[ourfpshero]

i have had the hd555 as well as the 910 and ad700. i wasnt a fan of the hd555 and sold it within a week. the 910 has superior sound to me, especially in bass.

 

[dweaver]

After finishing my long post, I took off the headphones to go upstairs and I felt the pressure still on my head from the Senn's. So I think I will be taking them back no matter what as I know from the one brief demo of the AD700 I had that they did not have this problem and I am convinced the 910's won't either.

I think it will come down to the SQ of the AD700 and how well they fit on my head (my concern is the fact they never closed to my head at the top of the phones due to their design) vs the SQ of the Philips and their overall comfort and fit. I hope the Philips have the same level of detail, mids, and highs as the AD700 as I loved those aspects of the AD700, if they do and also have better bass response I will be very happy, but I guess only time and some testing will tell.

I'm still glad I have tried out these Senn's though as I will no longer have a sense of wonder about whether I should have got them. Plus it has allowed me to start to get an idea of what I will get with the other open cans. I really think I will be happy with which ever pair I get as I do like the big sound stage, it really does my favorite musical genre's well.

 

[dweaver]

So I took back the Senn's today and stopped at a local guitar shop that had an AD700 on hand. After listening for 20 minutes I decided to take them home for the night and bought them. So far all I can say is WOW are they nice! I love the detail I am hearing and the mids and highs are not veiled like the Senn's were! I also find I actually like the bass because it is snappy versus boomy and it definitely is deeper than the HD555's were. I also am starting to warm up to their looseness (they actually do close at the top of my head just not very tightly. They definitely have better sound stage as well.

For those who have owned both the AD700 and the Philips. I think the Philips will have more bass from what I have heard. But how are the mids, highs, and detail of the Philips compared to the AD700? I am starting to think I may keep these and the Philips and when I need/want more bass just use the Philips. But I would love to hear feedback about whether the Philips will do all that I am getting from the AD700's or not, so I can decide if I should take these back to the store I got them and wait until I get the Philips. (I'm torn between the $180 these cost and how much I like them, I also like supporting local business versus just always going for the cheapest price off the internet.

)

 

[ddoingwell]

Since you seem to have reached your decisions in right and perfect ways, I'll just toss this bit in: I have had all the Philips top models and they are all GREAT value for $$$ and to this day, one of my faves is the SHP9000. The money being asked for the 910s your indicated is fair considering they are fragile at the tenons but the sound is very dynamic. Very. I've also had the AD500s and AD700s and tired of them quickly. My personal choice for best all-round headphone is the AKG K240s. And yes, I tried the Sennheisers and Denons as well.

Have fun!
Don

 

[dweaver]

Thanks ddoingwell;

THe AKG 240's need an Amp I think which is why they are not on my list of phones I have been looking at. I am going to listen to these AD700's for the rest of the night and may decide to return them tomorrow and wait until I hear the Philips before committing a very sizeable chunk of change to something I may find trumped by what I have coming in the mail.

I will say this though, I was listening to Kansas as I did some work and the AD700 breathed new life into that music for me, I had gotten to the point where most of the time Kansas started to sound like kids playing with cheap Casio keyboards, but tonight their music simply came alive, the guitars were more present, the timber and modulation in the synthesizer parts was there versus sounding like Casio's and the singing was so much more present. I hope this will be what I get out of the Philips, if your experience having owned both is that the Philips will deliver this, I think I will take these back and wait to see what the Philip's do before making what for me is a sizable investment.

No matter which way I go I sure am glad I pulled the purse strings open even if it's only temporary, as I now know what some of the big name brands sound like and am able to make a truly informed decision based off my experience. I also know, no matter what, I will be much happier with the Philips cans versus the ones I traded for them, I don't think I will be trying closed phones again, they simply pale in comparison to what I have heard the last 2 days. I just hope the guy I traded with likes what he got in trade.

 

[dweaver]

Well after spending an evening falling in love with my music collection all over again I have to say the Philips have a tough act to follow, but I am going to take these AD700 back until I test out the Philip's. My only complaint (and for me it is significant) with the AT phones is that they are two big for my head and they flop around because of it. If I do buy them I will definitely be using the elastic band mod to help tighten them at the top of my head a bit. But I am mainly taking them back because I need to ensure the Philip's phones coming in are not (or are) of a similar quality so that I do not spend money that could be saved for something more important. I know that may sound way to responsible but I am trying LOL.

