[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcustom /img/forum/go_quote.gif i just recently got myself a pair of hd595s and gotta say im loving this thing, i really disagree with the comments on the lack of bass, (but then im not a pro at audio lol) is just not gonna pound u hard like some other phones but it certainly has the range for it.

Can't agree more. Even when I put on trance music it certainly does justice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcustom /img/forum/go_quote.gif some quick questions: if i want to get a decent amp to go with it, wot would u pros recommend? like somewhere around $150 bucks, and how many hours would i have to burn this baby to get its full power? Thanks guys this appreciation thread is pretty overwhelming for a newbie like me haha

I may not have the golden ear that everybody seems to have here but I honestly can't tell the difference between amped 595 and unamped 595 other than sheer volume. Even if there was, it's not going to be night and day and certainly not worth the money. If you're trying to buy an amp just to power HD595 then a simple cmoy will do. You wouldn't get any benefits using more expensive amps.

 

[BayouSlide]

I picked up Cardas cables from Soloz for both my HD595 and HD650. They are an excellent value IMO. Unfortunately, I've mostly listened to my HD650s, where the recable seemed to tighten up the bass and unveiled the midrange a little...a definite improvement that made me much happier with the overall sound. On the HD650s, it's a simple"plug in in the new cable and play."

I haven't listened critically enough the HD595 to offer definitive opinions on the change. One reason I changed was to get a shorter cable. Initially, the new cables just seemed to subtly enhance the qualities the 595s already had... clarity and presence...and offered only subtle rather than dramatic improvements in where it's sound differs so dramatically from the 650...the 595s lesser emphasis on warmth and bass. Worth the money in the 595 IMO, but don't expect a change in character of the sound as a result, just a little more of what it does best. Be interesting how the Soloz non-Cardas, copper option would sound.

One thing to note. Changing out the cables on the HD595s is quite a bit more intricate. It requires popping out the inner mesh on the left headphone cup to access the cable plug. It's a simple "use a fingernail and carefully pry it out" deal. The mesh is all you have to remove. Once you've done so, carefully pry up the silver colored metal retaining piece you'll see to free the strain relief plug and then carefully pry out the tiny connector fittings to remove the old plug.

With the new cable, the metal connector can't be reused. I used a little dense foam to "pack" the cable more tightly in place over and behind where the metal connector used to be so the cable would be more tightly secured. That, and the extra cable length coiled near the connector plug (you'll sort of roll that into the space near the fitting) secure the cable adequately. It's tight work to connect the plug but a small screwdriver or other tool will help with the "pull" to loosen and the "push" to connect once you get it lined up in that tiny space. Once you have it apart, what I'm trying to describe will hopefully be more apparent.

Hope this helps.

 

[Maine]

Hi all,

I got a pair of HD595 in the post this morning, after researching the comments on this forum.

Unlike all the pictures that I'd seen on the web, they are gold/bronze colour instead of grey (rear of earpieces and lower slider).

Is this normal?

 

[smallmouth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can't agree more. Even when I put on trance music it certainly does justice. I may not have the golden ear that everybody seems to have here but I honestly can't tell the difference between amped 595 and unamped 595 other than sheer volume. Even if there was, it's not going to be night and day and certainly not worth the money. If you're trying to buy an amp just to power HD595 then a simple cmoy will do. You wouldn't get any benefits using more expensive amps.

I have to agree on both counts. The HD595 have great bass—particularly for electronic music. It's not huge and pounding, but it's all there and well-balanced with the rest of the frequencies.

And to me there really isn't much of a difference with the HD595 amped—certainly not enough to justify the cost of an amp.

That said, I still love my HD595. Granted, I don't have much to compare them to. I really like my DT770, but the HD595 are my favorite.

 

[BayouSlide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi all, I got a pair of HD595 in the post this morning, after researching the comments on this forum. Unlike all the pictures that I'd seen on the web, they are gold/bronze colour instead of grey (rear of earpieces and lower slider). Is this normal?

Yes. My recently purchased ones are gold/bronze...it's a subtle color that doesn't come across well in the Web photos. Color reproduction in print and on the Web is almost as subjective as audio

 

[Maine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayouSlide /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes. My recently purchased ones are gold/bronze...it's a subtle color that doesn't come across well in the Web photos. Color reproduction in print and on the Web is almost as subjective as audio

Excellent, thanks! I can now regard them as genuine - I'd have been worried they were fakes otherwise.

 

[MAJ_T_Baggin]

I'm new here. My name is Brad. I caught the bug.

My HD595's arrived Friday. They have about 20 hours on them as of right now, and I just finished listening to Mike Oldfield's "Music of the Spheres."

Spectacular.

I've played the trumpet in many ensembles, from rock bands to the UCLA marching band. I'm used to how amazing it is to be right in the middle of great music and having it completely surround you.

I...LOVE these headphones. It won't end at just headphones.

My wallet and I are no longer on speaking terms...

 

[bernado]

Having recently purchased a pair of these I thought I would chip in my thoughts. As much as I like these phones I don't think I would recommend them be used unamped. I use them with a mains powered Mini3 and they sound fine indeed. Unamped they sound pretty poor to me, at least when driven by my M5L (X5 without video). The bass is pretty uninspiring and the mids sound just messy. The M5 is no slouch either when it comes to quality output power. For my amped listening purposes they're pretty good but I really don't get the whole good unamped argument.

 

[Panda Bear]

Hi everybody.

I've just got a pay rise and decided to celebrate by buying the 595s. I'm pretty new to decent-ish headphones so I just wanted to ask some advice.

1) Will the sound quality be worse if I plug into some cheap logitech speakers rather than directly into my soundcard?

2) Which output on my soundcard should I use? I have the XtremeMusic. I believe there's a digital output, will this be the better option? Will I need to buy anything else?

