[lojay]

I'm going back to school soon and I wanna waste some money!

Unfortunately, god has decided to go against my resolute will to buy my dream headphone. I figured out that no one sells SA5000's here, I missed out a local HD650 2nd hand deal and that I'd need to audition their coloration before leaping in a purchase of RS-1s

Since I don't have any time to shop around anymore, I'm back to base one.

But I will not deter!

Enter the realm of cheap-but-good headphones! I still need some cans that are full sized. I'm thinking of buying a SR60, HD497 or whatever heck's out there for not a lotta money.

So, the question is, am I going to enjoy music in these cans, esp the SR60, or are they going to sound unbearable compared to the e3c I'm using everyday?

Also, in what ways, or how much would they lack in comparison?

 

[kin0kin]

wanna get the gist of the 650? grab a pair of px100 @ $40+. the sound signature is closely parallel the 650

 

[jesse_w]

Thats not really fair, since the difference between the 650s and the px100s is utterly massive, possibly bigger than it should be given diminishing returns.

You will probably find the SR60 sounds almost as good as or better than your E3, unless you can't stand brightness--it is fairly bright and the E3s are very dark.

jesse

 

[lojay]

I heard both the 650 and px100, whoa, do they differ.
Anyways, I'm trying to gather opinions on this. I wonder if some fans of AKG or Koss or Sennheiser will come here to do some Grado bashing....

 

[kin0kin]

i'll reassess my opinion between those two when my px100 arrives...probably tomorrow or maybe on next monday. I havent heard them side-by-side though, but my memory says that they do have the same sound signature...i never said same sound quality

 

[warpdriver]

SR60's <------------------------------------------------------------> E3C

See the gap between them? that's how different they are. If you haven't heard the SR60's before, you will find them night and day different. You really have to listen to them, you can read reviews until you are blue, but you'll never know if you like them (and we can't possibly predict that for you). The non-reference Grado's have fast, tight, punchy bass, not much depth in the bass notes, and etchy, bright highs with a liquid midrange.

PX-100's are bassy, with a good hump in the midbass, with a sluddy muddy lower midrange, reasonably detailed but slightly veiled. if you are used to the E3C's relatively tight and cut off bass, the PX-100's are sound positively warm and hefty in the midbass. All in all a good headphone if you need a compact folding type.

HD497's are like PX100's, with better control in the bass and highs, and more refined details. The highs are kind of dry and grainy sounding, but not bad overall.

Honestly, I haven't heard any full sized cans of any worth that sound spectrally similar to the E3C. Most sized cans offer more bass, and more treble. You really have to try a few to see which direction you want to go. I think you'll most likely find some satisfaction in 497's

 

[lojay]

Actually I was foolish to forget to mention I had owned the 497 for a year until it got stolen, so I know how it sounds like. However, I have totally forgotten about how it compares to my shures.

I also had the Grado 225's here for a month, and they were great... I found them much better than my 497's.

I guess my question isn't to find a can that sounds like a e3c, hell I'd hate that to happen. I want to know what I'm going to lose and what I'm going to gain from this "downgrade", and that's usful enough because I am familiar with my preference for the house-flavor or coloration of each headphone company. (and that is to say I actually have no preference, senns or grados, if its just gonna cost me $50)

Let's say in terms of detail and instrumental separation, all IEMs go in great lengths and beat most full sized cans at the price range. How much detail and instrumental separation (not soundstage) will I lose in exchange for say musicality in the SR60's? Which of these cans in this price range will sacrifice least detail?