'Transparent' reference headphones.

[JaZZ]

The main cause for our different perception may be our different «references», meaning our (previous) standard headphones: Whereas yours are the DT 831 and DT 931, mine are the (foamless) HD 600, the ER-4X and my electrostatics.

I wouldn't call my modded HD 600 dark or rolled-off though - it has very extended highs, but some dip in between around 7.5 kHz, which makes it sound slightly too smooth. The ER-4X and my electrostatics all have markedly neutral balances (to my ears

) without exaggerations in any frequency ranges - in contrast to the DT 880, which has an audible 8-11 kHz accentuation (again: to my ears). But as you mentioned, it's of a smooth, nonfatiguing kind, obviously due to the smooth frequency response curve without accompanying resonance effects.

In comparison to the DT 880 and even to the modded HD 600 the Grado SR 225 with flat pads sounds too dark and downright boring to my ears... no joke! Nevertheless there's a slight sharpness which can have a fatiguing effect sometimes - something the DT 880 competely lacks, despite its brighter presentation.

Well, I can reproduce some of your arguments about the influence of the soundstage on the perception of the treble (as «smooth» or even «rolled-off»), although I don't share this perception myself. By the way, the «Audio» curve shows my own impression of the DT 880's sound quite well: the slightly downward sloping mids and the following treble hump - which, as said before, never appears as sharp or harsh, but sometimes can bring some sort of hardness in play and makes the DT 880's treble slightly less natural than the (foamless) HD 600's, to my ears. Nevertheless it's the more detailed and more attractive sound, which is why the DT 880 has become my standard headphone - recently again beside my electrostats. I can't praise its high resolution enough, remarkable for a dynamic headphone.

 

[wallijonn]

Jeez, Jazz.

And here I was thinking that i wrote something for the ages, and we end up agreeing.

I assumed that the SR125s sound like my SR80s. (When I auditioned Matt's HP-2s, I picked them up, listened for a few seconds, said, "they sound just like my SR80s," and immediately put them down and didn't listen to them for the rest of the meet. I also was not impressed by the V6s or the PortaPros for the same reason (perceived compressed highs)).

So what headphone did Matt "finally" settle on? The HD600.

oh, btw, the slisp sound which I attributed to the CD3000 also shows up in certain recordings. It is soooo grating to have to listen to Brad & Dunstreet's "Maria". But that's with the DT831, SB Audigy and a 320 br mp3. I haven't listened on my 'reference' system what it sounds like in a long time. I don't remember any lisping, though.

I bet you that the lisp I perceive is right around 2.5 KHz.
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we now take you back to our regularly scheduled thread, "Mixing with headphones, what's the most natural and transparent one?"

 

[RVD]

Quote:

When I auditioned Matt's SR325s, I picked them up, listened for a few seconds, said, "they sound just like my SR80s," and immediately put them down and didn't listen to them for the rest of the meet.

Wally, that was actually the Grado HP-2 you listened to that day. I have never owned the SR325.

 

[wallijonn]

Matt,

it's soo nice to hear from you. Geez, man, we missed you.

I stand corrected.

Now I'll have to go and edit my note. I sense my cheeks getting hot. I think I am about to get flamed.

guess I blasphemed in the eyes of all the grado believers and supporters.

and I guess Greg is right, if the DT880 curve is to be believed, where he said that the DT770 hump is much lower down. The DT880 seems like it is showing a hump at about 120 - 155 hertz. or is that a bump or a hill?