 

[ddoingwell]

In my experience, the AD700s were only bettered by the Philips in model SHP9000, all things considered. The 910s had more impact...much more impact and lost a bit in soundstage to the AD700s. As for the AKG K240S, they do not need an amp but every good headphone benefits from a dedicated amp with a decent source.

If you're in love with the music courtesy of the AD700s, KEEP THEM. Love, is the only thing worth basing any decision on.

 

[qawsedrf]

:lol:


The AD700 does exactly that, so no worries. But hey, keeps your ears warm in the winter, though I personally haven't been through one.

Hmmm.. Just a week ago I nearly strike a deal for the Philips HP910, though decided to refrain from me and grabbed myself a HD580 off headfi, which will take two months before it actually reaches me cause I am asking a friend to bring it back for me.

So what am I gonna say is solely based on pattern matching. Haha.

What I can say about the general philips sound signature is that they're rather analytical, slightly bass shy and having a more brighter end. The mids may be just a slight bit recessed if you compare them, of course, to more upfront cans. Soundstage wise, decently wide, but won't get close to what you get on the AD700. =)


Btw, cans like the SHP9000 and the HP1000 are actually real tough to amplify properly. Not too sure about the HP910, which I'll probably get a month or two later.


pS: ddoingwell, mind sharing the reason why you think SHP9000 fares better than the AD700? Hmmm... Let me make a wild guess here and see if I am accurate, you listen more to rock and metal, trance, and songs of such genre?

 

[ddoingwell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qawsedrf /img/forum/go_quote.gif :lol: The AD700 does exactly that, so no worries. But hey, keeps your ears warm in the winter, though I personally haven't been through one. Hmmm.. Just a week ago I nearly strike a deal for the Philips HP910, though decided to refrain from me and grabbed myself a HD580 off headfi, which will take two months before it actually reaches me cause I am asking a friend to bring it back for me. So what am I gonna say is solely based on pattern matching. Haha. What I can say about the general philips sound signature is that they're rather analytical, slightly bass shy and having a more brighter end. The mids may be just a slight bit recessed if you compare them, of course, to more upfront cans. Soundstage wise, decently wide, but won't get close to what you get on the AD700. =) Btw, cans like the SHP9000 and the HP1000 are actually real tough to amplify properly. Not too sure about the HP910, which I'll probably get a month or two later. pS: ddoingwell, mind sharing the reason why you think SHP9000 fares better than the AD700? Hmmm... Let me make a wild guess here and see if I am accurate, you listen more to rock and metal, trance, and songs of such genre?

Actually, I could not disagree more completely. The Philips HP1000 and SHP9000 aren't had to drive at all; none of the Philips are and if you want to try a really great cheap headphone, try the SHP8900. The HP910 is a very tight, precise sounding headphone with lots of detail, and so is the HP890 which is a bass monster, was originally touted as a sub-woofer headphone.

As for my listening preferences, I'm an avid jazz fan. The AD700s were just too airy for me and seemed artificially detailed. A bit saccharine. The AD500s were worse and really brittle in the high end. It was as though the frequencies had been selectively EQ-ed for one music style and seemed too loose for really good jazz interpretations. The SHP9000, while not being the best headphone for jazz, did, in my experience, more things well across more music styles when compared to the AD700s. I can buy the Philips line-up for about 40% less $$$ and for me, they were much better value.

 

[qawsedrf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddoingwell /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I could not disagree more completely. The Philips HP1000 and SHP9000 aren't had to drive at all; none of the Philips are and if you want to try a really great cheap headphone, try the SHP8900. The HP910 is a very tight, precise sounding headphone with lots of detail, and so is the HP890 which is a bass monster, was originally touted as a sub-woofer headphone. As for my listening preferences, I'm an avid jazz fan. The AD700s were just too airy for me and seemed artificially detailed. A bit saccharine. The AD500s were worse and really brittle in the high end. It was as though the frequencies had been selectively EQ-ed for one music style and seemed too loose for really good jazz interpretations. The SHP9000, while not being the best headphone for jazz, did, in my experience, more things well across more music styles when compared to the AD700s. I can buy the Philips line-up for about 40% less $$$ and for me, they were much better value.

Ahh.. That explain it. *chuckles*
It's true the AD700 has a rather colored midrange there, contributing to its smoother presentation of its mids and slight airy-ness you feel around especially the vocal region.

