[aliasfox]

Hi everyone, yjis is my first post here- I've lurked for a few weeks, and am almost ready to buy a set of entry-level cans. For my price and needs, I've decided on the Senn HD-497. According to www.froogle.com, I can get them shipped for under $60.
Do I have my reasoning straight?
- Easy to drive (primarily playing out of my laptop, no amp)
- Sound good for price
- More distant than SR60s (I have a set of Monsoon MM-1000 speakers, and while they sound awesome, aren't usually very intimate)
- Leak less than SR60s (I sleep later than my roommates, isolation is important- and no, the V6, V7506, and HD-280 Pros are out of my price range)
- Decent, but not overwhelming bass
- Slightly recessed mids
- Acoustically neutral (Like the MM-1000s?)

I listen to everything from techno to baroque, with a preference towards pop, classic rock, and romantic era music, so dynamic range and noticeable (but accurate) bass are important.

I've auditioned my roommate's SR60s, and they leak a lot (apparently), have really pronounced and smooth midrange (compared to my speakers), and offer a decent amount of bass out of my source. But the fact that they leak and cost more than I want to spend ($70+ shipped) puts them out of the running.

I live on a college campus, am car-less, and quite lacking in funds- I'm still trying to convince myself that these are worth the money over my Panasonics (well, obviously, but $55-60 is still a considerable outlay for me) and the Senn HD-202 Pros I was considering.

Questions:
- How do these compare to SR60s in terms of driveability without an amp (important, as those are the only "real" cans I've used so far)
- How do these sound compared to MM-1000s? I'm hoping I'll run into a few computer-speaker people around here who have experience.

And yes, I realize SR225s, HD600s and Ultrasones all sound magnificent- if only my wallet was bigger...

Thanks to all who can help!

 

[blessingx]

Yes, it sounds like you have it all right in comparison to the SR60's. The 497's are slightly harder to drive than the 60's, but not much more. Certainly they're fine ampless. They're very nice phones. Stay far away from the 202's, though you mentioned "pros", so since I don't believe there is a pro version, you may mean 212's. Either way, the 497's are a much better set of cans. They are going to leak compared to the closed 202's/212's, but less than the Grados.

[EDIT: ... and welcome to Head-Fi!]

 

[SunByrne]

blessingx missed the second half of the standard greeting: Sorry about your wallet.

You can get the SR60s for $62.10 with free shipping from www.hcmaudio.com so the price difference might not be quite that big.

As blessingx says, the HD497s are pretty comparable to the SR60s in terms of driveability.

I actually have the MM-1000s at work and well, they're sat-sub computer speakers, which means they're sort of marginal. However, for sat-sub computer speakers, I like the MM-1000s better than anything else because the sats go low enough that the mids don't completely vanish as with many other similar configurations. Both the SR60 and the HD497 have somewhat recessed mids, but in terms of things like detail they're both at least comparable to the MM-1000.

One of these days I'll have enough time to seriously listen to both the HD497s and the SR60s and get that head-to-head review written...

 

[hempcamp]

I like the SR-60s better. The HD-497s were very comparable in sound, but always sounded like I was listening to music on the other side of a thick curtain, especially when amped.

--Chris

 

[aliasfox]

$62 shipped is less than I found for the SR60s, but I also found HD497s at Amazon for $47, shipped. Of course, it's not in stock, so I have time to change my mind if there's a compelling reason.

Yeah... that wallet's looking more anemic by the day...

There's no way I can afford a dedicated amp, so built-in headphone port it is.

SunByrne- what don't you like about sat-sub combos in general?

The frequency response graphs on Headroom show that the SR60s have boosted treble, while the Sennheiser graphs (they don't have one for the 497) seem to show a dip= is this noticeable? Does it still sound like a "flat" response curve? Thanks y'all!

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally posted by aliasfox The frequency response graphs on Headroom show that the SR60s have boosted treble, while the Sennheiser graphs (they don't have one for the 497) seem to show a dip= is this noticeable? Does it still sound like a "flat" response curve? Thanks y'all!

It is fair to say that the SR-60s are slightly more forward, less neutral than the 497s.

--Chris

 

[SunByrne]

Quote:

Originally posted by aliasfox $62 shipped is less than I found for the SR60s, but I also found HD497s at Amazon for $47, shipped. Of course, it's not in stock, so I have time to change my mind if there's a compelling reason.

Grr, they must have just dropped the price at Amazon--I paid around $60 at Amazon for the 497s.

Quote:

SunByrne- what don't you like about sat-sub combos in general?

Bad midrange. Most computer sat/sub combos in the consumer-grade Altec Lansing-class have crappy mids, because the satellites don't go low enough/the sub doesn't go high enough. They crossover badly, right in the range of human vocals.

Quote:

The frequency response graphs on Headroom show that the SR60s have boosted treble, while the Sennheiser graphs (they don't have one for the 497) seem to show a dip= is this noticeable? Does it still sound like a "flat" response curve? Thanks y'all!

Hmm, well, I wouldn't say that the 497s are flat, but hempcamp is right: they're certainly flatter than the Grados.

 

[Steve999]

The SR60s and HD497s really go toe to toe for sound quality -- I think Headroom got that one right. I think the Grados are smoother. The Senns have something sonically unusual going on... they sound much better than they measure. The mids on the Senns are recessed yet very, very clear, leaving intact the punchy bass and some sparkling highs. I feel that the Grados are much more smooth, but that the sound quality really is a toss up. Both are exceptional values for sound quality, IMHO.

Quote:

Originally posted by aliasfox The frequency response graphs on Headroom show that the SR60s have boosted treble, while the Sennheiser graphs (they don't have one for the 497) seem to show a dip= is this noticeable? Does it still sound like a "flat" response curve? Thanks y'all!

 

[aliasfox]

Well, sounds like I made a good decision- I can't wait!

Thanks!

 

[Geek]

HD497s are consumer entry-level headphones that have one characteristic not commonly found in mass market products: good sound.

For sub-$100 headphones, the HD497s are a really great choice for all-around casuallistening just as the HD600 is a good choice for the picky audiophile.

Cheers,
Geek