dudlew
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2002
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Sennheiser HD 497 vs KTX Pro
Okay, First the disclaimers: These are my opinions, from my ears, and I listened to only one source; my Sony CDP-CE575 CD changer’s headphone out.
I am a newbie here and I can only compare to what I know. This is my first ‘real’ headphone and unlike speakers, it’s the first ‘real’ headphone I have listened to. So take that into consideration when reading this review.
Now my kinda brief review.
Look
I Don’t think I will wear the Senns in public anytime soon!! They don’t look too bad but they are much bigger than I thought, and the silver to me looks a bit more Garish in reality. I wish they made them in a different colour like black.
My pair of KTX Pros’ will still be used for public appearances for the time being, as they are neater and less noticeable.
Comfort
For now the KTX Pro wins here for now. I am accustomed to it now and they are lighter. They have conformed to my head a bit, mind you I forced them to do that by bending the metal bar outward to reduce the pressure it applied to my head. Still I cant wear them for more than 1 hour unless I am concentrating on something else and just don’t realize they are there!
I do get the feeling that as I use the 497 more I will find it more comfortable and be able to wear it for longer periods than the KTX Pro.
Build
The KTX Pro to me is built like a tank. It takes a lot of abuse in bags from anywhere I go. Not a Padded bag mind you a thin cheapo back pack with holes and the uncanny ability to not hold anything firm, hence everything crushes together. I have had them since 1999 and they are still alive. The only gripe is the volume control which gives some very minor problems.
I just got the 497, but I find them to be of relatively solid build. I am not too keen on the size though for in a bag it will most likely get more abuse because of it. Only time will yell its true strength.
Sound
I listened to a few songs:
1) Fragile and When we Dance, from ‘… All This Time’. A live recording of Sting (You know Sting’s style)
2) Substitute For Love, From ‘Ray Of Light’ Madonna ( Madonna’s more recent style of dance techno thingy??)
3) Black Coffee, From ‘Eat At Whitey’s” Everlast ( An Alternative/ R&B styled song)
4) How High The Moon, From ‘Young Lions & Old Tigers’ Dave Brubeck (A duo of voice and piano)
5) And two of my own songs
The general trend was that the KTX Pro was out classed most of the time.
On all the songs the KTX Pro had a bloated lower midrange/upper bass and a rolled off ill defined treble. His gave it a smoother richer sound particularly on vocals, but it sounded some times too rich?? You know when you get too close to a mike your voice takes on a richer more bloated character (Proximity effect)? That is what the KTX Pro gives you. Only in one song did the KTX Pro sound decent in treble balance and it was with one of my own songs where I used the very said phone to mix it!!!
The 497 on the other hand sounded more balanced, with better high frequency extension and much better defined. It also sounded more open and focused with a slightly airy quality. It was much more in control of the music when things got a bit more complex, and had better instrument separation and definition.
However the 497 lacked the attack and the aggression in the bass region of the KTX Pro which makes it sound a little too laid back and sterile, lacking some energy and dynamics.
The bass was another area where I found the 497 a little lacking. It is there, with relatively good extension, detail and accuracy of timing, but it does not have that little extra ‘bloom’ for want of a better word that makes people love bass so, or the slam for that matter. As I said I think there might be a little bass head in me.
Another area was that the midrange of the 497 sounded a little recessed in comparison to the KTX Pro, which sounded more upfront in that area. A result of the overemphasized lower mid/ upper bass region? This gave male vocalist with not so heavy voices a weighty voice rich in body on the KX Pro, which can sound appealing, but after listening to my own voice which is kinda rich already, and was recorded with a Shure SM57 mic , the KTX Pro makes it sound a little too rich and over full.
The problem I have is that my speaker system sounds a little like the KTX Pro with slightly emphasized mid bass, and slightly recessed treble. Comparing these two is like comparing my stereo to my brother’s. My setup is in my profile, my brother’s setup Has a Sony CDP XE3000ES I think, the matching amp, better interconnects and DynAudio Audience 50 speakers. It is leagues above mine in clarity and has a more balanced sound. It has better dynamics Also which is not the case here with these phones though
But at the end of the day, the HD497 wins for sure sounding more tonally accurate and in better control of itself. The KTX Pro wins on dynamics and energy alone. The HD497 wins on everything else. I think I am going to love my new phones and hope that things get better WHEN I add an amp.
