Grado Sound, Circum-Aural comfort? Help me find a new pair of cans...
Mar 30, 2006 at 7:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9
santiu

santiu

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I'm in the search for a new pair of headphones that are just right.

So far I've tried the Koss Porta-Pro, Senn HD 485 and Grado SR60s.
I actually didn't mind the Koss sound, but they were so flimsy that they were just unusable for me (I have a big head of curly hair that literally ate the Koss cans). Because of that I really didn't try listening to them much.

I loved the Grado sound. I had to EQ the bass up a little to get the bass I wanted, but other than that I really liked their sound. However, i learned that my ears can't handle super-aural headphones. After about 2 hours of use my ears would start to hurt from the pads. Which is a shame because I really liked these headphones.

The Senn HD485 sounded a little "muddy" to me. Not sure how to describe it, but it's like I'm listening to music playing in another room. They also seem to be very sensitive to positioning. I really need to get them as far forward as possible to get them to sound the best. On the other hand, the bass was more than enough with no EQ. And it was the most comfortable for me. These are growing on me the more i listen to them, but I still want to look for alternatives.

So, given that, I'm still looking for "the one" for me. I'd really like a pair of headphones that had the mid and highs of the SR60's, and the bass of the HD485's in a circum-aural package. I'm not totally decided on ditching the HD485's, but I'd like to see what else it out there. Any suggestions? I'd like to keep the price under ~$150. I'm open to either open or sealed, but I definitely want something circum-aural. And I run them off a CMOY amp, so I can't get any headphones that need more power than the CMOY.

I'm looking at the AKG K501's, but I fear that they won't have as much bass as I'd like. How are the Senn HD555's?

thanks in advance for any suggestions
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Mar 30, 2006 at 8:25 PM Post #3 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by skudmunky
Buy Headphile C-pads for your Grado. Beyerdynamic comfort, grado sound!
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Second the C-Pad recommendation.
but they start at 99, so that might not be the most efficient solution: give the 555 a try. or get comfy pads for the SR60 (which is what i have right now).
 
Mar 30, 2006 at 10:06 PM Post #5 of 9
yeah, $100 for pads is a little stiff for me.

man, the K501's look really appealing. Unfortunately, while I think I'd love them on jazz and acoustic music, i don't think I'd like them on my other favorite type of music (live jam band stuff) where I really like to feel that punchy low end.

How do the HD555's compare to the HD580's? is the ~$30 jump to the 580's worth it? Although, to be honest I'm afraid that other Sennheisers might have the same "muffled/muddy" characteristic that my 485s have which I'm not a fan of. But this is just first impression syndrome (I've never heard any other sennheisers).
 
Mar 30, 2006 at 10:10 PM Post #6 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by skudmunky
If you want bass, as an alternative to the K501, get the K240 Studio. Plenty of bass there.


I'm a bit weary of the K240. I also happen to be a recording musician, and several of my colleagues have had the 240's and love them. But inevitably (and I mean every single one that I know of) one of the channels craps out
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