[Duc]

So I am in the market for some new cans, and insted of comparing models or reading a million reviews, just tell us about cans you have and cans you have had. In a few sentences say what you like (or liked) about them and what you didn't or don't like about them to help give others a ball park idea of what is out there and how they sound!

--Sennheiser HD570 - Muddy, Dull, Headphones on an airplane are better, Comfortable

--Sennheisr HD280 - Good Isolation, Clear for closed headphones, Loud, easy to drive, comfortable, portable, nice having the cable on one side, value, warranty

--Grado SR125 - Bright, Transparent Bass, Detailed, Uncomfortable, Could have better Build Quality/Fit-Finish, Affordable

-Sennheiser HD590 - Comfortable, Easy to Drive, Good Entry Level Can, Cable on one side, Warm, OK Soundstage, Easy to Drive, Comfortable

 

[feh1325]

you're not going to get many posts...most headfi-ers don't have cans


koss ksc75 - very nice, considering their price. i want a circumaural version of these great clip ons.
shure e3g - took a bit to get used to the iem sound. i don't use em very much, only when i need ultra portability and or isolation
alessandros ms2i - my best can. a bit heavy and uncomfortable, but hd414 pads make that better

 

[nikongod]

since its obvious that he is talking abot headphones, here are a few sentances about a few headphones you should get.

1: akg k-1000 (aka k1k) get it! these headphones are very nice, with great immaging, and a generally excelent ballance. i may have the hogh bass variant, but they have plenty of bass fer me. i have never heard an amp that got the best from these headphones, but i have not heard a terrible one either. i run mine from a homebuilt 2X4W PP triode amp, or my melos.

2: stax omega 2: these headphones are also amazing. they have excelent soundstage, and present the music very true to track. if its mixed wrong, you will know it. i have whole albums that sound like they are playing from above. the flipside of that is you can hear which way the pianio is facing on better albums. amps: there are lots of good ones...

3: grado hp2: umm, yeaa. impact with neutrality. they have their flaws (dont think that the above 2 dont have flaws...) but they will VERY quickly grow on you if you like rock of any type. i highly reccomend a "tweaked" melos sha-gold to run these headphones.

4:akg k-240 "sextet" an amazing headphone. they very quickly disapear. simple as that.

the only unfortunate thing here is that these headphones are either no longer made or very expensive. some are both. enjoy.

 

[kramer5150]

OK... fun... summarized reviews

RS1 - Live music, In front of the guitar players cabinet. Right between the the drums and bass player. Resonating wood instruments sound lie resonating wood instruments. Amp wisely and be rewarded. Amp poorly and be punnished with a naggy shouty bitch.

HF1 - Same live feel of the RS1, but darker and more wooly sounding. Less midrange bite than the RS1. Less open sounding, warmer and slightly more closed in and intimate. Less detail revealing yet groovy-er than the RS1. Soundstage is less 3 dimensional than the RS1. Cant quite project as much distance as the RS1. Bass tends to be more one-note variety.

MS2 - Smooth, accurate. Good detail resolution of the RS1, but less colored, more dry sounding. Bass shy compared to the RS1 / HF1. Nice sub-bass and treble extension (better than the HF1 in this regard). Not so "in your head" sounding as any comparable Grado. Center stage is a little more vacant.

MS1 - warmer than any bowl padded Grado. Smooth overall, less treble and sub-bass extension / energy than the forementioned Grados.

Take the smoothness of the MS2, roll off a little at the ends of the spectrum, use comfy pads to warm up the midbass and lower mids. Compress the soundstage a little, and loose some of the MS2 detail resolution. Not too harsh and not too soft, Not too detailed yet not too muddy. Overall a fun groovy, warm Grado thats easy to like.

 

[camille]

nothing too fancy but i will exclude the K701s since i'm waiting for my LD2+ to arrive. i'll take this verbatim from Audio T-Board:

Audio Technica ATH-ES7 -- love the stainless steel outer cups; although comfort is a problem -- major clamp paired with em pressing your ears. easily feel your ears hurt w/in an hour. fairly decent bass response, but kinda muddles the mids and highs in the process.

