[sharkz]

Just wondering from people who have experience. I have a nearly 30 year old pair of Sennheiser HD-424's. I play them on my laptop or Zen Vision M and have some problems with volume not loud enough, it's not terrible but sometimes it is worse than others. I think they sound pretty good for 30 year old phones. My problem is I have been considering a pair of SR-60's because I have heard so many good things about them, especially for rock music which is what I mostly listen too. My question is this, is the sound quality of the Grado's really that much better. Is it going to be like night and day listening to these two pairs of headphones? I know the Grado's will likely be much better from these two sources unamped, but I just want to make sure that the quality will be a lot better. I basically want to make sure that I will be satisfied and that the $60 I will spend will be justified. Any help is appreciated.

 

[sharkz]

Anyone have any opinions here to help me out? I know they are different phones, but right now I am torn between the SR-60's AKG K26p's, Sennheiser HD 497's, and Beyerdynamic DT231's. I want a balence of great sound, less than $70, and comfort. Any opinions are appreciated.

 

[sonic_rage]

SR60 is your best bet in terms of sound quality.
DT231 sound pretty good too with proper amping and probably the most comfortable out of your list of phones.

 

[sharkz]

How do the DT231's sound unamed though, as I don't really plan on purchasing an amp in the near future? Is the Grado quality really that much better than the Beyer's too? Am I really going to notice a ton of difference between them?

 

[Manny Calavera]

Wil you be using them indoors or out ?

 

[sharkz]

They'll be used indoors and unamped. Will be powered mostly by my Zen Vision M and laptop. Again, listen to mostly rock, but want something that is comfortable and sounds good. I just want to be sure I am making a fairly big step up from the old Sennheisers I am using now before I pull the trigger and get something.

 

[goldenratiophi]

indoors + unamped + rock = Grado

Grados are sometimes criticized for their comfort, but because of the SR60's stock "comfy" pads, they are actually quite comfortable if you adjust the headband. I can wear mine for hours on end. I say go for it.

 

[wovenhand]

Whatever you do, avoid the K26P's at all cost. It's crazy how awful they sound. Megabloated bass, no highs what so ever and just overall incredibly muddy. Yuk!

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkz /img/forum/go_quote.gif They'll be used indoors and unamped. Will be powered mostly by my Zen Vision M and laptop. Again, listen to mostly rock, but want something that is comfortable and sounds good. I just want to be sure I am making a fairly big step up from the old Sennheisers I am using now before I pull the trigger and get something.

I understand you wish to keep your costs below $70, but I notice you have KSC75s.

If you are happy with the sound of the KSC75 and would like to improve upon that particular sound, then perhaps you may want to take just a little peek at the $99 MS-1.

 

[facelvega]

Properly amped, your vintage HD424 should easily be able to take on a mere SR-60. The problem is that if you have the common 2,000 ohm version, properly amped can even mean running them straight from your speaker outs. The SR-60, though probably the inferior headphone in absolute terms, is far easier to use from a normal modern headphone out and will sound better from the sources you mention.

 

[epaludo]

Never heard the HD424's. I heard a high end Senn, but not properly amped. I do listened to the HD 202 properly though. I know it isn't in the same category as the SR-60, but regarding the sound signature between the Grado and the Sennheiser, i prefer by far the Grados ...

 

[sharkz]

See this is exactly what I was afraid of. Buying something that sounds marginally better. I feel bad spending the money to get something that is nearly identical. That is one reason why I was leaning toward the DT231's. They offer a bit of closedness and supposedly good sound and are significantly different than the Sennheisers. My problem is how they will sound unamped from a ZVM. Would anyone who owns these know?

 

[sharkz]

I gave my KSC-75's a listen against my Sennheisers listening to some Flac files using my laptop. The KSC-75's sound a lot brighter and more detailed. I guess the sound of the Sennheisers can be described as a bit muddier. I guess this seals it that I need something to replace the Senns. The Senns volume is also quite love when using my ZVM. I am pretty much decided the SR-60's but am looking into the Equation Audio RP-21's and RP-15MC's. I am wondering how these compare to the SR-60, especially because the RP-15's are more portable and cheaper. They seem to be recieving glowing reviews from nearly everyone. Anyone know anything about how they sound compared to the Grados?

 

[AudioCats]

If your source can handle 100 ohm loads, you might want to take a look at the MB Quart qp55x, they are full size (Beyer size) phones with Beyer style pads, and they are supposed to sound better than the SR-60 even when un-amped. The QP55x are on clearence for $42 shipped, not bad at all for a set of full size phones with the Beyer comfort

.
I am not impressed by my iGrado which, supposedly, have the exact same drivers as the SR-60.......

 

[donunus]

you wont be dissapointed by the sr60s, they are great even coming from senn 595s