[vcoheda]

try SR225/325 with flats.

those are pretty good for rock. of the 3 you mentioned, i would probably go with the 650 or 880 and not the 701. i think the latter is more suited for jazz and esp classical.

 

[sacd lover]

I have owned all three and did numerous comparisons over the years. I just like the Senns (580/600) better overall followed by the 701. The 880 is just to sibilant and treble dominant for my taste .... although the latest 880 is better in that regard to my ears than the original. I would take the 600 over the 650 everytime as I find the 650 to bassy and dark.

For the best rock can I dont think you can beat the Grados. I am sensitive to spiky treble so I prefer the Alessandro versions of the Grados. I love the MS2s and my woodied MS1s for classis rock and electric blues.

 

[nutkicker]

Out of those three headphones, I've only heard the HD650 with rock, but I gotta say that its hardly ideal. The HD650 is too dark and bassy for rock IMO. I never heard the K701 with rock, and I never heard the DT880 at all, but out of all the headphones I've ever tried, the HD650 would be the last headphone I'd go for if I wanted to listen to rock music. Unless you didn't like the comfort of Grados or if they are too expensive in your area, you should go for them. When it comes to rock music I only use Grados.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I own all three of those. I prefer the HD-650 narrowly to the DT880 (2003) for rock. I think both are a cut above the K-701.

But I usually reach for the RS-1 when I want to rock.

 

[BushGuy]

The O.P. questioned which for Rock, specifically. The answer should not be amongst those he listed, but he failed to include Grado. I'm basically a Beyerhead (jazz, and classical)........but for Rock the correct answer is GRADO, without question.....most expecially RS-1. Some folks might say Denon D5000 are adequate for the purpose - but, personally I prefer RS-1 (using semi-vintage pair) for Rock and incidentally, instrumental jazz.

 

[analogbox]

When I had HD650 and K701 at the same time, I kinda prefered K701 more because I thought overdriven guitars sound more genuine on K701, although it lacked the bass attack.

Now, I'm using HD600 and it pretty much owns the other two headphones when it comes to rock.

 

[boomana]

It depends a lot on what other components are in your system. Without the right amp, the 650s can sound a bit slow; with the right amp, they're pretty wonderful. The 701s, once recabled, and, again, with the right amp can do a decent job, but without, they can sound anemic and really lacking in bass. I'm not a fan of the 880 because the highs kill my ears. Between your three choices, I go 650, but with a decent source and good amp at minimum, but the 600s fair a better with a variety of sources and amps, and should be considered. Don't think just about headphones, think about your whole system, budget, and where you'll be using them.

Dynamic headphones, with good systems, I've enjoyed most with rock, in order: PS1, R10, HF1, HD600. For portable rigs not needing amps, or good with portable amps: ESW9s are nice UE11s are freaking amazing.

 

[th0m]

I will have the opportunity to listen to the RS-1's and also the D2000's soon.

The reason I only mentioned those three headhones in the op is that they're considered more allround. I mean, I listen to more than just rock, but rock is where I want them to excel.

 

[moredes]

Quote:

Some folks might say Denon D5000 are adequate for the purpose - but, personally I prefer RS-1 (using semi-vintage pair) for Rock and incidentally, instrumental jazz.

BushGuy,

Why do you prefer the RS-1's over Denon D5000's for rock? I'm a big classic rock fan--mostly bass guitar and certainly electric guitar; I like the D5000's, but wonder how the two compare.

What's the difference between RS-1's and MS-1's? I can't find a review that compares the two. The most "complete" review I found was what seems an OEM blurb at Audio Advisor for the RS-1's. I would expect for the price difference that the RS-1 must goose-step over the MS-1...i. e., more of everything good.

 

[scompton]

I can't believe all the people complaining about harsh highs with the DT880. Mine aren't like that at all. They're amazingly well balanced for me and I'm pretty sensitive to harsh highs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif The disclaimer: I don't believe in style-specific headphones. I think the transducers job is to play music, not rock or jazz or classical. With that said. I listen to it all, to great satisfaction, on HD580s. Tim

x2. I'm a firm believer in the idea that a good headphone is good for most genres. I listen to all genres with the headphones I use most of the time. Since I usually listen on shuffle, I wouldn't like a headphone that doesn't do an adequate job at most genres.

I also agree with boomana. You'll want a good amp for any of these

 

[th0m]

I tried out the RS1 vs D2000 a couple of weeks ago like I said, and clearly Grado isn't my cup of tea. Compared to the considerably cheaper Denons, the RS1 sounded thin, harsh and very "small", just like the cheaper models do. The D2000 crushed the RS1 on every genre I tested them with. I also prefered the D2000 to my HD650, so I'm definitely gonna get me some Denons in the future (probably the D5000).

All is IMHO of course.

 

[tubaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by th0m /img/forum/go_quote.gif Like the topic says, which handles rock the best; the 650's, 880's or 701's?

I own HD650 and owned K701 for a year. Between the 3 you mentioned, for rock, I'd definitely rule out K701 first although it is great for classical, especially piano, it's too clean-cut for pop in general. I vote for HD650.

 

[Brando]

I love my ATH-AD2000's with rock but they sound amazing with everything I've heard. Another guy on these forums had the ad2000's too but he switched to HD600's and he's really happy with them so I guess they would be great as well. All I know is my ad2000's do electric guitar flawlessly imo. So crunchy and squeely and punchy and bassy and tight all at the same time. But when I put on smoother music they do great at that too. Pretty much my definition of perfect but I haven't heard that many phones.