[Taurui]

I talked about PX200s, btw

 

[Deja Vu]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pablo Abularach In my personal experience all headphones benefit from a HP amp, some more than others, but from my experience with the V6 and Senn280s, both are very good headphones to be used unamp. I have also read that the A500s can work very well unamp but havent tried them.

Then I guess the A500's should do fine if HD280's are fine unamped, because they have the same impedance... What about Ultrasones? They have 75 Ohms of impedance...
Quote:

Originally posted by Taurui I talked about PX200s, btw

Oh, they're not an option for this purchase anymore, but thanks anyway... =))) They're still on my wanted phones list... =)

EDIT: OK, final form of the final question:

1. How are the HFI-650's, unamped? (compared to A500's)
2. Which one has better isolation? A500's or HFI-650's?[/list=1]

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally posted by commando I don't find it hard to make a conclusion. Sub-par bass and painful highs made it easy to come to that conclusion.

I don't get it... I don't hear that from mine and I have an M-Audio Audiophile USB I'd figure the two sources would have similar characteristics... might be the META, the last time I heard one it sounded kinda thin...

 

[Jasper994]

Something you should really consider here is bias... If you look carefully, some people have a tendancy toward a certain type of a sound.

For example, it would seem to me that Commando likes a very laid back sound. I've heard the 271's at length, they have a very laid back sound to them. Mind you, they are very nice.

On the other hand, I tend to like a sound that is a little more aggressive but can appreciate a laid back sound too. I enjoyed for example Iron_Dreamer's CD3000's which are very agressive, smooth, but agressive. I also like the sound of the Grado SR60 for some music and some people find their sound to be absolutely grating. My 555's are on the more laid back side but are in my opinion a little more aggressive than the 271's. For me the 280 falls nicely in the middle giving a very balanced sound. Mind you, they have many hundreds of hours of burn in (possibly into the thousands). There are only two things I would change on the 280 if I could. 1) I would give them a wider soundstage. Most of the time it's not bad, and positioning is very good but there are times when it would be nice if the soundstage were bigger. 2) I would want more detail. With the 280's you hear everything but some of the more hidden details are lost. In all fairness I haven't heard a more resolving headphone for the price except the SR-60 which have their own weaknesses.

 

[commando]

I quite like the 280s, except for the two things I mentioned (highs and lows). I would like the 271s to be a little less laid back. The Beyers seem to have a good medium, but on the pair I had the bass was terrible.

Hopefully the CD3K's I just bought will be what i'm after

 

[doug zdanivsky]

Quote:

Hopefully the CD3K's I just bought will be what i'm after

Bagged 'em did you?

Please let us know how they turn out for you!

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally posted by doug zdanivsky Bagged 'em did you? Please let us know how they turn out for you!

I will! I'm still working on a review of closed cans, including Senn 280, Beyer 250-250, AKG 271, and CD3000. Once my sonica's back from being modded (thanks MisterX!), my 271 custom cable turns up, and the CD3K are here, i'll do a good long listening test and post a review

 

[doug zdanivsky]

I was seriously considering the 280's.. But I couldn't see what would have differentiated them from the 25's, comfort-wise..

I'll have to see if I can find a store that carries them when I hit Vancouver in May..

I'll need some closed gaming phones.. These 600's let in EVERYTHING!

But the 600's do have a nice open soundstage, and are very comfortable.. I'm looking forward to finally hooking them up to my PPA and Art Dio!!

The CD-3000, apparently, has no noise attenuation, and is quite finnicky and bright.. Another set of cans worth demoing, though, for sure..

 

[DJGeorgeT]

I can't say enough about the Sennheiser HD25. I think they isolate as much as some of the in-ear-monitors/earphones like the ER6 or Shure E2. They sound balanced and not too bright, yet it is not audiophile. I love how light they are too. Just as any other senn headphone, you need to allow these to burn in.

I say, if you need audiophile quality sound, try the CD3000. Closed in and relatively cheap....compared to the R10 lol.

