[budgetboy]

Hey, I would like recommendations from people who have owned any of the above headphones and used them unamped.
FWIRs are also welcome.
 
I'm looking for a set of open, comfortable, headphones to use exclusively from the headphone out of my Cowon S9 mp3 player.
In order, my priorities are: comfort (keeps ears cool and head comfortable) then unamped sound quality, then durability, then sound signature. They must be less than $300, preferably around $250. They are for home usage, so the less isolation, the better.
 
I listen to soundtracks, rock, acoustic, and a whole lotta techno, especially trance. Preferably, these headphones would do all of my genres justice. Also, I like to hear the voices of singers come through the mix loud and clear. But as I will be using the EQ on my Cowon with anything I get, sound signature is less important than comfort and drivability.
 
Thanks in advance,
Budgetboy

 

[1Time]

The AD900 will win your poll.

 

[budgetboy]

Why do you say that?

 

[1Time]

Few are familiar with the Ultrasone, so it will get the least votes. And while I'm sure the S9 is very good, you don't have additional amplification - which will take votes away from the DT990/32. And AT headphones are popular for use without additional amplification. 
 
Quote:

Why do you say that?

 

[budgetboy]

I've talked to a few DT990/32 owners who say it sounds great out of their iriver, etc.
And yeah Ultrasone is the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer of the audiophile headphone world. But the hfi 2400 seems like a great headphone, albeit with very little information here on head-fi.
 
But I think your right about the polls, lol 80% - AD900.
 
I'm reading about it having zero bass impact at the moment, not quite so happy with that. If the polls get too slanted I'll remove AD900 and see what people vote for.

 

[1Time]

Mostly this will be a popularity poll. The Beyer fans have kicked in to even up the poll 5/4. These 3 headphones are bound to have quite different sound sigs - I've owned a Beyer, AT, and Ultrasone. And I agree the Ultrasone should sound good - I'm guessing a flatter FR than the others. But if bass impact is the priority, FWIR, the DT990 likely would be the better choice. The source and amplification can matter so much (synergy), it's hard to guess which you'd prefer (preference). Hopefully someone with an S9 and one of these headphones will post.
 
Quote:

But I think your right about the polls, lol 80% - AD900.
 
I'm reading about it having zero bass impact at the moment, not quite so happy with that.

 

[budgetboy]

I really hope so. If I remember correctly, when reading up on the Senn IE8, which i love, it was posted that the S9 was a somewhat bright source, which is why it had synergy with the IE8s.
 
I know headphone graphs don't show you too much, but it can help demonstrate if a headphone is weighted more towards bass or treble, so I'll post this.
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2411&graphID[]=2141&graphID[]=2661
 
Any clues there?

 

[budgetboy]

Just figured out I can't take an option off the poll. lol.
 
I may have been asking the wrong thing, taking into account comfort and unamped performance as secondary but important factors,
which of these headphones would be best for music like these two tracks?
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAj1dmlkpWs
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyGKg36Z6xM
 
Thanks
 

 

[pete99]

I have a Cowon S9 and recently upgraded from Sony MDR V6 to AD900s.  The Cowon drives the AD900s brilliantly - if you want to deafen yourself you will definitely be able to!  

 
I'm finding them incredibly comfortable (although some people say they don't contact the head all the way round the ear) - my head must be the 'right' shape.  However, although I don't have 'sticky-out ears (really!) the edge of my ear does contact the inside of the phone.  Not a major comfort issue for me at all though.
 
I don't find the AD900s particularly lacking in bass.  They don't 'thump' like some bass-biased phones presumably might but I can certainly hear a good, accurate bass and compared to the impact of the MDR V6's I don't feel I'm missing anything in the bass department.
 
I can't vote in your poll because I haven't heard the other headphones in it, but I'm really, really happy with my AD900s.
 
HTH.

 

[Jarrod]

I have no experiece with the ultrasones, but IMO the AD900 will sound "better" unamped than the Beyers, but the 990s will probably still have more bass than the AD900, but not necessarily better bass.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Quote:

I'm reading about it having zero bass impact at the moment, not quite so happy with that. If the polls get too slanted I'll remove AD900 and see what people vote for.

The bass presentation of the ATH-AD900 will not be visceral. It will be tight, detailed and quick. You will also be able to drive this phone perfectly well unamped. But if you are looking for a phone with prominent bass then you should look elsewhere. 
 

 

[budgetboy]

Pete99 - Thanks so much for your impressions. I'm glad your happy with your new headphones. I love that feeling.
Could you listen to one of the songs with your AD900 and tell me how it sounds? Also, if you have a Cowon, could you try listening on a bass-heavy EQ setting like "X-bass", and see if it distorts? This would be really helpful.
 
