I have a pair of DT880s which i enjoy listening to. i like the nice mids and highs, the bass tho not too over powering is punchy and fast, i do get a nice fat bottom end out of them when EQ'ed.. overall its a nice pair.
Never heard the dt880. The Q701 is an excellent phone but lacking in sub bass to be a great all rounder. Everything I've listened to on the HP100 sounded great (except rock maybe because mids aren't forward enough). The treble and bass are both outstanding though.
This feels a bit unfair since I have one pair of headphones that stands head and shoulders above the rest for pretty obvious reasons, but here's my list anyway.
Philips Fidelio X1
Onkyo ES-FC300
Sony MDR-X05
Koss KSC75 (modded)
Shure SRH440
Sony MDR-EX37B (so sibilance, much harsh, wow)
Keep in mind that I keep Fidelio X1s at home and everything else is a portable of some sort. SRH440s are just not the best portable I've used. Not that they were ever really marketed for that. They sound good out of my PC, though.
A bit of an update after finding out something amazing...
1: Sony DR-Z7 (with ELC correction): Let me explain this. The Z7 was released in the late 1970s, when "Loudness" buttons were commonplace on stereo receivers. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find one WITHOUT said button.
There has always been some confusion among consumers as to what the loudness switch actually does, so I'll explain it breifly, as it's pretty interesting.
The ELC, or Equal Loudness Curve, is essentially the frequency response of the average human ear. This response changes as the gain/volume of a heard sound increases; basically, as volume increases, the perceived volume of midrange frequencies also increases. The loudness button applies an EQ curve based on the output level of the speakers in order to compensate for this and make it sound more linear.
Sony used this to their advantage when tuning the Z7. They heavily overdampened the Z7's bass, which made it shockingly linear and controlled down low at the cost of making it significantly quieter relative to the upper mids. The resulting FR mirrors the ELC almost perfectly. When the Loudness compensation is applied to the headphone, it completely transforms. The once claustrophobic and congested presentation opens up, the sound evens out, and this headphone sounds remarkably transparent and accurate. Bass is insanely deep and powerful. Treble is refined, extended and articulate. Mids are gloriously full-bodied and euphoric. Transients remain amazing, and imaging becomes phenomenal. The best headphone experience I've ever had, bar none.
Still extremely ******* uncomfortable though.
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- 2: Sony DR-Z7 (no compensation): Still good, but with reservations. As aforementioned the presentation is a little claustrophobic and suffocating, and the <huge> upper midrange hump causes them to sound congested and harsh at loud volumes. Sound has direction but no placement; sounds very collapsed and deflated. Still great and easily better than a lot of gear, but after finally hearing these the way they were meant to sound, I'm never going back.
- 3: Sterling TE-400: Very obscure but shockingly good. Probably the very first headphone with titanium-plated transducers. Very accurate FR, phenomenally good transients and imaging, huge soundstage, good impact. Sort of like a baby Z7 in some ways. Unfortunately, its from the 80's, so it's built like a cheap toy. A bit too much bass and can sound a little hot and congested at times; I suspect an open bass port that should be closed. Very comfortable.
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- 4: Pioneer Monitor 10: Special. Not the most amazing transients or extension, and really uncomfortable, but there's something incredibly special about its presentation and soundstaging. Very euphoric and "fun" while maintaining an overall flat frequency response. Absurd isolation, but not glasses-friendly. Way too heavy for long term use.
- 5: Pioneer Monitor 10-II: I don't know, I suspect these need more power than their specs suggest due to the revolutionary transducer. Extremely fast and HUGE staging, but sounds a bit out of control and congested on dense passages; likely due to its very low impedance and VERY thin driver substrate. Built well, sexiest headphone ever, very comfortable, very sensitive.
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- 6: Audio-Technica ATH-6D: "Meh" in almost every way. Kind of middy. Cloudy presentation. Imprecise. Sorta fast. Pretty disappointing, but dear god, these are literally the most comfortable headphones I have EVER worn, including the HD800. No clamp, very light, incredibly breathable pads. These disappear entirely and I can wear them for hours. Still get use simply because of this fact; primarily for gaming.
