[AmanGeorge]

Hey team,

I tend to have a preference for slightly bright, extremely transparent and detailed presentations in my headphones - I love the K701, I have an HD800 on the way, and am also devoted to my Sony CD3K. The problem is, none of these are particularly forgiving of bad recordings, which, as we all know, are a sad fact of life.

I was wondering what sorts of recommendations folks have for a pair of headphones that sounds great but tends towards being more forgiving of poor source material. I used to own an HD650, but ended up selling it because it was just too dark for my tastes. Is there some sort of middle ground? Do the HD600s retain the smooth nature of the 650 despite being less bassy? Are there other 'phones I should be looking at?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[fenixdown110]

If you had a silver recable for the HD650, they would end up sounding very much like the HD600. They both are somewhat forgiving for less than perfect sources I must say.

 

[ting.mike]

The Koss ESP-950 with its stock amp is pretty forgiving of bad recordings. As a matter of fact, it'll nicely separate bad and congested recordings.

 

[Acix]

Try Fostex.

 

[brokensound]

HD600 seems like the way to go. Less dark than the hd650, smooth, and forgiving.

Or you may want to try a more forgiving source or amp.
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[Redo]

Grab a pair of SR80's

 

[progo]

Or a Stax 202. How headphones react to high frequencies is the key to forgiveness. The HD650 emphasizes the upmost treble somewhat, and that makes some loud records very bad sounding (and the Stax plays them very neatly).

 

[oqvist]

German Mastro 435S if you want to go cheap or bang for buck. Otherwise Edition 8. Don´t let your Ultrasone hatred blind you it´s worth a trial

They are on the other spectrum of my Pro 900/K701.

 

[AmanGeorge]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

The HD600 is definitely on my shortlist for now. I don't think a 650, even with a recable, will cut it for me though - I've heard recabled pairs and they are still just a touch too dark.

Fostex is an interesting thought, although in general I've been less impressed with the soundstaging abilities of those old orthos.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ting.mike /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Koss ESP-950 with its stock amp is pretty forgiving of bad recordings. As a matter of fact, it'll nicely separate bad and congested recordings.

I was looking at these with some interest, especially since there's a pair up on the FS forums right now. Anybody else have any thoughts on this pair?

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif German Mastro 435S if you want to go cheap or bang for buck. Otherwise Edition 8. Don´t let your Ultrasone hatred blind you it´s worth a trial They are on the other spectrum of my Pro 900/K701.

Eh, my Ultrasone hatred is a product of having heard them. The Ed. 8 is the only high-end headphone that I've heard that actually sounds bad to my ears. Plus, with the 800s on the way, I don't think I'm looking to break the bank on another 4-digit price headphone.

 

[AmanGeorge]

What about some of the older AKGs, like Sextetts or 340s?

 

[AmanGeorge]

Bump for any other ideas, or comparisons of those already mentioned... I'm liking the idea of the Koss, although cringing slightly at another headphone outlay

 

[kool bubba ice]

Current Grado.