[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlowWorm The HD580 and K501 are the best I've heard for jazz under $200. Their both tough to drive though, especially the K501.

Same here, these are both fine for jazz. Your amp should be OK with either.

 

[Andrea]

lini - Thank you !

 

[Romanee]

If you want to hear 501s with big, robust, dynamic sound and great bass impact, audition the GSP Solo 2004. Ask PinkFloyd for his impressions of this combo. I heard my 501s through Jahn's PinkFloyd Modded Solo and the sound was huge -- nothing polite about it. The only reason I don't have one is lack of discretionary capital.

 

[dshook]

bump...Id be interested to read some more opinions on this...something that will go well with vinyl through a vintage receiver?

Im liking the looks of the 580, k501, and sr225...opinions, or anything else I should consider?

 

[KurtW]

I agree with some others here that personal preference in the sound you like has more to do with it than the type of music. I personally don't like the SR225, I think it's the worst headphone Grado makes, but that's because I think its the brightest. Everything above the SR80 ( in the current lineup) is too bright for me. I would particularly be concerned in mating them with vinyl and an old receiver due to concerns about pops and hiss. Particularly for this application I think the HD580s are great, and they are nice for jazz anyway, but are they lively enough for funk? They tend to be sort of velvety sounding. The K501 didn't have enough low end impact for me. I can't stand bassy headphones but this goes too far in the other direction for my taste. If you had an amp with a bass boost like some of the PPAs, or use an older HeadRoom amp with crossfeed, then you might want to consider them. The PortaCorda doesn't help in that way. Good luck with your search.

 

[dshook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtW I agree with some others here that personal preference in the sound you like has more to do with it than the type of music. I personally don't like the SR225, I think it's the worst headphone Grado makes, but that's because I think its the brightest. Everything above the SR80 ( in the current lineup) is too bright for me. I would particularly be concerned in mating them with vinyl and an old receiver due to concerns about pops and hiss. Particularly for this application I think the HD580s are great, and they are nice for jazz anyway, but are they lively enough for funk? They tend to be sort of velvety sounding. The K501 didn't have enough low end impact for me. I can't stand bassy headphones but this goes too far in the other direction for my taste. If you had an amp with a bass boost like some of the PPAs, or use an older HeadRoom amp with crossfeed, then you might want to consider them. The PortaCorda doesn't help in that way. Good luck with your search.

Thanks, thats really helpful.

 

[SunShip]

I listen to a lot of jazz and am considering getting a pair of 880's. What are people's experiences with this combination?

 

[BigD]

Hi dshook,

I've recently owned all 3 fons you've mentioned: K501, SR225, HD580. Rational behind it was I've heard so much raves about these 3 cans and decided to try them all myself. I really didn't want to miss out any since I'm still in the learning curve of headphones world. Results are quite stunning as I was fully satisfied with akg, grado and senn at their own strength and weakness. You probably won't get much better fons than these at this price under $200. Even above $200, return ratio of performance and value will quickly diminish as we're in search for that 5% improvement over 200% investment.

My analogy of these headphones to drinks, cars and venues:
K501: dry, sweet, smooth white wine
SR225: bubbly, sparkling, fine brute champagne
HD580: rich, full body, scented red wine

K501: Audi A4 Quattro
SR225: Subaru Impreza WRX STi
HD580: BMW 325

K501: analytical and spacious lincoln hall concert
SR225: intense and involving smoky jazz bar
HD580: cozy and entertaining broadway show

I guess I just confused you even more, but best is to audion all three or own them extensively to find out the beauty of each one for yourself. I suppose this is the fun part of being head-fier.

 

[fmplautus]

Actually Big D, having owned two out of the three and the Senn HD-600 in place of the 580, I'd say your car analogies are pretty dead on. By the way, the AKG k501 is the one that finally settled into my carport.

And if the AKG k501 is the Audi Quattro, does that make the K1000 the Carrera?

