Could you help a partially deaf noob?

[bobthegoat]

Hello,

I'm trying to recapture a audio experience I had when I was a kid.

But... I am confussed by all the different brands and it seems everyone likes a different headset.

To compound the issue I am partially deaf in one ear from a ear infection when I was a infant. Mainly I have a problem distinguishing details and that ear isn't as sensitive as the other. Last month I was listening to my friend's new very expensive audio system and I realized to me it just didn't sound much better then anything else I had heard.

The only real good audio experience I ever had was when I was younger and my uncle, who is now dead, had me try a set of expensive headphones that he had. I believe they were called Grando? they were partially made of wood, don't know if they make them like that anymore. I remember the music sounded so great, I couldn’t believe it.

I was looking and found "grado" sr60 and sr80 which I saw some people liked on this forum but then don't have the wood like the Grando's I tried but it was so long ago.

Does RCA make good headphones? The guy in the store tried to get me to buy some RCA ones. He also said that Sharp was good.

My budget is 150 or less, though I could spend more I guess.
Would the grado sr60, or sr80 be good for me?
Also do I have to have a miniamp? My uncle had one but is that really necessary?
Are headphones really as good as Surround sound stereo systems? Are ones with wood still made? Are they any good?

Thank you for any suggestions or help.

Sorry if these are stupid questions.

Bob.

 

[rmx]

Hi Bob

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/rs1.htm

Welcome to Head-fi...

 

[stewtheking]

Chances are it was a grado. The higher end grado headphones such as the RS1 do still feature wood. Many people on here will happily reccomend you Grado headphones, such as the SR60/80. I myself own a pair of SR60's and will be purchasing from higher up the range as soon as budget allows.

Quote:
Are headphones really as good as Surround sound stereo systems?

/\ /\ /\ now THAT's a can of worms!

Stew

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat My budget is 150 or less, though I could spend more I guess. Would the grado sr60, or sr80 be good for me? Also do I have to have a miniamp? My uncle had one but is that really necessary? Are headphones really as good as Surround sound stereo systems? Are ones with wood still made? Are they any good?

These may be the later version of what your uncle had

I'm a big Sennheiser fan, so I would consider the HD590; however, I am not sure what your sources will be, so please let us know.

 

[morphie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat Are headphones really as good as Surround sound stereo systems? Are ones with wood still made? Are they any good?

Welcome to Head-Fi Bob, sorry about your wallet, and yes most higher end headphones will blow you away if you think stereo surround sound systems are great.

 

[bobthegoat]

ya those look like them but I don't think they were called RS...


Quote:

I'm a big Sennheiser fan, so I would consider the HD590; however, I am not sure what your sources will be, so please let us know.

What I don't get is why there are so many different models...

What do you mean by sources?

And what am I getting for all the extra money for higher models? Like why is the grado 325 worth so much more money then the sr60?

If I increase my budget by a extra $100 or $200 would it really be worth it? Will I get that much better of a experience?

Thanks

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat ya those look like them but I don't think they were called RS... What I don't get is why there are so many different models... What do you mean by sources? And what am I getting for all the extra money for higher models? Like why is the grado 325 worth so much more money then the sr60? If I increase my budget by a extra $100 or $200 would it really be worth it? Will I get that much better of a experience? Thanks

Headphone companies make different models to suit all needs. Some people thrive for better and better quality, when in fact a normal person could not hear the difference between a $1000 headphone and a $2000 headphone.

A rule is that once you get to the higher hi-fi, the improvements will be smaller and smaller with the price increase. The biggest step up is probably from basic $10-30 to $100, after that it gets smaller and smaller.

You need to find your optimal solution.

Sources are where you connect your headphones, i.e. computer sound card, ipod, portable cd player? etc.

If you will be using a mp3 player with low-biterate mp3's (128 or below) you will not be needing a headphone of the higher range because they will show you the faults in the low-biterate encoding.

Also, what type of sound are you looking for?

Sennheisers (a different brand than the Grados) tend to have a more neutral sound. Grados tend the be referred to as being the "rock headphones", they have a more agressive sound, which some would concider colorised (as it probably is).

 

[bobthegoat]

Sources: My headphones are going to be connected to my Computer mainly, creative audigy 2 card. I also play the panio and will sometimes hook them up to my digital grand to listen while I play.

I use mainly OGG and 192 mp3 audio files along with some losless wavs from time to time.

Quote:

Also, what type of sound are you looking for?

uhm Good? What do you mean by type of sound?


Thanks,

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat Sources: My headphones are going to be connected to my Computer mainly, creative audigy 2 card. I also play the panio and will sometimes hook them up to my digital grand to listen while I play. I use mainly OGG and 192 mp3 audio files along with some losless wavs from time to time. uhm Good? What do you mean by type of sound? Thanks,

Accurate i.e. neutral, or coloured?

Depends on the type of music you will be listening to.

Quote:

Sennheisers (a different brand than the Grados) tend to have a more neutral sound. Grados tend the be referred to as being the "rock headphones", they have a more agressive sound, which some would concider colorised (as it probably is).

 

[robzy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat What do you mean by type of sound?

The same question i asked when i first came here

Spend a couple of days here reading through some of the threads and eventually you will get a feel for what us crazy people are on about.

Rob.

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat Does RCA make good headphones? The guy in the store tried to get me to buy some RCA ones. He also said that Sharp was good.

RCA is currently a brand name owned by Thomson, a French electronics company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA). I wouldn't consider RCA and Sharp headphones to be good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat My budget is 150 or less, though I could spend more I guess. Would the grado sr60, or sr80 be good for me?

It depends partly on what you are used to and expect from the headphones. The Grado SR60 and SR80 sound good, but there are others that are better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat Also do I have to have a miniamp? My uncle had one but is that really necessary?

A headphone amp is not absolutely necessary, but a good one will improve sound quality significantly. Some headphones, including the expensive ones, do not sound their best unless paired with a good source and amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobthegoat Are headphones really as good as Surround sound stereo systems? Are ones with wood still made? Are they any good?

Headphones provide a different listening experience than a speaker system. A surround sound speaker system would probably be better than headphones for watching movies, but not necessarily for listening to music.

Headphones made with wood are still being manufactured. Examples include the Grado RS1 and RS2 as well as the Audio-Technica W1000 and EW9.
They are generally considered to be higher-end headphones and should sound very good.