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My search for an acceptable sounding portable system has come to a temporary conclusion. I say temporary because you can always get the bug to start up again. My source is a 20gb HP version of the Ipod. I use Apple lossless format. I travel a lot on planes and needed a sealed headphone. I tried the Sennheiser and bose noise cancelling ones and there is no place for them in my system. They are simply not up to the task of satisfying me. Hey a lot of my friends are perfectly content. So be it. An amp was deemed necessary almost immediately after my first plane trip with the ipod and a decent pair of aftermarket PX-200s. The ipod will clip if you use the last two bars of volume.
I picked up a good buffered Cmoy amp which did well but had a bit of midrange brightness to it. Still really nice sound for the bucks. The big problem was finding SEALED headphones that were capable of getting me close to my main speaker based system at home. That might be tough because I have spent years working on it and around $15k.
After some lower end headphone purchases I narrowed it doen to the finalists. The Audio-Tecnica ATH-900, the Beyerdynamic DT250 250 and the AKG 271S. All of these headphones are like really good wines. All wonderful and have flavors that can be captivating. While each person has their own tastes, I found the one that most satisfies me. It is kind of like trying three bottles of wine with different foods. And in the case of headphones sometimes I preferred one pair with one type of music and another with a different type of music. In the end I chose the one that overall satisfied my "palate"
The winner - AKG 271S.
Here is my unorganized attempt to place some context around what I perceived all the headphones did right and what some did wrong.
I used the ipod with lossless material through a SIK ram din line out to the Ray Samuels SR-71 input and on to the phones.
Music used was for the serious comparison was:
Johnny Adams - One foot in the Blues- fantastic male vocals and great recording.
Chieftains - Tears of Stone- lots of female vocalists with good natural Irish instruments.
Dawn Upshaw- Canteloube- classical with female vocals
Patricia Barber- Modern Cool- this is how jazz ought to be recorded- Fantastic truthful bass and great layers of depth.
Music used less seriously but that contributed to my preference.
Sonny Landreth- Grant Street- Man I wished I heard him sooner- zydeco guitar live
Patty Larkin
Dead Can Dance
Beck
Bjork
Emiliana Torrini
Ella Fitzgerald
Goldfrapp
Miles Davis
Squeeze
Beyerdynamic 250 -250 - Needs an amp that is for sure.
The Beyer seals well and is fairly comfortable on the ears but the clamping was most notable of the 3 and the top of the band felt like a weight when you first put them on, but they grow on you after a while.
Overall Sound is very well balanced and no obvious part of the spectrum jumps out at you or is missed. Soundstage presentation is of the more forward nature especially in the mids. Depth is less than some of the other phones. Detail and focus are very good with nice definition of voice and strings but with a little added warmth. On percussion with many types of instruments they added a slight bit of warmth to the attack. Cymbals and highs were good and fairly natural. Female vocalists were pushed up front in the mix and were very natural but with a bit of an slight edge.
In conclusion if it were not for the better depth and spatial rendering of the AKGs and a more forgiving midrange, the Beyers would be a top choice. I'll includes some random comparison notes later on some selected tracks.
Audio-Technica ATH-900
Boy, the buzz on these is certainly warranted. Good bass, clean and clear, easy to drive, even without an amp they sound good.
The 900s are very comfortable and should fit all but elephant ears. They are huge. Easy to wear for a long time even lying down.
Overall sound is impressive with a slight tip in the lower treble. Bass does make it's presence know but that is good thing, it is not bloated in my opinion but may be too spacey. We'll discuss that later. Mids are clean and present but with a lack of focus that makes it sound too unnatural on some recordings. Soundstage is big and spacious but suffers from some sort of resonance that make everything a bit too spacey. Immediacy and focus suffer and in many cases female vocalists that increase their dynamics can cause the 900s to create a blurring resonance. It is kind of like a room node being excited. Perhaps some tweaks can tame a bit. Also some female vocalists take on an upper midrange lower treble glare that is annoying. Their is something going on the highs that may be related. On some cymbals, tambourine, and other high percussion an unnatural metallic glare can sometimes be annoying. Bass is deep and full when called for but may be a bit too spacey, which creates a bit of unnaturalness. I won't call it bloat but some may.
In conclusion, these are a very good phone with minor shortcomings and certainly the most spacious of the group. The minor flaws in the upper mids lower treble and the spacey resonance type characteristic keeps them from becoming my favorite.
AKG 271S
I have to thank the folks on headfi who steered me to these. I read a lot of reviews about all of these phones but until you try them yourself, it is kind of hard to understand completely how they will sound to you. They do help though.
