Ryan's Headphone Review Thread

Tephnos said:
Ryan don't forget where I said earlier about trying out the Oppo HA-1s and PM-1/2s? :D
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Don't worry I won't forget. I'll try get a hold of a pair soon.
rids57 said:
Had to check that the date wasn't April 1st...

Tyll at Innerfidelity has put the Beats Solo 2 on his wall of fame and declared them to be outstanding and better than the Momentum on ear and the V-Moda XS :eek:
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The Solo 2 are good headphones. They are definitely better than the XS, V Moda phones always have issues with imaging and separation. Honestly if I didn't have issues with leather pads I would probably own either the Solo2 or Studio 2013 edition. Both are excellent although the Studio 2 price is a bit too much when there's a few to choose that perform a bit better like the K267 and Mad Dog but neither are portable.

I have both reviews on the way soon after a few others.
 
;) They started actually getting better after the executive. While the executive wasn't great it was a step up(not talking pros as they have always been good but not for the price) I think the Studio 2.0 is where they finally got a quality product overall and now the Solo 2. I don't know how much apple have put into the actual Solo2 but it seems they can only move forward now.
 
I really want another pair of AKG 65th Annie's. If anyone has a pair or knows anyone selling any please get in touch. Must be original pair(short pads not larger K712 pads)
 
Tephnos said:
Dunno, they'd probably still come to less than the HD800s, and are touted as being better than them, at least given the proper amp, given them being planar magnetics.

Also their HA-1 looks like an amp/dac combo for life.


Still if you do I totally want a listen! :D
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I think the HD800 is hard to beat technically but musically maybe. I did like the LCD2 more than the HD800 but they had leather pads so comfort was an issue there.
 
I know, I don't mind looking for them again and I sold them mainly because I wanted the HD650 back but I miss the Annie a lot. I'll still keep the 650 as I'm in love with mids and the 650 do them brilliantly.

The original Annie had unique pads. They were a lot thinner bringing the drivers closer. The Annie is unique and it was almost completely smooth top to bottom with really good mids. The latest Annie's all now come with the K712 pads and I have no idea how they sound with these pads which is annoying because I had both at the same time.
 
Tephnos said:
Well, the PM-1s use lambskin leather pads so you might prefer them :D
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I can't deal with any leather pads. I sold my Mad Dogs because of how hot the lamb skin made my ears and they got uncomfortable fast. I would have kept the Mad Dog as well if it wasn't for that. I believe the PM-1 also has velour but like most velours they will have a different sound to the more sealed leather pads.
 
I felt they needed a lot of EQ to sound good . I don't like using EQ and felt that it isn't acceptable in a 1.2K headphone. I really like AKG but I don't know what they were thinking! Sadly even if I liked the sound, they have leather pads :(
 
Those and the original Annie. They are both different flavours ones mid focused and intimate while the other is more AKG like with improvements.

I have a feeling that the original Annie was a mistake, hence the pad change when the K712 came out. I think AKG wanted that spaciousness and distance found on their other phones but instead got a different sound to their previous products.

If that's the case then it makes them even more special.
 
Was really close to pulling the trigger on the Annie's again but I made amazon and offer for the HD600 and they accepted so instead I now have a pair of HD600's they sound different to the older pair I had years ago, treble is perfect on these. Not as warm as the HD650 but not as slow and congested. Mids are similar, the 600 has more definition in the vocals but HD650 is more seductive. Most of my original comparison in the 650 still stands! This HD600 is more refined and natural to my old 600s.
 
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You should keep them. The HD600/650 are classics.
The original Annie(Small pads) is my fav headphone though! I prefer them to the Audezes, Senns, Fostex's, Denons the lot.

Sadly I will prob never get my hands on the original Annie again without spending some serious cash. I'd easily trade my K712 for one.

Speaking if the 712 I'm putting them up for sale to try some new gear for the guide so get in touch if you are interested.
 
novaenough said:
You'll just have to keep an eye out for the Annie, they must come up from time to time - I managed to find a pair, so they are out there.

Are you not tempted to keep the 712's though?
I hope we're not going to see a post from you in a few weeks saying you wish you'd kept them too!
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Nah. Not that they are not good, they are the most well rounded AKG. If you look at my past history all the headphones I've missed most, 650, Annie's and Mad Dog 3.1. They are all mid oriented headphones and that's the most important aspect for me.

The K712 is brilliant and makes a good all rounder but the mids are not anything special for me. I'll keep an eye out for the Annie's I may pick them up after I've experienced some new gear. I've been giving the HD600 a lot of head time until the left driver blew today -_-
 
AKGs are the king of gaming. The K701/Q701/K702 and K612 actually give that sense of air in an open space. I describe it as a cool day or night where the air is thin and you can pick out sounds around you. Any more warmth and it's like a humid Forrest, great for music but games you loose that sense of space and feeling of being there.

The HD600 is a great balance but it doesn't have the staging.
 
I've now added a Hall Of Fame t the guide. It will be basically my top recommendations in certain category's. I will only list headphones I feel are really worth the money and are special for the category.

The guide is coming on a bit slowly due to work but it will be more fleshed out soon.
 
They certainly do look interesting. Not too keen on the looks though, bit too Denon Urban Raver with more high quality materials. They definitely wouldn't be keepers though, because of the ear pads but if they get enough interest I'll snag a pair for the guide.
 
The M50 is quite bassy but it lacks any sort of separation and refinement. It can sound a bit messy but is quite a fun headphone if gotten cheap. The Yamaha MT220 is a good headphone and so is the DT770. If you are stuck for cash the Skull Candy Aviator is excellent for the money.


Dude ignore the Custom One Pro, biggest pile of crap that has left Beyerdynamic! Some mids and less distortion would have been nice. 770s hands down.
 
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