[Jcee]

I'm thinking of picking up these cans, i just want to know if they are good for live concert music? Thanks!

 

[erich6]

  File under better-late-than-never.
 
My impressions...
These phones required a bit of burn-in. Maybe 10 hours. Out of the box, there was too much energy at the top end, so they were fatiguing to my ears.
 
After 10 hours, they sound very good out of a portable digital player or smartphone. (Especially when you factor in that they were less $80 Canadian delivered to my door.) But they sound even better out of a modest amp. I tried it with my mini^3 and Objective amps, and might prefer it with the slightly warmer mini^3. In any case, I prefer them over what I recall of the venerable K701, even when the K701 were driven by a full-size amp.
 
Build quality is just okay. The snaps that hold the suspension strap to the headband popped apart during the first day. I snapped them back into place (and they haven't come apart since). But still... Materials aren't flimsy, but they aren't robust either.
 
I'd say they are reasonably balanced, but tip in favour of brightness. Good bass extension and texture. The mids are not recessed to my ears and can even sound lush. Even female singers who have a nasal quality to their voice have a nice bit of presence with these headphones. Trebles are there, not tiring. (The amount of bass and the weight of the mids improves with an amplifier.)
 
Sound stage is disappointing. Even though the drivers are angled slightly, which can help the soundstage. No real sense of space.
 
Great bang for the buck cans.  

​Welcome to the SHP9500 family. These headphones definitely benefit from a decent amp (specially the bass which I find is very nicely reproduced after some burn-in).  I'm surprised you had problems with the snaps...my HP's are solid and never had any issues; very well constructed from what I can tell.  They've even survived a few trips jammed inside my bags. 
 
Interesting observation about the soundstage.  I find it pretty wide...maybe you mean it is not accurate?

 

[fumblingforward]

Hi folks; been reading this thread for a while. Bought my shp's based on it and some YouTube reviews. Zeos and the like. I had been using ad700x's which I just like. Feels a little v-shaped to my ears and I don't like them. These though after a period of listening seemed to "open up". Seemed to get clearer with nothing particularly emphasized. Neutral I guess is the terminology. This is my second pair of actual headphones. I've been abused by an endless procession of earbuds and thusly these sound amazing, through my pioneer integrated. I bought an Asgard 2 based primarily on what I've read here. I anticipate some improvements in the sound, my thoughts though. Question really. These sound so good right now with pretty good sources, how much does one have to spend on cans to get a magnitude of improvement in the sound quality? I'm looking ahead and am primarily spending my spare cash on music so I'm not wanting to get crazy but looking at a budget of about $500 for my next cans. I want the same basic neutrality I've really come to love about the ships but an improvement in sound stage, clarity and quality. Any direction is appreciated.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Hi folks; been reading this thread for a while. Bought my shp's based on it and some YouTube reviews. Zeos and the like. I had been using ad700x's which I just like. Feels a little v-shaped to my ears and I don't like them. These though after a period of listening seemed to "open up". Seemed to get clearer with nothing particularly emphasized. Neutral I guess is the terminology. This is my second pair of actual headphones. I've been abused by an endless procession of earbuds and thusly these sound amazing, through my pioneer integrated. I bought an Asgard 2 based primarily on what I've read here. I anticipate some improvements in the sound, my thoughts though. Question really. These sound so good right now with pretty good sources, how much does one have to spend on cans to get a magnitude of improvement in the sound quality? I'm looking ahead and am primarily spending my spare cash on music so I'm not wanting to get crazy but looking at a budget of about $500 for my next cans. I want the same basic neutrality I've really come to love about the ships but an improvement in sound stage, clarity and quality. Any direction is appreciated.

My jump from 9500 to 880.250 was smooth. They both can be bright, but aren't the brightest out there. Since 880.250 is 150 on the market and you have money to burn $$$$$$$$ maybe a 1990 when it hovers around that price. But you can have your funw ith your 9500, perhaps try some different pads, play with eq, its fun to tinker with and will surprise you with some pad rolling.
 

 

[fumblingforward]

I've been thinking a lot about the 880 beyers. The 250 ohm and the 600 and the 770 pros in the 250 ohm. I'd read about the treble being so bright, does that change with amplification? Does better or different amplification reduce that? As far as having fun with the 9500. I'm waiting on ring adapters bought off of eBay. Primarily to reduce the amount of heat held by the stock pads but if sound signature can be changed I can see it being a fun experiment. The 9500 for me at least is a keeper unlike the ad700x. My brother is getting those. They're comfortable and they look good but I'm not crazy about the sound.

 

[SHAMuuu]

I've been thinking a lot about the 880 beyers. The 250 ohm and the 600 and the 770 pros in the 250 ohm. I'd read about the treble being so bright, does that change with amplification? Does better or different amplification reduce that? As far as having fun with the 9500. I'm waiting on ring adapters bought off of eBay. Primarily to reduce the amount of heat held by the stock pads but if sound signature can be changed I can see it being a fun experiment. The 9500 for me at least is a keeper unlike the ad700x. My brother is getting those. They're comfortable and they look good but I'm not crazy about the sound.

