[parhelictriangle]

Hi all,

I've suffered through years of horrible headphones (Sony MDR-V150), and have been thinking of upgrading for some time. For the last month I've been reading these forums--you're all great, by the way-- and with the help of the search function, I've come very close to making a decision. Basically, I'm set on Senns-- either the 580s or 595s. I have have a very limited budget, but shipdog.com has some great prices right now, so I can take the plunge soon. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of law school and finals, so I have no time to audition (additionally I can't find a place nearby that will let me).

Here's the situation:

I listened to a very varied selection of music--a typical session will shuffle from ambient to hardcore to jazz to classical to IDM rapidly. My source (and prospective sources far into the future) are low-end. I mostly listen to mp3s (encoded fairly well) and Apple lossless via my laptop (which has a crap soundcard). I also have an ipod. These are pretty much all I listen to, with the odd portable cd player added into the mix. I don't have the funds to upgrade these sources, and probably won't for 2+ years.

Based on the source and my budget (have to stick in the $300 range for cans and amp) for amplification I'm leaning to the new Total Bithead. The DAC would be perfect for laptop listening, the price is right, and the size makes it perfect for my ipod.

Because I tend to genre-jump in my listening, I was looking forward to the versatility of the 595s. But the low-price and glowing reviews of the 580s have me strongly reconsidering. I don't have the ability to audition either. I would like versatility, but also clarity and strong bass performance from the TBH. As far as price goes, the 580s on shipdog.com make it a lot easier to justify buying phones and an amp.

Sorry to be so long-winded. Here are my main questions:
1) are the 595s significantly inferior in terms of SQ? Do they improve enough with the TBH to justify buying an amp?

2) Are the 580s ok for varied listening? I do love classical and ambient, but there's an equal portion of heavy stuff in my collection.

3) Will the TBH (2006) adequately power the 580s from the laptop or ipod? (I'll probably run off of USB most of the time, as I'm pretty much constantly at my computer). Is the 580 a good match with the TBH?


Again, sorry to be so long-winded. I'm having a lot of trouble getting past these questions, but I can't audition (law school is killing me) and I can't make it through finals listening to my god-awful sony's. Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

[DevilDog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by parhelictriangle 1) are the 595s significantly inferior in terms of SQ? Do they improve enough with the TBH to justify buying an amp? 2) Are the 580s ok for varied listening? I do love classical and ambient, but there's an equal portion of heavy stuff in my collection. 3) Will the TBH (2006) adequately power the 580s from the laptop or ipod? (I'll probably run off of USB most of the time, as I'm pretty much constantly at my computer). Is the 580 a good match with the TBH?

Question 1, the 580s are a world class headphone but I don't know if I'd say they're significantly superior to the HD595. They are better in sheer terms of quality, but they're darker and not as suited to some types of music.
Man, you had to ask an "is it worth it" question. I'd say that it's worth it. The HD595s definitely improve with an amp, not as much as the HD580s, but they do improve and I think just upgrading your source with the TB would be worth it.

 

[cmirza]

I think the HD595 and the TBH would make an excellent all round combo. The HD5x5 series is probably the best jack of all trades headphone I've heard. It is certainly not inferior in SQ in any way. Great soundstage, a bit aggressive, but not fatiguingly so. I could listen to any type of music on these and it would be more than enjoyable. And it's one of the most comfortable headphones I've owned, I could wear my old HD555 for hours without discomfort. Seeing as you don't plan to upgrade or anything for two years, this pair should be an excellent setup for you. Plus the HD595 are a low impedance headphone, so they will still sound good out of your iPod without an amp. But using it with the TBH will drive it to its full potential (plus, the DAC on your laptop is more than likely pretty noisy, the TBH DAC will make sure you have a nice clean source). If I were to sell all my headphones and only have one set of cans it would be the HD595s without question.

The HD580 on the otherhand is a more demanding headphone. It's high impedance so it requires an amp to reach its full potential (Running the HD580 straight out of my iPod isn't even worth it). It's a darker and more laid back headphone but retains the same excellent soundstage of the HD5x5. When listening to classical or accoustic music, the HD580 is incredible. But personally, I find it a bit lacking for rock music unless its paired with an agressive amp (PIMETA with AD8620 for instance). I'm not familiar with the TBH's signature, but I'm guessing its a more neutral sounding amp.

I say just get the 595s and a TBH and get back to studying. Don't let this place suck you in

 

[parhelictriangle]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Looks like I'll stick with my gut instinct after all and go for the 595s. Can't wait!

Follow up question: Has anyone heard anything terrible about shipdog.com?