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发表于 2001-12-5 11:40:00
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谢谢楼上的网址和鼓励<img src="http://www.jddsy.com/nubb/non/smilies/smile.gif">< >Five Way Headphone Roundup
Written By: evilcthul<>这是一篇耳机的评论文章，作者是evilcthul。评论涉及5副耳机：<>AKG Acoustics K 501
Beyerdynamic DT931
Gradolabs SR 325
Sennheiser HD 600
Ultrasone HFI-2000<>文章里既有各自耳机的介绍和评论，又在其间穿插了各个耳机间的对比，是篇好文。不过实在是太长了。我先把最重要的‘听感测试“部份的原文贴出来，再慢慢的译成中文。<>Listening Test Bed<>Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT OTL Headphone Amplifier<>Rega Planet 2000 CD Player Sponsored by Synergy Audio Visual (Australia)<>Interconnects and power cables were proudly sponsored by Interlink House:
2 x M-7 Signature Power Cords Fitted with Australian Plugs
SCR (Solid Core Silver Ribbon) Interconnects<>Headphone cables and adaptors were proudly sponsored by Ted’s Excellent Cable:
15 ft. Earcandy Headphone Extension Cable
3.5mm mini-stereo male to 1/4” stereo female phone plug<>A Purist Audio Design - System Enhancer Rev B CD was also used to aid the burning in of components.<P>Listening Section
In general, I prefer to listen to my CD collection at moderately low levels. These headphones have all had minimum of 40 hours burn in time whilst cables, amplification and source components have all had a burn in time of at least 100 hours if not more.<P>I’ve divided this listening section into several categories denoted by bold headings. The beginning of this section will deal with the effects (if any) of burn in.<P>Burn In<P>AKG K 501
The AKG K 501 didn’t seem to benefit to a substantial degree from burn in. Its already wide sound stage may have deepened slightly after burn in but on the whole there wasn’t much of a noticeable difference. I personally felt that placement of instruments in the sound stage was slightly more defined after burn in which could’ve come as a direct result of becoming accustomed to the pair of headphones rather than a burn in procedure. This could be best described as a natural maturation of the sound stage. Its tone became slightly more balanced whilst instruments seemed to integrate more seamlessly within the artificial space. This lead to a smoother and more even tempered rendition of the music.<P>Nonetheless, in terms of the headphones’ tone production I did notice some slight differences. The lower range and midrange became slightly warmer which resulted in a slightly thicker texture on the whole.<P>Beyerdynamic DT931
The Beyerdynamic DT931 benefited quite nicely from burn in. On the whole I felt that the Beyer’s treble harshness was slightly reduced but it was by no means entirely cured. Bass impact also improved somewhat but again, it was a very subtle difference. Soundstage gained a bit of depth which was only really noticeable in pieces with a sparser texture eg. Smaller jazz groups or chamber music.<P>Gradolabs SR325
The Grado Labs SR325 showed quite a few marked improvements over the course of its burn in time. The SR325’s more constricted, highly positional sound stage opened slightly and gained a bit of air especially in the mid range. This helped with depth perception and minutely improved the SR325’s out of head localization. I also felt that the SR325’s bass became more rounded and warm but didn’t lose its impact. Unfortunately, the treble didn’t lose any of its brightness which I felt was a major let down.<P>Sennheiser HD600
The Sennheiser HD600 showed some pronounced improvements after burn in. Most notably, the midrange became slightly more detailed and articulate which I especially noticed on string and brass passages. All ranges also seemed to warm slightly whilst soundstage also gained some depth and a degree of air. The midrange also felt slightly more linear in nature after burn in.<P>Ultrasone HFI-2000
The Ultrasone HFI-2000 didn’t exhibit much change over its burn in time at all. It still maintained its relatively subdued tone but it gained a slight amount of clarity which lead to the headphones giving a tighter presentation. Unfortunately this improvement was a case of too little too late as we’ll see in the listening section of this review. Soundstage showed negligible improvement after burn in time.<P>The burn in process produced varied effects on each pair of headphones. Some of the effects ranged from the very subtle to quite obvious but all were quite predictable. No pair of headphones made a serious departure from its initial character after the burn in process. <P>Conclusion
In conclusion, I wouldn’t recommend that someone purchase a pair of headphones that they don’t like which they feel might suit them after the burn in process. If you don’t particularly like the pair of headphones at the time of purchase then you will almost certainly feel the same towards them after burn in. Burn in is more of a maturation and ironing out process. It allows time for the headphones’ tone to develop but it won’t change it to such an extent that listening with a particular pair of headphones becomes a whole new experience.<P>Orchestral Listening Notes<P>The recording used in this section was Antonin Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ‘From the New World’ performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta<P>I particularly concentrated on movements II (Largo) and IV (Allegro con fuoco) for this review. They provide an interesting contrast to each other and highlight different performance characteristics of the various headphones.<P>