The HP1000 and the SHP9000 is easy to drive, but to drive it properly is another question. Haha. Direction out of the Ibasso Boa the SHP9000 sounds too bright, analytical yes, however sounding quite artificial, though by itself it's already good enough. =) As for the SHP8900 I've previously tried it, and heck that brought me into Headfi and headphones for all that mattered. *laughs* After a cable change I am gonna attempt driving my SHP9000 and HP1000 out of my dedicated amp again (with a source upgrade coming up soon!), see if I can warm things up. Somehow I see a hell lot potential with these pair of headphones.

Hmmm.. If I see any NOS of the HP890, 895, 805 I'd grab them for collection purposes.

Oh btw, the SHP9000/HP1000 is darn revealing, especially when you pit a badly encoding track/movie to it.

 

[dweaver]

Thanks Guys, I think I am going to be happy with either set of phones so in the end I'm just gonna be smiling while I listen

 

[dweaver]

Well my HP910 arrived today so I had to give it a try. I am not burining it in as it is used and already has hours on it.

My first impression was WOW! These do sound darn good and are worth the cost of the phones. They are more comfortable than the AD700 (they don't fall off my head!) and the HD555 (they don't squash my head!) and sound better than the HD555 and the HD595 (although the 595 did sound pretty darn good) and almost as nice as the AD700 (I really like the midrange of the AD700). The sound is nice enough I have no huge urge to go buy the AD700. I would say they are slightly warm sounding and are a bit laid back, they definitely have more bass than the AD700 but I don't think it's as bassy as the Senn's and midrange is better than the HD555 by a lot and slightly better than the HD595 for midrange as well.

The only complaint I have about them is the build quality which is making them creak when I move my head but I think I can fix some of that.

For us Canadian's stuck with almost no options for quality headphones without paying a pound and crown (HD595 is $300+, HD555 is $200+, and AD700 is $180+) these phones for around $65 landed off of Ebay really are a steal.

BTW these are driven better than all the above phones by my Ipod Touch as well.

 

[yourstruly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dweaver /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well my HP910 arrived today so I had to give it a try. I am not burining it in as it is used and already has hours on it. My first impression was WOW! These do sound darn good and are worth the cost of the phones. They are more comfortable than the AD700 (they don't fall off my head!) and the HD555 (they don't squash my head!) and sound better than the HD555 and the HD595 (although the 595 did sound pretty darn good) and almost as nice as the AD700 (I really like the midrange of the AD700). The sound is nice enough I have no huge urge to go buy the AD700. I would say they are slightly warm sounding and are a bit laid back, they definitely have more bass than the AD700 but I don't think it's as bassy as the Senn's and midrange is better than the HD555 by a lot and slightly better than the HD595 for midrange as well. The only complaint I have about them is the build quality which is making them creak when I move my head but I think I can fix some of that. For us Canadian's stuck with almost no options for quality headphones without paying a pound and crown (HD595 is $300+, HD555 is $200+, and AD700 is $180+) these phones for around $65 landed off of Ebay really are a steal. BTW these are driven better than all the above phones by my Ipod Touch as well.

Wow do those headphones really cost that much in Canada? HD555 and AD700 at those prices are just insane.

 

[dweaver]

Canadian prices are completely insane in comparison to the US and the rest of the world. Heck JVC Flats which sell for $10 in the US are $30 here. The best price I have seen the Senn H555 is $162 from a Amazon Canada and the AD700 is only available through one online reseller that is also a Brick and Mortar music store for $180. We can't even buy the majority of these equipment here. I talked with one reseller who said that all ATH higher end stuff is sold through only on distributor in Canada and they are taking a huge cut. Really only cheap JVC, Sony, Skullcandy, Sennheiser, Panasonic, etc is avaiable in most stores in Canada (I'm not saying all these companies are cheap, just the models being sold, and for higher end model prices!!). ONline options that are Canadian based are far and few between with not much better selection than the B&M stores.

I ordered a pair of JVC DX1 phones from Overstock (Canadian branch because the US portion is unavailable to Canadian's) and paid $127CAN landed for the phones, if I lived in the US those phones from the same source would have costed $75-80US or about $95CAN. BTW I'll post how I like those phones when they arrive as well but in the appropriate thread

.

BTW I am listening to these new phones as I type away and they are definitely laid back, they will be great for certain music styles but I hope the JVC's fill a void in my music that I think these might have.

 

[Makenshi]

That's great to hear. I am currently also trying to decide between these and AD700 for my first open headphone. If possible, please post a comparison to the DX1 and update your impressions as they burn in!

Glad you like them. A close save for your wallet