[luciyuspax]

Hi! I live in Istanbul/ Turkey and those headphones are very expensive here compared to european and us prices (due to local value added tax, importers' incline to gain extra profits from high end headphones).

I now have sennheiser HD 555 and I use with E-MU 0404 USB. I really like the sound of HD 555 for classical music and gaming/movies. This is my first audiophile headphone.
My friend is gonna go to UK (London) for summer school and she can bring me a new headphone from there as they are much cheaper in UK than in here.

I listen generally to baroque classical music,piano and harp music,also some baroque operas. Headphones from other brands than AKG and Sennheiser are not an option for me as if anything goes wrong in the future, I mean if it gets broken here, I can bring the headphone to local technical services of Sennheiser or of AKG as these 2 brands have distributors and services in Istanbul.

Headphone amps aren't sold here and I can't afford to buy both the headphones and the amp in the summer. Sometime in 2009, I will buy Benchmark DAC1(or whatever its upgraded version will be) as Benchmark has distributor here.

So which one is better for my listening preferences? I heard Sennheiser HD 600 is better in classical music than HD 650 and that HD 650 is very bass heavy for some people... I really would not like much bass... I also heard that AKG K701 is more detailed sounding than HD 600 and that it has better soundstage.

I really like the sound and soundstage of my Sennheiser HD555 right now so which headphone is better for me?

 

[wae5]

Because of that infernal Sennheiser clamp I can never forget I'm wearing the HD600 and I suspect this is true for the HD650 too so I switched to the Yuin PK1/MiniBox-E+ combo, the Sony MDR-F1 and the Alessandro MS1 for classical music because I firmly believe comfort is just as important as SQ for the extended listening sessions classical music requires.

 

[-=Germania=-]

Personally, I think that k701 is much better for classical.

My rank of those mentioned:
k701
HD600
HD580
HD650

If you like classical, you may also want to look into gettin g a set of k500's. They have the great sound of the k501, but with less of a bass problem.

 

[tubaman]

X2 except no experience with HD580

 

[Kees]

I think K701 would be best for you IF an EMU 0404 usb can handle them (I have no experience with the EMU 0404, so I can't tell you).

 

[shomie911]

You may also want to consider Beyerdynamic DT880's for Classical as well as for orchestra music, and pretty much everything else.

There's a lot of transparency and very tangible definition in strings.

These cans work with everything, but I feel they really shine in large orchestra pieces.

They are also extremely neutral (although it leans *slightly* towards the bright side), this is a big plus for me but this is because I enjoy neutrality over "funness."

They have tight, defined bass as well.

You can always find a pair of DT880's in the FS.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I prefer the HD-600 for classical to the other two. It has a much more neutral presentation and is wonderful with the genres you enjoy. I do enjoy the HD-650 and K-701 with classical, though. If you can find a good deal on any of those, you'll enjoy any of them. Also look for a used K-501. That's my true favorite for classical.

As for an amp, have you considered DIY? Even if you don't want to build one, you should have an electronics tech nearby who can. The reason I mention this is that you might get a large break on import duties if you order parts as opposed to a finished product. Also, I imagine you could source many parts locally. Give it some thought and post in the DIY Forum if you have questions.

 

[vcoheda]

i would say for your setup - classical w/ EMU and then DAC1:

HD600
K701
HD650

the 600 (or 650) is esp interesting b/c you could run it balanced straight from the DAC1.

 

[luciyuspax]

Thx shomie for advice on beyers but as I said in original post,only Sennheiser and AKG have distributors and technical service in Turkey so I really don't wanna take my chances with other brands as if they get broken in the future (wire problems,in case they drop to floor hard etc) I won't have any way of getting it repaired.

Also from what I examined AKG K701 and Sennheiser HD 600 have exact same price in UK: 190 sterlins...

So I really have to decide between these 2.

Thx guys for your inputs...

 

[BlackstoneJD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luciyuspax /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi! I live in Istanbul/ Turkey and those headphones are very expensive here compared to european and us prices (due to local value added tax, importers' incline to gain extra profits from high end headphones). I now have sennheiser HD 555 and I use with E-MU 0404 USB. I really like the sound of HD 555 for classical music and gaming/movies. This is my first audiophile headphone. My friend is gonna go to UK (London) for summer school and she can bring me a new headphone from there as they are much cheaper in UK than in here. I listen generally to baroque classical music,piano and harp music,also some baroque operas. Headphones from other brands than AKG and Sennheiser are not an option for me as if anything goes wrong in the future, I mean if it gets broken here, I can bring the headphone to local technical services of Sennheiser or of AKG as these 2 brands have distributors and services in Istanbul. Headphone amps aren't sold here and I can't afford to buy both the headphones and the amp in the summer. Sometime in 2009, I will buy Benchmark DAC1(or whatever its upgraded version will be) as Benchmark has distributor here. So which one is better for my listening preferences? I heard Sennheiser HD 600 is better in classical music than HD 650 and that HD 650 is very bass heavy for some people... I really would not like much bass... I also heard that AKG K701 is more detailed sounding than HD 600 and that it has better soundstage. I really like the sound and soundstage of my Sennheiser HD555 right now so which headphone is better for me?