AKG K 501
The AKG’s K501s were specifically designed for classical listening and it really shows. They have an immensely large sound stage which almost borders on the artificial at some points in the recording. This sound stage in general was calmly laid back, extremely natural and well balanced. It was also the largest sound stage featured in this review and captured many of the spatial cues experienced during a live performance of this orchestral work. This large sound stage can most likely be attributed to AKG’s Varimotion system which we detailed earlier.<P>The soundstage produced by the K 501 in movement II had immense depth, width and air which seemed to render the music accurately as if it were in a slightly reverberant, high ceiling concert hall. This in turn made the K 501 perfect for orchestral listening as it was able to place each instrument in its soundstage with a varying degree of subtlety and definition that was unsurpassed by any other pair of headphones. I found that this superior instrumental separation and placement allowed for the intricacies of any given musical line to be easily appreciated within the context of the piece. Although this sound stage seemed to offer the best in terms of both out of head localization and spatial representation it was not without its problems which we will discuss in the next paragraph.<P>I found that the sound stage made the brass section seem slightly too distant at times which seemed unnatural. This was made most apparent during their sustained chords before the cor anglais solo. This gave the effect of blunting their overall tone which leads to reduced brass impact during this section. The soundstage also tended to roll the higher range harmonics on woods woodwinds causing their tone to become less pronounced and a tad hollow. An example of this was during the cor anglais solo which lost some of its richness and vitality. However, despite this, the K 501 still managed to keep the whole presentation intimate by having the other instruments placed further back within the sound stage which gave the cor anglais a chance to stand out during its solo section.<P>This soundstage gave me the overall effect that the brass seemed to float somewhere in the middle of the soundstage rather than more projected towards the front whilst woodwinds seemed slightly clouded. I felt that this dulled woodwind tone was most disappointing during the cor anglais solo as the unique reed timbre of the instrument and the articulation of the player was slightly obscured. Strings during the second half of the piece were spot on at the front of the sound stage with a marked degree of intimacy, warmth and vibrancy.<P>In regards to the strings, the K 501 lacked additional coloration and I found that each harmonic especially during slower sections was faithfully reproduced. Violins playing in their higher registers didn’t cause any listening fatigue as the K 501’s treble was less prominent than on other headphones and complimented its wide soundstage. Whether the instruments were celli or violins the performance was always balanced and neutral which would do any string player justice. These headphones would definitely suit a string lover perfectly as its sound stage and tonal characteristics would be perfect for someone who listens to this type of music. The only caveat would be that this pair of headphones lacks an analytical edge which some users prefer when listening to string repertoire.<P>Movement IV saw much of the same except it revealed that the K 501 was slightly lacking in the bass department. The energetic string opening to movement IV lacked impact and a slight grit which could be heard on other pairs of headphones. It sounded a bit too laid back especially in a rhythmic sense. The K 501 did have an interesting effect on double bass and celli in this section as their harmonics seemed to linger in the soundstage during the rests for a substantially longer period of time than on any other pair of headphones. I personally preferred the slightly slowed harmonic decay but some listeners may prefer more ‘speed’ and transition into dead silence during slight gaps to act as more of a contrast.<P>In particular timpani felt lacking in terms of visceral impact which I felt slightly detracted from the overall presentation of the music especially in movement IV. I personally felt that the K 501’s bass was typical of AKG’s design. The bass is definitely present attempts to give a degree of neutrality but there only seems to be enough there to tantalize the listener rather than satisfy.