Headphone Suggestions - Take 3!

[Ermz]

Okay, hoping 3rd time's the charm here.

I've decided to retire my ATH-M50s for tracking duties so they can get all ratty and musicians can use them. In the mean time, what do I do for my personal set? Do I order another set of M50s, or is there a set of cans out there which actually works better for mixing? I've tried Sennheiser HD650s, and many of the Beyerdynamic DT-series, and not liked any of them. I need something much better than those, if possible.

Lasse and Greg recommended an AKG set in the past, but I've forgotten what it was. I recall not liking any AKG cans I've tried before, but am happy to give them another shot.

All suggestions would be helpful. Budget can be anywhere up to around $1k.

 

[Empathy]

AKG K702's/K701's/Q701's. Deliciously smooth top end, extremely detailed midrange, best transient response of any headphones I've tried. Seperation is astounding for a pair of cans.

Cons are the sub-80Hz range is weak, pathetic compared to the M50s, but I always considered the M50s to be pretty exaggerated in that department. They don't have the greatest headband ever on them, the ribbed plastic kind of hurts your head after an hour to two hours usage, though I've not noticed it at all lately. It's probably moulded my skull. They're very, very light grip as well, will fall off your head if you make sudden movements.

Differences between the models are somewhat confusing. Basically the K702's have a marginally (REALLY marginal) better level of transient detail, and a somewhat smoother top end than the K701's. The Q701's sound exactly the same as the K702's, but are the same price as the K701's and have some cooler colours. Basically, the Q701's are K702's for the price of the K701. Derp.

 

[jipchen]

AKG K702

@Empathy: +1 except for the prices?
AKG K701 = 199€
AKG K702 = 311€
AKG Q701 = 475€
I mean I understand they are more expensive in Australia but why would the prices be so weirdly shuffled?
Afaik the Q701 are just a fancy looking version of the K701 (not 702!). At least that's what AKG stated at some point.

Also they supposedly need some time to burn in to reveal their true greatness I can't tell because the ones I tested have already been used for some time.

 

[Ermz]

Thanks. They've got to be next on the list. Shamefully there don't seem to be any stores around here that stock demo sets. Last time I inquired about them, I was asked by staff whether I was referring to consumer-end, casual listening headphones.

 

[Empathy]

Thanks. They've got to be next on the list. Shamefully there don't seem to be any stores around here that stock demo sets. Last time I inquired about them, I was asked by staff whether I was referring to consumer-end, casual listening headphones.

Muppets, the lot of them.

I was lucky, here in Perth we've got a dedicated headphone specialist retailer tucked away in one of the business districts, had just about everything anyone has recommended on these forums available for testing.

AKG K702

@Empathy: +1 except for the prices?
AKG K701 = 199€
AKG K702 = 311€
AKG Q701 = 475€
I mean I understand they are more expensive in Australia but why would the prices be so weirdly shuffled?
Afaik the Q701 are just a fancy looking version of the K701 (not 702!). At least that's what AKG stated at some point.

Also they supposedly need some time to burn in to reveal their true greatness I can't tell because the ones I tested have already been used for some time.

Oh man, the prices here are ridiculous; it's $469 for either the K701s or Q701s, and $599 for the K702s. The K702 and Q701 share an identical response graph on AKG's webpage, with the K701 being slightly different to both. I'd have to agree about the burn in period too, my Q701s were in a sealed box and the demo K702s were about a year old. My pair is slowly getting to that point of glory, it's definitely noticeable. Love the shit out of them to be sure.

 

[Ermz]

I'm confused, which one of those 3 is the best? I don't care about the price when they're all so cheap. Thanks!

 

[egan.]

Ermz, my understanding is there is no performance difference. The 701 is the consumer version, the 702 is the 701 with a detachable (replaceable) cable, and the Q is just a 701 for NBA players to buy.

edit: actually it appears that the Q's are supposed to sound different.
edit #2: it appears that edit #1 is a debated topic

 

[Ermz]

Cool - thanks egan!

