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#1
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
I'm looking for a nice pair of audiophile headphones priced between
$150.00 to $300.00 (no more). I don't have a great deal of knowledge about high-end headphones but I was hoping someone could suggest me something that they've had experience using. I'll be mainly using these for listening to vinyl records and more so along the lines of classic rock than any other genre of music. I've been looking around the internet and reading reviews, etc. on good audiophile headphones and it seems like I keep coming back to products by Grado Labs; website: http://www.gradolabs.com/. It seems mutual that they produce uncomfortable headphones, but that it's the price to pay for the highest quality sounding product. Has anyone used any of Grado's stuff and is it any good? I've had my eye on their SR 225's and their SR 325's. The SR 325's look absolutely great and I would be willing to invest that money if I knew for sure it was worth it. I've read that some people think they are [SR 325's] overly bass driven, thus only really good with hip-hop like music. Is this true at all? Or will they still work great with presenting classic rock sounds? Other than that I've heard really good things about Sennheiser headphones too; Grado and Sennheiser sounded like the two best companies out there in the audiophile world. If anyone has used another headphone, that would be great to hear about them too. I haven't really looked at headphone amps either but I've noticed that a lot of people suggest them if you are going to get high-end headphones. Are headphone amps necessary to get your money's worth? And are there any anyone could suggest? I know that's a lot of questions but any input would be highly appreciated, since I'm not looking to blow $300.00 on something I don't want or that is over priced. Thanks. |
#2
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 17:21:53 +0000, Billy Shears wrote:
I'm looking for a nice pair of audiophile headphones priced between $150.00 to $300.00 (no more). I don't have a great deal of knowledge about high-end headphones but I was hoping someone could suggest me something that they've had experience using. I'll be mainly using these for listening to vinyl records and more so along the lines of classic rock than any other genre of music. I've been looking around the internet and reading reviews, etc. on good audiophile headphones and it seems like I keep coming back to products by Grado Labs; website: http://www.gradolabs.com/. It seems mutual that they produce uncomfortable headphones, but that it's the price to pay for the highest quality sounding product. Has anyone used any of Grado's stuff and is it any good? I've had my eye on their SR 225's and their SR 325's. The SR 325's look absolutely great and I would be willing to invest that money if I knew for sure it was worth it. I've read that some people think they are [SR 325's] overly bass driven, thus only really good with hip-hop like music. Is this true at all? Or will they still work great with presenting classic rock sounds? Other than that I've heard really good things about Sennheiser headphones too; Grado and Sennheiser sounded like the two best companies out there in the audiophile world. If anyone has used another headphone, that would be great to hear about them too. I haven't really looked at headphone amps either but I've noticed that a lot of people suggest them if you are going to get high-end headphones. Are headphone amps necessary to get your money's worth? And are there any anyone could suggest? I know that's a lot of questions but any input would be highly appreciated, since I'm not looking to blow $300.00 on something I don't want or that is over priced. Thanks. As a small project studio owner as well as a musician and audiophile I will tell you that you must go and listen to headphones for yourself before you make a choice. They all look good in print! Personally, as a person who wears cans a good deal of the day when I am working an uncomfortable set of phones is like a speaker that sounds great but requires you to remodel your home in order to use it. Bottom line is don't even consider a set of cans that feel uncomfortable on YOUR ears because you will be miserable. Don't listen to anyone's test reports, try them out for yourself. My collection includes some Sony 7506, MDR6's, AKG 240's and a couple of Sennheisers complete with yellow foam pads. I would offer up AKG's being that you like rock music. They have good low end and are extremely comfortable. They are also pretty neutral compared to say the Sony's which have a real crisp high end which is useful for hearing defects in recordings but is tiring for general listening. Try and stick with either closed or semi-open designs because they typically offer better bass response than totally open air designs. As far as Grado is concerned they make an excellent product and many people that come to my studio bring grado's with them. Personally I find that they don't sit well on my head Maybe my head is out of shape Seriously though, take a CD and give a listen. -- Elliot Zimmerman "Life is Precious" |
#3
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
Those are both good choices. I have the senn 580. I describe it as full