<P>In summary, some of what this bass lacked in visceral impact, it made up for in its more rounded tone. This bass had particular warmth in its upper lower range which leads to its more polite tone. I found that this sometimes made the headphones seem slightly too polite at times especially as observed with the timpani in movement IV. It gave the effect that the pair of headphones was slightly shy at delivering the full impact of the percussion section. The AKG tends to deliver the bass as less of a physical experience which may disappoint some listeners.<P>The piercing trumpet theme was reproduced with gusto on the K 501. It definitely didn’t lack definition or ‘speed’ at any point in the recording and kept its rhythmic drive nicely. The trumpet solo was also complimented by the K 501’s sound stage which prevented it from sounding too sibilant in its more extreme sections which was a great plus. The sound stage also kept this solo sounding open ended with a good degree of reverberation on the trumpet’s upper register.<P>Beyerdynamic DT931
The Beyerdynamic DT 931 was very close to the HD 600 in its presentation of the music. It presents itself as an ultra neutral performer with a slight bias toward treble and decent bass. The bass in general was on par with the HD 600 but lacked physical impact. The musical presentation offered by this pair of headphones is somewhat more involving than that offered by the K 501, HD 600 and HFI-2000 but it definitely isn’t on the same intensity level as the SR325. Midrange isn’t quite as pure as the HD 600 as it can feel brighter at times but the DT931 makes up for this by being less laid back and slightly more analytical.<P>Sound staging on the DT931 was adequate but it was slightly more constricted than the HD 600 and less deep than the K 501. It seemed more intense toward the front whilst the edges seemed to offer a moderately involving yet laid back experience. This sound stage was a slight change from others seen in this review and definitely wasn’t as directional as that offered by the SR325.<P>Movement II highlighted the DT931’s ability to offer the listener an involving yet not overly fatiguing presentation of the music. The brass chords built up with relative ease but had a slight hint of glare due to the DT931’s tendency to offer a slightly bright presentation. The cor anglais solo was also well presented with slightly more intensity than found on the HD 600 at the sacrifice of neutrality and presence. I also found that the overall tone presented by the DT931 sounded slightly less warm than on the HD 600 whilst the intensity during the cor anglais solo came at the price of it sounding a tad brittle and unsupported. In addition to this it was also lacking a slight amount of air and space between notes which left it sounding less developed but more immediate. This tone with its reduced ambience seemed to have a greater focus but suffered slightly in terms of musicality.<P>Strings were rendered nicely and kept brisk with excellent articulation. They were presented quite neutrally but remained tight with a speedy harmonic decay. Unison string sections sounded particularly solid and highlighted the DT 931’s ability to paint a vivid musical image without producing a subdued or lifeless tone. The strings remained smooth but again had a slight hint of glare. It wasn’t quite as apparent as the SR325 but it was slightly off putting especially during calmer moments of the music as this glare often interrupted the relaxed feel of the music.<P>Movement IV managed to show some of the DT931’s weaknesses. The trumpet melody sounded particularly bright on the DT931 but fortunately it didn’t have the impact of the SR325 which would’ve lead to a similar high degree of listening fatigue. This thankfully was the only time during the piece where I felt that the treble brightness was overwhelming. At other times the treble seemed slightly glaring, quite detailed but not overly fatiguing. The bass on the DT931 was a hybrid between the HD 600 and AKG K 501. It was tight and defined but lacking in impact whilst only hinting at a slight amount of warmth and body. I particularly felt that this was the case when timpani and double basses were concerned. Double basses in the introduction had their initial impact but subsequently felt a bit dry especially on their longer bowed passages. I prefer my lower end strings to have a more rounded tone and unfortunately this wasn’t quite the case when it came to the DT931.<P>Gradolabs SR325
