[Zida]

Maybe about a month ago I picked up a pair of AKG K701 and a Meier Corda Headfive to be my first actual rig. It was to replace my pair of ATH ANC7 for around the house use. The K701 definitely have a better balance and feel more natural. With the crossfeed of my Headfive the sound as a whole feels softer and more like I'm listening to a pretty good pair of speakers. I had decided I was going to stick with this combo for at least a few months until had a better idea of what I wanted to upgrade, but recently I was in a friend's old cadillac which had speakers that absolutely floored me.

The tape deck said bose, btw. No idea what the speakers were, he was told by the original owner that they were stock, but they might have been an optional upgrade at the time of purchase, we don't know.

We were listening to some studio recording of Phish and everything just sounded perfect. The bass was strong and deep, but most importantly it just sounded absolutely real. Properly balanced, too. I could hear as much detail and depth in the bass as I paid attention to, but it wasnt like it just took over and coloured the sound signature, it was very natural. The instruments were also perfectly separated and you could absolutely tell where one ended and one began. That's largely a compliment to the cd's amazing production, but it's not really the same on my K701. Things feel just a little bit too muddied together on my home rig. Another thing was how the drums sounded. Every drum sounded completely real and had every bit of attack you'd expect, and the cymbals sustained just right.

All that prose and I still don't really know what I'm asking for. That's why i started this thread. Hopefully someone knows what I'm looking for and can help point me in the right direction. I think that I'm looking for deeper sustaining bass and beyond that... well k701 are supposed to already be amazing at detail and clarity which is why i went for them... but it's not enough.

Another thing that has crossed my mind is potentially getting a dac. I'm splitting my time between my acer laptop's headphone out and the line out of my creative zen vision m. Would that get me my missing detail, even if not the real life bass depth im looking for? Maybe I should start a thread over on the dac forum as well...

Anyways, if anyone here can help me with a headphone related decision you have no idea how much that would help. There's really just too many headphones out there to properly look into all of them.

For reference, I primarily listen to rock and rock inspired genres. That, to me, covers sound styles of pretty much everything but classical.

Thanks and sorry for the wall of text.


edit: I decided the part of my title "looking for real sounds" sounds a little snobby, so I'm sorry about that, but I don't think we can edit titles anymore on head-fi . So rather than covering up my bit of snobbery, accept my apology

 

[shane55]

What kind of files are you listening to? Flac, MP3 (at what comp.?), .wav, ALAC?
What software? Foobar, jRiver, iTunes, etc.?
 
Was that an actual 'tape' or a CD. What was the source?
 
Lots of variables to be sorted out. There are many sets of cans that can give you slammin' bass, but maybe you just need to tweak the source first. Everything in the chain matters... some more than others.

 
shane

 

[Zida]

I listen to Mp3s at various compressions. I do have some .flacs, but i haven't bothered replacing my mp3s since I couldn't hear the difference between them.
[edit: Most of my files are variable bitrate mp3 or 192kbps. Anything less than that and I look for a new download, unless I just don't care much about that album. I should say though that I recognize the importance of file quality, and I wouldn't be posting here about clarity unless I had already tested my rig with higher quality files. maybe the fact that i couldn't hear the difference between good mp3s and flacs of Radiohead should say something about my dac?]

I use winamp or vlc, or foobar when I'm on Ubuntu.

We were listening off a CD at the time.

I'm always reluctant to ask about bass because I don't want to be passed off as a basshead. Detail and clarity are very important to me, and what impressed me most with his speakers is how separate and clear all the instruments sounded and how real the drums sounded. Bass was just another part of what impressed me.

 

[shane55]

Yeah... you don't need to be a basshead to want more bass...

 
You looking for open or closed back?
Have you looked into the Senn HD600? It's got a great lower end. I recommend it for that and also because of the file types you listen to. Any compression harshness that your DAC doesn't smooth-out should be less obvious with these.
 
shane

 

[Zida]

I'm open to anything. keeping quiet isn't a problem so open are okay, but so are closed.

