[dvo352]

Well, I've narrowed down my choices to the two listed headphones.  I was wondering if anyone had any experience with both?  At first, I wanted the Audio Technica ESW9A because it looked pretty and it had pretty good reviews.  Then I came upon the Grado SR225 and since I've owned the SR60 (first headphone, loved it), I thought it would be a good fit for me.  Currently, I am using Sennheiser 580s with an E7 amp.  I love my Sennheisers but they are getting really beat up... I've owned them for almost 5 years.  So, I was hoping someone could shed some light on the difference in sounds of the Grado and the AT headphones before I go and pick one of them up.  I wish I could test them, but, the store wouldn't allow me to.  I'll mostly be using them on my Ipod but sometimes at home on the laptop.  I also listen to mostly classic rock, alternative rock, and rap with a little bit of jazz here and there.  Thanks for the feedback guys!
 
Edit: I'm also open to other suggestions!

 

[swbf2cheater]

the ews9 is a more natural sound, a middle ground sound that isnt too neutral and not too colored, it has high quality bass that is soft and not punchy, the best midrange in a portable set, with very forgiving highs, meaning it is not harsh
 
the grado 225i is heavily colored and lacking bass in quality and quantity, the bass is light but it very punchy, very snappy, the highs are very harsh and the set is very fatiguing and terrible uncomfortable, but the presentation is good for rock.  
 
sound quality in the esw9 is better, its just a more relaxing experience and much more comfortable and portable, it does everything very well,  But the grado is excellent for rock and nothing else.  The soundstage on the grado is a bit larger and more spacious, but the esw9 is no slouch and with proper amping turns into a magnificent experience.
 

 

[keanex]

I can not comment on the ESW9A, but I can compare the Sr225i to the Ad900, if that's helpful to you!
 
I bought the Sr225i from a user here about a week and a half ago because I wanted different headphones to compliment my Ad900, that and I missed the "Grado sound." For 3-4 days I did listening, mostly on Rock music (Zeppelin, Mars Volta, Beatles, and Simon and Garfunkel to name a few) because that's where Grado's are supposed to shine. I hooked the Sr225i to my FiiO E7 with my iPod Classic with a FiiO L3 LOD as my source. I found them to sound rather flat, not flat as in neutral, I mean flat as in boring. They sounded lifeless regardless of the settings. The soundstage was just too narrow, the music felt highly crowded. I then tried my Ad900s with the same settings, volume matched, on the same albums and I was surprised to find the Ad900s were much more engaging than the Sr225i in every way. I tried a few other genres and I can't say I was even remotely happy with the Sr225i, especially for electronic music. The Ad900 simply have a much larger soundstage, this can not be argued. The highs and mids were much smoother, cleaner, and vibrant on the Ad900, and the bass had a better punch to it.
 
It's of my opinion that the Ad900 are a better choice than the Sr225i in every way, especially since they can be bought at the same price.
 
Edit: I see you're mostly buying for portable. In that case I can't recommend the Ad900.

 

[dvo352]

I dont mind big headphones... I currently wear 580s outside... and they are pretty ridiculously large when compared to the Grado SR225... size is not the issue! I'll def check out the AD900.  Thanks for the replies guys, I think I'll rethink my impulse to suddenly buy the Grado SR225. 
 
SWBF - do you think my amp is sufficient for the ESW9 or the AD900?

 

[swbf2cheater]

never used the e7, i just bought mine and its due sometime next week, so ill let you know how it fairs with the esw9 for pure amping, but im 100% sure the usb dac feature is more than sufficient, it can drive up to 300ohms 

 

[dvo352]

Awesome, I think I'm gonna go with the ESW9A... cause its so damn pretty.  And after Keanex said that even with the amp and listening  to rock that his AD900 were better, I'm gonna go with Audio Technica.  BTW, I heard there are lots of fakes for the ESW9A... anyone know if Beach Camera is reliable?  They are an Ebay store I think (or thats where I saw them selling the ESW9A for 200).

