[H]ot Sennheiser HD555 @ $94 shipped

That's a pretty good deal for some senn's and just incase anyone was wondering about the frequency response of these headphones, just take a look at this link.

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphTye=0&graphID[]=441p

They're fairly accurate headphones, a bit warm but I bet they sound good. I havent heard these ones because I have the senn 595's but the frequency charts don't lie, those are nice headphones for the price.

Also senn's do have a lil "break-in" time to get the most outta the sound drivers so basically through more use you get a better sounding headphone.

-Poetik
 
I was about to buy these but then I realized they are OPEN and would bother people around me (not good for my situation).

What do you all recommend as a good pair of CLOSED headphones that are very comfortable and are a good first set of hi-fi headphones? $50-$100 is OK if its a good deal. I'm using these for GAMING and mp3 MUSIC, mostly with a computer.
 
So the AD700's are a little better but you HAVE to have a headphone amp? How much is that? A second set of HD555's?

Just wondering, thanks.
 
Justintoxicated said:
So the AD700's are a little better but you HAVE to have a headphone amp? How much is that? A second set of HD555's?

Just wondering, thanks.
Click to expand...

What? You don't need an amp at all for the AD700s. They are very efficient, even moreso than the HD555s.

That's not to say you can't use an amp, though-they will benefit greatly from a quality source and amplification.
 
Justintoxicated said:
So the AD700's are a little better but you HAVE to have a headphone amp? How much is that? A second set of HD555's?

Just wondering, thanks.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge, there aren't any dynamic headphones that require an amp. There are many that need one to sound like they should, and others that while they don't need them, benefit hugely from one, and yet others where amping makes very little difference.

While its always the only determining factor, you can generally guess how important amping a headphone is based on its independence. The lower the independence, the easier it is to drive without an amp. HD555's I believe are 50ohms, whereas the AD700 are 32ohms. Therefor, you can generally guess that the AD700 is less likely to require amping than the HD555. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, and thats not to say that lower independence headphones do not benefit from amping (Grados being a prime example)... but in this case, the logic applies. If you are just driving them from a PC, the AD700 should be easier to drive, though both should be driven fairly easily.
 
medstudent23 said:
I was about to buy these but then I realized they are OPEN and would bother people around me (not good for my situation).

What do you all recommend as a good pair of CLOSED headphones that are very comfortable and are a good first set of hi-fi headphones? $50-$100 is OK if its a good deal. I'm using these for GAMING and mp3 MUSIC, mostly with a computer.
Click to expand...

http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A500_Art_Headphones.html

Those should do the trick for you. I find them to be very comfortable. For gaming, they are great. They have good soundstage and nice boomy bass... an FPS delight. For music, they aren't the greatest, but if you don't have any frame of reference, they should sound great there too. The A700 was my first real headphone, and I thought it was exceptional for music. When I got a pair of Grado's, they became my gaming only can... but in your case, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" comes to mind :).
 
Just snagged the last pair of AD700's I hope they fit comfy or I will return them. I was trying to make the decision easier for everyone but as soon as I purchased the last pair it jumped to 5 left in stock WTF! lol

I love my Sennheiser PX 100's so I thought I would try the competition brand. My Logitecs z5500's were delayed for another week :(

I do plan on getting an amp in the future but for now would rather have z5500's. Headphones are nice, but with the westy I need surround for when others are watching as well. Or for when I don't want to wear huge ass head phones.

What headphone stand is that in the picture on the prefious page?
 
Justintoxicated said:
Just snagged the last pair of AD700's I hope they fit comfy or I will return them. I was trying to make the decision easier for everyone but as soon as I purchased the last pair it jumped to 5 left in stock WTF! lol

I love my Sennheiser PX 100's so I thought I would try the competition brand. My Logitecs z5500's were delayed for another week :(

I do plan on getting an amp in the future but for now would rather have z5500's. Headphones are nice, but with the westy I need surround for when others are watching as well. Or for when I don't want to wear huge ass head phones.

What headphone stand is that in the picture on the prefious page?
Click to expand...