I figured I'd wind up trying out a Sennheiser at some point. Do you think a DAC upgrade would be worth it if I'm set to spend <150? I mean, I can always start collecting higher quality files if I have a DAC to warrant it.

I guess you're suggesting the HD600 over the HD650 because of the reported veil of the 650 and I keep talking about clarity? Because I believe the 650 are supposed to be the bassier of the two, right?

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Do you think a DAC upgrade would be worth it if I'm set to spend <150? I mean, I can always start collecting higher quality files if I have a DAC to warrant it.

I guess you're suggesting the HD600 over the HD650 because of the reported veil of the 650 and I keep talking about clarity? Because I believe the 650 are supposed to be the bassier of the two, right?

Sorry... I can't really comment on the DAC upgrade as I'm not familiar with yours.
 
But yeah, the HD600 is a beautiful can with great sound and good detail (not the top in detail that I've heard, but that's why I'm recommending it here).
The thing is, if you get a seriously detailed HP, you just might not like what you hear. Then you'll start chasing your tail realizing that compressed files have inherent issues... and it won't stop.

 
I have read a bit of conflicting opinion. Many who have tried both wind up with the HD600... some not. It is all taste with these two. But from what I remember having read (please, no flames!) the HD600 had a 'cleaner' sound. I liked it a lot.
 
But who knows...
 
shane

 

 

[Zida]

Alright, Thanks, you've been very helpful. as for the DAC in my laptop, assume its the cheapest one you'd find in a modern day laptop because if i know anything about acer, it is

 

[Mr Joboto]

Not many people consider the K701 for rock purposes. In fact they're mostly recommended for classical music, which is what you don't listen to You might want to consider a headphone change to the Beyerdynamic DT880. A DAC upgrade will most definitely help you as well, your rig is only as good as its weakest link, which in this case is your laptop soundcard

 

[loopfreak]

If car audio set up bested your akg k701 think that its time for d2000 

 

[Slaughter]

Rock will sound good on an HD600, not so much on an 880. Both are very accurate, but not as "fun" as a lot of rockers would like. The problem I have with rock and my HD580 is that highly compressed rock comes across a little veiled. A lot of Rock is highly compressed unfortunately. No headphone can fix this, but Grados in your face sound definitely help. Check out the 225 if you get a chance.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Yeah, Grado sound for light rock sounds best.
Everything, like anything, is dependent on a wee thing called a 'budget'.

 

[Slaughter]

I hate when the budget gets in the way of having fun.

 

[classakg]

The decision could be between the Grado SR-225's or the AKG K702...they are better with soft rock, not heavy sounds. 

 

[Zida]

Can anyone recommend some really well produced classical album or something to try out on my k701 while i still have 'em?

I'm a little hesitant of Grados since I have a pair of SR-80 I don't find particularly great. I don't really like the right up in your ear presentation you get from the sound. I appreciate some rockers like that, but I think I like to be a fair bit more analytical. I don't really listen to straight forward rock much anyhow.

What are Ultrasones known for? That's a brand that has always eluded me

edit: oh, and aren't the k701 and k702 the same besides paint job and connection type?

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Can anyone recommend some really well produced classical album or something to try out on my k701 while i still have 'em?

edit: oh, and aren't the k701 and k702 the same besides paint job and connection type?

Yes... from all I've read 701 - 702 virtually same. White and black, but I'm not very knowledgeable on these (or on much else, really...

).
 
As for the suggestion that the DT880 would be good for you. No. Sorry, as Slaughter said... not so much. They do rock, but you need real good sources for that or they would make you insane.
 
If budget is an object, you might want to go with a more thrifty solution and get something like the M50. They do rock real good... and are sick easy to drive. They will not have the clarity or sonic excellence that the HD600 have, buy you'll be paying much less. They have been said to occasionally have 'metalic' highs, but I've never heard that. But then again, I'm not listening to lossy audio.
 
Now, for the classical music recommendation... there is too much to chose from to just throw something at you. What 'era' suits your taste? Classical like Beethoven - Mozart, Baroque like Bach - Vivaldi, 20th century like Stravinsky? Maybe some 'impressionist' like Debussy or Saint-Saens.
 
shane