Dudlew
Okay, First the disclaimers: These are my opinions, from my ears, and I listened to only one source; my Sony CDP-CE575 CD changer’s headphone out.
I am a newbie here and I can only compare to what I know. This is my first ‘real’ headphone and unlike speakers, it’s the first ‘real’ headphone I have listened to. So take that into consideration when reading this review.
Now my kinda brief review.
Look
I Don’t think I will wear the Senns in public anytime soon!! They don’t look too bad but they are much bigger than I thought, and the silver to me looks a bit more Garish in reality. I wish they made them in a different colour like black.
My pair of KTX Pros’ will still be used for public appearances for the time being, as they are neater and less noticeable.
Comfort
For now the KTX Pro wins here for now. I am accustomed to it now and they are lighter. They have conformed to my head a bit, mind you I forced them to do that by bending the metal bar outward to reduce the pressure it applied to my head. Still I cant wear them for more than 1 hour unless I am concentrating on something else and just don’t realize they are there!
I do get the feeling that as I use the 497 more I will find it more comfortable and be able to wear it for longer periods than the KTX Pro.
Build
The KTX Pro to me is built like a tank. It takes a lot of abuse in bags from anywhere I go. Not a Padded bag mind you a thin cheapo back pack with holes and the uncanny ability to not hold anything firm, hence everything crushes together. I have had them since 1999 and they are still alive. The only gripe is the volume control which gives some very minor problems.
I just got the 497, but I find them to be of relatively solid build. I am not too keen on the size though for in a bag it will most likely get more abuse because of it. Only time will yell its true strength.
Sound
I listened to a few songs:
1) Fragile and When we Dance, from ‘… All This Time’. A live recording of Sting (You know Sting’s style)
2) Substitute For Love, From ‘Ray Of Light’ Madonna ( Madonna’s more recent style of dance techno thingy??)
3) Black Coffee, From ‘Eat At Whitey’s” Everlast ( An Alternative/ R&B styled song)
4) How High The Moon, From ‘Young Lions & Old Tigers’ Dave Brubeck (A duo of voice and piano)
5) And two of my own songs
The general trend was that the KTX Pro was out classed most of the time.
On all the songs the KTX Pro had a bloated lower midrange/upper bass and a rolled off ill defined treble. His gave it a smoother richer sound particularly on vocals, but it sounded some times too rich?? You know when you get too close to a mike your voice takes on a richer more bloated character (Proximity effect)? That is what the KTX Pro gives you. Only in one song did the KTX Pro sound decent in treble balance and it was with one of my own songs where I used the very said phone to mix it!!!
The 497 on the other hand sounded more balanced, with better high frequency extension and much better defined. It also sounded more open and focused with a slightly airy quality. It was much more in control of the music when things got a bit more complex, and had better instrument separation and definition.
However the 497 lacked the attack and the aggression in the bass region of the KTX Pro which makes it sound a little too laid back and sterile, lacking some energy and dynamics.
The bass was another area where I found the 497 a little lacking. It is there, with relatively good extension, detail and accuracy of timing, but it does not have that little extra ‘bloom’ for want of a better word that makes people love bass so, or the slam for that matter. As I said I think there might be a little bass head in me.
Another area was that the midrange of the 497 sounded a little recessed in comparison to the KTX Pro, which sounded more upfront in that area. A result of the overemphasized lower mid/ upper bass region? This gave male vocalist with not so heavy voices a weighty voice rich in body on the KX Pro, which can sound appealing, but after listening to my own voice which is kinda rich already, and was recorded with a Shure SM57 mic , the KTX Pro makes it sound a little too rich and over full.
The problem I have is that my speaker system sounds a little like the KTX Pro with slightly emphasized mid bass, and slightly recessed treble. Comparing these two is like comparing my stereo to my brother’s. My setup is in my profile, my brother’s setup Has a Sony CDP XE3000ES I think, the matching amp, better interconnects and DynAudio Audience 50 speakers. It is leagues above mine in clarity and has a more balanced sound. It has better dynamics Also which is not the case here with these phones though
But at the end of the day, the HD497 wins for sure sounding more tonally accurate and in better control of itself. The KTX Pro wins on dynamics and energy alone. The HD497 wins on everything else. I think I am going to love my new phones and hope that things get better WHEN I add an amp.
Dudlew
