Very brief impressions of all the headphones you've heard
Apr 6, 2009 at 4:46 AM Post #46 of 114
Great Thread! This is so helpful and fun to read!

I haven't listened to as many headphones as you all have, and I don't have quite trained ears yet, but I have listened to some pricier ones!

Sennheiser HD-280's = Good isolation, no need for amp, very small soundstage and sounds a little mushy to me when listening to heavier stuff.

Sennheiser HD-650's = Much better soundstage than the 280's of course, them being open headphones and all, and a great and warm sound, very "soothing", but sounds like it adds a layer of smooth on top of the music, like a polish. I felt this way before I ever even looked onto these boards, and before anyone else told me anything about them. When I listened to them there was just something I didn't feel was quite right.

AKG K701's = Great soundstage, very detailed, great highs. Little lacking in the bass department, doesn't really pump the bass too well, but has great detail and quality. Not the most comfortable either. (They were at first, but then they felt a little bit loose for my head..)

Grado GS1000's = Soundstage is a little too close for my liking, almost felt like I was too into the music. The other high-end headphones to me, versus crap headphones, always made me feel like I wasn't just listening to music, but was listening to people playing music, as if I were in the room with them. These GS1000's kind of made me feel like I was inside of the instruments themselves, a little too close for my comfort. I think they look the coolest of all headphones though.

And for the money pair:

Ultrasone E9's = Very comfortable. VERY comfortable. It's Ethiopian Sheepskin, what do you expect? (For the price? I'd expect a diamond or two..) Great sound, and a really really good soundstage for closed headphones. They just sounded the best of all the headphones I listened to. This might have been because I knew how expensive they were before I listened, so I had expectations. But hey, it's ethiopian sheepskin.

Again, sweet thread, I'm excited to keep checking back on it to read new posts!

And I have a pair of AD700's coming my way, (yes, they're actually AD700's this time, I already returned the A700s and made a few phone calls), I'll post about them when they come in!
 
Apr 6, 2009 at 9:33 AM Post #47 of 114
I list only fullsize.

Sennheiser
HD212 ~ Boomy Bass
HD280 ~ Great Isolation
HD555 ~ Mini HD600
HD595 ~ Grado model of Sennheiser (Bright)
HD600 ~ Natural, Neutral, Good soundstage
HD650 ~ A lot of bass but hi-quality, Laidback, Full Body

AKG
K601 ~ Natural, Neutral, Lack of impact
K701 ~ Very Wide, Thin, Analytical
K1000 ~ Super wide, Analytical, Detail, Transparent
K271 ~ Upper mid boost, Fun

Denon
D5000 ~ Deep Bass but some boomy, Recess mid, Great soundstage

ERGO
Model2 ~ Big sound, Smooth

Audio-Technica
A900 ~ Detail, Very smooth, a bit Recess mid
A950LTD ~ A900 with better detail & soundstage
A900Ti ~ A900 with better bass & tonal balance
AD2000 ~ Open, Mid in the face, Very Sensitive
W2002 ~ Detail, Sweet
W1000 ~ Dry treble
W5000 ~ Refine of W1000, Sweet

Alessandro, Grado
MS1 ~ Neutral, Sweet
MS2 ~ Upgrade of MS1 but Sharp treble
MSPro ~ the most sweet of grado
SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225 ~ Mid Boost, Lively
RS2, RS1 ~ Upgrade of SRXXX
SR325 ~ Super Mid Boost, Fast
GS1000 ~ Sharp treble, very wide, Lively

MB Quart
QP400 ~ Sharp & Dry treble, Good bass & soundstage

Bayerdynamic
DT770 ~ Boomy Bass, Sharp treble, Very fun
DT990 ~ Dry treble, Very fun, Good soundstage

Monster
Beats Studio ~ Hiphop style, Very Fun Bass

Goldring
DR50, DR150 ~ Dry treble, Good soundstage

Sony
XB500 ~ Boomy Bass
SA3000 ~ Dynamic, Analytical, Thin

Equation
RP-21 ~ boomy bass, Rolloff treble, good mid
RP-22X ~ Upgrade of RP-21
 
Apr 6, 2009 at 10:04 AM Post #48 of 114
Interesting thread, but without knowing sources/amplification what does it really mean?
 
