[opiumden34]

The title petty much asks my question. Open vs. closed is not that big of a deal, since I'm not sure which i prefer. I have some sennheiser hd570, which is to be avoided, or so I read somewhere. I tried dt770 80 ohm, and I cannot stand the recessed mids. Wimpy guitars and vocals. I just need an awesome all around can. I have not heard grados, but they look uncomfortable to me. Any other ideas? I'd say $200 is my budget.

 

[BrookR1]

Once you work the bowl pads a little, the Grados are pretty comfortable. If you still don't like the feel of them, you can swap them out with HD414 pads, flat pads, or comfy pads. You can also reverse the bowls and that makes them a little more comfortable.

 

[minimus]

Go for some used HD600s, HD650s, or K701s. With a good amp, these sound terrific. If you are really after the best mid-range, I think you would like the K701s better, but I think the HD6*0s are a better all around can.

 

[opiumden34]

I'd like to stay away from an amp. Perhaps in the far, far future I'll look into it to improve what I get now. The HD600 is 300 ohm? I dont think that will sound too good out of my soundcard or reciever. How different do you think a HD 595 will be compared to my hd 670?

 

[mwallace573]

Full Sized, unamped, and non-recessed mids? That sounds like the HD595 to me. In fact, the midrange is probably the HD595s best trait. They are also the most comfortable headphone I've worn to date, and can easily be had for less than $200.

 

[skudmunky]

K240 Studio, or K501 if you don't care about recessed bass. K501 isn't the best unamped, but the k240studio works fine unamped.

 

[cherepashka]

hd 555 as well

 

[opiumden34]

I've heard that they are not alllll that different from the 555, so it seems a bit expensive for what they are. Might as well spend a bit more and get a lot more quality. The k701 is around 250 on ebay. 60 ohm for those? I don't know much about akg cans to be honest.

 

[MusicallySilent]

AKGs may have a low impedance but they are a thirsty headphone for an amp... from what I have heard the k701 are one of the very amp demanding headphones with low impedance

 

[opiumden34]

What grado model is comparable in price to hd 595 ($150)? What about hd600 unamped? There is a shop near me that sells grados; I'll check them out in the coming week.

 

[kramer5150]

SR225 with TTVJ flats... Glorious grado mids up the wazoo

K501 if you don't mind bass recession.
K240s + amp with a govibe or cmoy, warm smooth mids and nicely bloated bass too.

Stay away from the HD580. IMHO its mids are muddy, recessed and do not reveal a lot of detail unless you amp/source em' to the moon and back.

 

[Redo]

SR225
HD595


Either or, take your pick. I avoided Grado's plenty at first due to the comfort concerns, but I should have just gone straight to the 225's to boot. Amazing sound. HD595's impress me too, VERY comfortable, enjoyable to listen to for just about any purpose.

Both are excellent without an amp, and both scale nicely with amps and source upgrades.

 

[Mr00000]

Throwing in another vote for the HD-595s. Sound great unamped and are incredibly comfortable (wearing them now).

I'm only amping mine to see what more loveliness I can bring out of them.

 

[opiumden34]

Thank you all for your advice! I'll go see if the local audio shop near me has some 225's. Grado's do look like they have an older design. Does anyone know how long that they have been around?

 

[qazwsx]

I know your price range is $200 but I'm going to add you should look into some Senn eH350's for only 60 bucks on Newegg. Very good, true presented midrange. The only issue is their rather laid back bass.

Grado SR225's have a fairly good midrange though I'd say they're probably the Grado with the least of Grado mids.

And I'd say avoid the AKG K240S especially unamped--while its midrange is decent it's very recessed and pushed back due to the cold bass response it brings.