range but a trifle "polite". They need a good headphone section/amp to sound their best. Grados are also very good, try them both, then decide. I think headroom has a 30 day try out period. Order both then keep the pair you like best. www.headphone.com. "Billy Shears" wrote in message news:REwjc.30363$0u6.5322877@attbi_s03... I'm looking for a nice pair of audiophile headphones priced between $150.00 to $300.00 (no more). I don't have a great deal of knowledge about high-end headphones but I was hoping someone could suggest me something that they've had experience using. I'll be mainly using these for listening to vinyl records and more so along the lines of classic rock than any other genre of music. I've been looking around the internet and reading reviews, etc. on good audiophile headphones and it seems like I keep coming back to products by Grado Labs; website: http://www.gradolabs.com/. It seems mutual that they produce uncomfortable headphones, but that it's the price to pay for the highest quality sounding product. Has anyone used any of Grado's stuff and is it any good? I've had my eye on their SR 225's and their SR 325's. The SR 325's look absolutely great and I would be willing to invest that money if I knew for sure it was worth it. I've read that some people think they are [SR 325's] overly bass driven, thus only really good with hip-hop like music. Is this true at all? Or will they still work great with presenting classic rock sounds? Other than that I've heard really good things about Sennheiser headphones too; Grado and Sennheiser sounded like the two best companies out there in the audiophile world. If anyone has used another headphone, that would be great to hear about them too. I haven't really looked at headphone amps either but I've noticed that a lot of people suggest them if you are going to get high-end headphones. Are headphone amps necessary to get your money's worth? And are there any anyone could suggest? I know that's a lot of questions but any input would be highly appreciated, since I'm not looking to blow $300.00 on something I don't want or that is over priced. Thanks. |
#4
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
On 4/28/04 12:27 PM, in article HXQjc.49228$GR.6944288@attbi_s01, "jwest"
wrote: Those are both good choices. I have the senn 580. I describe it as full range but a trifle "polite". They need a good headphone section/amp to sound their best. Grados are also very good, try them both, then decide. I think headroom has a 30 day try out period. Order both then keep the pair you like best. www.headphone.com. Yikes! If he does that he might end up keeping them both!!!!! :-) Seriously, though, I tried a SEN 580 and a Grado 225 and kept the Grado - it didn't seem quite as smooth (though smooth enough for classical) as the Sen, but boy did it sound good! And I can power it right from my CD player with a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. I didn't care for the 60, 80 or 125 Grados. |
#5
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
"Billy Shears" wrote in message
news:REwjc.30363$0u6.5322877@attbi_s03... I'm looking for a nice pair of audiophile headphones priced between $150.00 to $300.00 (no more). I don't have a great deal of knowledge about high-end headphones but I was hoping someone could suggest me something that they've had experience using. I'll be mainly using these for listening to vinyl records and more so along the lines of classic rock than any other genre of music. I've been looking around the internet and reading reviews, etc. on good audiophile headphones and it seems like I keep coming back to products by Grado Labs; website: http://www.gradolabs.com/. It seems mutual that they produce uncomfortable headphones, but that it's the price to pay for the highest quality sounding product. Has anyone used any of Grado's stuff and is it any good? I've had my eye on their SR 225's and their SR 325's. The SR 325's look absolutely great and I would be willing to invest that money if I knew for sure it was worth it. I've read that some people think they are [SR 325's] overly bass driven, thus only really good with hip-hop like music. Is this true at all? Or will they still work great with presenting classic rock sounds? Other than that I've heard really good things about Sennheiser headphones too; Grado and Sennheiser sounded like the two best companies out there in the audiophile world. If anyone has used another headphone, that would be great to hear about them too. I haven't really looked at headphone amps either but I've noticed that a lot of people suggest them if you are going to get high-end headphones. Are headphone amps necessary to get your money's worth? And are there any anyone could suggest? I know that's a lot of questions but any input would be highly appreciated, since I'm not looking to blow $300.00 on something I don't want or that is over priced. Thanks. There are so many great headphones you can buy for $300.00 For rock, as far as Grado's go, many feel that the Grado SR 225 is perfect for rock music. AKG, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Sony, Grado all make great headphones for under $300. Note, if you live or work in a noisy enviroment, you may want to go with a closed headphone (Grado's are not closed headphones). Personally, I had a SR 325, and the earpads were very unconfortable. Go to: http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/index.php Head-Fi is an excellent forum dedicated to headphone listening. There are at least 100 to 200 members online all of the time, so if you post a question there you will get a quick reply. Note, many headphones benefit greatly from using headphone amps, however I use a vintage Marantz 2220b receiver. |
