Tír Na HiFi

Thanks for all the help guys, I picked up the little dot mkII yesterday- couldn't leave it go for the money really. Nice sound, not quite as warm as I'd hoped for but maybe my sr80's aren't the best fit with it,still happy overall though (The seller had a pair of sennheiser hd650s which sounded really nice with it).

Congrats Shane. Best of luck with the little dot. If you are looking to change headphones thomann.de are often a good bet. They have akg K701's for €195. There is also a generic brand superlux HD681 see the review on tirnahifi. They are very good and cost very little.
The senn HD650 seem to be always a lot more expensive.

tony wrote:Congrats Shane. Best of luck with the little dot. If you are looking to change headphones thomann.de are often a good bet. They have akg K701's for €195. There is also a generic brand superlux HD681 see the review on tirnahifi. They are very good and cost very little.
The senn HD650 seem to be always a lot more expensive.

Thanks for that Tony. That site is full of temptation!!
Have read a bit about the AKGs and they look like a good bet. Are the Superluxes really any good?-couldn't find a review of them on here.

The AKGs are tough to drive. Without a bit of power behind them you tend to loose bass IIRC.

The superluxes are good indeed, not the last word, but very good. I use mine a lot....


Fran

The AKG's are hard to drive you would need to test with your amp before buying. Sorry there is a mention of the superluxes on the main page but no review. I bought them with the akg's from thomann because it was either take them or pay postage as the order was below a certain price without the superluxes.

Never got around to a review...

Don't get me wrong, the 701s are a lovely headphone, and very comfortable too. What I found is that they have a very good "space" to them, but when you get an amp that can really control them, the bass is as tight as a ducks ar$e. Its only when you go back to trying them with something else that you notice the difference. So you might be happy enough either way. The hd650s are a different listen, and easier to drive. BTW, there are cheaper options. If you can lay hands on a pair of k501s, and buy a set of the 701 cloth ear muffs for them, you will have a lovely sound at less money. They are just as hard to drive though, if not more so.

The superlux heavily resembles the mid range AKGs - the 240s in particular. I could be wrong, but I understand that the story is that the superlux factory makes the bits for AKG, but AKG assemble and test in Austria, whereas the superluxes are far eastern assembly. They do feel cheaper and lighter (no harm) and have plastic earpads, so for long listening they can become hot. I use them a lot for netflix on the laptop - and the kids do too, and they haven't managed to break them yet. They get a lot of use here.

For me, the HD650 is still the one to beat (haven't heard the HD800) in dynamic headphones, but I think many are caught by the detail and headstage of the 701s. They still don't beat stax though for the sheer transparency and speed however. I only have aging lambdas with a lo-end stax amp and they are bloody good. Top of the heap still I reckon but $$$$$.


Fran

Had a go at a pair of bottom end stax on adverts last week. Failed miserably unfortunately. I heard Frans and would concur they are fabulous.
Sound of the akgs and senns are totally different. If you are really into headphones its worth having both if funds allowed.