Hey guys,
I've never owned "real" headphones before and have recently decided to dip my toe in the unfamiliar waters. What brought this on?
My brother just bought a pair of the Beats by Dre headphones, but something about them just doesn't sit right with me. They do look nice, but for the price I don't notice anything special. Can't put my finger on it. I've owned a pair of Koss PortaPros once upon a time that were a noticeable improvement over what I'd been used to. The Beats, other than being loud, just didn't impress me in the same way. Nothing really "special."
Anyway, now here I am searching for that "something." The research I've done so far is just getting annoying with everything to choose from (Audio-Technica ATH-M50, Ultrasone HFI580, Grado this, Klipch that). I keep running into the Grado sr60i and sr80i as being an appropriate first pair. I'd prefer something closed to block out noises from my commute (subway train) and my house can get pretty noisy at times. I'm willing to bend if the Grado's are just THAT good however. I'm only looking to spend around $100 - $150. I'm willing to go higher for something truly great, but would prefer to stay in that range.
I'd like to find something other than IEMs. If they're something I just HAVE to hear then I'm willing to give them a try, but I'd like to stick to over-ear or on-ear.
I listen to just about every genre except country and gospel. I do lean more heavily toward orchestrated movie and game soundtracks. (Currently addicted to the Batman Arkham City Original Score).
Sorry for being sort of wishy-washy, but I'm totally new to this and don't know which direction to go in. I just know the Beats by Dre aren't "it."
