Magicthyse
Better to look good than to sound good!
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2002
- Posts
- 890
- Likes
- 10
All right guys, are you having a laugh?
I've seen so many positive reviews of the 280's pushed at me so I thought, hey, I can't lose. I couldn't go to the audio shop yesterday, so I just asked them to send me the 280's (I've also ordered the Audio-Technica ATH-A9X but that's another story). The guys at the shop were kind enough to drop it off.
I burned them in overnight and I've been listening to them today. Then I frowned mightily and dug out my other phones to test my opinion of the HD280. I was proved right. See last section for my opinion.
We are of course primarily comparing the V700's against the HD280. Comparing the Grado SR60 directly would not be a good test since these are open phones. However I've included it.
--------------------
SOUND
The HD280 is, if I had to anthropomorphise it, like listening to Al Gore instead of Bill Clinton. Sure, Clinton might tell you stuff which, to be absolutely honest, is not true, but unlike Gore, he's entertaining - you can actually sit through one of his speeches. On the other hand, you know that Gore is probably on the level with you and is more incisive than Clinton, but you can't be bothered to listen to find out.
When I got the V700's, even without burning in, these phones immediately made an impact on me for their extremely engaging, if somewhat inaccurate in absolute terms, presentation. I am talking about the bass *to a certain extent* (but not as the be-all), but I don't use the 'megacrappobass' buttons on my portables if avoidable, and I like the extra dimension of bass that the V700's provide without any artificial assistance - handy especially if I'm sitting in a train. In comparison, the 280's made as much impact on me as an Airsoft pellet does to Chobham armor, and having a listen outside did it no favors whatsoever.
In terms of accuracy, yes the HD280's are accurate - extremely so. However the Grado SR60 pushes through the same audio information while being far more involving and the V700 is far more entertaining while losing an acceptable amount in terms of rendering accuracy - certainly for listening to on the move.
Admittedly, some material sounds fine/similar on the phones. Weak manufactured pop, and what I might best term as 'whiny limp-wristed mainly British guitar crap' sounds OK on the 280s in comparison to the other phones. Classical music also sounds OK in comparison to the Grados but once again, there is a distinct lack of 'presence' to the sound.
COMFORT + GENERAL BUILD
Grado SR60 - Despite extremely rudimentary looks and construction, they are comfortable for extended listening - the only demerit being the foam supraaural pads. A change to the semi-circumaural pads provides increased comfort and less skin irritation, as well as an improvement in the high-end (some say - I don't think the change is worth $15). Everything can be (reasonably) safely adjusted, or if needs be, bent to fit you. Build quality from a care of construction point of view is excellent, but the way it is designed does not suggest durability.
Sony V700DJ - Fairly heavy, but comfortable and easy to adjust due to the flexible top band and the graded ratchet extension points on each side. The semi-circumaural feeling I got due to my ears being pinned back by part of the ear pad was not brilliant, but it did not intrude too much on general comfort. Plastic is never going to be indestructible, but the standard of finish is excellent and the phone is built solidly. Noise isolation is good, but it is still perfectly possible to hear a certain amount of outside noise.
Sennheiser HD280 - Considerably lighter than the V700's but extremely uncomfortable, with an inflexible top band which applies pressure to the top of the head. I also was appalled to discover 'open molds' on the cup retainers, and edges on the top band 'comfort pad' that would fray very easily. It is possible to engineer lightness without looking cheap, but the 280 - while undoubtedly properly screwed together - looks very cheap, close-up. Someone here mentioned that the V700's were worth $50 in reality. If that is the case, the HD280's are worth considerably less than even that, due to the inadequacies in the construction finish. One thing is decidedly superior about the HD280's - the noise isolation. It is superb, due to perfect coverage of the ears (so much so it's possible to create a vacuum!)
Something mechanical that Sony missed that the Sennheiser unit manages well is the folding mechanism. On the Sony the folding action causes one of the cup retainers to rest on the start of the cable housing - potential for eventual damage to the cable housing. On the HD280's the folding action works without any component impacting on any other critical parts of the phone.
LOOKS
Grado SR60: So unbelievably retro that they can make a statement for the stylishly contemporary-dressed.
