Sennheiser 555 is on 50% sale on amazon.com.

[grubyhalo]

I haven't heard the Grado but I think the AT is a much better headphones for a lot of reasons. If you listen to only rock, the Grados would have been an awesome choice I hear...

 

[amitk777]

Aramex? Shipping charges would be about 1000 (shipping weight is 2 pounds). The customs folks usually don't bother with small value items. Unless you are out of luck.

Sorry, I could not understand that, if I order from Amazon online, from India how can I choose to get it delivered via Aramex ?

 

[iaudio]

Gobble san, I have both the AD700s and Hd555 with me now. I have heard the Grado SR60s previously. And I can tell you that these three headphones sound quite different, even though all of them are open in nature.
At the risk of generalising,

The Senns have a narrow soundstage compared to the ad700 but the sound is more intimate, with a bit more bass.
The AD700s have a wide soundstage, less bass, decent separation and I find it more comfortable.
The SR60s have a more in your face sound with a narrow soundstage.

And like grubyhalo said, the udac 2 would go well with it. FTW.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Sometimes one comes across a thread which it is just impossible to leave without realising that temptation has struck when you weren't looking

Gobble, congratulations on a great piece of impulse buying there! Having begun with this thread, and then browsed around, I'm thinking that those AD700s might suit me very well.

Never been a headphone wearer in the past, but I want music when everyone else is asleep. I want open-back, not isolation, and I want the sort of experience iaudio seems to be describing with the AD700s. I want clarity of mids and highs, and I want comfort on the head.

One problem I have with Sennheiser is that their range is too big!

Headphones, Sir? Do you listen mostly on Wednesdays, or Thursdays?

Err... Tuesdays as it happens.

No problem, sir. Mornings or afternoons?​

My brain is too small.

 

[gobble]

Sometimes one comes across a thread which it is just impossible to leave without realising that temptation has struck when you weren't looking

Gobble, congratulations on a great piece of impulse buying there! Having begun with this thread, and then browsed around, I'm thinking that those AD700s might suit me very well.

Never been a headphone wearer in the past, but I want music when everyone else is asleep. I want open-back, not isolation, and I want the sort of experience iaudio seems to be describing with the AD700s. I want clarity of mids and highs, and I want comfort on the head.

One problem I have with Sennheiser is that their range is too big!

Headphones, Sir? Do you listen mostly on Wednesdays, or Thursdays?

Err... Tuesdays as it happens.

No problem, sir. Mornings or afternoons?​

My brain is too small.

Heh Be warned these HPs disturb everyone around because they leak a lot of noise. So you will still have to be in another room by yourself for late nights.

It wasn't 100% impulse, just 90% thats all! hyeah: The seed was sown weeks back - Been looking for ways to experience great sound while I struggle with building a DIY project that is dead quiet ( thinking electronically with least IMD and EF/EMI intererence) - I finally had a crossover moment when I began listening analytically and got chance to compare some gear against mine.

These ones are easy to drive so I can use my never used ipod touch 3g until I find that usb/sdcard source+DAC+preamp thats a killer.

you forgot to consider planetary positions and how they will influence your listening sessions with the HP hyeah: :lol:

Cheers

 

[iaudio]

Thad, They are comfortable, the AD700s. They have very little clamping force and are light. Sonically, they have their shortcomings but for the sub 100$ price tag, I dont believe one could do a lot better.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for the advice. What would the next step on the ladder be?

So you will still have to be in another room by yourself for late nights.

I will be ... no problems. But hey, my very old Sony ear buds are sounding very ropey now, so that is something else for the shopping list.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Any comment on the AD900s?

Turns out I'm going to Singapore again soon.

Whilst there are some great deals at Amazon USA, by the time the carriage and everything is added, I might as well go to Stereo, where I can probably audition them, and have the pleasure of taking whatever I buy away there and then, and reclaim the Singapore sales tax.

 

[gobble]

Thad, They are comfortable, the AD700s. They have very little clamping force and are light. Sonically, they have their shortcomings but for the sub 100$ price tag, I dont believe one could do a lot better.

