[oqvist]

HD 650: bassy, very forgiving, unmusical, cramped soundstage, rough around the edges a tad slow. For the price not bad though.

K 701: detailed, a tad to sub dued bass but not to bad on Canamp, artificial upper treble still decently balanced, huge soundstage. Perhaps not as all around as the 650.

DX 1000: lots of body to the music. Second most forgiving headphone only beaten by the 650. Coloured wooden tin can presentation which is annoying and one of it´s best features when in the right mood, requires tuning in. Extremely powerful so be careful with SPL especially playing piano. Within it´s tin can presentation it actually sounds pretty damn accurate more often then not... Trumpets or bass drums, bass guitars etc are just sensational within this tin can presentation. impact, decay and such are just spot on there. Lacks bass extension a bit in comparison to the PRO 900. Otherwise the best bass or the second best bass depending on song.

PRO 900: Very unforgiving on poor recordings especially sibilance ridden onces, transparent headphone a real chameleon and a superb all rounder. Fast with superb dynamics, Great mid range Lowest bass ever heard in a pair of headphones. Overall as close to neutral I have gotten with a headphone but can be bassy or bright depending on recording, amazing soundstaging

Proline 750: PRO 900 with much less bass, more forward presentation and not as smooth and a bit weaker mid range.

Don´t list my older headphones since I don´t know how much I trust my audio memory

 

[Bengt77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bengt77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shure SE210 Quite detailed. Highs are good, but the bass is lacking. It does isolate very well, though, which helps the sound quality a lot. In fact, if it wasn't for the isolation, the sound would have been severely lacking in detail and quality. Overall, it's... okay. Would love to get the SE530, though, as it's only about twice as expensive as what I got the SE210 for at the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzN1337c0d3r /img/forum/go_quote.gif SE530: Mini-HD650. Seriously. The bass has just slightly more extension and impact and moves "faster", the mids are the same sweet ones on the Senns, and the highs begin rolling off just slightly higher than the Senns. Very comfortable, fallen asleep with these on multiple times.

Your impressions make me want it even more. And here I was, thinking I wouldn't need any upgrades for a while. Well, hoping, actually. Hoping, but knowing better...

 

[gav17]

PRO 900 (Kees mod): Fast solid bass, crisp mids, detailed highs, very neutral sounding, great soundstage. Much better than the stock ones. Superb all rounder. Clearly the best HP in my collection (see my sig).

 

[catscratch]

I've heard too much. I'll only focus on some of what I've owned, and toss in a few things I remember well from auditions. Otherwise it will take a week to write it all up.

****

Senn HD280 Pro - weak bass, decent mids, narrow soundstage, thin

Senn HD590 - very punchy bass, distant and honky mids, steely highs, good detail, large soundstage and good imaging

Senn HD595 - rolled off on both ends, grainy, good mids, decent detail

Senn HD600 SE - neutral, accurate tone, good detail, airy and open, slow, poor imaging

Senn HD600 Balanced - neutral, accurate tone, good detail, forward, aggressive, impactful, airy, decent imaging

Senn HD650 SE - bloated bass, warm mids, accurate highs, poor dynamic range, good detail, good imaging

Senn HD650 balanced - tight punchy bass, euphonic mids, liquid/flowing character, vivid, dynamic, good imaging/detail

Senn HE90/HEV90 - surprisingly powerful but slightly bloated bass, euphonic velvety mids, scintillating highs, enormous soundstage with amazing soundstage height, very liquid and flowing character, amazing detail, poor imaging with somewhat diffuse images, colored but massively euphonic

AKG K340 stock bass-light - poor bass extension, punchy and tight bass, colored but wonderfully euphonic and transparent mids, forward but linear highs, good imaging, speed, and detail, very vivid but colored sound

AKG K340 stock bass-heavy - somewhat better bass extension, bloated midbass, good but colored mids, recessed highs, good speed and imaging, decent detail, slightly bloated and dull sound

