View Full Version : Sennheiser HD595 vs Audio-Technica A900
MikalCarbine
08-12-2006, 02:00 PM
I only want to spend around $200 for a pair of headphones to bring to college. I will be using them for gaming and listening to music (mainly metal). I have always been looking into gettin the HD959's but I read the Headphone FAQ and saw the A900's. After doing some research it seems the A900's are slightly better but the HD959's might be more suitable for metal (which is extremely important to me, great sounding music over anything)
Does anyone have any input? Also, what kind of amp would I need to make most of these headphones? I'm not a huge audiophile but I do enjoy good sound
I know the A900 is better for gaming. I'm not sure about metal. The Beyerdynamic DT770/80 is also great for gaming. Again not sure about metal. I would check out head-fi for better suggestions.
Daveb2012
08-13-2006, 01:22 AM
I only want to spend around $200 for a pair of headphones to bring to college. I will be using them for gaming and listening to music (mainly metal). I have always been looking into gettin the HD959's but I read the Headphone FAQ and saw the A900's. After doing some research it seems the A900's are slightly better but the HD959's might be more suitable for metal (which is extremely important to me, great sounding music over anything)
Does anyone have any input? Also, what kind of amp would I need to make most of these headphones? I'm not a huge audiophile but I do enjoy good sound
I loved the HD-595's I just sold a pair for $140, I only sold them because I parted my whole rig out and wasn't listening to them i'm considering re-buying them. :slap:
MikalCarbine
08-13-2006, 02:25 PM
I'm going to post this on head-fi, does anyone know anything of amps?
I have not used the A900 before, but I will post my experience on the HD595.
I'll start off by saying that these are the best headphones I have ever used, coming from HD495s, Grado SR60, and the SR80. I use these for everything... gaming, music, movies and they never fail to impress me. I am a huge fan of Sennheiser sound because it is generally neutral. The 595s have nice tight bass and is slightly warm, and the sound is very full. It does not sound bloated in terms of bass and highs. They are also extremely comfortable, the headphone cups around your entire ear, which is perfect for me since I wear glasses. You don't have to worry about getting a good seal since its a perfect fit everytime.
The good thing about the HD595s is that they are low impedance so you do not neccisarily have to have an amp for them to sound really good. Unamped, my HD595 still sounds good on my X-Fi. Amps can make your headphones sound better, but I would not go diving into shopping for a high end amp, especially if you are strapped for cash. The HD595s are probably the most efficient out of the entire 5 series line, and it will sound great even on a portable like an ipod.
If you do want to use an amp, I would start out with a good value amp that wont break the bank.....amps can cost more than your headphones. The two best value amps are probably the Little Dot Micro+, or a PA2v2. These cost around $50~. Between the two, the LDM+ is much more neutral sounding. I opted for this amp because I do not like exaggerated boomy bass and sound It did tighten up the bass, but more importantly the midrange and highs seem much clearer. If you like lots of bass and highs, go with the PA2V2
but yeah, check out Head-Fi, there a billion A900 vs HD595 and LDM+ vs PA2V2 threads and combinations of both
I'm going to post this on head-fi, does anyone know anything of amps?Biggest thing leading to requirement for amplifier is high impedance, some of these more expensive headphones have very high impedance and require high input voltage.
(P=U2/R)
HD595 has impedance of 50ohm which is very low compared to common impedance level of many better headphones and should work well even with about all portable players.
If that other is Audio-Technica ATH-A900 its impedance is still lower at 40ohm so both of them should definitely work work in that aspect.
I myself have HD590 with 120ohm impedance which is too much for portable players but front panel of X-Fi Fatal1ty handles it very well. Also if there's one thing in those it's that Sennheiser really knows how to make comfortable headphones.
