Very brief impressions of all the headphones you've heard
Jun 11, 2009 at 2:05 AM Post #79 of 114
Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That's OK. It was a good read. I wonder if this has been helpful and/or entertaining for anyone else but me.


jonathanjong - This is really a nice, classic thread, with some excellent participation, more lengthy weigh-ins than I would have thought. Thank you for a fun thread and fun read! In answer to your question, both helpful and entertaining for me as well!
 
Aug 19, 2009 at 1:15 AM Post #81 of 114
Alessandro MS-2: Fun phones, awesome for rock - terribly uncomfortable
AKG K340: mids a little bloated, but neutral otherwise, terribly hard to amp, awesome highs
AKG K701: Super Comfy, analytical, detailed, needs warm amp
Senn HD595: Muddy
Senn HD650: too warm, little muddy
Senn HD800: K701 on crack, more analytical, more detailed, doesn't need warm amp
Beyer DT770: Muddy, highs not present
Beyer DT880: Muddy, highs not present
Denon D2000: nice bass impact, too warm
Stax Basic: Awesome mids/highs for the price, too bad it's uncomfortable
Stax O2: great headphones, little pricey
 
Dec 14, 2009 at 8:22 AM Post #82 of 114
Great thread for those who want to get a quick impression on a large variety of headphones.

Here's my contribution:

Full-sized (open and closed):
Sennheiser HD555 - Very comfortable and light, to the point where I always forget I have them on my head. The sound is very pleasant, warm, never fatiquing (due to slightly rolled of treble). Bass is not as strong as to achieve a really accurate and neutral presentation, but for the street price it's excellent. It cannot resolve bass detail as well as the M50 (see below) and lacks the solid bass impact that you get from speakers.
Sennheiser HD600 - More detailed treble than the HD555 but the rest sounds very similar. Heavier weight and tighter clamp on the head but still comfortable. Just like the HD555, its bass is missing the punch/impact of excellent speakers, and doesn't resolve bass detail all that well.
Sennheiser HD650 - A bit more bass than HD600 and slightly smoother treble (but not rolled off) but the rest is similar, including the missing bass punch/impact and detail.
Beyerdynamics DT770 / DT880 – Sounded similar to each other, with the DT880 being a bit more accurate. Both have that slight spike/shrillness in the treble that I don’t like. These are very comfy though.
Denon AH-D950 - Earcups not big enough so prolonged listening will hurt my ears as the drivers would press on my ears a little. The sound is signature Denon, with smoothly hyped bass and treble for a more dynamic sound, which definitely makes them fun to listen to, without being offensively inaccurate. Bass detail and impact not as good as the M50 (see below).
Pioneer SE-DJ5000 - Not comfortable at all (tight clamped earpads), with recessed mid's and a bit harsh in the treble range. Bass detail is a bit better than the Sennheiser HD models listed above, but that's about the only thing good about it.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - By far one of the best closed headphones I've ever heard--especially considering the price (no wonder reputable audio engineers around the world are raving about it). The sound is very neutral and accurate, with no boosted or scooped frequencies. Its ability to resolve bass detail is also superior to other more expensive open headphones, and it also can reproduce similar kind of solid bass impact that high-end reference studio monitors do--even the HD650 can't do that. The soundstage is smaller and the sonic signature is more analytical instead of lush like the mid/high-end Sennheiser HD series.
Equation RP21 - Very good for the price. Slightly harsh at the high end, but everything else was great. The ear-cups don’t fit as comfortably or securely as other headphone with full-sized ear-cups.
Sony MDR-7509 / MDR-V600 – I have always disliked the typical Sony headphones due to the shrillness of the treble, and it’s still the same this time. Absolutely couldn’t stand it. Talk about bleeding ears and listening fatigue!
Sennheiser HD280 Pro - Way too overrated IMO. They tend to sound boxy. The bass is a bit anemic, and the overall sound is a bit limp and lifeless. At the same price, the RP21 sounds significantly better (although the HD280 doesn’t have that slight spike in the treble).
Sennheiser HD202 - for such a cheap price, it’s quite good. Bass is hyped, and lower-mids are recessed. Tiny ear-cups the just surround your ears are a bit weird–like someone’s hugging your ears.
M-Audio Q40 – Right behind the M50 in overall sound quality. Almost like a middle ground between the M50 and the RP21–the harshness in the high end is almost gone–just a tiny hint that’s barely there. The rest sounds remarkably similar to the M50. The ear-cups are a more secure fit than others, but some might prefer the looser feel of the M50 and the RP21.