The Gradolabs SR325 headphones stood as a direct contrast to the AKG K 501’s laid back nature and the Ultrasone HFI-2000’s un-involving tone. The 325s present themselves as a highly analytical pair of headphones which definitely don’t shy away when it comes to the high or low extremes of the audible range. They exhibit a level of immediacy in their sound stage which is definitely an intensity level above any headphones seen in this review. They have an uncanny ability to portray the extremes of the frequency range and aren’t at all shy to show it. To sum up the SR325 in the context of this review, if we considered that the HFI-2000 seemingly veils the music at some points in a recording we could safely say that the SR325 grabs the veil by the fist full and hurls it away with reckless abandon.<P>These headphones have a relatively constricted sound stage probably due in part to their smaller air chambers and supra-aural design. Their sound stage seems more positional with less out of head localization. That is to say these headphones seem to reproduce instruments/vocals in a smaller range of seemingly defined positions. These were approximately left, right, centre, left edge and right edge. This gives the listener the net effect that most of the sound seems to be positioned in the middle of the listeners’ head or very close to the head rather than around him/her. Out of head localization was quite limited especially on heavy orchestral music. This soundstage was unfortunately a far cry from that offered by the K 501 and on the whole lacked a degree of subtlety seen on other headphones in this review.<P>Movement II via the SR325s provided a whole new experience from listening to the other European headphones in this review as the SR325 had its own very unique way of portraying the music. The brass came through as extremely pure with minimal coloration towards the beginning but as they sustained some of their block chords I felt that the treble became glaring and harsh. This contrast was made most apparent as the trumpets held their notes over the lower brass parts. Strangely, this glare didn’t cause the treble to lose any detail which made it feel especially fatiguing. The bass was equally as striking as the treble. They were portrayed with an immense heft and presence which in turn gave the listener the effect that the brass section painted an immense but tight wall of sound complete with the extremes of an edgy treble and viscid bass.<P>Cor anglais came through as pure but intense due to the fact that the SR325 produced every detail of its timbre. This intensity did not come without a sacrifice and I found that the SR325 in general lacked some much needed warmth which leads to a very cold presentation of the music. I felt that this warmth was sacrificed in order to provide an ultra analytical and presentation of the music making the Grado SR325s the most detailed headphones in this review. Unfortunately, this lack of warmth also meant that the Grado’s treble harshness was not offset.<P>Strings came through as strikingly articulate and lacking in any coloration but higher frequency strings tended to have a bit more emphasis when compared with the lower range during bowed passages. In the context of an entire string section playing in unison, this could give the SR325 an unbalanced presentation. During faster moments of percussive string playing brightness was not an issue as it was offset by the SR325’s other tendency toward bass.<P>Movement IV’s string introduction was reproduced with the utmost energy on the SR325. Celli and double basses had an unforgiving and tight attack which was reinforced by the SR325’s hefty, stabbing bass. Initially, all seemed well until the SR325 hit the trumpet restatement of the theme which proved too glaring. Whilst the theme was reproduced with a sharp bite and an intense presence that was unheard of on other headphones in the review, it proved to be too fatiguing in the end due to the harshness imparted by the SR325’s treble. This was compounded by the fact that the SR325 also lacks a wide sound stage hence the treble’s harshness wasn’t offset or reduced making the melody seem quite jarring. I also felt that this was the case, to a lesser extent, with the softer clarinet solo toward the middle of the piece which lost quite a degree of its intimacy which can again be attributed to the SR325’s treble. This solo is also played very softly which made it seem brittle on the SR325 because it lacked underlying warmth which was present on other headphones. This warmth gave the solo some much needed support and fleshed out some of the quieter moments.<P>The SR325 managed to reproduce timpani and cymbals during movement IV with the utmost accuracy out of all the headphones we tested. In general percussion was presented with speed, weight and tightness that was definitely unsurpassed by any other pair of headphones in this review. The sheer speed of some of the passages in section IV especially toward the end and the trombone statement of main theme were produced with the utmost energy and impact leading to a true sense of visceral bass. I found that this bass was the closest to the physical sensation that most people would be used to from a pair of loudspeakers. It had enough weight to be both heard and felt. Unfortunately the bass wasn’t without slight abnormalities. Its speed could at times lead to a feeling that the bass felt too clinical, uncompromising and analytical at times whilst its sheer impact could become cause for serious listening fatigue if there was a sustained percussion passage. At times the bass also seemed to have too much emphasis which lead to the SR325 obscuring some of the other musical lines.<P>Overall the SR325 attempts to play on its merits in a ‘who dares wins’ fashion. It has minimalist comfort but it attempts to make up for this with its musical performance. The SR325 paints the extremities of the audible range with audacity and nearly succeeds in doing so. The SR325 dares to be different in its presentation and design but unfortunately comes up slightly short mainly due to its treble problem.<P>Sennheiser HD600