I can't speak on 600ohm, but if you check reviews most will agree the 600ohm is smoother overall. I do notice less system noise pickup with the higher impedence as i have experience with 32.80.250 respectively. So I would not have doubt about the claims it is smoother. As for 770, im a big fan of 80ohm for its fun sig. I dont know if i'd personally go with the 250, though the rare 600ohm is tempting! I've seen only one. I would think 1770 would beat it though from what i see on the forums.
 
My amps are not high end like some of the folks in these neck of the woods. But the 880 is not all that bright with my ocean amp. I have even used an pc> xtrempro x1 (rebranded dragonfly black i think) >bravo ocean>880.250 with good results. No system noise, and well the ocean can be tube rolled for some flavor. Mind you, it might not be as musical as some other higher end tube amps, but the tube rolling does work on this little beast.
 
If I were you, i might skip the 770-990, as its off with the old, in with the new, and well the new sounds good. Buydig has 1990+ FIIO e10 for 549.99
 
But as always do your research, and you should be ok. Don't fall for the grass is greener on the other side once you make your pick!

 

 

[HotIce]

I have the 880 250 Ohm, and it is sitting on the shelf looking at me looking at me as in asking when it is going to get some more head time.
If I have to pick the DT880 vs. SHP9500, I'd pick the latter.
But that's just me, listening with my own ears, caring less than nothing on what the price of an HP is.

 

[SHAMuuu]

  I have the 880 250 Ohm, and it is sitting on the shelf looking at me looking at me as in asking when it is going to get some more head time.
If I have to pick the DT880 vs. SHP9500, I'd pick the latter.
But that's just me, listening with my own ears, caring less than nothing on what the price of an HP is.

Well its all subjective in one sense, but I find that surprising.
 
The 880.250 seems technically superior. Its not the one on my head most of the time, but its the one I cant really complain about. I find its good to use as a measuring stick for other cans. Like if a can beats 880, its pretty good.
 
I tinker with eq and such for a bit of bass boost, and tame the brightness a tad, and its very enjoyable.
 
Also, i'm sure one might be stronger in one genre, and the other with another genre. Rather than just one being superior for all which is rarely the case, or all our problems would be solved. One can for all music. The dream.

 

[fumblingforward]

I have the 880 250 Ohm, and it is sitting on the shelf looking at me looking at me as in asking when it is going to get some more head time.
If I have to pick the DT880 vs. SHP9500, I'd pick the latter.
But that's just me, listening with my own ears, caring less than nothing on what the price of an HP is.

What I'm most concerned with is sound quality. Neutral, clear and detailed reproduction of my source material with a wider sound stage. I really enjoy the 9500's for these reasons but am wondering aloud here if clarity, detail and sound stage can be increased by a large margin for $500 or less; beyond what the 9500 is capable of. Inversely if a large margin of improvement can not be had for less than $500 I'd rather spend the money on source material. If the 9500 sounds better than the 880/250 that's info I want. What sounds better? What other set of cans has what the 9500 has but in spades, and at what cost.

 

[Greathew]

Love these, It seems to be a point of contention for some but the soundstage on these make me keep coming back to them periodically from much more expensive headphones. I do prefer these to 600's. Great value for the money.

 

[HotIce]

What I'm most concerned with is sound quality. Neutral, clear and detailed reproduction of my source material with a wider sound stage. I really enjoy the 9500's for these reasons but am wondering aloud here if clarity, detail and sound stage can be increased by a large margin for $500 or less; beyond what the 9500 is capable of. Inversely if a large margin of improvement can not be had for less than $500 I'd rather spend the money on source material. If the 9500 sounds better than the 880/250 that's info I want. What sounds better? What other set of cans has what the 9500 has but in spades, and at what cost.

 
There really isn't one "sound quality", even though many with a business agenda wants you to believe that.
There is what you hear, and what you like.
We hear differently (each one person hearing system and nervous terminations are different), and, on top of that, we like differently.
I prefer more fish, you beef. Me whiskey, you cognac. List goes on and on ...
Sound is no different. We all like different things. What for you is too bright, for me is just right. What for me is too bassy, might be perfect for you.
So, if your target is better sound for you, you really need to forget about brands, models, and price tags, and listen with you own ears.
There no better investment in visit a center where you can audition different HPs.
If you instead are just looking at collecting gear, then asking another person what he likes in order to make decisions on what you'd like, might make sense 

 

[fumblingforward]

There really isn't one "sound quality", even though many with a business agenda wants you to believe that.