AKG K340 Headphile'd bass-heavy - decent bass extension, well controlled and tight bass, good mids, recessed highs, lacking dynamic range, muffled sound

AKG K501 - poor bass extension and quantity, surprisingly good mids, sharp and metallic highs, good imaging, soundstage, and separation, good dynamic range

AKG K1000 - poor bass extension, very good mids, slightly dry character that can be overcome with system matching, slightly forward but linear highs, massively wide soundstage with decent depth and height, supercharged and adrenalized dynamic range that's very engrossing, good detail and speed for a dynamic

Sony R10 - amazing lifelike mids, slightly loose and boomy bass, slightly steely highs, very good imaging but slightly artificial overall soundstage, remarkable speed and detail for a dynamic

Sony Qualia 010 - amazing speed for a dynamic, amazing detail, very large soundstage with very good imaging, very neutral, slightly but very noticeably wrong midrange tone, very good impact and dynamic range

Stax SR-001 stock - great mids, fastest headphone ever, decent bass extension but very good bass detail, rolled-off highs, forward mids with slight lower-midrange emphasis, great & natural detail, decent imaging, smallish soundstage

Stax SR-001 modded - lots of possible tonal balance variations, open soundstage, better detail, transparency, and imaging compared to stock

Stax SR-404 - good bass extension, slightly loose midbass but good bass detail, lacking lower mids, very emphasized upper mids, slightly elevated lower treble, very extended highs, great speed, great detail, massively open but slightly artificial soundstage, very airy but dry sound with wrong midrange tone

Stax SR-007 - amazing bass extension, great bass detail, weight and heft behind every note, completely neutral, lifelike accurate mids, realistic tone, completely realistic highs, best detail in a headphone but very naturally presented, best imaging in a headphone, good-sized soundstage but completely 3-dimensional with great height and width, incredibly liquid and flowing but detailed sound with great impact and dynamic range, absolute pig to drive and sounds dark, muffled, and with lacking dynamic range when underdriven

Stax SR-007 Mk2 - slightly worse deep bass than Mk1, more bloated midbass, elevated upper mids, slightly recessed upper treble, slightly more diffuse soundstage that's a bit larger but with less precise imaging, slightly less transparent, otherwise identical to Mk1.

Stax SR-Gamma Smeggy-modded & woodied - fantastic punchy bass with decent extension and great weight, accurate and lifelike mids, slightly emphasized lower treble, poor treble extension, great dynamic range and impact, very punchy and vivid sound, great detail

Taket H2 - good bass extension, bloated mid and upper bass, slightly recessed mids, treble can be piercing depending on headphone position, amazing detail, impact, speed, dynamic range, soundstage size, and imaging accuracy, very interesting and potentially amazing but flawed headphone

Ety ER-4P - tight bass with decent extension, decent mids, very steely, forward and metallic highs, poor transients, hyperdetailed, analytical, and bright

Westone UM2 - bloated bass, good mids with lifelike tone, forward mids, recessed highs, good dynamic range

Westone ES2 - great bass, very forward mids with completely lifelike tone, slightly recessed highs, very refined for an IEM, very dynamic, good detail & imaging

Westone 3 - when poorly fitted: bloated mid and upper bass, severely recessed and dull mids, very sibilant highs; when well-fitted: relatively linear bass, very good mids with lifelike tone and transparency, very linear and non-sibilant highs, very fluid and detailed sound

Shure E500/SE530 - very good, deep and tight bass, warm euphonic mids, shouty upper mids/lower treble, lacking refinement, massively wide-open soundstage, good detail, great imaging, recessed highs

Beyerdynamic DT770/80 (pre-2005) - very overblown bass that nevertheless is pretty tight and very punchy, rather recessed mids that still have good tone, emphasized lower treble, recessed upper treble, generally better than they're given credit for being

Audio-Technica ATH-A900: slightly bloated midbass, great bass punch, honky mids with upper midrange coloration, slightly steely highs, very wide soundstage but without much depth and height, good detail, good dynamic range

