[MusicTurtle]

Hello! To everyone and anyone I have to say this wonderful whimsical place has driven me to the point of a slight madness. It started off in December of last year where after due diligence with a meager budget and plentiful lurking on this site I was steered into picking up my first set of headphones that didn't come bundled with anything.

Those headphones were the Panasonic RP HTX 7. It was a nice headphone that changed my opinion on the importance of a good headphone and how it can enhance your listening experience. Enough emotional pandering I'm here to leech your collective wisdom.

I have a slightly better budget than last time but not by much and now I want to probe something new. As while the Panasonics are nice they are a bit wild and lack the clarity I would like. While on my new search I've used the search bar a multitude of times and read as much as I could in regards to the positive and negatives of each respective can that I'm interested. However now I can't make up my mind. Headfi save me!

The source will be your standard 5th generation 30 gig Ipod. No lossless or Flac files standard rip. The music will be mostly hip hop for example:Nas,Talib Kweli,Mos Def, The Roots and alternative ranging from The Smashing Pumpkins, Local H, Red hot Chili Peppers, Garbage,etc. Bass is not of great importance not a basshead. Budget $100.

The options are as follow after much lurking:

Grado SR 60+Reverse 414 Pads
AKG K240S

I'm really leaning towards the Grado's as they seem to be a step up from the Panasonics in the area of clarity and in your face sound which I enjoy. However the Grado has me worried in regards to build durability as I read a bit on "Grado Rattle" and some issues with the standard chord curling and fraying near the driver. Are the Grado issues nominal at best or something to consider before purchasing. Also if I do go the Grado route where would be the best place to purchase Beyer DT770 Headband ^__^ that thing looks mad comfy.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ting.mike]

grado sr60 is great, but has no bass for your hip hop
akg 240s is more neutral, I don't think you'll be "wowed" by it..

 

[xkRoWx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MusicTurtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grado SR 60+Reverse 414 Pads

Forget the yellow pads, get the bowls and tape them. But be prepared to get used to the supra-aural pad, as many find it uncomfortable.

As fragile as they may look, the Grados are pretty durable. Apparently the headphone is modular enough to do DIY repairs should the Grattle hits you (I don't have the balls to do it myself).

 

[ksu06]

Perhaps you could add MS-1 to the mix? Though I have never owned the SR-60, it is my understanding that the MS-1 is a more refined and less fatiguing headphone ... otherwise build quality is the exact same. For your reference: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/sr60-vs-ms-1-a-160765/

In addition, one of my best friends owns the K240S, and I would not really describe them as neutral; what caught my ears were the slow and bloated bass. However, I know plenty of people who enjoy their bloated rather than tight bass, so you might be one of them. The mids are really smooth, though, no complaints there. In terms of detail, the Grados win hands down, I guess due to their forward sound. Oh yeah, and Grados leak sound like crazy (I don't know if that will be an issue for you).