Which is THE ONE for female jazz vocals?

[kurqa 0]

heard the k501 and a couple of beyers are great for this genre...ive heard the senns (600) but i guess all the hype caused me to OVER-expect (if there is such a word, that is). however i have no qualms about saying it does sound very good with the likes of eva cassidy..! let me know what you pros think please..help a lost guy out thanks!

[av98m 0]

Having tried both the hd600 and dt880, I'd say you can't go wrong with either one for female vocals(the beyers are cheaper and there are no aftermaket replacement cables to tempt you, unless you void warranty and get someone to re-wire them ). Do note that you need a decent amp and cd player to drive both of them though. If possible, try before buying.

[fuwen 0]

Actually for female jazz vocals I felt that HD600 should be ideal. Do not think AKG K501 is best for this.

[Northern Oak 0]

Agree with fuwen, the 501 aren't suitable for kurga's requirements.

[Charismatic 0]

I can't say like u title "...THE ONE for female jazz vocals" indicated. But senn600 is definitely one of the best for female vocals. Upgrade the senn600 with replacement cable if possible to get better result.

[Barradio 0]

My preference is AT-100W and if money not the problem AT-L3000.

[Rameish 0]

Hmm,

 

So far there are no lemons mentioned above. My 2¢ goes to the Beyer DT-931. In fact, I do not find the Beyer DT-880 ideal for vocals at all as they seem a bit recessed when compard to say the Senn HD-600 (can't fault the senns for vocals).

 

Perhaps you could tell us your amp, cdp and current headphone - it well could be a lack of synergy somewhere.

 

Focusing on one aspect of a music genre can be a dangerous thing. Could you tell us what your musical taste is like besides female jazz vocals?

[Mackie 0]

Personally, female vocals fare better on Beyer DT831/931 (if your system is slightly laidback) and also DT860 which fares really well in mid range. DT880/990/150 will partner well with slightly upfront sounding systems as all of them offers transparent vocals albeit a bit left wanting in terms of warmth and fullness. Vocal range is Senn HD600's forte IMHO.

Edited May 25, 2004 by Mackie

[cmk 0]

My preference is AT-100W and if money not the problem AT-L3000.

Second that.

[cmk 0]

Personally, female vocals fare better on Beyer DT831/931 (if your system is slightly laidback) and also DT860 which fares really well in mid range. DT880/990/150 will partner well with slightly upfront sounding systems as all of them offers transparent vocals albeit a bit left wanting in terms of warmth and fullness. Vocal range is Senn HD600's forte IMHO.

Beyers require a good amp to drive them, else they may sound lethargic. But given good matching amp, they sound very nice.

[evil-zen 0]

My preference is AT-100W and if money not the problem AT-L3000.

Second that.

Third that.

 

The 2 AT cans sound fantastic on cmk's setup in the last meet, playing diana krall.

[cmk 0]

e-zen, you shd ask Charismatic to give you the feedback on how the W100, HD600 and DT990 sounded on my home setup. In fact I was meaning to ask him, but had to rush due to another appointment.

[Tenson 0]

Surely the 'professional' would say the DT100 as its what the professional uses for everything!

 

Try Stax?

 

[kurqa 0]

thanks for all the input guys...appreciate the contributions...anyway i will be asking lotsa questions in the near future so please be patient with me...cuz im really new to this audiophile thing...

 

rameish>> my setup is embarrassing. i am using an av receiver currently...no headphone amp yet..and its a pretty low end marantz sr4400 if i may add...*sigh* thanks for asking though!

[Charismatic 0]

e-zen, you shd ask Charismatic to give you the feedback on how the W100, HD600 and DT990 sounded on my home setup.  In fact I was meaning to ask him, but had to rush due to another appointment.

Sorry kurga, I need to borrow u thread for a while to reply to CMK and hope u don’t mind.

 

Thanks CMK for inviting me to listen to his hp setup, the denon A11 as well as the stereo setup.

 

My impression of DT990, ATH-W100 and Senn600 are as follows and please note that it's my very own personal impression and I never have any intention to condemn any of the mentioned HPs.

 

DT990 - the first hp i tried. Played a violin concerto, Carmen(violin) and a jazz song (I forgot the name). Sounded plain and cool and the high octave of violin seemed like couldn’t extend to very high, roll-off maybe. Thus I removed it from my comparing list for further comparison with the rest.

 

I then focused on comparing the W100 and 600. Played the same violin concerto, Carmen(violin) and some males and ladies vocals and a few percussions.

 

W100 - bright and forward as compare to senn600 relatively. Sound stage was bigger and more dynamic(faster) than senn600. The singer singed “nearer†and more “upfront†to you than senn600 but not that warm and the voice came too fast towards me. The high octave of violin could extend to very high and didn’t roll-off. The percussion was punchy and fast and like the drum sticks knocked on your head.

 

I felt that it’s more all-round HP than senn600

 

senn600 - by comparing to W100, the senn was dark and layback and had better ambient. Vocals were warm and the voice came towards me just right. The high octave of violin was not that pleasing as compare to W100 but it didn’t roll-off. The percussion was accurate but maybe less punchy; the “knocks†on the head from the drum sticks were “lighter†as compare to W100.

 

I felt that it would do vocals better than W100.

 

I had also tried the denon A11->yamaha av receiver hp out->senn600 with SACD combo and everything seemed to sound better. Thus, I would suggest CMK to try the denon A11 ->melos hp amp->Your HPs combo with SACD, IMHO you may get more from your HPs.

 

Thank you very much.