Koss A250 - great punchy and deep bass, recessed mids with upper mid emphasis, thin and distant mids, steely highs with lower treble emphasis, good speed and detail, large open soundstage with good imaging

Grado SR-60 - poor bass extension, good midrange tone, forward highs, small soundstage, very airy and open, decent detail and imaging, very good value phones

Grado SR-80 - poor bass extension, slightly cold mids, piercing highs, small soundstage, airy, decent detail and imaging, prefer SR-60

Ultrasone Proline 2500 - very deep but boomy bass, plasticky and unrealistic mids, steely highs, good detail, good imaging and separation, vivid but very unrealistic and rather fatiguing sound

****

This is just some of the stuff that I know well, mind you. There has been a lot more. Too much to count.

 

[cali141]

Senn HD25-1-II: Great isolation. Good soundstage for being closed. Great bass, a bit emphasized, but controlled. Mids a bit recessed but sound good. Highs are pretty good, nothing special though. Very lightweight. Wires coiling around headphones and headband can poke you, which is annoying.

Ultrasone DJ1: Incredibly awesome and fun bass - it's not accurate, but it's tight, punchy and the emphasis of the overall sound. Mids are recessed too far. Highs are okay. The best soundstage I've ever heard in closed headphones. Sound is somewhat shy - it avoids getting loud and up front, even when it should. Looks great. Isolation is on par with the HD25, I think.

AKG K240 Studio: Neutral sound, pretty airy. Great detail. They need an amp - can't be driven by an iPod. Bass is too recessed for my tastes, but makes up for it by being tight, although not really punchy. Highs are where this headphone shines. Feels good, not heavy or tight at all.

Senn HD465: Ugh. WAY too much bass, and it's bloated, uncontrolled, and muddy. Mids and highs are okay, I think... I just remember that the bass was horrible. Feels comfy, but presses your ears to the side of your head instead of surrounding them.

Bose Quietcomfort 2: Noise isolation works incredibly well. Bloated bass. Mids are decent, highs not so much.

AKG K26P: Great bass for such small phones. Isolation is okay. Soundstage is mediocre. Great for the price. Not very comfy, headband will mess with your hair if you adjust it while wearing it.

Don't want to list more, I don't remember them too well.

 

[antonyfirst]

Stax SRX MkIII Pro: almost dead neutral, some resonance (2-3 dB) at 3kHz. Very extended at both extremes, not sibilant unlike its normal bias version is said to be. Revealing to source's tonality and any digital glare. Small soundstage, sharp imaging, fast, when underamped lacks some bass transient control and percussion resolution. Very uncomfortable, original cable is microphonic, as well as the grilles, potentially distracting.

Stax SR-003: warm. Lacks deep bass, there is some emphasis on midbass and lower midrange, but no bloat à la Westone 3. Small soundstage, extremely high resolution, details presented in a relaxed way. Lacks treble energy (meaning it's recessed) and it's not perfect for rock music. Manages to hurt your ear canals. Stock tips are the only good sounding ones to me, but Sony-like biflanges can be adapted. The headband suggests to be a tortureinstrument invented by a sadic dentist. Without the headband, the earphones are likely to fall while moving.

Apuresound ER4P: addicting, emotional although not neutral. Bass is still on the light side, but is improved over stock ER4P, there is depth, and some early midbass emphasis. Bass is fast, well defined, tight resembling how a stone would hit. Midrange is what makes this tweaked headphone more unique. Especially prominent with foam tips, the 1-2 kHz is emphasized giving many vocals the main role, making for a more "live" experience and great intimacy. It can be a drawback with trance and especially classical. while being vedry different genres, some instruments/samples sound shouty through the "midrange hill".
Treble is delightful, as the peak proper of the stock earphone is completely flattened. Flattening the midrange would help in perceiving bass strength, already bettered over stock thanks to the reduced treble (which is overwhelming and sibilant in stock etys). Small soundstage.

