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sumflow said:

Did I mention that unlike speakers in the house, or full sized headphones, you can hear stereo when you lay down on your side with your IEM's in both ears.

 

Maybe IEM’s are a step down from high end cans costing tons more, but those same cans are a big step down from moderately priced real outside of your head speakers.

 

When music is recorded you can hear it in both ears from both sides all of the time.  Cans as well as IEM's, and buds, separate the sides completely.    This changes, distorts what was there before. 

 

Som

 

of the premium brands have an optional volume control in the cord if you want to hear people talking, you can just turn the music down.

When you get your iPhone you can also get an inline mike for IEM.

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Full sized headphones aren't stereo? Do you have a grasp of what stereo is? It's a simulation of how music doesn't emanate from a single point source but instead from a sort of 3d plane, thus by having two channels, you widen what is initially a point source instead to a more diffused plane source.
 
I'm not sure that you have had much exposure to high end cans compared to IEM's.  Personally, I have a pair of $40 DIY headphones which slaughter the IEM's that I've heard (in everything).  My primary headphones are considerably better than my DIY pair and compared to even some of the best speakers (for example: Quad ESL989's with a sub, can't remember the sub) they have better detail retrieval (though I did enjoy the Quad's more).
 
You're also mistaken here.  Have you ever heard of binaural recordings?  These are for strictly headphone/IEM use.  Look it up sometime.  Also, I use a passive crossfeed circuit which uses time delay and by blending both channels a little bit in order to emulate how it would sound if played through speakers.

You're missing the context and the importance of stereo as opposed to binaural.
 
First of all, regarding context, IEM's and headphones will both have the same advantages/disadvantages when it comes to stereo reproduction.  The sound from one side (thanks Sumflow) of a large full sized headphone will not across your head unless you are listening much too loudly.
 
Your picture is also out of context.  Music doesn't emanate from a point source even if you're listening to solo trumpet (as that picture implies).  What you're also getting are audible cues from sound waves reflecting off of the rear and sides of the concert hall.  The reason why stereo is superior to mono is that sound doesn't travel in straight lines from a single instrument immediately in front of a figure with an infinitesimally small head.  Instead, what is most accurate is that multiple instruments are playing with each instrument's respective sound being heard by one ear time delayed and slightly attenuated as it crosses across your head to your other ear to be heard again.  This is deemed "crossfeed" and is naturally emulated by a set of stereo speakers (where the controlled diffusion of sound most accurately the original recording).  Extreme stereo separation that occurs with headphone/IEM usage is actually less natural and not the way that the original recording was meant to sound (apart from Acix, do you know any self-respecting sound engineer that does a final master with headphones?).
 
Crossfeed is VERY easy to implement and isn't an inaccessible magic circuit.  I made a circuit only because, personally, it's fun to make stuff.  However, electronic crossfeed options exist and are just as good (if not better) than a discrete circuit.  You originally said:
 
 
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Excellent, and for anyone coming to this thread they can be advised that unless they have music recorded in this way, or have the additional circuitry to simulate the sound of outside of your head speakers, that the sound of your music is changed when you go to headphones.

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Instead, they should be advised to at least experiment with crossfeed to minimize the modulation of sound when played through headphones/IEMs/etc.
 
As off topic as this post has gone, I hope the OP enjoys his SR60's!  The Grado sound is really quite fun.

IEMs claimed to sound as good or better than full-size headphones... ROFL!!! Funniest thing I've seen all day. (And yes, I own some pairs of IEMs too)
 
Sunflow, you are welcome at my house anytime to have your eyes (and ears) opened. But given my jealousy regarding your location, I'd rather show you at your place!

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newduke said:

IEMs claimed to sound as good or better than full-size headphones... ROFL!!! Funniest thing I've seen all day. (And yes, I own some pairs of IEMs too)
 

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Actually, there are some iem rigs that have better sound quality than the majority of full-size headphones available and rival multi-thousand dollar rigs for a fraction of the cost.  From personal experience, both an amped JH13s and the prototype JH3A/16 out perform all full-size rigs I've heard in their price range and best many far above it.  That, however, is not in the op's interest at this time.
 
OP, I would definitely not get SR-60s for skating, though I do think they're a great choice for a first headphone.  I'd go with an entry-level Koss, KSC75 or Portapro, which have excellent sound, and not worry about things.  I also would not worry about getting an amp at this time.  You don't need one until you have headphones that require one.  Don't waste your money and listen to a lot of hype.  If you want to buy a fiio for fun, go for it, but I personally wouldn't throw money away like that.  I'd save up for when you want to upgrade from your first rig.

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Originally Posted by NewDuke /img/forum/go_quote.gif




IEMs claimed to sound as good or better than full-size headphones... ROFL!!! Funniest thing I've seen all day. (And yes, I own some pairs of IEMs too)


 


Sunflow, you are welcome at my house anytime to have your eyes (and ears) opened. But given my jealousy regarding your location, I'd rather show you at your place!

