[hillbilly559]

 Don't know if this has been delved into lately.
 
 I've been bitten by the headphone bug!
 
 It would be really cool if you guys could help out and describe the
"Sound Signature" of your favorite cans
 
 More info will probably keep me broke, but I'm sure there are worse
habits!
 
 Thanks in advance!!!

 

[revolink24]

Hmm. I'll try to describe my main headphones at the moment.
 
Grado HF2: Slightly warm, little bump in the lower mid/upper bass register, reasonable detail all around, short transients, not terribly fatiguing. Not quite as detailed as the RS series, but also more fun to listen to and less fatiguing to my ears, suitable for long listening. Forward presentation, though not as forward as any other current production Grado, IMHO. Great with rock, solo classical, and jazz; good with electronica, and mediocre with orchestral music. Good for closely mic'd recordings with lots of "texture," as the transient response on these really makes the little details standing out: putting the bow on the string in classical, breathing as well as opening and closing the mouth in solo vocals, pick on guitar string sound, etc. (Vocal sounds that stand out when vocalists are mic'd very closely are L, P, K, and T.)
 
 
Etymotic ER6i: Cold, bass-light, very detailed, okay soundstage. Flat frequency response makes it unnaturally neutral. Fairly fatiguing. Not my favorite, I would be selling them if not for the isolation, which is awesome with both triflanges and custom tips. EQ can make them a fairly pleasant listen.

 

[Soaa-]

DT 48: Basically neutral from bottom to top. As it does not take into account the human ear's lower sensitivity to bass, low frequencies appear rolled off, especially at lower volumes. Midrange is eerily realistic. Highs are detailed and never harsh.

 

[MayaTlab]

ESW10 (as used on a Cowon S9), as I personally hear them :
 
In macro terms, rather flat frequency response, with an almost equal amount of bass, mids and trebles (with maybe slightly more mids).
However, quite heavily coloured in micro terms : within each frequency band, the response is very uneven. Example : there is a slight dip around 500hz, a peak around 2500hz, then another dip around 7000 hz, then another peak, etc. you see what I mean.
The peak around 2500hz is easily the most pronounced and "controversial" of all, as it makes the sound quite forward, but also quite fatiguing for some, and on certain setups (as it is the case with my S9). That peak also reduces the headphones' potential for soundstage.
Speed is very good in the upper mids, but I feel upper treble might benefit from added speed. Bass is rather tight but still round, and the mid-bass seems a little undefined and slow (I'm being picky here).
Detail is great, except in the mid-bass area where things can get as I said quite undefined.
Dynamics and impact are great (mid instruments are rendered with lots of tridimensionality) down to the sub-bass region where things get a little weak (though detailed, it just doesn't have real sub-bass impact).
 
On my player, I cannot use them without a small EQ adjustment around 2500hz at the minimum.
 
In general, they're fantastic with small venues jazz, and as they have a rather flat FR overall, quite good with classical, though they don't have the soundstage for (but tonality is good). Still decent with almost any kind of music, though studio recorded music would have benefited from a touch more bass IMHO.

 

[hillbilly559]

 Great descriptions so far!
 
 This is going to make it alot clearer!

 

[hillbilly559]

 Any others?

 

[Deep Funk]

Just know this is subjective, my ears:
 
AKG K240 DF: clear; very very neutral; over the frequenty range the mids shine; balanced sound; detailed; sound stage; a slight politeness; for me works with all genres of music.
 
Pioneer Monitor 10R: clear; neutral to cold sound; does not emphasize anything in the frequency range for me; bright; detailed; soundstage; for me works with all genres of music.
 
Be aware, these headphones expose tiny details of your recorded music which can seriously surprise your or even disgust you. I personally like that so I have nothing to complain.
 
Casual listening:
Sennheiser PX200 II: clear; neutral-ish; slightly warm sometimes; over the frequency range mids and vocals shine; sounds rather balanced; detailed to a degree, impressive though; sound stage to a degree, nice though; for me works with all genres of music.
 
Just a few...

 

[zmd]

My HD448, no longer favourites, but still..
 
Fairly balanced sound, with a bit of emphasis on the mids, which are very detailed and present, yet also smooth. Soft low bass impact, a bit of resonance in the upper bass/lower mids area which can make them echoey and a little muddled at times. Nice, clean highs, mellow yet detailed, without any graininess. Pleasant to listen to, but not really a "fun" sound. Soundstage is very nice for closed headphones, with minimal congestion when compared to open ones.
 
PX200-II: Neutral sound with rolled-off highs. The bass is tight and restrained, but very articulate and detailed; every bass hit counts on these. No boom, no overlapping with the mids, like the HD448. Midrange is forward, energetic, with reasonable detail and sepparation. Soundstage is good for such tiny cans, but the presentation still remains intimate and close to you. The highs seem to me a bit rolled off and without much detail. Every cymbal and crash sounds about the same on these, which is not really a problem (for me).
 
I'm still getting to know my HD558