Neither I am any audiophile but at least with movie soundtracks (Hans Zimmer, John Williams, David Arnold etc) these open design headphones sound very good. Not that I would have had other equal class headphones for comparison but these work also well with other music I listen. (Stratovarius, Nightwish and like those)
I've read from few places that Sennheisers don't have strongest possible bass but again that propably has quite much to do with what kind of music is listened and very much to do with listener.
MikalCarbine
08-14-2006, 11:28 AM
I decided I don't want the 595's because of the open air design, I will be dorming in college and would like some closed ones, so now I am deciding between the DT770's and A900s, but the Dt770s are really heavy on bass, which I am not that big of a fan of
Drunner611
08-14-2006, 12:21 PM
I don't want to thread steal, but since were talking about phones for college gaming/metal, I'm looking more around the $100 price range. Any ideas? I've heard good things about the a900 so i was thinking about the a500?
MikalCarbine
08-14-2006, 01:10 PM
People recommended to me the HD280pro's which are $75, you should look into them, I'm willing to spend more though :P
I decided I don't want the 595's because of the open air design, I will be dorming in college and would like some closed ones, so now I am deciding between the DT770's and A900s, but the Dt770s are really heavy on bass, which I am not that big of a fan of Then the A900s are perfect for you. The HD280s are not great.
I don't want to thread steal, but since were talking about phones for college gaming/metal, I'm looking more around the $100 price range. Any ideas? I've heard good things about the a900 so i was thinking about the a500? The A500 is a good headphone for gaming/movies but music, not so much. You need to say what you will be using them for, what type of music you will listen to, if you need open or closed and what you will be using them with (what you will be hooking them up to). I could help you but you will get even more help if you too go to head-fi.
Metal means bass and good separation. Gaming means a wide soundstage and detail. College means dorm, which means closed cans unless you want your roommates to kill you and hide the body.
The last bit there excludes the Sennys, which are open. The A900s are an excellent choice. For the music you listen to and the gaming, you might also want to look into the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros. I've got a pair and they're unbelievable for gaming.
[edit] Must...read...intervening...posts....
Drunner611
08-14-2006, 04:39 PM
The A500 is a good headphone for gaming/movies but music, not so much. You need to say what you will be using them for, what type of music you will listen to, if you need open or closed and what you will be using them with (what you will be hooking them up to). I could help you but you will get even more help if you too go to head-fi.
Oh, well I thought that was implied in my post that i'm looking for the same thing as Mike. Gaming/ Metal headphones, closed design for college, aroudn $100. Even $50 - $100 would be great!
XenatR
08-17-2006, 10:54 AM
arent the Beyerdynamic DT770s too little power for a pc?
they only give 96db SPL... surely you would need an external amp?
MikalCarbine
08-17-2006, 11:18 AM
I picked up some DT770/80s used for cheap, they are in now and I am burning them in. They sound great! Here is a question though, my 5.1 system has a wired remote control with a headphone port, do you think that the subwoofer would act as an amp if I plugged them in through that port compared to just my Audigy 2 ZS?
I'm not home right now so I can't try it :S
There are two versions, the 250ohm and the 80ohm. The 250ohm absolutely requires amplification; the 80ohm doesn't. Plugged into the front bay of my X-Fi the 80ohm can blow my ears out. They could probably still benefit from a little amplification simply for sound quality, but not much. On the other hand, you certainly can't power these things from an iPod and expect anything like good sound.
I picked up some DT770/80s used for cheap, they are in now and I am burning them in. They sound great! Here is a question though, my 5.1 system has a wired remote control with a headphone port, do you think that the subwoofer would act as an amp if I plugged them in through that port compared to just my Audigy 2 ZS?
I'm not home right now so I can't try it :S
Which system?
MikalCarbine
08-17-2006, 11:55 AM
I have the 80ohm version, and my sound system is the Creative Megaworks THX550, under its specs it says that it's subwoofer has a built in amp
Helmore
08-17-2006, 01:38 PM
I don't know about that set but I guess that that amp is meant for the speakers and won't do anything for the headphone jack. That's just my guess and I don't know much about speakers and audio but you can always test it.