The Sennheiser HD600’s performance was the most balanced and rounded in this review. It was a desirable blend combining some of the immediacy but none of the harshness or extremities of the Grado SR325 with the musicality and relatively linear sounding nature of the Beyerdynamic DT931, and some of the AKG K 501’s sound stage laid back nature for good measure. Personally, for me they were one of the most involving but least fatiguing headphones and were always a pleasure to use.<P>The Sennheiser HD600’s sound stage was a good compromise between the depth offered by the K 501 and the immediacy offered by the SR325. Its moderately deep sound stage was significantly less directional than what the SR325 had to offer which made it seem more natural on the whole. The sound stage also sacrificed a slight bit of air and width when compared to the K 501 but made up for this by having instruments sound more intimate and less distanced. Out of head localization was surprisingly good on the HD 600 and sometimes effectively blurred the barriers of what a good speaker system could achieve. I felt that this mainly came as a result of Sennheiser’s open metal transducer cover design.<P>The HD 600 during movement II exhibited its characteristic midrange purity and clarity especially during the brass chorale. I felt that out of all the headphones tested the HD 600 had the smoothest dynamic transition during the brass passage. These headphones were able to build effortlessly and intricately toward the climax and seamlessly resolve to the cor anglais solo making the listening experience non-fatiguing, and even proportioned. The cor anglais solo as portrayed by the HD 600 proved to be intimate, warm but slightly laid back. It was not bright and proved to be lyrical with a good sense of continuity. This solo was further enhanced by a greater sense of space and ambience around each note which allowed the cor anglais’ timbre to develop. Strings in this section were equally as well balanced with a detailed but relaxed flavour. They were rendered with a nice liquidity to them which was only found on the HD600. Overall, the strings seemed to be warmer than portrayed by other headphones whilst they had a genuine sense of purpose as their musical lines built to their respective climaxes. Harmonics also seemed especially fluid as they bubbled to the surface of the musical tapestry.<P>Movement IV demonstrated how the HD 600 can seemingly integrate into a whole range of musical styles and different textures with minimal effort. The HD 600 reproduced the cello and double bass parts with richness and a lively attack which kept it true to the recording. It had slightly less heft than the SR325 which I felt was a good compromise between a portrayal of the music’s presence and the need to keep the overall representation non-fatiguing. The trumpet theme was also accurately portrayed with a sense of balance and timing which was in between the Grado SR325 in terms of speed and the K 501 in terms of ton which lead to the impression that the HD 600 gave the right amount of definition without sacrificing any aspects of musicality, a near perfect blend. Timpani and cymbals were even tempered but didn’t quite have the impact of the SR325 which for better or worse gave the HD600 a greater degree of neutrality. The timpani sounded very slightly muddied in its bass by a lack of edge and a slight lingering of its notes during faster passages but thankfully these instances were rare and didn’t detract from the overall performance of the HD 600. Bass in general had weight but lacked the ‘slam’ of the SR325 which I felt was more appropriate given the HD 600’s purer but less analytical midrange.<P>Ultrasone HFI-2000
The Ultrasone HFI-2000’s performance was somewhere in between the K 501 and the Sennheiser HD 600 but it frustratingly lacked detail and definition especially on its lower range. The in front localization system on the HFI-2000 had negligible effect on its performance. It doesn’t really add a greater sense of out of head localization or depth perception as advertised. This was rather disappointing given the fact that one of the HFI-2000’s main marketing pitches was its revolutionary sound staging technology. Instead, the HFI-2000 had a very bog standard soundstage. It wasn’t constricted but it lacked air and at times gave a very vague placement of instruments which left its performance lacking when compared to the other headphones. Its soundstage was also not helped by the fact that the ear pads were badly designed as discussed earlier.