Jarrod - Now that I think about it, bass takes more power to produce than treble or mids, at least with my speakers, so it makes sense that bass-heavy headphones would need more power to sound good. That's probably the reason for the "better bass" your talking about.
 
Mr. Spenkelink - So no head bobbing, but audio pleasure? I'm open to trying new things but they're no longer on Amazon, so....
Oh wait they're back! I swear they were out of stock for the past month, which is a big problem for me because I don't want to have to buy them from somewhere less reputable.
 
 
AD900: 35 ohm, 100db
DT990: 32 ohm, 96db
 
Are these really that different in terms of difficulty to drive? Maybe, as I wrote to Jarrod, its the higher power requirements for producing bass frequencies, but from the specs it looks like it shouldn't be that different. No one has posted about the HFI 2400, but I see that 5 people voted for it. If anyone can post why, or how they like it unamped, please do, because it remains somewhat of an unknown when there's so little information on it.
 
My main concern now is, which will sound better, AD900 with EQ'd in bass, or somewhat underdriven DT990/32?
If I find out the AD900 doesn't distort with EQ'd bass, then I will almost certainly go for it.
Thanks for your help people.
 

 

[Katun]

Users will just "vote" for the HFI-2400 because they can. Meaning, it may have been "just for fun."
 
The HFI-2400 is such an invisible headphone, I doubt you will find hardly any information about it. It's one of those headphones that if you are curious about, you just have to try it for yourself. Other than that, (if you don't want to move into unknown territory) I would just stick with one of the other headphones you have mentioned.
 
Headphones like the HFI-2400 really get me curious. I may just have to pick up a pair and find out for myself...

 

[pete99]

Quote:

Pete99 - Thanks so much for your impressions. I'm glad your happy with your new headphones. I love that feeling.
Could you listen to one of the songs with your AD900 and tell me how it sounds? Also, if you have a Cowon, could you try listening on a bass-heavy EQ setting like "X-bass", and see if it distorts? This would be really helpful.
 
<snipped>
 
My main concern now is, which will sound better, AD900 with EQ'd in bass, or somewhat underdriven DT990/32?
If I find out the AD900 doesn't distort with EQ'd bass, then I will almost certainly go for it.
Thanks for your help people.
 

OK - I just listened to my Cowon S9 with the X-Bass EQ (yuk!  but that's just my personal taste!).  I listened to a FLAC of Pink Floyd's 'Money' at volume level 31 (on my AD900s).  I would say I hear minimal if any distortion - I clearly hear the different notes in the bass, not just a 'thud, thud' thud'.  However, I'd urge you to try to get an opportunity to audition these phones for yourself rather than relying on my impressions, (though they are honestly given).
 
Under 'Normal' or less exaggerated EQ settings the AD900s make the bass nicely audible but without the thump effect which you might equate with a more prominent bass (but which, surely, is colouration and not in the originally recorded material?).
 
Here in the UK the AD900s are not in great retail distribution as far as I know so it's hard to go to a shop with your Cowon and try them for yourself.  However, I was keen to 'try before I buy' and through Audio Technica in UK was put in touch with their UK distributor who organised for a sample to be sent to my local hifi shop for me to listen to.  In fact they also provided a sample of AD700 so I was able to hear AD700, AD900 and my Sony MDR V6 in the same audition.
 
Final thought.  If you are very keen on bass then, based on what I've learnt from reading this forum for a while, there are probably other phones more suited to your tastes - especially closed back.  I think what characterises the AD900s is the 'cleanliness',  'purity' and balance of the sound, plus the wide sound stage which clearly separates out each instrument / voice.  Combined with working brilliantly from unamped sources.  And comfort, if you have the right head shape!

 

[MrSpenkelink]

Quote:

Mr. Spenkelink - So no head bobbing, but audio pleasure? I'm open to trying new things but they're no longer on Amazon, so....
Oh wait they're back! I swear they were out of stock for the past month, which is a big problem for me because I don't want to have to buy them from somewhere less reputable.
 
 
AD900: 35 ohm, 100db
DT990: 32 ohm, 96db
 
Are these really that different in terms of difficulty to drive? Maybe, as I wrote to Jarrod, its the higher power requirements for producing bass frequencies, but from the specs it looks like it shouldn't be that different. No one has posted about the HFI 2400, but I see that 5 people voted for it. If anyone can post why, or how they like it unamped, please do, because it remains somewhat of an unknown when there's so little information on it.
 
My main concern now is, which will sound better, AD900 with EQ'd in bass, or somewhat underdriven DT990/32?
If I find out the AD900 doesn't distort with EQ'd bass, then I will almost certainly go for it.
Thanks for your help people.
 

I haven't tried the DT990 so I can't say whether it would be more difficult to drive than the AD900. What I can say is that Audio Technica phones are very efficient and perform well without additional amplification. I find them to be even more efficient than Grado's with my sources.