Etymotic ER-6i -- an acquired taste. need the right eartip to get the best out of it. the tri-flange that was supplied was a disaster. got stuck numerous times and thus a big turn-off. foamies and surprisingly E3 tips are preferred. build quality is an issue; such flimsy wires. great-sounding IEMs, but doesn't justify the latter mentioned.

Shure E3c -- again an acquired taste; i just cant get comfortable w/ IEMs. much better build quality than the ER-6i; but not as better sounding compared to the 6i.

Sony MDR-V6 -- probably the best of my bunch; excellent clarity, but the sound is just too sterile for enjoiable listening. simply no touch of flavour added when listening. comfort-wise, surprisingly lightweight; the cord on the other hand probably weighs more than the headphone itself. it puts quite a lot of strain on the 1/8" plug side of the cord. feel like putting those velour Beyer pads on em for kicks!

The Eggos. -- all the same comfort-wise. insanely lightweight; just love the egg-shaped cups. ears can and will get sweaty after about the 2 hr mark (less depending on weather); but that comes with the territory with (semi-)closed cans. also no pressure on the ears itself so very comfortable for hours on end. now to dissect each one - sound-wise.

MDR-D11 -- i knew coming in when i first acquired em, that i wasn't expecting much; and i'm right. absolutely nothing special to report on em -- strictly for collection purposes.

MDR-D55 -- tight bass, clean highs -- although the mids just not in that level.

MDR-D33 -- a pleasant surprise; quite tolerable to listen to. sound is balanced, yet just a smidge muddy. but i wont go any further

MDR-D77 -- greater improvement on the D55. such an excellent headphone.

MDR-D22SL -- picked up where the D33 left off; same aspect, same result. again much like the D11 and D33, not something to write home about. (like the silvery-white egg cup though)

MDR-D66SL -- the creme de la creme. this just defines what eggos are all about. sound all-around is just magnificent; certainly more enjoiable than the D77. excellent sound, portability, and quite stylish (must be the chrome dot) -- so awesome, it should be illegal

MDR-EX90SL -- a vast improvement over the ubiquitious EX71s. although lacking in isolation compared to it's predecesors; it surely makes up for a more refined sound, rather than bloated bass. depending on your ears, fit may be a problem due to the seemingly large drivers...

 

[Jbucla2005]

Own:

Sennheiser HD-650 - Plenty has been said about this headphone, but basically to me it has a warm, softer, more forgiving sound, but it still very engaging and dynamic, and very detailed too!
Sennheiser HD25-1 - An excellent portable phone, with a more upfront sound than is typical for Senns due to closed design, but still manages to sound smooth and maintain the Sennheiser tonal signature (relaxed.)
Beyer Dynamic DT-880 - Maybe the best phone from a technical perspective, very neutral, with deep soundstage and accurate bass.

Owned:

Grado SR-80 - Really sweet headphones, nice bright sound with warnth and good detail.
Grado SR-225 - Similar to SR-80's, but more weight to the bass, slightly deeper soundstage and a little less bright (sl. rolled off highs.)
Sennheiser HD580's - Great all-arounders, non-fatigueing, but slightly grainy compared to HD650's.

 

[creyc]

Sony MDR-7506: big bass, closed and relatively comfortable. (especially with modded with beyer pads) Full size, yet foldable rugged design makes them decent for portable closed can. Sound is a bit shrill and metallic, with peaks in the highs and lows (boomy).

Beyerdynamic DT990 (2005): full, detailed enjoyable sound. Crazy comfortable, though a bit hot for open cans. Theses are quite big, as is the sound they produce. Compared to the Sonys they have more detailed and present mids. Smooth highs and lows but, still overall emphasized for both bass and treble. They have a "deeper" sounding bass than the Sonys, even though its not as exaggerated.

Westone UM2: comfortable, highly isolating with long complys! I've had many people yell to get my attention in vain, resorting to a simple tap.

They have great bass and clear detailed mids and highs in my opinion, compared with Super.fi 5 pro. they are unobtrusive and don't prevent you from laying down while still listening. Sound directly compared and preferred to Super.fi 5 pro, Super.fi EB, Shure E4C, Etymotic ER6i.