I can't tell from Creative's specs whether there's a built-in headphone amp, but let's just say I would be very surprised.
Try them out, see how they sound.
MikalCarbine
08-22-2006, 07:51 PM
The headphone port seems to be weak, I have the volume on it around 90% and the volume isn't even that loud (comfortable for music/gaming), but I can tweak the bass (I don't like all that much) and treble from the remote :P
About the headphones, I've been burning them in all week, and I absolutely LOVE them, CSS has never sounded so better, I can once again track people through walls like I used to in 1.6, and music is soooo nice. I showed my friend them today and he nearly shat himself haha
I'd definately recommend these to anyone looking for a pair of headphones within these specs
Try plugging them directly into the feed from your Audigy, I'll bet it outputs a stronger signal.
MikalCarbine
08-23-2006, 01:29 PM
Oh it certainly does, but if I do it that way and want to switch back to speakers I have to go into the creative program and change the option, I do have my front panel audio set up, but it doesn't change the speaker type upon plugging them in, nor can I adjust bass/treble and what not
Doesn't the ZS have an option you can check off where it'll automatically switch from speakers to headphones when you plug them into the front panel?
Plugging your headphones into the headphone jack on a set of surround sound PC speakers is about the worst possible thing you can do. The only thing you can do worse is use an Audigy 2.
First of all, headphone jack on speakers like yours is not there to be a quality feature. There was no time spent in designing and implementing it, and it was just added so they could advertise another feature. You can not use a speaker amp to power headphones.
Second, about the audigy 2. If there is one thing I could suggest to you, it would be:
GET RID OF IT, AND NEVER LOOK BACK.
It sounds like crap. It upsamples everything to 48khz and then back down to 44.1khz before outputing the signal. It is just an all around peice of :banana::banana::banana::banana: as far as sound quality goes.
If you NEED gaming or multichannel features, then get an X-fi. It does not upsample everything to 48khz and it has a decent digital out so you could properly set up an external DAC.
Also, regarding your choice on the DT770s -- I would think that after you described the kind of sound you wanted the A900 would be a far better choice than the DT770.
古強者死神
09-03-2006, 11:35 PM
On topic, I am looking to buy the HD595's or the A700's and really cant decide.
I want to use them directly from the x-fi card I have in my computer with the CMSS headphone mode for gaming mostly, but will also use them for music.
I like bass and alot of it, but not distorted.
The main diffrence between the two I guess is one is closed and one is open.
FQ responce is better on the AT's but the resistance is lower on the HDs...
So looking for feedback.
Are open air design headphones loud to those around you when at a generous volume??? if so that pretty much eliminates the HD's right away since most of the time I use them when my wife/kids are sleeping.
What type of music do you listen to? I would probably go with the A900.
FQ response really dosn't mean much btw.
古強者死神
09-04-2006, 07:41 PM
Yeah down to somthing that low you cant even hear it I guess it doesnt, but when I was younger I used to do professional level car audio builds/installs and it mattered alot. But when your working with 12-18" subs you can feel alot of the bass that you cant hear :P
I suppose thats why I got one of those vibrating headphones along time ago, but they were not all that great.
The A900's sound nice but there is nearly a 80$ diffrence to pay for the 900's vs the 700's and I see very little diffrence between the two.
looks like it runs at 40ohms vs the A700's 65ohms so it will run better directly from my soundcard. Has a diffrent cord, the voice coil is diffrent on the speaker, and can handle a higher input.
Now for me who is looking for a bargin, should I spend the 80$ more for the A900s or would the 700's do the job just fine? Your almost paying 2x more for them (190 vs 110) so there really has to be a significant advantage to them or I plan to get the 700's.
Just how much a diffrence are we talking 40ohm vs 65ohm driven direcly from a X-Fi card anyways?
There should not be much difference. I totally forgot about the A700 -- The difference between it and the A900 is susposed to be TINY.