Apr 6, 2009 at 8:46 PM Post #49 of 114
Apple Earbuds - These were extr

KSC35 - Sort of like the ea

Guy Listening to Rap on Train's Earbuds - I can't believe they're sti
 
Apr 6, 2009 at 9:06 PM Post #50 of 114
grado/allesandro
sr60-good midrange. clear sounding. good for the value

sr80-even better for the value with bowl pads, if you can endure em. a little brighter and bassier than sr60 but thats about it

sr225-good midrange and good bass. everything else is about the same with 60 and 80. a little more extension but not too huge.

sr325-much more extension, both bass and treble, but more on treble. a great metal can, if you can endure its highs.

rs2-good entry wood can. warm but hard hitting grado woodies.

rs1-a bliss when you hear em for the first time. noticeable extension from both rs2 and 325.

gs1000-grado with 650 range, of bass. love or hate cans of all times.

ps1-great bass. a little over priced can but all grados are a little pricy for what they are so wth..

hp2-very flat and boring. on the other hand, very accurate. my favorite.

ms1-a lot like sr80 yet flat. if you think sr80 is too bright but still want grados, this might be it

ms2- baby hp2, but a little bit colored.

ms-pro-grados rs1 in boring fashion. might suit better for longer listening session.

akg
240s-flat monitoring headphones, a little boomy without an amp.

271-refined version of 240s. yet might be a little bit tiring more longer session

701-very accurate yet very dry. great reference cans. high might be somewhat peaky for some people but not as bad as grados. headband sucks!

beyer
770-boomy bass. gets better with mods but still 770.

880-great cans, everything flat but colored. midrange is somewhat recessed like all beyers

990-880 with tighter bass but not as deep as 880.

sony

cd3000-detailed freak. look dorky when you're on. fast speed. one of my fav.

sa5000-real fast hitting can and a little bit thin sounding.

v150-basura

r10-musical




back to work
ph34r.gif
 
Apr 6, 2009 at 10:08 PM Post #51 of 114
Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Apple Earbuds - These were extr

KSC35 - Sort of like the ea

Guy Listening to Rap on Train's Earbuds - I can't believe they're sti



What the hell happened to your post?!...
confused_face.gif
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 3:32 AM Post #52 of 114
HD600 - neutral/natural/simple/regular a little bit boring. (2nd most familiar)
HD650 - HD600+smooth, seductive mids, my favorite (most familiar)
HD800 - fast and energetic, not as neutral as hd600, a little on the thin side. (3rd most familiar)
K701 - distant, thin, wide, i listen to electronica so i didnt like these. definitely hi fi though.
Ultrasone HFI 780 - isolation, definitely not neutral and metallic flavor. Good for techno. mine broke on the 2nd day. never buying ultrasone again except for ED9 or 8.
Edition 8/9 - high quality version of HIFI780. same shortcomings, greater in strengths.
Atrio M5 IEM - they don't sound clear compared to hd650, mids are weak. portable will do. (most familiar)
HD555 - like regular headphones in a full size frame.
Grado 325 - whoa these are uncomfortable...i was expecting very bright and energetic. looks cool.
grado hf# - what's so good about this? same as above.
GradoGS1000 - salad bowl is way more comfy on my ears. i like it.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 4:38 AM Post #53 of 114
Quote:

Originally Posted by kejar31 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thanks for the kind comment Quitoman!
biggrin.gif




Update on my D5000's now that I have had them for a month

D5000's (MarkL modded by me)

1. Without stuffing in pads - Tight accurate strong bass (just right if you ask me and trust me I am no bass head) warm upfront mids with ever so slightly sibilant highs. Soundstage is good for a closed can. Overall a great headphone

2. With stuffing in the pads - Its almost crazy how much this changes the sound. Tight accurate bass with slightly less impact, recessed mids and sibilant highs (almost as sibilant as the 325i's). Great, wait no, unbelievable soundstage and instrument separation.