The AKG 271S is comfortable and not tight at all. Some larger ears may be a bit hard to fit but you could say that about the Beyers as well. I did notice when eating or moving my jaw a certain way that the seal could be broken and the woosh of airplane noise can be let in. Just don't try chewing gum while listening and flying. Frequency balance is excellent and the reputation for superb mids is justified. The upper end is not exaggerated or in your face and the midrange is the most natural sounding to me of all three. While the midrange lets you hear smooth female vocals it also lets you hear detail like the intake of a breath. Strings are sweet and detailed not metallic or grainy. The soundstage is fairly average but the depth is excellent. Layers are easily picked out with the 271s. The overall presentation is laid back in the mids and not forward unless called for. The mids also have good spatial information and let you hear wide and deep into the mix. On to the bass. Many have written that the bass is rolled, lean or missing the last 2 octaves. It presents the least prominent bass of the 3 phones. But it is fairly deep only losing out on low synth stuff like the America Beauty soundtrack. Electric bass and acoustic come through with good body and definition. It could have a bit more body in the low end but it's omission is not too distracting. I am much more concerned about the mids where most of the action is going on. And if they get that close to right you have a good reproducer of music.
In conclusion, the laid back yet totally natural sounding mids clinch it for me. The highs are just fine and not to aggressive. These phones do female vocals better than any of the 3. They do strings and percussion on the top end better than any of the 3. And they do the soundstage and depth best. I just wish we could get a little more bass body. Oh well, something to shoot for in the future. If anyone knows of such a sealed beast that does the rest right, let me know.
Now on to the random notes as I wrote them earlier today:
Dawn Upshaw recording
ATH-900 - Hall ambience is noticeable, strings a bit steely, horns okay, strings a bit phasey, voice spreads out when singer volume is increased not volume control, singer dynamics).
271S- More detail, more focus, strings sweet and detailed, singer stays focused when volume increased. Much more detail. Stringed instrument easy to hear there are more than one.
DT 250- More immediate presentation, less space between instruments, string detail buried a bit back in the mix, upper mids warmed a bit.
Patricia Barber- Constantinople recording
DT 250 - Bongos a bit too warm, bass good, sticks and percussion just not right- lacks some definition, trumpet too warm, voice a bit grainy
271S- Much more space and depth, fingers on bongos much more tight, bow on bass realistic, trumpet open and clear, mass more lean, vocals grain free.
AT-900 - Too much resonance on bass, highs are messed up, great low end, metallic highs and trumpet, tambourine is off - no boy, spacey percussion too echoey.
Chieftains- Magdelaine Laundry with Joni Mitchell
AT-900 - Guitars and background instrument buried, string instrument like harp not realistic, false air edge added to some instruments.
271S- Detail and focus are back, cleaner more focused vocals, depth clarity better, harp finesse back
DT 250 - More forward presentation in mids, good clarity on mids- vocals, lack of depth, more lower treble lift.
Chieftains Track 5
DT 250 - Harp detailed without as much body or tone, voices a bit edgy
271S- Harp smooth with good tone, voices nore full, more reverb on all the instruments
At-900 Good voices
Well I think I am done for now. I sure do hope this can help someone narrow down their audition list. I know it is just my opinions so your ears may tell you something differently.
And as always take my notes with a grain of salt.
cheers
I picked up a good buffered Cmoy amp which did well but had a bit of midrange brightness to it. Still really nice sound for the bucks. The big problem was finding SEALED headphones that were capable of getting me close to my main speaker based system at home. That might be tough because I have spent years working on it and around $15k.
After some lower end headphone purchases I narrowed it doen to the finalists. The Audio-Tecnica ATH-900, the Beyerdynamic DT250 250 and the AKG 271S. All of these headphones are like really good wines. All wonderful and have flavors that can be captivating. While each person has their own tastes, I found the one that most satisfies me. It is kind of like trying three bottles of wine with different foods. And in the case of headphones sometimes I preferred one pair with one type of music and another with a different type of music. In the end I chose the one that overall satisfied my "palate"
The winner - AKG 271S.
Here is my unorganized attempt to place some context around what I perceived all the headphones did right and what some did wrong.
I used the ipod with lossless material through a SIK ram din line out to the Ray Samuels SR-71 input and on to the phones.
Music used was for the serious comparison was:
Johnny Adams - One foot in the Blues- fantastic male vocals and great recording.
Chieftains - Tears of Stone- lots of female vocalists with good natural Irish instruments.
Dawn Upshaw- Canteloube- classical with female vocals
Patricia Barber- Modern Cool- this is how jazz ought to be recorded- Fantastic truthful bass and great layers of depth.
Music used less seriously but that contributed to my preference.
Sonny Landreth- Grant Street- Man I wished I heard him sooner- zydeco guitar live
Patty Larkin
Dead Can Dance
Beck
Bjork
Emiliana Torrini
Ella Fitzgerald
Goldfrapp
Miles Davis
Squeeze
Beyerdynamic 250 -250 - Needs an amp that is for sure.
The Beyer seals well and is fairly comfortable on the ears but the clamping was most notable of the 3 and the top of the band felt like a weight when you first put them on, but they grow on you after a while.
Overall Sound is very well balanced and no obvious part of the spectrum jumps out at you or is missed. Soundstage presentation is of the more forward nature especially in the mids. Depth is less than some of the other phones. Detail and focus are very good with nice definition of voice and strings but with a little added warmth. On percussion with many types of instruments they added a slight bit of warmth to the attack. Cymbals and highs were good and fairly natural. Female vocalists were pushed up front in the mix and were very natural but with a bit of an slight edge.