3) Anything else I should know about getting the most from my headphones? This thread has been a great read.

Excuse me for bumping it too. Thnx.

 

[soloz2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panda Bear /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi everybody. I've just got a pay rise and decided to celebrate by buying the 595s. I'm pretty new to decent-ish headphones so I just wanted to ask some advice. 1) Will the sound quality be worse if I plug into some cheap logitech speakers rather than directly into my soundcard? 2) Which output on my soundcard should I use? I have the XtremeMusic. I believe there's a digital output, will this be the better option? Will I need to buy anything else? 3) Anything else I should know about getting the most from my headphones? This thread has been a great read. Excuse me for bumping it too. Thnx.

1. plug your headphones directly into your sound card
2. plug them into the line output 1 or front l/r

 

[Sfynx]

Got my HD 595 today. After some listening in stores I found this the best sounding and most comfortable, while still in my budget range. Bought it to replace my HD 570 which was almost falling apart after like 5 years of intensive use, almost everything that could tear has torn, already on my second cable... (perhaps should take better care of this new one

)

Now I like to listen to trance very often, and especially with those 'epic' trance tracks with those deep long goosebumpy synths that make you feel like being in the big hall at the party yourself, it disappointed me a bit during the first listening session. The HD 570 has a 'smoother' and less 'direct' sound, making things like space seem vaster and sound coming from all directions (very hard to say things like this in words

), while the HD 595 is more like most of the sound is coming from a source right in front of me. The beats are less 'dark' on the HD 595 also, especially noticable on those 'ground shaking' deep 'thumps'. It is still there though.

So to put short: With the HD 570 I feel like I'm more able to get myself dreaming and carried away by the music which is what I like about this flavor of trance, instead of getting it all right into my face. This is all tested by switching the two headphones on my E-MU 0404 USB headphones socket repeatedly, the difference is quite noticable. Maybe I should have listened to my own tracks in the stores to assess how I'd like those to sound...

The E-MU 0404 USB headphones socket gives a clearer sound than the other outputs I tried (directly on old onboard sound --> noisy and faint... line out on E-MU --> faint aswell and crappy volume), so that should not be the problem... From reading around these phones should perform quite okay already unamped, so my E-MU headphones amp should be quite allright...

Would this lack of 'openness' improve a bit overtime due to the burn in effect? (because this is all based on the first hours of HD 595 usage after it came fresh out of the box). Or any chance a dedicated amp instead of the EMU 0404 USB amp would make a big difference in this (which would mean I'd go over my budget anyways probably... don't actually grow money in my garden yet). On another note, this is the red 'anniversary' edition which was cheaper, but should be the same on the inside as far as I know...

By the way, things that I really like is it's comfort, and how vocals, drums, cymbals sound (sharper and clearer then the HD 570, less in the background). On the HD 570 things seemed to blend a bit too much, making it more difficult to distinguish different things in the track from each other. Also noticed I had to almost fully open up the volume to get a decent sound on the HD 570's, the HD 595 seems to need far less juice, although the official impedance specs don't differ much (64 vs 50 Ohm)... so it looks like my new ones are a lot more efficient.

 

[donaldekelly]

I have an emu 0404 also but I don't know how it compares to using an amp. After a few months I now whole heartedly believe the party line - an amp really makes the 595 something special.

I should try the emu with and without the amp - but I am both lazy and busy!

I thought you described the sound you hear well. When people learn the jargon it sometimes becomes meaningless - to talk about a "veil" - for example.

 

[donaldekelly]

It is probably somewhere on this list - but, any suggestions for a small connector to go between the amp and the 595s? I don't want to shell out to recable right now, but I don't want to put to much pressure on my zune female jack with the 595 male jack.

Something like the Etymotic 4p->4s cable but without the resistor and shorter. Etymotic ER-4P to ER-4S Adapter @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

 

[dosquito]

I am about to upgrade to this headphone from the HD485.

What differences have those of you who have done this noticed?

I am very excited.

It seems to me like the HD595 is by far the best deal in headphones. The biggest complaint seems to be weak bass, but from what I have read the bass is just ACCURATE, whereas other headphones tend to color the bass.

It is one of the most comfortable in the range, doesn't require an amp, and has very neutral sound. Any last minute suggestions for headphones in the price range? I have already eliminated SR225 and Beyer 880 as options when compared to the HD595.

 

[soloz2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donaldekelly /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is probably somewhere on this list - but, any suggestions for a small connector to go between the amp and the 595s? I don't want to shell out to recable right now, but I don't want to put to much pressure on my zune female jack with the 595 male jack. Something like the Etymotic 4p->4s cable but without the resistor and shorter. Etymotic ER-4P to ER-4S Adapter @ HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

Grado makes a very nice mini-1/4" adapter that runs about $15. I know ttvj sells them, and your local Grado dealer might have a couple in stock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dosquito /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am about to upgrade to this headphone from the HD485. What differences have those of you who have done this noticed? I am very excited. It seems to me like the HD595 is by far the best deal in headphones. The biggest complaint seems to be weak bass, but from what I have read the bass is just ACCURATE, whereas other headphones tend to color the bass. It is one of the most comfortable in the range, doesn't require an amp, and has very neutral sound. Any last minute suggestions for headphones in the price range? I have already eliminated SR225 and Beyer 880 as options when compared to the HD595.

The 880's Need an amp to sound their best, both the HD595's and Sr225's while sound best amped, do not require an amp to sound good. They are however, very different beasts. In my opinion the Hd595's are much better all-around headphones.

Amping your Hd595's will give them a bit more umph in the lower frequencies. They sound particularly well with a nice tube amp. A cable upgrade is not out of line either and can really complete them