Quote:
Originally Posted by iainw /img/forum/go_quote.gif
hypoicon,
This is certainly surprising given the rave reviews that are bestowed on the Sennheisers. This is not to say that you are 'wrong', just surprising.
What sort of music are you listening to on them?
How warm are the RS-1s (might push the boat out) when compared to the HD650s, and what is the soundstage like on each?
How different are the RS-1s to the SR225, which are more in my price range?
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Nice to answer questions instead of fielding attacks. I listen to a wide variety of stuff, right now I'm listening to K.D. Lang through them; they sound a bit "wooly" and overly warm on that. The RS-1s aren't particularly warm in my opinion, and have a great deal of depth surrounding the individual instruments-- the Grados make it easy to hear really specific details. So far I'm having a great deal of difficulty with that on the 650s-- everything sounds somewhat mashed together and flattened. I am a bit flabbergasted by that myself.
Though I do love smooth and not so smooth vocals (huge Tom Waits fan), I also love complex instrumental material. Zappa is a great proving ground for that sort of thing. I have a preference for a bit "warmer" sound than most-- that is why I opted for a tube amp (a Little Dot MK III). The Grados have been great to me-- but I was looking for something a little more expansive, soundstage-wise, for variety. That's why I picked up the Sennheisers.
Putting them on was the first big shock. I have a large head, and I find the Grados to be quite comfortable. However, because they sit on your ears my earlobes pressing against my head can get irritating after a few hours. So I thought a circumaural phone might be a nice variety as well. However, putting these on is like placing my head in a vise. I get used to it after a while (sort of like diving to the depths of the ocean), so it isn't a deal breaker but it was a shock.
The dullness is the biggest problem. The bass is stronger but not as well articulated, but I'm thinking that might be an amp problem. I was thinking about getting a solid state amp to play with anyway, and I'm sure that is probably in my future. The Little Dot sounds great with all my Grados, Shure SE-530s, Head Direct RE-2s, etc. No complaints with the amp really, but the match here may just be less than ideal. I do not think that buying an expensive Woo will get me what I'm looking for either. I think what these Sennheisers really need is the more analytic/articulated damping of a solid state amp to bring them out of the mud. That's my current theory at least.
I'm not giving up on the 650s anytime soon, I just think that the blanket recommendation they get is a bit undeserved. I wish I would have gotten AKG 702s instead at this point-- but I was a bit concerned with the fact that too many people had labeled them as "uncomfortable" compared to the 650s. That'll teach me-- comfort is the worst with these phones. Unlike the majority of people here, I'd have to say that the Grados are the most comfortable phones I've ever used.
I haven't really listened to the 225s to make a comparison. I listened to the 325s for a while before buying the RS-1s and I really liked the RS-1s better. The 325s seemed a bit bright. However, since the 225s are supposedly closer to the 80s in sound signature I suspect that wouldn't be a problem with them. I am amazed at just how close my SR-80s are to the RS-1s. Yes, the RS-1s sound better, just not necessarily $600 worth of better. The 225s are generally held to be a great value.
In the process of writing this, I've switched to listening to U2's Boy album and the HD-650s tame down the brightness of that one pretty nicely-- but it sounds awfully dark on my set up right now. I'm really looking forward to trying them out on a solid-state amp. I have an iBasso D3 I could try, but that just seems a little silly. I'll probably go with a CIaudio VPH-2 when my bank account recovers.
