ATH-AD900X uncomfortable, looking for a replacement.

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Bop

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Oct 1, 2003
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I've been trying to adjust to these ATH-AD900Xs for quite a while now, but I simply can't wear them for long periods at a time. Shame, since I like the audio quality.

My old headphones (the closed A900s) were fine for years. They decreased the tension on the headband clips in the new revision, so the X series pushes the top of my ears ever so slightly (which hurts after a period of time).

I'm looking for a suitable replacement, but I'm not too sure of the competition out there these days. I'm primarily looking for headphones with a great soundstage since I play a ton of FPS games. I much prefer the sound of open headphones, so I won't be going back to my A900s. I mostly listen to rock music, but I'm more of a FPS freak so gaming comes first. I also have big ears, so the larger the ear cup the better. :)

So far I've googled upon names such as beyerdynamic DT880/990, AKG K 701/702, and Sennheiser 598. Right now I'm leaning toward the DT990 600Ohm. My sound card is a Sound Blaster ZxR so it should (theoretically) drive them fine. Are there any other good stereo headsets out there in the sub $300 price range? (I can spend a little more if something is REALLY good.)
 
I'm trying to decide between (almost) exactly these headphones too.

I am looking at the DT880, DT990, AKG Q701 and the HD598 and pairing them up with a Sound Blaster Z (possibly ZXR).

Main things I am looking for are:

1) Comfort

2) Good sound-stage for positional audio

3) Clean/neutral sounding.
 
Find a used pair of Senn 580's, significantly better than the 598's and I picked mine up used for 180 shipped. They are nearly identical to the 600's.
 
I had AD900s before and went to DT990s. The DT990s are far more comfortable and I like the sound more. However the sound is very different; I didn't really like the sound of the AD900s anyway. If you like the AT stuff then Beyer might not be right for you, though it's possible you could like both. Might even want to throw Grado into the mix. The AD900s, btw, were among the least comfortable headphones I've ever worn. They didn't give you any room for your ears - the pads were very thin and the whole cans put pressure on my ear. I've read several people say that's an issue specific to the AD900 and that other AT cans are more comfortable, but I haven't tried any other AT circumaurals. The only other headphones anywhere near that uncomfortable that I've worn were all VERY cheap models.

Haven't heard high-end/circumaural AKGs so not sure there. I do own a pair of K81DJs but they aren't the same sort of headphone so it's not too comparable. Still, the AKG sound might be closer to AT than Beyer/Sennheiser are. Also not sure how comfortable AKG Circumaurals are.

I have Sennheiser HD555s that convinced me years ago that headphones aren't all as bad as what I'd previously worn. They're about as comfortable as my DT990s (which is very comfortable), but the sound isn't as good since they are a cheaper product. Sennheiser is probably somewhat closer to Beyerdynamic in the sound than it is to AT.
 
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Some people say that the AKG Q701 is a bit uncomfortable due to the "bumps" on the underside of the headband and that the foam on the ear-cups is quite stiff.

This is putting me off those. Comfort is king, it doesn't matter how good the headphones are technically, you'll never use them properly if it's just too annoying due to comfort issues.

At the moment I am leaning towards the DT880 because a) everyone says how comfortable they are b) they look to have a relatively flat response.
 
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Sennheiser 558 or 598 is the most neutral sounding and comfortable headphone I have had out of those models.

I have had all of the ones which you are looking at and ended up sticking with the 558s.
 
Why did you keep the 558 over the 598?

In terms of response the 880s seem, if the below is to be believed, more neutral response.

graphCompare.php
 
Syphon Filter said:
At the moment I am leaning towards the DT880 because a) everyone says how comfortable they are b) they look to have a relatively flat response.
Click to expand...

If you have a Guitar Center near you, they may have these available to try... Give them a call and see.
 
I'm in the UK, I think GC ship to here but no local presence.

There's a place called Hi-Fi Lounge not too far away (still a good 40mins in the car I would guess) but they're way overpriced. Also, there's a DJ place that has a good selection of cans but not sure how many are out/ready to audition. The other thing is my intended use is for gaming...it's kinda hard to audition cans for PC gaming.

