[dcrane]

I have the HD580 which sounds quite good. I use a cmoy type amp which drives them very well. The HD580 and HD600 should need about the same amount of power. I have not owned or heard the HD600, however, from what I read their is not that much improvement from the HD580. I've heard good things about the Beyer DT880 and the HD595 which is easier to drive.

 

[Kirosia]

High impedance phones like the HD580/600/650/dt880 are very amp dependant. A really good amp will make them sound much, much better. They'll sound okay otherwise, but you gotta milk them for all their worth.

 

[Pirvy]

Hey!

just my 2 cents,

i've had the 280 and moved on to the HD600

First of all the Hd600 is much more comfortable, and has better sound overall. Uven unamped from my computer it sounds better that the 280.

however the main reason for posting is that you listed the HD600 as $290!, they are in fact much less - i bought mine new from an excellent company on ebay for 189 Euros Shipped! (germany -> malta so shipping wasnt that much)

if you want i can post their details here. The transaction went very smoothly and they get my thumbs up all the way. Their name is HiFinesse, i can send you their email (in PM but to avoid spam)

 

[Flea Bag]

Hey BigD, luck is on my side for the MS1! I've read that besides buying from Alessandro direct, you can also get them from a place in Taiwan and another in Australia (Don't ask me why they chose these other places outside of the US.)

Anyway, I visited the Australian site and they're located right where I'm staying in Perth, Western Australia. Guess I'll be one of the few people who get to try the Alessandros before buying them!

I'm making a trip down there this Wednesday. Hope I'll be able to get some upgraded pads at the same time.

Pirvy, as for my Sennheiser situation, it'll take me a few months to decide.

It will all depend on how curious I am after the MS1, after maybe a Philips 890 and after my first open Senns. I haven't even given AKG or Beyer any research/thought yet!

Perhaps for the moment, I should worry about an amp that will drive the 580/600/650 and pretty much any demanding phone very well.

 

[Quoth]

If you can get your hands on a pair to listen too, I would suggest seriously checking out the Phillips HP890, and their slightly more expensive cousins HP1000.

A pair of HD600 are better if properly driven, but IMHO the difference in price more then makes up for the sonic differences if money is an issue. Without a good headphone amp, and with a "modest" source, the difference between the Senns and the Philips are probably very hard to notice...

/Q

 

[Flea Bag]

Yup, I'll give the Philips a try.

Got my MS1 yesterday! However, I must say that when I saw them, I was most unimpressed with thier build quality. The silver wording was not well printed, the ABS plastic was not cut properly with some excess and the whole thing felt so flimsy, especially the left/right cables leading into the phones. I was almost considering the MS2 just for a more solid feel!

Anyway, they sound quite impressive but with the soft/comfie pads on, they sound just a bit muffled and my initial impressions were that the bass was just a bit too much. On the other hand, my only other headphone, the HD280 has too little. Well, the MS1 is in the burn-in period now. I'll post again when I get the bowl and doughnut pads from Todd.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

I see the Sennheiser HD-600 for $220 on ebay.

It is $12 for shipping. Still a good deal. Not sure if Ebay

is the way to go but thought I would at least mention it.

http://search.ebay.com/Sennheiser_W0...sortpropertyZ3

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flea Bag Yup, I'll give the Philips a try. Got my MS1 yesterday! However, I must say that when I saw them, I was most unimpressed with thier build quality. The silver wording was not well printed, the ABS plastic was not cut properly with some excess and the whole thing felt so flimsy, especially the left/right cables leading into the phones. I was almost considering the MS2 just for a more solid feel! Anyway, they sound quite impressive but with the soft/comfie pads on, they sound just a bit muffled and my initial impressions were that the bass was just a bit too much. On the other hand, my only other headphone, the HD280 has too little. Well, the MS1 is in the burn-in period now. I'll post again when I get the bowl and doughnut pads from Todd.

I hope one of those pads from Todd = flat pads. doughnut may mean the comifes you have on there right now. And bowls, well, I just wouldn't recommend, but to each their own. It took 40 hours of burn in and the Flats from Todd to make the MS-1 a grado gorillia. That flabby mid-bass will disappear, replaced by a punchy midrange bass and the discovery of a nice clean sub-woofer level bass. Also, the scratchy highs will be replaced by a nice mellow high, rolled off a bit to what some call "analytical or Neutral" which is a sound I like. Those cans can handle almost everything except really delicate classical and jazz passages. And don't be put off by the looks - it may look "plasticky" but the MS-1 is one tough nut - some folks even prefer the old school look and feel. If it is too tight on your head, just bend the solid metal headband out to your liking.

