[Peter Pinna]

Please describe in detail the sound stage of what is so far your favorite headphone. I have already done this in this thread (link):

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sou...phones-336543/

Please be so specific in your description so as to cause the imaginations of those who have not heard the headphones you are writing about to "hear" that headphone's sound stage.

One type of sound stage I and others (I'm sure) are interested in reading about are the sound stages of headphones that have "angled" drivers with or without "spatial" characteristics. And, for those of you who have heard the Ultrasone sound stage and it's S-Logic effect and who have also heard headphones with angled drivers and "spatial" characteristics, I'm sure that many members including myself would enjoy reading a comparison between those different types of sound stages.

Also interesting would be descriptions of "traditional" (left-middle-right) sound stages and their specific sonic characteristics.

In describing these sound stages, please also describe why you like them in the sense of how the sound stages effect you emotionally (if at all), physically (if at all) and mentally (if at all).

 

[lucky]

The AD700's is slightly airier/more distant/less immediate than the HD555's soundstage to me.

 

[Nocturnal310]

HD555/HD595 use angled drivers..but then why didnt Sennheiser use similar technology in HD600 and HD650?

does it compromise the detail?

 

[Acix]

LOL...Better then the 750...http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/k702-studio-393139/

 

[Peter Pinna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nocturnal310 /img/forum/go_quote.gif HD555/HD595 use angled drivers..but then why didnt Sennheiser use similar technology in HD600 and HD650? does it compromise the detail?

There is supposed to be something new regarding "spatial characteristics" of the new Sennheiser HD 800. I'm curious about how it's sound stage compares to the models you mention in your post. If what you've written is true would the HD 800's sound stage be more similar to the HD555/595 as compared to the HD 600/650? Also please don't forget to describe the sound stage of your currently favorite headphone. Is the reason it's your favorite headphone because of it's sound stage or in spite of it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL...Better then the 750...http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/k702-studio-393139/

Acix, this isn't a competition specifically between the AKG K701 and the Ultrasone Pro 750. I understand that generally you prefer the K 701 to the Pro 750. Is the main reason you prefer the K 701 because of it's sound stage or is there some other reason? If it is true that you prefer the sound stage of the K 701 to the Pro 750 or any other headphone, please describe why this is so. If you prefer the sound stage of yet another headphone please tell about that and why you prefer the sound stage of that headphone. Please make comparisons about sound stages.

 

[kool bubba ice]

I like my 48s sound stage the best.. Even though its closterphobic, it's the most accurate I have heard along with instrument placement, with stellar imaging, but is more 2D then 3D.

 

[WittyzTH]

ATH-W3000 share the same character as the L3000 - not large but very round with very good pin point instrument.

AD500 has very wide sound stage but lack of depth.

M50 sound stage is quite acceptable large but not as the AD500.

W5000 with Fitz mod. very large and good at instrumental separation.

ESW9. it has small sound stage.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Pinna /img/forum/go_quote.gif I understand that generally you prefer the K 701 to the Pro 750. Is the main reason you prefer the K 701 because of it's sound stage or is there some other reason? If it is true that you prefer the sound stage of the K 701 to the Pro 750 or any other headphone, please describe why this is so. If you prefer the sound stage of yet another headphone please tell about that and why you prefer the sound stage of that headphone. Please make comparisons about sound stages.

K-702 have the perfect axis in the 3D sound stage. This means the depth is equal to the stereo image which is equal to the frequency response. This brings better instrument separation and musical details to the sound that is much more smooth and precise with a higher resolution. It's more easy to focus on the mix without trying to center the voice within the S-Logic environment With these abilities I can be anywhere in the mix and the best thing about it is that I can match the K702 sound with my speaker monitors. (I have to comment here, most of the headphones have problems creating this depth in the 3D sound image.)

 

[Covenant]

My favourite headphone would still have to be the Omega 2, out of the 007t driver unit. Before Team Stax chimes in and tells me I havent heard them at their best: Yes, I've heard them out of a KGSS as well. To me, the 007t sounded better.

O2 soundstage isn't the biggest in the world, but it is very 3-dimensional and organic.. imaging is very accurate and layered, matching my other benchmarks in that area (SA5K and Edition 9), while having just enough space and air to work with to make them good on both rock and orchestral style genres, that demand an intimate/expansive soundstage respectively.

