[Jack Western]

So I'm after a new pair of headphones which will be dedicated hi fi headphones, so can be driven by a headphone amp if necessary but the onboard headphone circuit on my Rotel RA-611 is pretty damn fine.
Currently I have a pair of Goldring NS1000s but they mainly get used while I'm out and about due to the noise cancelling. However, I'm after a pair which will let my music breathe a little better for overall relaxed listening. About the only thing is that they need to be heavy on the bass and have sharp mids, and I have a budget of about £150 but I can tack a bit on if I do need to get a headphone amp. Now, don't spear me through the face, but I did really like my Bose AE1, as they fulfilled this, and were still pretty good on the sound leakage problem too. So yeah, recommendations? I have been looking at Grado cans up to and including the SR125s as my local hi fi guy said he could cut me a nice deal on them even at high street prices
Thanks in advance

 

[n-phect]

grados are good FWIHeard.  Did you listen to the grados what did you think compared to your Bose?  I havent heard a Bose headphone i awile im about to go to best buy and listen.  

 

[Cheeznuklz]

I actually just purchased a pair of Grado SR 60i's after having previously owning the Bose AE1's.  The mids on the SR60 are better and more crisp.  The base is less emphasized, but also crisper (the Bose base is quite muddy).  I have found that the crisper sound is worth the lower amounts of bass, but you should probably try a pair to make sure you feel the same.

 

[Cheeznuklz]

It should also be noted that Grados can be modded (specifically to make up for bass).  There's a fantastic thread here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod
 

 

[Jack Western]

Now that is strange as I found the bass on the Bose surprisingly crisp and the overall sound very sharp... maybe it is just me haha. However, I am kinda set on the Grado, due to the superb bang for buck along with the fantastic sound quality. And that mod thread should come in handy as I am into face melting bass, being a completely electronica and drum n bass fan haha.

 

[n-phect]

if you want face melting let me suggest  dt770

 

[loremipsum]

If you're into face-melting bass and electronica, the Grados are probably not a very good choice for you.

 

[zero7525]

Quote:

If you're into face-melting bass and electronica, the Grados are probably not a very good choice for you.

The bass on the grados is very fast, so it's more of a punch than a WOB-WOB. If you listen to rock and vocals, then grado is a nice choice. 
If you are still set on grados though, then take a look at some of those mods in the thread. I tried the hole-punch mod and it certainly added deeper bass. 

 

[blufox4900]

+1 to the grados, fairly easy to drive and easy to modify. Do keep in mind that not only do they don't block any noise at all but they also leak quite a bit of noise. People will think you're blasting these things with the intensity of a saturn V rocket. Also while these don't really need an amp or dac, they really do benefit from one. Especially if you're into computer listening, you'll definitely want an external DAC or at least a good soundcard to get the most of these with a computer. Onboard audio will really hinder these. 

 

[crinacle]

Face-melting bass = XB500 or Pro700 MKII

 

[Jack Western]

That's why I would go for the Grados, they are rock solid, tonnes of mods available, they aren't bank breaking and I would still be able to use them for listening to a wide variety of music, which would be great. I still need to hunt around more though... just too many headphones to choose from D: somewhat ironically