<P>In movement II the HFI-2000 performed admirably. It was one of the more laid back headphones in this review with a smooth but thin tone which was hindered by a bias towards treble and a lack of definition at quicker points in the music (this was more apparent in movement IV than movement II.) This was made clear during the cor anglais solo which lacked a degree of air but made up for this with a gentle and silken smooth presentation of the music. String passages seemed relatively mellow and less involving but lent slightly on the bright side. This brightness wasn’t exhibited as a harsh treble leading to sibilance or glare but rather a contrast to the HFI-2000s lack of definition at some points in the music. I found that the treble was quite uncharacteristic of the HFI-2000’s tone therefore listeners could easily misinterpret it as excess treble brightness. This treble became the source of minor annoyance and a bit of an anomaly on the HFI-2000’s part.<P>In movement IV the HFI-2000 performed similarly but lacked overall drive which made this movement feel less compelling and generally un-involving. The HFI-2000 started to exhibit signs of less detail toward the louder moments of this movement which could lend to the headphones giving a muddied presentation at some points in the music. This was especially present in the theme to the piece with full the full accompaniment of brass and timpani. The headphones lost the edge on its lower register and exhibited signs of flab and blurring whilst treble still seemed prevalent on the music’s surface. At times during movement IV this was further compounded by the softer moments of the piece having a full compliment of detail contrasting the louder moments which became extremely clouded and ill-defined. This seemed unbalanced in both loud and soft sections because it gave the overall effect of a seemingly clumsy mass of mid and low range supporting a detailed and crisp treble. This ultimately stripped a chunk of musicality from the HFI-2000’s performance as it simply wasn’t reproducing the music faithfully.<P>Thankfully, although this pair of headphones had some serious problems in regards to its detail it had more than adequate bass impact during movement IV. It wasn’t as pronounced as the Grado SR325’s bass but it did have a nice degree of speed and bite. This seemingly gave it a lively nature but detail was sorely missed. Overall, I personally felt that this headphones’ bass was well presented but unfortunately lacked detail as explained above which gave left a very lacklustre impression. Users looking for bass will be satisfied at first by the physical aspect then be seemingly frustrated by the lack of detail and subtlety which most audiophiles crave.<P>Jazz and Vocal Listening Notes<P>In this section we deal briefly with Jazz and vocal music via these headphones. We’ve attempted to give a general overview of each headphones’ performance characteristics so that users can appreciate what sort of performance they would receive if they purchased a pair of headphones for listening to these particular styles of music. The two pieces used in this section are as follows:
Jazz: The Dave Brubeck Quartet Strange Meadow Lark
Vocals: Buena Vista Social Club featuring Omara Portuondo and Ibrahim Ferrer No me llores más <P>AKG K 501
The AKG K 501 in Strange Meadow Lark had a very subdued and relaxed tone. The piano came through as a gentle wash of sound that was musical yet laid back which perfectly fitted this style of music. Paul Desmond’s sax had its characteristic purity yet it kept its reedy tonality which I felt gave the sax a good degree of intimacy. The sax playing sounded less rich than on the HD 600 but in general its tone seemed more neutral and less committal, perfect for this laid back style. Percussion and double bass was nicely placed within the K 501’s sound stage and had the correct amount of emphasis which kept it light yet detailed which was perfect for its accompaniment role.<P>This laid back, polite presentation of the music was only disrupted by one unfortunate anomaly. The AKG K 501’s sound stage by nature is so large that when listening to a quartet it’s hard not to feel that it is in some way inappropriate. At times the instruments sounded too distant from one another giving the effect that there could somehow be more than four players or the venue in which they were performing in was highly reverberant. I felt this was made especially apparent when the bass/kit was relegated to the back of the sound stage giving them a very airy and indecisive tone which in turn took away impression that they were the rhythmic driving force behind the group. Overall, this stripped the impression of solidarity from the rhythm section which detracted from the music. The sound staging problem could’ve come as a trade off because K 501 was specifically designed with orchestral listening in mind.<P>The K 501 again managed to impart its relaxed tone to the vocal piece whilst Latin percussion and other accompanying instruments were plagued by the sound stage which made them feel distant in relation to the singers. Vocals came through as soothing yet smooth with a hint of slight hint of punch whilst high register trumpet solos were dulled which made sure that they didn’t possess too much attack to overwhelm the listener. This was highlighted during the second half of the piece where there is a trumpet melody accompanied by a sax riff. During this passage I felt that the melody was at times obscured by the soundstage and didn’t quite have the desired amount of zest due to the instruments being placed further toward the back of the K 501’s sound stage.<P>Beyerdynamic DT931
