Need first set - 580, 590 , or HD600???
Jun 7, 2002 at 9:06 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12

Clay

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Hello all,
I want to get some Headphones so I can listen to rock after my wife gets home. My budget is ~<$300 and I was thinking of the HD600's. My second choice would be the HD590's or HD580's.

My only real concern with the 600's is will I have enough power to drive them without a headphone amp? I have a Onkyo 484 with a Headphone jack a McIntosh C20 without a headphone jack and a old Sony top of the line cassette player with a phone jack with volume control (TC -K7II). My DVD players do not have headphone jacks. I would consider a DIY tube headphone amp in the future, yet will not be able to commit funds for a year or so.

My system is ESS AMT1 bi amp with C20 pre, dynaco st70 on heils, and B&K st140 on the lows.

Thanks,
Clay

PS: also looking for a procurement/commodity manager job in the Bay area (ex-HP)
 
Jun 7, 2002 at 10:26 PM Post #2 of 12
The 590's are a little easier to drive than the 580's/600's. However, they don't sound as good and aren't as comfortable.

A lot of people here will tell you that you MUST have a dedicated headphone amp to use the 580's or 600's. BULL. They'll sound absolutely fabulous from you headphone jacks.

It's also very definitely true that they'll sound even better with better amps. I mean, Headroom uses the Cardas cabled 600's to demo the Stepped Attenuator Blockhead, arguably the BEST Headphone Amp On The Planet.

The 580's give you about 95+% of the 600's at a substantial price differential.

I've got the 600's and they are incredible. Driven them from home component headphone jacks, portable jacks, 3 volt TAH, 9 volt TAH, 2002 Loaner Little, and Cosmic Loaner. They haven't sounded bad at all with anything, except some poor recordings. And yes, it's really obvious as you upgrade amps. BTW, my PCDP is a 7 year old Kenwood with some decent output as opposed to the newer models built for battery life.

Welcome to Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet.
 
Jun 7, 2002 at 11:07 PM Post #3 of 12
What I would recommend that is slightly above your $300 is to buy the Total Airhead and the HD-580s. The TAH is $179 with headphones and the 580s are around $199. You might as well save a bit longer and buy both now as you will want the pair later anyway. I did not care for the 590s when I listened to them at the show recently. Gaineso is right about the differences between the 580s and 600s they are very close in my opinion. They both sound better by quite a bit with an amp though.
 
Jun 8, 2002 at 3:01 AM Post #4 of 12
Thank you so much Gaineso and John_JCB.
This is exactly the information I was looking for.

"funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it" annon

I will get the HD 600's. I will then research additional options while listening.
Thanks again,
Clay
 
Jun 8, 2002 at 7:29 AM Post #6 of 12
Clay
there was a sale going on at meier-audio : HD600+PortaCorda for ~ 300 USD. If still available then its a nice combo that will fit you budget
cheers
RawHit
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jun 8, 2002 at 12:34 PM Post #7 of 12
I just got a pair of 590's for 134 brand new from a guy in the forums. Let me just say they will blow your mind away, they sound awesome. I am a seasoned FPS gamer myself so I needed some really good headphones for sound positioning or what not. at a few lans I tried out a couple friends 580's and 600', two which didn't have amps and one who did. I heard both the 580's and 600's without and amp and they were good, not better then the 590 at that point, but then I heard the 580 with an amp and you could notice a substantial difference. I personally would go with the 590's I have had them for a few days and have fallen in love, and I could fall asleep with these babies on my ears...
 
Jun 8, 2002 at 1:09 PM Post #9 of 12
the difference between sen580 and sen600 on portable equipment is very very hard to pick. Sen600 needs the best for it to give its best.
 
Jun 8, 2002 at 3:51 PM Post #10 of 12
Clay, you've made a right choice with the 600s. That's exactly what I started out with. I didn't want the 580's and would be thinking about the 600s. They will sound fantastic with what you have. In the future, you can always add a dedicated amp to improve the sound.
 
Jun 9, 2002 at 2:26 AM Post #11 of 12
I have the 590's. But I'm wondering how they compare to the 580 or 600 sound. What does more "laid back" mean or sound like, since the 580/600 are supposed to be laid back? What is the upfront sound of the Grado that the 590's are similar to?
 
Jun 9, 2002 at 2:39 AM Post #12 of 12
Quote:

What does more "laid back" mean or sound like, since the 580/600 are supposed to be laid back? What is the upfront sound of the Grado that the 590's are similar to?


The eternal question
very_evil_smiley.gif


Grado = upfront = bright or very detailed

sen580/600 = not upfront , treble is not in your face , easy to listen to.
 

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