[Geco_Bat]

When I first listened to Senns I was hooked then after learning about Grados and listening to them beside comparable Senns, I was again "hooked". Now my friend that got me to check out the Grados lends me his HD600's and asks me to give him my honest opinion! Well I've been listening to the 600s for that last 3 nights and I do like them alot but not enough to part with my SR80's (they're not even burned in yet). Now I want to find a comparable pair of Grados so that it's a fair comparison. Unfortunately in my area, there are only 2 Grado retailers. Senn retailers are a dime a dozen here. Not to highjack the thread but out of curiousity, which Grado model would be comparable to the 600?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geco_Bat When I first listened to Senns I was hooked then after learning about Grados and listening to them beside comparable Senns, I was again "hooked". Now my friend that got me to check out the Grados lends me his HD600's and asks me to give him my honest opinion! Well I've been listening to the 600s for that last 3 nights and I do like them alot but not enough to part with my SR80's (they're not even burned in yet). Now I want to find a comparable pair of Grados so that it's a fair comparison. Unfortunately in my area, there are only 2 Grado retailers. Senn retailers are a dime a dozen here. Not to highjack the thread but out of curiousity, which Grado model would be comparable to the 600?

By price? SR-225 or SR-325i.

By place in lineup? RS-2.

 

[iSleipnir]

If your in the US Grados are accesable and there's a good pair at every price range. If your a part of headfi Grado is one of the most talked about headphone brands. If you don't start with Senns, my bet is that you'll hit Grado's next. I went Sony (v6) Beyer, AKG, Ety

 

[boodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geco_Bat which Grado model would be comparable to the 600?

imo is the 325i that can start comparing to hd600 if hi fi sound is the concern .
225 are close but not enough really ..rs-1 is yet the top flavour and , even if inferior to hd600 for image soundstage precision and for scaling ability on different gears ( many things , man! ) , and else , the rewards it offers place it easily over hd600 if we're talking fun and music joy factors .

I feel that , bar hp-1000 , comparing Grado to Sennheiser is like comparing oranges and apples ..
they've very different qualities ..

 

[kdaq]

Ya know it's funny. There's so much talk about boring Sennheiser sound, and fatiguing in-your-face Grado sound, and yet I say both easily have the potential to satisfy either camp (at least, sometimes).

I'm grooving on a happy medium of a HD600 and a MS-2i/flats. This Grado isn't fatiguing, it's smooth and silky, once I swap pads. As for the Senns, give 'em a capable amp and they're almost as involving as the Grados, just via a different style of presentation.

 

[nmculbreth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnewport It seems common for people to own highend models of both Grado's and Senn's.

Sennheiser and Grado are nearly polar opposites when it comes to their house sounds so it makes sense that when people are looking for a headphone to compliment what they already have that they'd look for something with a completely different sound.

 

[socrates63]

Summary of my movement:
Grado (SR60) > Senn (HD595) > Grado (SR225) > Senn (HD650, HD600)

I started with Grado (SR60) because a gaming site I used to frequent (ign.com), before I knew of Head-Fi, had a gear section and the SR60 was highly recommended. I gave a call to Headroom and bought one.

After joining Head-Fi, I bought HD595 but it didn't wow me, so I looked around. At the time, SR225 lovefest was pretty strong and it was touted as the sweetspot in the Grado line-up so I went for it. But after a couple of weeks, I returned them to Todd and went back to the HD595 and began appreciating the sweet smooth sound that is Sennheiser.

The biggest thing for me is the comfort issue. I like my SR60 as they provide a change of pace and I am thinking of getting higher end Grados eventually.

 

[fureshi]

it's not necessarily one or the other. i know a lot of us here own both senns and grados. just depends on how you're feeling that determines which set of cans that you listen to. i started off with the hd580 and then sr80 -> sr225 -> hd600 -> ms2 back to hd580 and now rs1. i still miss my hd580 though.

 

[allenf]

Had HD650, bought SR80 for kicks & intro to Grado sound, found I was spending more time with the Grados, ordered HF-1 (#281 stolen before delivery), bought MS2i - knockout - and sold the HD650.
I have a limited amount of time available to use full-size open phones and I saw no reason to keep the Senns (superb as they are)...tho' I may buy another pair at a future date.

 

[bjackson]

I went from 325is to 650s and I don't regret it for a minute. My 325is hurt my ears, like the highs were piercing and hurt, and the headphones wern't comfortable to wear.

I haven't heard them in awhile so I can't comment beyond that, but I also didn't like their 32 ohm impedance. Waaay too particular about their amp. They say 650s are hard to amp, but I think they are increadibly easy to sound good through an amp, but that'ts just an IMO.

 

[deaconblues]

I used to be a Grado guy. Just look at my sig

. At one point, I had both the HF-1 and MS-2. I found myself reaching for the HF-1 more, but the 2 cans did have similar sound signatures. I decided that I'd start looking for another sound. Then that fateful day came. I looked in the FS/FT forums and saw a post from someone who was interested in trading his HD600 for... anything different

. I contacted him, and soon we mailed our cans to each other. Thus, did my journey to the dark side begin

edit: man, my avatar doesn't really say much about my fondness for the dark side, huh?

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjackson I went from 325is to 650s and I don't regret it for a minute. My 325is hurt my ears, like the highs were piercing and hurt, and the headphones wern't comfortable to wear. I haven't heard them in awhile so I can't comment beyond that, but I also didn't like their 32 ohm impedance. Waaay too particular about their amp. They say 650s are hard to amp, but I think they are increadibly easy to sound good through an amp, but that'ts just an IMO.

Electrical engineering principles agree with your opinion. Higher impedance is "easier to drive," lower impedance is "harder to drive" in terms of audio fidelity. That's why powered monitors have such high impedance; it does nothing to mangle the waveform with current deficiencies. Of course, with a transducer, you've got to have adequate voltage to excurse the transducer or you'll end up with clipping, but once you've got adequate voltage and current the results stop being as objectively different.

 

[Miller-8]

Well you can see from my signature which way I'm going, however it's not a complete change around as I still like the Senns, I just want to try the Grado sound. I am slightly worried that they will hurt my ears, as my ears do seem to be a bit sensitive to peircing treble, but if that happens I will sell them on. I like rock and metal so it'll be interesting to hear the Alessandro delivery of this music.

 

[xaipemw]

I started out on SR60's, then made a large plunge into HD650's. And now, I find myself listening to my new RS-1 more often than the Senn. But I still listen to my 650's for large-scale classical and for movies. Different strokes, as it were.

 

[wakeride74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xaipemw I started out on SR60's, then made a large plunge into HD650's. And now, I find myself listening to my new RS-1 more often than the Senn. But I still listen to my 650's for large-scale classical and for movies. Different strokes, as it were.

The HD650 rules the roost for classical and movie scores but Grado owns the other genres IMO and has a greater "fun" factor (depending on the Grado).

I would prefer to have both but the cost of the PS-1 = sold HD650/Zu and I have not had the itch to spend the coin to replace them yet.