[plexion]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking in this forum for a while, and I have to say that it provides me with extensive information about audio gears. I finally registered as I have some questions to ask regarding how the HD428 compares to SRH440.
 
I normally listens to J-Pop and K-Pop a lot, which consists of noisy rocky songs to slow ballads. Sometimes, when the mood changes, I would also listen to some audiophiles CDs like those by Emi Fujita and Olivia Ong (not sure if they are known here). I also love piano tracks, by artists like Yiruma (i.e. River Flows in You, Kiss the Rain, and many more). Occasionally, I would also listen to some orchestral music. Based on my self evaluation, I think I am looking for a all-rounder headphone, please correct me if I am wrong.
 
I am looking for a headphone that has adequate but not too boomy bass, and able to reproduce mids and highs with clarity. As I have not used any expensive audio gears before, I don't really know if the requirements I have mentioned is impossible to achieve in one headphone.
 
I hope someone who owns both of the cans, or have used them before can give some comments on them.
 
Thanks =D

 

[plexion]

bumpy~ anyone please?

 

[2enty3]

I don't have any experience with either headphones o don't take my word for it, but i read that the SRH440 is slighlty bass oriented, and i haven't read anything saying they're are specifically good, just mediocre.
 
as for the HD428, all i remember is that most senn's don't have much bass, which i think might be good for you; compared to the 440's that is.
I would like to recommend  K701's but guessing from your selection, that seems like it's out of your price range. you could look into the K271's, which many people say are relatively close to the 701.

 

[Digital-Pride]

As a SRH440 user, they are anything but mediocre and are well regarded here among other places.  Now to the OP I think the SRH440s are right up your alley, with exceptional clarity, a excellent sound stage for a 'phone with a sealed design and a smooth midrange I think you'll find these work quite well with your musical selections.
 
Quote:

I don't have any experience with either headphones o don't take my word for it, but i read that the SRH440 is slighlty bass oriented, and i haven't read anything saying they're are specifically good, just mediocre.
 

 

[Headstar]

For strings, guitars, wind instruments and such, you can also look into the HD 448 model. That's where these cans excels.
 
I listen to them on such things as Tom Waits, Damien Rice, Michael Buble, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Freddie Mercury, Pink Martini, etc. And a lot of classical music. They do very well on genres that don't require subwoofer-like bass.

 

[Argyris]

The SRH440 is anything but bass oriented. By a "universal" standard (including what the general public regards as "good" sound, which is bumped up in the low end) they're slightly light in bass. From an analytical/audiophile standpoint, they have what would be called balanced bass. It has decent (but not stellar) extension, is tight and punchy, and has really nice texture. There's just not an overwhelming amount of it.
 
I've never heard the HD428 (I'm wavering on whether to pick up the pair at my local BB) but judging by the few descriptions I've read (and its FR charts on HeadRoom) it should have similar bass weight to the SRH440 but softer treble. The treble on the 440 can be a bit much at times--I've filtered mine so that the treble is more subdued and it works pretty well. The HD428 might be less fatiguing to listen to based on this.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but J-Pop and K-Pop tend to be bright, don't they? Lots of sparkly treble and such. The Shures already have a lively presentation, so it might be too much of a good thing. Unless you don't mind brightness, in which case it should be fine.
 
The 440's mids are pretty neutral and nicely transparent. There's no undue coloration that masks the presentation, so whatever you feed into them will come out pretty much how it went in. This is for better or for worse, depending on the quality of the recording.

 

[plexion]

Hi, thank you for your kind inputs. Recently, I have found that another headphone, the Senns HD555 is selling at a discounted price which is very similar price to the 2 that I have mentioned, now this gives me more headache as I have read reviews on how good the HD555 is. I know it is on a different level than the HD428 and SRH440s. Does anyone think that the HD555 is not a good buy compared to the HD428 and SRH440s?

 

[Headstar]

HD 555 should be way better, modded or not, sound wise.

 

[Digital-Pride]

Quote:

HD 555 should be way better, modded or not, sound wise.

Not necessarily better, more like the HD 555 have a somewhat diffierent sonic character.  The now main difference here is that the HD 555 are of an open design, allowing sound to travel in and out.  If you need sound isolation then the HD 555 may not be the better option.

 

[Argyris]

 
Quote:

Quote:

HD 555 should be way better, modded or not, sound wise.

Not necessarily better, more like the HD 555 have a somewhat diffierent sonic character.  The now main difference here is that the HD 555 are of an open design, allowing sound to travel in and out.  If you need sound isolation then the HD 555 may not be the better option.

This. I was going to mention about the open vs closed issue. Closed headphones can sometimes have "canny" sound reflections and resonances that appear especially at high volume. This is because of the back wave being reflected off the rear of the enclosure. Open headphones don't have this problem, but they tend to have more diffuse, less punchy bass than closed designs. I have one of each design, and I think they both have advantages and disadvantages. The isolation issue is definitely real--closed designs are better than open ones for portable and private listening. The soundstage is usually better on open models, and as a consequence imaging can be perceived as better (i.e. more spread out, more space between instruments/vocals).
 
It's your call, really. All three of those headphones have a pretty decent reputation around here, though the HD448 is better known than the HD428.

 

[Digital-Pride]

Argyris, I must say I've been very impressed by your posts.  They've been informative, articulate, and I find myself learning quite bit from them!  I'm still quite a novice at all this high-end audio stuff but it seems you've acquired quite a bit of knowledge on the subject.

 

[Argyris]

 
Quote:

Argyris, I must say I've been very impressed by your posts.  They've been informative, articulate, and I find myself learning quite bit from them!  I'm still quite a novice at all this high-end audio stuff but it seems you've acquired quite a bit of knowledge on the subject.

Thank you very much! 

 
I've been hanging around Head-Fi for a while, even before I joined up. I learned a lot, went out and tried some headphones, bought one and lived with it for two weeks, then returned it and went through two other ones before I finally settled on my DT880. I spent the whole while on Head-Fi, searching through different topics, reading reviews and impressions. I learned how to properly read FR charts and how to correlate what I was hearing with the different lingo floating around the headphone world. When I finally reached a point where I thought I could help people I made my account.
 
You'll learn a lot just hanging around this place. If you think I'm experienced, you should see some of the real veterans here. You'd think they've had every headphone ever made at one time or another!

 

[plexion]

Thank you very much for all your comments and suggestion, they have been useful, I have edited the title to include the 555s. Let's see if there is anymore comments =D
@Argyris: You've mentioned that the HD448 are better than the 428, can you please comment a little bit more on that? Thanks.

 

[Argyris]

Only that the HD448 is the flagship of the HD4x8 series and that HeadRoom rates it the highest of the three entries from that series it sells. They all get good ratings, though. I would imagine the HD448 is more refined than the HD428. The tonal balance, according to the HeadRoom measurements, should be similar. The build and other physical details might be better on the HD448. Without having heard or physically compared either, it's difficult to say any more. I think the reason the HD448 gets the majority of the press around here is that it's still fairly cheap (usually around $100) for being the top model in the series, so I imagine most people just shoot right to the flagship without bothering with the other models.