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The SM3 can present some songs (purely song dependent) wider than the Tesla T1.  I think you should take a listen to some of the high end universals such as the SM3, IE8, or FX700, or as boomana said, customs (in universal form).

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newduke said:

IEMs claimed to sound as good or better than full-size headphones... ROFL!!! Funniest thing I've seen all day. (And yes, I own some pairs of IEMs too)
 
Sunflow, you are welcome at my house anytime to have your eyes (and ears) opened. But given my jealousy regarding your location, I'd rather show you at your place!

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I am pretty sure some of the best universal/custom IEMs make mincemeat out of some of the headphones out there. We shouldn't make assumptions until we have heard them. 

Thanks guys. My sr60i and clip+ should be arriving soon. And a friend of mine has a spare pair of sennheiser's he's willing to lend me, but he can't remember the model number. Should be good for now then, all that reading for nothing lol! tbh, there was a thread about the hifiman hm801 where the op had a challenge to listen to 4 different tracks, and I couldn't even tell them apart. In fact, I can't even tell an mp3 and a FLAC apart. Did the high freq test and 14k was my highest. Must have really bad ears, then. This was all through some cheap Philips 5.1 surround system a friend gave to me (plugged to my Windows laptop via a HPO that's loose, I forgot to unplug one day and ripped it off). Maybe this is not the hobby for me, but I'll find out soon. Peace

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Did the high freq test and 14k was my highest. Must have really bad ears, then. This was all through some cheap Philips 5.1 surround system a friend gave to me (plugged to my Windows laptop via a HPO that's loose, I forgot to unplug one day and ripped it off). Maybe this is not the hobby for me, but I'll find out soon. Peace

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Not true IMO.  The majority of the music we hear occurs below 14khz.  You can still enjoy this hobby and find upgrades that will improve the meat (80-90%) of your music.  Being an audiophile or searching for the best sound does not necessarily correlate to listening to higher frequencies.  Just look at all the Shure 530 fans out there!       

Not hearing about 14k isn't too bad depending on your age. I remember doing some kind of test and I stopped hearing somewhere between 15-16k if I remember correctly. I wouldn't worry about it unless you are young as the majority of the music is not above 14k like Anaxilus mentioned. If you look at a lot of frequences graphs many earphones will start diving around that number.

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wooja978 said:

Thanks guys. My sr60i and clip+ should be arriving soon. And a friend of mine has a spare pair of sennheiser's he's willing to lend me, but he can't remember the model number. Should be good for now then, all that reading for nothing lol! tbh, there was a thread about the hifiman hm801 where the op had a challenge to listen to 4 different tracks, and I couldn't even tell them apart. In fact, I can't even tell an mp3 and a FLAC apart. Did the high freq test and 14k was my highest. Must have really bad ears, then. This was all through some cheap Philips 5.1 surround system a friend gave to me (plugged to my Windows laptop via a HPO that's loose, I forgot to unplug one day and ripped it off). Maybe this is not the hobby for me, but I'll find out soon. Peace

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It might not be your ears.  Audio gear needs to be at certain level to actually reveal the differences.  Also, training your listening critical skills (yes, these are learned skills) takes time and an active kind of intention/attention most people don't know how to do.
 
Congrats on your new rig.  The SR60 was one of my first headphones.  I call it the gateway drug  
 

Try them before you get rid of them.  I've had  a few variations for 10 or so years.  What you might want to consider doing is also getting a pair of Head Direct RE0's as a first cut IEM (or the new RE ZEROs) as an alternative for outside.  The former are about $80.  The latter probably $100.
 
But you're doing a tradeoff.  The Grado headphones (as opposed to their IEMs) will let noise in and out - which is not necessarily a bad thing when you're engaged in skating, biking, walking through traffic etc.  The IEMs will cut sound in both directions, which can be dangerous.  As far as how loud you play them, that's your call.  I sure as hell have never pumped mine up to the degree some of these guys suggest you will.
 
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wooja978 said:

joey thanks for your comments! jageur, yeah i think your point has been driven home, the grado's aren't good portables. i've already paid for them, so i'll just use them for awhile. 
 
cheers guys, i think that's enough to get me thinking, and a bit more. all my questions have been answered, thank you!

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I don't have the SR60s, but a similar model - the MS1i from Grado's counterpart Alessandro Music - and they don't clamp very well on my head. In fact, they have a tendency to slip off even when I tilt my head back a little bit. For this reason, I don't know how you will fare using them while skateboarding.
 
If you do find that the SR60s don't work very well for you and would like to switch to earbuds (not IEMs), I found the Yuin series to be very pleasant.