Sennheiser HD600/650 or AKG K701 or Beyerdynamic DT880 for heavy metal music? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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ironmine
05-02-2008, 09:55 PM
Hi!
I was wondering if someone could help me with choosing headphones. My situation is as follows: I have NAD C320BEE amplifier and NAD C521BEE CD-player. My current headphones are Sony MDR-C380. I would like to upgrade these sony headphones for something better. I do not plan so far to buy a dedicated headphone amp, I plan to use the phones output on the face panel of my NAD amplifier. I want to buy one of the four models - Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser 650 or AKG K701 or Beyerdynamic DT880. The thing is that I listen to such music genres as black metal, heavy metal, hard rock, etc. Could please someone tell me, which of the above headphones are more suitable with regard to the music styles which I like?
Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Eugene Kushnarenko
Russia

markw
05-04-2008, 06:56 AM
As much as Iove my Senns I don't think either of those would be well suited for your type of music. Might I suggest give their HD 280 a try for that purpose?

ldgibson76
05-13-2008, 04:58 PM
Hi!
I was wondering if someone could help me with choosing headphones. My situation is as follows: I have NAD C320BEE amplifier and NAD C521BEE CD-player. My current headphones are Sony MDR-C380. I would like to upgrade these sony headphones for something better. I do not plan so far to buy a dedicated headphone amp, I plan to use the phones output on the face panel of my NAD amplifier. I want to buy one of the four models - Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser 650 or AKG K701 or Beyerdynamic DT880. The thing is that I listen to such music genres as black metal, heavy metal, hard rock, etc. Could please someone tell me, which of the above headphones are more suitable with regard to the music styles which I like?
Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Eugene Kushnarenko
Russia

I hope a lifetime supply of "Tylenol" comes with whichever set of headphones you choose!:2: :yikes:

Regards!

Feanor
05-15-2008, 09:35 AM
Hi!
I was wondering if someone could help me with choosing headphones. My situation is as follows: I have NAD C320BEE amplifier and NAD C521BEE CD-player. My current headphones are Sony MDR-C380. I would like to upgrade these sony headphones for something better. I do not plan so far to buy a dedicated headphone amp, I plan to use the phones output on the face panel of my NAD amplifier. I want to buy one of the four models - Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser 650 or AKG K701 or Beyerdynamic DT880. The thing is that I listen to such music genres as black metal, heavy metal, hard rock, etc. Could please someone tell me, which of the above headphones are more suitable with regard to the music styles which I like?
Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Eugene Kushnarenko
Russia

Hi, Ironman,

Check the Headroom website for reviews of the headphones you mentioned (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/full-size/). I think you will find their comments interesting.

RGA
05-15-2008, 05:04 PM
I have the HD 600 and it's probably not going to be your cup of tea. Also decide whether you need an open or closed headphone. Open cans like the Senn means everyone can hear what you're listening to and so they are terrible as a traveling headphone.

All that said the HD 600 is a wonderful headphone but you can get pretty much the exact same sound from the HD 580 which is a lot cheaper. The Sens also need a headphone amp which can be a drawback.

The AKG 26p that I also have is quite excellent as a traveling headphone and runs about $40. I was fortunate to compare about 25 headphones in Korea and definitely give these a try because they bested a number of competitors at $150 including some more expensive AKG's. The thing is the 26p is very simple - not a lot of added comfort but I was so impressed I bought a second pair for when the day comes that the first pair break.

The 701 is very nice as well but I didn't spend time listening enough to know whether it would be a good rock can. Grado is also worth a shot.

Also consider investing in a headroom total bithead headphone amp - this is both a DAC and headphone amp and is portable and comes with USB. So you can run your music from your computer without the computer grunge getting in the way. It can be powered from your USB or uses 4 AAA batteries for portable use - it's about the size of the ipod classic but a bit fatter. This will help out those Mp3s a bit I'm sure.

They go for $150 and on par with any headphone amp I've heard int he $500 range but does more. http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-bithead.php

Rich-n-Texas
05-15-2008, 05:41 PM
Hmmm... There he is again! Hi RGA.

RGA
05-15-2008, 07:05 PM
yeah it's like a smoking addiction - you quit but you come back.:mad2:

Mr Peabody
06-28-2008, 06:14 AM
I had a lower line pair of AKG and upgraded to the HD600's the improvement was night and day. I also bought one of my kids a pair of the entry level Sennheiser wireless that cost around the same price as the AKG and the Senn's blow the AKG away. I am a big Senn user I bought their portable for commuting, I think PX-200 or PDX, I also own a pair of HD580's. I find the HD series neutral sounding with tight bass response. I personally listen to a wide variety of music including Metal and Hard Rock and don't hear why the Senn's wouldn't be fine for that genre. The bass is accurate and not exaggerated like most other headphones, the highs are extended and the overall sound is balanced. I think when some one says they listen to Metal people assume you want a colored sound with big bass, and you might, in which the Senn's will not be a good choice. The double kick drum of a Metal band will be fast and tight, the 600's have good bass, it's just not bloated or over emphasized, so if you want more of a boom to the kick, one of the other brands may be better. The Senn's also have a bad rap for being hard to drive, I drive my HD-580's with an entry level Onkyo receiver out of the front head phone out. I've also had them hooked up to mp3 players and portables to test the sound. They drove the 580's pretty well, maybe not to their potential but I was surprised at the sound I did get. I also agree that if you want to save some money the 580's would be the way to go. I've had both hooked to my Musical Fidelity headphone amp to compare and the only thing you lose with the 580's is a slight less high end extension and the mid's don't seem to be quite as open, so the 580's give a bit warmer presentation, but the difference between the two pair are relatively small. When I bought my HD-600's I became a big Sennheiser fan, they were so much better than anything I've ever heard in headphones. They give a true "high end" sound if driven with good equipment. One other thing I really like about Senn's they give a large sound stage, or sound. They don't compress everything between your ears like some cans do. Just my impressions, hope it helps.

I have not heard the 650's and no experience with Beyer.

cg8472
07-15-2008, 08:31 AM
First off, I'm by no means a pro, my audio equipment is pretty low end (Sony CDP-711 on Onkyo TX-DS575), and I listen to music "carefully" only for some moths now. That being said I recently listened to AKG 601, Senn's 595, and Beyer's DT880 2005 edition in order to decide wich one to get for myself as a replacement for my crappy, old, and broken Sony MDR CD750. I had them all at home for some days so I could take my time. My personal verdict was that I disliked the warm sound of the Senns, I loved the highs and clarity but badly missed the bass on the AKG, hence consequently have chosen the Beyers as my personal favorite. One thing I noticed - and the reason I'm posting here in the first place - is that I was especially surprised by the big difference in favor of the 880 when it came to dark sounding and/or guitar-based music (Rammstein, Prodigy, saxophone jazz, Massive Attack,...). That type of music had noticably more body and was more authentic than with any of the other two (the AKG for example excelled at fragile sounds, womens voices, accoustics and such... in my opinion, that is). I hence think you should at least give the Beyers a try before making a final decision. Btw, although labelled as "semi open" they are much more open than closed so don't expect any noticable isolation in either direction.
As I see you were considering the AKG 701... I did shortly try these compared to "my" 601 a couple days later in a quiet HiFi shop but did not find them having any more "dark power"/ bass than the 601s. In fact I didn't hear any difference whatsoever. Changing the amp made a way bigger difference than there is in between these two cans.