[DavidA]

Thank you @yanglan! From your memory, how was DT990 for classical, compared to HD600? I am a complete amateur when it comes to headphones, so bear with me.

While not directed at me I like my DT990 over the HD600 for classical since I prefer large orchestra pieces and the DT990 just does the imaging / soundstage better to me. Had a HD800, T1gen1, and SR009 and while these all do classical much better they don't do well with poor recordings and you will need to get a decent amp and all are pushing it on the brightness for many. Another headphone you might want to consider is the HD700 since they do classical well IMO and since there are some who hate them becasue of the 6khz spike you might be able to find them really cheap and with classical I really don't notice the spike.

 

[Skocko33]

Interesting. Thanks DavidA! Wow, that Stax must be beastly with anything.

 

[yangian]

While not directed at me I like my DT990 over the HD600 for classical since I prefer large orchestra pieces and the DT990 just does the imaging / soundstage better to me. Had a HD800, T1gen1, and SR009 and while these all do classical much better they don't do well with poor recordings and you will need to get a decent amp and all are pushing it on the brightness for many. Another headphone you might want to consider is the HD700 since they do classical well IMO and since there are some who hate them becasue of the 6khz spike you might be able to find them really cheap and with classical I really don't notice the spike.

I'm sorry, David. But I think I need to remind you that since you have had no HD600 and your hearing are sensitive to HD600, you'd better give no suggestion to new user. It's kind of misleading.

 

[yangian]

Interesting. Thanks DavidA! Wow, that Stax must be beastly with anything.

Not really. It's kind of tastes.

 

[Skocko33]

Thanks everyone! You are really helping me.

 

[DavidA]

I'm sorry, David. But I think I need to remind you that since you have had no HD600 and your hearing are sensitive to HD600, you'd better give no suggestion to new user. It's kind of misleading.

If you read my post I say nothing about the tone, just the sound stage / imaging which to me is more important than the tone when it comes to large scale orchestra tracks. I feel the opposite from you since if only those like you that love the HD600 give advice the OP will never know that there are some elements of the sound that fan boys will overlook at times.

Interesting. Thanks DavidA! Wow, that Stax must be beastly with anything.

I have to agree a little with @yangian about the SR009, its a great headphone but very limited to what I would listen on them and I found that I was only searching for tracks that are very well mastered and some of current library didn't sound so good on them. I still get to hear them on occasion since I traded them with my best friend so I can listen to them when I visit him but lately I've found that my music taste is changing since my current GF doesn't care for classical so I've also sold my HD800 and gave the T1gen1 to my son.

 

[Skocko33]

Just one question. Do you think that buying used is generally a good deal?
Thanks!

 

[yangian]

If you read my post I say nothing about the tone, just the sound stage / imaging which to me is more important than the tone when it comes to large scale orchestra tracks. I feel the opposite from you since if only those like you that love the HD600 give advice the OP will never know that there are some elements of the sound that fan boys will overlook at times.

haha, fair enough Anyway, at least you have had no 600 and it seems you didn't possess 600 long enough time. So...
BTW, at least 990's soundstage is no larger than 600 and imaging is no better than 600. I have both 990/600 and 600 beside me.

 

[yangian]

Just one question. Do you think that buying used is generally a good deal?
Thanks!

Yes, buying used on headfi is a wise choice.

 

[pbarach]

I have the HD600 and K702 (which is no different in sound than the K701). I listen to 99% classical music. The HD600 are a little less airier around the music that the AKGs, but in all other ways I find the HD600s superior. A good test is listening to a well-recorded piano). My current favorites are Sudbin's first Scarlatti CD and the 24/96 download of Perhaia's newly released Hammerklavier., There is a big difference in the clarity and sweetness of the middle and upper ranges of the piano when these two headphones are compared. I also have a set of HE400i phones, and the HD600 betters the Hifman cans in that respect, too.

When you look at recording session photos from DG, Pentatone, and some other classical recording sources, you see HD600 headphones more than anything else. That says something important to me.

 

[tamio]

Just one question. Do you think that buying used is generally a good deal?
Thanks!

Just check it carefully or find reliable dealer. Hd600 is hardly to broken. I got mine with 246$ and 1-year warranty left

btw, I plan to end up with amp Darkvoice 336se, do you guys think it's good? Is there any better choice in range of 400$?

 

[yangian]

I have the HD600 and K702 (which is no different in sound than the K701). I listen to 99% classical music. The HD600 are a little less airier around the music that the AKGs, but in all other ways I find the HD600s superior. A good test is listening to a well-recorded piano). My current favorites are Sudbin's first Scarlatti CD and the 24/96 download of Perhaia's newly released Hammerklavier., There is a big difference in the clarity and sweetness of the middle and upper ranges of the piano when these two headphones are compared. I also have a set of HE400i phones, and the HD600 betters the Hifman cans in that respect, too.

When you look at recording session photos from DG, Pentatone, and some other classical recording sources, you see HD600 headphones more than anything else. That says something important to me.

Especially for large work symphony/orchestra.

 

[yangian]

Just check it carefully or find reliable dealer. Hd600 is hardly to broken. I got mine with 246$ and 1-year warranty left

btw, I plan to end up with amp Darkvoice 336se, do you guys think it's good? Is there any better choice in range of 400$?

I don't have 336 but I have a similar product and it's a great OTL amplifier. Another choice is Valhalla 2. If you don't want a sound very neutral, don't choose Val.2.

 

[BobG55]

At the moment Audio Technica M40x. They are fairly neutral, maybe slighty recessed in mids. I am classical musician, so the timbre, realism and accuracy of the tonality are the most imoortant things for me.

IMHO the HD600 is a much better buy & headphone than the K701 for several reasons. The HD600's midrange is not only better than the K701 but it's better than the majority of headphones regardless of the price and that's a fact. They are also built better than the K701. The AKG production quality started going downhill after they were acquired by Harman who have since closed all assembly factories in Austria and was also bought by Samsung in 2016. So the production/ assembly is now based in China and Slovakia I believe. The sound quality, again,IMHO and from owning some of their headphones in the past, is just not the same.

On the other hand, the HD600 is in it's 22nd year of production, first produced in 1997 & is still one of the highest selling headphones and not necessarily or simply because they are affordable & considered a mid way headphone. The HD600 is considered by many, myself included, as one of the best sounding & balanced headphones on the market regardless of price. Oh, & they're very comfortable although some audiophiles find the clamping a bit uncomfortable (I have an average size head so I'm ok.)
I've had mine since 2003. It's the only headphone I've never sold and I've owned headphones costing many, many times what the HD600 sells for. They're all gone.

Last thing, if you have a good source they'll bring a smile to your face.

 

[Brooko]

While not directed at me I like my DT990 over the HD600 for classical since I prefer large orchestra pieces and the DT990 just does the imaging / soundstage better to me. Had a HD800, T1gen1, and SR009 and while these all do classical much better they don't do well with poor recordings and you will need to get a decent amp and all are pushing it on the brightness for many. Another headphone you might want to consider is the HD700 since they do classical well IMO and since there are some who hate them becasue of the 6khz spike you might be able to find them really cheap and with classical I really don't notice the spike.

Funny - I always found the DT990 quite piercing - they did have that nice stage width though. Good call of the HD700 though - it was one I hadn't though of (owned it for a while too).