The MS-1 really hooked me on head-fi and the land of the audiophiles. welcome to team alessandro, and I look forward to joining you again once my MS-2s arrive!

 

[BigD]

Yo flea bag,

I totally understand you about build quality. I myself am not too crazy about grado finish quality, but they're durable enough. Make sure you give them 40+ hours of burn-in time. These phones will render slightly softer and warmer and thicker sound after burn-in. These cans are fun factory!

 

[Flea Bag]

Quote:

I see the Sennheiser HD-600 for $220 on ebay. It is $12 for shipping. Still a good deal. Not sure if Ebay is the way to go but thought I would at least mention it.

by ChrisFromAlbany

Sennheiser HD-600 for $220?

I've got to take a look at it! 2004 model? Don't tell me there are different versions of the headphone! Thanks for informing me of the find! I was actually considering buying the the MS-2 in a few days but now I'm tempted to do otherwise.

 

[Flea Bag]

Jahn,

Glad to join the club! Unusually, though, the comfie pads I have seem excellent for the Dixieland Jazz I listed to. I guess the turmpet/sax gets muffled by the comfies but that seems to make them less piercing and the close proximity of the phones to my ears allows some very good bass.

As for mild rock however, (80s Bon Jovi as an example)the bass seems a bit too strong and seems to be drowning out some detail. I'm hoping the bowl/doughnut pads will improve things.

Burn-in may not yet be completed but things are sounding good so far. I'm happy enough to want to consider trading in my MS-1 for an MS-2 while a refund is still possible. I'm also considering having both to test the differences and, using the MS-2 for quiet home use and using MS-1 for portable listening. (Jazz only, with comfie pads for extra bass emphasis needed on the streets) The very open nature of the MS-1 makes it a 'safer' phone to use when walking on the streets. Certainly safer than using my HD280 which I have done a few times! (I don't care how I look!)

Now I hear of a relatively cheap HD600.

 

[Flea Bag]

Although it's some time ago, I just thought I should keep to my word and let people know of my impressions:

The flat and bowl pads arrived and I've compared them but can't find a nice balance for my MS1.

comfie pads: Most comfortable of the lot but also leaves some of the highs feeling muffled. Bass is also too strong and drowns out some detail. I don't think I'll use them again unless I'm listening to Jazz or using them out of the house.

flat pads: Most uncomfortable of the lot and sounds much better than the comfies in terms of the muffled sound. However, bass is still much too strong but quite enjoyable and I can now see why these phones are so highly regarded for rock. However, bass is far too strong to be natural with some songs. I hoped for just a little less bass.

bowl pads: Quite comfortable. However, there are so many ways to wear the bowl pads that it took me quite a while to find a good position. With the bowls placed completely supra-aural, the MS1 sounds far too bright. I finally adopted a semi-supra-semi-circum-aural position with the edges of the bowls behaving circumaurally (around the edges of my upper ear and back portions of my ear) and the inner, sloping portions of the bowl resting on my ears. Bass improves but the bows are still a bit too bright.

I still like the MS1 with either pads but I can't seem to find a sound which is not as bassy as the flats but having just a bit more bass than the bowls.

 

[amol]

Hello,
I have both the sennheiser HD 580s and the philips HP 890 headphones. I used to use the philips for a year or so. Just got the senns recently. The philips have very strong bass, and it goes very low, but it is uncontrolled at times. Personally its very hard to tell what headphones's bass is better, as they are enjoyable in a different manner in different types of music.
The treble in the sennheiser is more refined than the 890s. 890s sound quite shrill and harsh and could get tedious over the time. while the senns sound very smooth and detailed.

the mids on the 890s are better IMO, since they are not too forward nor too laid back like the senns.

 

[Flea Bag]

Thanks amol,

When I have the time this weekend, I'll play around with my MS1's bowl pads to try get a better position to improve its bass. In my previous post, rather than say that the bass is too weak on the bowls, I should say that its sounds too bright and sometimes too distant.

I've already set my mind on getting the 890 when I get back to Singapore and an impedance converter because I heard they perform better on higher output impedances from the amp.

I'll also be able to compare them to the HD600 which I'm hoping will arrive sometime this week. I only hope my little amp is good enough to make it sound okay.

Thanks for the feedback.