#6
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
We sell both Grado and Sennheiser products and they are both quite
nice. They do have the differences already noted. Ergonomically it really boils down to how they fit as the Grado sits on the ear and the Sennheisers cover the ear. Different people find them to feel more or less comfortable, but only once in a blue moon do I ever hear anyone actually complain about either being so uncomfortable that they don't use them. Actually 99% of all the Grado customers love them and have no complaints at all. We have sold over six pair to one customer who gives them away as gifts and he reports the reason is that everyone that gets a pair loves them. The Sennheisers are heavier and cover the whole ear and half your head. I am not a heaqphones person as I prefer to listen to loudspeakers for several reasons, but I do have good hearing and can appreciate a nice sounding pair of cans. Sonically the Grado phones are more pure in tone and this bears out in them being more efficient and lower in distortion/coloration. They have a much more pronounced midrange althouth they have excellent bass and high frequency response and resolution. The Sennheisers sound warmer, fuller and duller by comparison so they are easy to listen to and some people prefer that with pop music. You may like the added bass richness for classic rock ala Zepplin. I like the Grado sound best for it's clarity and for the money it's no contest. There is something to say for the warmth and the fit of the Sennheisers and if you are willing to spend a bit more (there is a lot more material that goes into making the Sennheisers) then you can get a set that has a nice resolution as well as the heavy build, but not at the same price point. They are clearly different designs and both really should be on your short list. AKG is another brand that offers great performance, but also can suffer from the lack of efficiency as the Sennheisers. You will find that the Grados work with more types of players to a higher level than the other two types. The AKG and Sennheisers can really sound nice if given a really nice preamp to drive them, but that being the case they are somewhat demanding. They are also fairly expensive yet deliver a fine quality product. -Bill www.uptownaudio.com Roanoke VA (540) 343-1250 "Billy Shears" wrote in message news:REwjc.30363$0u6.5322877@attbi_s03... I'm looking for a nice pair of audiophile headphones priced between $150.00 to $300.00 (no more). I don't have a great deal of knowledge about high-end headphones but I was hoping someone could suggest me something that they've had experience using. I'll be mainly using these for listening to vinyl records and more so along the lines of classic rock than any other genre of music. I've been looking around the internet and reading reviews, etc. on good audiophile headphones and it seems like I keep coming back to products by Grado Labs; website: http://www.gradolabs.com/. It seems mutual that they produce uncomfortable headphones, but that it's the price to pay for the highest quality sounding product. Has anyone used any of Grado's stuff and is it any good? I've had my eye on their SR 225's and their SR 325's. The SR 325's look absolutely great and I would be willing to invest that money if I knew for sure it was worth it. I've read that some people think they are [SR 325's] overly bass driven, thus only really good with hip-hop like music. Is this true at all? Or will they still work great with presenting classic rock sounds? Other than that I've heard really good things about Sennheiser headphones too; Grado and Sennheiser sounded like the two best companies out there in the audiophile world. If anyone has used another headphone, that would be great to hear about them too. I haven't really looked at headphone amps either but I've noticed that a lot of people suggest them if you are going to get high-end headphones. Are headphone amps necessary to get your money's worth? And are there any anyone could suggest? I know that's a lot of questions but any input would be highly appreciated, since I'm not looking to blow $300.00 on something I don't want or that is over priced. Thanks. |
#7
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Can anyone suggest good audiophile headphones? Grado's?
"Uptown Audio" wrote in message
news:ayFmc.44377$kh4.2371628@attbi_s52... The AKG and Sennheisers can really sound nice if given a really nice preamp to drive them, but that being the case they are somewhat demanding. They are also fairly expensive yet deliver a fine quality product. I have a AKG 240 and Senn 600, both are easily driven from the headphone jack on my Adcom GFP 565. You can pick up one of the 565s on Ebay for less than $300. So you can get yourself a pretty versatile decent pre-amp with a good phono section and drive your headphones with ease all inexpensively at that. |
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