[onihunter]

Hello,
 
I'm looking to buy some sub-$100 open headphones for use in my room, since leakage isn't an issue. I listen to mostly mainstream pop/r&b music with some alternative and currently own Brainwavz M2/R03, which I like quite a lot.
 
I've narrowed my options down to Alessandro MS-1, AD700, and HD555. Also, an amp won't be available, which should be taken into account. Thanks in advance for advice =]

 

[WyldRage]

I love the MS-1, you don't need an amp but it does responds quite well to them (when upgraditis strikes). I don't listen to these genres however, so I don't know how well they match up.

 

[onihunter]

Thanks for the input, any more opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

[midnightwalker]

If you like the dark sound, HD555 will be the best in these 3

 

[Sunho]

the ms-1's were the entry level cans i started with. they offer decent sound stage imo, and have some nice mids. if you are looking for something more bassy though, in my opinion the bass is clear, but not as powerful. 
 
also, just from my experience, my ears were not comfortable with the stock pads, but you can easily swap em for other pads like the reverse hd414 mod. also i had to put some padding on the headband, my head is a little lumpy, and the stock band would make my head hurt.
 
for something in the pop/r&b genre you might want to look at m50's. i've listened to my roommates a couple times and they are surprisingly amazing for the price point.

 

[blackzarg]

For your choice in music, I would probably go for the MS-1. The HD555 works better with an amp, and I don't think you'd enjoy the AD700 since they are light in the bass quantity arena. Grados are not the best in comfort though, so, yeah, you'll probably want to mod the earpads somewhat to be better.
 
For closed cans, the M50 is a great set in its price range (can be found ~$85 used in the FS forums).

 

[onihunter]

Thanks for the replies. Since sound leakage isn't a problem, would you still say that the M50 would fit my needs better than the MS-1?

 

[onihunter]

Bump

 

[deadspider187]

I wish I had a SR-60 to compare, but honestly, the ms-1 rocks. It can also scale quite a bit with the ms-1000 mod, DAC, an amp, etc. Although I myself have been tempted to pick up a k701 for my next upgrade, I have not been disappointed with them one bit.

 

[onihunter]

All right, I've narrowed my choices down to MS1 and M50. Has anyone had both?

 

[daigo]

Quote:

All right, I've narrowed my choices down to MS1 and M50. Has anyone had both?

The M50 is a closed headphone though.  Did you change your mind about desiring an open one?

 

[greenboarder89]

Quote:

All right, I've narrowed my choices down to MS1 and M50. Has anyone had both?

I was trying to decide between these two, decided to go with the m50. check out the thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508510/trying-to-decide-between-alessandro-ms-1i-and-the-ath-m50s

 

[onihunter]

Yes, closed is also an option now.

 

[chassall]

Quote:

I wish I had a SR-60 to compare, but honestly, the ms-1 rocks. It can also scale quite a bit with the ms-1000 mod, DAC, an amp, etc. Although I myself have been tempted to pick up a k701 for my next upgrade, I have not been disappointed with them one bit.

I've had the SR-60s for 6 years now. They scaled up nicely with both better DACs and amps. Lots of foam options as well. Even after moving on to other (pricier) cans, I still come back to them. I imagine the MS-1s would give a similar experience.

 

[biomedengineer]

If you were just buying 1 to stick to for a little while for now (6months or more), I'll say go for the M50 or the AD700 for a slightly more neutral sound.  I don't have any Grados (although that would be my next buy) but I would prefer to have a reference-type headphone (ie M50, AD700) that can serve as a baseline to compare unique sounding phones to later on.   
 
If selecting between the two: 
M50 - if you want heavier bass, want to isolate noise from outside in and from inside out, and might want to wear in public
AD700 - if feeling bass is not important and want soundstage, want to forget you're physically wearing a headphone, and don't mind its garish pinkish-purple look.
 
I like both a lot and use whichever fits my mood at the time.