[Steve999]

I am new to this forum. It's GREAT. Thank you everyone who posts here, this is nirvana for me. I never knew such a place existed.

Hey, Srapps55, thanks so much for your comparison of the HD477s and the HD 497s. I had bought a pair of 497s and was thrilled with the sound but hated the comfort. So I went and got a pair of 477s, which I since have returned. To my ears, you hit the nail on the head in comparing the trumpet sound on the 497s to that of the 477s. You have 100 percent crediblity with me! I found the 497s to be silky smooth in that range compared to the 477s being edgy and grating. I noticed it in vocals too, but the trumpet just hit that range so you could here a piercing quality in the 477s. I thought perhaps the bass in the 477s was a little overdone in the mid-bass area, too, compared to the very neutral mid-bass of the 497s.

I also have a pair of Grado SR60s. To my ears, the SR60s were clearly better than the 477s, and the 497s were clearly better than the SR60s. The 497's bass and high end both outclassed the SR60s. Don't get me wrong though -- the SR60s share the 497s trait of being just plain listenable. There is just something about the balance of both pairs of headphones that just clicks for me. The 477s do not click for me - they just sound pretty good. I have found the SR60s a shade better for extended listening, while the 497s are a much better for a cheap thrill or a quick fix.

To me, it drove home the delicacy and fine line between good sound and great sound -- there must a be a lot of trial and error and tweaking and perfectionism in getting a pair of headphones to sound like the 497s or the SR60s. I ge the idea that someone obsessed over designing both of these headphones in a state of artistic inspiration.

So now I am in the process of stretching my HD497s. I'm finding you can stretch them out in a straight line (180 degrees) without breaking them, just in case you want to accellerate the process. I'm using my basketball too. The comfort is improving very rapidly. They're getting very easy on the ears now.

Again, thanks so much to everyone for this forum.

This is my first post. Hope I did it right and didn't break any rules.

Now I think I need a new pair of V6s. Have to convince the wife, though. I had a pair several years ago but I blew them out blasting my stereo while leaving them plugged into the headphone jack. I did love them dearly.

Regards, Steve




Quote:

Originally posted by srapps55 OK, at the request of delenda del Sony, here are my thoughts: 3. Jazz - I noticed a difference between the 497 and 477 on certain jazz recordings. The 477 seems to struggle a little on extended passages of trumpet/cornet. I played some of my favorite Miles Davis recordings, and passages that seemed a little harsh on the 477 played very smoothly on the 497. Do not know if this is a design issue or a production variance issue, but something to keep in mind. For jazz recordings that emphasize vocals or piano, nothing to report.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I don't find my particular HD497's terribly uncomfortable. In fact, I'd rate their comfort (on myself) in mid-pack.

Given the choice between the HD477 and the HD497, the HD477 might be 'better' if you listen primarily to rock - but the HD497 is one of those 'phones that sound good on most types of music.

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

Out of the box the 4x7 series are pretty tight. Stretching them out flat helped me a lot more than putting them over something overnight. Mine are pretty comfortable now. The issue I have is that the pads aren't very thick so my ears press against the plastic covering the driver. I can spend maybe an hour in them before it becomes an issue.

As for the sound I found the 477 sound to be a bit dull, the mids were more recessed and it wasn't as bright. The 497 was an obvious improvement in clarity and detail. Where I noticed it most was in strings, I could hear the plucking of a string bass on the 497 where I couldn't on the 477.

(HBZ)