[MoonKing]

Hello audiophiles, I am MoonKing and I humbly request your assistance in helping me choose a pair of headphones that are right for me. To give you a taste of my style I normally rock Koss PortaPros and I love them for when I'm out and about and really dig the retro look. Buying my 4th replacement pair soon (cursed jack always disconnects on them eventually!). But today I am looking for something more upmarket.
 
I will mainly be using the chosen headphones with my PC and MP3 player (MP3 320kbps and FLAC) and listening to all genres of music as well as using them for movies/games.
 
A few years ago I popped in to a local Hi-Fi store (unfortunately closed down now) and was approached by one of the sales assistants who spent half an hour telling me how vinyl is the greatest form of sound recording known to man and that digital music is the devil and how lossless actually losses a large amount of the recorded sound through distortion. As he went on he pulled out a pair of Grado Labs I believe they were either sr60's or sr80's and let me try them with my mp3 player (I use my sony ericson w995). I was blown away that I was able to hear sound that I had never picked up in songs before with my PortaPros. His explanation was that because they were a lower end model of Grado Labs headphones they actually worked better with digital music because they don't pick up the distortion created in the rendering process.
 
Any who Grado Labs are definitely a contender but I was wondering what else you guys could recommend? My price range is around £100-150.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Transparent, I suppose.
The Headstreamer would give:
Grado SR225i: maximum SPL of 133.2 dB
Sennheiser HD 558: maximum SPL of 143.5 dB.

 
If by transparent you mean clarity and definition through sound stage, the HD 598 are the best from your list.  The very similarly priced AKG Q 701 is even better.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hello audiophiles, I am MoonKing and I humbly request your assistance in helping me choose a pair of headphones that are right for me. To give you a taste of my style I normally rock Koss PortaPros and I love them for when I'm out and about and really dig the retro look. Buying my 4th replacement pair soon (cursed jack always disconnects on them eventually!). But today I am looking for something more upmarket.
 
I will mainly be using the chosen headphones with my PC and MP3 player (MP3 320kbps and FLAC) and listening to all genres of music as well as using them for movies/games.
 
A few years ago I popped in to a local Hi-Fi store (unfortunately closed down now) and was approached by one of the sales assistants who spent half an hour telling me how vinyl is the greatest form of sound recording known to man and that digital music is the devil and how lossless actually losses a large amount of the recorded sound through distortion. As he went on he pulled out a pair of Grado Labs I believe they were either sr60's or sr80's and let me try them with my mp3 player (I use my sony ericson w995). I was blown away that I was able to hear sound that I had never picked up in songs before with my PortaPros. His explanation was that because they were a lower end model of Grado Labs headphones they actually worked better with digital music because they don't pick up the distortion created in the rendering process.
 
Any who Grado Labs are definitely a contender but I was wondering what else you guys could recommend? My price range is around £100-150.

 
As open is OK for you and you love the Grado house sound--get the SR 80 or SR 225 (if you can stretch your budget).

 

[steelgtr]

Quote:

 
M50 normally will cost you around $130 to $150 shipped.  If you're going to spend that much, go with the Shure SRH 840.  The 7506 is more neutral and the better choice on your list for your genres.

 
The M50, $110/shipped deal was still on last time I checked.  Is the 7506 more neutral and does the M50 have ample ear room?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

 
The M50, $110/shipped deal was still on last time I checked.  Is the 7506 more neutral and does the M50 have ample ear room?

 The 7506 is much more neutral--as almost every studio oriented Sony closed can is.
 
The M50 has ample ear room for me, but everybody is different.

 

[steelgtr]

Would the M50 be better for less than perfect mp3's and less harsh on the  high end?
 
thx
Quote:

 The 7506 is much more neutral--as almost every studio oriented Sony closed can is.
 
The M50 has ample ear room for me, but everybody is different.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Would the M50 be better for less than perfect mp3's and less harsh on the  high end?
 
thx

 
You'll have to get that from someone else.  I'm primarily a CD and vinyl guy.

 

[MetaLicca]

I've tried the M50's, and I've found that there was plenty of ear room vertically and horizontally, but depth wise it seemed a little shallow. Didn't really bother me though, my ears weren't touching the inside, and it does help to keep them portable. 

 

[steelgtr]

Quote:

 
You'll have to get that from someone else.  I'm primarily a CD and vinyl guy.

 
Some CD's can be very harsh, too!  I have B&W home speakers and they don't like harsh CD's.
 
Based on your experience, which are more forgiving on the high end?

