[rage3324]

After some research, I have narrowed it down to two pairs of headphones. Since sound leakage is not a concern, I am looking at the Audio Technica ath-ad700 and the Grado sr80. I will be using the headphones mainly for music (rock) and gaming (not much online gaming) and sometimes movies depending on the time of day. From what I have found the ath-ad700 are better for gaming and movies, but I have not been able to find a comparison between them for music. The grado's can be had for $95 and the Audio-Technica's can be had for ~$100 at newegg. I guess I should throw grado's sr125 into the mix too..

What do you guys recommend?

 

[Sine]

I've tried both of these cans, and you don't get much farther apart in sound signature than these two. The SR80 is bassy and in-your-face; making it a sublime choice for rock. On the other hand, the AD700 sounds light and airy with a huge soundstage; making it great for movies and gaming (I love it for classical and acoustic).

It's hard to find anything that can match SR80s for rock in that price range, but it's a fatiguing headphone and probably pretty poor for positional audio if you want to game with it.

My advice? Get both!

If you can't afford it thought; get the SR80 plus a cheap pair of cans (Sennheiser?) that'll do the job for movies and games. I don't really have a lot of experience with that area, but maybe someone else here can give you more specific recommendations.

Oh yeah, welcome to Head-fi!

 

[rage3324]

is it safe to assume that either pair would be a significant upgrade for music over sennheiser hd280 pro?

 

[Sine]

I haven't heard the 280; maybe someone else can comment on that.

 

[rage3324]

It seems that the grado's are the choice for rock music, but the AT's are the choice for games,movies, and classical music. The AT's also apparently lack bass (not too concerned about that). Is there an option under $200 that is a compromise between the grado's and the audio technica's?

 

[Sine]

There are "compromise" phones, but that's not a choice I would recommend. No single headphone in that price range will handle what you want as well as a AD700 + SR80 combo will.

If I were you, I'd grab the used deal below for an $85 AD700, then you can get the SR80 as well and still be under $200.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f10/fs-ath-ad700-287421/

Better jump on this though, if you want it. I don't expect it to last long.

 

[donunus]

For 200, what about getting the ad900. If the bass on those are similar to the ad2ks then they should be more bass than sr80s plus instruments sound more real at the same time plus you get a soundstage that is better than grados

 

[ktheone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rage3324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif is it safe to assume that either pair would be a significant upgrade for music over sennheiser hd280 pro?

Erm, depends on your music

HD280 is great for classical, and it has a great clarity. The only problem is the comfort when wearing...

If your fav. type of music is classical, and you can "tolerate" HD280

, then I don't think there will be upgrade in the sound SQ when you get the AD700 or SR80

If your fav. type of music is rocks etc... , then yes, get a pair of SR80 for music and AD700 for movies...

Hope this helps

 

[donunus]

hd280/clarity are you kidding?

 

[rage3324]

Will I be dissapoitned with the ad700 for rock or does it just not sound as good as the sr80s?

 

[johnanderson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rage3324 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Will I be dissapoitned with the ad700 for rock or does it just not sound as good as the sr80s?

Grados can be very fatiguing so it depends on what your preferences are. The AT's are more analytical but they are by no means missing any bass. I think people overemphasize that they lack bass. This doesn't mean they don't have any, just less than other headphones. I enjoy my AD700's very much with rock but then again your preferences could be different. Why not get the cheaper versions of both, the AD500 and SR60, and decide which sound you prefer. Both of those pretty much add up to the cost of the AD700 or SR80 plus you can always sell the one you dont like or keep both and use them for them for different types of music.

 

[rage3324]

bump

 

[rage3324]

bump

 

[JayB18]

I find the AD700 absolutely fine for rock music. I doubt you would be disappointed. Plus they will work well with most other music genres as well, not just fast paced music like the grados. The AD700 are also the best headphones I ever had for games and movies.

 

[rage3324]

Does anyone know how the grados are for movies?