Chops
500+ Head-Fier
I'm still in the dark as far as what cans I should go for. From Senn, I've had the HD545, HD580 and HD600 (in that order). I've had the pleasure of using a pair of 1st gen Beyer DT880's for a little over 3 weeks. This is all from about 3 years ago! So my memory of these cans and their sound has all but faded from my gord. BTW, these were all powered by a Headroom Cosmic amp and the source was (and still is) my trusty Sony DVP-NS755V.
I have been listening to these MDR-7506's of mine for so long now, (going on 15 years now and without being amped, ever!) that I'm not 100% sure what cans will take me where I want to go. I want something that's going to at least match the bass, if not go just a little bit deeper with a tad bit more oomph while remaining tight and detailed, a more natural, clean and open midrange, and treble that's more refined yet detailed.
With these new Beyer velour ear pads that I just installed a few days ago, comfort is by far better than ever before. I can wear these cans for hours on end with absolutely no discomfort whatsoever. My ears only get a little warmed up, but never to the point of moist or sweaty like with the old nasty stock pleather Sony pads.
Also, these new Beyer pads have improved the bass output of these cans considerably, while still maintaining the tightness. They are by no means boomy or heavy. I guess it has a lot to do with how much better these pads seal to the sides of my head. They also do a much better job of isolating outside noise.
And speaking of comfort, the headband has never presented itself as a problem. It has never put a sore spot on the top of my head. I cut my hair to almost the point of being completely bald, so I figure if there was ever going to be a problem with the headband, I'd know about it.
The cans I'm considering are (in no special order):
Comfort is a very major factor, which if you notice, all of these offer the large velour type, over the ear pads. I have my cans on for nearly 4-5 hours straight every work day, and nearly every waking hour on my days off, so comfort has to be 100% top notch. With the new Beyer pads installed, it's truely amazing how comfortable these MDR-7506's really are!
You will also notice that I did not mention Grado cans. My brother has a pair of SR80's, and eventhough they sound pretty good overall, I can not and will not put up with the major discomfort of these things squashing down on my ears. Why Grado insists on using those cheap, cheesy foam ear pads on ALL of their models is beyond me. Plus the fact that I can't stand headphones that sit on top of your earlobes. They don't make a very good seal that way and are just simply way too unconfortable to me. And I don't like the way the grille of the driver sits directly on the boney cartilage part of the ear either. I can't see how anyone can enjoy these cans for any length of time. I won't even get started on the headband and its discomfort. I can't wear the Grado's for anymore than about 20 minutes without having to yank them off and rub my ears to give them a break.
The GS1000's ear pads look a little promising, but NOT at $1k, and not with the same headband.
If Grado decided to start using velour style ear pads such as AKG, Beyer and Senn, then I would consider them as well. But until then, no dice.
Sorry for the little rant, just kinda flowed out of me without much effort. I guess they really bother me that much. I've given these Grado cans numerous chances, but to no avail.
So with all of that out of the way, what would you all suggest?
As a side note, I've even entertained the idea of the Beyer DT770 Pro and DT990 Pro as a secondary set of cans. How do the DT990 Pro's compare to the rest, or do they?
Thanks in advance!
I have been listening to these MDR-7506's of mine for so long now, (going on 15 years now and without being amped, ever!) that I'm not 100% sure what cans will take me where I want to go. I want something that's going to at least match the bass, if not go just a little bit deeper with a tad bit more oomph while remaining tight and detailed, a more natural, clean and open midrange, and treble that's more refined yet detailed.
With these new Beyer velour ear pads that I just installed a few days ago, comfort is by far better than ever before. I can wear these cans for hours on end with absolutely no discomfort whatsoever. My ears only get a little warmed up, but never to the point of moist or sweaty like with the old nasty stock pleather Sony pads.
Also, these new Beyer pads have improved the bass output of these cans considerably, while still maintaining the tightness. They are by no means boomy or heavy. I guess it has a lot to do with how much better these pads seal to the sides of my head. They also do a much better job of isolating outside noise.
And speaking of comfort, the headband has never presented itself as a problem. It has never put a sore spot on the top of my head. I cut my hair to almost the point of being completely bald, so I figure if there was ever going to be a problem with the headband, I'd know about it.
The cans I'm considering are (in no special order):
- AKG K601
- AKG K701
- Beyer DT880 (2005)
- Beyer DT990 (2005)
- Senn HD600
- Senn HD650
Comfort is a very major factor, which if you notice, all of these offer the large velour type, over the ear pads. I have my cans on for nearly 4-5 hours straight every work day, and nearly every waking hour on my days off, so comfort has to be 100% top notch. With the new Beyer pads installed, it's truely amazing how comfortable these MDR-7506's really are!
You will also notice that I did not mention Grado cans. My brother has a pair of SR80's, and eventhough they sound pretty good overall, I can not and will not put up with the major discomfort of these things squashing down on my ears. Why Grado insists on using those cheap, cheesy foam ear pads on ALL of their models is beyond me. Plus the fact that I can't stand headphones that sit on top of your earlobes. They don't make a very good seal that way and are just simply way too unconfortable to me. And I don't like the way the grille of the driver sits directly on the boney cartilage part of the ear either. I can't see how anyone can enjoy these cans for any length of time. I won't even get started on the headband and its discomfort. I can't wear the Grado's for anymore than about 20 minutes without having to yank them off and rub my ears to give them a break.
The GS1000's ear pads look a little promising, but NOT at $1k, and not with the same headband.
If Grado decided to start using velour style ear pads such as AKG, Beyer and Senn, then I would consider them as well. But until then, no dice.
Sorry for the little rant, just kinda flowed out of me without much effort. I guess they really bother me that much. I've given these Grado cans numerous chances, but to no avail.
So with all of that out of the way, what would you all suggest?
As a side note, I've even entertained the idea of the Beyer DT770 Pro and DT990 Pro as a secondary set of cans. How do the DT990 Pro's compare to the rest, or do they?
Thanks in advance!