You mean holding my AD900s? Thats the bed bath and beyond banana hanger. Mine already broke, so I'd suggest a real stand like the woo audio stand.
 
m3ta1head said:
You mean holding my AD900s? Thats the bed bath and beyond banana hanger. Mine already broke, so I'd suggest a real stand like the woo audio stand.
Click to expand...

Can you link me, not to get too far offtopic but any large headphones can use a stand to go with them. Woo Audio Stand returns Nothing in google. But the Bananna thing sound interesting.
 
m3ta1head said:
Bed bath beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13696624

woo audio: http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wahps.html
Click to expand...

I find it difficult to justify the $30 price-tag on the woo when it looks like something a kid could make in a 45 min shop class in highschool... but I am looking for a headphone stand too, atm they lay on-top of the 5.1 stereo system speakers they replaced.. I have been debating installing a hook onto my computer desk so I can hang them like a coat by my PC. Or even a hook on my wall. I know we havnt really discussed it here, but both the HD555s and AD700s are pretty easy on the eyes and make for good techno-wall-candy by your audio systems and PCs.

I was the one who brought up amping the AT AD700s... this is stemming from my studio experience with their more expensive brothers. Of-course the 32ohms is going to make it easier to drive, but if they are anything like their studio counter-part, they will require amping for proper accuracy / warmth balance. However I'm not blind to the fact that if expensive headphones are intended for studio use, the manufacturer may presume all will be amped to begin with. Its confusing to say anything without them being here yet. Since i chose super-saver shipping, mines will be here on the 21st.

If you want the HD555s for now almost $40 under new-egg, hurry up, I see the price has jumped from 94 to 100 and back to 94 on amazon...

I have this odd feeling that I'll end up using my HD555s for music and audio books for the warmth they have, and the AD700s for audio editing and voice-recognition sensitive gaming because of the precision I'll enjoy when trying to make out ppls voices on ventrillo. But who knows! Cant wait to have both! ... heck if I chose one over the other, they are not hard to sell :)
 
The Red said:
I find it difficult to justify the $30 price-tag on the woo when it looks like something a kid could make in a 45 min shop class in highschool... but I am looking for a headphone stand too, atm they lay on-top of the 5.1 stereo system speakers they replaced.. I have been debating installing a hook onto my computer desk so I can hang them like a coat by my PC. Or even a hook on my wall. I know we havnt really discussed it here, but both the HD555s and AD700s are pretty easy on the eyes and make for good techno-wall-candy by your audio systems and PCs.

I was the one who brought up amping the AT AD700s... this is stemming from my studio experience with their more expensive brothers. Of-course the 32ohms is going to make it easier to drive, but if they are anything like their studio counter-part, they will require amping for proper accuracy / warmth balance. However I'm not blind to the fact that if expensive headphones are intended for studio use, the manufacturer may presume all will be amped to begin with. Its confusing to say anything without them being here yet. Since i chose super-saver shipping, mines will be here on the 21st.

If you want the HD555s for now almost $40 under new-egg, hurry up, I see the price has jumped from 94 to 100 and back to 94 on amazon...

I have this odd feeling that I'll end up using my HD555s for music and audio books for the warmth they have, and the AD700s for audio editing and voice-recognition sensitive gaming because of the precision I'll enjoy when trying to make out ppls voices on ventrillo. But who knows! Cant wait to have both! ... heck if I chose one over the other, they are not hard to sell :)
Click to expand...


Yea I could not wait for your review I had to jump NOW! I chose the shipping saver too lol. I think both look like great headphones and probably even overkill for alot of people.
 
The Red said:
I find it difficult to justify the $30 price-tag on the woo when it looks like something a kid could make in a 45 min shop class in highschool... but I am looking for a headphone stand too, atm they lay on-top of the 5.1 stereo system speakers they replaced.. I have been debating installing a hook onto my computer desk so I can hang them like a coat by my PC. Or even a hook on my wall. I know we havnt really discussed it here, but both the HD555s and AD700s are pretty easy on the eyes and make for good techno-wall-candy by your audio systems and PCs.

I was the one who brought up amping the AT AD700s... this is stemming from my studio experience with their more expensive brothers. Of-course the 32ohms is going to make it easier to drive, but if they are anything like their studio counter-part, they will require amping for proper accuracy / warmth balance. However I'm not blind to the fact that if expensive headphones are intended for studio use, the manufacturer may presume all will be amped to begin with. Its confusing to say anything without them being here yet. Since i chose super-saver shipping, mines will be here on the 21st.

