- oaklandp8ntbalr
- |
- Fabled Legendary Member
Generalizations.
Helping idiots hate other idiots since people have existed.
Posted by: PMC Fluffy
Posted by: SQWABYSQWAB
What's your budget?
Would you be willing to buy an amplifier?
What kind of music do you listen to?
Is isolation a must?These are the most important questions. Here's an idea of which brands are good for what:
Grado - generally, bright, forward, aggressive, with great sense of immediacy/speed and energy, but not as spacious sounding as Senns or AKGs or Beyers. Easier to drive than the competition, but do benefit a good deal from amping, especially tube amps I think.
Alessandro - technically like Grado, but more relaxed and neutral.
Sennheiser - Generally balanced with some extra warmth. Smooth and relaxed sound compared to Grados with better sense of space and better imaging (depending on the models compared). More neutral. Some find them not as detailed as Grado's and veiled or lacking energy. Most of their high end cans need a great amp and source to shine and also balancing.
Denon - Bassy. Great soundstage and imaging for closed cans. Good detial accuracy. Bass is very deep but can be boomy with wrong source and/or amp. Mods apparently help a lot (i.e markl mod). Also need good amp and source.
Audio-Techinca - Their open models and some closed ones are bass light for some, but bass quality is generally good. Their closed cans can actually be quite bassy. Midrange is usually a bit forward or recessed depending on the model. Treble can also be forward or recessed. Something like a mix of Grados and Senns - not as aggressive as Grado, but not as laid back as Senn. Known for great imaging and soundstage. Generally easy to drive.
AKG - Known for great clarity. their full-sized open cans are also known for excellent soundstage and imaging. Some think their open cans are a bit lean on bass and forward on treble (i.e K701) Other think they neutral. Also known for realistic tonality. generally hard to drive and require a good amount of burn-in to open up.
Beyerdynamic - known for great treble. Some cans like DT770 are also known for huge bass which some think is overpowering and/or bloated. Are generally not easy to drive, but easier than Senn HD6** series. The sound is usually clear and clean and somewhat bright/enthusiastic. Generally more neutral than Audio-Technica, kinda like Senn, but with different flavour. Some think Beyers are more neutral and Senns sound too sweet, but that depends on which models you compare.
Ultrasone - Very controversial cans. Some think they are very neutral and revealing, but need a lot of juice and/or burn-in to reach their full potential. others think their basses are bloated or overpowering and treble is harsh/metallic and mids are recessed. They are generally acknowledged as having good soundstage for closed headphones though.
Posted by: Deadlights911
Posted by: Elite Mouse
Stop buying Bose, they are bad and overpriced.
If you want the best, you buy Sennheiser or Grados.
They may be a bit overpriced but I still think Bose headphones are amazingI find them sub-part at best. For $300, you could get a Beyerdynamic DT770 250 Ohm, Sennheiser HD598, Audio Technica AD900, or V-Moda M80, along with a FiiO E7, and still have some money left over.
Wow, thank you for all the information!