Westone 3: deep bass, bloated upper bass and lower midrange with triflanges. Better fittings, to my knowledge, reduce the hump to listenable levels, otherwise there is need for EQ. Midrange over 2kHz is tamed and makes for vocals a bit distant.
Treble is pretty linear up to 10 kHz, while lacking crispness over it.
Poor fittings (usually short tips) make everything sibilant, thin and distant. Big soundstage.

Klipsch Image X10: bass is big, deep but boomy although not bloated. Midrange is warmish, without any particular emphasis, but present. Treble lacks resolution. Pretty big soundstage for the size, especially seeing how deep these go inside the ear.

Denon D5000: head-rattling bass, horrible treble ("snakes in your ears"). Sibilance is continuous, painful and unfixable by potential markl mods. Huge soundstage even from a portable amp. Heavy to wear, although not discomfortable.

Audio-Technica Ath-ESW9: strong clamp. No isolation although the design is closed. Not really portable for walking or commuting. Mid/upper bass emphasis, lush midrange, recessed middle treble resulting in forgiveness to sibilance and insensitive to more detailed sources. Small soundstage for the size of the headphone.

Yuin G1: clipon that is more isolating than an open earbud. Huge soundstage, weak bass, very bright tonality that can be very emotional, although occasionally sibilant but not too brush.

Yuin PK1: gradoish, strong bass, midrange prominence that make most rock colored in a similar way. Big soundstage. High impedance (150 ohm), needs an amp.

Yuin OK1: different from pk1. Higher level of detail, neutral bass and midrange, but there is a noticeable peak over 6kHz that helps in bringing more details, while adding sensitivity to sibilance. Extreme frequencies performance: treble is very extended, while bass lacks depth. Big soundstage for an earbud. Awesome imaging. Supreme comfort. Would benefit from a tubey amp.

Yuin ok2: lesser resolution and imaging quality than OK1, otherwise it's tonally similar.

Head-Direct RE0: light bass, poorly extended but clean. Flawed, distant and lifeless midrange. Awesome treble quality, extension, resolution and overall sense of smoothness. Small soundstage for IEM standards.

Head-direct RE1: fuller sound, deeper bass, chesty midrange. Treble is almost non existent and fails to add excitement.

Shure E500: plasticky mids, full sound with strong bass, some lower treble sharpness, but rolled off upper treble. Decent soundstage for a iem.

Triple.fi 10 pro: awfully uncomfortable, stiff cable. Detacheable cable is a pain since there is the risk to lose the earpieces. Bass is perceived as big, there is decent depth. Midrange is pretty clear with foamies, treble is peaky and can be sibilant, especially with the wrong sources. Sort of U shaped frequency response. Big soundstage width and depth.

Super.fi 5 pro: same conveniency issues. Soundwise, it's bassier than the Triple.fi and the treble spike is much sharper.

Etymotic ER4P: digital sounding. Low bass volume, although deep. Intimate midrange. Treble is very peaky and sharp, sibilant, analytical, hyperdetailed and sickening. Puts out lots of unneeded details that are meant to stay in the background.

Etymotic ER4S: bass is more annihilated. Fake details are raised and you'll be able to hear dry lips of the singer moving when he's harmfully close to the mic.

Yamaha HP-3: orthodynamic, must be damped. Bass and treble are easily tuneable and reach deep frequencies. Midrange between 1 and 2 kHz is very recessed and basically unfixable, making for sleepy vocals.

 

[jonathanjong]

...and an update:

Denon AH-D2000: Surprisingly wide soundstage for a closed headphone; a little sibilant; deep bass, sometimes a little overwhelming; very smooth; musical; comfortable but heavy

Grado SR325i: Aggressive, in-your-face; very, very good for rock

AKG K601: Hard to drive; very wide soundstage; musical; laid-back

 

[KONAKONA]

Sure lets add some more

MS1s: Great bass, great mids, nice non spicy highs.

AD700s: Bit bass light but fantastic for non-electronic music, spicy highs.