If you want the HD555s for now almost $40 under new-egg, hurry up, I see the price has jumped from 94 to 100 and back to 94 on amazon...

I have this odd feeling that I'll end up using my HD555s for music and audio books for the warmth they have, and the AD700s for audio editing and voice-recognition sensitive gaming because of the precision I'll enjoy when trying to make out ppls voices on ventrillo. But who knows! Cant wait to have both! ... heck if I chose one over the other, they are not hard to sell :)
Click to expand...

In my experience with the AD-Series, they are driven very well without an amp, and don't respond quite as well to amping as some other low independence headphones. Thats not to say an amp does not help, because it does, but I don't think its explicitly necessary. When you look at something like Grado's, or also the new Denon's, both have low independence with 32ohms and 25ohms respectively, but both respond well to amping. Specifically though, they don't need lots of voltage, but rather, they like lots of current... which is why they pair best with certain tube amps (mapletree, melos, ect). The AD700 doesn't quite respond to current in the same way in my experience, so amping does not have nearly as dramatic of an effect.
 
Viper87227 said:
http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Audio-Technica_ATH-A500_Art_Headphones.html

Those should do the trick for you. I find them to be very comfortable. For gaming, they are great. They have good soundstage and nice boomy bass... an FPS delight. For music, they aren't the greatest, but if you don't have any frame of reference, they should sound great there too. The A700 was my first real headphone, and I thought it was exceptional for music. When I got a pair of Grado's, they became my gaming only can... but in your case, the phrase "ignorance is bliss" comes to mind :).
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Those look pretty good, and I almost got them. But I just decided to go with the Sony MDR-v6 instead for $75 shipped from Amazon. Is that an ok choice? It seems they have been around for so long, durable, tried and proven. Good Bass, low impedence and overall good sound. I was about to get the DT-770 but I don't want to have to get an amp too. Or maybe even get the a900 or something but I cant justify dropping $200 on those right now either. What do you think about the MDR-v6?

-Aaron
 
medstudent23 said:
Those look pretty good, and I almost got them. But I just decided to go with the Sony MDR-v6 instead for $75 shipped from Amazon. Is that an ok choice? It seems they have been around for so long, durable, tried and proven. Good Bass, low impedence and overall good sound. I was about to get the DT-770 but I don't want to have to get an amp too. Or maybe even get the a900 or something but I cant justify dropping $200 on those right now either. What do you think about the MDR-v6?

-Aaron
Click to expand...

I have not heard hte MDR-v6, so I cannot really give an opinion, but they do seem to be a popular candidate in the sub-$100 range, so they should do ok for you.
 
Can you comment on the differences between:

ath-a700
ath-a900
ath-ad700
hd-555
--
I realize the first two are close and the second two are open so the question really pertains to sound for movies/games.

It seems that I hear a lot of good things about the ath-a900 and hd-555 - and some negatives about the a700 and this thread seems the first i seen that pushes the ad700.
 
you2 said:
Can you comment on the differences between:

ath-a700
ath-a900
ath-ad700
hd-555
--
I realize the first two are close and the second two are open so the question really pertains to sound for movies/games.

It seems that I hear a lot of good things about the ath-a900 and hd-555 - and some negatives about the a700 and this thread seems the first i seen that pushes the ad700.
Click to expand...

First off, I don't know where your seeing negatives about the A700, but they are a nice headphone. The A900 does have a bit of edge over them, but they sound close. Both are very boomy in the base department, but I found the mids to be a little muddy. For movies and gaming they were good, but once I had heard better things, I did not like them for music. The AD700 and AD900 are a whole different ball game. They are sort of the diamond in the rough in the AT lineup... I really don't know why they don't get more attention. They have wonderfully sweet mids and an excellent base range for an open can. Really, my only complaint regarding them was that the highs can become sibilant at times. As far as the HD555 goes, the quality is there, but the headphone just seems so much less lifelike than the AT's. The bass is not as strong, the highs are not as high, and soundstage is not as pronouced. The midrange is there, and the detail is there, but the best can describe it, it sounds very flat. Obviously, there are a lot of people who like the Sennheiser sound signature, so don't think I am trying to knock them, it's really all personal preference. Hell, there was a time when I absolutly loved my HD580's. I have since moved on to bigger and better things, but I can still admit that Sennheiser makes some very nice headphones. The HD5555 is no exception. However, in this price range, there are definitely other headphones I would go with before these. Though the price is a little more, making the jump to the AD700, in my eyes, is 100% worth it.... but then again, the jump up from there to the AD900 also feels worth it. The beauty of hi-fi :p
 
