NimbleRabit
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2009
- Posts
- 139
- Likes
- 11
Introduction
I'm pretty new to head-fi, and am by no means an expert in sound. I started out with JVC RX900, modded those, then decided to pick up the AD700 and eventually got the ms1's as well just to see what they were like. So if you're looking for an expert opinion of these headphones, I'm not the person to come to. The reason I'm offering my own review here is that I personally found it very hard to get concise information on what "budget" headphone to choose, and I think a review between some of the top contenders in this category by a somewhat novice listener might be useful for others.
Gear/Setup
I'm running all three of these straight out my ipod, with no amping whatsoever. The RX900 are modded with the felt mod, dynamat mod, and stuffing mod (TopPop mods), and have hundreds of hours of burn-in. The ms1's are using reverse quarter modded 414 pads, and have an unknown amount of burn-in (I got them from another head-fier and I'm pretty sure they are plenty burned in). The AD700 are completely unmodded, and have very few hours of burn-in (I don't think burn-in is going to make a big difference on these based on their sound signature, but keep in mind they are not burnt in).
Music Used
The cans were listened to over a wide range of genre's, including classical, hip-hop, techno/electronic, rock, prog rock, alt rock, jazz, metal, metalcore, symponic metal, and melodic death metal. I can give specific bands I used for listening if people really want, but mostly these are my impressions from hours of listening to all of my favorite bands.
Build Quality
All three headphones seem very sturdy and well made, and I'm honestly not worried about ruining any of them. That said, the Alessandro ms1 seem weakest here. The Y cable design, along with the fact that the cups can rotate 360 degrees, does seem like a potential weak point. The headphones themselves are also quite flimsy, although with how simple the design is that makes sense and really there's not a lot that can go wrong with these.
Next is the ATH AD700 which are made out of plastic which at first seems a bit flimsy/weak, but after more use and inspection these would be very difficult to ruin in any way. Still, they aren't the sturdiest headphones ever, but once again it's not something I would worry about.
Top in build quality would have to be the RX900 (odd considering they are the cheapest), which honestly seem like they would be extremely difficult to break even if I was trying. That said, the headband and leatherette earpads are both prone to some cracking and could possibly get a bit messed up after a lot of wear and tear, but I haven't had any problems yet. Also, the ms1 have the shortest cord, while the AD700 and RX900 both have very long ones, if that's a consideration for anybody.
Comfort
The AD700 is the clear winner in comfort, and I would not mind at all wearing them for 8+ hours. They sit very lightly on your head/ears, and I can barely feel them even after a long time. The pads are comfortable on both the ears and the 'wings' that go on your head, and even the heat that any circumaural headphone generates is pretty low on these. The only downside is that they are quite loose on my head, and I are not suited for too much movement at all, and this is mostly because I have a very small head, and the fit of these changes considerably based on your head (my brother with a larger and more round shaped head doesn't have the loose issue at all).
I'd personally pick the Alessandro ms1 (with the 414 pads) as second most comfortable out of these 3 (although it's close). The comfort of grado phones has been discussed pretty often around these parts so I won't go into too much depth, but I will say that with these pads I don't find it to be an issue at all. I've used these for 8+ hours (with breaks), and while there is some discomfort and a kind of weird fit (I'm not too keen about on-ear, I find myself wanting to re-situate these a lot), they end up being more than adequate in comfort for me.
The JVC RX900 are just below the ms1, for me, in terms of comfort (maybe . . . it's a close call). Keep in mind that's not to say these are uncomfortable, they just don't quite stack up to the ms1 and AD700 which are very good. The leatherette is quite nice, and I like how it feels, but it has the tendency to heat your ears up a lot which a tiny bit annoying (nothing substantial honestly). The pads can also compress just a bit too much and make your ear touch the driver if you have bigger ears (I don't really have this problem, my brother does), although once again it's very lightly and not much pressure. This can be alleviated with a pretty simple mod (putting felt or something else under the pads to push them out more), but I don't find this necessary.
Lastly the clamping force of these is a bit much, and while it can be alleviated somewhat by stretching them overnight, I still find it a little high for my tastes. All of these impressions are, once again, from 8+ hour sessions (with small breaks) so they are definitely adequate enough in comfort. Lastly I will mention that I sometimes enjoy the feeling of complete envelopment I get from my RX900; it just really feels like something is surrounding your ears and bringing you into its own world which can be neat at times.
Isolation and Sound Leakage
It's a bit hard for me to comment on isolation as I tend to listen to my music very loud, so I can't hear anything no matter which headphone I'm using. Also, none of these cans are really meant for that purpose. If I had to rank them though, the RX900 isolate the best with the AD700 not far behind, and the ms1's isolate the most poorly being very open and on ear instead of around. As for as how much sound they leak, the RX900 leaks the least to the point where they might as well be completely closed (the mods make them leak a lot less). The AD700 leaks a decent amount of sound, and isn't going to be very quiet if you need it to be, but it will still blow the ms1 out of the water which basically might as well be trying to let anybody nearby hear every detail in your music.