Edition 9/SA5K both image just as accurately, but have less space to work with. The Ed9's even match them on 3-dimensionality, but their somewhat closed-in and intimate nature make them less suited for pieces requiring more space, such as instrumental pieces.

 

[kukrisna]

i have unfortunately heard only a few phones but from what i've heard i generally like the K701, which is currently my favorite headphone until i've heard better - it is rather wide and if you focus in, you get a decent amount of depth...decay is nice and you can really hear things ring...

however, my problem with all phones that i have heard so far is that often times there's little room for the sound to breathe...and im not saying i necessarily like a laid back sound...listening to the same thing with speakers gives me less fatigue than any headphone, despite my overall sound experience with headphones being more favorable (at this point in time in my life)...there's something about allowing sound to travel that makes it easier to deal with, at least for me...

 

[Faust2D]

Well as far as soundstage goes I like Stax SR-007 and Sigma. Since SR-007 was described nicely above I will describe what SR-Sigma is like.

With SR-Simga Stax attempted to recreate a natural, realistic sound field in a headphones format. SR-Sigma design positions an oval driver at about 80 degree angle to the ear. This creates an illusion of sound field located in the front of the head not on the sides. Very large driver, large than the ear, allows the outer-ear to guide the sound into the inner ear thus removing the in the head effect. You can read more about the theory of the design in the Stax brochure provided below.


SR-Sigma brochure


SR-Sigma has huge, deep soundstage, good location and somewhat defused presentation. The instruments and performers live in this huge space in FRONT of your head. They are not pinpoint accurate but are very close to a presentation that you can achieve with omni-polar speakers, think OHMs or other speakers (MLB or Mirage omni-polar designs) that attempt huge sound-space by playing with reflected sound. I still get better accuracy with other headphones and my speakers, but no other headphones that I have can place the soundstage in front of my head and make it deep, high and that wide. Not that Sigma is speaker-like it is not, but it comes very close.

 

[boomy3555]

As I sit here I am listening to the James Horner "Titanic" soundtrack on my Ipod 5.5 gen >wav files with a Headroom Total Airhead amp. My Headphones are Denon AHD 5000's. They have angle cups due to the angled padding in the earpads put the drivers are not angled in the housings. These have NO Mods however the stock cables are OFC.

The soundstage is very wide with a medium/deep depth and I can hear a wide seperation between the instruments. Subtle background noises such as papers turning on stands are there but not overpowering. The bass can be overpowering but I have EQ'd that end down a bit. Other acoustic peices such as Andreas Vollenweider "Book of Roses" Yanni "Trbute" and heavily intrumental country ballads offer the same wide soundstage, but songs with a Rock or hip/hop beat tend to narrow the stage by about 30%. Plain White T's/ Savage Garden. Boston. Etc.

These are my current favorites because of all the Higher end H/P's I've auditioned recently, they have the most of everything. Wider soundstage than my HD650's and less "Veil". More clarity in the mids and highs than my Grado GS1000's and Beyerdynamic DT990's. but the bass to surpass all of them with more bass clarity if I EQ it down slightly.

 

[Redcarmoose]

An area around my head which reaches from the alpha to the omega. Sounds that have a top, bottom, side and 3d shape. The start of each note has an aspect close to the wonder of nature which moves the emotion of the mind and soul. They leave a memory of a personal experence which changes the owner forever. If you think this trandsends life and the act of being, it does. The next state of perception into what life is and what it means to be alive. Only threw this one headphone experience one can grasp what it ment to aspire to be a great composer and how once more music could be larger than life itself.

 

[Uncle Erik]

No one has mentioned the K-1000 yet? It has the best soundstage of my collection and even bests the speakers in some ways. The K-1000 is like a pair of terrifically balanced, cohesive singledrivers in an acoustically perfect room.

I prefer the sound of planar dipole loudspeakers for their uncanny realism, but I don't have an ideal listening room. The K-1000 gives me that ideal listening room at the expense of some of the realism that the ribbons and AMTs throw out.

 

[Antony L]

work in progress as im still burning in but with the hfi 780s im getting a nice natural soundstage . listening to one of your reccomendations Sinatra at the sands im getting a horse shoe shaped arena with Frank singing in front some of the Orchestra behind and to either side then other instruments at various other angles , the clinking of the wine glasses adds to the effect . All these different sounds are perfectly seperated with these cans and i could almost say its like being there ,when the brass section kicks in half way through under my skin its like wooow