Of course my impressions always suck. xD

 

[Xan7hos]

Full Sized
Sennheiser HD280: Very flat and unengaging with uninspiring midrange, however when amp'd, midrange and bass (wow where has it been hiding?!) come to life, sounds a bit more alive and worthwhile, while the "veil" sound is dispersed. No soundstage Can have a vise-like clamp if not properly adjusted.
Grado SR-125: Engaging Grado mids, slight lack of bass, fatiguing highs, overall clearer presentation comfort wise with bowls you can't wear for more than an hour or so
Grado SR-225: Very similar to the SR-125, to my ears virtually identical.
Alessandro MS-1: Bassy "Grados," though not very extended, mids similiar to the SR-125/225, if not slightly veiled/muddied (due to pads), while highs are not (as) fatiguing. Comfy pads make them much more bearable to wear.
Alessandro MS-1000 (Modded MS-1): Tremendous Soundstage, Mids are now clear and superb, bass is retained. Amazing comfort, transforms the Grado into Circumaural headhones. Not as refined and detailed in imaging as AKGs, but has much more bass and soundstage.
Alessandro MS-2i: Finicky headphones, a "neutral" Grado with better bass extension than SR-125/225. Slightly more detailed than the former.
AKG K501: Amazing soundstage and instrument seperation, extended bass, however below 30~25hz its inaudible. No bass quantity to speak of. A touch of brightness. Very airy/open headphones. Crystal clear mids.

Portable
Koss KSC-75: Very colored headphones with emphasis on bass and mids. Arguably very similiar to Grados if lacking in refinement. Prone to distortion with certain high-range frequencies, similiar to "Grattle." When Kramer modded/recabled, treble becomes airy/sparkly, very engaging, fun headphones. Non-fatiguing.
Koss KSC-35: Very similiar to the KSC-75, if not a different flavor of it. Virtually the same in my opinion, if not as sparkly as non-modded KSC-75.
Koss Sportapro: "Muddier" sounding KSC-75/35, due to the fact that headband clamps drivers closer to the ears.
Shure EC2: Not much bass, slightly muddied mids. Very bulbous in size, difficult to get good seal/comfort with stock gels.
JVC Marshmallows: Muddier than the EC2, a slight step above iPod earbuds. Foam buds aren't that comfortable

