[Smugsie]

  btw I have to ask, I and dont mean to offend anyone or do I know where to properly post this, But why on earth are people recommending the AT M50's for musical enjoyment when they are audio monitors, audio monitors are tuned neutral and near flat for the m50's case and are clearly not musical. bragging rights for being so called analytical and audiophile? >.>

Some people like flat/neutral/cold sound headphones... like me ;D
I prefer my AKG Q701's and Etymotic Research ER4S any day of the week.
 
 
I'm not a fan of Sennheiser, mids and treble aren't engaging enough. The HD800 is a very big exception though.

 

[FriedRice25]

Ultrasone. They don't do it for me. Bass and Treble and not much in between.

 

[heatofamatch]

I've listened to a cross-section of Philips products over 15 years and they never sound right to my ears. I get the impression that Philips really loves their reverbs, and they must hold the lo-fi aesthetic very close to their hearts.
 
And then there's Shure.

 

[wigglepuff]

  I've listened to a cross-section of Philips products over 15 years and they never sound right to my ears. I get the impression that Philips really loves their reverbs, and they must hold the lo-fi aesthetic very close to their hearts.
 
And then there's Shure.

what reverb? can you give a specific detail or source for test?
 
its usually the source that is poorly recorded or something in your eq or soundeffect plugins that makes these happen.

 

[justaname]

Of the earphones/headphones that I've owned, the Etymotic sound is at the bottom of my list. They're not as fun to listen to as my sr80/se215/hfi580s. 

 

[takato14]

  Of the earphones/headphones that I've owned, the Etymotic sound is at the bottom of my list. They're not as fun to listen to as my sr80/se215/hfi580s. 

To each their own I suppose...

 

[Strangelove424]

I think I could find an annoyance in every headphone sound sig. Sennheiser too blurry and smudged. AKG too spacey and disconnected. Beyer too bright and zingy. My personal solution was to choose Beyers and EQ the highs. But I have to wonder if this is just the compromise of headphones vs. speakers, one driver vs. many, natural room acoustics and reverb vs. direct to the ear. It seems to me there is always a price to pay with a headphone, and even if you EQ you are essentially just choosing a different set of compromises, based on personal taste, than the engineers did when tuning it. But the compromises are still there, and no headphone is perfect.     

 

[MacedonianHero]

  I think I could find an annoyance in every headphone sound sig. Sennheiser too blurry and smudged. AKG too spacey and disconnected. Beyer too bright and zingy. My personal solution was to choose Beyers and EQ the highs. But I have to wonder if this is just the compromise of headphones vs. speakers, one driver vs. many, natural room acoustics and reverb vs. direct to the ear. It seems to me there is always a price to pay with a headphone, and even if you EQ you are essentially just choosing a different set of compromises, based on personal taste, than the engineers did when tuning it. But the compromises are still there, and no headphone is perfect.     

Sorry, but Sennheiser too blurry and smudged? Have you heard the HD600s or HD800s? They are the exact opposite of that. The HD650s, I will grant you. 

 

[annar]

  HD-650, and there is no amp or DAC that can save them.

I fully agree, these are REALLY not  exciting, as for HD800's well, sold mine within 3 mths, really very clinical ,no emotion! 

 

[Strangelove424]

  Sorry, but Sennheiser too blurry and smudged? Have you heard the HD600s or HD800s? They are the exact opposite of that. The HD650s, I will grant you. 

Yeah, tried the HD600s and DT880s at the same time and ended up returning the Senns. A memorable example in comparison for me was Bach's St. Matthew's passion. On the HD600, not only were the strings hard to pick apart, but the chorus blended into the strings so sometimes it just felt like a wall of homogeneous (albeit mostly euphonic sound). I say "mostly" because I remember, owing to Bach's use of competing melodies, the low note of a cello was mixed into the rising notes of the chorus and it made something sound off. But if the low note was correctly prescribed to the cello, it would in fact have sounded beautiful and antagonistic - not necessarily "off". When I listened to that album on my DT880s, it offered clarity and distinction to the notes, and suddenly the complexity of Bach's arrangement comes into focus, and could be fully appreciated.  

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Yeah, tried the HD600s and DT880s at the same time and ended up returning the Senns. A memorable example in comparison for me was Bach's St. Matthew's passion. On the HD600, not only were the strings hard to pick apart, but the chorus blended into the strings so sometimes it just felt like a wall of homogeneous (albeit mostly euphonic sound). I say "mostly" because I remember, owing to Bach's use of competing melodies, the low note of a cello was mixed into the rising notes of the chorus and it made something sound off. But if the low note was correctly prescribed to the cello, it would in fact have sounded beautiful and antagonistic - not necessarily "off". When I listened to that album on my DT880s, it offered clarity and distinction to the notes, and suddenly the complexity of Bach's arrangement comes into focus, and could be fully appreciated.  

In terms of bang for your buck under $400, the HD600s are one of the best in terms of instrumental separation and clarity. What was your upfront rig?

And the HD800s on a proper rig would put your comments about the Sennheiser blurry house sound. 

 Next to the SR-009s, they are the clearest most tactile headphones I've heard.

 

[kman1211]

  Sorry, but Sennheiser too blurry and smudged? Have you heard the HD600s or HD800s? They are the exact opposite of that. The HD650s, I will grant you. 

True the HD 600 are not really smudged and the HD 800 are among the cleanest and clearest headphones I've heard. If you look at Senns sound signature as a whole, I personally consider it fairly accurate.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
True the HD 600 are not really smudged and the HD 800 and HD 700 are among the cleanest and clearest headphones I've heard. If you look at Senns sound signature as a whole, I personally consider it fairly accurate.

I think the HD650s are the outlier for Sennheiser with a dark/laid back sound. The HD600/800s represent the Sennheiser house sound more for me.

 

[kman1211]

  I think the HD650s are the outlier for Sennheiser with a dark/laid back sound. The HD600/800s represent the Sennheiser house sound more for me.

I personally don't find that the case, of the many Senns I've heard(including the cheap stuff), I found Senns often lean on the dark and laid-back side. When it comes to Senns higher-end models, they do tend to lean more towards neutrality though. I found the HD 600 and HD 800 to sound very different from each other. I personally don't think a house sound has anything to do with how dark or bright the headphone manufacturer tends to lean, but rather it's a more subtle character to the sound that is often found among a brand.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
I personally don't find that the case, of the many Senns I've heard(including the cheap stuff), I found Senns often lean on the dark and laid-back side. When it comes to Senns higher-end models, they do tend to lean more towards neutrality though. I found the HD 600 and HD 800 to sound very different from each other. I personally don't think a house sound has anything to do with how dark or bright the headphone manufacturer tends to lean, but rather it's a more subtle character to the sound that is often found among a brand regardless of FR response.

 
Generally I agree, but as I mentioned, I think the HD600/800s represent the "best" that Sennheiser has put out. But with darker sounding headphones (i.e. HD650s), I think one can't pin down a Sennheiser "house sound"; very much unlike say beyerdynamic.