Just as a caution, and by no means do I have personal experience, but the SR125i is often regarded as an oddball in the lineup. Part of the reason is its price point, which slots in between the SR80i (which people will often take over the 60 because it's only twenty bucks more), and the SR225i, which is often considered the sweet spot in the Prestige lineup. The usual upgrade path I see is 60 (or 80) --> 225 --> RS1. The second reason is that the 125 is supposed to be unusually bright (even for a Grado) and, by some users' impressions, fatiguing.
If I do go with the MS-1's, how long does it take to ship? I'm in the NYC and I'm going back to school on the 22nd and I would prefer to have them shipped to my house rather than my school mailbox.
EDIT: Considering my impending purchase of one of the three listed above, would buying the E7 be worth it? Will the sound quality be substantially better when compared to plugging it into my Lenovo T400? (I know it's going to better cause of the DAC, but enough improvement to justify the extra $100?)
Grados change a lot depending on their pads. The SR125 is ultra bright on stock, but swap out the stock bowls with some flats or even just comfies and they become very pleasurable.
Also IMO the SR225 is the worst of the SR lineup, there's no point in getting it, the SR125 is the far better buy... and frankly I think the SR80 is a better buy than the SR125. I also think the SR80 is better than the SR60. The only Grados I would get in the lower class range are the SR80 or the MS1, to be honest. Then just mod it to my liking.
Anyway back to the original question:
The M50 is basically a rather smooth and bassy can with a slightly laidback attitude. To complement it in that price range I would get something that is clean and detailed like an AKG K270 or a D1001. Or something that is raunchy and forward like a Grado Prestige or the Phiaton MS300.
Alternately you may want to get something that is the "improved" version of the M50 such as the Shure K750DJ or the Denon D1100.
So far my experience with the M50's has been terrific, and that's using them plugged right into my PC. I ordered an E7 from Amazon yesterday, so the sound should only get better. I've had them for about 2 weeks and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
I have decided that my next set of cans will be the 80i's. However, after thinking long and hard last night, I'm not going to purchase them now. I just got the M50's and I don't think it would be worth it to buy so soon after getting my M50's and without having spent significant time enjoying them. I decided to go the amp/dac route first, then eventually purchase the Grado's.
I think in terms of trying to build a solid setup, have one good set of cans and a good amp/dac (that's also portable) is better than having two sets of good cans without any amp or dac.
So far my experience with the M50's has been terrific, and that's using them plugged right into my PC. I ordered an E7 from Amazon yesterday, so the sound should only get better. I've had them for about 2 weeks and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
I have decided that my next set of cans will be the 80i's. However, after thinking long and hard last night, I'm not going to purchase them now. I just got the M50's and I don't think it would be worth it to buy so soon after getting my M50's and without having spent significant time enjoying them. I decided to go the amp/dac route first, then eventually purchase the Grado's.
I think in terms of trying to build a solid setup, have one good set of cans and a good amp/dac (that's also portable) is better than having two sets of good cans without any amp or dac.
So far my experience with the M50's has been terrific, and that's using them plugged right into my PC. I ordered an E7 from Amazon yesterday, so the sound should only get better. I've had them for about 2 weeks and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
I have decided that my next set of cans will be the 80i's. However, after thinking long and hard last night, I'm not going to purchase them now. I just got the M50's and I don't think it would be worth it to buy so soon after getting my M50's and without having spent significant time enjoying them. I decided to go the amp/dac route first, then eventually purchase the Grado's.
I think in terms of trying to build a solid setup, have one good set of cans and a good amp/dac (that's also portable) is better than having two sets of good cans without any amp or dac.
What DAC/amp are you looking at? Are you looking for separate dedicated DAC and amp? Im also looking at a DAC/amp for my M50 but not sure what is the best choice. I have been looking at the Musiland 02 DAC which comes with a built in amp. I may also get a portable amp for it too for my ipod.
Go ahead and enjoy those M50s if you like. It's always good to take a step back and remember that it's enjoying the music, not the equipment, that's most important. If you can put off the temptation to buy right away, you'll enjoy the Grados all that much more once the M50 has become old hat/you've found something they could do better. Plus, in the latter case, you can figure out exactly what you wish the M50 did and choose your new headphone accordingly.
Amp-wise, I didn't get the impression either the M50 or SR225i improved dramatically with amplification. I wouldn't rule out a perfect combination/synergy that my limited on call equipment couldn't deliver (come to think of it, my old Cambridge Audio Model 2500 was a perfect match for the Grados), though.
So far my experience with the M50's has been terrific, and that's using them plugged right into my PC. I ordered an E7 from Amazon yesterday, so the sound should only get better. I've had them for about 2 weeks and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.
I have decided that my next set of cans will be the 80i's. However, after thinking long and hard last night, I'm not going to purchase them now. I just got the M50's and I don't think it would be worth it to buy so soon after getting my M50's and without having spent significant time enjoying them. I decided to go the amp/dac route first, then eventually purchase the Grado's.
I think in terms of trying to build a solid setup, have one good set of cans and a good amp/dac (that's also portable) is better than having two sets of good cans without any amp or dac.
I currently have my M50's plugged directly into my laptop. Needless to say, the onboard sound card on my Lenovo is not very good. So I figured I'd get the E7 for primary use as an external sound card. At the moment, I don't really need all that great of an amp because the M50's are not hard to drive. However, when I make that step up to higher end cans, I always have the option to purchase the E9 and have a pretty nice (and economical) amp/dac set up. It's also portable. (Bumper, I know you mentioned looking for a portable amp/dac. Just a heads up, if you decide on the E7 and plan to pair it with your iPod, I would HIGHLY recommend the Fiio L3 LOD. If I'm not mistaken, it overrides your iPod's internal amp and provides a huge boost in sq when compared to using the E7 and an iPod without the LOD.)
@Argyris - Exactly what I was thinking last night. I was so excited to get my M50's and when I got them they were great. I guess I got sucked into the audiophile hobby, because I immediately wanted another pair of cans that were different from my M50's so I could experience a wider range of sound. However, after taking some time to think about it, I realized that 2 weeks is no where near the time span I should be giving to good cans like the M50's. It would be an injustice
But I know in a month or so that buyer itch is going to comeback again (especially after looking at these boards daily) and I'm going to have to scratch it. At least when the time comes I don't have to go through this grueling process. I already know what I want
You know, I know this thread kind of concluded, but when your buyer itch comes back, why not consider the ah700 as well? Wide soundstage, less bass but great mids and highs. Seems like a very different style-sounding headphone to me.
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