My first post here. I wish I had found this site earlier this month. But it wasn't until I bought my AKG K271s that I started thinking "hey, these are good, but what else is there?"
So what will deliver the most accurate lo and mid bass?
A friend of mine has some slightly modded Koss Pro 4/AAs... OMG! Hooked directly into a drummachine (Roland TR-909, or Elektron Machinedrum) I have never heard such tight and piercing bass. It seemed like a very fatiguing phone but excellent for sound-design. They are an old phone that I believe is still manufactured or at least in supply. They are cheap too...
I realize that many users on this forum may be approaching things from a 'listening' perspective, but I need a 'studio monitoring' or 'reference' persective. What headphones will deliver the most accurate low and mid bass? Are there some that will also cover the rest of dynamic range with accuracy? I have heard Beyerdynamic 880s are very analytical.. I wonder if the new ones have made improvements, also are the new 990s a new design?
Some background on myself and headphone situation:
I spend most of my day in a busy office environment - web application development and business start-up development. I handle our operations but also design, marketing, and occassionally audio development. Right now, my AKG K271s are a great office can. I bought them initially to use at home with my Yamaha Motif ES6 workstation. In fact, what sold me on the AKGs at the store was how well the piano was reproduced in the phones. I play mostly piano, but also I compose electronic music as well - when I have time.
I was using MDR-V600s at my office... so when I brought my cans in to break-in I quickly realized how much I NEEDED a pair of phones just for the office. The Sony provided enough isolation, but I could get away with using an open can too as I have my own office...
After reading much of the advice and educated opinions here, I decided upon a pair of HD 555s for my office. I'm positive I'll end up switching phones once and a while. The HD 555s I got for a great price on eBay here in Canada (not the cheapest place for hifi or audiophile equip).
While I have both home and office covered, I am already suckered in to getting a dream pair of phones, amp, and source. In some ways I may have that right now... on to the K271s
Now I know I don't have a lot to compare this too, but here are my K271 impressions:
I bought these initially new at L&M in Canada, but they exchanged for a small defect. I ended up exchaning for a lightly used pair. Don't know what the burn in time is, but I was closely paying attention to the performance of the initial pair and these cans seem to have matured somewhat. Bass is defined and not lacking as much as before. I sometimes use a small bit of EQ. Mids are excellent... there seems to some high-end excitement missing. Overall, a soft, non-fatiguing experience. Can listen to music at sensible volumes for hours on these.
They are isolate very well.. I can listen to ambient music on these things and leave the hectic noise of office traffic behind. The fury of FAX machines, phones, and stress are replaced with a 'soundtrack office environment'. If I really need to focus, the K271 does the trick.
Some people had mentioned that these cans were polite on the bass... but they still deliver a nice low-end. When I first got these I wasn't aware of the differences between an open and closed can...
Looking forward to the HD 555s when they arrive. I was also looking at the 580s, but I'm pretty sure my next phone will by THE phone I want, hopefully covering accuracy needs foremost...
So what will deliver the most accurate lo and mid bass?
A friend of mine has some slightly modded Koss Pro 4/AAs... OMG! Hooked directly into a drummachine (Roland TR-909, or Elektron Machinedrum) I have never heard such tight and piercing bass. It seemed like a very fatiguing phone but excellent for sound-design. They are an old phone that I believe is still manufactured or at least in supply. They are cheap too...
I realize that many users on this forum may be approaching things from a 'listening' perspective, but I need a 'studio monitoring' or 'reference' persective. What headphones will deliver the most accurate low and mid bass? Are there some that will also cover the rest of dynamic range with accuracy? I have heard Beyerdynamic 880s are very analytical.. I wonder if the new ones have made improvements, also are the new 990s a new design?
Some background on myself and headphone situation:
I spend most of my day in a busy office environment - web application development and business start-up development. I handle our operations but also design, marketing, and occassionally audio development. Right now, my AKG K271s are a great office can. I bought them initially to use at home with my Yamaha Motif ES6 workstation. In fact, what sold me on the AKGs at the store was how well the piano was reproduced in the phones. I play mostly piano, but also I compose electronic music as well - when I have time.
I was using MDR-V600s at my office... so when I brought my cans in to break-in I quickly realized how much I NEEDED a pair of phones just for the office. The Sony provided enough isolation, but I could get away with using an open can too as I have my own office...
After reading much of the advice and educated opinions here, I decided upon a pair of HD 555s for my office. I'm positive I'll end up switching phones once and a while. The HD 555s I got for a great price on eBay here in Canada (not the cheapest place for hifi or audiophile equip).
While I have both home and office covered, I am already suckered in to getting a dream pair of phones, amp, and source. In some ways I may have that right now... on to the K271s
Now I know I don't have a lot to compare this too, but here are my K271 impressions:
I bought these initially new at L&M in Canada, but they exchanged for a small defect. I ended up exchaning for a lightly used pair. Don't know what the burn in time is, but I was closely paying attention to the performance of the initial pair and these cans seem to have matured somewhat. Bass is defined and not lacking as much as before. I sometimes use a small bit of EQ. Mids are excellent... there seems to some high-end excitement missing. Overall, a soft, non-fatiguing experience. Can listen to music at sensible volumes for hours on these.
They are isolate very well.. I can listen to ambient music on these things and leave the hectic noise of office traffic behind. The fury of FAX machines, phones, and stress are replaced with a 'soundtrack office environment'. If I really need to focus, the K271 does the trick.
Some people had mentioned that these cans were polite on the bass... but they still deliver a nice low-end. When I first got these I wasn't aware of the differences between an open and closed can...
Looking forward to the HD 555s when they arrive. I was also looking at the 580s, but I'm pretty sure my next phone will by THE phone I want, hopefully covering accuracy needs foremost...