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I do appreciate quality. I was stuck between getting the ad700's or the hd 555's because every review I read raved about both and they were very close in price point. My wife ended up getting the hd 555's for me as a gift. They were refurbs bought off ebay, but they are honestly as good as new in box hd 555's. A friend enjoyed them so much he bought a new pair. I heard no difference in mine or his. I kinda wish I had another pair of headphones to compare with these, as listening to them day in and day out I tend to not notice all the nuances in sound that these offer.
 
Headphones are such a hard thing to reccommend because they are just such a matter of preference. I think my Sennheiser 280 pro's sound okay, but not phenomenal. To me I guess the sound is acceptable, just not the comfort with glasses. I briefly had AD700's before selling them as I really didn't like them.

Part of me probably not liking them is the fact I paid 145$ for them and only 50$ for the 280 pro used. I liked the sound of the 280 much better especially with portable devices (i.e. PSP, Creative Zen, DS) and my X-FI. Considering I paid 1/3 the price it was somewhat hard to swallow. My other problem was that the AD700 didn't fit properly on me.

I still curently don't have an amp so I don't have any experience with headphones with that matter. Anyways on topic, I did bite on this deal to try out the HD555 so thank you to original poster. Woot for amazon prime free 2-day shipping, and amazon's great return policy. If these have similar sound in an open form as the 280's with slightly more comfort I will be a happy camper.
 
spiroh said:
Hard to beat these (Music Series One)

http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html

$100 but they are absolutely amazing. They are a modified Grado 80.
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The SR-60, SR-80, and MS-1 are all great cans in the sub-$100 market, but one must consider that they really are music only cans. Maybe you can get away with movies too, but gaming with a pair of Grado's is a no-no. Likewise, a lot of people find them to be uncomfortable. These things need to be taken into consideration. Any Grado needs to be much more of an informed purchase that some of the other headphones being thrown around here, because the chance of the purchaser to find things they don't like about them is greater.
 
Can anyone recommend a decent sub-$100 pair of cans that also has a mic? Does anyone even make such a beast?
 
Fleat said:
Headphones are such a hard thing to reccommend because they are just such a matter of preference. I think my Sennheiser 280 pro's sound okay, but not phenomenal. To me I guess the sound is acceptable, just not the comfort with glasses.

I did bite on this deal to try out the HD555 so thank you to original poster.
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I wear glasses too and I've always been frustrated with how pinchy some cans could be. By far the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever owned are my hd 555's. I actually sometimes forget I am wearing them.
 
SEALTeamSix said:
Can anyone recommend a decent sub-$100 pair of cans that also has a mic? Does anyone even make such a beast?
Click to expand...

Big audio heads will flame me for recommending them, but about the only cans I've found that are worth mentioning are steelsound 5h's and icemat siberias. Be mindful that they're made by glorified mousepad companies and not by companies that develop extensive audio gear though. They are great in games but I don't think they'll give you sound in movies and music like the sennehiser hd 555's or the ad700's would.

I presently use an icemat siberia usb soundcard because for some reason in game voice and ventrilo are giving me fits when I play CS:S, and I have been quite impressed with the little $20 soundcard icemat made. Its nothing like an x-fi, but its not in the same ballpark of price either.
 
you2 said:
Can you comment on the differences between:

ath-a700
ath-a900
ath-ad700
hd-555
--
I realize the first two are close and the second two are open so the question really pertains to sound for movies/games.

It seems that I hear a lot of good things about the ath-a900 and hd-555 - and some negatives about the a700 and this thread seems the first i seen that pushes the ad700.
Click to expand...