IEM:
Shure E4C - Smooth sound, but lacking bass, and I prefer to EQ the treble down a little for a less fatiguing prolonged listening.
Westone 3 - Worst purchased I've made considering the price. It's not horrible, but I'm all about neutral and accurate frequency response instead of heavily colored. The treble is rolled off too much for my taste (taking the kind of exciting sparkle away from music that needs it--like orchestral strings, brass blasts, jangly guitars...etc). The bass is hyped and unable to resolve any kind of detail whatsoever--just a muddy mess.
Shure SE530PTH - Pretty good balance overall, but the 2KHz~6KHz region can be very slightly fatiguing depending on the music played. The bass is nice and full, although I wish the sub-bass could be just a bit more prominent. Horrible cables--the worst ever. PTH device is also cheap and has bad connection/control.
JVC Marshmellows - For the price you shouldn't expect much--typical consumer grade sound with spiked treble/bass and fatiguing after a while.
Denon AHC351K - Not too bad for the price. The treble is a bit hyped but otherwise better than I expected.
 
Jan 12, 2010 at 1:21 AM Post #83 of 114
Sony MDR V6: allround headphones, balanced sound, detailed sound, bass is there and somewhat coloured, yet you hear what you play.
Creative Aurvana Live: allround headphones, very balanced sound, great detail, bassy when needed and slightly coloured and perfect for just listening to music. Their sound is very pleasant and polite, really polite. The V6-es are harsh compared to the Aurvana Lives.
Pioneer Monitor 10 (1978): allround headphones, balanced sound, detailed sound, lower bass could be more revealing and they sound flatter/harsher compared to the V6-es which I like. They make choosing headphones hard even though their sonic reach shows its limitations. The V6-es and Aurvana Lives are better in sonic reach and revealing the sound behind the music yet the Monitor 10s still amaze me.
 
Jan 12, 2010 at 8:53 AM Post #85 of 114
Alessandro MS-1 : Good bass, distorts guitar sounds in the most awesome way, narrow soundstage, not very detailed. Fun for rock, hip hop etc.

Audiotechnica AD-700 : Detailed, flat, bass goes deep but is recessed slightly, good soundstage, best headphone i have ever heard for positional sounds in games. Very comfortable, and after adjusting the headband, has a very light clamping force. Combined with its pads make this the most comfortable phone i have used.

Sennheiser HD-25 II : Lots of bass, which sounds slightly distorted. Detailed.

Sennheiser HD515 : Terrible phone, no detail whatsoever and wierd distortion.

Sennheiser HD555 : Slightly warm, balanced, decent detail. Sounds even better with an amp. (flatter and more detailed)

Sennheiser HD595 : Slightly bright, bass response strange. Prefer the 555's over these by a lot.

Sony MDR-SA5000 : VERY flat and detailed. Most punchy and controlled bass i have ever heard (while still being flat). Soundstage not as wide as others eg: AD700. Slightly high clamping force gives me headaches after extended sessions, but totally worth it.

Sony MDR-XB700 : Nice pads, build quality, isolation, but the bass drowns out pretty much everything else.
 
Jan 12, 2010 at 1:58 PM Post #87 of 114
AKG K702 - very comfortable, very well made. Large band and cans with fabric pads. Superb sound, very neutral in that what goes in comes out. So if a track has no bass then there is no bass. Detailed, excellent clarity, realistic studio sound.

