[infinitefurby]

My sennheiser 457's recently died on me, so I'm looking for a new pair. The 457's were a lot better than any ones I'd had before, but the low end was a bit muddy and overpronounced. I'll mostly be using my new pair with my portable mp3 player, but also at home with my computer (soundblaster live soundcard), and listening to vinyl as well.

So pretty much I'm looking for a headphone that sounds good without added amplification, the hd555's worry me here. Mostly I listen to heavier music (good bass response), and electronic music (good throughout frequency range, bright clear tones, etc). I don't mind much about sound seepage, so I suppose I'd prefer an open design but this doesn't matter as much to me. I've also been looking at the Sony v6's, and any other recommendations are of course appreciated. Please help!

 

[cmirza]

I wouldnt consider the hd555s very portable, unless you'll be carrying them in a large bag. If thats the case, they sound great unamped from my iPod. An amp just makes them sound even better. The grado's can fold relatively flat and you could carry them in a messenger bag okay. so between the ms-1s and sr80s, go for the ms-1s. I'd also look at the Sennheiser HD25-SP and the AKG K26P for some good portable headphones.

 

[Murdoch]

I'd say skip the grados altogether. Get the hd555 for home use, and "portable" in the home use, and get some Koss ksc75s for when you're on the go. You can find the ksc75 for about $15 shipped online. They sound great and are much more portable than grados. I used to use an sr125 portably, and although they sounded good and "worked" as portable cans, they were still a little too big to be easy.

 

[LTUCCI1924]

I second the Koss 75 or portapro for portable use over the other headphones.
The Koss are very portable and sound great.

 

[Elephas]

The MS-1 and SR80 are excellent choices for portable use if the environment isn't too noisy and sound leakage is not a problem.

I haven't heard the HD555, but the HD595 I've tried needs amplification. It didn't sound good and wasn't loud driven straight from an iPod.

 

[3lusiv3]

" alessandro ms1 vs. grado sr80 vs. sennheiser hd555 - which is best for portable use?"

I think they are all too big for portable use.

 

[cmirza]

LTUCCI1924 is right, Koss PortaPros would be a good alternative to the Grados. Like has been said many times before on this board, the Koss PortaPro are like baby Grados. KSC75s would also be a good solution if you need something even more portable.

 

[infinitefurby]

Alright so I ended up getting a pair of koss ksc75's. Thank you very much to everyone who suggested them, they're pretty much exactly what I was looking for! I really like the bendable earclip, I have small ears so these ones don't bounce around or fall off my ears like an old useless pair of earclip sonys I had.

I also decided to get a factory refurbished hd555 for home use, it's less than $90 shipped on ecost.com (with 1yr warranty), I just couldn't beat that price! Thanks again everyone for the good advice!