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Question of the Day: Which is the most hair-raising South African mountain pass you've driven?
Sennheiser, beyerdynamic or audio technica??
- Thread starter Necuno
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Necuno
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how about the ATH-ADx00 ones, open air?
ArchieChoke
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I would be biased on this one and go for the Audio technica 50MX as I have had my pair for 1 year and 8 months and nothing has broken after many falls.
Sennheiser do make good audio equipment, just don't know about the build quality.
Do you have a amp to run this?
Got the 598's and they are incredible. Cannot go wrong with them, any music/movie/game you throw at it, it will produce amazing sound, and even better sound if you pair it with a nice sound card.
cant comment on others.
cant comment on others.
SlinkyMike
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They are all good cans but it really is going to depend on your preferences as a listener.
What kind of sound do you like?
Sennheiser tend to have a heavily coloured sound with overemphasis on the low end, some people find this very desirable.
Beyerdynamic will tend toward a very uncoloured sound, almost analytical.
Audio Technica are probably the least specialised of the three you have mentioned, I don't have experience with these.
Then we get to the rest of your signal chain, source? If it's MP3 then you'll be wasting your money on any of the products you ave mentioned, just use the earbuds that came with your phone.
Assuming lossless source, DAC or no DAC?
Amplifier? It's going to impact the sound you get out of any of those cans probably more than anything else in the signal chain.
Your best bet is if you have a good relationship with your AV supplier, they might allow you to loan expensive equipment before you purchase it.
My guy does this, even with very costly equipment and it makes big difference being able to check how something performs on your system, in your room (less important with cans) etc.
What kind of sound do you like?
Sennheiser tend to have a heavily coloured sound with overemphasis on the low end, some people find this very desirable.
Beyerdynamic will tend toward a very uncoloured sound, almost analytical.
Audio Technica are probably the least specialised of the three you have mentioned, I don't have experience with these.
Then we get to the rest of your signal chain, source? If it's MP3 then you'll be wasting your money on any of the products you ave mentioned, just use the earbuds that came with your phone.
Assuming lossless source, DAC or no DAC?
Amplifier? It's going to impact the sound you get out of any of those cans probably more than anything else in the signal chain.
Your best bet is if you have a good relationship with your AV supplier, they might allow you to loan expensive equipment before you purchase it.
My guy does this, even with very costly equipment and it makes big difference being able to check how something performs on your system, in your room (less important with cans) etc.
Progenix Oj101
Dealer
I'm not a huge fan of Sennheiser's lower end headphones, I chose Audio Technica over them. When I bought about five years ago I grabbed the Audio-Technica ATH-A700 for their very neutral sound (not completely neutral, but more so than Sennheisers in the same price bracket).
I later replaced them with M-Audio Studiophile Q40s. Because of the neutral sound of the ATs and the music I had been listening to, I had my bass set quite high on the EQ and the Q40s almost shook my retinas off. After correcting for that, they have proven to be superior in every aspect other than build quality. I seem to recall that the frequency response has a slight spike at around 8 KHz but other than that is pretty darn flat.
My experience has been, given an approximate budget of R 1,000 to R 2,000, M-Audio > Audio-Technica > Sennheiser.
I later replaced them with M-Audio Studiophile Q40s. Because of the neutral sound of the ATs and the music I had been listening to, I had my bass set quite high on the EQ and the Q40s almost shook my retinas off. After correcting for that, they have proven to be superior in every aspect other than build quality. I seem to recall that the frequency response has a slight spike at around 8 KHz but other than that is pretty darn flat.
My experience has been, given an approximate budget of R 1,000 to R 2,000, M-Audio > Audio-Technica > Sennheiser.
Necuno
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Just, my 2c: unless you are doing mixing/monitoring, having a perfectly flat response is not as important as having a profile that "sounds nice" to you. Unfortunately, that's not something you can specify mathematically, which means you should try before you buy, if you can. I actually prefer Sennheiser in the sub R2k range, even though I know they're not as good as the competition on paper.
I love the sound of the HD598. If someone will let you have a listen, compare the HD598 and the HD518. I actually prefer the HD518 - which was significantly cheaper last time I checked - due to a slightly better bass response (but lower high-frequency cutoff), and also because I find it to be more comfortable for daily use.
A note of caution: the pricing of Sennheiser headphones is only vaguely related to quality and more expensive doesn't necessarily imply better sound. Although I am a Sennheiser fan, some of their very expensive models are actually pretty rubbish.
I love the sound of the HD598. If someone will let you have a listen, compare the HD598 and the HD518. I actually prefer the HD518 - which was significantly cheaper last time I checked - due to a slightly better bass response (but lower high-frequency cutoff), and also because I find it to be more comfortable for daily use.
A note of caution: the pricing of Sennheiser headphones is only vaguely related to quality and more expensive doesn't necessarily imply better sound. Although I am a Sennheiser fan, some of their very expensive models are actually pretty rubbish.
I bought the HD558's after looking at stats and listening to web comparisons with the ATH-M50x's. My decision was based on comfort, which I'm very very happy with. The AT's have a better bass, due to be sealed and also leak less noise. However, the Sennies sound fantastic to me and feel comfortable for hours.
Electric
Honorary Master
I have the Beyerdynamic DT990 and am heavily biased towards them.
They are excellent headphones in all aspects.
DT990 just sound great all the time.
They are super comfy with soft plush velour earpads.
Bear in min they are open backed so sound can bleed into them if you aren't in a quiet environment.
DT770 are also very good and being closed back have a deeper bass and block sound better.
They also require some form of Headphone amplification to achieve the best sound.
I have a CMOY BB headphone amp and a Asus Xonar.
They are excellent headphones in all aspects.
DT990 just sound great all the time.
They are super comfy with soft plush velour earpads.
Bear in min they are open backed so sound can bleed into them if you aren't in a quiet environment.
DT770 are also very good and being closed back have a deeper bass and block sound better.
They also require some form of Headphone amplification to achieve the best sound.
I have a CMOY BB headphone amp and a Asus Xonar.
Gnarls
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Which would these be? The HD650 properly amped is worth every single penny.
Electric
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Higher ohms are better but require specific amps to power them.
You're better off getting 80ohm if you have no amp.
Necuno
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st can amp up to 600ohms.