[s.a.b.]

I mainly listen thru speakers and recently got a Benchmark DAC 1.

I listen to all kinds of music, but with headphones it's more likely to be rock (of the Captain Beefheart or Tom Verlaine variety) or folk/rock.

Any thoughts on which of the above headphones (or others in the $300 range) would be better for use with the Benchmark?

 

[warpdriver]

The 880 is a better headphone than the 225 or 325 IMHO

People always say the 225 is a good rock headphone, but I found the 880 to outdo the 225 for every rock song I tried. The 880 has deeper bass, and a nice sparkly high end, better soundstage all around. The only thing the Grado has over the 880 is the "speed" of the bass, which I found to be too quick in a way that was less realistic with drums.

 

[jdimitri]

225s are MUCH more fun n involving..
880 has more details n sparkle

 

[Asr]

If I were you, I'd get the DT880. It has a nice plushy bass that the SR225 lacks. The mids are bit thinner than the SR225 but instrument separation is nearly as good. Works well for rock-type music too.

 

[kramer5150]

I'd take the Grados.

 

[alex_cs]

the 880 is not a good rock headphone at all. it is detailed and clear, large soundstage, but you are listening from 20 rows back, there is very little impact compared to the sr225.

personally ive found the hd600 is amazing for nearly everything, including rock. now i dont know whether the DAC1 has enough oomph to power the hd600 properly, if not id go the sr225's with c-pads or something comfy over the dt880's. they are excellent for monitoring, some live music, when you want to hear certain details, but they really dont involve you anywhere near as much as the sr225s, moreso the hd600's.

the reason is the dt880's midbass is flat, and as a result it often feels nonexistent compared to other cans. (not compared to darth beyers, everything feels nonexistent compared to those insane cans

)

the sr225's are easy to drive, so id pick those. the dt880's out of all my cans are by far the hardest to drive.

 

[spinali]

I like the warm, involving snap of the 225; it carves up the sound space nicely so that different elements of the music can be heard discretely; that said, it's not tonally exciting for me.

The DT880, which I like quite a bit, may lack the 225's snap, but offers more definition and high-end interest. It's great with classical music; once you get used to its style, you might even find its restraint shows an intruiguing way of dealing with rock.

These two headphones are sometimes used to highlight completely different styles. I didn't care for the 325i's sound, though it's snare drum backbeat is a marvel. I'm not sure if I'd spend my cash until I've heard them first.

 

[silmaauki]

I have both Beyer 880 and Grado 325 (the old silver one). I really like them both even though they are different. And in my opinion Beyer does rock even better than Grado (which is slightly better with some other type of music).

I don't know how Benchmark plays with those cans. It could balance the sound of these cans. Someone else might have some information about these combinations.

 

[lostbobby]

I would choose the 880's too (actually, I've only had 225's for a week, but I've pretty much made up my mind, and i would listen to them if at all possible bef. buying). 880 extracts all the info on your disc, which is very different from punching up the 2khz like the 225s

I would also look into AKG 501/601/701s.

 

[Mercuttio]

I'd go for the 225 simply based on my musical tastes. I think the 325i is kind of strangely bright and not as well balanced.

 

[augustwest]

I'd recommend the dt880 as the first choice, with the 325i as the second choice, and I'd forget the 225's all together.


Also, you might consider the MS2i.

- augustwest

 

[cjc]

I own the Grado 325 (older style) and Beyer DT880 and find them both excellent for rock n' roll music. They are different from each other in many ways, but BOTH cans ROCK!

 

[s.a.b.]

Thanks for all the input (so far).

What's interesting is that from what's been described the Beyer DT880 seems to have a very similar sonic presentation to my main speakers, Harbeth C7s.
(In my small listening room, I sit so near field that it's a bit like listening thru headphones.)

The Grados seem a bit more like my old speakers which I still own and like- Spica TC-50s.

 

[AsuAmo76]

Like some folks before in this thread, I used to owe both 325 and 880 at the same time.

DT880 - very neutral and detailed; sr-325 - very forward and often bright. Let's say you have solo instrument (or singer) and orchestra on background. sr-325 will play this solo directly to your ears, which I believe is referred as "being on the stage" effect. This can be amazing and very envolving, but orchestra will sound distant and muted. Senns hd-600 will do exact opposite - orchestra will prevail and you can find them boring and veiled.
dt-880 will sound balanced, neutral, detailed. Their bass is tight and controlled, but not really rich and impactful. sr-325 highs can cause fatigue on bad quality or bright recordings.


If I were you, I would go for k701 or ms-2i (never listened to any of them

).