Here are my impressions of some headphones based on a brief audition at Stereo:
ATH-AD700
ATH-AD900
ATH-W1000
Grado SR80
Senheisser HD555
Existing: ATH-M40fs (studio monitor for recording work)
Intended Source: Computer - ¼†headphone jack in my X-Fi Platinum Pro.
Intended use: Casual music listening + gaming.
Music: Mainly light acoustic, vocal stuff. Not interested in bass.
Comfort
Hands down, I found the Audio-Technicas to be the most comfortable handphones of the lot. The AD900 is 30g lighter than the AD700 so a tiny bit more comfortable. I was also amazed the ATs were sa one-size fits all design and that you can’t extend the handphone strap, yet it fit so well. The Grados were also comfortable mainly because they were light, but their earpads were nowhere as comfortable as Audio Technicas. As for the HD555s, they were ok, but seemed to ‘clamp’ down on the head a bit too much for me.
Sound Quality
ATH-AD700: There was a bit of improvement over my ATH-M40fs but I am not so sure how much of it was merely due to the fact that open designs sound are inherently more ‘open sounding’ compared to closed back designs. Apart from sounding a bit more open, there could have been a tiny increase in resolution but frankly, hardly noticeable. Overall, it was a bit on the thin sounding side though fortunately not bright or over-sibilant and Emi Fujita and Suzanne Vega sounded fine. The thinness manifested itself more on male vocals like Dan Seals where the HD555 sounded richer and fuller. Footnote – nothing to do with sound quality but be warned that this can is purple colour.
HD555: Nice, rich warm sound. Compared to the ATH-AD700, vocals sounded more focused and fuller as a result. This tonality obscures nicely the fact that like the AD700, the resolution and details aren’t really there. I had not time to do more listening to figure out whether this sort of presentation leads to congestion in the midrange for some male vocalists.
ATH-AD900: Wow, there was a significant increase of resolution moving up to these cans which was surprising. The ATH-AD700 and HD555s were more than twice the price of my ATH-M40fs, yet the resolution increase was marginal at best. The sound opened up further, there was better treble extension which was nice and smooth (until I heard the W1000 ). I was hearing nuances in the vocalists’ singing that I had not heard before. There was no doubt that moving up a notch was fully worth it. The 900 shares the same tonality as the 700 which is on the thin side compared to the 555 (whether the 555 is artificially warm is another issue), but the AD900’s sound is smooth and not harsh at all.
ATH-W1000: Next up, the W1000 which is a closed back design because Aron suggested I listen to something more expensive. The resolution and treble extension increased a notch and furthermore, the detail was smoother and finer than the 900. Overall, the W1000 had more refinement, poise and finesse over the 900 However, I felt this was overkill for casual computer use and my wallet thanked me.
Grado SR80: Aron also suggested that I have a listen to the Grado to see whether I liked the house sound. Indeed, the Grados have a very interesting tone. I’m not sure how to describe it since this is the first time hearing it and my listening session was quite short, but the midrange presentation was pretty good. It tried to present a full and rich midrange and yet at the same time tried to give openness and treble extension. However, in the ultimate analysis, I felt that this was a case of asking a budget headphone to do too much resulting in the headphone not performing particularly well in any area. Basically, if you want to present an open and extended treble and upper mids, you must make sure that it is smooth. The SR80 was overly rough in this area for my taste and I even preferred my much cheaper ATH-M40fs to the SR80s.
Final decision and analysis.
Comfort was an important factor for me and ultimately, I got the ATH-AD900.
Endnote: Thanks to Aron of Stereo Electronics for his good service as well. For prices call or pm him.
