[satshanti]

I have wanted to do this for quite a while, and now I finally made myself do it, write up a review of all the headphones I currently own.

As many of you are probably less interested in my setup and the music I used, I have put that information at the end, although I must say I can heartily recommend listening to my selection of test pieces, some of which are relatively unknown and well worth hearing. I absolutely love all of the music I chose.


HEADPHONES

First, a brief overview of the contenders: more info can be found on most of these through the search function, although I have added a few links for easy reference:

AKG K240 Sextett: vintage AKG studio headphones that have cult status on this forum. I have two, a middle and a late production. See thread1, thread2, thread3.

AKG K500: former top-of-the-line model, predecessor to the K501 and K701, which some on this forum even prefer over its successors. See thread1, thread2.

Philips SBC-HP1000: out of production former top-model in the Philips line. Many agree that, despite their flimsy build, and Philips not really being your typical high-quality headphone brand, they do sound great. See thread1, thread2.

Philips N6330: the reason I'm actually writing this review - very obscure vintage headphones, clearly built by AKG, very similar to a Sextett with the passive radiators (MP, white with brown edge). See my introduction, some pictures and a provisional review of these phones here.


INTRODUCTION

I will also try to give you a written impression of these phones, but first I would like to present this in a more "scientific" way

I have graded the various characteristics and added them up to a total score. The grades are subjective percentages of possible perfection. I have never heard these, but I can imagine Stax phones or $1000 dynamic phones will have their grades in the high nineties. Your typical disposable airline phones would rate about 20%. My contestants ended up between 83 and 89 percent, which obviously is an estimate for lack of a proper "reference”. The total score is an average of the 5 main aspects.


CRITERIA

Neutrality: includes fidelity, (lack of) distortion or coloration, and being in balance with the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Resolution: amount of perceptible detail or information.

These first two main criteria are graded in four frequency ranges: treble (i..e. cymbals, snare drum, violin), high-mids (i.e. female voices), low mids (i.e. male voices) and bass.

Dynamics: micro-dynamics (i.e. cymbals) and macro-dynamics (i.e. bass drum)

Soundstage: width, depth and definition

Musicality: PRAT (pace, rhythm, attack and timing) or the ability to make one forget about testing, start foot-tapping or head-bobbing, and just enjoy the music, possibly the most important of all criteria in my opinion.


RESULT

CONCLUSION

1. The middle-production Sextett is the clear winner. These are very well-balanced, have excellent tonal neutrality with plenty of detail, superb micro-dynamics and a respectable, solid soundstage - my current favourite.

2. The Philips SBC-HP1000: until I decided to get another Sextett for my wife, for those times we are listening together, this was my favourite set of cans. I didn't know that the new MP would be so much better than the LP Sextett I already owned. The Philips is very well-balanced throughout the frequency range. It has no real flaws, other than a slightly too crisp treble. Its presentation is detailed and, probably due to its low impedance, has excellent overall dynamics, and a solid soundstage.

3. The late-production Sextett: again, my favourite before I got the other two phones. These are very fun, musical and sparkling. The treble is more neutral than the HP1000, but it (with the high-mids) is a bit too overbearing, compared to the bass and low-mids, which makes it a bit out-of-balance. They are neutral though, and have plenty of detail. They can shine with some and disappoint with other music.

4. The Philips N6330: Despite their similarity with the Sextett, the sound signature is quite different. Although the drivers are the same as the MP, the construction is different. It is almost the opposite of the LP with emphasis on bass and low-mids and recessed high-mids and treble, which gives a warm impression overall. Similar to the LP, it can shine on some pieces, and disappoint on others. Combining its best traits with those of the LP would more or less result in the MP. It has a unique sound. It could be, that time has taken its toll on it. Like the Sextetts, these were mostly used as studio monitors. They were standard issue in the well-known (well, in Holland at least) Wisseloord studio’s.

5. The AKG K500: These were my second set of headphones after the Grado SR60, which I gave away, and although I liked them better compared to the Grado, I preferred to listen to all of my later cans. Again, maybe it’s my particular model, but I could never really warm up to it. There's an emphasis on the midrange (which it does quite well), with both a recessed treble and bass. The soundstage is quite good, but it lacks neutrality and detail. The overall sound is boring and I just can’t seem to warm up to it. It’s not bad, but it lacks involvement for me.


