[thinkpol]

Money burning a hole in my pocket. No, not really.. just looking for the "perfect 3."
I want to own 3 pairs of cans without them being redundant. The first will be my beloved T1s, which 2 headphones would compliment them the best?
 
I am looking at:
ATH W5000
HiFiMAN HE-5LE
Grado HF-2
Grado RS-1i
HD800
 
Amp: Decware CSP2+ (on order)
DAC: PS Audio DL3
Music: Dubstep (Skream, Milanese, Aerial), Modern/Indie Rock (Radiohead, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon), Black Metal (Gorgoroth, Burzum, Bathory, Emperor), Misc. Electronic (Air, Tortoise, Plaid, Aphex Twin), Atmospheric Rock (Mogwai, Sigur Ros)
 
I do dig female vocals quite a bit (Ani Difranco, Feist, Tori Amos, etc) and have heard that the W5000s are especially good for this.
At the moment my 2 choices would be the W5000 and HE-5LE. I figured I could pick these both up for less than the price of HD800s and then take them into my local headphone shop and compare all of them (T1/HD800/W5000/HE-5LE) and pick the 3 that I like the best.
 
I have concerns about the HE-5LE and the W5000 being picky with amps. I'm hoping with the new CSP2+'s voltage adjustment it will be a much more versatile amp (the CSP2 favored high impedance cans).
 
Thoughts? 

 

[Asr]

Audio-Technica has never made a W7000. You should clarify if you meant the W5000 or the Denon D7000.
 
I'll also add that I've personally heard the AT W5000, HF-2 (w/ flats, bowls, and quarter-modded reverse HD414 pads), RS-1 (2 versions, but not the latest), HD800, and T1, and I'm totally at a loss as to which of them to recommend given your musical inclusions of "black metal" and "electronic." I listen to both (black metal not as much though) but my headphones of choice for those genres are not on your list (AT AD2000).

 

[thinkpol]

Sorry, I meant the W5000s.  
What makes the AD2000 exceptional for those genres specifically?

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Sorry, I meant the W5000s.  
What makes the AD2000 exceptional for those genres specifically?

The AD2000 is the best, bar none, for rock. It's super forward and midrange-centric like a Grado, but faster than any Grado I've heard. The RS-1i is also a great choice for rock. You really can't go wrong with either, but I prefer the AD2000 cause it's a bit more dynamic and forward.

 

[Asr]

I wouldn't say the AD2K is exceptional for either genre, it's merely what I prefer for them out of the other headphones that I own. I listen to electronica and metal in general on the AD2K because most of that kind of music depends on speed and I find that the AD2K has the fastest impulse response among the full-size dynamic headphones that I own. Its bass response is also ideal for me when I listen to The Crystal Method, The Prodigy, etc. It's not perfect in all aspects though and there are times when I break out either the Sony Qualia 010 for some types of electronica (the SA5000 can be considered sort of similar to it, though there are plenty of differences) or the JH13. As a sonic all-rounder the JH13 beats the AD2K - it too is very fast but it has several legs up on the AD2K, not the least of which is its clarity throughout the entire spectrum (the AD2K is not a "clear"-sounding headphone - which is where the Qualia, SA5000, and JH13 come in for me, with their strong clarity).
 
I would also suggest hearing these headphones at something like a meet if you're seriously thinking about buying any of them, especially if you haven't heard any of them and are buying blind. Or, if you have enough money, buy them anyway and sell the ones you don't like.

 

[thinkpol]

I haven't really been able to find any good W5000 vs AD2000 threads quite yet. I saw one that you (Asr) were posting on in 2006 when you got your AD200s
 
Well, if I find them used on head-fi and it turns out I don't like them I can turn around and sell them and not really lose anything as long as I'm getting good prices for them. 
I've heard such great things about the HE-5LE so I'm almost certain that I'm going to at least try it out. I just wish I knew someone that has listened to them on my amp (or one very similar)!
 
Boils down to AD2000 vs W5000 I suppose.

 

[stang]

Personally, I think one should have a Grado in their collection if they listen to any type of rock or metal. They have a very unique sound signature and if you can get past how bright they are (well, to my 16 year old years they are), they can really amaze.
 
ATH-AD2000 would be a good choice too, but if it were me deciding, I would go for a Grado.
 
Currently, for music, I have:
 
Grado HF-2: Metal, Rock, Jazz
DT880 600ohm: Metal, Rock
AKG K1000: Trance, Jazz, (limited amount of) Rock
 
Grado's are very different from Beyerdynamic's. I briefly compared the T1 to HF-2 and they are just so different, I wouldn't be able to just have one of them. I feel that while the T1 (and DT80 in that respect) is a great headphone, it is outclassed by many other headphones that can be cheaper. They are great all rounder headphones, but for Rock and Metal, Grado I feel are better. For trance, Ultrasone are better. For classical, you have AKG K1000 (and HD650, depending on your tastes). This is all just my opinion, though, so don't flame me

 

[thinkpol]

I impulsively purchased the D7000s a few hours ago (they were 50% off). So, I guess now the question is.. which 1 can would compliment the T1s and D7000s the best?
 
I now have: Denon AH-D7000, Sennheiser HD650, Beyerdynamic T1 and Beyerdynamic DT990/600.
Picking between: HiFiMAN HE-5LE, ATH W5000 and ATH AD2000
Thoughts?
 
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

My vote would be either the RS1i or the D7000. Only a nut would buy both to compliment the T1s.

 
Both are "fun" headphones and pretty different than the T1s and go very, very well with rock/meta.

 

[stang]

Quote:

My vote would be either the RS1i or the D7000. Only a nut would buy both to compliment the T1s.

 
Both are "fun" headphones and pretty different than the T1s and go very, very well with rock/meta.

 
I really think the OP should buy a Grado. They are so unique it is difficult not to own one if you listen to jazz, metal and/or rock. Used to hate my HF-2 after being used to DT880, but now I love HF-2 and DT880 haven't gotten any head time this past weekend. Black Sabbath sounds amazing on the HF-2! They make guitars and drums sound so lively it's amazing. Get HF-2 if you love your bass and RS1 (any version really) if you love sweet mids.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
I really think the OP should buy a Grado. They are so unique it is difficult not to own one if you listen to jazz, metal and/or rock. Used to hate my HF-2 after being used to DT880, but now I love HF-2 and DT880 haven't gotten any head time this past weekend. Black Sabbath sounds amazing on the HF-2! They make guitars and drums sound so lively it's amazing. Get HF-2 if you love your bass and RS1 (any version really) if you love sweet mids.
 

I've said it before, "there's always room in a collection for a good set of Grado cans".

 

[thinkpol]

My only beef with Grado's is the way they fit and feel. That's why I was learning more towards the Audio-Technicas. I have heard that they have a similar house sound to Grado's. 
 
MH - I've already ordered the D7000s (read above post)

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

My only beef with Grado's is the way they fit and feel. That's why I was learning more towards the Audio-Technicas. I have heard that they have a similar house sound to Grado's. 
 
MH - I've already ordered the D7000s (read above post)

I've never heard an AT that I actually liked except for the W1000X.
 
But in the end you made an outstanding choice to compliment your T1s IMO.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

No mention of the LCD-2?  Would be a great complement to the treble bump of the T1 and D7000.
I've only tried the LCD-2 at meets.  They've always sounded good with the metal music I've tried them with. 

 

[stang]

I tried LCD-2, but only for like 10 minutes and they only had like 4 hours on them lol. They are less comfortable than a Grado imo. Grip very tightly and it is the first can ever to make my ears sweat. Had no problem with Denons or Ultrasones.