The Beyerdynamic DT 931 in Strange Meadow Lark had a generally neutral but slightly more involving tone. The piano came through as refined with a delicate hint of brightness which gave it some character. Paul Demond’s tone was treated with care by the DT 931 and came out on par with the K 501 but had a slight hint of glare toward some of the higher register. The timbre of the sax was also slightly more apparent on the DT 931 compared to the K 501 as the sound staging placed the instruments more toward the front and middle. Bass/kit came through as well defined with a hint of presence but not enough to spoil the performance of the saxophone or piano. Sound staging was not an issue with the DT 931. It remained opened toward the edges and solid toward the middle which fitted the character of this piece.<P>The Beyerdynamic DT 931 gave a very transparent and solid performance during the vocal piece and avoided adding warmth or fleshing out parts of the music that were thinner. In general, I found that male/female vocals sounded smooth yet didn’t fail to convey any of the performers’ diction or inflections in their tone throughout the piece. The unison vocal section showcased the DT931’s ability to give a neutral yet refined presentation of the two performer’s voices which were well separated with a great deal of air between them which allowed the listener to consider each voice part separately. This was a luxury not found on other headphones in this review. Trumpet sounded a tad piercing but not to the extent of the SR325. The sax riff was reproduced accurately with a good deal of weight and a slight hint of grit which fitted this style perfectly. The rhythm section had a strong rhythmic drive and a sense of purpose but could’ve benefited from a sharper attack especially during sections when the bongo drums took the lead.<P>Gradolabs SR325
The Gradolabs SR 325 in Strange Meadow Lark gave a very up front presentation of the music. Piano was rendered with increasing impact as it travelled up toward the higher registers with speed and precision which kept it sounding slightly dry. The piano had a more distinctive drive to it on this pair of headphones which was note entirely true to this style of music. Sax was bright as expected hinting at a piercing edge, with its tone sounding slightly more brittle and less pure than on the other headphones tested. Its highs were also very detailed without much air which I felt gave a fatiguing performance. The bass line was more boisterous than usual on the SR 325 with a great deal of drive but very little warmth. The energetic of nature of the bass line made it feel as if it were genuinely walking along and driving the group rather than plodding along simply as accompaniment. Sound staging was adequate on the SR 325 but it sounded a bit too clumped for this more relaxed style of jazz. A larger sound stage would’ve helped to develop the piano and sax’s harmonic decay and perhaps give a slight roll off to the treble.<P>The Gradolabs SR 325 during the second piece gave the vocals a truly boisterous and playful tone. If you like your Latin percussion hot, your sax gritty and your trumpet shrill then these would be the headphones for you. Percussion was kept sharp with bongo drums in particular having an articulated snap to them. The sax riff was heavy bordering on slightly choking and stood as a direct contrast to Desmond’s more pure sax playing. It was interesting to see that the SR325 could easily portray these two saxophone styles. Demond’s playing had more of an emphasis on midrange clarity whilst this style of sax aims for a sense of sheer weight and bass impact. This gave the desired effect and the grittier feel of the sax in this piece was rendered with detail and a degree of reed harshness that was characteristic of this music. Trumpet was truly biting at some points in the recording but for short periods of time this fitted the music perfectly. I personally thought that the trumpet solo had a certain vitality and a rhythmic drive not felt on the other headphones. The higher register of the trumpet genuinely felt like sharp bursts which again pushed the envelope in terms of treble. Sound staging was also very tight with three distinct groupings in a relatively confined space which added to the intensity of the recording. These groupings in order of distance were the singers, trumpet/sax and finally the rhythm section.