SETUP

Source: Lossless tracks with Foobar, Sweex003 sound card with bit-perfect SPDIF output through THESE custom drivers, Blue Jeans digital coax cable.
DAC: Shek D1 with improved power supply.
Interlink: NVA Super Sound Pipe, giant-killing gem through eBay seller nenevalleyaudio (favourably compared it with a Straightwire at 5x the price)
Amplifier: Xiang Sheng 708B tube amp, rolled with some excellent and affordable Russian military grade tubes


MUSIC

Händel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon)
Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights (Romeo and Juliet)
Orff - O Fortuna (Carmina Burana)
3 great classics with a lot of orchestral and choral variety

Acoustic Eidolon - Nocturne No.4 (Chopin)
This is a great piece. Acoustic Eidolon is a husband and wife team from Boulder (Colorado), with her playing the cello and him a unique kind of double-neck guitar (a guitjo). They play a mixture of classical, folk and contemporary music, rather hard to pin down. When I saw them live here in Germany, they even played an amazing version of Stairway to Heaven! Great stuff!

Kate Bush – In the warm room (Lionheart)
Sweet female voice and piano

Jackson Brown – Too many angels (Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1)
Just the man and his guitar, excellent spatial information

Nickel Creek – Reasons why (Nickel Creek)
Beautiful acoustic folk, I just love these guys, including the solo albums of Chris Thile and Sean Watkins.

Ayo – And it’s supposed to be love (Joyful)
Excellent recording, female voice, deep bass, great acoustics

Stina Nordenstam – Little Star (And She Closed Her Eyes)
Great female voice and excellent recording

Mark Knopfler – Sailing To Philadelphia
No comment, great for testing male voices

The Weepies – Riga Girls (Say I Am You)
I love them, their voices (especially Deb's) and the musical arrangements

Catriona MacDonald – Shetland Reels (Bold)
One of my favourite test tracks, instrumental Celtic folk with her playing the fiddle, accompanied by a whole lot of other instruments.

Bob Marley – Could You Be Loved (Remastered)
The Police - Spirits in the material world (Ghost in the Machine)
UB40 – Sing our own song (Rat In The Kitchen)

Anouk - Falling Sun (Anouk Is Alive)
Live track of this great Dutch female singer. Hardly known abroad, but very well-known in Holland. I can listen to this track again and again.

David Gray – Alibi (Greatest Hits)
Great male voice. Not that well-known. Great Irish singer/songwriter. If you've never heard of him, you're missing something.

Kathleen Edwards – Independent Thief (Back To Me)
Folk-rock, sounds like a live recording, a bit like Neil Young’s Crazy Horse with Deep Purple’s Jon Lord on organ. Phenomenal piece!

 

[REB]

Interesting read, thanks for that! I do have a different opinion on the sextetts and the k500s though. I haven't found the sextetts to be as resolving, detailed or neutral as the k500s, but instead too warm with ill-defined bass and rolled-off treble. Soundstage was also less than impressive to me. Maybe we heard different versions of the k500 (not to mention different amping). I haven't heard the philips cans, but wish I had.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

There were several brands carrying sextett oems, and like the sextett they are often cheap. Your review makes me want to try one, after all. I also like the Philips cans, although I have the HP890 and HP910 rather than the HP1000.

 

[doping panda]

The results of this review interest me as your conclusions about the Sextett MP and the K500 are almost completely opposed to my own. I find the K500 to be more neutral, resolving, and dynamic with a much wider soundstage than the Sextett MP, but with different types of musicality.

The K500 is neutral from top down to the mid-bass, where it begins to roll off. However, it really lacks in terms of deep bass though. The Sextett MP has a fair amount of deep bass, but it is overshadowed by the mid bass emphasis. Also, it rolls off in the treble more than the K500. The mid bass emphasis on the Sextett MP ruins its otherwise strong tonal balance and fairly strong neutrality. Because of this, the K500 is more neutral and balanced than the Sextett MP although lacking in deep bass response.