In the end I kept the stuffing out of the pads although if I could just get control over the highs I would put the stuffing back in in an instant.



Sounds like a source issue. I know with my x-fi soundcard i am getting some sibalance and edginess with the denon headphone that i dont hear at all when i use the compass dac. this week i get a stello d100 to try with a c2c ive got comming next week. the denon headphone is very revealing of source so maybe with the right source you can restuff the pads
biggrin.gif
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 4:51 AM Post #54 of 114
Stax 2050 II- Excellent midrange and seperation. Lacks dynamics and bass impact.

Baby Stax- Nice midrange. more bass than 2050. Painful silicone pads.

Akg 701. Great soundstage. Nice midrange. Very little bass extension. Nice percussion. Great comfort not sweaty at all, very cool and comfortable.

Denon D7000. Best Bass ever. Nice Puncy accurate with depth. Nice midrange but not very forward. Good soundstage with Markl mod. Fun with all kinds of music.

Grado sr-125. Great rock cans with good midrange very forward and kinda bright. Very uncomforatable. If John Grado would improve the comfort of these cans I would get a sr 325i or rs 1, but since comfort is not his concern probably wont.

Etymotic er-4p neutral. kind of sterile. microphonic. too pricey.

Etymotic er-6s. neutral. kind of sterile. not so microphonic. worth the price.

Yuin PK1- fun puncy bass. nice midrange. not quite nuetral. decent soundstage.

Yuin OK1- Perfect for an earbud. Sounds like a full sized can. Very close to akg 701 but more bass and lively midrange.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 5:44 AM Post #55 of 114
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bengt77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What the hell happened to your post?!...
confused_face.gif



They were very brief impressions
tongue.gif
My way of saying that these kinds of impressions are basically useless. Just my opinion ofcourse.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 6:02 AM Post #56 of 114
Senn HD-201: Incredibly uncomfortable. Very straining and harsh sound. Lacks in the bass department. To me, not worth $10, not to mention the $20 I spent on them. NewEgg refunded my purchase. Also, "what isolation?" For closed cans, they are humid, warm, and the pads are nowhere near wide enough, even stuffed.

Koss PortaPros: Nice and light-weight. Extremely comfortable. Warm sound. Bass sounds hollow, though. Portable headphones of choice. Sound staging lacks, but it's still worth $35 for portable 'phones.

Fony MDR-V900HD: These were imitations out of China. I can only comment on them having EXCELLENT isolation and above-average comfort. On the phony cans that I got, the right can was comfortable while the left was not. The heat/humidity issue was helped by stuffing the pads. As I said about excellent isolation: I gave them to my roommate yesterday and connected them to his guitar's amp for him. They're better than Apple's stock earbuds, and I can only hear him manipulating the strings. I should have gave him closed cans ages ago--the Senn HD201s would have been a better choice, had I not been foolish and put them on eBay.

Senn HD-555: Grab 'em while they're cheap! I got mine for $55.49 shipped. Overall mostly comfortable. I don't like the "nub" on the inside back of each can. Pressure is none too pad, and they're rather on the light side. I'm not a huge fan of the stereo-phone jack (1/4") instead of the stereo-mini jack (1/8"). Makes plenty of sense if you're listening to a dedicated amp, but for unamped driving, it's annoying. No humidity issues, very slight heat issue, overall great 'phones.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 8:17 AM Post #57 of 114
Sennheiser:

HD202 - My starter into hifi. Pretty good bass, although a little boomy and a little too much. Treble is quite funky.

HD515 - Bass extends well, but does not have enough impact. Mids are a little nasally. Treble is quite average.

