onebigunion
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2012
- Posts
- 157
- Likes
- 30
Current or Former Headphones owned: HD-580,HD-595, AKG-K702, AudeoPFE-112
Source: Sandisk Clip Plus Rockboxed, Bryston BP-25
My preferred cans for home listening have long been the HD 580 and I have been very satisfied with my Audio PFE for portabluse use with my Clip Plus. Now I have been looking for something a little "less 580" for home use and that might be suitable sound wise for portable use. The Clip Plus will drive the 580 but not to a completely suitable volume. The 580, while always pleasant and relaxing to listen to, is not the last word in soundstage or detail.
I tried and was not at all satisfied with the HD 595 and the K702. The 595 seemed to combine the worst aspects of the 580 while improving on it in no areas and the K702 simply sounded awful to me, harsh upper mids and poor extension the upper treble while being uncomfortable and hard to drive.
I was torn between the DT880 and the AD900 as my next candidate. I do not like sibilance particularly on vocals at all and the treble spike in the 880 was a concern so I gave the AT a shot.
The ergonomics of this phone are not great. I have a small narrow head and the cans felt like they were much too loose and slipping down on my ears. They are also much more sensitive than any other phone I've tried to positioning. I was also initially disappointed with the sound. Very mid forward and lacking in bass. A quick ghetto mod fixed that. I threaded a bungee cord from my swimming goggles through the holes in the wings and tightened to where the phones had a bit of clamp and felt secure. Enormous difference - now they stay put, feel secure and properly positioned.
The sound also improved immensely. This brought the bass out greatly. The bass is now present and still quick and tuneful. It still seems to roll off a bit below about 55 hz but from there up it is very nice. The rest of the spectrum is very nicely balanced. There is still a very slight emphasis around 4k but it isn't unpleasant and does nice things for female vocals, making them very immediate and engaging. The treble is quite nice, never sharp or strident but quick and detailed. There may be a slight roll off in the top half octave but my hearing isn't good enough to say for sure. Worn this way I have no discomfort at all with the phones and now only the wings and earpads contact my ears and my big ears don't make contact with the drivers. I can wear them for hours. Occasionally I add a slight boost below 60 hz but it really isn't necessary. I find these neutral, detailed, quick, comfortable, revealing and yet relaxed. Soundstage is good, not exagerrated and resolution and instrument separation is also quite good. Id have a had time picking out the phones' strongest aspect, but I also can't pick put any weakness. This isbasically exactly what I was looking for.
My home source is a Bryston BP-25 preamp driven by a. CAL Audio CD player. The system was built for two channel speaker use with a Bryston amp driving Dynauidio speakers. The interesting thing about this set up is the Bryston has a highish output impedance on its headphone section, 50 ohms, but is capable of huge current output and voltage swing compared to most dedicated headphone amps. Being that the 900 has a nominal impedance of 32 ohms, I was curious how this would mate. EXTREMELY WELL. This set up really brings the 900 to life and really pulls out the bass. No longer does it take a back seat at all. Perhaps it is because the 900 does exhibit about a 7 ohm rise below about 200 hz. This should only result in about a 1db boost below 200 hz, which should be barely noticeable. Perhaps because it spans multiple octaves it is more noticeable. The 900 is replacing my 580 as my home can reference as it provides exactly what I was looking for. For portable use, it is big and goofy and clumsy of course but it works very well if you don't care about aesthetics. I love my PFEs and they will always be my portable choice but the 900is tempting if you're going somewhere but not in public.
Source: Sandisk Clip Plus Rockboxed, Bryston BP-25
My preferred cans for home listening have long been the HD 580 and I have been very satisfied with my Audio PFE for portabluse use with my Clip Plus. Now I have been looking for something a little "less 580" for home use and that might be suitable sound wise for portable use. The Clip Plus will drive the 580 but not to a completely suitable volume. The 580, while always pleasant and relaxing to listen to, is not the last word in soundstage or detail.
I tried and was not at all satisfied with the HD 595 and the K702. The 595 seemed to combine the worst aspects of the 580 while improving on it in no areas and the K702 simply sounded awful to me, harsh upper mids and poor extension the upper treble while being uncomfortable and hard to drive.
I was torn between the DT880 and the AD900 as my next candidate. I do not like sibilance particularly on vocals at all and the treble spike in the 880 was a concern so I gave the AT a shot.
The ergonomics of this phone are not great. I have a small narrow head and the cans felt like they were much too loose and slipping down on my ears. They are also much more sensitive than any other phone I've tried to positioning. I was also initially disappointed with the sound. Very mid forward and lacking in bass. A quick ghetto mod fixed that. I threaded a bungee cord from my swimming goggles through the holes in the wings and tightened to where the phones had a bit of clamp and felt secure. Enormous difference - now they stay put, feel secure and properly positioned.
The sound also improved immensely. This brought the bass out greatly. The bass is now present and still quick and tuneful. It still seems to roll off a bit below about 55 hz but from there up it is very nice. The rest of the spectrum is very nicely balanced. There is still a very slight emphasis around 4k but it isn't unpleasant and does nice things for female vocals, making them very immediate and engaging. The treble is quite nice, never sharp or strident but quick and detailed. There may be a slight roll off in the top half octave but my hearing isn't good enough to say for sure. Worn this way I have no discomfort at all with the phones and now only the wings and earpads contact my ears and my big ears don't make contact with the drivers. I can wear them for hours. Occasionally I add a slight boost below 60 hz but it really isn't necessary. I find these neutral, detailed, quick, comfortable, revealing and yet relaxed. Soundstage is good, not exagerrated and resolution and instrument separation is also quite good. Id have a had time picking out the phones' strongest aspect, but I also can't pick put any weakness. This isbasically exactly what I was looking for.
My home source is a Bryston BP-25 preamp driven by a. CAL Audio CD player. The system was built for two channel speaker use with a Bryston amp driving Dynauidio speakers. The interesting thing about this set up is the Bryston has a highish output impedance on its headphone section, 50 ohms, but is capable of huge current output and voltage swing compared to most dedicated headphone amps. Being that the 900 has a nominal impedance of 32 ohms, I was curious how this would mate. EXTREMELY WELL. This set up really brings the 900 to life and really pulls out the bass. No longer does it take a back seat at all. Perhaps it is because the 900 does exhibit about a 7 ohm rise below about 200 hz. This should only result in about a 1db boost below 200 hz, which should be barely noticeable. Perhaps because it spans multiple octaves it is more noticeable. The 900 is replacing my 580 as my home can reference as it provides exactly what I was looking for. For portable use, it is big and goofy and clumsy of course but it works very well if you don't care about aesthetics. I love my PFEs and they will always be my portable choice but the 900is tempting if you're going somewhere but not in public.
