[cjarrett]

Hey,

I've been browsing the threads for a little over a week, and I haven't really found any information that matches cans with certain styles of music. I'm willing to pony up around 300$ for a set of open cans, but I'm not sure which ones are right for me.

Some bands I listen to a lot of:

Radiohead
Wilco
White Stripes
Animal Collective
Elliot Smith
Liars
Beck
Sublime
Dylan
Weezer
TV on the Radio
Beatles
Arcade Fire
Kanye West
Lupe Fiasco
Girl Talk
Talib Kweli
Coltrane
Miles Davis




Well, now that I think about it....I listen to most EVERY type of music except classical. While mostly Alt-rock, indie, Electronic, and Jazz, I even listen to folk and bluegrass.


As for cans, I'm intrigued by the Ultrasone sets, but I'm fully aware of the controversy that surrounds them. As such, I would need some heavy influence in order to get the 750s, 2200s, or 2500s.

I keep hearing about Grados on the forum, but It feels like a circlejerk to them that reminds of my dad's near-fetish with Sennheisers (I used his old HD575s for two-three years before the left side broke on me). While I liked those 575s, I'm at a quandary.

I don't really like the look of the Grado cans. I'm not going to buy something I do not like the look of. While that might seem shallow, I just can't do it. I would buy Grados if I knew how to easily replace the more cushion-y pads of the Ultrasones. If someone has already done this easily, I would appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction!

As well, I really like the Sennheiser HD575s that I owned for nearly three years. They were a nice set of cans. I've listened to the 580s, which left me very impressed. As such, the 600 and 650s leave me tempted. Again, an easy mod attaching the beauty of the Ultrasone would tip me in this direction as well.


I just don't know what to pick. I don't want to spend more than 200, but I know that if I wait I'll be able to find a good 300$(MSRB) or more headphone on sale for a price range that is reasonable. I have patience before I pick up another set of cans, as I will be fine with the set of Etymotic ER4S.

While it may seem that I'm shortsighted because I take HEAVY influence of style and looks, I will not buy a product simply because it looks good. It has to be a very high quality product, and as such both the Grados and Sennheisers are the leaders in my search.

However, I simply do not know enough about other cans, and would greatly appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction to some of their favorite cans. Personal testimonies and experiences are also very helpful.

Thanks a lot for your time helping me out with my purchasing experience. I really want to get a new set of cans before I go back to college in mid-August, but I'm going to make sure I don't make a mistake with MY first Cans purchase (I don't count the Etymotics...)


Thanks everyone ahead of time


TL/DR:
-I listen to all variety of music except classical. Mainly Alt-Rock, Indie, Electronic, Rap, Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass
-Weary of Ultrasones, but I LOVE the look of them
-I would get Grados, but I don't like the look of them (especially the cups)
-I've used and liked Sennheiser HD575s before
-An easy mod to either Sennheisers or Grados that allow Ultrasone pads would be great to know about!
-I currently have Etymotic ER4S and like them!
-Style is very important
-High Quality is of the utmost importance, however!
-I'm probably not going to use an amp other than the creative x-fi in my dell XPS laptop
-THANK YOU

 

[koven]

So looks are more important to you than SQ? Since when have headphones become a fashion statement?

 

[soidera]

how about ath esw9 I haven't heard them yet, but they looks great

 

[Teraflame]

Don't kid yourself, big headphones will look silly on your head no matter what.

 

[Benaiir]

Ultrasone HFI-2200ULE was a good all-arounder from my experience, with your genres (I have similar preferences). My favorite for rap/electronic/hip-hop was the DT770 though. I bought both for $100 each used though, so keep an eye out for some used ones if you want. DT770's go for 100 shipped every so often. The 'sones were a very exclusive deal.

 

[atomiccow]

If you're not going for a dedicated amp, I would exclude high impedance phones like the HD600/650 from the choice list. Try looking into Denon or Ultrasone.

 

[cjarrett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by koven /img/forum/go_quote.gif So looks are more important to you than SQ? Since when have headphones become a fashion statement?

You obviously don't read.

"While it may seem that I'm shortsighted because I take HEAVY influence of style and looks, I will not buy a product simply because it looks good. It has to be a very high quality product, and as such both the Grados and Sennheisers are the leaders in my search."

A big thank you to everyone else that has posted. I'll be looking into those cans soon!