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've heard too much. I'll only focus on some of what I've owned, and toss in a few things I remember well from auditions. Otherwise it will take a week to write it all up. **** Senn HD280 Pro - weak bass, decent mids, narrow soundstage, thin Senn HD590 - very punchy bass, distant and honky mids, steely highs, good detail, large soundstage and good imaging Senn HD595 - rolled off on both ends, grainy, good mids, decent detail Senn HD600 SE - neutral, accurate tone, good detail, airy and open, slow, poor imaging Senn HD600 Balanced - neutral, accurate tone, good detail, forward, aggressive, impactful, airy, decent imaging Senn HD650 SE - bloated bass, warm mids, accurate highs, poor dynamic range, good detail, good imaging Senn HD650 balanced - tight punchy bass, euphonic mids, liquid/flowing character, vivid, dynamic, good imaging/detail Senn HE90/HEV90 - surprisingly powerful but slightly bloated bass, euphonic velvety mids, scintillating highs, enormous soundstage with amazing soundstage height, very liquid and flowing character, amazing detail, poor imaging with somewhat diffuse images, colored but massively euphonic AKG K340 stock bass-light - poor bass extension, punchy and tight bass, colored but wonderfully euphonic and transparent mids, forward but linear highs, good imaging, speed, and detail, very vivid but colored sound AKG K340 stock bass-heavy - somewhat better bass extension, bloated midbass, good but colored mids, recessed highs, good speed and imaging, decent detail, slightly bloated and dull sound AKG K340 Headphile'd bass-heavy - decent bass extension, well controlled and tight bass, good mids, recessed highs, lacking dynamic range, muffled sound AKG K501 - poor bass extension and quantity, surprisingly good mids, sharp and metallic highs, good imaging, soundstage, and separation, good dynamic range AKG K1000 - poor bass extension, very good mids, slightly dry character that can be overcome with system matching, slightly forward but linear highs, massively wide soundstage with decent depth and height, supercharged and adrenalized dynamic range that's very engrossing, good detail and speed for a dynamic Sony R10 - amazing lifelike mids, slightly loose and boomy bass, slightly steely highs, very good imaging but slightly artificial overall soundstage, remarkable speed and detail for a dynamic Sony Qualia 010 - amazing speed for a dynamic, amazing detail, very large soundstage with very good imaging, very neutral, slightly but very noticeably wrong midrange tone, very good impact and dynamic range Stax SR-001 stock - great mids, fastest headphone ever, decent bass extension but very good bass detail, rolled-off highs, forward mids with slight lower-midrange emphasis, great & natural detail, decent imaging, smallish soundstage Stax SR-001 modded - lots of possible tonal balance variations, open soundstage, better detail, transparency, and imaging compared to stock Stax SR-404 - good bass extension, slightly loose midbass but good bass detail, lacking lower mids, very emphasized upper mids, slightly elevated lower treble, very extended highs, great speed, great detail, massively open but slightly artificial soundstage, very airy but dry sound with wrong midrange tone Stax SR-007 - amazing bass extension, great bass detail, weight and heft behind every note, completely neutral, lifelike accurate mids, realistic tone, completely realistic highs, best detail in a headphone but very naturally presented, best imaging in a headphone, good-sized soundstage but completely 3-dimensional with great height and width, incredibly liquid and flowing but detailed sound with great impact and dynamic range, absolute pig to drive and sounds dark, muffled, and with lacking dynamic range when underdriven Stax SR-007 Mk2 - slightly worse deep bass than Mk1, more bloated midbass, elevated upper mids, slightly recessed upper treble, slightly more diffuse soundstage that's a bit larger but with less precise imaging, slightly less transparent, otherwise identical to Mk1. Stax SR-Gamma Smeggy-modded & woodied - fantastic punchy bass with decent extension and great weight, accurate and lifelike mids, slightly emphasized lower treble, poor treble extension, great dynamic range and impact, very punchy and vivid sound, great detail Taket H2 - good bass extension, bloated mid and upper bass, slightly recessed mids, treble can be piercing depending on headphone position, amazing detail, impact, speed, dynamic range, soundstage size, and imaging accuracy, very interesting and potentially amazing but flawed headphone Ety ER-4P - tight bass with decent extension, decent mids, very steely, forward and metallic highs, poor transients, hyperdetailed, analytical, and bright Westone UM2 - bloated bass, good mids with lifelike tone, forward mids, recessed highs, good dynamic range Westone ES2 - great bass, very forward mids with completely lifelike tone, slightly recessed highs, very refined for an IEM, very dynamic, good detail & imaging Westone 3 - when poorly fitted: bloated mid and upper bass, severely recessed and dull mids, very sibilant highs; when well-fitted: relatively linear bass, very good mids with lifelike tone and transparency, very linear and non-sibilant highs, very fluid and detailed sound Shure E500/SE530 - very good, deep and tight bass, warm euphonic mids, shouty upper mids/lower treble, lacking refinement, massively wide-open soundstage, good detail, great imaging, recessed highs Beyerdynamic DT770/80 (pre-2005) - very overblown bass that nevertheless is pretty tight and very punchy, rather recessed mids that still have good tone, emphasized lower treble, recessed upper treble, generally better than they're given credit for being Audio-Technica ATH-A900: slightly bloated midbass, great bass punch, honky mids with upper midrange coloration, slightly steely highs, very wide soundstage but without much depth and height, good detail, good dynamic range Koss A250 - great punchy and deep bass, recessed mids with upper mid emphasis, thin and distant mids, steely highs with lower treble emphasis, good speed and detail, large open soundstage with good imaging Grado SR-60 - poor bass extension, good midrange tone, forward highs, small soundstage, very airy and open, decent detail and imaging, very good value phones Grado SR-80 - poor bass extension, slightly cold mids, piercing highs, small soundstage, airy, decent detail and imaging, prefer SR-60 Ultrasone Proline 2500 - very deep but boomy bass, plasticky and unrealistic mids, steely highs, good detail, good imaging and separation, vivid but very unrealistic and rather fatiguing sound **** This is just some of the stuff that I know well, mind you. There has been a lot more. Too much to count.