It's a shame the DT880 doesn't have a removable lead too but at the moment, for me, it's looking increasingly like a toss-up between the 880 and the 598.

Audio is such a bitch because it's so ridiculously subjective. On top of that, there's stack loads of FUD and snobbery. Short of trying all combinations yourself it's really hard to make a decision based on debates/reviews etc. and indeed it may be foolish to do so.
 
IMO get the headphones you like and if the cord ever breaks just have them modded to have a jack instead. Not many good headphones in your budget with a detachable cord, and buying some pre-modded would probably add significant cost (though you could look around and see if anyone sells modded 880s).

Another thing you can do to help keep the cord in shape would be to always use an extension cord... either just put one on the stock cord (which might not be that useful as many stock cords are fairly long) or cut the stock cord short, add a jack, and use an extension cable. It would still leave a "pigtail" from the headphones that way which could get messed up, but at least the extension cable would be able to come loose and save the headphones in some situations. (Another thing to consider, however, is that the extra jack/plug in the cord might feel annoying when you wear them.)
 
spaceman said:
Sennheiser 558 or 598 is the most neutral sounding and comfortable headphone I have had out of those models.

I have had all of the ones which you are looking at and ended up sticking with the 558s.
Click to expand...

I ended up keeping the 598 but I've owned most others. All around best comfort and sound IMO
 
I have owned the 598 on two different occasions. I want so badly to like them but they always end up letting me down. The 580/600 used is really where it is at for price to value in the Senn line up.

The 580's on a Bottlehead Crack and Schitt Bifrost displaced my Denon 7000's as the go to can for the work day. I highly suggest you check them out, they walk all over the 598's.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/689168/wts...e-driver-hd600-grills-hd650-cable-great-value
 
It seems like the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Editon has all the traits I'm looking for... except for the price :(

I think it may come down to the 598s vs the Q701s.
 
Rational,

What is it about hte 598 that you don't get on with?

Bop, the K702 are over double the price of everything else we're considering!
 
I have no idea how to articulate this, but the only think I found them good for was acoustic stuff/folk punk. Anything any more uptempo seemed to get muddy and incoherent. For an open can they, to me, seem too have a very narrow, bright sound. This is greatly improved upon by the 580/600. Although, I should mention I have also owned the Senn 650's and the AKG 701's and simply cannot get into them either. The 650's are too dark and for my money outperformed by the 580/600. The 701's are awesome, but I listen to music that is poorly recorded and the AKG's do an awesome job of accentuating every flaw in the recording, sold my 701's to my roommate who listens to nothing but Jazz in flac and he absolutely loves them.

I also am not usually a believer in the audiophile smoke and mirrors, but the bottlehead crack+580/600+decent dac/sound card combo might be the best "budget" (I use the term lightly but considering I paid less for the crack+580 than my Denon's I guess it qualifies as budget) combo there is in the head-fi world.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my first pair of 598's but after hearing the 580/600 I would never be able to go back, and being as used 580s can be had for what new 598's cost it seems like a no brainer to me as long as you get a pair from someone with good feedback who has taken care of them.
 
Fair enough.

What soundcard are you using? Or are you just using your ODAC? Do you use that for gaming too? What do you have in terms of postional audio?
 
Rational said:
I have no idea how to articulate this, but the only think I found them good for was acoustic stuff/folk punk. Anything any more uptempo seemed to get muddy and incoherent. For an open can they, to me, seem too have a very narrow, bright sound. This is greatly improved upon by the 580/600. Although, I should mention I have also owned the Senn 650's and the AKG 701's and simply cannot get into them either. The 650's are too dark and for my money outperformed by the 580/600. The 701's are awesome, but I listen to music that is poorly recorded and the AKG's do an awesome job of accentuating every flaw in the recording, sold my 701's to my roommate who listens to nothing but Jazz in flac and he absolutely loves them.