Note: The "-"s represent a scale; the M10 and M10-II are very close in performance, for example; it's mostly preference between the two. The 10-II will probably sound a lot better to most people.
I've seen old Monitor 10s come up for sale every so often on the local Craigslist or at vintage electronics shops and record stores. How much is a pair generally worth in good condition?
A bit of an update after finding out something amazing...
1: Sony DR-Z7 (with ELC correction): Let me explain this. The Z7 was released in the late 1970s, when "Loudness" buttons were commonplace on stereo receivers. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find one WITHOUT said button.
With my DR-Z7 I've EQ'd my FiiO E17 to Bass + 10 and Treble +6, and the result is a bit more V-shaped than neutral (I think) but actually sounds a lot better than my harman kardom amp with 'loudness' on.
It's funny how I was right on the money about using the loudness button with these.
Time for an update methinks; overall rank mostly based on sound, comfort and how much use they get because of these traits.
1 HIFIMAN HE-500
2 SENNHEISER MOMENTUM
3 BEYERDYNAMIC DT990 (all-day-long comfort physically and sound-wise)
4 FOSTEX T20RP MKII (bmf mod)
5 SONY DR-Z7 (can't rate this higher because it only sounds good out of my huge vintage speaker amp which is hardly practical)
6 GRADO SR80
7 FOSTEX T10 (would rate higher, but quite uncomfortable)
8 REALISTIC PRO 50
9 AKG K250
10 AKG K141 (Original Silver)
11 DERO MODELL D-550
12 RFT HOK 80 (still modding this, but right now with current mod sounds a bit poo)
13 KOSS PortaPro (14) SENNHEISER CX300II (IEM)
(ratings based PURELY on overall sonic qualities) 1 HIFIMAN HE-500 2 SENNHEISER MOMENTUM 3 SONY DR-Z7
4 FOSTEX T20RP MKII 5 BEYERDYNAMIC DT990 6 FOSTEX T10 7 GRADO SR80 8 REALISTIC PRO 50 9 AKG K141 Silver 10 AKG K250 11 DERO MODELL D-550 12 RFT HOK 80
13 KOSS PortaPro
(14) SENNHEISER CX300II
I've seen old Monitor 10s come up for sale every so often on the local Craigslist or at vintage electronics shops and record stores. How much is a pair generally worth in good condition?
Define "good". The Monitor 10 isn't rare at all but they were used in studios a LOT, so 90% of pairs are beat up all to hell. The headphone is remarkably durable and it's hard to find a broken one, but finding a "good" condition pair is tough and can cost a lot. Finding a pair with the box is very uncommon. Who knows what a mint pair would go for. I'd be comfortable at around $100-120 for a "good" pair, but most pairs are <not> in good shape. Mine looked good in the photos on eBay, but guess what I'm now trying to sell so I can get a nicer pair.
It's an iconic headphone, and the design is revolutionary for its time. Looking purely at sound... I'd place it above most of what I've heard. It's not a detail microscope by any means but it does seem to have a bit of transparency to it; all parts in the music are audible, separation is far ahead of its time, extension is great. It has a very special soundstage presentation, one of if not my absolute favorite of any headphone. It's holographic and 3-dimensional and sounds remarkably lifelike with the right material. Finally, I don't know what, but something about it makes me tap my feet in pleasure every time I use it, and almost no other headphones do this. I think this is what some people call "musical".
Unfortunately, all things considered, it's not a good headphone for long-term use unless you like pain. It's a little bit heavier than the LCD-2, it clamps like hell, and the headband is completely unpadded. It's also a damn monster-- absolutely massive and goofy looking with lots of huge, gaudy chrome parts. You'll get some looks if you try to use it out on the streets. It's also a beast to drive; don't listen to Pioneer's claimed 100dB/mW, as that's a blatant lie.
If you buy one, make sure the pair you buy has the foam inserts in the cups. They're a key part to getting their proper sound, and they don't sound very good without them. The foam doesn't deteriorate like the later Monitor 10-II, so don't worry about that, but people seem to lose these pieces a lot so make sure you check for them.
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