 

[Deja Vu]

Jasper994: Noone can be unbiased, that's why I wanted more comments. commando has given me a lot of precious advice, but you need to get more opinions from more people because of this bias thing... =)

Beyers are not available in Turkey, and CD3000's are out of my budget for now... As Sennheiser has always been a brand I've trusted a lot and as I haven't had any experience with neither Ultrasone nor Audio-Technica, I want to be exactly sure before I went for the A500's. Besides, Senns are easier to get for me.

As I've probably said earlier, my main sources will be my MD recorder and my future iPod. I don't plan to purchase an amp in the near future, and I usually listen to Metal.

I don't know how far your definition of "laid back" and "balanced" goes, but I rarely listen to any classical stuff. I need good isolation, and a colored (opposed to flat) sound. To give you an idea, my EQ is almost always in a V-like shape (like the full bass & treble preset in Winamp)

However, I own a pair of D66 Eggos, and I also have a pair of D22's here. The D66's give me so much detail that the D22's cannot (i.e. the sound of crash cymbals is SO different), and I don't want to lose that detail. So I wouldn't be happy with bloaty sound (that's why my EX70's are modded).

 

[jesse_w]

Quote:

Originally posted by Déjà Vu I'll use them at the Information Center (~ Library)

You probably don't want to carry the A500s around, like I said. But if you aren't going to be using them anywhere but your dorm, could be the way to go. You'll probably find them more fun to listen to than the Senns, especially for metal. ATs are definately more forward than Senns, and alot more comfortable. I'm not sure about isolation, I wouldn't say the ATs isolate that much but its certainly enough to eliminate fan noise and make reasonable noise levels bearable with music playing. The HD280s probably isolate much more.

BTW I don't have any personal experience with the D66 but my understanding is it has a wide soundstage and a fairly cold sound (lacking in bass, very forward treble/midrange). It depends which part of that headphone you like most as to which of the other two you're likely to prefer. If you want more bass and you like the soundstage the A500s are probably the way to go.

-jesse

 

[Deja Vu]

First of all, carrying the ATs around is no problem, as the IC is really close to my room. Besides, I'm fine with wearing any kind of headphone outside...

However, your comment on the D66s led me to think again about the criteria most Head-Fiers use. I love the soundstage of the D66s, but that might be just because they're the best thing I have for now.

Their sound, for me, is detailed, and I don't find their midrange & highs to be too forward (i.e. tiring). And I can handle the lacking bass with an EQ tweak...

The detail I'm looking for is -of course- not HD650-level, and I'm also fine with using an EQ to improve the bass.

 

[johang]

The Beyer DT231 is sutch good value ! Controlled, sealed headphone for almost nothing ? Veronica.co.uk will send it to you wherever you are. Worth every penny.

Literally CRUSHES the HD212 and HD202.




johanG.

 

[John Reeves]

Hi Deja Vu,

Don't give up on the Ultrasones. They are well balanced across the spectrum and can be driven well without an amp out of a DAP. I use mine with a Zen Xtra, no problem. However, in the long term an amp will open up the sound giving more depth etc. I still use them frequently despite having eties, depending on the circumstances. That's how good they are.

They are also a closed 'phone and isolate fairly well. For example if a TV is playing in the same room you will hear it but fairly muffled - that's with no music playing. As soon as you play music you can't hear anything else.

For transporting, the cups rotate to reduce the size.

You should check out Meier Audio's web site - a Head-Fi sponsor, who gives good advice on the sound quality. He stocks a variety of headphones inc. Ultrasones.

If you e-mail Jan for advice he is very helpfull. Meier is located in Germany, and you may be able to arrange to send them to a friend there, thus avoiding taxes etc. If not he will ship them to Turkey for you. If you buy the dammaged pair, he will be able to get the headband repaired for you, Ultrasones are made in Germany.

Oh, by the way, Ultrasones come with a long cable, I cut mine back and soldered on another jack, but this may be an advantage for you.

I hope this helps.

Best regards

John

 

[lizzardfire]

He's probably already bought his phones, this thread is three months old.