Funky-kun
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2009
- Posts
- 102
- Likes
- 10
Hi, I'm back.
Was a bit hard to get away from the wonderful listening experience I am having with the Sennheiser HD595s. Here's my (amateurish) review of the headphones:
First of all, my new roommate turned out to be a super-cool guy, who also plays the guitar very good (but sings rather poorly). To my surprise he keeps a very quiet listening environment and avoids playing in my presence. Now onto the headphones. They arrived before about 2 weeks. The first thing I noticed was the size of their box - and for a reason, there headphones are reasonably bigger than my old pair, the 212 Pros. They also have a completely different design, being circumaural. I also received the Total Airhead with them. All the following impressions are from the following listening setup: FLAC -> Winamp (ASIO) -> Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer (Audio Creation Mode) -> Headroom Total Airhead (Low Gain) -> Sennheiser HD595.
Construction, Comfort & Isolation: The headphones don't look as durable as the 212s, but are still in one piece after dropping them twice. They also come with a very handy stand for them (it took me some time to realize I could fasten it vertically) and a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. The headband is leather, and the earpads are soft velour, which gets a little warmer with continuous use, but still very comfortable. The sensation of putting them over my ears was unexpected for me - the headphones touch the back part of the ear only slightly and are VERY comfortable to wear (even for ten hours straight). While on my head these provide close to zero isolation from the outside noises, and it felt a little strange when I could hear myself singing along on some songs. xD
Initial Impressions: The first though when I played some music through the headphones was: Where did all the bass go?! Second thought: OMG this sounds so airy! (note: I am not sure of the exact meaning of "airy" in terms of audiophile slang, but in my opinion this is the best word to describe how the sound felt to me at first) Although knowing such caliber headphones need some time to show their true character, I couldn't help feeling disappointed at that time. However, I gave them the needed time and behold! There were changes!
Impressions & Changes after Break-in: With the improvement of the headphones and my ears getting used to them these became the most enjoyable pair of headphones I have listened to! Yeah, I haven't listened to any hi-fi headphones, but still. The bass began to show itself. I feel it as more deep as the one in the 212s, but less in quantity, which I now feel is an advantage. The bass of the 212s distorts the mid frequencies too much. The bass of 595 is very very good for recreating musical instruments, but a little lacking for bass-driven electronic music such as Drum and Bass or Dubstep. The mid frequencies feel a lot clearer and detailed in comparison, and the high reach way beyond the boundaries of the 212s. Vocals feel realistic, and instruments such as acoustic guitar and the piano are among the favorites to listen to on these phones. However, the best thing about these headphones is the soundstage. Moving on to an open headphone, I doubt I would ever want to put a closed headphone on my ears. At first it felt a little strange, but as my ears (more like my brain) began exploring the soundstage, I started finding details and layers in music I had never noticed before. Electronic music, trance in particular, greatly benefits from the spatial effect, creating a very epic feeling when listening to it.
Headroom Total Airhead: I cannot comment on the impact on 595s, but it the amp definitely changes the way 212s sound when combined. The bass tends to become a little more controlled, letting the mids reach the ears a little clearer. It also adds a lot of detail to the sound reproduction. My impressions were also confirmed by my friend, who ordered a pair of 212s (his first better headphones).
Now, for a break, some photos:
The Total Airhead with both phones plugged in, running on AC power. It has handy velcro hooks for sticking it on various surfaces, the PC in my case.
Not exactly a listening rig, but still authoritative.
The headphones in all their beauty.
Cup Noodles - needed for survival on campus. xD
One of my hairs liked the sound so much, that it decided to stay on the headphone. xD
The difference between 212s and 595s can be seen here.
Now a little comment on the music I find most enjoyable on these headphones: Sans DnB, everything! Seriously, these headphones really made me rediscover music. With them I felt the full joy of alternative music for example, and now tracks like Radiohead's Nude or Faunts' Twenty-Three are like a magical experience! Interesting enough, the main focus on my listeting sessions moved from electronics to acoustics and rock, because they benefit from the soundstage in a great way. The space all around me is filled with the sound of acoustic guitars when listeting to Floyd's Wish You Were Here or Guns N' Roses' Patience. Not only acoustic, but electronic guitars sound awesome - Deep Purple's Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming is like a rollercoaster of emotion. Oh, and by the way, music needs moar SACDs. The difference between the normal and SACD version of Satisfaction by Rolling Stones is beyond description! Even after a dozen of hours listening non-stop the music doesn't fatigue me like when listening to my previous pair. When needing some relaxation, ambient also sounds fantastic on these. (I recommend Carbon Based Lifeforms - awesome!) And last, but not least, songs showcasing vocals are hypnotizing. Personal favorite - Rebeca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem - when she begins singing, from the sweet sound of her lips separating, I feel charmed.
To end my review, I would sum it up saying that this is a great all-around music headphone. I have heard people saying this phone is a jack of all trades, master of none. Well, to me it feels like it is a master of all. That is, of course, until I get my fingers on a better phone. Another thing to note is, that these phones present the music in the way it was recorded - if it is recorded aggressively it sounds this way, if the recording is laidback, it feels like that.
And now a question for you guys: What do you think would be the next correct component to upgrade of my sistening setup? I am planning on modding the X-Fi in the summer, or maybe getting something like an EMU 0202. Not sold on it though. Also, would this setup have trouble driving the HD600 correctly?