There is what you hear, and what you like.
We hear differently (each one person hearing system and nervous terminations are different), and, on top of that, we like differently.
I prefer more fish, you beef. Me whiskey, you cognac. List goes on and on ...
Sound is no different. We all like different things. What for you is too bright, for me is just right. What for me is too bassy, might be perfect for you.
So, if your target is better sound for you, you really need to forget about brands, models, and price tags, and listen with you own ears.
There no better investment in visit a center where you can audition different HPs.
If you instead are just looking at collecting gear, then asking another person what he likes in order to make decisions on what you'd like, might make sense 

There is little more I would like to do than visit a place I could spend a great deal of time Just trying headphones. Permit me to just indicate my surroundings with the words "you ain't from around here are ya fella?" The nearest population center of any size is about 3 really dull hours drive with a population of maybe 50k and undoubtedly a great selection of beats and bluetooth. As I write this the sun has set and it's -2 degrees F. I would love to just stroll in to a place that had a wide variety of headphones on display and take a listen but needless to say, I'm a very loyal patron of both Amazon and the Bay.
I understand the differences in human anatomy that causes variations related to the perception of external stimulus, that much of what we experience is both objective and subjective in nature and interpreted in wildly different ways. One person loves jazz for this reason, another prefers classical for that reason. Most people prefer speakers, I'm sure the bulk of those are just fine with the Bluetooth offerings with terrible compressed streams from whichever service is currently the biggest advertiser on Facebook. I'm not one of those. I had been previously a hifi speaker guy, still am in many respects. I certainly don't want to collect a bunch of headphone gear I'm not likely to use. Most of my listening at this point is done at night once my toddler is asleep after I get off of an evening shift. I bought ad700x's in an attempt to keep my enjoyment down to a dull roar and became infatuated with the intimacy of those cans but was unimpressed with the sound of them. Hence my purchase of the 9500's. I really like them. A lot but if I can get more of what I like for a moderate further investment, that's what I'd like to do. The brand is absolutely required because I have to be able to enter that into the Amazon search field. The price tag is necessary because I have imposed a cap on what I'm willing to spend. If more of what the 9500 has is many of hundreds of dollars more then no deal I'd rather indulge in the collection of the music. That's what I wish to collect but I want to hear my music faithfully reproduced. My sources are excellent and I've gone to great pains to acquire them. The music I listen to is procured online in physical form and is of varied genre with the exception of EDM, mainstream pop, country and current hip hop though 90's and some current indie hip hop I find entertaining. My current favorites are the sounds of Wilco and Calexico, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, New Orleans jazz. I'm not seeking superior in all genre but a jack of all trades is more like it. While soundstage can be considered heavily a subjective finding, depending heavily on the unique individual auditory mechanics of the person listening. However, I do feel while also subjective the quality of neutral range reproduction, clarity and detail can be established objectively as well. In the end what I was hoping for here is some opinions. From people that have engaged in the use of higher quality headphones for much longer than I. I am open to opinion on both planar and dynamics and I have never ever heard better sound from headphones other than the 9500 but I have to figure given the shear number of cans out there, the number of people who swear by this one or that one, there have got to be some suggestions out there. I've so far gotten info on the dt880 and the venerable hd600, both of them seeming to fall just a little shy of what the respective authors feel for their 9500's and that's awesome and helps me in my research.

 

[SomeTechNoob]

I think the SHP9500, for the price, is pretty much unbeatable.  When compared to my HD 6XX though, the SHP9500 highs and mids just feel exaggerated and harsh.  But when it comes to price, I wouldn't necessarily say the HD 6XX is 4x better than the SHP9500.  HD 6XX sounds fuller since it has subbass and a bit more upper bass imo.
 
If you are happy with your SHP9500, I would probably just stick to it unless you have some spare cash and are curious.  They are by far some of the most comfortable headphones I have tried, and have great sound at a respectable price.

 

[SHAMuuu]

   
There really isn't one "sound quality", even though many with a business agenda wants you to believe that.
There is what you hear, and what you like.
We hear differently (each one person hearing system and nervous terminations are different), and, on top of that, we like differently.
I prefer more fish, you beef. Me whiskey, you cognac. List goes on and on ...
Sound is no different. We all like different things. What for you is too bright, for me is just right. What for me is too bassy, might be perfect for you.
So, if your target is better sound for you, you really need to forget about brands, models, and price tags, and listen with you own ears.
There no better investment in visit a center where you can audition different HPs.
If you instead are just looking at collecting gear, then asking another person what he likes in order to make decisions on what you'd like, might make sense 

 
There was a conference at CanJam or one of them audio events, where Mr Speakers, Some dude from Skullcandy (formerly worked for bose), Paul Barton Tyll, Audeze Shankar, and well Nataka Sunota from Sony, and Nataka said something interesting about measuring and sound signatures
 
please don't quote me, but he said something about 3 very different signatures. If one is to sit in audience and watch, if one is a player in the performance and more centred and close to instruments, and studio producer/professional. Something like that I will link the video but i cannot locate it at the moment as i have other things to do
 

 
Actually if might have been another one... but same event

 
But it was this similar panel but there was Skullcandy dude (I think asian fella formerly with Bose)
 
This one im sure

 
I'll try and find it
 
think @ around 19 min mark
 
so i think one needs at least 3 cans or 4 (concert hall listener, player, studio/producer,Club type can)

 

[fumblingforward]

Coming from a history of speakers at home and earbuds on my mobile, my speakers while immersive are a front row center experience. The philips to my ears however especially with the few binaural tracks I've listened to puts one much closer to the instruments than I was used to with speakers and that's the intimacy I was referenced. Being right there. Right in front of or even slightly in the the middle of what's happening sonically.