古強者死神
09-06-2006, 12:03 AM
Well I orderd the A700's they should be here in a week or less. I know I will be happy with them and can finaly use the 3d headset mode on my X-Fi.
Now to combat the problem with how the x-fi is setup for outputs.
I have 7.1 analog speakers hooked up to it, so the headphones need to use the same connection (as I have found out it would be a very bad idea to plug the headphones into the headphone out spot on my speakers) I am definitly not going to move my pc and swich out the cords everytime I want to use the headphones instead of the speakers.
So I plan to get somthing like this (just much shorter) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&item=320024464529&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
There should be no issues with that solution outside of the small amount of resistance I may gain from having to go thru a 2nd connector correct?
jozzy
09-06-2006, 09:10 AM
sorry OT, how bout senn HD555, is it better than Grado SR80 ? thx all
vudoodoodoo
09-07-2006, 07:24 PM
My A900's just shipped out today. Can't wait. :D
afireinside
09-08-2006, 11:09 AM
sorry OT, how bout senn HD555, is it better than Grado SR80 ? thx all
Grados are the KING of rock/metal music but have a terrible soundstage and suck for gaming. HD555s are good for classical music and great for gaming.
Slightly off-topic but what was that big forum with a couple hundred headphone nuts?
ive had the 959's for like months now and im still rediculously amazed by the music and gaming sound quality compared to some 80 dollar headphones i had before. pinpoint accuracy and amazing depth. the first week i had them i was actually laughing about the quality and the amazment good headphones can bring. some reviews say they have less bass than the 580s or 600s, but i thing the bass is great, loud, and balanced. if these dont have bass, then the 600's must bump like a mofugga... i know you already made your decision about the open design, but i just wanted to add my 2 cents to the thread :)
Slightly off-topic but what was that big forum with a couple hundred headphone nuts?
Ah, I believe you're referring to Head-Fi (http://www.head-fi.org/). But seriously -- don't go there unless you're OK with spending way more money on your audio gear than you thought necessary (or even possible). They have a way of making things seem...reasonable.
古強者死神
09-09-2006, 03:32 PM
I got my headphones today... sorta.
I orderd the A700's off ebay from a new product reseller. However they messed up and sent me the AD700's the open air ones, not the closed air ones.
The ADs are actually more expensive (150 vs 120) and have a lower impedance so they can drive easier.
So now I wonder should I send these back? or keep them and figure it was a blessing?
Any thoughts?
BTW I hooked them up for abit and they seem to not be that loud outside of the phones like I thought they would be, but the bass is not even close to the "game" mode on my DSP500's but I just did a quick check thru hooking them to my creative labs 7.1 speaker phone out, not directly from my sound card where it would have even better quality.
So guys fast replys please as this is a time sensitive manner, what should I do?
Gotta go take the wife out to dinner before she kills me, will do more testing and check back for replies later.
I went to head-fi, posted a very detailed question and got no reply.
Oh well. Too much text I guess :)
I'm willing to spend $200 - $300 for headphones if they are low impedance so that they work well without an extra amplifier. I make enough use of it to be worth it.
I got my headphones today... sorta.
I orderd the A700's off ebay from a new product reseller. However they messed up and sent me the AD700's the open air ones, not the closed air ones.
The ADs are actually more expensive (150 vs 120) and have a lower impedance so they can drive easier.
So now I wonder should I send these back? or keep them and figure it was a blessing?
Any thoughts?
BTW I hooked them up for abit and they seem to not be that loud outside of the phones like I thought they would be, but the bass is not even close to the "game" mode on my DSP500's but I just did a quick check thru hooking them to my creative labs 7.1 speaker phone out, not directly from my sound card where it would have even better quality.
So guys fast replys please as this is a time sensitive manner, what should I do?
Gotta go take the wife out to dinner before she kills me, will do more testing and check back for replies later.
