[argyledk]

Hi everyone

I really need advice as to which sealed headphones will best suit my listening preferences.
Let me first make clear that the phones have to be sealed since I can't escape a noise environment when listening.

I listen to a lot of bands such as Greenday, Dinosaur Jr, Raveonettes, Jesus & mary chain, that use a lot of 'thick' distortion, which several cans I've listened to handle in a 'muddy' and sometimes 'tinny' way (sorry for my lack of appropriate vocab).

I have so far auditioned these candidates:
- AH-D2000
- AH-D1001
- DT 770/80
- AKG K271
- ATH M50

I didn't like either of the Denons (for various reasons), but I am considering the AKG and the Beyers, even though both have their faults IMO (DTs = recessed mids, AKGs = a bit lean in the bass).

While auditioning I always compared to my beloved PX100s, and every time, to my surprise and frustration, I ended up preferring the sound of these signifantly less expensive (and open) cans

I would be very grateful for any thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Jaska]

I think it's time to audition the Sennheiser HD265 if you can find a pair.

 

[argyledk]

Thanks Jaska
the HD265 look very interesting, but I can't seem to find a store anywhere that carry them. Are they discontinued?

Anyone else know of other possible candidates?

 

[katanka]

not that i have personally heard them, but from lots of reading you should try the ultrasone HFI-780, preferably with a cable mod

 

[Tiemen]

Argyledk, why didn't you liked the Denons? From what I read about them, they seem to do a good job with your musical tast.

 

[argyledk]

You're absolutely right Tiemen. I read extensively about the D2000s here on Head-fi and really expected them to be 'the right' headphone for my preferences, since most people here seems to love them.
I was really disappointed when I actually heard them though. They may not have been burned in (demos in a store), but still, I expected them to sound better out of the box.

Firstly, I have to admit that they have an impressive soundstage for a sealed can, and there are enough detail to satisfy most listeners. But I didn't like the way bass seems separate from mids and highs. They are quite bass heavy, but the bass is not very tight IMO, rather messy actually, and it sort of feels as if belonging to another part of the sound spectrum than the mids and highs. The highs were clear, but the mids were not very full. Perhaps a better word would be tinny.

I auditioned the D1000 as well, and while I actually preferred the bass handling of the D1000 to the D2000, its soundstage is way narrower. It is clearly a much cheaper headphone, but for about a 100 Euros I guess its not bad.

I think I just realized that the Denons are not for me

 

[gp_hebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by katanka /img/forum/go_quote.gif not that i have personally heard them, but from lots of reading you should try the ultrasone HFI-780, preferably with a cable mod

No offense, but this comment is worthless, especially the part about the recable. This is the kind of post that generates hype and flavor of the months. Listen for yourself and then comment, everybody hears things differently.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by argyledk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't like the way bass seems separate from mids and highs. They are quite bass heavy, but the bass is not very tight IMO, rather messy actually, and it sort of feels as if belonging to another part of the sound spectrum than the mids and highs. The highs were clear, but the mids were not very full. Perhaps a better word would be tinny.(

I think you just described the bass of the DT 770 as well.
I couldn't have said it better.
With the stock 770 I have the feeling that the bass is leading a life of it's own.

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gp_hebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif No offense, but this comment is worthless, especially the part about the recable. This is the kind of post that generates hype and flavor of the months. Listen for yourself and then comment, everybody hears things differently.

Wise words mate. I wish everyone writting in this forum spoke just of what he/she has experienced first hand. I can't understand those posts advising things very different from the ones the OP asked about 8O.

Rgrds

 

[Uncle Erik]

I suggest buying or building an amplifier if you don't have one.

What may seem muddy often isn't the fault of the headphones. It's lack of power and poor control that makes it seem that way.

 

[argyledk]

At home I use a Beresford DAC from my PC and a EyeTek tube amp (identical to the Fatman Itube), both IMO warm sounding.
When auditioning the Denons at the store, however, it was on a Denon D-M33, which is not high-end but still supposed to be pretty decent.
What I perceived as tinny in the D2000s may have had something to do with the difference between these amps/dacs, I perceived the Denon M33 to sound a bit on the cold side, but I still heard plenty of bass, just not very well integrated bass and not very tight/fast.

IMO great handling of distortion is mostly about midrange, but in order to not sound muddy, bass has to be fast and well integrated with mids.
And this combination seems to be the real challenge in a sealed can around or under the $250 range, but please share your experiences. There must be at least a couple of sealed cans out there great at handling distortion without sounding muddy or tinny.

 

[argyledk]

Are there no distortion enthusiasts out there, who have found just the right sealed can for distortion?

 

[grndslm]

I know I've seen one or two cans mentioned before... just don't remember what it was.

Try searching and digging toward your own conclusion.

 

[MuseMan]

I (tried to) listen to the new Ravonettes album with my revealing markl modded/recabled D2000s, but I could not finish the 1st song. There is a difference between wanted distortion which I enjoy (Nine Inch Nails) and the Ravonettes album, which was clipping HEAPS.

My point is, some things sound BETTER on lesser equipment, and that is a good thing sometimes. The higher up you go, the more the flaws are apparent, and once your ears hear them - they never forget.

With the Denons, you know when the bass is recorded muddily, and when the cymbals are clipping. This type of detail is BAD and not a benefit for some music, as it is a PLUS with others.

Use a nice equaliser to cut the offending frequencies, but make sure not to increase any as that will generally make things worse.

Good luck!

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuseMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif My point is, some things sound BETTER on lesser equipment, and that is a good thing sometimes. The higher up you go, the more the flaws are apparent, and once your ears hear them - they never forget.

This is so true, and the reason for me to use sometimes my cheap HD 201.