HD580 - A smidge more bass extension and impact would make this perfect (See: HD650)
Mids are liquidy smooth and so right I can't imagine how it would improve.
I suppose the highs are perfect for those with good hearing, but the SR225i (see later in this post) boosts the highs so that it sounds more like what I'm supposed to hear had I no hereditary upper hearing loss.

HD650 - See HD580 but with perfect bass and even more smoother highs. (Not to be confused with recessed highs). Love the way that these hug my head.

Grado:

SR225i - The bass is missing compared to the D2000 and HD650. I expected $200+ headphones to have better bass reproduction, although what is there is nicely controlled. Mids and highs sound very "live" is the best way to describe this.

Denon:

D1001 - Great bass, doesn't extend super-low like the D2000, but definitely competes with and slightly edges out the HD650 in that department. However, the mids are quite recessed. Highs are fairly prominent and slightly grainy.

D2000 - This is perfect bass for bassheads. It feels like I'm in a room with a proper pair of speaker towers and a 18 inch subwoofer. The highs are sibilant though, it really hurts to listen to these on metal for any extended period of time.

Shure:

E2C: Supremely uncomfortable. Isolation is also pretty bad for an IEM. Sound quality wise there's really nothing to make note of. Bass is just barely acceptable in terms of extension. Impact is average. Not boomy, which is good. Mids and highs aren't anything to write home about.

E3c: Slightly bass shy. Very comfortable with how the just disappear into your ears. Also, because they insert very deep, they isolate extremely well. Bass shy. Mids are pretty good, pleasure to listen to vocals, especially female. Highs are average.

SE210: Isolation is superb on these with black foamies due to the depth of which they insert. Bass extension is fairly mediocre to poor on these. There is one particular frequency range in the lower mids that seems really dipped to me, but otherwise the rest of it is good. Highs are again, average.

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.

Etymotic:

ER6i: Supreme isolation with triflanges. ****ty cord. Almost completely missing bass. Average mids. Slightly better than average highs.

ER4s: Again supreme isolation with triflanges. Missing bass is an understatement. Very neutral and dry mids, and good but sibilant highs.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 11:37 AM Post #58 of 114
all from an ipod classic 160gb, practical devices XM4 w/ AD8620 Op-Amp, AAC Lossless

IMHO:

Sennheiser HD590 - very comfortable, light and built well. not very musical but great for video games and TV. has a bit of HD600 envy.

Sennheiser PX200 - potable. nice case and package. fit my head well but known to be uncomfortable for some. a bit boomy and lacks separation, but fun to use, nonetheless.

Sennheiser IE8 - needs quite a bit of burn-in to shine. no problems with sibilance compared to BA. awesome soundstage. mediocre isolation. could sound veiled to some but excellent if you like the signature warm, laid-back sennheiser sound found in the HD650s. works very well with a punchy amp.

Audio Technica ATH-M50 - foldable design is easy to toss in a bag. aesthetically pleasing. coiled cable sucks. bit of base roll-off but nothing too serious. a bit muddy out of the box. great beater headphones. comfortable after you stretch out the headband. pleather earpads are prone to setting ears on fire.

Klipsch Custom 3 - fantastic isolation and fit for some. memory wire is super, but the cable itself is prone to microphonics and kinking. sounds very good tho. balanced highs, mids and detailed base. excellent separation and sound stage. comes with a nice case.

Ultimate Ear SuperFi 4vi - i f*&^ing hate these, but works well with the iphone. meh.

JVC Marshmellows - didn't bother to mod them so no idea of its potential. in stock config they are terrible. sound muddy, in your face. too much bleed between the registers. very uncomfortable for me, like the Ultimate Ear SuperFi 4vi. price is nothing to scoff at tho.
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 3:30 PM Post #59 of 114
Ok I'll play, I'm bored.