+1 for all of these impressions. Very very closely match my own. Only difference I'd say is that the H2 has some variation between units and I've heard those without the recessed midrange as well as those with it. Generally though spot on. Also I haven't heard the HE90.

 

[CDBacklash]

only cans I have spent > 24 hours with
DT770/80 pro - Big bass, poorly detailed. Quite fun, only takes to electronic genres. Stock cable can be microphonic at times.
DT880/250 '05 - Detailed, balanced sounding. Nice.
ER-4P - Speed incarnate. Quite balanced. Dont get me started on the microphonics though.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

PX100: Warm, with mid-bass emphasis… rolled off treble; decent resolution for the price. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, the iPod does not drive it adequately. My decade old Sony DISCMAN drives it way better. Very musical… however not a true Hi-fi solution, bass is not tight enough… benefits from amplification and performs better out of my Ultra Micro.

SHURE E4C: The only phone in my collection that makes my iPod listenable- Very good bass extension, tightly controlled, though my K701 has tighter bass; lower midrange a bit warmer than that of the K701. However, the rest of the midrange is very lean, bleached and smaller than life-size! More leanness of tone exhibited by the E4C than by the K701… Treble exists, but is heavily rolled off, robbing strings of sparkle and life… too bad, not nice for classical.

K701: Best of my cans, huge soundstage, far superior resolution than the E4C. Benefits from burn-in. Initially, the various instruments sounded a bit bleached, more like skeletal outlines! Now after burn-in, most of that leanness is gone… Pristine midrange, more or less neutral… Low bass is very tight, but a little subdued. Has the best treble of my 3 phones. A superb can, once broken in and driven adequately! (Read HIGH GAIN on my Ultra Micro, very boring otherwise) Excellent can for classical.

 

[One_Z]

Victor HP-DX1000 – Dark, King of bass, warm sounding , slow, lacking transparency
AKG K701 - bright, analytical, BORING.
Edition 9 – Punchy, fast, detailed, closed.
HD650 - warm sounding , slow, lacking transparency.
Stax SR-007 - fast, detailed, warm sounding.

 

[slindeman]

Ones that I've owned:
Sony MDR-A30G - Midrangey
Sony MDR-V200 - Muffled
Senn HD545 - Airy
Grado SR-125 - Screechy
Senn HD600 - Detailed, Boring
Senn HD570 - Bassy, Comfortable
Koss KSC-35 - Exciting
Labtec Elite-840 - Plasticky
Koss KSC-50 - Less Exciting
Stax SR-80 - Midrangey
Senn HD580 - Detailed, Boring
Grado HP-2 - Boring, Uncomfortable
Sennheiser MX400 - No Bass
Stax SR-404 - Detailed, Bright
Philips HP-170 - Plasticky
Stax SR-003 - Detailed, Non-fatiguing
Audio Technica A500 - Honky
AKG K240S - Smooth, Dark
Senn HD650 - Detailed, Natural
Beyer DT-990 - Bright, Exciting
Shure E4C - Midrangey
Grado HF-1 - Exciting, Impactful
JVC HA-FX55 - Muffled
Grado SR-225 - See SR-125
AKG K701 - No Bass, Fake Detail
Koss A250 - Boring
Etymotic ER-6i - No Bass, Detailed
Senn HD590 - Bright
Senn PX100 - Bassy
JBL 220 - Muffled
Amp'd Mobile Noise Cancel - Cancels noise!
Grado HF-2 - ???