The K500 wins the resolution battle no contest. From top to bottom, the K500 is vastly more clear and resolving than the Sextett MP. With the Sextett MP, there is a quite noticeable glare that leads to a lack of ability to retrieve detail. However, there's the possibility that the details are there, but are obscured by the lack of clarity.

Your definition of microdynamics and macrodynamics seem to differ from other definitions. I'm not sure what exactly your criteria of dynamics are. Let's define macrodynamics as the range between softest and loudest sounds and microdynamics as the ability to show the nuances in dynamics between the extremes dynamic extremes. The K500 can certainly sound softer and convey dynamic nuances than the Sextett MP. As for loudness, they both get loud enough so that's not especially a concern. Under these definitions, the K500 bests the Sextett MP in both macrodynamics and microdynamics.

The conclusions about soundstage in this review also differ from my own. I find the K500 soundstage is much, much wider; the Sextett feels closed in compared to the K500. Of course, some might find the K500 wideness to be a flaw as it can possibly be artificially wide. I actually think the Sextett has a deeper soundstage than the K500 though and I feel that the both of them are similar in their soundstage definition.

Both of these headphones are musical, but in different ways. The Sextett MP has a warmth and sheer toe-tapping factor that the K500 doesn't have. However, warmth isn't the only voicing and rhythm isn't the only aspect of music. The K500 has stronger microdynamics, a sharp attack, a strong tonal balance, and an amazingly detailed and euphoric midrange. All of these aspects add up to give the K500 a different musicality than that of the Sextett MP. Since most of the music I listen to is classical music, the K500's brand of musicality is far more suitable than that of the Sextetts. For solo works and chamber music, the Sextetts cannot create the dynamic nuances so necessary to classical music. For vocals, the Sextett is perhaps better with male voices with regards to tonality than the K500, but the K500 is vastly better with female voices; however, the Sextett cannot recreate the little details with vocals that the K500 can. For orchestral, the Sextetts has not the scale of soundstage necessary, as the K500 does. Because of their differences in musicality, I can't say that either headphone is more musical than the other. However, with your criteria the Sextetts would be more musical than the K500 though.

It was interesting to read your review, especially as your conclusions differs so much from mine regarding these two headphones. However, this is just more proof that everyone has different ears.

 

[Drosera]

Very nice way to compare those satshanti, and very interesting choices of phones too! However, I almost fully agree with doping panda's commentary (great write-up there). With the addendum that the Sextetts can scale quite a bit with more resolving equipment. But they certainly plateau much sooner than the K500 where detail is concerned.
And I feel the difference in the soundstage between Sextett and K500 even stronger than doping panda does. To me the two can't even be compared in this department, where the K240 soundstage is rather small and the K500 soundstage is almost without limit.

Oh yeah, I would separate "musicality" in at least two groups: PRaT (toe-tapping quality/ability to handle fast transients) and musicality proper which to me has more to do with the way the music flows naturally.

 

[satshanti]

Thanks for your comments, all of you. Having read almost all previous posts on the K500 before I bought one, and now having read your comments, I have to deduce that there must be something seriously wrong with my particular set. It just doesn't add up.

Doping panda, I agree with your better definition of micro- and macro-dynamics. And And Drosera, I like your division of musicality.

And yes, opinions and perceptions will always be subjective: different ears, different equipment synergy, different perceptual emphasis on characteristics, etc. It can be confusing for people who are trying to find out how good or bad a piece of equipment really is, but it does make the forum interesting to read.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Question, does the rolled-off highs on the AKG and the Philips mean that airiness of instruments, and echo/decay of guitars goes missing? How about sparkle?

 

[Deep Funk]

Lately old Philips headphones can be found quite cheap and since I'm into vintage my eyes found a N6330. How balanced is the N6330? Regarding Bass, how far does it extend and define the lower sounds?

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deep Funk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lately old Philips headphones can be found quite cheap and since I'm into vintage my eyes found a N6330. How balanced is the N6330? Regarding Bass, how far does it extend and define the lower sounds?