AKG k501: Huge sound-stage, lacks bass impact , not as detailed as the akg's below fantastic mids, one of my all time favorites.

AKG k601: a darker headphone than k501 and k701 , sound-stage more closed in, quite balanced , good detail ,

Akg K701: Very detailed , large sound-stage , bass impact is good , mids not as good as k501.. but better than most. sounds a little thin and distant something a little off tonally for me to call them neutral.

Beyer DT990 Pro:bass cannons, recessed mids , detailed treble but hyped. only good thing i can say is they are comfortable.

Bayer Dt250-80: an alternative to sony v6/7506 , not as detailed as the sony but more balanced,
These are my go to full-size closed cans when i need mobility.

Senn HD600: laid-back , well balanced , textured , not as detailed as k701. easy to listen to ear pads can get alittle stuffy for comfort. a great all rounder -- recommended.

Grado RS1 (vintage) : Very interesting headphone , refined, dynamic sound, lightweight
the deal killer for me was that I prefer a more tonally accurate sound , these do not meet that requirement.


Grado 325i: Golden euphoria , in your face detail, heavy , punchy bass , guitars sound awesome ,
always liked these for classic rock makes the music come alive , unfortunately can no longer listen to these as they makes my ears ring for some reason :frowning2:

Sony 7506: run of the mill closed can , hyper detailed , decent bass, nothing to get excited about.
a good reference of the average joes stereo system.

triple.fi 10: These are great , bass is detailed and deep , highs extended and detailed , mids a little recessed , laid-back sound not in your face. unfortunate they hurt my ears after an hour of listening
 
Apr 7, 2009 at 7:21 PM Post #60 of 114
dt990 (600 Ohm, late 1980s production): incredible, fluid sound, great bass, wonderful mids, excellent treble extension. Awesome detail and perfect soundstage

dt880 (250 Ohm, 2003): neutral, fast, forward, detailed, not very involving, but very resolving.

dt150: very good detail, great bass, deep and textured, good mids and good treble.

dt831: fluid involving sound, good bass, good mids, good treble extension. Good detail and good soundstage

akg k181dj: great bass, good detail, but recessed mids and a clamp force that ridicules the Force

akg k240 sextett: good bass, but recessed mids and rolled off treble. Very vintagy sound

akg k340: great soundstage and very airy, but not enough detail, rolled off treble and uninvolving mids

akg k400: fun, forward, good bass, good soundstage

akg k401: fun, forward, good bass, good soundstage, twice as good as the k400.

akg k500: magical mids, bass lean but good, great treble, wonderful soundstage, great detail and separation

akg k501: magical mids, bass a bit too lean great treble, wonderful soundstage, great detail and separation. Only just bested by the k500

akg k701: if you like a liquid buttery sound, pin-point accuracy, great detail and artificial highs, this is your phone

proline 750: ouch, the bass overpowers everything except the metallic thin sound of the mids and highs. Seems to attract fanboys, so be careful in criticizing them
atsmile.gif
.

proline 2500: great bass, but must be the most boring phone I've owned

hfi680: underestimated cans. Great bass extension, deep and detailed, good mids and highs on the right side of sharp. Great detail, good soundstage. Fast, forward and involving.

ad2000: magical mids, great bass, wonderful highs, good soundstage, unobtrusive detail. And so involving! They'll seduce you before you know it. Resistance is futile.

esw10jpn: what can I say? like a closed ad2000, magical mids, good bass, great detail and even more involving. Female vocals never sounded so good. You will be assimilated...

hd600: great mids, good bass, wonderful highs. Soundstage is good, separation and detail wonderful. I liked its warm colouring.

pcx450: for nc cans, they are quite excellent. Good detail, good mids, good bass, good treble. Involving Sennheiser house sound in a nc package.

float 1: so much fun, but although the soundstage is great and airy, it has a decisively vintage sound: rolled off treble, recessed mids, bad bass

float 2: better at everything than the float 1, but still only suitable for vintage music.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top