First of all, my new roommate turned out to be a super-cool guy, who also plays the guitar very good (but sings rather poorly). To my surprise he keeps a very quiet listening environment and avoids playing in my presence. Now onto the headphones. They arrived before about 2 weeks. The first thing I noticed was the size of their box - and for a reason, there headphones are reasonably bigger than my old pair, the 212 Pros. They also have a completely different design, being circumaural. I also received the Total Airhead with them. All the following impressions are from the following listening setup: FLAC -> Winamp (ASIO) -> Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer (Audio Creation Mode) -> Headroom Total Airhead (Low Gain) -> Sennheiser HD595.
Construction, Comfort & Isolation: The headphones don't look as durable as the 212s, but are still in one piece after dropping them twice. They also come with a very handy stand for them (it took me some time to realize I could fasten it vertically) and a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. The headband is leather, and the earpads are soft velour, which gets a little warmer with continuous use, but still very comfortable. The sensation of putting them over my ears was unexpected for me - the headphones touch the back part of the ear only slightly and are VERY comfortable to wear (even for ten hours straight). While on my head these provide close to zero isolation from the outside noises, and it felt a little strange when I could hear myself singing along on some songs. xD
Initial Impressions: The first though when I played some music through the headphones was: Where did all the bass go?! Second thought: OMG this sounds so airy! (note: I am not sure of the exact meaning of "airy" in terms of audiophile slang, but in my opinion this is the best word to describe how the sound felt to me at first) Although knowing such caliber headphones need some time to show their true character, I couldn't help feeling disappointed at that time. However, I gave them the needed time and behold! There were changes!
Impressions & Changes after Break-in: With the improvement of the headphones and my ears getting used to them these became the most enjoyable pair of headphones I have listened to! Yeah, I haven't listened to any hi-fi headphones, but still. The bass began to show itself. I feel it as more deep as the one in the 212s, but less in quantity, which I now feel is an advantage. The bass of the 212s distorts the mid frequencies too much. The bass of 595 is very very good for recreating musical instruments, but a little lacking for bass-driven electronic music such as Drum and Bass or Dubstep. The mid frequencies feel a lot clearer and detailed in comparison, and the high reach way beyond the boundaries of the 212s. Vocals feel realistic, and instruments such as acoustic guitar and the piano are among the favorites to listen to on these phones. However, the best thing about these headphones is the soundstage. Moving on to an open headphone, I doubt I would ever want to put a closed headphone on my ears. At first it felt a little strange, but as my ears (more like my brain) began exploring the soundstage, I started finding details and layers in music I had never noticed before. Electronic music, trance in particular, greatly benefits from the spatial effect, creating a very epic feeling when listening to it.
Headroom Total Airhead: I cannot comment on the impact on 595s, but it the amp definitely changes the way 212s sound when combined. The bass tends to become a little more controlled, letting the mids reach the ears a little clearer. It also adds a lot of detail to the sound reproduction. My impressions were also confirmed by my friend, who ordered a pair of 212s (his first better headphones).
Now, for a break, some photos:
The Total Airhead with both phones plugged in, running on AC power. It has handy velcro hooks for sticking it on various surfaces, the PC in my case.
Not exactly a listening rig, but still authoritative.
The headphones in all their beauty.
Cup Noodles - needed for survival on campus. xD
One of my hairs liked the sound so much, that it decided to stay on the headphone. xD
The difference between 212s and 595s can be seen here.
Now a little comment on the music I find most enjoyable on these headphones: Sans DnB, everything! Seriously, these headphones really made me rediscover music. With them I felt the full joy of alternative music for example, and now tracks like Radiohead's Nude or Faunts' Twenty-Three are like a magical experience! Interesting enough, the main focus on my listeting sessions moved from electronics to acoustics and rock, because they benefit from the soundstage in a great way. The space all around me is filled with the sound of acoustic guitars when listeting to Floyd's Wish You Were Here or Guns N' Roses' Patience. Not only acoustic, but electronic guitars sound awesome - Deep Purple's Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming is like a rollercoaster of emotion. Oh, and by the way, music needs moar SACDs. The difference between the normal and SACD version of Satisfaction by Rolling Stones is beyond description! Even after a dozen of hours listening non-stop the music doesn't fatigue me like when listening to my previous pair. When needing some relaxation, ambient also sounds fantastic on these. (I recommend Carbon Based Lifeforms - awesome!) And last, but not least, songs showcasing vocals are hypnotizing. Personal favorite - Rebeca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem - when she begins singing, from the sweet sound of her lips separating, I feel charmed.
To end my review, I would sum it up saying that this is a great all-around music headphone. I have heard people saying this phone is a jack of all trades, master of none. Well, to me it feels like it is a master of all. That is, of course, until I get my fingers on a better phone. Another thing to note is, that these phones present the music in the way it was recorded - if it is recorded aggressively it sounds this way, if the recording is laidback, it feels like that.
And now a question for you guys: What do you think would be the next correct component to upgrade of my sistening setup? I am planning on modding the X-Fi in the summer, or maybe getting something like an EMU 0202. Not sold on it though. Also, would this setup have trouble driving the HD600 correctly?
