[aworkingpig]

Hi all
 
I am looking to upgrade my current grado SR80 headphones but am lost in a world of choice, I have a fiio e7 and mainly use my headphones for iPod listening but like the idea of future proofing as best I can, I've had my SR80 for about 10 years, I do some occasional hifi listening with them. I reckon any future upgrade would be a long time coming. 
 
Naturally I have been gravitating towards grado's remembering how much life they breathed into my music when I first started using them but I have come to find them not without issue for portable listening at least, namely the long cable, sound leak in when out and about and a issue with the cans / cable twisting (really annoying) 
 
I am considering; 
Grado 325is or mabye RS2i (or would this be overkill)
Hifiman HE-5LE (or the HE-5 although I hear there are some issues with this model) 
Monster Beats by Dre Studio
AKG K701 / K702 
bower & wilkins P5 
 
I don't really mind open headphones but I would prefer something with detachable cables.
 

 

my main music taste bounces from electronic / dnb / roots reggae to rock. 
I'm leaning towards the hifiman but am not sure how wise a choice they would be for portable listening 
 
any ideas or heads up  would be appreciated 
 
Thanks 
    

 

[matthewh133]

Good luck driving the HE-5LE with a portable amp. I'd stay clear of that idea. To be honest, I much prefer IEMs for portable listening. You can run with them, you can use them wherever you like and they take up the tiniest of spaces, they won't disturb other people around you and they have better length cords for portable listening as well. You also don't look like a fool wearing them. I have the Earsonics SM3 and they are just as good as my equally priced full-sized cans.

 

[mark2410]

i hope you dont plan to use them near other people
 
 
anyway id say srh840, actually id really say look to IEM's if you want portability

 

[Proglover]

Hifiman with E7, not a good idea
 
Nice budget for portable
 
For rock, if you like Grado, I'd say the Grado's. What could also be a nice model for explicit portable use, is Audio Technica's ESW9. I mean 701's for portable use?
 
Just forget about those Monster Beats

 

[aworkingpig]

I'll give the in ear some consideration but as far as the grado's go would my e7 be suffcient to drive both the 325is & RS2i?

 

[Proglover]

Quote:

I'll give the in ear some consideration but as far as the grado's go would my e7 be suffcient to drive both the 325is & RS2i?

 not 100% sure about the RS2, but for 325, they can power them certainly, but bringing the best out of them is another case. For portable use, it's fine I guess

 

[shamrock134]

ATH-ES10 for £320.
 
Portable, sound great (I'd rate them above my IE8, Coppers and SM3) and look sexy.
 
They do lack isolation though compared to IEMs.