 

[aristos_achaion]

You're hearing a lot about Grado right now because of the HF-2, a special-edition high-end Grado for this forum and its members. It's brought them really into the spotlight...I don't think we're usually this Grado-centric. And actually, it looks more like a lynch mob than a circle jerk right now, because of an engraver's error on the HF-2.

And the Grado look can be kind of endearing...a feeling that you know they have to be serious about sound, because they're sure not selling on fashion. Don't exclude Grados...I'm just getting my first real quality time with Grados with my new SR225, and it's the most exciting thing I've listened to in quite a while.

 

[cjarrett]

The 225s were the phones I am most highly leaning towards, but it's nice to see that there isn't normally this much discussion towards Grados in the forum. Then again, part of it could have just been the threads that I had went into in the past week.

How comfortable are the Grado cups? My seldom experiences with my roommate's SR 60, I seem to remember the Grado's cups as very uncomfortable and weird. The ability to change the cups of the 225s would make the Grado much more appealing than the competitors. Again, I'm fine with the Sennheiser HD 565 and 580 (with more emphasis towards the tighter fitting 580).

Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post is that I am a gamer known to have infrequent 6-7 hour sessions playing counterstrike source. Would the Grados, Sennheisers, Beyers, and Ultrasones work well with gaming?

 

[nhancakes]

Grados have a limited soundstage so I don't know about gaming.

 

[aristos_achaion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjarrett /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 225s were the phones I am most highly leaning towards, but it's nice to see that there isn't normally this much discussion towards Grados in the forum. Then again, part of it could have just been the threads that I had went into in the past week. How comfortable are the Grado cups? My seldom experiences with my roommate's SR 60, I seem to remember the Grado's cups as very uncomfortable and weird. The ability to change the cups of the 225s would make the Grado much more appealing than the competitors. Again, I'm fine with the Sennheiser HD 565 and 580 (with more emphasis towards the tighter fitting 580). Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post is that I am a gamer known to have infrequent 6-7 hour sessions playing counterstrike source. Would the Grados, Sennheisers, Beyers, and Ultrasones work well with gaming?

I think the bowl pads are really, really comfortable...but I seem to be in the minority on that one. The Grado pads are interchangeable (here's a listing of them) I understand you can use Sennheiser HD414 pads on Grados too...they're supposed to be more comfortable, but they're also bright yellow...probably have to dye them.

Haven't tried any gaming the the 225 yet...I'll report back after a few matches.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjarrett /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 225s were the phones I am most highly leaning towards, but it's nice to see that there isn't normally this much discussion towards Grados in the forum. Then again, part of it could have just been the threads that I had went into in the past week. How comfortable are the Grado cups? My seldom experiences with my roommate's SR 60, I seem to remember the Grado's cups as very uncomfortable and weird. The ability to change the cups of the 225s would make the Grado much more appealing than the competitors. Again, I'm fine with the Sennheiser HD 565 and 580 (with more emphasis towards the tighter fitting 580). Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post is that I am a gamer known to have infrequent 6-7 hour sessions playing counterstrike source. Would the Grados, Sennheisers, Beyers, and Ultrasones work well with gaming?

Not sure what you mean by the 'ability to change the cups'. I don't think any headphones have cup-changing abilities.

If you're running them straight out of your pc, scrap senns and beyers.

 

[aristos_achaion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure what you mean by the 'ability to change the cups'. I don't think any headphones have cup-changing abilities.

He's probably talking about interchangeability on earpads. You can't exactly trade out any Senn cup for any other...all Grado pads are compatible, except the iGrado's.

As for Grados and gaming: the 225 performed well enough for me, if a couple of rounds of Battlefield Heroes before bed are to be trusted

. I mainly care about direction and comfort while gaming; comfort's already been addressed, and I could definitely tell which direction the gunfire / plane / tank was coming from...I'm generally happy in that game if I can snipe at a plane by sound. Maybe I'm not demanding enough. I do suppose the limited soundstage could be a problem, if you're into more hardcore FPSes.

 

[Acix]

The Ultrasones are a good choice all arounder, here more info: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ult...arison-401879/

 

[SemiAudiophile]

if you can get past the look of the Grado's the SR325i(s) maybe the answer you are looking for. i have pretty much the same musical taste as you and the 325i can pretty much cover all those genres well except maybe hip hop and electronica. otherwise if you like bass and good looks/style, maybe take a look at the Denons or DRE beats? they are closed-style phones, however.

a much cheaper alternative is something like the PX100 which can handle pretty much anything at a cost of $40. it is less refined, but it is open style and won't need an amp to drive.