V700DJ: In-your-face high-tech cool looks. Impossible to ignore.
HD280: Stealth black works well in many situations - but while it does not overtly attract attention, it merely looks like a domestic-use phone - and the flat long profile of the top band makes the arms stick out on either side. Result? Dork city.
----------------------------
Conclusion: The HD280 blows when viewed as a 'general listening' phone for outside use, except for the noise isolation. The comparison between this and the V700? No contest. The V700 wins on multiple points.
Now, you guys are going to say, well of course this test is invalid, it was done on a low-powered PCDP, wasn't it? Actually, it was done from a Naim CD5 --> NAIT 5 amp --> (newly acquired) Headline amp using OCC interconnects throughout. And how did I simulate outside listening? Simple - I opened the windows and stuck my head outside where the gardener was using his leaf blower
And yes, I tried the phones on a Sony D-CJ01 as well. Same results in minature, basically - only the thinness of the 280 was even more apparent with the limited power.
And in other important features of a portable phone - such as the visuals - they also fail miserably. Weight and noise isolation are however excellent. Pity however that the lack of comfort negates the featherweight advantage.
If you master using the HD280 and attempt to put together an engaging recording, not only is the mastering made easier by the precise rendition of the 280s, it is going to blow your mind when you listen to the finished mix on something like the Grados. On the other hand, on something that's already been recorded, the HD280 just sounds over-precise, thin, and lacks any kind of character to keep your interest in the music you're listening to.
What actually surprised me in this test was the performance of the V700's. Precisely because I knew they were for DJ monitoring, I hadn't listened to the stuff I listened to today on them - I'd only used them for the primarily nu-metal and dance/techno tracks that I listen to on the move. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised most of the time by the V700's with other music types.
So my question is, if you recommended me the 280s and you actually have a pair, what the heck do you listen to? Mandy Moore? The Strokes? Because that's the sort of stuff that would sound OK on a 280. OK, I'll give you Telemann and Bach as well.
I really wish I hadn't thrown away the box for the phone. However it's only $100 after all, so I'm not going to bother to return it. What I might do, if the top band can be eventually persuaded to bend, is to use it as ear defenders in my server room at home - the noise isolation really is quite impressive.
I've seen so many positive reviews of the 280's pushed at me so I thought, hey, I can't lose. I couldn't go to the audio shop yesterday, so I just asked them to send me the 280's (I've also ordered the Audio-Technica ATH-A9X but that's another story). The guys at the shop were kind enough to drop it off.
I burned them in overnight and I've been listening to them today. Then I frowned mightily and dug out my other phones to test my opinion of the HD280. I was proved right. See last section for my opinion.
We are of course primarily comparing the V700's against the HD280. Comparing the Grado SR60 directly would not be a good test since these are open phones. However I've included it.
--------------------
SOUND
The HD280 is, if I had to anthropomorphise it, like listening to Al Gore instead of Bill Clinton. Sure, Clinton might tell you stuff which, to be absolutely honest, is not true, but unlike Gore, he's entertaining - you can actually sit through one of his speeches. On the other hand, you know that Gore is probably on the level with you and is more incisive than Clinton, but you can't be bothered to listen to find out.
When I got the V700's, even without burning in, these phones immediately made an impact on me for their extremely engaging, if somewhat inaccurate in absolute terms, presentation. I am talking about the bass *to a certain extent* (but not as the be-all), but I don't use the 'megacrappobass' buttons on my portables if avoidable, and I like the extra dimension of bass that the V700's provide without any artificial assistance - handy especially if I'm sitting in a train. In comparison, the 280's made as much impact on me as an Airsoft pellet does to Chobham armor, and having a listen outside did it no favors whatsoever.
In terms of accuracy, yes the HD280's are accurate - extremely so. However the Grado SR60 pushes through the same audio information while being far more involving and the V700 is far more entertaining while losing an acceptable amount in terms of rendering accuracy - certainly for listening to on the move.
Admittedly, some material sounds fine/similar on the phones. Weak manufactured pop, and what I might best term as 'whiny limp-wristed mainly British guitar crap' sounds OK on the 280s in comparison to the other phones. Classical music also sounds OK in comparison to the Grados but once again, there is a distinct lack of 'presence' to the sound.