The HD650 is objectively better than the HD600 but some people prefer the HD600 because it has a brighter, more lively sound. But the HD650 is more extended in the bass and more nuanced and sophisticated. It is also smoother and more pleasant to listen to. The HD600 has a little too much upper midrange to my ears and also can sound a little thin. The HD650 not only has more bass it also has a little less upper midrange and after listening the HD600 for a while I've concluded that is a good thing.

But the HD650 is also a more demanding headphone with respect to sources and the bass can seem a bit overwealming if your source isn't good. In other words the HD650 has the potential for more detail but you might not hear it if the bass from your source is loose and unrefined. It isn't just your amp either, you need a good front end CD player/DAC/turntable to really hear what these things can do.

I personally have the HD600s and I'm sorry I didn't get the HD650s. The HD600s sound great with everything but I happen to have a super high-end system here (dCS Delius-Purcell, B&W 802, ect) and as mind blowing as the HD600s can be they could use a little refinement.

Now gaming is little different story. The HD600s are plenty good for gaming because the source material isn't that refined. Resident Evil 4 and Crysis sound just out of this world with the HD600s. I went from the HD590s to the HD600s and it just took everything to the next level. In Crysis it just sounds like you are in the jungle and a grenade going off next to you is almost enough to make you jump out of your seat it sounds so real. I was actually surprised how better better the gaming was. That is with the X-Fi card with no enhancements.

Even just straight out of the headphone jack on my TV with no amp Resident Evil 4 (Wii) is just insane with the HD600. There is a lot to hear in that game.

Zelda: Twilight Princess also has great sound effects. You'll just hear more with the HD600s.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2 is good but not as good as Crysis. I found that those games didn't benefit as much from the better headphones.

Also you may get better positional audio with the HD600 because the positional audio cues tend to come from reverb and the extra bass and less midrange of the HD650 may make it a bit less distinct. The HD650 would probably be a little easier on the ears.

But for pure music listening the HD650 is my recommendation. Especially for classical piano! You're going to want that extra smoothness.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

As if it were a poll, my vote goes for the HD600. For classical, specially mid to small ensembles as in baroque music (OK you can listen to Karajan playing Brandenbourg concerts, but it's not strictly what I take for baroque music), I think you'll enjoy the great rendition of timbres the HD600 offer. 701 are very good too, but they have some slight issues in the upper midrange and lower treble that makes them less belieavable IMHO. On the other hand the HD600 should sound better from an external soundcard's HP out than the 701. These are quite finicky about amplification, some good amps don't make them sound nice but they can surprise you sounding good on very modest HP outs like my own PC soundcard (an old Audigy Platinum).

The 701 have more bass, but again IMO, the 600's is righter.

Regarding comfort, both are good in my head, maybe the 701 take an edge here.

Rgrds

 

[luciyuspax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I prefer the HD-600 for classical to the other two. It has a much more neutral presentation and is wonderful with the genres you enjoy. I do enjoy the HD-650 and K-701 with classical, though. If you can find a good deal on any of those, you'll enjoy any of them. Also look for a used K-501. That's my true favorite for classical. As for an amp, have you considered DIY? Even if you don't want to build one, you should have an electronics tech nearby who can. The reason I mention this is that you might get a large break on import duties if you order parts as opposed to a finished product. Also, I imagine you could source many parts locally. Give it some thought and post in the DIY Forum if you have questions.

Yeah Erik I considered building my own amp but as HD 555 does not really crave for amp like HD 650 or K701 do, I did not bother. I am physicist and I have crafted many electronic circuits myself so I can craft a DIY amp in future too in case I really,badly need it and am not pleased with DAC1's amp.

The problem here is to find the best parts for the job. My professor had built a tube amp for his speakers but he had brought the tubes and many parts from USA on his return to country. I mean you can find and shop easily in Istanbul for tech spec equivalent parts of the ones shown in the schematics of the amp ,but the amp may not sound that good in the end. Maybe I can find the op-amps or other components here but the problem might also turn out to be this:
Let's say I have found the exact Burr-Brown parts shown in schematics
but the importer sell them or import them only in quantities of at least 100. Sometimes importers do this kind of ****: as they generally work with major electronics companies,they generally don't wanna bother with minor requests if they don't have those parts already available at the moment.

Blackstone I listened to B&W CM1s a few weeks ago and I really liked the sound and design of them. I think they were amped by Rotel amp.I am considering buying CM1 or 805s in future when I have money. What do you think about them?

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cool_Torpedo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 701 have more bass, but again IMO, the 600's is righter. Regarding comfort, both are good in my head, maybe the 701 take an edge here. Rgrds

wait. So K701 has MORE bass than HD600s?

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif wait. So K701 has MORE bass than HD600s?

Difficult to explain. 701s when much bass is recorded as in some electronica, can reach lower and sound more bassy than the 600s on the same material. On well recorded acoustic music, both are more or less the same regarding bass, but I like better the 600's balance and timbre for bass instrument. The 701 can sound tighter though.

Rgrds

 

[mofonyx]

Are you concerned about the bass that much? The K701 has such a wide soundstage that the bass may become less apparent than it should.

I sold off the K701 and stuck to the HD600. I'm not alone on my decision as well.

On the other hand, I'm not really a big classical listener (not until recently at least). Perhaps I would've preferred the K701 for classical owing to their big soundstaging.

meh, there must be a reason why I kept the HD600