Some others I have listened to:
Senn Orpheus - Detailed, Airy
Stax Omega II - Detailed, Natural
Stax SR-303 - See SR404
Stax SR-202 - See SR404
Grado RS-1 (Old Version) - Exciting, Impactful
Grado SR-325 - Painful, Take two aspirin
Grado SR-80 - See SR-125
Grado SR-60 - See SR-125
Senn HD565 - See HD545
Senn HD560 - Exciting
Sony CD-3000 - Balanced
AKG K501 - No Bass
Beyer DT-831 - Bright
Beyer DT-931 - Bright
Etymotic ER-4S - Detailed

 

[aamefford]

Well, I'm away from home, so this sounds like a quick, fun diversion. In rough order of owning, with a noticeable spot at which I joined head-fi:

(Sources used - iPod and iPhone, with and without Pico with DAC, macbook Pro with the Pico and with an Apogee Duet that I no longer have.)

Apple Buds - not as bad as everyone says. I still use them as sacrificial earbuds when mowing, cleaning. Uncomfortable, thin, compressed sound. Much better than nothing. Never amped.

Sony MDR 71's, I think, the ones with the ear loops. Uncomfortable, hard to get a good seal, decent but not great sound. Overpriced at $50-ish for what you get. Never amped.

Grado SR125's (and head-fi membership, roughly coincident. The latter lead to the former). BRIGHT - dear God they were bright. And uncomfortable. In spite of both, I had them most of a year. If it wasn't for the comfort issue, I might try the Grado family again, a bit further up stream. These will give you a taste of what Grados are about. I think the SR80's do a better job for less, and the SR225's do a better job for a bit more (both auditioned when I got the 125's). Never amped.

Sennhieser HD580's modded with the usual 600 grills, 650 cable - Brilliant, in a word. I will own these again, when I have an amp that does them more justice. I truly loved these cans. Amped with both the Apogee Duet and the Pico. Both left me feeling that a brilliant can was dying to get out.

Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pros - Nice sound, similar to the Shures below, but more colored to me. I liked them a lot, but I like the Shures much better. They aren't that comfortable, and they make you look like Frankenstein...

Shure SE530's - I loved the Senns, so I obviously love these. Laid back, detailed, good bass, with the Comply tips, very comfortable. I try to never fly without them. They sound brilliant with the Pico, and also with a Tomahawk I had for a brief period.

Ultrasone Proline 750's - A good, detailed closed can that I just never warmed up to. Brittle highs, recessed mids, bass that was sometimes sublime, sometimes downright lousy. Really dependent on recording quality. Sold to fund the ESW10's below.

AT ESW10jpn's - A serious splurge for me at just shy of $500 used. I went through buyer's remorse every time I got them out for a month, right up to listening. These are my favorites. Detailed, yet non-fatiguing highs, rich, probably colored mids, deep, tight bass, and an intimate sound stage. Very forgiving of recording quality. Breathtakingly beautiful, tiny and light. No amp required, respond brilliantly to the Pico.

Ultrasone HFI 780's - I traded my HD580's for them on a whim. I got them with about 200 hours on them. I called BS on all the "400 hours to break in" nonsense - until I got them. They were all over the map up to 370 hours or so. They spent the first two weeks I had them in a drawer, wearing out my iPod hard drive. Then they settled into a consistently bright, sibilant FORWARD can with awe inspiring bass. I've added dynamat to the cups, another damping material to the driver plate, and polyfiil batting inside the cups. The sibilance is almost gone, really only present in poorly mastered recordings. The bass is even better, tighter and still huge when the recording calls for it. They are still forward, but tamed to the point I can really enjoy them now. Oh yeah, for me, adding beyer velour pads made them something I could own. With the pleather, really uncomfortable to me. I'm listening to Al DiMiola right now, stunned at how great these sound. They get a bit fatiguing after a couple of hours.

All the above are my opinions, of course. I guess I was bored! I completely forsook the brevity asked for in the OP - Sorry!