 

[dshook]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigD Hi dshook, I've recently owned all 3 fons you've mentioned: K501, SR225, HD580. Rational behind it was I've heard so much raves about these 3 cans and decided to try them all myself. I really didn't want to miss out any since I'm still in the learning curve of headphones world. Results are quite stunning as I was fully satisfied with akg, grado and senn at their own strength and weakness. You probably won't get much better fons than these at this price under $200. Even above $200, return ratio of performance and value will quickly diminish as we're in search for that 5% improvement over 200% investment. My analogy of these headphones to drinks, cars and venues: K501: dry, sweet, smooth white wine SR225: bubbly, sparkling, fine brute champagne HD580: rich, full body, scented red wine K501: Audi A4 Quattro SR225: Subaru Impreza WRX STi HD580: BMW 325 K501: analytical and spacious lincoln hall concert SR225: intense and involving smoky jazz bar HD580: cozy and entertaining broadway show I guess I just confused you even more, but best is to audion all three or own them extensively to find out the beauty of each one for yourself. I suppose this is the fun part of being head-fier.

Haha, if there's one thing I can relate to, its car analogies.

Cheers

 

[BigD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmplautus Actually Big D, having owned two out of the three and the Senn HD-600 in place of the 580, I'd say your car analogies are pretty dead on. By the way, the AKG k501 is the one that finally settled into my carport. And if the AKG k501 is the Audi Quattro, does that make the K1000 the Carrera?

I guess you knew where I going with this

Hmmmmm K1000 being....Porsche 993 Carrera. Sounds just right.
I suppose HE90 being Porsche 959 and HE60 being Porsche 911 GT3.

Btw, I'm looking into DT880 which would be Benz CLK convertible. Not quite pure sports, but luxurious and posh interior with refined open roadster.

 

[wallijonn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunShip I listen to a lot of jazz and am considering getting a pair of 880's. What are people's experiences with this combination?

It depends on the type of jazz. If it is sexy jazz with a female vocal it is exquisite; male vocals also sound very nice. The soundstaging on the DT880 is superior to the K501 but the transients are superior sounding on the K501 (say snares and high piano notes). The DT880 can handle more transient power (it can handle large volume levels) but may tend to "mush" or "soft clip" (depending on the amp, obviously) while the K501 may sound more pristine. Some may feel that the DT880 has high end smudging. When it comes to bass the two are almost identical giving a slight muffled sound to bass drums with little extension. Both reproduce a velvety sound (woodwinds, pianos). If you are looking for sharp and clear sounds which excite (horns) you may want to look elsewhere.

 

[ssportclay]

Since well recorded jazz quintets throw a pretty good soundstage,grado headphones are out.Any of the better headphones from AKG,Sennheiser,or Beyerdynamic should be a first choice.Speakers are my first choice for jazz.

 

[SunShip]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn It depends on the type of jazz. If it is sexy jazz with a female vocal it is exquisite; male vocals also sound very nice. The soundstaging on the DT880 is superior to the K501 but the transients are superior sounding on the K501 (say snares and high piano notes). The DT880 can handle more transient power (it can handle large volume levels) but may tend to "mush" or "soft clip" (depending on the amp, obviously) while the K501 may sound more pristine. Some may feel that the DT880 has high end smudging. When it comes to bass the two are almost identical giving a slight muffled sound to bass drums with little extension. Both reproduce a velvety sound (woodwinds, pianos). If you are looking for sharp and clear sounds which excite (horns) you may want to look elsewhere.

Thanks very much for that. I listen to coltrane hugely, miles davis, pat metheny and bill evans also - I do tend towards the mellow side so I think the 880's will be a nice match. I can't wait

 

[BigD]

Hi wallijohn,

I know you've modded your dt880. Which cable did you use and how much improvement was there? Some members are upgrading cable for dt880 more and more. Is your cable copper or silver based?