Grrr! You are spoiling the fun of anticipating a great buy. You should be banned until I receive my HP <Banish!> hyeah:

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You're just going to have to hate them now!

Off-topic, not headphones, but I am expecting a parcel from Amazon USA, now expected-delivery-date-plus-3. Seems there's no tracking once it left USA, which was very quick. Have to go away for a few days soon, and wondering what happens :sad:

 

[gobble]

You're just going to have to hate them now!

Off-topic, not headphones, but I am expecting a parcel from Amazon USA, now expected-delivery-date-plus-3. Seems there's no tracking once it left USA, which was very quick. Have to go away for a few days soon, and wondering what happens :sad:

No problems there. Customs will do safekeeping for you for about 21 days before it lands at your doorstep hyeah:

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Oh! Look at this

March 10, 2011 05:00:00 PM IN Completed customs clearance process
March 10, 2011 01:30:00 PM IN Arrived at destination country

It would help if they said what port it had arrived at

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Any comment on the AD900s?

Turns out I'm going to Singapore again soon.

Whilst there are some great deals at Amazon USA, by the time the carriage and everything is added, I might as well go to Stereo, where I can probably audition them, and have the pleasure of taking whatever I buy away there and then, and reclaim the Singapore sales tax.

Trip over, headphones bought!

I could have done more shopping around; I could probably have saved money by buying from USA, but you know how it is when you are in the shop and wanting something!

My buying experience was at Stereo, in Plaza Singapura, Singapore. They seem to have most stuff available for demo, and are happy to let the customer spend as much time as they want listening.

At first, I took the AD700s and AD900s for demo. I guess I would have been very happy with the AD700s, if I had not heard the 900s. The AD700s certainly sound great, but they are like listening to headphones, whereas the 900s made me feel like I was listening to speakers. I was using Mahler's 2nd symphony, played on my own Cowon portable, as my test piece, and, while the 900s could not build a real stereo landscape for me, as good speakers would, they gave a sense of space. Much more expensive: I asked myself, pretty severely, if I could really hear the difference. As objectively as I could, I answered, yes.

On recommendation from the staff, I also listened to Grado and Ultrasone 'phones. The Grado did not sound as good as the AKGs (but was still pretty damned good!)... the Ultrasones had a wonderful sound, but I did not like the on-ear fit. Sorry: I didn't note the model numbers.

I have never been a headphone man before. This is the first pair of serious headphones I ever bought. In the past, I have always disliked the sensations of weight on my head, and of being cut off from the outside world. The latter, of course, I got used to using ear buds when travelling, but still did not want to buy closed 'phones for use at home.

The AKG fit is nine out of ten. They are very, very light. They sit entirely around the ear (they are really big!); they are built for a head about half an inch higher than mine (I'll let you know the plastic surgery costs to factor in, after I get it done ).

I don't know if the velvet pads can be replaced. This is one thing I really should have enquired about in the shop but I thought of it too late. Quite how they are going to be for sweaty Chennai, we will see, but I think they will be better than more "clampy" phones would be. I am unlikely to be using them for multi-hour sessions anyway.

Yes, as already advised in the thread, they are noisy. I discovered recently that my wife can hear earbuds from across the room! To me, they are totally silent even three inches from my ear. We just have to hope the closed bedroom door will be enough in the night, when I will be using these things.

Due to considerable over-budget spend on the headphones, I did not go on to replace my now-pretty-old Sony MDR-EX70 earbuds. However, my wife's MDR55s had to be replaced, as they were eaten by the dog we were staying with. Purchased at Mustafa, we were disappoint to find one channel dead. On returning them, they found the same fault in another pair off the shelf. We found a slightly different model that was working fine, and took that, but ... Sony quality control? Anyway, my old, wax-laden 70s still sound as good as the brand-new 55s. Of course, they were twice the price, but I think prices have fallen a lot for this gear.

Gobble... tell us about your purchase!

(and yes, my cpu cooler arrived the day before we left. They had tried to deliver two days previously, but it seems Amazon have my landline number and we were out. Will change this before ordering again)


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