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Grado GS1000 vs AKG 701 vs SEnn HD650 HELP!!

post #1 of 23
9/10/09 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
I want to get headphones that will last me years that sound ****ing awesome but Im not sure where to go. I listen to a lot of rock music, wont be doing any mastering or studio mixing but I still like to hear all the detail id be missing with sub-par headphones. I know all of these are great but does anyone have any recommendations?
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post #2 of 23
9/10/09 at 3:38pm
Welcome to head-fi.

What do you plan to use to drive the phones ? Dedicated headphone amp, headphone out from cdplayer/integrated amp or straigt from a dap or the like ? All the phones you mention are open phones so I assume that you are ok with plenty of leakage and not much isolation ? Also none of the mentioned phones are what I personally would think of first when the main genre is rock. To me certainly GS1000 and K701 excel at classical and accoustic jazz (though I don't really like the K701 at all) and the same to a lesser extend goes for the HD650. Traditionally most of the other Grados are what people go for with rock or some of the good closed phones, the king being the horribly expensive AudioTechnica L3000.
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post #3 of 23
9/10/09 at 4:44pm
Why dont you start with usual stuff, like RS2 or something or just search, lots of info up here, just use words like Grado and Rock etc.
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post #4 of 23
9/10/09 at 5:06pm
Welcome to Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet. The best thing to do would be to tell us a few things so we can give you some advice:
-What sort of sound signature you tend to like (if you think you have a good perspective on this)
-What your budget is
-What sort of equipment you plan on using these headphones with. Many headphones (including the K701 and the HD650) are intended to be driven from a dedicated desktop headphone amplifier, and without one, they won't sound that great. If you're serious about listening to some f***ing awesome headphones, it's probably worthwhile to think of this as a three-part purchase - a source, amp, and a pair of headphones.
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post #5 of 23
9/10/09 at 5:23pm
Can't go wrong with a pair of 650's as long is you have a sufficient amp to drive them. I didn't care for my GS1000's with rock. Never tried the 701's, but I heard they are hard to drive as well and not sure they would be suited for rock from what I have read.
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post #6 of 23
9/10/09 at 5:49pm
Rock is such a generic term. My rock is mostly acoustic (classic/progressive). To someone else it's speed or gothic metal. For my rock, the 70x are pretty satisfying. I have the "King of Rock" RS-1s but still use the 701s for most of my listening because of its soundstage and balanced presentation. The RS-1s are truly great for guitar and "on stage" presentation. The 650s are a well rounded beast that has many a follower.

Time to research the meets forum for opinions and opportunity to go to a few. You will have to match the headphone with equal gear as AmanGeorge mentioned or you will not hear the full potential. That will require an investment. If you don't want to do that, consider a lesser headphone to match your gear.
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post #7 of 23
9/10/09 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys, i plan on getting a dedicated headphone amp (grado/headroom?) and a NAD cd player. I just want clarity basically, I prefer a really good mid range/high sound than a over done low end. My price range is about 800 to 1000 bucks.
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post #8 of 23
9/10/09 at 7:06pm
Have you considered a HD600? They are a really great all-around headphone that does rock music really well, is very comfortable, and many report that a custom cable is very noticeable on.
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post #9 of 23
9/10/09 at 8:45pm
I would pick up a used RS1 for <500 instead of a GS1000, and spend the rest on amp.
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post #10 of 23
9/10/09 at 8:58pm
Saw a RS-1 for $425 in the F/S forum.
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post #11 of 23
9/10/09 at 10:12pm

My vote too...

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmanGeorge View Post
I would pick up a used RS1 for <500 instead of a GS1000, and spend the rest on amp.
I took a serious look at the GS1000s but really kept coming back to the RS1s. Now I own both the RS1s and HD650s and if I had to choose just one, then it's the RS1s.

Take the difference between the GS1000s and RS1s and get a good amp. If you're looking at tubes, I can highly recommend the MAD EAR+HD. The best tube amp I've heard with Grados and it's awesome for high impedance Sennheisers.
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post #12 of 23
9/11/09 at 5:29am
With a really good amp and source the RS1's hardly touch the GS1000 sound quality while the HD650 are very well suited to connect them straight to the PC. A perfect headphone for listening to the lullabies.
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post #13 of 23
9/11/09 at 6:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lokimonoxide View Post
I want to get headphones that will last me years that sound ****ing awesome but Im not sure where to go. I listen to a lot of rock music, wont be doing any mastering or studio mixing but I still like to hear all the detail id be missing with sub-par headphones. I know all of these are great but does anyone have any recommendations?
Hi,
I enjoy rock very much on my K701s. However, by rock I mean Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, King Crimson, Yes and similar ones. Involvement, soundtage, details, tonality - they are simply great. If only recording is of good quality, they sound marvelous.

But for stuff like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Hendrix etc. I would prefer GS1000 - to me they are less neutral, warmer and have mercy for poor recordings (they "beautify" music), while K701 are very ruthless to sound quality

Cheers,
Adam
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post #14 of 23
9/11/09 at 6:23am
No, the GS1000 just don't make good recordings sound poor. They have more punch and speed than the K701, and their ergonomics is much better. The AKG's self-adjustment just doesn't cooperate well with my head.
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post #15 of 23
9/11/09 at 6:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by majkel View Post
No, the GS1000 just don't make good recordings sound poor. They have more punch and speed than the K701, and their ergonomics is much better. The AKG's self-adjustment just doesn't cooperate well with my head.
Majkel, we have had our little debate on recordings quality somewhere else I'm still convinced that older rock music is often of low recording quality. And on K701 I hear that music is recorded badly, while GS1000 make it more acceptable to me. On the other hand, when recording is good, K701 absolutely shines As of speed and punch - there is plenty of PRaT in K701 + CanAmp, no need for more.

Ergonomics is a very individual issue - K701s fit just fine on my head, while with Grados I had this strange feeling that they are a bit too loose and are going to fall off my head. Besides, I prefer soft velour pads to "spongy" ones
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