I also am not usually a believer in the audiophile smoke and mirrors, but the bottlehead crack+580/600+decent dac/sound card combo might be the best "budget" (I use the term lightly but considering I paid less for the crack+580 than my Denon's I guess it qualifies as budget) combo there is in the head-fi world.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my first pair of 598's but after hearing the 580/600 I would never be able to go back, and being as used 580s can be had for what new 598's cost it seems like a no brainer to me as long as you get a pair from someone with good feedback who has taken care of them.
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Huh? Really not at all what I get from them.

The 600 and 580 is certainly better in terms of detail and depth but not width of sound stage. I would not use either for gaming personally although the 580 is probably the best of the two.

Narrow and bright? That is just weird compared to what I hear. Who knows? You may hear that but I doubt it is the general consensus. Some folks just hear differently.

Anyway, the 558 I got was for $110 on amazon. A steal and a half. It is essentially an uglier 598 with a small foam pad which can be removed.

The 880s have a weird sound to them. Great for electronic music but otherwise just a bit off sounding. Like the sound stage is really 3d but squashed? Dunno. Hard to describe.
 
So I decided to stretch my budget since AKGs seems exactly what I am looking for. Found an open box pair of AKG 712 Pros (basically improved 702 65th Annies) just slightly above what I was looking to pay. I'll report back when they arrive in a few days.
 
Syphon Filter said:
I'm trying to decide between (almost) exactly these headphones too.

I am looking at the DT880, DT990, AKG Q701 and the HD598 and pairing them up with a Sound Blaster Z (possibly ZXR).

Main things I am looking for are:

1) Comfort

2) Good sound-stage for positional audio

3) Clean/neutral sounding.
Click to expand...

DT880's while tick all those boxes. Not quite as good a soundstage as AD700's etc but they sound better and are definitely neutral.

I have the 250ohm version
 
Yeah the Q701s are out. People have reported some comfort issues to do with the headband and foam around the ear cups.

spaceman here loves the HD598 and I'm split between those and the DT880 (the 990 are still on the cards too I guess).
 
Syphon Filter said:
Yeah the Q701s are out. People have reported some comfort issues to do with the headband and foam around the ear cups.

spaceman here loves the HD598 and I'm split between those and the DT880 (the 990 are still on the cards too I guess).
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong either way. The Senns are lighter and both have the same type of earpads with the Beyer material being a bit softer. Both are super comfortable.
 
I caved.

I've ordered the DT880 250Ohm. I have also ordered a Sound Blaster Z, this is on back-order so should be here in a week or so. I was sorely tempted to go with the ZXR because a) it was in stock b) it's more expensive so must be better right?

Ultimately, I figured the extra £110 would probably be barely noticeable and ultimately wasted because the daughter board and the ACM would end up sitting in the box and never be used.

In the future if I want an upgrade I will use the optical out of the Z and get myself an external DAC/Amp.
 
Don't even bother considering the external DAC/amp. It won't be worth it (and if you use S/PDIF anyway, then you already wasted your money by buying that card to begin with). Your sound card is fine.
 
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I got the AKG 712 Pro in yesterday. I'm definitely impressed. It sounds better overall than the AD900X and the soundstage is phenomenal. Comfort-wise it is amazing, I wore them for nearly 3 hours with no issue.
 
Bop said:
I got the AKG 712 Pro in yesterday. I'm definitely impressed. It sounds better overall than the AD900X and the soundstage is phenomenal. Comfort-wise it is amazing, I wore them for nearly 3 hours with no issue.
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Those do look like an improvement over the previous 700 series. How is the bass?
 
I got my DT880s the other day. Really great headphone but they are clamping a bit (serves me right for getting the Pro version).

I am hoping they will slacken off with use, I may stretch them over a few books or something to help them along.

Other than that, really great set of cans. Just, as per my other thread, waiting on/deciding what to do with regards to the sound-card situation...
 
The short time i had my DT990s i enjoyed them. They were extremely comfortable and i wear glasses.
 
spaceman said:
Those do look like an improvement over the previous 700 series. How is the bass?
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The bass is a tad bit better than the AD900X. It's definitely not going to rattle your eardrums; neither too light nor heavy. I've never tried a pair of bass heavy headphones, so my opinion is only worth a grain of salt. :p
 
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