The real difficulty in your decision lies in closed vs open headphones. From vast experience with both types of headphones, Open are 100% better than closed, however as you expect there will be sound that others can hear. I would suggest only ever getting a closed set of headphones if you are really worried about disturbing people around you, but the quality will suffer compared to Open. Not saying they are bad, but things like soundstage, warmth, and especially audio-positioning take a hit, and depending on the quality of your source material, that hit could be substantial. In other words, dont play lossless quality music on closed cans unless you have no choice in the matter.

I find that the REALLY big difference between Closed and Open is... Closed makes it sound like the music or sounds are coming from the center of your skull, leaving little improvement to be had with 3D audio post-processing done at the sound-card level but I'm not going to say the post-processing is terrible (especialy if the game's software also works well with sound directionality, like EAX)... while Open will make it seem as if the sound is enveloping you, and it will get to a point where on some tracks you'll be able to tell the position of things like the guitar or the drummer in their relation to the singer you're hearing, if you're good.

For those who have had no experience with both types, conduct the following experiment:

Put on your closed headphones, standard street style is fine, designed not to make others around you aware and tune in to a radio station or a sound track (much easier with radio). Now, walk up to your stereo and while not exceeding your normal headphone volume on your closed headphones, turn the stereo to the same radio station or the same track / mp3. The difference between closed headphones and open will be relatively the difference in immersion between when you had just your first set on, and when you had your headphones and regular stereo speakers on at the same time. In open headphones you perpetuate that feeling of the sound coming from the outside.

Aside from that, I cant help you much more than you picking up 2 pairs of comparable headphones of both styles and giving them a good run-through.
 
The Red said:
The real difficulty in your decision lies in closed vs open headphones. From vast experience with both types of headphones, Open are 100% better than closed, however as you expect there will be sound that others can hear. I would suggest only ever getting a closed set of headphones if you are really worried about disturbing people around you, but the quality will suffer compared to Open. Not saying they are bad, but things like soundstage, warmth, and especially audio-positioning take a hit, and depending on the quality of your source material, that hit could be substantial. In other words, dont play lossless quality music on closed cans unless you have no choice in the matter.

I find that the REALLY big difference between Closed and Open is... Closed makes it sound like the music or sounds are coming from the center of your skull, leaving little improvement to be had with 3D audio post-processing done at the sound-card level but I'm not going to say the post-processing is terrible (especialy if the game's software also works well with sound directionality, like EAX)... while Open will make it seem as if the sound is enveloping you, and it will get to a point where on some tracks you'll be able to tell the position of things like the guitar or the drummer in their relation to the singer you're hearing, if you're good.

For those who have had no experience with both types, conduct the following experiment:

Put on your closed headphones, standard street style is fine, designed not to make others around you aware and tune in to a radio station or a sound track (much easier with radio). Now, walk up to your stereo and while not exceeding your normal headphone volume on your closed headphones, turn the stereo to the same radio station or the same track / mp3. The difference between closed headphones and open will be relatively the difference in immersion between when you had just your first set on, and when you had your headphones and regular stereo speakers on at the same time. In open headphones you perpetuate that feeling of the sound coming from the outside.

Aside from that, I cant help you much more than you picking up 2 pairs of comparable headphones of both styles and giving them a good run-through.
Click to expand...

That is a big generalization. I have heard pleanty of closed headphones that sound wonderful. The Denon D2000 currently is my headphone of choice. Also, I know the price is quite a bit higher, but the W5000 and L3000 are both amazing sounding headphones.
 
If you need closed phones I would get Sony MDR-EX71SLA earbuds, they are very good, great bass and overall range, and very good positioning, and since they essentially block your ear canal they double as noise canceling and are very quiet to outside listeners. Only downsides are long term comfort since the buds aren't ever going to be a perfect form fit. Personally I have no problem using them for hours on end, even on a plane trip they stand up to the test. Obviously they won't compare to a quality >$100 open set of cans, but they can be had for less than $30 and for that, and considering your needs, they are excellent.
 
