[scootsit]

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I love the 325, and would point you in that direction, yes it can be a little bright, but it is also extremely detailed. Confused yet? For classical, many love the AKG K701, the soundstage is supposed to be just massive so you can pick out each individual instrument. I suppose that means you have yet another thread to check out, but you really should look into the K701/K702/Q701 (all more or less the same headphone).

I'm trying to stick with a 200$ budget and I've heard about those K701 and they seem to be the perfect headphones for me but it really go far over my budget. The pair i am going to buy will be my first ever audiophile equipment and i never even heard real quality too. Maybe if i really like my first pair ill go towards higher end like the k701.
 
Sorry for my english 

Have you seen the K601? $199: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Open-Back-Studio-Headphones-K601/dp/B000NDJRSU
 
And by all accounts only very slightly behind the K701
 
Also, you might look for used pairs (unless used headphones bother you) on head-fi, in the for sale section. The used price of the K701 tends to be well under $200.

 

[Ren19]

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Have you seen the K601? $199: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Open-Back-Studio-Headphones-K601/dp/B000NDJRSU
 
And by all accounts only very slightly behind the K701
 
Also, you might look for used pairs (unless used headphones bother you) on head-fi, in the for sale section. The used price of the K701 tends to be well under $200.

Very helpful thank you, i'm checking that out right now. I feel close to my final decision.

 

[charliex]

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If these are your first audiophile headphones, you will enjoy the Grados. They are also easier to drive than the K701s. What are you planning to use as your source device for your headphones? 

 
Ditto - also realize that if you decide to go the K701 route, be prepared to spend a fair bit extra ($150 to $200+) on a headphone amp required to drive them.  The Grado line really doesn't need a dedicated amp, they can be easily driven straight off an iPod.

 

[scootsit]

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If these are your first audiophile headphones, you will enjoy the Grados. They are also easier to drive than the K701s. What are you planning to use as your source device for your headphones? 

 
Ditto - also realize that if you decide to go the K701 route, be prepared to spend a fair bit extra ($150 to $200+) on a headphone amp required to drive them.  The Grado line really doesn't need a dedicated amp, they can be easily driven straight off an iPod.

The 601 doesn't need an amp as much as the 701 though, right?

 

[Ren19]

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Ditto - also realize that if you decide to go the K701 route, be prepared to spend a fair bit extra ($150 to $200+) on a headphone amp required to drive them.  The Grado line really doesn't need a dedicated amp, they can be easily driven straight off an iPod.

I've seen amps like the Fiio E11 going for about 50$, Are they gonna be as efficient as a 200$ amp?

 

[scootsit]

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Ditto - also realize that if you decide to go the K701 route, be prepared to spend a fair bit extra ($150 to $200+) on a headphone amp required to drive them.  The Grado line really doesn't need a dedicated amp, they can be easily driven straight off an iPod.

I've seen amps like the Fiio E11 going for about 50$, Are they gonna be as efficient as a 200$ amp?

Efficient is probably the wrong word. In answer to your question, that would probably suffice just fine.
 
They are high enough impedance that you just need a bit of a boost in voltage, so the E11 should be fine. With low impedance cans, they can be driven fine from portable sources, but they are generally not designed to drive low impedance loads. So, while the K701 supposedly improves drastically with amplification, really, so do Grados. The low impedance of Grados means that many sources lack sufficient to drive them properly. All of this, for your first set is rather trivial, but the long and the short of it is that most headphone amps will likely suffice. You may want to check in over at the AKG K601/701 and AKG fan threads, they may have even more/specific advice.

 

[stacker45]

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This is my understanding:
HP1/2/3 are the headphone models.
HP1000 is the driver used. The drivers were outsourced, from Asia (Japan or Singapore), if I remember correctly.
HP1 has polarity switches for studio use
HP2 has no polarity switch
HP3 used drivers that were not as well matched and therefore cost less.
The SR100/200/300 were launched as less expensive, consumer, versions and were designed around a new driver that Grado would eventually manufacturer in house.
Some of the early SR100/200/300 received the HP1000 drivers (as did some later SR325) instead of the new, Grado driver. No one knows why.
Most likely they used HP1000 drivers that were not up to standard for the HP1/2/3. I don't see Grado throwing those away
 
SR125/22/5/325 launched in '93 are considered John's first 'phones, even though he was directly involved in making and/or designing the earlier headphones as well.

 
I don't know much about the SR100/200/300,but from what i understand the HP1/2/3 is just a way to differentiate the three HP1000 versions,you are correct when you state that the HP1 has the polarity switch, the HP2 has the same drivers as the HP1s but no polarity switch, and the HP3 drivers were less closely matched as for the rest your guess is as good as mine.

 

[scootsit]

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This is my understanding:
HP1/2/3 are the headphone models.
HP1000 is the driver used. The drivers were outsourced, from Asia (Japan or Singapore), if I remember correctly.
HP1 has polarity switches for studio use
HP2 has no polarity switch
HP3 used drivers that were not as well matched and therefore cost less.
The SR100/200/300 were launched as less expensive, consumer, versions and were designed around a new driver that Grado would eventually manufacturer in house.
Some of the early SR100/200/300 received the HP1000 drivers (as did some later SR325) instead of the new, Grado driver. No one knows why.
Most likely they used HP1000 drivers that were not up to standard for the HP1/2/3. I don't see Grado throwing those away
 
SR125/22/5/325 launched in '93 are considered John's first 'phones, even though he was directly involved in making and/or designing the earlier headphones as well.

