Leto Atreides II
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2004
- Posts
- 707
- Likes
- 10
I've auditioned the following four open headphones, and have sold or am in the process of selling each one, for varying reasons: AKG K141, AKG K240DF, Ultrasone HFI-2200 ULE, Grado SR-125.
The K141 was simply uncomfortable. It didn't fit on my head properly. So I didn't get much listening done with it.
The K240DF are very comfortable, and sound pretty good. They are just lifeless though. I am comparing them in this respect to my DT-770Pros.
The SR-125s are very comfortable (yeah, I actually think Grados are comfortable), but they are a bit piercing. Tinny sounding, really. Equalization helps a bit, but it seems like I have to modify it from song to song.
The HFI-2200 ULEs were flimsy, and I could tell they weren't going to last long being stretched over my huge head, and just taking into account how I treat headphones in general. The build quality of AKG, Grado, and Sennheiser (at least, the models I've owned) are actually big attractors for this reason. As far as sound goes, I have similar complaints to the 240DFs, even with punchier EQ settings. They also have a bit of shriekiness at high frequencies.
Apparently my ears are very sensitive to high frequencies, and I can hear pretty far into that range. What really baffles me is that a lot of my digital music has been run through a highpass filter, just as part of the encoding process (a lot of old LAME APS stuff), so I don't really know why these sounds would be getting into the headphones in the first place. I will say that the AKGs were the best in this respect, for me.
Since I use the DT770, HD-25 II, or my etymotics for portable use, I'm really open to anything in an open can, including Stax or other electrostatics (even if they do require a separate energiser), as long as they fall in the 200-250 range. I'll mainly be financing this purchase with the funds I get from selling the aforementioned 4 headphones. And I daresay this will be my last headphone purchase for awhile.
I guess what I want is this: good bass (doesn't have to be DT770 bass, but at least reproduce the recording accurately), toned-down high frequency response, 'responsiveness' (ie, doesn't break down during fast paced music), and a reasonable amount of comfort.
From what I've experienced with these four, and read about other open phones on head-fi, I'm leaning towards getting either the DT-880, or HD-580 (remember my price range!). I'm also intrigued by the 595. I've searched all over Portland for places to audition high-end headphones with no luck, so I've basically been using Ebay for this purpose.
If there is no all around 'perfect' open headphone in this price range, I'll just be happy with what I have and bank the proceeds from this round of headphone sales.
I should probably mention my source. I generally use my computer, with a usb->optical convertor, a Zero DAC, and a NAD 3150 Amp (although this may be sold as well, since I don't really see a huge upgrade over just the Zero). I'm actually using Straighwire Symphony II cables between the DAC and the NAD, but they were sort-of a gift. (I'm pretty much a cable atheist.)
The K141 was simply uncomfortable. It didn't fit on my head properly. So I didn't get much listening done with it.
The K240DF are very comfortable, and sound pretty good. They are just lifeless though. I am comparing them in this respect to my DT-770Pros.
The SR-125s are very comfortable (yeah, I actually think Grados are comfortable), but they are a bit piercing. Tinny sounding, really. Equalization helps a bit, but it seems like I have to modify it from song to song.
The HFI-2200 ULEs were flimsy, and I could tell they weren't going to last long being stretched over my huge head, and just taking into account how I treat headphones in general. The build quality of AKG, Grado, and Sennheiser (at least, the models I've owned) are actually big attractors for this reason. As far as sound goes, I have similar complaints to the 240DFs, even with punchier EQ settings. They also have a bit of shriekiness at high frequencies.
Apparently my ears are very sensitive to high frequencies, and I can hear pretty far into that range. What really baffles me is that a lot of my digital music has been run through a highpass filter, just as part of the encoding process (a lot of old LAME APS stuff), so I don't really know why these sounds would be getting into the headphones in the first place. I will say that the AKGs were the best in this respect, for me.
Since I use the DT770, HD-25 II, or my etymotics for portable use, I'm really open to anything in an open can, including Stax or other electrostatics (even if they do require a separate energiser), as long as they fall in the 200-250 range. I'll mainly be financing this purchase with the funds I get from selling the aforementioned 4 headphones. And I daresay this will be my last headphone purchase for awhile.
I guess what I want is this: good bass (doesn't have to be DT770 bass, but at least reproduce the recording accurately), toned-down high frequency response, 'responsiveness' (ie, doesn't break down during fast paced music), and a reasonable amount of comfort.
From what I've experienced with these four, and read about other open phones on head-fi, I'm leaning towards getting either the DT-880, or HD-580 (remember my price range!). I'm also intrigued by the 595. I've searched all over Portland for places to audition high-end headphones with no luck, so I've basically been using Ebay for this purpose.
If there is no all around 'perfect' open headphone in this price range, I'll just be happy with what I have and bank the proceeds from this round of headphone sales.
I should probably mention my source. I generally use my computer, with a usb->optical convertor, a Zero DAC, and a NAD 3150 Amp (although this may be sold as well, since I don't really see a huge upgrade over just the Zero). I'm actually using Straighwire Symphony II cables between the DAC and the NAD, but they were sort-of a gift. (I'm pretty much a cable atheist.)