While the lack of sub-bass reproduction probably won't help with vibe, I think it may be a good thing for mixing. As long as the low-end is flat, it might inspire me to mix more low-end into my mixes, which is definitely something I've been needing lately.

Hopefully there is a place here in Melbourne that demos the set.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

Lasse recomandation was AKG K240 if I'm not wrong.
Have K240 mkII myself and I love it for mixing. But I don't think you looking for that type of can (consider it like a more "hifi" ns10).
Nothing impressive but if you know what to listen for on it, you have no chance to be disappointed when you will hear your mix on outside world.

 

[Kazrog]

Very happy with my AKG K702s. I also have a vintage set of K141s that I picked up at the swap meet for $2 (literally) and they sound great as well.

 

[Ermz]

Cheers. I'm finding the K702s selling for less than K701s on eBay. Weird?

 

[Mago]

I didn't like the AKG K702 at all, but I love my HD650, so I guess it makes a lot of sense for you to try them out

Used a pair of old ass K240 for years though, and I thought they were pretty nice

 

[Melodeath]

The new Shure SRH940 are getting high marks

 

[Kazrog]

Cheers. I'm finding the K702s selling for less than K701s on eBay. Weird?

The K701s came with a groovy stand. And they are white. They sound identical (a friend of mine has K701s.)

 

[Damian B]

The new Shure SRH940 are getting high marks

They got a good review in TapeOp. The dude said they were his new favorite cans.

 

[oroinvictus]

I'll always root for my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's.

 

[Melodeath]

They got a good review in TapeOp. The dude said they were his new favorite cans.

Indeed. SoS gave them a great review as well, although said the bass might be "too tight" to mix dubstep on

 

[ze kink]

Still loving my HD650's, and I'm actually considering picking up a pair of ATH-M50's this week for tracking and mobile usage. The K701's I haven't heard yet (I know they're voiced more towards bright and clear; not what I'm after), but I've used a bunch of different K240's; owned and used the K240 Studios myself for years too. I wouldn't recommend the K240's really, I completely ceased using mine except for tracking (for which they weren't good either, being semi-open) after I got the HD-650's. They just sounded cloudy, way too bassy and with an annoying presence in comparison, besides being very uncomfortable to wear too.

Did you try the HD600's? They're supposedly not as bassy and low-middy as the HD-650's, so many feel that they're "more flat". I'd also recommend checking out the Denon AH-D2000's, though most who've seemed to like them have also liked the HD-650's a lot, so they might not be what you're after. Then there's the Sennheiser HD-800's, the Stax stuff and Audeze's LCD-2, which could very well be more of what you except in comparison to the Opals. And also far more expensive.

 

[Ermz]

I looked at the HD-800s, but the $1-2k mark is really pushing it for a set of cans, IMO.

Curiosity is piqued re: the new Shures. I'll check them out on the net.

EDIT: Dang - why do they have such low impedance? I literally won't be able to drive them from my amp, because the first few notches favor the left speaker, and it'll be too loud if I go any higher.

EDIT 2: Double-dang - they're closed back? I need cans which are very good for balancing low-end, and the M50s cause issues in that region due to their closed nature. Looking for semi-open varieties if possible.

 

[ze kink]

Since I can't remember too well, what was your main issue with the HD-650's? Also, what amps did you try to drive them? I've definately noticed a much bigger difference in how they sound when plugged into different sources, whereas the old AKG K240 Studios I had sounded pretty much the same from everything except from my iPod, which skewed both the image and the bass presentation quite horribly.

Honestly, my first bet would be the HD-600's. It's quite close to the HD-650's character but flatter, and with a more pronounced 3-4K area.

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2941&graphID[]=2621&graphID[]=573&graphID[]=853

Damn, I have to say that judging by the graph, the HD-650 looks far more presentable than the others, especially the ATH-M50...