Is this what reference sound-sounds like?

[AstroBenny]

I recently got my hands on a pair of AKG N40s and N60s and was disappointed at how tinny/lack of warmth they sounded compared to what I've been using previously: The Oppo PM-3s, HD598s and B&W P7s

 

Is this just an AKG sound signature so to speak, or are my previous headphones biased towards the bass? I'm using 320kbps audio files with a Fiio Dac/Amp although this definitely isn't the reason for the huge difference in audio quality I perceive between the AKGs and the other headphones.

 

 

 

[Tiwaz]

13 minutes ago, AstroBenny said:

I recently got my hands on a pair of AKG N40s and N60s and was disappointed at how tinny/lack of warmth they sounded compared to what I've been using previously: The Oppo PM-3s, HD598s and B&W P7s

 

Is this just an AKG sound signature so to speak, or are my previous headphones biased towards the bass? I'm using 320kbps audio files with a Fiio Dac/Amp although this definitely isn't the reason for the huge difference in audio quality I perceive between the AKGs and the other headphones.

 

 

 

since AKG switched to china manufacturing, they have been pretty bad in terms of sound quality. The hd 598 are good doe as all around audiophile headphones, i got them as well and they  sound good on the mobo soundcard

[Daniel Z.]

11 minutes ago, Tiwaz said:

since AKG switched to china manufacturing, they have been pretty bad in terms of sound quality. The hd 598 are good doe as all around audiophile headphones, i got them as well and they  sound good on the mobo soundcard

many sennheisers are from china

[Tiwaz]

14 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

many sennheisers are from china

i know, but they still sound good

[Jade]

14 minutes ago, Tiwaz said:

i know, but they still sound good

That's fine and dandy, but you can't just say "They moved to China, so their quality is bad now." Also... if they're bad, why do so many audiophiles rave about the K7xxs?

[Tiwaz]

6 minutes ago, Jade said:

That's fine and dandy, but you can't just say "They moved to China, so their quality is bad now." Also... if they're bad, why do so many audiophiles rave about the K7xxs?

lmao i dont know anybody who owns or owned AKGs except my stepdad who has a 20 year old pair of AKGs

[Jade]

11 minutes ago, Tiwaz said:

lmao i dont know anybody who owns or owned AKGs except my stepdad who has a 20 year old pair of AKGs

Anecdotal. AKG's got several models of headphones that constantly make it into lists of "best headphones under $budget". Including LTT's own list, over here.

 

[Tiwaz]

Just now, Jade said:

Anecdotal. AKG's got several models of headphones that constantly make it into lists of "best headphones under $budget". Including LTT's own list, over here.

 

my nest pair is gonna be something closed on the side

what is better, beyerdynamic or Audio Technica?

[Jade]

1 hour ago, Tiwaz said:

my nest pair is gonna be something closed on the side

what is better, beyerdynamic or Audio Technica?

We're way offtopic from the thread but I'd personally go with a pair of beyerdynamic dt770s or dt990s. (but I'm picking up a pair of Sennheister 598 Cs in the next few weeks for my closed+away from home set.)

 

As for OP: all the headphones you listed that you like are considered pretty bass-y. I'm not sure about either set, but I'd give a K7xx a shot if you can; they're gonna be the closest to your current cans.

 

(Editted comment about bluetooth headphones... Amazon's images show no cable at all. zz)

[Tiwaz]

51 minutes ago, Jade said:

We're way offtopic from the thread but I'd personally go with a pair of beyerdynamic dt770s or dt990s. (but I'm picking up a pair of Sennheister 598 Cs in the next few weeks for my closed+away from home set.)

 

As for OP: all the headphones you listed that you like are considered pretty bass-y. I'm not sure about the N40s, but the N60s are bluetooth... bluetooth headphones generally suck.

I have the Hd 598 in brown and they sound good all around, but they are open, so people can easily hear everything around you if you have medium or more volume. Also for rap you can only use them with a decent AMP in your motherboard so you can get some clean Bass, using a  bit of equalizer on low frequ. wont hurt either. On the phone I noticed that the deeper sounds are a bit mashed if you know what i mean with that  I wouldnt run around with 160€ headphones doe, they can easily be stolen in the subway or so

[SSL]

No such thing as "reference sound" in headphones, or arguably anywhere else.

[AstroBenny]

1 hour ago, Jade said:

We're way offtopic from the thread but I'd personally go with a pair of beyerdynamic dt770s or dt990s. (but I'm picking up a pair of Sennheister 598 Cs in the next few weeks for my closed+away from home set.)

 

As for OP: all the headphones you listed that you like are considered pretty bass-y. I'm not sure about either set, but I'd give a K7xx a shot if you can; they're gonna be the closest to your current cans.

 

(Editted comment about bluetooth headphones... Amazon's images show no cable at all. zz)

Just bought some Comply foam tips. Seal and sound is much fuller now.

[Pomfinator]

43 minutes ago, AstroBenny said:

Just bought some Comply foam tips. Seal and sound is much fuller now.

You were just not getting a seal.  The N40 is far from tinny, in fact I think it's pretty bloated in the midbass unless you use it with Spinfits.  The treble actually has good extension on the N40 due to the hybrid design so maybe you need to get used to that?

 

I just don't like foam tips, I think Spinfits would be a better choice for most IEMs. Foam tips just mess with how the bass sounds and blunts the treble.

[Spuriae]

1 hour ago, SSL said:

No such thing as "reference sound" in headphones, or arguably anywhere else.

Pfft, everyone knows that only Beats^® allows people to hear music the way the artists intended.