Viper87227 said:
That is a big generalization. I have heard pleanty of closed headphones that sound wonderful. The Denon D2000 currently is my headphone of choice. Also, I know the price is quite a bit higher, but the W5000 and L3000 are both amazing sounding headphones.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it is a matter of taste... I moved from speakers and stereo systems projecting my audio to Open headphones, not being able to withstand the sound isolation of the closed headphones I was trying out at the stores, with dorm mates and LAN parties... and over time as I tried more and more of each type I made an executive decision on Open ones sounding better to me with respect to their less isolating nature and sounding both sweeter and proportionately pleasing with respect to the location from which the sound impresses on my interpretation of its source. I fully acknowledge that I'm biased, but it is not without experience.

As for being generalized, if that is referring to the experiment I suggested then I'd agree, but there is no better way that I can think of to ghetto-simulate open headphones in a closed headphone setting. Direction, amplitude, proportion and dimensions *are* distorted, but the impression with respect to a crude comparison between the two types is relatively representative I'm confidant.
 
Blahman said:
If you need closed phones I would get Sony MDR-EX71SLA earbuds, they are very good, great bass and overall range, and very good positioning, and since they essentially block your ear canal they double as noise canceling and are very quiet to outside listeners. Only downsides are long term comfort since the buds aren't ever going to be a perfect form fit. Personally I have no problem using them for hours on end, even on a plane trip they stand up to the test. Obviously they won't compare to a quality >$100 open set of cans, but they can be had for less than $30 and for that, and considering your needs, they are excellent.
Click to expand...

Interesting I tried those on my sisters I-Pod purchased as a replacement and I thought they sucked compared to my $50 Sennheiser PX-100's in every way. But to the same extent they were much better than the stock ipod headphones.
 
SEALTeamSix said:
Can anyone recommend a decent sub-$100 pair of cans that also has a mic? Does anyone even make such a beast?
Click to expand...
You could always mod your headphones with a mic. It's the only reasonable way to get a high quality headphone with a mic attached.
 
S-B said:
You could always mod your headphones with a mic. It's the only reasonable way to get a high quality headphone with a mic attached.
Click to expand...

If you do a search at head fi you'll find lots of guys who've modded their cans with mics. Some of them look so clean you can't tell they're not headsets.
 
I received mine today.. and first thing I noticed is how much more comfortable they are the my 280's and also than the ad700's were. They still are extremely comfortable even with glasses (winner!). The sound is again so-so... these could definitely use a break in for sure.

edit. A couple things to add, since I am directly comparing them. The 555 even out of the box to me seems to have a much wider soundstage than the 280 pros. The bass is also noticeably more so there, but not incredibly accurate. I think I will like the 555's for gaming/movies a lot. Music is a toss up until these are burned in.
 
Fleat said:
I received mine today.. and first thing I noticed is how much more comfortable they are the my 280's and also than the ad700's were. They still are extremely comfortable even with glasses (winner!). The sound is again so-so... these could definitely use a break in for sure.

edit. A couple things to add, since I am directly comparing them. The 555 even out of the box to me seems to have a much wider soundstage than the 280 pros. The bass is also noticeably more so there, but not incredibly accurate. I think I will like the 555's for gaming/movies a lot. Music is a toss up until these are burned in.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear they are working out for you. Maybe you could break them in with some low frequency test tones and speed up the review process lol?

My AD700's wont even ship until next week and it says they will not be ehre until like the 24th! WTH Amazon, free shipping is a joke.
 
Justintoxicated said:
Glad to hear they are working out for you. Maybe you could break them in with some low frequency test tones and speed up the review process lol?

My AD700's wont even ship until next week and it says they will not be ehre until like the 24th! WTH Amazon, free shipping is a joke.
Click to expand...

Free shipping is actually artificially delayed, which is why I am often angry with amazon. They were purchased on sunday, they shipped on thursday. Amazon sells a Prime 100$ membership that ships everything to you in two days... how good would it be to them if people already had fast shipping with free shipping? ... it sucks, I have a very interesting acquaintance that works for Amazon's marketing department and he essentially confirmed my theory... that all orders for free shipping get #1 artificially delayed several days, and #2 put on the back-burner during busy times. What happens in really busy times is, they will hold your item for 8 days, then use FedEx 2-3 day shipping on it themselves. Holidays suck for free shipping. This way they keep all customers on equal detriment regardless of their proximity to Amazon's warehouses so that it makes paid shipping and prime memberships that much more appealing.

