Occasionally I Too Can Be A Dirty Consumer Whore Although My Brand Choices Are Significantly More Obscure Than Those Of Kids These Days
I was originally going to write about the broadcast system but I haven’t completed my tests yet and I happened to visit my favourite audiophile headphone store the other day, where I tried out some closed headphones for prospective use in the noisier environments where my AD900 set aren’t as useful. The three I tried out, with limited access to content in store and a small section of my collection I had on hand in MP3 form, were the Shure SRH840, the Beyerdynamic DT250, and the Ultrasone Proline 550. All were tested with the Meier Audio Corda Cantate amplifier.
Now that I’ve actually written that down, I realise I didn’t do any real testing here either, especially not with my amp or the content I normally play for long periods of time, but given how non-powerhungry these cans are (besides the beyers) I think my decisions reached are fairly understandable, besides for some oddities with the DT250. Also I totally wanted to blarg about headphones for a change.
So the first set I tried were the Ultrasone Proline 550. The first thing I noticed about these is that they were collapsible, although they seemed quite sturdy. The other aesthetic thing I found odd besides the colour was the lack of any clear indication of which was the left and which was the right cup, although close inspection revealed a very small L and R on each. After actually putting them on, they were very well fitting around my ears and sounded fantastic with the triphop and dnb I tested, as well as a bit of metal. Bass was very much there but not overpowering and the midrange was really clear for quite a bassy headphone. Unlike the other closed models I’ve tried over the years, these sounded very airy and open, which was a nice surprise. Treble was clear if a little under-powered but that was quite possibly due to MP3 being stupid.
These were quite possibly my favourite of the day if it weren’t for the damn headband. Ultrasone have put a large-ish pad right in the centre of the headband. It’s made of some kind of SOFT foam, and as soon as it sat on my head, it completely depressed into the plastic, resulting in the hard plastic of the headband being in direct contact with my head, which was not at all pleasant. While these sounded fantastic, and they fit well over my ears, the headband discomfort is just unforgivable and I can’t say I would like to wear them again. Maybe I could buy some and mod the headband right out but I don’t know if I’m willing to put in the effort for something that’s already over $300.
The next set for testing were the beyers. I have heard a lot about the DT250 and the DT770pro, and although I was quite wanting to try both, however the DT770pro wasn’t in stock. I was testing the 80ohm version. My very first impression of the sound was that it was a bit dull in comparison to the Ultrasones. This may be because of Ultrasone’s S-Logic magical sounds-like-open-cans feature, or because I wasn’t getting proper isolation due to the cups being more supraaural rather than circumaural. Whichever the case, these were a bit of a disappointment as far as the sound went. I know that these beyers in particular are not particularly bass heavy or strong on the treble, unlike say the DT770pro, however they are very smooth overall and perform evenly across most sound ranges. I have a feeling my lack of impressment was due to trying the fancier Ultrasones first rather than any defect in the beyers themselves, and when I head back with my amp and a stack of FLAC I’ll give them another shot.
As far as comfort goes, the DT250 far exceeded the Proline 550, especially on the headband. I found them to have a stronger clamping force as well on the cups, but seeing as the cups didn’t fit my ears as well this wasn’t all that beneficial. I do wonder if they have larger cups, and I’d like to try the 770pro, both for being bassier, and the different shaped cup which looks like it would give me a better fit.
The last set on my list was the SRH840 by Shure. I already own and love a set of Shure canalphones, although that didn’t stop me from getting some VSonic’s for my 21st birthday from my grandad, and I had rather high expectations from Shure. The SRH840 is a lot bulkier than most other headphones I have used, it felt like some chunky Bose or Senns as far as the look/feel went, with a strong clamping force, solid design, and rather taut pleather? on the pads. They looked like they were meant to impress people, but also like they could take a bit of a hammering for travel. When I actually listened to them, I found them to be very isolating, significantly moreso than the Proline 550 or DT250, which I guess is good for a closed headphone, and they weren’t boxed in at all like other closed headphones I have used at around the same price.
These were actually one of the sets I was highly considering so I’m quite happy that I tested them. As far as the sound goes, these focus almost entirely on bass and midrange, and while not exactly the most pounding of bassy cans, they had a very strong mid/low range that almost completely drowned out the few finer treble points that remained in my test tracks. Being quite bulky, I expected them to be heavy, and that they were. I would like to try these again with more of the music I listen to commonly, just to get a better feel for them, but I don’t think I can see myself purchasing these. The lack of treble focus just puts me off too much when it comes to the dubstep I listen to, and the work of artists like Alstroemeria Records or Lix, which is the sort of tracks I listen to a lot while working, and work is where I am looking for some closed headphones for.
As far as sound goes for these, I would have to hands down pimp the Ultrasone Proline 550. For comfort, probably the DT250 if only it was a bit bigger around the cups. The SRH840 were just too heavy and this isn’t something I want when I’ll be listening for 6-8 hours solidly. I think I’ll have to go in again with my collection, my Creek OBH-21SE, my AD900, and have a go at comparing them and see what I like. I will probably end up getting the Ultrasone’s and rebuilding the headband at this point, which is kinda not what I’m wanting at all. I guess time will tell.
NB: Shameless pimping of my favourite store is completely intentional, they’re excellent for getting/testing quality headphones in Australia and have some great staff who really know their stuff, unlike most retail stores. I also realise that my lack of real testing is somewhat misleading in this post, especially as I didn’t use the sort of things I listen to most often or my own amp, but the Cantate is a better amp anyway and as I said earlier, I wanted to write about expensive headphones.
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