[jadde]

How high would you rate these phones?

 

[MagusG]

All I can say is that they are aesthetically pleasing and they look comfy. I'm sure they sound decent.
If you give them a try, let us know your impressions.
-Mag

 

[el_diablo007]

Quote:

Originally posted by MagusG All I can say is that they are aesthetically pleasing and they look comfy. I'm sure they sound decent. If you give them a try, let us know your impressions. -Mag

these are apparently Dr. Meier's top pick for ~$100 US headphones!

 

[jadde]

OK; I'll buy them later today, just to find out

The reviews I have read has been good "Best Buy" in HiFi-Choice and HiFi & Musik.

I will compare them to my Sennheiser HD525

 

[Duncan]

I can compare my HP890s to either the Sony MDR-V6, or the Grado RS1 if you guys want...

...Don't expect anything like my Discman review though... if wanted, it'll just be a few short lines...

...the offer is there though (11 hours from now)

 

[jadde]

Do that, sure would be nice. Although your phones would certainly be better.

 

[wallijonn]

6.5

did you use the search function to look for everything HP890 related? there must be hundreds of threads on the HP890.

PS,

I've always wanted a pair.

 

[Kali]

I've listened to the 830s (same design).. sound was decent enough but the main gripe I found is that they're comfy if you've a big head.. otherwise that strap isn't adjustable ("self-adjusting" = elastic) and can be very loose on a small head

 

[El Scorcho]

Great headphone for the price. Some have complained about the 'plasticky' build and some find the velour pads a bit scratchy, but they've worked out pretty good for me for close to a year now. Dropped them hard twice, but still in perfect working order.

 

[mad3d]

I must agree, they do sound quite nice but overemphasized in the bass area. Sorta like strapping some car (not home theater) subs to your head. Fun to listen to though!

 

[MegaMeee]

they sound sibilant to me, crap for anything with vocals... dont sound anywhere near as accurate or detailed as my ms1's, but nice bass, nowhere near as tight as the ms1's but more of it. pretty big soundstage too, which i like.

but generally outside a few isolated songs where the bass impact and soundstage make them sound pretty good, anything with vocals in particular sound much better on my ms1's, and they arent even amped yet.

i think the hp890's would make quite nice pc phones though.

 

[Duncan]

Sorry guys... I had a busy night last night, and forgot that I was going to do a comparison

As has been mentioned, the bass is vast... but not anywhere near as tight as higher grade 'phones... the midrange is ultimately congested, which means that vocals can sound a little distressed, and to me... contrary to megamee's impressions, I find the treble to be a little laid back.

That being said, i'm comparing $100 'phones to a pair that at MSRP are seven times more costly... for the cost of them, you can't do a helluva lot better, short of going down the Sennheiser HD280 route maybe

 

[MegaMeee]

strange... while i wouldnt consider the treble that extended at all compared to the ms1's, i am sure they have a large lower treble/upper mids peak. to me this makes vocals overly sibilant and can hurt my ears if i have them up too loud. i have no such problems with the ms1's, and in comparison really sound quite recessed in the upper mids and lower treble. maybe this is the "distressed" sound you were talking about???

maybe its because these are a fairly new pair because i took my old ones back when the socket where the cord plugs into the headphone failed (apparently its a fairly common problem, or at least i have heard of a few people with the same problem). i noticed the sibilance with the old pair, but not as much i dont think, but i didnt have the ms1's then and only the ksc-35 to compare to, which compared to the philips and alessandro have a lower treble hole (veil?).

ill try the philips on some other sources and see if i still get the sibilance, because other than that they arent too bad...

 

[Jacobh]

I've definitely noticed a bit of sibilince in vocals and cymbals when listening to these phones. It seems a bit dependent on setup and recording. I also find the bass a bit muddy or loose. I prefer a tighter punchier sound. Overall, for the price I'd say they are pretty solid phones. They're pretty good for just plugging into a soundcard, but if you are willing to invest in an amp then you can get the Senn 580 for not too much more or a Grado sr-80 for a little less. I enjoy listening to those phones more.

 

[andrzejpw]

If you search around, these phones caused quite a stir a year or so ago. I heard them a couple of times, and to be quite honest, they were great for $100 w/o an amp. A bit sibilant, yes, but still ok. The bass, although there in large amounts, is a bit flabby and loose. All in all though, I'd go for them.