[Firestarter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikael - Sennheiser HD25-1: These are certainly only a slight let-down, but still worth mentioning. As a whole, they sound pretty good. I'm used to my Senn HD580s, though, and the HD25-1 certainly are very far from those. They have a little too much bass, slightly unnatural mids and recessed highs. As said, the whole package does fairly good and they're great to use "on-the-go".

now that's quite weird, as i'd describe the hd 25-1's as having a slight emphasis on the highs and a profound emphasis on the lows. the mids are .. different, somewhat unnatural. this is after extensive use and a cable replacement though, i wasn't too impressed with the stock hd 25-1's either (sibbliance!)

 

[Firestarter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jam_Master_J Don't really like my EX71s one bit compared to my other headphones. I bought them to sample IEMS and now I really have no use for them. Bass which is boomy and lacks impact, harsh highs and non-existant mids.

a friend of mine bought the EX71's, and after a brief impression i had a week ago, i'd have to agree with you on the mids and highs. i kinda liked the bass, but then again i like the Hd 25-1's bass. the highs made me cringe. even though my own 'phones aren't known for their refinement in the upper end, i found the EX71's to be headache inducing, within seconds..

 

[ServinginEcuador]

That the HP-1s I bought were totally uncomfortable, and that I had to sell them. They were one of the best headphones I'd ever heard, and hated to get rid of them.

 

[Electro Point]

My acutal disappointment was when I purchesed my Shure E2c's so long ago.
I expected better bass extention/quality and better mid's. Also didn't appeal to the veiled high's at first.
But other then that, I seem pretty satisfied right now with them after burn-in.

 

[catscratch]

Haven't had a disappontment, but haven't had a total success, either. I really haven't had a single system that gets me "there." I've heard one, for sure - the HE90, lol. Yeah, that gets me "there," but if I could afford that, then I wouldn't have to be stuck here at this job trying to save up for grad school.

Everything that I have has it's major shortcomings, and besides that, I've been really unlucky with my buying experiences. The SR-404 is really nice, but I got it with the SRM-313, which is the wrong amp to my ears, so that's a disappointment. The McAlister EA-1 would be a nice amp, except that mine has a clipping issue, and I need to fix that before listening to it further. So, that's another disappointment. The HD600 is pretty nice, but it doesn't have enough detail or speed for a lot of music, and doesn't get me "there" either. The SR-001 Mk II was a really nice surprise, probably the best money that I've spent so far, but it's tonal balance is really bad. If only it had the HD600's balance and retained it's speed and detail... The UM2 wasn't detailed enough either, and the ES2 is really nice, but I haven't heard a single source with it that can do it justice or synergize well.

I really cycle through my gear a lot, not satisfied with a single combo, and always wish for more. There is a lot of potential in my gear - specifically, I think that the SR-404 and the ES2 can sound absolutely amazing with the right gear, but I haven't found it yet. Ditto for the HD600.

I guess my definition of being "there" is just way too much. I want the system to get out of the way of the music. Be gone, completely - not a single distraction or blemish to take away the feeling of being there, totally lost and submerged in the sound. The system doesn't have to be perfect, it just shouldn't have any single major glaring weakness, be airy and transparent, but at the same time be forward and lively enough to not sound dead. Who thought that this would be so hard to find

The one major upside of all of this is that I am now more aware of what I want sonically, and am more focused in the direction in which I will go with my future gear acquisitions.

I thought that I would be done with system building at this point. But I only see that I've only just begun, and the road is going to be long and expensive...

 

[bahamaman]

Two major disappointments:

1. Shure E2c
2. Senn 595

 

[Chri5peed]

I was disappointed in my EX71s, one that they broke in 3 days and 2 that they sounded like they didn't have a gravel-filter.

 

[Patu]

That other thread reminded me of the disappointment which Koss Porta Pro gave me. After all the hype they turned out to be totally crappy portable headphones beaten 6-0 by PX100 .

 

[Kurt]

Sensaphonic ProPhonic Soft 2X.
After 8 months of very rare use a driver shorted out. Out of warranty, 6 months at that time, they wanted 150 a ear piece for the repair of a design flaw. So, the phones could have broken anytime again.
I am not the only one with this experience.
It’s a 800 USD paperweight now.

Cheers

 

[Leopold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patu That other thread reminded me of the disappointment which Koss Porta Pro gave me. After all the hype they turned out to be totally crappy portable headphones beaten 6-0 by PX100 .

What source and amp (if applicable) did you use with the portapros?

 

[J-Pak]

Sennheiser HD650. But there was a lot of hype around Headroom calling it "the world's greatest headphone". More like world's most boring headphone.

 

[calgary2800]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak Sennheiser HD650. But there was a lot of hype around Headroom calling it "the world's greatest headphone". More like world's most boring headphone.

You got that right!!!

 

[markot86]

Sorry to dig up a thread from the grave, but I'm surprised that NO one has mentioned this:

The K601's

Wow, I have never heard a worse sounding headphone in my life; absolutely NO bass; the sound was so artificial that I couldn't stop thinking that I had just wasted 220 dollars.

 

[Patu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leopold What source and amp (if applicable) did you use with the portapros?

My portable CD-player Sony D-NE700. PX100 sounds very good with it. Porta Pro doesn't.

 

[swt61]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak Sennheiser HD650. But there was a lot of hype around Headroom calling it "the world's greatest headphone". More like world's most boring headphone.

I totally agree! I was expecting a world class set of headphones, and was completely underwhelmed! I thought the soundstage was poor and the veil just muddied things up. There was plenty of bass, but it was bloated and flabby. I will concede that my reference cans are K340's and they are the Jeckle to the HD-650 Hyde.