bkelly
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 26, 2002
- Posts
- 427
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- 0
To Everyone,
I'll study the Headroom charts and just to make sure everyone is honest I may have one done one each of these phones. Also I suspect that some people are too strongly influedced by charts rather than in actul listening. If you would see the frequency response charts of even the best loudspeakers on earth you would be absolutely astounded at what the charts looked like. None of them are flat, and, unless they are showing it on a small scale there will be peaks, spikes, hills and valleys all over the place. As to how important this is it depends on where they in the spectrum. I think I can say acurately state that about ninety percent of what you are hearing is happening at 5,000 cycles and below. Above that and were talking ambience and atmosphere.
Also, I know that this science stuff seems important and it is but a frequency response chart will not tell you as much as you think about how well they reproduce sound. If it could everyone would be buying speakers with the best charts and no one in their right mind is doing that.
I'd like to take correct a statement I made earlier in this thread (I think it was this one, at least) that I listened to a master recording I made with the 600's and I said it was "unrecognizable". I've thought about that a lot since I said made that remark and I think that is way to strong a word for what I heard. I should have said that it was noticeably colored although in general it did sound nice.
I got my 590's back from Sennheisers yesterday and I listened to the recording again with both headphones and even though I liked the sound from the 590's more and thought it was noticeably more correct toanlly speaking I came away thinking that when it was all said and done it was colored too. Possibly to the same degree as the 600's.
This has brought me to what I think of as a more enlightened view of both of these units and that is that neither of these headphones is perfect and it could be argued that they are both about the same distance from 100% totally perfect. Critics of the 600's are put off by the unusually tame presentation while it is argued by the other group that the 590's are too bright or aggressive sounding. Either way it's a matter of taste in the end as to which one you will like better. technically speaking I really don't think there is total winner between these two phones.
I will add that the additional gear to make the 600 sound their best is an annoyance to me. I think all your doing here is color matching to get the right blend and nothing more.
But, it is also, it is true that once you get over the initial reaction to their somewhat tame nature they are a joy to use.
T me the 590 are not bright as is often stated but they are slightly agressive and this can maake thme more difficult to listen to than the 600's. THey are alo kind of ugly compared to the 600's and not nearly as well built, either.
But here is where the the 590 really shines and that is that there seems to be basically two kinds of headphone listeners; those that enjoy the refined, sophisticated sound of the 600's and those that love the bright and lively Grado approach.
Well guess what? I have all three of these phones and I think I speak correctly when I say that the the 590's are dead center between these two extremes. I think that is the absolute best reason I can think of to seriously consider them when purchasing headphones.
I have already promised my 600's to someone else but even though I still prefer the 590 for what I do I am truthfully going to miss the 600's. One day I will probably buy another pair.
This experience has led me to one conclusion and that is: in a perfect world everybody would own both of these headphonhes.
In the end it seems more like a choice of red wine or white rather than which is better.
I am going to continue defending these phones forever if I have to but I am going to change my overall view and look at these two headhones as opposite sides of the same coin rather than heads I win tails you lose.
Now, don't anybody right me a bunch of nit-pickin, word defining, chart reading, semantic antics about my reply. Just sit back and dig the vibe. Get high on the Enlightment!
"kelly"'
Your the best! You get the RKV yet?
Love And Kisses To All
Brian
I'll study the Headroom charts and just to make sure everyone is honest I may have one done one each of these phones. Also I suspect that some people are too strongly influedced by charts rather than in actul listening. If you would see the frequency response charts of even the best loudspeakers on earth you would be absolutely astounded at what the charts looked like. None of them are flat, and, unless they are showing it on a small scale there will be peaks, spikes, hills and valleys all over the place. As to how important this is it depends on where they in the spectrum. I think I can say acurately state that about ninety percent of what you are hearing is happening at 5,000 cycles and below. Above that and were talking ambience and atmosphere.
Also, I know that this science stuff seems important and it is but a frequency response chart will not tell you as much as you think about how well they reproduce sound. If it could everyone would be buying speakers with the best charts and no one in their right mind is doing that.
I'd like to take correct a statement I made earlier in this thread (I think it was this one, at least) that I listened to a master recording I made with the 600's and I said it was "unrecognizable". I've thought about that a lot since I said made that remark and I think that is way to strong a word for what I heard. I should have said that it was noticeably colored although in general it did sound nice.
I got my 590's back from Sennheisers yesterday and I listened to the recording again with both headphones and even though I liked the sound from the 590's more and thought it was noticeably more correct toanlly speaking I came away thinking that when it was all said and done it was colored too. Possibly to the same degree as the 600's.
This has brought me to what I think of as a more enlightened view of both of these units and that is that neither of these headphones is perfect and it could be argued that they are both about the same distance from 100% totally perfect. Critics of the 600's are put off by the unusually tame presentation while it is argued by the other group that the 590's are too bright or aggressive sounding. Either way it's a matter of taste in the end as to which one you will like better. technically speaking I really don't think there is total winner between these two phones.
I will add that the additional gear to make the 600 sound their best is an annoyance to me. I think all your doing here is color matching to get the right blend and nothing more.
But, it is also, it is true that once you get over the initial reaction to their somewhat tame nature they are a joy to use.
T me the 590 are not bright as is often stated but they are slightly agressive and this can maake thme more difficult to listen to than the 600's. THey are alo kind of ugly compared to the 600's and not nearly as well built, either.
But here is where the the 590 really shines and that is that there seems to be basically two kinds of headphone listeners; those that enjoy the refined, sophisticated sound of the 600's and those that love the bright and lively Grado approach.
Well guess what? I have all three of these phones and I think I speak correctly when I say that the the 590's are dead center between these two extremes. I think that is the absolute best reason I can think of to seriously consider them when purchasing headphones.
I have already promised my 600's to someone else but even though I still prefer the 590 for what I do I am truthfully going to miss the 600's. One day I will probably buy another pair.
This experience has led me to one conclusion and that is: in a perfect world everybody would own both of these headphonhes.
In the end it seems more like a choice of red wine or white rather than which is better.
I am going to continue defending these phones forever if I have to but I am going to change my overall view and look at these two headhones as opposite sides of the same coin rather than heads I win tails you lose.
Now, don't anybody right me a bunch of nit-pickin, word defining, chart reading, semantic antics about my reply. Just sit back and dig the vibe. Get high on the Enlightment!
"kelly"'
Your the best! You get the RKV yet?
Love And Kisses To All
Brian