COMFORT + GENERAL BUILD
Grado SR60 - Despite extremely rudimentary looks and construction, they are comfortable for extended listening - the only demerit being the foam supraaural pads. A change to the semi-circumaural pads provides increased comfort and less skin irritation, as well as an improvement in the high-end (some say - I don't think the change is worth $15). Everything can be (reasonably) safely adjusted, or if needs be, bent to fit you. Build quality from a care of construction point of view is excellent, but the way it is designed does not suggest durability.
Sony V700DJ - Fairly heavy, but comfortable and easy to adjust due to the flexible top band and the graded ratchet extension points on each side. The semi-circumaural feeling I got due to my ears being pinned back by part of the ear pad was not brilliant, but it did not intrude too much on general comfort. Plastic is never going to be indestructible, but the standard of finish is excellent and the phone is built solidly. Noise isolation is good, but it is still perfectly possible to hear a certain amount of outside noise.
Sennheiser HD280 - Considerably lighter than the V700's but extremely uncomfortable, with an inflexible top band which applies pressure to the top of the head. I also was appalled to discover 'open molds' on the cup retainers, and edges on the top band 'comfort pad' that would fray very easily. It is possible to engineer lightness without looking cheap, but the 280 - while undoubtedly properly screwed together - looks very cheap, close-up. Someone here mentioned that the V700's were worth $50 in reality. If that is the case, the HD280's are worth considerably less than even that, due to the inadequacies in the construction finish. One thing is decidedly superior about the HD280's - the noise isolation. It is superb, due to perfect coverage of the ears (so much so it's possible to create a vacuum!)
Something mechanical that Sony missed that the Sennheiser unit manages well is the folding mechanism. On the Sony the folding action causes one of the cup retainers to rest on the start of the cable housing - potential for eventual damage to the cable housing. On the HD280's the folding action works without any component impacting on any other critical parts of the phone.
LOOKS
Grado SR60: So unbelievably retro that they can make a statement for the stylishly contemporary-dressed.
V700DJ: In-your-face high-tech cool looks. Impossible to ignore.
HD280: Stealth black works well in many situations - but while it does not overtly attract attention, it merely looks like a domestic-use phone - and the flat long profile of the top band makes the arms stick out on either side. Result? Dork city.
----------------------------
Conclusion: The HD280 blows when viewed as a 'general listening' phone for outside use, except for the noise isolation. The comparison between this and the V700? No contest. The V700 wins on multiple points.
Now, you guys are going to say, well of course this test is invalid, it was done on a low-powered PCDP, wasn't it? Actually, it was done from a Naim CD5 --> NAIT 5 amp --> (newly acquired) Headline amp using OCC interconnects throughout. And how did I simulate outside listening? Simple - I opened the windows and stuck my head outside where the gardener was using his leaf blower
And in other important features of a portable phone - such as the visuals - they also fail miserably. Weight and noise isolation are however excellent. Pity however that the lack of comfort negates the featherweight advantage.
If you master using the HD280 and attempt to put together an engaging recording, not only is the mastering made easier by the precise rendition of the 280s, it is going to blow your mind when you listen to the finished mix on something like the Grados. On the other hand, on something that's already been recorded, the HD280 just sounds over-precise, thin, and lacks any kind of character to keep your interest in the music you're listening to.
What actually surprised me in this test was the performance of the V700's. Precisely because I knew they were for DJ monitoring, I hadn't listened to the stuff I listened to today on them - I'd only used them for the primarily nu-metal and dance/techno tracks that I listen to on the move. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised most of the time by the V700's with other music types.
So my question is, if you recommended me the 280s and you actually have a pair, what the heck do you listen to? Mandy Moore? The Strokes? Because that's the sort of stuff that would sound OK on a 280. OK, I'll give you Telemann and Bach as well.
I really wish I hadn't thrown away the box for the phone. However it's only $100 after all, so I'm not going to bother to return it. What I might do, if the top band can be eventually persuaded to bend, is to use it as ear defenders in my server room at home - the noise isolation really is quite impressive.