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Etymotic ER-4S/B: Extremely smooth and natural, the only IEM I've ever used with a decent amount of treble. Neutral, flat response. Very fast and detailed, (both inner detail and detail of individual instruments/notes.) The B is the technically flatter of the two, and has a slightly more airy top end. However, it can make a big difference when it comes to certain types of music, especially music with a lot of orchestral stringwork.

Grado SR-60: Both warm and cool at the same time. A good fun can for general home use, although I crave a little more refinement after extended use.

 

[creyc]

forgot a few!

Grado SR-60: warm punchy and fun! Not too comfortable after an hour or so however. I listen for long periods of time so they don't get much use. Thick cords frequently tangle. Very, very open. Design is a bit wonky, but it works. Not a bad buy for $70.

Koss KCS-75: Cheap! Where else can you get musical bliss for so cheap!? They are a bit muffled at the extremes, but given their convenience and portability, they're often used in non-critical listening environments, exercising, etc. Definitely not a bad buy for $20!!!

 

[leng jai]

Sennheiser HD595: silky midrange which excels at vocals. Tight and accurate bass that can go suprisingly deep depending on the recording. Supreme comfort and one of the most versatile cans on the market

Sennheiser HD497: Great can back in the day. Good highs and big bass response results in a fun sound, but I found the midrange lacking. Comfort was questionable due to the high clamping force.

Grado SR60: Superb sound for the price. Very punchy bass and a nice treble sparkle coupled with good midrange performance. Comfort is rubbish, soundstage is rubbish and the cord is annoying.

Shure E2C: Very decent entry level IEM with solid bass. Great isolation and becomes fairly balanced after the Kramer mod which somewhat fixes the Shure 'treble roll off'. Heavy duty construction and good comfort depending on the tips you use.

Sony EX71: Decent isolation, extremely unbalanced sound. Piercing highs and boomy bass, not really recommended. Cable is also poor quality.

 

[Meyvn]

Koss KSC75: I love this headphone. It has a brilliant frequency balance. For $10, it's the best bargain in audio history, still. If someone told today me I could only have two headphones, this would be my portable, even though I only currently use it for running because it's light and cool.

Grado SR125: a tad shrill highs and honky mids. Works well for some rock, and beautifully for movies (bet you weren't expecting this for a Grado) and video games.

AKG K81DJ: Bassy, yet still pretty detailed. Still have the great AKG mids. I find the bass big without sounding muddy or bloated, and without forcing out the mids or highs. Soundstage is great for a portable, isolation is superb.

Stax SR-X mk.3: Brilliantly neutral.

AKG K701: Though I cite the SR125 as my first 'real' high end headphone, this one was in many ways my true introduction to analytical listening. I felt like I'd found my preference in sound. Great soundstage, GREAT tonal balance, gorgeous mids, wonderfully detailed yet not harsh highs.

AKG K1000: What can I say? The king of headphones as far as I've heard. Everything the K701 does and more. Unparalleled soundstage. Wonderful imaging. The most natural and gorgeous sound I've ever heard. Every time I hear another headphone, I want to come back to this one at some point, I want to come back to the K1000s.

 

[neilvg]

There are so many 'cans' out there, and so many of us have had so many of them! Instead, it would help to tell us what kind of sound you generally like, what you generally listen to, and how loud you like to listen to it!

Usually that can eliminate quite a few, and make it simpler to describe the ones that might be a fit.

Neil

 

[Duc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg There are so many 'cans' out there, and so many of us have had so many of them! Instead, it would help to tell us what kind of sound you generally like, what you generally listen to, and how loud you like to listen to it! Usually that can eliminate quite a few, and make it simpler to describe the ones that might be a fit. Neil

Not exactly what I like, but I'd like to know what is out there. It seems the market is cornered by Grado and Sennheiser. Just want to see what everyone has and likes about them.


Oh and cans / headphones tomato toMAto SorrY bro

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duc Not exactly what I like, but I'd like to know what is out there. It seems the market is cornered by Grado and Sennheiser. Just want to see what everyone has and likes about them.

dont forget akg, and audio technica, and beyerdynamic, and sensaphonics, and etymotic, and shure, and westone, and stax.