Post by Rabbit on Mar 15, 2014 10:05:33 GMT
This is one headphone that always feels 'good' to me and yet FR graphs tell a very different story about how poor its response is.
The only thing that got my attention with it in the first place was the fact that in the UK, 'What Hi Fi' magazine people rave about it and how good it is. Checking the FR shows a very 'flawed' headphone in terms of smoothness and evenness of response but on the head, it just seems so pleasant.
I had the same feeling about the Senn HD360 (I think it was) A weird shaped headphone that had a weird response, but worked nicely on the bonce.
The thing is, I don't normally use the K450 a lot since in my head, I know it has quite large flaws, so the 'snob' in me says 'avoid'.
I've been away working for a while and I took these with me with a little Fiio E11 which isn't exactly a 'hi fi' sound really. It takes me back to the old ... horses for courses really.
A headphone designed for a purpose and imo, it does the job well in spite of its flaws. For a start, it's pretty tough, quite comfortable (for on ears which I don't generally like) and it isolates fairly well. (Not brilliant in really loud places but OK) It packs away into a nice little package and you can totally pack it away in its rather nice case.
So it fullfils the portable tag without a doubt.
The sound is weighted towards the bass and rolled away up top. (FR shows that it's uneven too). However, the hike in the bass is good for portable... wandering around streets with cars around since you get a really nice presence from the weight. The lack of extension means it will go loud without hurting, so you can easily knock the traffic noise out. It's very sensitive too.
So really, it's not that bad a headphone for that purpose, although measurements kind of tell you that it's a poor headphone.
The only thing I'd like is to extend or give the impression that it has a stronger top end - I tried Frans wonderful filter for the T50 and that lights it up a it!!
I don't particularly care for the senn PX200. For me, it's a tad thin or mean sounding and slightly harsh up top and i kind of prefer the lushness of the K450. (I like the PX100 though)
The K450 retails I think at around the same price as the PX200 (£40) so it's not the cheapest, but the funny thing is that I actually like its presentation in spite of its measurements.
This measurement thing kind of becomes a battle for me. It affects how I hear a headphone to be sure (the subjective bit of me I guess) but my head is telling me that it's wrong!! A bit like eating too many chocolates.
I used to like the old closed AKG portable until mine was nicked and it could no longer be bought. It had a metal headpband like the Portapro and was a lovely little headphone and to be honest, perhaps the little K450 isn't that far removed from it.
The only thing that got my attention with it in the first place was the fact that in the UK, 'What Hi Fi' magazine people rave about it and how good it is. Checking the FR shows a very 'flawed' headphone in terms of smoothness and evenness of response but on the head, it just seems so pleasant.
I had the same feeling about the Senn HD360 (I think it was) A weird shaped headphone that had a weird response, but worked nicely on the bonce.
The thing is, I don't normally use the K450 a lot since in my head, I know it has quite large flaws, so the 'snob' in me says 'avoid'.
I've been away working for a while and I took these with me with a little Fiio E11 which isn't exactly a 'hi fi' sound really. It takes me back to the old ... horses for courses really.
A headphone designed for a purpose and imo, it does the job well in spite of its flaws. For a start, it's pretty tough, quite comfortable (for on ears which I don't generally like) and it isolates fairly well. (Not brilliant in really loud places but OK) It packs away into a nice little package and you can totally pack it away in its rather nice case.
So it fullfils the portable tag without a doubt.
The sound is weighted towards the bass and rolled away up top. (FR shows that it's uneven too). However, the hike in the bass is good for portable... wandering around streets with cars around since you get a really nice presence from the weight. The lack of extension means it will go loud without hurting, so you can easily knock the traffic noise out. It's very sensitive too.
So really, it's not that bad a headphone for that purpose, although measurements kind of tell you that it's a poor headphone.
The only thing I'd like is to extend or give the impression that it has a stronger top end - I tried Frans wonderful filter for the T50 and that lights it up a it!!
I don't particularly care for the senn PX200. For me, it's a tad thin or mean sounding and slightly harsh up top and i kind of prefer the lushness of the K450. (I like the PX100 though)
The K450 retails I think at around the same price as the PX200 (£40) so it's not the cheapest, but the funny thing is that I actually like its presentation in spite of its measurements.
This measurement thing kind of becomes a battle for me. It affects how I hear a headphone to be sure (the subjective bit of me I guess) but my head is telling me that it's wrong!! A bit like eating too many chocolates.
I used to like the old closed AKG portable until mine was nicked and it could no longer be bought. It had a metal headpband like the Portapro and was a lovely little headphone and to be honest, perhaps the little K450 isn't that far removed from it.