[headfonuswannabe]

This is the first post for me - so hello everyone

Well - here is my problem- Spent a lot of hours ( days actually) reading all this info. Just wanted to say thanks for all the input. Just got my new set of Grados SR-60's . I love them but wish they had more bass.. I can't send them back, so onward.
I need more bass on my portables- will the grado sr-80's provide or do I switch to the Sennheiser HD-497. Do I need an amp with these units? Is there something way better out there that I'm missing?
Is $400 enough money- I just want semi- portable -awsome bass jam down the road sound- any suggestions would be awsome-
Only place any where near me had the Senn Hd-280pros as there top cans - nice - but I have to relly on everybody else for direction at the moment- thanks for any input and I'll keep reading

 

[Steve999]

I don't know how the SR80s do for bass on a portable, but the HD497s give you great punchy bass on portables and it will give you a whole new sound. You may learn to love your SR60s in the long term.

 

[LobsterSan]

$400 is plenty of money. More than plenty, actually, especially for a portable rig. The grado series has fairly low impedance, so you'll be able to use them straight from a portable unit without too much of a problem.

If you need more bass, you may want to consider the beyer dt770. It is said to have some of the most slammin'-est bass around. It is also a closed model, so you won't be disturbing people around you (and they likewise will not be disturbed by you... unless you're bopping your head really violently to the music or something like that). If you do go the beyer route, the dt770 costs about $150, and it may be wise to get an amp to get with it. Portable DIY amps can be had for around $100 (supermini from www.fixup.net or a portable meta42 spring to mind). however, the dt770 does not fold up, so I don't know if it will be "portable" enough for you.

Other portable solutions are the koss portapro -- cheap, easy to drive, and have good bass (though i can't compare them to the grado sr-60 since i haven't heard the grados.) the portapro can be found at the koss website, and with a coupon can be had for $31. they provide really good performance for the price.

Another possibility is the sony mdr-v6, not to be confused with the mdr-v600 (which is not too spectacular). the mdr-v6 is also a closed model, it folds up, has pretty good bass, and does not require an amp to sound good. it prices in the ranges of $60-$100.

Just a few possibilities for you to check out or search on.

 

[JGene]

I just bought myself a pair of Sennheiser HD-280s. I got them for about $79 from Amazon.com. The bass is good, but they definately need to be burned in order for them to really shine. I also ordered a V3 Super-Mini from Fixup. Hopefully it'll be here in the next week or so and I'll really be enjoying my tunes

I like the Sennheiser's an awful lot--they are very detailed and the clarity of the music is amazing. However judging from what I've read from others, they aren't nearly as good as the HD-580s or the HD-600s. If you have $400 to burn, I'd probably reccomend you get a pair of HD-600s and a portable Meta-42 or Super-Mini V3.

 

[headfonuswannabe]

Originally posted by JGene
I I should also add some other info to my original post...
I do own a pair of optimus pro45's which I seen many people claim were the same as koss portapro's. I think that (mine at least) there is a internal bass resonance that amplifies bass fequencies and thereby creates a "false bass" impression in my pro45 cans. Just hit the bass boost and "booom booom". My sony's ( cheap mdr-g52's ) has better bass (so so) but no midrange with slightly tweaky highs. I have now been burning in my Grado's for about 18 hours now and they just keep getting better and better. I love the these cans, I A/B with the other two and there is no comparison - I even sing to some songs which is not norrmal for me to do !!!
Here is the what I "determined" so far - someone that did a complete analysis of the Grado line said that there was something missing in the music- is it the bass? If you go to the 80's or the 125's or the 225's with the 20% larger drivers - do you get the missing bass? And what about the impression I get when you get a semi-heavy rock and roll song on these with a lot of things going on in the music and it's like everything merges together into a "blob of sound" - is it the grado's 60's, my source or a combo of both ( read this in a couple of posts about the 225's also)? How about the MS1's - are they like the Grado 125's and do they have a different bass sound? And the Sennheiser 497's, are they completely different soundstage - Headroom compares them to the sr-60's with better base ( wish I could hear them -I would know in a minute - oh well). Also some new head phones with surround sound technology - drivers placed in such a way as to reflect the various frequencies into different channels of the ear lobe creating a "3d" effect - any input on that????


I really do love these headphone's -most music is beautiful on these things - Just wish they had more bass is all. Wish I could hear whether the bass comes in as you go up the line- and what kind of bass is it- boom or natural sweetness or a background wannabe ( refering to another post about someone who had sent back all his grado's back because he found "something Missing" in all of them) ? Wish I had a place to go and try out the line but no such luck....
BTW thanks for suggetions - the Sennheisers HD-600 wouldn't make it on my mountain bike adventure through the woods- but it might be a very near future home experience - thanks and I'll keep reading

 

[headfonuswannabe]

oh-btw
I also read where the "comfy pads" makes the bass muddy and the kills the treble- so I cut a nickle size hole out of the middle of them and - waaallllaaa - much better. Something to think about anyhoo - learning more and more by the hour - Great place to be

thanks everyone

 

[wallijonn]

why not be adventurous and order audio technica ath-f55's? just kidding. they look like sony mdr-d66sl EGGOS.

wannabe, read LobsterSan's note: Koss Porta Pros $31 !!! tell me where else you going to find a deal like that? that's less than the price of 2 cd's or 2 dvd's!