Sennheiser HD600<P>The Sennheiser HD 600s in Strange Meadow Lark undeniably gave a very warm and intimate presentation. In these terms, the HD600 could be criticised for being less neutral but I felt that its overall performance sounded better with the subtle degree of coloration that it added. Piano was full bodied, fluid and didn’t hint at glare. It was kept laid back and slightly subdued toward the higher register which kept it from becoming fatiguing. Paul Desmond’s tone was more rich and full than on any other pair of headphones. The HD600 sacrificed a slight amount of its neutrality in exchange for presenting a more lyrical and intimate version of the saxophone melody whilst bass/kit was kept relatively flowing but smooth. The HD 600’s sound stage was relaxed yet kept the instruments within a smaller space which is characteristic of a small jazz quartet..<P>In the vocal piece the Sennheiser HD 600 gave another sterling performance. Its delicate treatment of the voice parts combined with a mellow yet open tone gave this piece a truly free flowing presentation. I felt in particular that the HD 600’s tone was excellent at portraying vocals with a pinpoint natural accuracy. Its midrange purity, slight warmth and well rounded nature gave the music a truly solid but musical presentation which never hinted at any degree of harshness. You could almost swear that you felt Ibrahim or Omara’s joie de vivre in their singing as the HD 600 gave an intimate performance packed with midrange sweetness and even tonality for good measure. The trumpet solo’s treble sounded slightly rolled in this piece which gave it some initial impact but reduced the impact of its sustained high notes. The sax was a great deal warmer on the HD 600 than normal but this kept it proportional to the voice part. It lacked the reedy timbre and slight grit found on other headphones which was only a very minor issue. The rhythm section sounded equally as full bodied most notably with bongos having their full depth whilst maintaining speed and weight. The HD 600 didn’t quite have the snap as heard on the SR325 but it wouldn’t be expected to given the nature of its low and mid range.
Ultrasone HFI-2000
The Ultrasone HFI-2000 in Strange Meadow Lark was presented in a neutral but slightly thin light with a hint of weakness in its bass. Piano had a slight harshness in its treble which again was contrasted by a relatively non-involving low/mid range. The treble on the piano’s high register seemed far too detailed compared to the mid/low range which leads to a greater sense of movement instead of a laid back nature which would’ve been more fitting for this piece. Sax was even tempered with only a hint of bias on treble which gave it a relatively neutral performance. Again, this presentation of the sax could’ve done with a degree of warmth to add a bit of solidarity and intimacy to the sax’s tone. The bass had a bit of flab on its notes which kept which gave it a less precise attack but this wasn’t too detrimental to this style of music as the bass doesn’t have a particularly fast line to play. The drum kit was also muddied and lacked a definitive edge which was a minor annoyance. Sound staging was little vague especially in regards to the kit but on the whole it was on par with the DT 931.<P>The Ultrasone HFI-2000 during the vocal piece lacked rhythmic drive toward the beginning which was only offset by the flow of the vocal line. Omara’s voice sounded slightly bright compared to Ibrahim’s which was a disappointment as it spoiled some of the unison sections of the piece. Trumpet on the HFI-2000 surprisingly wasn’t too bright and seemed more distant than it should be. I felt the sax sounded relatively relaxed on the HFI-2000 especially toward the lower register and seemed to lack support making it sound slightly brittle. I felt that the tendency for the HFI-2000 to display the sax in an un-involving manner came as a major disappointment as it didn’t fit the style of this music. The rhythm section also suffered on the HFI-2000 especially bongo drums which came through as dull and lacking in definition. This was similar to the experience before where the HFI-2000 had the initial impact but allowed the sound to lose energy in the lower register and decay far too quickly.<P> |
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