 

[keanex]

The E7 definitely powers the Ad900s fine. The reason why I said scratch them though is because they are bigger than you'd imagine, they also would let too much noise in. In-regards to Beach Camera, yes they are a reliable dealer.
 
Make sure to read up on some review threads for the esw9a though so you have an idea of what you're getting involved with as far as how they sound is concerned. One last tidbit, the great thing, imo, about Audio Technica is that their headphones generally don't need an emp, though the higher end ones certainly benefit from it.

 

[dvo352]

From the sounds of the reviews I've read, the ESW9 'sounds' like something I'd enjoy with a more mellow, laid back sound (one reviewer said it was great for Jazz and female vocals, which sounds great for me).  But then I hear the M50's are very comparable and about 100 bucks cheaper, so now I'm confused as to what to get.  The fact that I've only had open-air headphones also makes me wonder exactly what they sound like... I wish I could find a retailer around here willing to let me sit there and test it out for a little bit.

 

[keanex]

If you live near a decently sized city chances are they'll have some sort of higher end audio store. Sadly there are none around me so I had to go by reviews on here. Just read up as much as you can and go with what you think sounds the best form reviews. From what I've heard about the M50, they seem to be pretty decent, most people who get them are happy with them. I haven't heard much about the ESW9A though.

 

[LCfiner]

I have the ESW9s and love their mellow sound for some types of music. I get fatigued by highs very easily and the ESW9s don't fatigue at all. but they have a lot of punch in the midrange and bass. very nice and, if you bend the headband a bit, they're quite comfortable.
 
I don't have the Sr225 but I do have the Alessandro MS1i's and they're also very nice but with a different sound sig, for sure from the ESW9s. very in-your-face, very little bass, but there's something about them that's a little airier than the ESW9s that makes for an interesting counterpart.
 
if i had to choose one, it'd be the ESW9s but both sounds are interesting. I think you'll be better off with the ESW9s since you already have used SR60s so you're familiar with that grado sound.

 

[keanex]

I wouldn't exactly say the Sr225i are comparable to the Sr60i though. I owned the Sr80i as my first headphones and had a love/hate relationship with them. I honestly only bought them because the Ad700 were out of stock. I wound up selling them for the Ad700 when they were available again. Back to the point I was trying to make though before I derailed myself, the Sr80i (from my recollection) have a completely different sound than the Sr225i overall. I remember my Sr80i, quarter modded, sounded very aggressive, causing ear fatigue after a few hours causing me to not want to listen to music for a while. They were very engaging though and worked well with various genres from Decemberists (indie/folk/rock), to Sigur Ros (Ambient/Post-Rock). The Sr225i, with bowl pads, disappointed me greatly though. They had none of the aggressiveness I was expecting, they seemed very laid back compared to the Sr80i and weren't very engaging. I listened to them for roughly 5-10 hours with various music and just did not like them, for those who are going to bring up burn-in I bought them used.

 

[Scornergy]

The EWS9 are listed as portables.  They sound like what I'm looking for, but I was wondering if they have a full-sized version?  Do they have a similar (or identical) non-portable version? 

 

[Digital-Pride]

To the OP, if you haven't decided yet, just to give you a warning about the EWS9.  They are HEAVILY conterfeited so if you plan on buying one, make sure that you're getting it either straight from Japan or an authorized dealer, which means steer clear of ebay if you can.

 

[dvo352]

I bought a pair of ESW9 from another head-fier.  Seems real to me (blue coil inside), sounds pretty good too.  I must say, compared to my Sennheisers, the ESW9s are indeed more lively.  I think after hearing them, and then listening to my Sennheisers, the HD580 sound pretty neutral and laid back.  But all in all, very happy with ESW9.  Their isolation is pretty good and the padding is comfortable.  The clamping is a bit tight, but I figure it needs some break in time.  My only complaint is it causes me more listeners fatigue than my HD580s.  I can sit with the Sennheisers all day without any fatigue but the ESW9s after about 4 hours seem to make me need to take them off.