best sound for under $300 (newbie)

[adrian]

ok, here's the deal:
I want the best sound quality i can afford for less than $300-250...
i have a portable sony cdplayer and have pretty much narrowed it down to the grado sr125 + creek amp... and plug'em to my portable.

now my question is what's the most bang for the buck:

-portable+sr125
-portable+amp+sr125
-stationary+sr125
-stationary+amp+sr125


any help is really apreciated... btw I mainly listen to tool, nin, deftones, etc...

 

[joelongwood]

Welcome to Head-Fi, adrian. I guess you've pretty much made up your mind on the SR-125s. But if you're willing to hold off and shop around you might be able to get the Grado SR-325s for $219 as I did from AudioAdvisor. They occasionally have demo's which appear brand new for that price. You could then contact JMT, a fellow Head-Fier who has built a heckuva lot of portable amps for people here. His amps sound great with Grados........and have the added benefit of being portable. With this combo, you should be able to come in under $300. And, although I've never heard the 125s, I think you would find agreement here that they do not provide the same musical experience as the 325s. Just my opinion. Hope this helps.

 

[bwithers]

The 325's are considerably better than the 125's. I would highly recommend getting the 325's and get
a decent amp later if you feel you need it.

 

[adrian]

(thanks for the replys)

will the 325s work without an amp on a portable?

what about the 225s?

 

[joelongwood]

All Grados are very efficient and easy to drive, so they should sound good on your portable, even if it's only 5mw per channel, as most Sonys are today. I've used the Grados without an amp on my 5mw per side Sony portable MD player and they sound very good. They do, however, sound better with an amp, and JMT built amps are cool looking, great sounding, and very affordable. And you get to deal with JMT, one of the nicest guys around!

 

[MacDEF]

joelongwood's advice is excellent. The 325s will sound very good out of a portable, but later when you get an amp they'll sound significantly better. Or if you get them on demo like joe suggested, you can still afford a JMT amp. You'll be a very happy camper

 

[adrian]

how would you compare the sound of the sr125s + amp with the sr225 without amp?

i found a place that carries the sr225s at $159...
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/expressa...adsrhead2.html

 

[bwithers]

The 325 with a portable sounds better than a 225 or 125 with an amp (with x-cans and grado amp). Before you buy, listen to as many headphones as
possible (bare minimum listent to 125's 225's and
325's).

 

[adrian]

bwithers, the thing is that i dont live in the states, so i dont have acces to those cans only if i buy them, thats why im asking so much...

so basiccaly I have decided to get the 225's and i would like to know if the extra money over the 125's is worth it.

thanks

 

[bwithers]

Most of us are telling you to by the 325 if you want the best sound for under $300 for rock. I had a 225 for 3 weeks before returning it to buy
the 325. The 325 sounds fuller, has much better
bass and even more clarity while having a slightly smoother sound.

For the Grado's you really don't need an amp. It will improve things slightly, but no where near the improvement in between the 325 and the 225.

 

[adrian]

bwithers:
it turns out that my budget is actually more like $200...

I found the 225s for $159, but the 325s seem to go for no less than $250 is the extra $100 really worth it?

thanks

 

[JMT]

I currently own both the 225s and the 325s (the 225s are close to being sold). The 225s are excellent headphones for your purpose. Very lively, impactful, great for rock. Is there a difference between the two. To my ears, absolutely. Is it worth the extra scratch? That is up to you.

 

[bwithers]

The Grado 225's *are* very respectable headphones. The biggest difference between the 325 and the 225 is in the bass department. I'm not a bass head by any means, but I feel the 225 is a bit bass shy and a little thin sounding. If this isn't an issue I would have no problems recommending the 225.

The difference between the 125 and the 225 is a little more subtle (than between 325 and 225). The 225's are a bit smoother sounding is the best way I can describe it.

 

[jerikl]

You people are going to have me buying 325's sometime soon now.

But I really don't have any money for that stuff right now... so I guess that's not going to happen. Ahh, oh well.

Adrian: I think you'll be happy with any one of the three, but if you're like me... actually, if you're like most of us... if you don't get the 325's, you'll be wondering how they sound compared to the ones you do get not too long after you get them.

 

[Gluegun]

225's = most balanced, 325's = most bassy.

info is hearsay.