Do most headphones nowadays sound so? I have rather have the impression that its the opposite, namely excessive bass boost is the current fashion in newer headphones but there are so many headphones around that such claims are very hard to be mae objectively.
Yes, I was talking about the kind of "serious" headphones that we discuss about on ASR : Sennheiser, Hifiman, Beyer, AKG...
I wasn't talking about "fashion" cans like Beats. To me that's another game.
The idea I expressed was that most of the "serious" headphones that are nowadays considered as "neutral" have a slight emphasis on treble.
That is what I think so far of the two headphones that I've recently bought : the HD600 and the Sundara. Both supposedly neutral, and both with a little too much treble for my taste before EQ.
Does it? I don't see so here, rather a tad too low response between 4-10 kHz compared to the Harman target [...] The HD600 generally is rather known for its little upper mid boost than excessive treble like the other 2 of the "famous old trio" (AKG 701 and DT 880)
Tell that to
@Robbo99999 , that's what he wrote
here (I thought it was on this topic but it was on the Oratory one). My ears tend to agree with it.
" Re the HD600, an EQ to the Headphone Harman Curve actually reduces the treble "
The upper mid boost doesn't bother me, it's very flattering and correct me if I'm wrong, but it makes for such great guitars and vocals.
I've said treble because that's how I feel it : almost sibilant on some songs without EQ (both the HD600 and the Sundara). I've listened to the "almost sibilant" parts repeteadly yesterday, with and without EQ, and I may be completely wrong, but that's what my ears and brain feel. I'm not a measurement device.
1. Price- of course.
2.Fit/ comfort/ cup size/ pad style (these being the hardest factors to do much with aside from pads)
3. Ability to take EQ-
4. A stock FR that isnt too far (or at least effectively correctable, see above) from ones own preferred target
I absolutely agree !
I try my HD600 and I find them comfortable (no excessive clamping). I try my Sundara and I find them comfortable (although a little heavier - 372g vs. 260). And then I try my NHC and... gosh... it's something else entirely
The comfort, the lightweight (they're 346g but you DON'T feel that weight at all, thanks to the suspension system) and the overall feel before playing music, it's really amazing. You can definitely wear them for a whole day and barely notice they're there !
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To lighten the mood, today I listened to my EQed HD600 (Harman) for one hour, and it was pretty good, nothing bothered me. Except the fact that it won't excel on all types of music :
- At some point I wanted to give a try to the good old Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" : it sounded dull and boring for my taste, so I quickly stopped it, it was lacking body and soul. I'll try it again on my other cans.
- On the contrary, I listened to this great song (the original FLAC, not the YT), and it was amazing on the EQed HD600, maybe the best rendition that I've heard yet. For reasons that defy all logic I had an "out of my head" experience on the HD600, where despite the supposedly small soundstage, I clearly felt the left guitar far away from my left earpad, somewhere in my living room , while the right guitar was not only on the right, but also UP (not at the same height as the left one). I guess that's not supposed to happen, so it probably was my brain playing tricks with me (and I don't drink nor smoke).
@thewas , one last thing : what would be the global EQ gain for the NHC EQ you proposed on previous page ? Thanks.