The AX00 and ADX00 headphones do not have boomy bass. They have more tight, fast and controlled bass. If you are looking for boomy bass then I would get the DT770/80.
I went to head-fi, posted a very detailed question and got no reply.
Oh well. Too much text I guess :)
I'm willing to spend $200 - $300 for headphones is they are low impedance so that they work well without an extra amplifier. I make enough use of it to be worth it.
Can I have a link to the post you made?
Can I have a link to the post you made?
Sure thing. I'm here:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=197545
If you listen to a lot of rock I would start with the SR-225.
古強者死神
09-10-2006, 07:30 PM
Well lets see what happens with this ebay seller, if I am getting a refund I can look into the DT's if I am just getting the A700's I am sure I will be happy, I like the sound of the AD700's and I am sure the A700's will be just abit more my taste.
To my supprise I guess the quality of my DSP500's is pretty good (they are close to 100$ headphones tho) and they are more comfortable. the AD700's dont really have any adjustments you make to fit them its all in a spring loaded deal on the top, they sit on your head comfortably but the left side causes me discomfort after maybe an hour or so as the driver in that side actually presses agaist my ear some. The DSP 500's that I am comparing them too dont have a over the ear fit they fit on your ears and that to me (in this case) was more comfortable.
vudoodoodoo
09-11-2006, 02:53 PM
Got my A900's today. Sounds SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than my crappy Logitech speakers LOL.
The left can got a little scratch on it though. :(
Shipping is pretty fast coming from Japan.
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/6745/headphones1wp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Holy crap, you're a girl, here on XtremeSystems?? Anyway glad you like them!
古強者死神
09-11-2006, 07:36 PM
Oh god it has begun... lol
Those things are larger than I expected, you can tell in your picture they take up like half your head.
So do yours kinda feel uncomfortable after you wear then for awhile? The presure feels like the middle of my ear where the driver inside the headphones is actually pressing on my ear, but it may be just pushing on my earing or somthing.
As for my case with my headphones, the company emailed me today and said they were sorry sombody didnt have good eyes and sent me the wrong ones. So they sent me the correct ones right away and they said at my convience please ship back the wrong ones and I will get a refund on shiping.
Very good experience with that company and there customer support was so friendly. Once I get them I can take a picture too ^^
Infact I guess I can take a shot of the AD700's since I am "unoffically" using them till I get the A700's.
vudoodoodoo
09-11-2006, 08:09 PM
They seem pretty comfortable. I like them so far. I got an X-Fi Platinum today. That and the headphones combined are amazing. I'm hearing stuff that I've never heard before.
BTW that's not me. Do you think a girl would have such a messy desk? LOL. I just need someone better looking to wear them while I snap a pic. ;)
古強者死神
09-11-2006, 11:48 PM
Heh I figured that was the case, and if it wasnt I thought about PM'ing you to say it anyways because girls get too much attention in places like computer forums.
You have pretty much the same combo as me now, I use the x-fi also I just dont have the front panel like you do. Been playing BF2 with the CMSS headphone mode and the positioning very impressive.
I have bad hearing in the first place from ultra loud car sterio's (used to do that profesionaly) and the military (think gun fire, grenades, altilery) so for sombody with good hearing im sure its even better.
The Audio Technica ATH-AX00 headphones are EXTREMLEY comfortable. In fact they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. I don't own them any more but god, they really are amazing how comfortable they are.
vudoodoodoo
09-20-2006, 12:00 PM
Wow these things can get kinda warm LOL!
古強者死神
09-21-2006, 02:19 AM
Well finaly got my A700s yesterday didnt have much time at all to play with them.
So here is my verdict.
Comfort - They fit much better than the AD700's you think it would be identical but its not.
The AD700s have larger ear cups (not depth but circumfrence/diameter) and they are made of a felt like material soft and comfortable but like I said they didnt quite hold the driver far enough away from my ear to keep it from touching me wich would cause discomfort after awhile.
