classical). I listen to many other genre's as well but I'm looking for something specifically for my classical tastes. These are usually symphonic but I do occasionally listen to some choral works. 
 
Now I use an ASUS Xonar St to drive my M50's and I'm very happy with that, so I don't want to invest in anything else to drive my new cans. 
 
They'll only be used at home with nobody to bother so sound leakage isn't an issue, and neither is portability. 
 
Finally my budget is 150-200$ however I'm open to as much as 300$ but it'll take some convincing :wink: 
 
I've looked at the HD555's a bit after discovering the foam mod, but I'm not partial to anything at the moment, so I'm open to any ideas. 
 
Let me know if you need any more info.
 
Thanks! 
 
 
 
Apr 2, 2011 at 11:16 AM Post #2 of 16
K601's rock (so to speak) with classical, and they fit in your price range.  Only caveat is they can be demanding to drive, and I'm not sure if the Asus is up to it.
 
Apr 2, 2011 at 2:19 PM Post #4 of 16
Thanks guys, I'm going to look around and see what some people think is the Xonar ST's performance ceiling. Asus claims it can drive up to 300 ohms of impedance, but I'm skeptical. If I here good things, I'll look into getting the 601's, if not the 555's are 80$ on Amazon right now :D
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 1:52 AM Post #5 of 16
Be wary of the 601. They're not especially popular and do not agree with some ears. I listen to classical and hated the 601 (as well as the 702). May be just me, but....
 
What about the new Senn 558/598?
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 2:03 AM Post #7 of 16
On the contrary I thought the K601 (along with the K701 and the K501, which I still have) do classical extremely well. Then again, I seem to have an affinity for the AKG house sound. Sennheiser's HD580/600, the Beyerdynamic DT880, and an Audio-Technica in your price range (probably the AD700/AD900) are also good performers for classical, IMO.
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 2:38 AM Post #8 of 16
I own the AD700 and I think they could be a good match for you at the same price range as the m50. it does lack in the bass though I really don't think that'll be too big of a problem for the most part. In any case, the soundstage is actually quite good for classical music in my opinion and I used to use it mainly for orchestral and classical music. Also, the AD700 doesn't need an amp so I guess that's another plus.
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 3:03 AM Post #9 of 16
The K701 is perfect for classical assuming a good match in the amp department. Sorry to say I have no experience with your amp but I often use the K701 and Heed CanAmp for classical listening and it's outstanding.

 
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 4:03 AM Post #10 of 16
I've just been listening to Ludwig von B. 3rd symphony switching between my AD700s and Dt 770 80-Ohm headphones, they both sounded good. I'm going to say go for the ATH-A700s Iwould guess they are just AD700 with better Bass and the price of the A700s are will within what you were looking to spend.

 
 
 
 
Apr 3, 2011 at 4:14 AM Post #11 of 16
I used the HD595's for years listening to classical and found them very refined for the price. Not sure what the price in the US is for these now but they can be got for as little as £120 in the uk.
 
Apr 4, 2011 at 2:30 AM Post #14 of 16
I'd strongly recommend the AKG K-501 - keep an eye out for a used pair. They have much the same tonality as the K-1000, but without the extension and (obviously) soundstage. For the price, the K-501 is about the best out there.

The Sennheiser HD-600 is also very strong with classical, but it isn't quite as good with the genre as the HD-600. Still, the HD-600 is a fine headphone.

Also, don't misunderstand impedance. Impedance has more to do with the efficiency of power transfer. Higher impedance does not mean something is difficult to drive. That's better expressed by efficiency. For example, some Apogee speakers have a 1.2 Ohm impedance. They - quite literally - melt lesser amps because they're so demanding.

You want an amp with an output impedance lower than what you're driving. Once you have that, the amp's output power and the efficiency of what you're powering are most important.
 
Apr 4, 2011 at 2:39 AM Post #15 of 16


Quote:
uncle erik said:
I'd strongly recommend the AKG K-501 - keep an eye out for a used pair. They have much the same tonality as the K-1000, but without the extension and (obviously) soundstage. For the price, the K-501 is about the best out there.

The Sennheiser HD-600 is also very strong with classical, but it isn't quite as good with the genre as the HD-600. Still, the HD-600 is a fine headphone.

Also, don't misunderstand impedance. Impedance has more to do with the efficiency of power transfer. Higher impedance does not mean something is difficult to drive. That's better expressed by efficiency. For example, some Apogee speakers have a 1.2 Ohm impedance. They - quite literally - melt lesser amps because they're so demanding.

You want an amp with an output impedance lower than what you're driving. Once you have that, the amp's output power and the efficiency of what you're powering are most important.
Click to expand...


I agree with the recommendation of the K501 (unfortunately TheKisho's pair sold very quickly) but it is very inefficient and probably won't run well off his soundcard. Without power the K501 sounds kind of... dead to me.
 
 
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