 
I don't know much about the SR100/200/300,but from what i understand the HP1/2/3 is just a way to differentiate the three HP1000 versions,you are correct when you state that the HP1 has the polarity switch, the HP2 has the same drivers as the HP1s but no polarity switch, and the HP3 drivers were less closely matched as for the rest your guess is as good as mine.

You guys did a great job clearing it all up for me. I don't think I'm likely to have the funds to purchase an HP1/2/3, but I would sure love to hear a pair sometime.

 

[Mi3zu]

Is there any alternative to SR60/80/Allessandro MS1 in the 100$ price range? Especially for someone from Europe? They can be a bit hard to snatch for a decent price around here.

 

[scootsit]

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Is there any alternative to SR60/80/Allessandro MS1 in the 100$ price range? Especially for someone from Europe? They can be a bit hard to snatch for a decent price around here.

What do you mean by alternative? Other really nice headphones at the ~$100 price point? Yes. The Creative Aurvana Live! is really nice, my girlfriend loves those, they are basically made by Fostex and identical to an older Denon model. There is the AKG K240, a few lower end Sennheisers, the Fostex T50p, which is pretty great if you plan to do lots of mods, it is probably one of the most heavily moded cans around. What else? The Sony V6 is no slouch.
 
All that said, if you really want Grados, you can generally find them reasonably priced on ebay with international shipping. As I understand it, Grado has international sellers, as well.

 

[VisceriousZERO]

New member joining in the Grado fan club recently purchased and currently burning in a Grado RS1i. Love the sound and I agree its a fun set of cans. Love the way it renders Dashboard Confessional.

 

[obobskivich]

The 601 doesn't need an amp as much as the 701 though, right?

Neither really needs anything nutty, they're just somewhat insensitive. The K701 needs about twice as much power/ch as the RS-1 to put it into perspective.

For classical (as broad as that is), I'd put the RS-1 above the K701, but the K701 above the SR-60 and maybe the SR-225.

Is there any alternative to SR60/80/Allessandro MS1 in the 100$ price range? Especially for someone from Europe? They can be a bit hard to snatch for a decent price around here.

I thought the MS1 was universally the same price world-wide, that's at least what people keep telling me. Have you contacted Alessandro about this?

New member joining in the Grado fan club recently purchased and currently burning in a Grado RS1i. Love the sound and I agree its a fun set of cans. Love the way it renders Dashboard Confessional.

Welcome!

 

[obobskivich]

Hey, question for the modders: I've read of the MDR-V6 headband being a drop-in for the Grado setup on cans like the SR-225. Is this correct or not?

 

[stacker45]

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You guys did a great job clearing it all up for me. I don't think I'm likely to have the funds to purchase an HP1/2/3, but I would sure love to hear a pair sometime.

 
i agree that the asking price for the HP1000 are often astronomical, i really lucked out when i bought mine, it was obvious that the peoples selling them (i bought them at an audio store) didn't know how much these usually went for, and  to be honnest, neither did i, at the time i bought them, i had just started to get interested in Grados.
 
I can't remember if i've told this story before, but it's a good one, so here it goes.
 
I had gone to this audio store to buy a cartridge and a felt mat, when i saw the HP1000 in the glass showcase among the new Grados, i was immediiately impressed by their looks and built quality, so i ask the salesman what their story was, and he told me they were selling them as a favor for a good client of theirs, who wasn't using them much anymore
 
While the guy was installing my cartridge, i asked if i could listen to them, so he set me up in a listening room, the CD player was a Rega Apollo, the integreated amp was also a Rega, i forget what the CD was, but it was a ballad by a female signer.When the music started, my jaw dopped, at that time i owned a pair of GS1000s, the HP1000 definately had a more neutral sound, a little less bass extension, but it had a very fast hitting bass, closer and ritcher sounding mids,and a sweeter sounding treble. the GS had a wider soundstage tough.
 
Now i'm tinking to myself that if the price is resonable, i could use HP1000s for studio recorded Jazz, Blues, and female vocals, and keep using my GS1000, for New age, Celtic music, and my many concert DVDs.
 
So, when the guy came back to see if i liked the headphones, i said yes and asked how much his client wanted for them, he said $350, so i told him that if he was willing to throw in new earpads we'd have a deal, he agreed,  i paid and left.When i got home i did a little research on my ''new'' headphones and saw a pair for sale on EBay for $2000, i immediately sent an e-mail to Grado to inquire a little more about them,They responded telling me i was one of the lucky owner of this 1000 pair limited edition.In all the comotion regarding the HP1000s,the day before, i'd forgotten to buy my felt mat, so i went back the next day to get it, and i informed the salesman of my findings on the HP1000, now it was his jaw that dropped.

 

[unspool]

I am so envious.