 

[MoonKing]

Thank you for your speedy reply. Although I can stretch for 225s I have been reading the opinions of people who have used 60s, 80s and 225 and the seems to be two camps. Either 60s or 225s. From what I have read the 60s and 80s are basically the same except for the bowl pads on the 80s. The bass enthusiasts don't seem to like the 80s because the bass sounds artificial. Also I read that the 225s and 80s are too bright (if someone could explain what "bright" means that would be super). I think a lot of these complaints come down to the pads though. I could imagine the bass sounding more sharp/sparkly (is that what brightness means?) with bowls. I would presume with comfies the 80s would sound just like the 60s but is it really worth paying an extra £10 for better driver matching? Will I notice any difference?
As for the 225s (as sexy as they sound) I feel that I would also have to fork out for a semi-decent amp to truly get my moneys worth out of them (an expense I can not afford at this time). Although that does make me wonder if the 80s would be better than the 60s with an amp? AGGHHHHH! Indecisiveness is attacking me from all angles. Okay, JBAndradeIV said in this post ( http://www.head-fi.org/t/580326/grado-sr-60-vs-sr-80#post_7892574 ) that "with even a cheap amp the 80 outshines the 60" so that settles that.
 
I guess my only concern now is will the 80s be on par with the 60s when connected to a portable device? This is another thing that works against the 225s for me since I can see it needing more than the amp in my sony ericsson can handle. Also if anyone has tried both the 80s & 60s with comfies I would like to hear a comparison so I know if my previous presumption is correct.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

 
Some CD's can be very harsh, too!  I have B&W home speakers and they don't like harsh CD's.
 
Based on your experience, which are more forgiving on the high end?

 
Since the M50's will enhance bad bass and treble (which causes the worst problems for most people), I would say the Sony is less of a problem.  If you want a forgiving can--go with Senn below the HD 580/600.

 

[calleeesta]

Hey! I too am lookin' for some headphones. A forever pair, hopefully. I've been eyeing B&Ws- I'm willing to save up. I tried them at the Apple Store and I absolutely loved them.
 
Anyway, further suggestions would be very much appreciated! Here are my specs:

1. I listen to mainly electronic, indie, and punk rock- it really does vary. If you wanna see exactly what I listen to, check out my Last.fm
2. I'm looking for closed ear. Little to no leakage. Comfy fit for a tiny head.
3. I do not like Sony
4. I like ones that can handle loud high sounds, like a Mariah Carey solo type thing
5. I'm a total noob so I really don't know what else to say

 
Thank you!

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Thank you for your speedy reply. Although I can stretch for 225s I have been reading the opinions of people who have used 60s, 80s and 225 and the seems to be two camps. Either 60s or 225s. From what I have read the 60s and 80s are basically the same except for the bowl pads on the 80s. The bass enthusiasts don't seem to like the 80s because the bass sounds artificial. Also I read that the 225s and 80s are too bright (if someone could explain what "bright" means that would be super). I think a lot of these complaints come down to the pads though. I could imagine the bass sounding more sharp/sparkly (is that what brightness means?) with bowls. I would presume with comfies the 80s would sound just like the 60s but is it really worth paying an extra £10 for better driver matching? Will I notice any difference?
As for the 225s (as sexy as they sound) I feel that I would also have to fork out for a semi-decent amp to truly get my moneys worth out of them (an expense I can not afford at this time). Although that does make me wonder if the 80s would be better than the 60s with an amp? AGGHHHHH! Indecisiveness is attacking me from all angles. Okay, JBAndradeIV said in this post ( http://www.head-fi.org/t/580326/grado-sr-60-vs-sr-80#post_7892574 ) that "with even a cheap amp the 80 outshines the 60" so that settles that.
 
I guess my only concern now is will the 80s be on par with the 60s when connected to a portable device? This is another thing that works against the 225s for me since I can see it needing more than the amp in my sony ericsson can handle. Also if anyone has tried both the 80s & 60s with comfies I would like to hear a comparison so I know if my previous presumption is correct.

 Alessandro bases the MS1 on the 80's and it's compared to the 125 and 225.  Maybe it's the one you want.
 
In the US there is only a $20 difference between the 60 and the 80.  If it's in the budget most folks in the know spend the extra $20.

 

[Uhly]

Quote:

 
If by transparent you mean clarity and definition through sound stage, the HD 598 are the best from your list.  The very similarly priced AKG Q 701 is even better.

 I mentioned the HD 558. The HD 598 you seem to favor is a little more expensive. Maybe it is worth the difference...

 

[MoonKing]

Quote:

 Alessandro bases the MS1 on the 80's and it's compared to the 125 and 225.  Maybe it's the one you want.
 
In the US there is only a $20 difference between the 60 and the 80.  If it's in the budget most folks in the know spend the extra $20.

 
 
Alessandro MS1 seem hard to come by in the UK. I think I will go with the Grado Lab SR80s and just order some additional comfy or flat pads. All I really want to know before I purchase is how do they compare with the 60s when plugged in to a standard portable device.