[cam94z28]

I am one of probably very few here who actually likes the sound sig of the Solo's. I actually prefer the Solo to the Solo HD. This is partly because I am extremely sensitive to any kind of brightness/harshness/sibilance in the treble, as well as honky/shouty upper mids, and I like to listen at moderate volume. I have many different cans, and still haven't found that perfect sound signature yet. I listened to the Solo/Solo HD at best buy several times over the last few days, and the regular Solo has a signature that appeals to me, including the "smack you in the ears" bass, although I wish it was flatter before 100hz or so. I was about to pull the trigger until today I took my S:Flo2 to Best Buy, and realized that the control talk cable is not compatible with the headphone port on the S:Flo2. I had to hold down the center button on the controltalk unit in order to hear normal sound. After thinking about it a little more, I came to the conclusion that there is probably something similar out there for less. So here I am, asking for options.
 
Browsing through headphone.com graphs, I have found the following options with a similar curve:
 
Beyerdynamic DT770 (pricy)
Shure SRH750DJ (leaning towards these for some reason)
Sony MDR-XB500 (not sure if i like their treble, from the short demo I had)
Ultrasone 650 (too expensive)
Audio Technica ATH-M50 (good reviews here, not sure if it actually has the impact I want)
 
I realize a graph won't determine how they sound in reality, but it's a start.
 
First and formost, I'm looking for non fatiguing treble. No chance of an S, T, or cymbal crash ever sounding harsh or fatiguing, even if that means the treble is rolled off. To give you an idea how sensitive I am, even my Porta Pro's have occasionally harsh treble. It ends up fatiguing me until I have to remove them after 45 minutes or less, and that's with my Rockboxed Fuze set to -3db on the treble. I'm looking for purely fun cans, which is why any chance of fatigue has to go.
 
Second, I'd like bass impact as close to the Solo's as possible. Ideally, though, the bass hump will go flat (closer to 0db) earlier than the Solo's, so it doesn't crowd the mids. Mids aren't quite as important, as long as they're never honky (ala cheap closed cans), or shouty.
 
I do have an amp (Headstage Lyrix Pro), but want to have it as an option, and not a requirement.

 

[cam94z28]

No opinions here? Someone else asked this very question in the Full-Size forum today, so obviously I'm not the only one with this dilemma. Surely someone has heard something that sounds like the solo's, even if they didn't like the solo's, or the similar sounding phones.

 

[maverickronin]

Maybe try the XB700s.  The treble is supposed be smoother than on the XB500s.

 

[cam94z28]

Wow, I thought this thread was destined for the trash bin. Thanks for replying
 
I've actually been reading through the "Bass IMPACT!!!!!! Thats all I ever asked for in life " thread, and have come to a similar conclusion. I think the XB500 might actually be a better solution, after looking at the last few pages (I like punchy bass more than sub bass). If I could find similar bass impact to the Solo's, along with silky smooth highs (to my ears) like my HD212PRO's, I will have found my perfect cans. I finally got new earpads for them today, and they bring back memories. The treble is a little tinny, and bright, but at the same time, never sibilant or fatiguing. So many so-called hifi headphones around here are horribly sibilant and fatiguing to my overly sensitive ears. I'm looking forward to old age when I finally start to lose my high frequency sensitivity.

 

[maverickronin]

You also might want to check out the HD203s.  They look like they're similar to the 212s.  no firsthand experience though.

 

[cam94z28]

yep, it looks like they use the same headband too, along with the HD202's. From what I've read the 202's even use the same drivers. I was hoping for something that would get me a different sound though. I am looking for something a little less tinny than the HD212's, with a different, deeper bass. 212's are more of a punchy mid-bass (80-100hz), but anything below rolls off quickly.

 

[kboe]

I would look at the AT ES-7s.  They have tremendously great bass impact, especially when mated to an amp.

 

[kboe]

The A700s would be awesome as well, better than the ES-7s, but they would need an amp do really shine.  Were talking some real "Thwack" here too.

 

[cam94z28]

Even the A700 appears to roll off quickly about 10hz below the 212 Pro's. Not sure if it would go deep enough. I think the "thwack" of the a700 comes from the drivers being 53mm, which is huge! My HA-RX700's (50mm) will move a similar amount of air, but they don't go low enough either.

 

[Mochan]

How's your search? Found anything yet?

 

[cam94z28]

I kind of forgot about this thread I realized how overpriced the solo's really are. I've recently purchased the HD203's, XB500's, HD555's (on sale), and DHP-II's, all cheaper than the solo's combined! My DHP-II's were defective (no bass in one side), so I can't judge those. The XB500's have a unique sound signature. Not really ear massaging like the Solo's, but they have some impact, and seem to play all of the low notes cleanly, right down below the range of human hearing. HD555's obviously aren't for bass, but have some decent detail without being too harsh in the treble (another feature I wanted)
HD203's really have no deep bass at all. Despite FR graphs showing different it starts rolling off around 100hz. Boosting 80hz with an amp will bring some of it back though. They are still punchy and fun to listen to with most music though.
 
Overall I like the XB500. The treble is not harsh in practice, the demo station at Best Buy indicates otherwise. I'm not sure if they'll replace the solo's, but they're a good filler for now.
 
In the end I guess I wised up and realized, although fun to listen to, a 1 note ear massage is not really what I was looking for. If they ever go down to the $80 range I'd probably consider them again.

 

[Mochan]

I typically don't like the lower end Senns, particularly the HD2xx series, HD203 is no exception, I absolutely hated that headphone. I found it to be absolutely grainy, no resolution, no bass, and dirty metallic treble.
 
I have an XB700, but not the XB500, been wanting to try out an XB500 for a long time.
 
Anyway I will probably get myself a Beats Solo HD soon. It's one of those cans I've wanted to have for some time now.