Sound Quality
Ahh, finally to the most important aspect of the headphones! The interesting thing about these three cans, and the reason I got them all, is that they all have vastly different sound signatures.
ATH-AD700
The AD700 excels at the highs and mids, giving a clarity and life to the mid/upper range that the other two headphones just can't match. Acoustic instrumentation, upper-mid male vocals, and female vocalists are definitely the AD700's strong suits, and I find myself reaching for these cans for just about any acoustic listening. The AD700 have a fantastically large soundstage, and give a very airy presentation. These have a tiny hint of sibilance on some tracks, but it's very small and I imagine it will go away with burn-in.
Instrument seperation is of course quite good, although as the music gets faster and more complex (melodic death metal for instance) the AD700 aren't always quite quick enough (in comparison to the ms1 especially), although I wouldn't say they are bad by any means. I will say I tended to hear/notice things with the AD700 that I didn't pick out with the other two, and it really is enjoyable to listen to my favorite songs with these when I'm paying attention.
What the AD700 sacrificies for those crystal clear highs, and that fantastic soundstage, is the lower end of the spectrum. Perhaps I'm a bit of basshead (although I really don't think so), but I will say the AD700 just don't deliver quite enough here. What bass is there though is very tight, controlled, and it does have some impact. Honestly I like the bass signature on these, but there just plain isn't enough to truly get the most out of some types of music. That's not to say I didn't like my hip hop and DnB tracks, but I would have enjoyed a bit more bass on them.
Where I find the AD700 weakest though isn't so much the lack of thumping bass (like I said, I love the control), but the entire lower end can be a bit lacking in some tracks. You'll have to excuse me as I'm finding my lack of audio knowledge to hurt me here, and I don't know how to properly explain this except to say that on some tracks where there is supposed to be continous deep sounds (like some cello stuff for instance, e.g. Apocalyptica) the sound just was not as resounding and empowering as I think they are meant to be. Apocalyptica was a big factor in hearing this for me, although ironically any of their less intense/higher pitch songs I enjoyed the AD700 the most out of all 3 cans.
Alessandro MS1
Overall the ms1 are very engaging, and with almost no soundstage to speak of they are very "in your face". I know that doesn't sound very technical, but it's how I see it. These are quite different from the AD700, as I feel they do well across the entire board and are overall very well rounded (that does not mean accurate, just balanced across their range compared to the other two). The bass is on these is still very tight, but they can let loose more than the AD700 when it's called for.
These excel at rock (as is already well known), but are also very fantastic for extremely fast music such as melodic/technical death metal. They are quick and engaging in those genres, but I still find them to be pretty good in other genres as well. They aren't as clear and airy for classical or even acoustic rock, but still sound fine. I personally think these are better all around phones than the AD700, which I know contradicts some other opinions around here but that's how I see it.
As for whether or not these are "harsh" or have any sibilance, I really don't think so at all. I was a bit worried after reading some comments that mentioned both, but I didn't hear it myself.
JVC RX900
First and foremost, these have the most bass out of all three headphones by far. If you love bass then these are probably better than the other two, and I find myself reaching for them pretty often when I listen to certain bands (some hip hop, DnB, techno, etc). The bass is reasonably well controlled, but I wouldn't say it's as tight as the ms1's and nowhere near the AD700, and yet it's not completely out of control either.
These have a very warm sound, and the mids are a bit recessed; it's not horrible, but the recessed mids are definitely noticeable even with all the mods/burn-in (highs on the other hand are no longer recessed after burn-in/mods, and sound quite good). I personally find their warm and full sound signature extremely enjoyable sometimes, and I'm glad I own these to go along with the others (especially when I want my music to be more of a background thing, without too much detail needed).
Instrument separation and attack speed are both just alright, and things can get drowned out as the music gets more intense. These sometimes get praised for having a good soundstage, but I personally don't think it's all that impressive. It's definitely there, and it's noticeable (especially when compared to the ms1), but it's not really a selling point.
Conclusions
All three of these can be considered budget cans, going between $50 and $100 with the RX900 on the lowest end of that budget, and in the end it really comes down to what you are looking for. The AD700 is great for highs/mids and it's soundstage, suited to airy and instrumental music. The RX900 is the polar opposite, where the lower end is more emphasized and the sound is very warm and full. The ms1 fall somewhere in the middle, and have no soundstage at all unlike the AD700 and RX900. It's all a matter of preference.
For my own personal opinion/conclusions, I'd say if I only owned one of these phones I'd like it to be the ms1 due to how much I enjoy rock and metal on these (both of which I listen to a lot). The RX900 would be my close second though, and would be my first choice (as only can) if I didn't adore melodic death metal on the ms1's so much. Personally I would choose the AD700 last as my ONLY source of sound, as I really don't feel it can handle all my music to it's fullest; that said, my brother adores the AD700 as his second source of music alongside his speakers for a completely different experience. Once again these are my personal preferences based on my music, things will be different depending on what you like.
Please feel free to ask me questions, point out any issues, and make comments. I've never written a review before, so I'd really love any input at all.