My cans wont be here till the 21st. Anyone with AD700s able to tell me if there is a break-in time for those too?

Lastly, I had some time to think about portable headphones that people have been asking advice on and I did something I never considered doing before... I started testing all the portable headphones I own and comparing. I have a few Sony's, Samsungs, Aiwa's, Sennheisers, and, guilt-riddingly so a pair of bose (Buy Other Sound Equipment) headphones I dont remember buying.

Overall, for quality sound, sound design (pun), and excellent (both internal and external) sound isolation I'm going to give my vote to the Sennheiser PMX-200s... these portables are excellent for quality listening while keeping their portability and street-looks. The cups can get a little warm on the ears, but its a worthy trade-off for such a comfortable isolation approach.
 
The Red said:
Free shipping is actually artificially delayed, which is why I am often angry with amazon. They were purchased on sunday, they shipped on thursday. Amazon sells a Prime 100$ membership that ships everything to you in two days... how good would it be to them if people already had fast shipping with free shipping? ... it sucks, I have a very interesting acquaintance that works for Amazon's marketing department and he essentially confirmed my theory... that all orders for free shipping get #1 artificially delayed several days, and #2 put on the back-burner during busy times. What happens in really busy times is, they will hold your item for 8 days, then use FedEx 2-3 day shipping on it themselves. Holidays suck for free shipping. This way they keep all customers on equal detriment regardless of their proximity to Amazon's warehouses so that it makes paid shipping and prime memberships that much more appealing.

My cans wont be here till the 21st. Anyone with AD700s able to tell me if there is a break-in time for those too?

Lastly, I had some time to think about portable headphones that people have been asking advice on and I did something I never considered doing before... I started testing all the portable headphones I own and comparing. I have a few Sony's, Samsungs, Aiwa's, Sennheisers, and, guilt-riddingly so a pair of bose (Buy Other Sound Equipment) headphones I dont remember buying.

Overall, for quality sound, sound design (pun), and excellent (both internal and external) sound isolation I'm going to give my vote to the Sennheiser PMX-200s... these portables are excellent for quality listening while keeping their portability and street-looks. The cups can get a little warm on the ears, but its a worthy trade-off for such a comfortable isolation approach.
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Is that even legal? Shouldn't this be called "give us an interest free loan, and we will ship your item eventualy"?
 
The Red said:
Anyone with AD700s able to tell me if there is a break-in time for those too?
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About 50hrs is enough to break in the drivers. Just leaving them on for a couple of days plugged in to a receiver tuned to a radio station should do the trick.
 
m3ta1head said:
About 50hrs is enough to break in the drivers. Just leaving them on for a couple of days plugged in to a receiver tuned to a radio station should do the trick.
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That's a great trick. I never thought of that!
 
The AD700s are here!!! (early)

Ok... heres my comparison.

The ATH-AD700 have more clarity but lack the HD555s warmth... the clarity will bring out any flaws in your tracks, receivers or sound-cards. I noticed theres a hiss thats only noticeable with the AD700s coming from my Creative Audigy 2 ZS. I am not sure how to fix it but I think it has to do with the increased clarity and not a problem of the headphones. The hiss sounds like the kind of hiss you'd find in a car tape-deck or while playing blank vinyl but not as pronounced. But I still believe this is not the AD700s fault.

I have read no-where that the AD-700s need a break-in time, but I'm willing to wait. This hiss however is getting quite noticeable on many tracks... I'm not sure exactly what to do, perhaps seek out a better sound card but which... or it could be the source... who knows...

The fit is awkward, they are bigger yet feel lighter than the HD555s... they have an awkward fit and can fall off my head much more easily than the 555s... the cups are huge and get warmer but are very comfortable, even more-so than the HD555s, which is hard to believe. I just really really really wish they could press a little tighter on my head... it feels so light that I can throw them off with a wave of the head.

Bass is clearer but a little weaker than the 555s, which is a bit of a turn off, but clarity can make up for parts of that as you can feel the full range of amplitude of the bass instead of have it leave you deaf half-way through the first bass boom and unable to make other highs out.

In conclusion: ATH-AD700 = clarity (to a fault), HD555s = warmth (to a fault) ... I think I might keep both now, hard to make up my mind.
 
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