[warubozu]

The A900s are in still in production, just that they aren't exported to the US like the A700 which can be found available thru various US online shops.

 

[shomie911]

But they are available at US retailers, I listed one didn't I or are they based in another country?

Just so I can be sure, the A900's are better than the A700's, right?

I have a good feeling about those A900's, but i'll have to wait a couple weeks before I have the money to buy them. The SR225's sound like they'd be slightly superior but they aren't closed (So I wouldn't be able to use them outta the house as much) and they aren't very comfortable and I use headphones for long periods of time (Plane rides, any free downtime) so that would probably end up being a problem. I've had superaural phones before and while I lived with it then, I don't think I'd like to repeat that mistake.

Keep throwing your favorite fun cans at me though, you never know I may change my mind, two weeks is a long time =]

Even though they are a little out of my price range what are your opinions about the Denon AH-D2000, I've heard good things about them and I was wondering if they were better than the A900's, A700's, or the SR225's, for my music of course.

 

[warubozu]

Audiocubes imports the A900s into the US as they have a warehouse based in Japan. AT itself doesn't export the A900s into the US. I own both A900 and A700, they both sound very similiar. If you don't do any critical listening, you'd be hard pressed to notice the differences between the two right off the bat. The A700 IMO has about 95% of the sound qualities found in the A900. The A900 has a slightly sharper level of detail and it's bass is a little tighter. The A900 enclosures are constructed of aluminum while the A700 enclosures are constructed of plastic. Soundstage between the two IMO are nearly indentical. If you can pony up the extra $50 for the A900, I'd say go for it.

 

[cvince]

I've had HF-1s for a long period of time, and I tried my friend's ES7s for about a week.

I guess it all depends on what you like.
The HF-1s are definitely much more airy (as with all other grado headphones) due to their open nature, but they are also a lot more offensive with some recordings. They are definitely fun, but I find don't deviate much from the grado house sound. To me, once you've heard the SR80s, the HF-1s ans 325i's are not that far off.

The thing I love about the ES7s is that you can push them as fricken loud as your ears can take, and nothing will pop out to you as overly harsh or offensive. Even on ridiculously poor recordings, these headphones just refuse to hurt your ears.

That's not to say that they aren't detailed. The highs are very well rendered and detailed, while the bass is deep, tight, and powerful (though not very open sounding), and just perfect for electronic music and indoor studio recordings. As far as live rock recordings and classical music, I've always loved the grado's ability to reproduce the ambience. This is the only time I would prefer my SR80s to the ES7s.
The ES7s are very competent at playing the entire audible frequency band with credibility.
They do have a slight 1.2k-3k coloration, which I suspect is due to the pleather material they use for the ear pads, but in no way does this slight coloration interfere with the music.

As far as a fun phone, I'd totally recommend the ES7s.

Just another 2c drop in the pond.

 

[Televator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shomie911 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a good feeling about those A900's, but i'll have to wait a couple weeks before I have the money to buy them. The SR225's sound like they'd be slightly superior but they aren't closed (So I wouldn't be able to use them outta the house as much) and they aren't very comfortable and I use headphones for long periods of time (Plane rides, any free downtime) so that would probably end up being a problem. I've had superaural phones before and while I lived with it then, I don't think I'd like to repeat that mistake

the A900 (and A700) are huge (and I really mean huge) so portable use is no option with those. Besides, while they are indeed closed, the A900 hardly isolate you from outside noises, so I personally wouldn't think of using them on a plane ride ... and did I already mention they are huge?

If you really want music on planes, I suggest in investing in a pair of in-ear phones as they are much much better suited for (air)travel and noisy public transport

I personally also think my SR-60 and MS2i are more fun (and to me even more comfortable as well) than my A900, but opinions will vary of course...

 

[shomie911]

Using them as portable phones is a side note of what I will be using these headphones for. I already have e4c's so I have plane rides covered, I just thought I might use them instead sometimes, as long as they don't bother other people around me too much, I don't really care if they isolate all that much.

As for portable use, sure even if they're huge you can still use them portably, just dump them in a backpack =] I don't mind them being huge as long as they sound nice, and for $179 thats not all that bad. Thanks for the heads up though.

I can't imagine a superaural phone being more comfortable, my ears are sorta small and they hurt pretty soon after something is pressed against it for a while.

Anyway I showed my Dad the A900's and he thought they were pretty nice looking, you never know, if he likes them maybe I can get him to buy a pair of his own, get him into high end audio too. (If he put on or even saw the Grado's he'd probably just say "waste of money." I guess he's concerned with the aesthetics's of something your not even going to see most of the time)

Plus I can stop hearing "Theres no difference between the ones that came with the ipod and those expensive ones."

 

[F107plus5]

Glad to see that MS2i are now on the list of fun cans. They really do belong there.

 

[Televator]

well, grado bowls are actually circumaural for my small ears

The ATH-A(D)X00(0) series (including the A900 and A700) are not portable, period. They are way too big to wear outside and they are not suited for easy backpack storage (they don't fold, can get scratched/bent, ...). They really are the epitome of a home-can for me. If the Sennheiser PX100 is a folding tripod stool for on camping trips and a semi-portable or trans-portable headphone would be a folding pool chair, then the A900's are a comfy relax chair by comparison... I'm not trying to talk you out of the A900's, they are very decent headphones (though I personally prefer grado/alessandros by far) but I just wouldn't like you to be disappointed in their non-portability after you've spent money on them

 

[shomie911]

Honestly its a pretty tight race and when it comes down to buying them its probably going to be a coin toss. They each seem to have their pros and cons but when you add them all up they all come up even in my mind.

I guess I'll just pick one in a few weeks, try it, and if I don't like it sell it to someone who does on the forum.

Also I don't wear headphones outside period, just earphones, if I was using it outside of the house it would either be for a vacation or a roadtrip or something where the size wouldn't really matter at all. I bring my Camera around to a lot of places and it is definitely not portable especially with accessories and a bag.

Thanks for your opinion though it definitely puts Grado back in there for a tie.

Also they don't make Allessandro's anymore do they? I'd probably have to look in the FS to find a pair. How much do they normally go for?

 

[Televator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shomie911 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also they don't make Allessandro's anymore do they? I'd probably have to look in the FS to find a pair. How much do they normally go for?

they are still in production...but can only be bought straight from the Alessandro website. Remember though that they are a bit more neutral (= less 'fun') than purebred Grados according to most who have compared them.

BTW: for roadtrips etc, the ATH's can be used of course (they DO fit in a car

)

 

[shomie911]

Those Allessandro's look great and after reading a lot of mixed reviews about the A900's I'm not too sure about that one anymore.

The Allessandro's are a little expensive so I guess I'll just troll around in the FS and see if I can get something cheaper.

So:

1. Grado SR225
2. Allessandro MS2i
3. Grado HF-1
4. Audio Technica ATH-ES7
5. Audio Technica ATH-A900
6. Grado 325i

If you feel they should be listed differently for their SQ and value feel free to rearrange them and repost it for me.