In conclusion if it were not for the better depth and spatial rendering of the AKGs and a more forgiving midrange, the Beyers would be a top choice. I'll includes some random comparison notes later on some selected tracks.
Audio-Technica ATH-900
Boy, the buzz on these is certainly warranted. Good bass, clean and clear, easy to drive, even without an amp they sound good.
The 900s are very comfortable and should fit all but elephant ears. They are huge. Easy to wear for a long time even lying down.
Overall sound is impressive with a slight tip in the lower treble. Bass does make it's presence know but that is good thing, it is not bloated in my opinion but may be too spacey. We'll discuss that later. Mids are clean and present but with a lack of focus that makes it sound too unnatural on some recordings. Soundstage is big and spacious but suffers from some sort of resonance that make everything a bit too spacey. Immediacy and focus suffer and in many cases female vocalists that increase their dynamics can cause the 900s to create a blurring resonance. It is kind of like a room node being excited. Perhaps some tweaks can tame a bit. Also some female vocalists take on an upper midrange lower treble glare that is annoying. Their is something going on the highs that may be related. On some cymbals, tambourine, and other high percussion an unnatural metallic glare can sometimes be annoying. Bass is deep and full when called for but may be a bit too spacey, which creates a bit of unnaturalness. I won't call it bloat but some may.
In conclusion, these are a very good phone with minor shortcomings and certainly the most spacious of the group. The minor flaws in the upper mids lower treble and the spacey resonance type characteristic keeps them from becoming my favorite.
AKG 271S
I have to thank the folks on headfi who steered me to these. I read a lot of reviews about all of these phones but until you try them yourself, it is kind of hard to understand completely how they will sound to you. They do help though.
The AKG 271S is comfortable and not tight at all. Some larger ears may be a bit hard to fit but you could say that about the Beyers as well. I did notice when eating or moving my jaw a certain way that the seal could be broken and the woosh of airplane noise can be let in. Just don't try chewing gum while listening and flying. Frequency balance is excellent and the reputation for superb mids is justified. The upper end is not exaggerated or in your face and the midrange is the most natural sounding to me of all three. While the midrange lets you hear smooth female vocals it also lets you hear detail like the intake of a breath. Strings are sweet and detailed not metallic or grainy. The soundstage is fairly average but the depth is excellent. Layers are easily picked out with the 271s. The overall presentation is laid back in the mids and not forward unless called for. The mids also have good spatial information and let you hear wide and deep into the mix. On to the bass. Many have written that the bass is rolled, lean or missing the last 2 octaves. It presents the least prominent bass of the 3 phones. But it is fairly deep only losing out on low synth stuff like the America Beauty soundtrack. Electric bass and acoustic come through with good body and definition. It could have a bit more body in the low end but it's omission is not too distracting. I am much more concerned about the mids where most of the action is going on. And if they get that close to right you have a good reproducer of music.
In conclusion, the laid back yet totally natural sounding mids clinch it for me. The highs are just fine and not to aggressive. These phones do female vocals better than any of the 3. They do strings and percussion on the top end better than any of the 3. And they do the soundstage and depth best. I just wish we could get a little more bass body. Oh well, something to shoot for in the future. If anyone knows of such a sealed beast that does the rest right, let me know.
Now on to the random notes as I wrote them earlier today:
Dawn Upshaw recording
ATH-900 - Hall ambience is noticeable, strings a bit steely, horns okay, strings a bit phasey, voice spreads out when singer volume is increased not volume control, singer dynamics).
271S- More detail, more focus, strings sweet and detailed, singer stays focused when volume increased. Much more detail. Stringed instrument easy to hear there are more than one.
DT 250- More immediate presentation, less space between instruments, string detail buried a bit back in the mix, upper mids warmed a bit.
Patricia Barber- Constantinople recording
DT 250 - Bongos a bit too warm, bass good, sticks and percussion just not right- lacks some definition, trumpet too warm, voice a bit grainy
271S- Much more space and depth, fingers on bongos much more tight, bow on bass realistic, trumpet open and clear, mass more lean, vocals grain free.
AT-900 - Too much resonance on bass, highs are messed up, great low end, metallic highs and trumpet, tambourine is off - no boy, spacey percussion too echoey.
Chieftains- Magdelaine Laundry with Joni Mitchell
AT-900 - Guitars and background instrument buried, string instrument like harp not realistic, false air edge added to some instruments.
271S- Detail and focus are back, cleaner more focused vocals, depth clarity better, harp finesse back
DT 250 - More forward presentation in mids, good clarity on mids- vocals, lack of depth, more lower treble lift.
Chieftains Track 5
DT 250 - Harp detailed without as much body or tone, voices a bit edgy
271S- Harp smooth with good tone, voices nore full, more reverb on all the instruments
At-900 Good voices
Well I think I am done for now. I sure do hope this can help someone narrow down their audition list. I know it is just my opinions so your ears may tell you something differently.
And as always take my notes with a grain of salt.
cheers