The A700s however have this soft material reminds me of a black leather jacket or somthing and the cups are deeper so the driver doesnt touch my ear, but they are smaller in diameter/circumfrence so instead of taking up my ear and part of my cheek/jaw they cover mostly just my ears. However they fit so tight and dont breath like the felt after wearing them for only an hour or so I noticed I was kinda sweating in them almost because its air tight. I also definitly cant hear anything around me like I could with the AD700's.
The actual fit of the two was diffrent too, the A700s fit me perfectly as far as the fit of the cups to my head, but the AD700s seemed to be tilted some. I would have to check but I think the A700s tilt verticly while the AD700s I know only had a horizontal tilt wich is the reason why with the non adjustable headband they had a slight tilt to them when I wore them. But like I said that let some air in too and some sound so it was not a bad thing.
Now onto the actual sound, I dont notice the big diffrence between freeair and closed as far as the "in your head" sound and the "your really there surrounded by sound" effects people describe. I say the soundstage was equal between the two, the only big diffrence was that I can hear no sounds outside of the phones with the closed ones (wich is bad kinda since usually my son is asleep behind me when I have time to play) To my supprise the noise level outside of the phones due to what your playing tho is very much almost the same. You hear the game just as much as a 2nd person next to me in each headphone so dont be like me and buy closed just for this reason of being afraid to disturb people around you that atleast for these headphones is a myth and its now busted!
(there was a thead about a guy asking for a headset for college I hope he gets this info because everybody told him to get closed for that reason)
The bass is indeed better on the closed ones like I had hoped, I can put the full 12db bass boost on with my x-fi control panel and it sounds great. Not loud and bassy like my DSP500's but it sounds good and tight. Maybe due to that DADS tech they use. the AD's lacked the bass they only sounded good up to about maybe +7db of bass boost, at max it kinda distorted some. But I really like how the AD's sounded with stuff like jazz and I bet classical music would be great.
Overall I cant say one is better than the other, and untill I get further use of the A700's cant say I really tell a huge diffrence. I am so torn that I am as of now trying to work out a deal to buy the AD700's from the company that sent them to me on accident for a discounted price. If they say ok the I will just keep both and can really get a great hands on in depth feeling for both at that time I will post a full review.
I snaped some pictures of both, when I get off work later in the day I should have a chance to upload them.
Also both units can be driven directly from my x-fi card with no issues I dont even go past 50% volume before its nice and loud, so no amp needed!
I also must add that the diffrence in quality of sound going direcly from the x-fi card and going from the headphone out of my creative speakers is none or so small that I cant notice it. However I am still running directly from the soundcard just for the sake of it.
edit: ok I am home so I can post those pics
Here are the AD700's on my just woken up wife ^^
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/2032AD700.jpg
And this is the A700's
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/2032A700.jpg
The photo confirmed what I thought the AD's dont have a vert adjust just horz thats why they fit kinda odd on me, so unless your head is just right (wider than mine) they will be on you at a angle, the A700s have both horz and a small vert adjustment so they fit just right.
You can also tell the size diffrence how the AD's almost eat her whole head and the diffrence in material for the ear cups.
kimbo
10-09-2006, 06:17 PM
I should be receiving a set of A500's later this week. :fact: These will be quite a step up from my pos logitech "precision" headset. Too bad I only have an audigy 2 to run them out of, but I'm psyched.
*jacks furiously*
I got the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 80 ohms.
They are completely amazing and everything I want (closed, sturdy, one cable left). The sound is much better than either of my old ones, it does everything perfectly.
The only problem is that the positioning is so precise that it sounds like Ritchie Blackmore is trying to drill a hole into my brain on "Live in Europe". (Too bad the soundmix on "On Stage" is so lousy, so no improvement there).
flavoraid
10-11-2006, 02:09 AM
I have a pair of audio technicas and they sound great but I find that sennheiser headphones are more comfy and the wire on one side annoys me if im geeking out and playing video games all day.