The last time I saw a N6330 sold on Ebay, it was for 100 Euro. Not so cheap I guess.
They are fairly balanced, though the bass is a little too strong sometimes.
Bass goes deep and is well defined and tuneful. It's my bassiest headphone.
And this is with the all white passive drivers (Sextett LP). The ones with orange or white/orange drivers have maybe more bass, like the AKG Sextetts.
They clamp a lot on the head (more than AKG Sextett's), which I don't like. But their sound is so incredible musical, that I can bear it.
They beat the Sextett MP I had twice.
I use Beyer leather earpads to avoid my ears touching the grill.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent /img/forum/go_quote.gif Question, does the rolled-off highs on the AKG and the Philips mean that airiness of instruments, and echo/decay of guitars goes missing? How about sparkle?

Just found your question.
The N6330 have better detailed highs than the AKG Sextett's MP I had.
So no rolled off highs with these all passive white drivers (Sextett LP).
Echo/decay is fine. Airiness is okay but not great. Soundstage is rather small.
But they sound so damn good

 

[satshanti]

Hi everyone,

Tiemen, long time no read,

(I'm still in the tropics and a bit out of touch but couldn't resist putting in my two cents worth)

Let me first repeat a relatively new post in the dedicated N6330 thread I started a long time ago:

After quite a bit of upgrading in the signal chain, I now have to re-evaluate the N6330, so I'll do a mini-review and compare them to the two real Sextetts I own. I just found out from Tiemen that these were also made as a clone to the Sextett LP, as he has white drivers, but mine is a clone of the MP, as the drivers have a brownish ring around them. All three cans have been similarly recabled with SPC cable and Neutrik connectors, directly soldered to the drivers in a two-way entry with Wonder-solder.

Sextett LP:
This one has the most PRAT. It swings and is very lively. It is slightly coloured in the mids, compared to the other two, and has somewhat of a bright overall sound signature. It has less transparency and less detail than the others. Sound stage is deeper than the others, but not as wide or coherent. It is very good for rock, electronic and dance music, for which liveliness and rhythm are more relevant than fidelity. Invites foot-tapping and head-bobbing.

Sextett MP:
Well-balanced across the frequency range, although slightly elevated high-mids and low-highs compared to the Philips, making it great for female voices. Tight and well-textured bass, and crisp but not too shrill highs. Convincing overall presentation, excellent harmonics and timing. Musical is the word that come to mind. Great for complex acoustic and voice material with a lot of harmonic interaction. Invites relaxed listening by letting the harmonics and sweet vibrations wash over you.

Philips N6330:
The best, most tonally correct and most detailed midrange of the three. Bass is deepest, but not as nimble as the LP or as textured as the MP. Treble is most natural and life-like of the three, but a bit recessed. The previous aspects make this a relatively warm set of cans, not as in muddled or pleasantly distorted, but as in the emphasis on the bass and especially the lower midrange. This makes these cans less suitable for female voices, but very nice with male ones. They present more detail but are not as resolving in complexity, meaning this is great for single instruments or simple arrangements, especially acoustic instruments, so chamber music rather than full orchestras. They are tonally more correct and more detailed then, but lose it when the music becomes too complex. The harmonics are not bad, but not as involving as the MP. Invites attentive listening, like to the finer details and timbre of individual instruments.

Conclusion:
All three are more similar to each other than different. Although the differences are as I described them, they are quite subtle, yet clear. All is relative! I just love my Sextetts, and if you can get your hands on those Philipses, grab them! Most of them can be found in Holland obviously, but I found mine on German eBay, although I haven't seen one since. Also have a look at this thread for my review of some genuine leather coloured pads that I personally like a lot and prefer to the original pleather AKG pads in whatever shape or form.

I cannot say anything on Tiemen's N6330 LP, and all differences are subtle anyway, but it seems to me that we have two possible frames with two possible drivers. The N6330 frame with MP drivers like mine lies at the warm, laid back and neutral end of the spectrum, while the Sextett LP lies at the other end with plenty of PRAT, sparkle and a slight brightness. To my ears my Sextett MP constitutes the best of both worlds and is my favourite. It could well be that Tiemen's N6330 LP combines all these factors slightly differently bit similarly and makes it an equally well-balanced set of headphones that are a pleasure to listen to. This is just a guess, but judging from his enthusiasm about them, a good one.