Bose Around Ear - comfortable, thin plastic band and body. Good sound with dynamic bass that does not overwhelm. Clarity very good. With ‘Black Magic Woman’ there were timing issues where the sound did not quite hang together.

Bose On Ear - not as comfortable, though that will depend on preference. Build and sound as above.

Denon AH D1001 - closed back, plasticy, overwhelming bass but good clarity and exciting with Scissor Sisters. Rolling Stones and Queen suffered from fat bass.

Denon AH D501 - closed back, plasticy can and odd head band which I could not get to fit. Very dull sound, recessed with Kings of Leon, no dynamic.

Goldring NS1000 - closed back, excellent isolation from outside noise whether with Noise reduction on or off. Leak sound. Neutral sound with a nice dynamic. Needs an amp, an ipod alone cannot drive these cans.

Grado SR80 - better fit with big pads. Great cans, dynamic, fun, leak tons of sound.

Grado SR60 - don't know why these keep getting awards when the SR80s can be found cheaper on the internet. Less dynamic, sound stage, everything than the SR80s.

Sennheiser HD595 - open backed, comfortable around ear but vinyl pads which get hot. Thick over head band. Very good all-round neutral sound. Lacks a bit of overall dynamic and timing.

Sennheiser PX200 - closed backed portable folding cans. Thin band, on ear design with vinyl pads, but comfortable. Very good all round sound, with some emphasis on the bass. Good clarity, little sound stage.

Sennheiser HD205 DJ - closed back, tight fitting on ear, vinyl pads thick over head band. Very good sound, on the bright side with Kings of Leon. Cymbals not clear. Nice timing.

Sennheiser HD 201- as HD205 but around ear and more comfortable.

Sennheiser HD238 - open backed, comfortable on ear with medium padded band. Dynamic sound, good timing.
 
Jan 13, 2010 at 3:10 AM Post #88 of 114
Interesting read, but let's see how useful such a thread would be in making a buying decision on...oh, let's say for argument's sake a Senn HD595, a phone I consider to be extremely neutral.

"Sennheiser HD595 - open backed, comfortable around ear but vinyl pads which get hot. Thick over head band. Very good all-round neutral sound. Lacks a bit of overall dynamic and timing."


"Sennheiser HD595 : Slightly bright, bass response strange. Prefer the 555's over these by a lot."

"Senn HD595: Muddy"

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

"HD595 ~ Grado model of Sennheiser (Bright)"

"Sennheiser HD595 - Good all rounder, but sounded too muffled for me."

"Sennheiser HD595: Was not impressed. Anemic bass, decent but not awesome soundstage, recessed mids despite allegedly being Sennheiser's more forward high end cans."

"HD 595 - Forward sounding Senn. An all rounder but not my favorite"

"HD595 - Great mids great soundstage a little anemic"

"Sennheiser HD595 - easy to drive, clear, detailed, though it didn't have the sound staging or extension the HD580 did, it was a bit uninspiring for me, so I thought it was just ok."

Hmmm. I'm just glad I already know what the 595 sounds like to me. I'd hate to be trying to decide from these impressions.
 
Jan 13, 2010 at 4:21 PM Post #89 of 114
My impression of the HD595s from the above would be, that they are OK but are found to have faults by all of the reviewers. There is not one all positive review.

You get a feeling of what a headphone is like from all threads. The same if you read buyer reviews on Amazon.
 
Jan 13, 2010 at 4:30 PM Post #90 of 114
Denon D1001: Bass and more bass
Denon D2000: Bass like the D1001 but more controlled
Audio-Technica AD1000PRM: Fast, detailed, good bass impact, forward sounding <- favourite of all I heard.
Audio-Technica W5000: Fast, detailed, good soundstage, smooth <- Third
Sony SA5000: Fast, detailed, bass is abit lacking. <- Second choice if not AD1000PRM
AKG K701: Fast, detailed, soundstage is large enough to be strange
STAX SR-001: Fast, a bit warm
Sony CD900ST: Flat, but a bit boring.
 
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