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Grado sr60 = Koss PortaPros?

post #1 of 25
12/29/05 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Greetings from a audiophile noob,

I have been going through alot of reviews for under 100$ budget headphones. The conclusion I have come to is that the Grado's SR60 are pretty much the ones to beat. At the same time, after reading so many reviews - I have found a fair amount of remarks on the PortaPro's being the best bang for your buck, so much that it ALMOST rivals the SR-60's.

What I am wondering is, I have the PortaPros, and my opinion of them is that they sound like any average low budget pair of cans. I am now planning to get myself a new set of cans, and one of which I have my eyes on are Grado's SR-60's. What I want to know is, considering my opinions of the PortaPro's, would the sr60's be the headphones for me? How much of a step up from the PortaPro's are they? How similar are these 2 pairs of cans, if similar at all?

Basically, what I am looking for are headphones that would make me want to toss the PortaPro's in the bin and never want to touch them again. Would the SR-60's do that?

As for what music I plan to listen to, it would mostly consist of Hard/Alternative/Punk Rock, Pop, perhaps some Acoustics and a fair bit of gaming.

Another pair of cans that I have considered are Audio Technica's Ath a500. So another question I have is, between the a500 and SR-60's, which is more different(and hopefully better) from the PortaPro's?

Any and all opinions on these subjects would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 25
12/29/05 at 8:46pm
I have both and have driven both with fairly decent sources. My verdict on the porta pro is that it has decent separation of instruments compared to crappy phones and a tighter bass. However, the midbass is pretty bloated to kind of ruin the highs and midrange. With the Grados, you get a very prominent midrange with excellent detail; guitars just sound natural (but in your face). The bass is also much tighter than the portapros and the highs, while a bit shrill at times, easily beat any phone for the price. I use my portapros now only for workout and running.

What will your source be? If you end up buying Grados maybe go for the SR80s if you have an amp. If no amp, the SR60s sounded superior to me. Lastly, don't expect to be TOTALLY satisfied with the Grados, as upgradeitis is very addictive in this hobby.
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post #3 of 25
12/29/05 at 9:13pm
I worked about hours with a PortaPro.
The first time I tried a Grado, it was much greater, imo.
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post #4 of 25
12/29/05 at 9:27pm
imho the SR60s have a very similar sound signature to portapros, but are better in every way, treble detail, bass tightness (although loudness the PP's may better the SR60, but its nowhere as clear/tight), midrange clarity, seperation of instruments, etc.
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post #5 of 25
12/29/05 at 9:52pm
I tried the SR-60s out over the summer and they are quite a step-up from Portapros. As mentioned before, you'll get more detail in the mids (especially) and highs out of the SR-60 than you would get out of the Portapros. It didn't take much for me to get adjusted to the Grado sound. It's a rockin' headphone and will definitely play nice with your choice of music.

Upgraditis got to me before I could even get the SR-60s though. Now, my Portapros are now relegated to iPod duty in favor of HF-1s.
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post #6 of 25
12/29/05 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 
My source will most of the time be my computer, currently with an old SB Live! Card but I plan to upgrade that to Create X-FI XtremeMusic. At other times it will be my ipod. Currently I have no plants to get an amp..

Thanks for sharing your opinions, keep em comming
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post #7 of 25
12/29/05 at 10:20pm
the first time I compared the protapros to the sr60....there's really no competition....sr60 wins hands down, and this still holds true.
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post #8 of 25
12/29/05 at 11:14pm
I agree the SR-60's are better....but I always felt the portapros weren't that far of.

Maybe the MS-1's would provide a little more "wow" factor at a reasonable price.
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post #9 of 25
12/29/05 at 11:23pm
I think SR-60 is technically better in some ways, but I enjoy listening to Portapro more. Better soundstage, more detailed (IMO), mellower highs, less prone to shrieking in your ears and causing ear fatigue. More comfortable too. And better looking.
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post #10 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:24am
Fewtch pretty much said what I was thinking. I used to own portapros, and they were incredibly fun. Comparing them to SR-80's, they don't quite make the cut. The Grados definitely have a more refined, clear sound, but retain a similar sound signature. But that's at the cost of comfort, portability, and the incredible bass impact the portapros offer, which I'd say makes them the better headphones for the beginner.
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post #11 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:29am
Similar sound signatures.... Grado wins (by a significant amount) in clarity across the spectrum.

SR60 is quicker and more dynamic.
Porta is more "sluggish", and I found the bass a litle more thumpy... massive feeling. Porta has less bass detail and articulation. IMHO the porta is a little easier on the ears... not as aggresive sounding.

Garrett
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post #12 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:35am
ms1......
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post #13 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:38am
Think this is a sweep. 60s are better.
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post #14 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:44am
I felt that my SR-80's (w/ reversed HD414 pads) blew away the portaPro's. No comparison. I even tried recableing the portaPro's. I ended up selling them.
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post #15 of 25
12/30/05 at 1:52am
I have never heard the porta pro's but i just recently updated to the sr-60's from the triports and for maybe other than audiobooks i dont think i will ever use the triports again
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