[itgm4rk]

Hello,
 
I dont know which are better for me.
 
I like to listen to techno, dubstep, house, etc. but i also like to listen to choral pieces (ex. Eric Whitacre and some acapella groups (ex. BYU Vocal Point, Straight No Chaser). I like to use them at home and maybe travel around with them, too. Please help me out.
 
I'm very new to this world of headphones which i love
 
Thank you
 
Mark

 

[Chris_Himself]

Sony. For sure.
 
Grado is absolute poop on anything that is synthesized. (Tron Legacy album excluded)

 

[itgm4rk]

oh ok....will the sony's sound good on choir music?
 

 

[Chris_Himself]

I haven't listened to them. A lot of people slam bass heavy headphones as being mushy and undetailed but I hear good things about these and if they're your first cans, I wouldn't exactly call them underwhelming.
 
I am a Grado junkie myself though. You could take the high-road and buy the Grados, or give into your carnal desires and buy the XB700s. I just couldn't wear something that large on my head lol. I hear the new SR-60i's with the big housings are fairly decent for bass... but in general a lot of "audiophile" grade cans aren't going to do synthesized sub-bass wonderfully. If they're your first cans, I would honestly recommend them anyway, it's usually when people have been listening to other "high end" stuff that they get underwhelmed by the SR-60 sound. Put up a wanted ad on HF, I'm sure you'll get lots of hits.
 
Let a few other people answer on the thread, theres a lot of stuff out there that I haven't listened to and I'm sure somebody will come up with a good compromise solution. I'll be honest and I tend to have tunnel vision when recommending stuff since I only talk about the stuff I personally own/auditioned.

 

[power911]

if you're gonna get grados to play techno, dubstep, house, etc, some modifications need to be done... poking 3-4 holes on the rear of the driver to increase it's bass...
 
 
better off with the XB700. Choral pieces are pretty good on them but since these are bass headphones, do expect slight bass interference on vocals.
plus the XB700 are superbly comfortable compared to grados...
 
grados are only comfortable on hot areas like here in Malaysia
 
and that's why I have my Alessandro MS-1i
 
 
go for XB700

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Hello,
 
I dont know which are better for me.
 
I like to listen to techno, dubstep, house, etc. but i also like to listen to choral pieces (ex. Eric Whitacre and some acapella groups (ex. BYU Vocal Point, Straight No Chaser). I like to use them at home and maybe travel around with them, too. Please help me out.
 
I'm very new to this world of headphones which i love
 
Thank you
 
Mark

Welcome to headfi. As an owner of the SR 60i and the XB 500 and 700's here are my personal thoughts on the matter. I'd like to emphasize this is only my personal opinion and there are of coarse other opinions.
 
The XB 700 and the SR 60i are two completely different types of headphones. What you have to realize is the SR60i is an open back entry level audiophile headphone with forward mids neutral sound and is known for being hot in the treble (bright). It is not known for bass and although it does give decent detailed bass it does not have bass slam. Its soundstage is also quite compact giving you a more in your head sound. It also has a very aggressive in your face type of sound. Although the SR60i doesn't do electronica and its sub genres badly it shines more with rock and industrial and is known as more of a rockers headphone. It's also known as a great bargain entry level audiophile headphone that brings a lot to the table and can match other more expensive headphones in sound quality. Think of the Grado SR 60i this way, when listening to it you can't help but imagine you're at a metal concert and you just broke through the mosh pit and you're on the stage and you're feeling the guitars blaring away on either side of your head while the drums are pounding in your face.
 
The Sony XB 700 is the complete opposite and is considered a bass head can, It has a very warm lush sound and is designed for bass slam. It has rolled off highs and the mids are far more recessed then the SR60i. It's also a closed back headphone and the isolation is excellent on it. The soundstage on the XB 700 is wider then on the Grado SR60i and you'll find the soundstage gets wider and wider as you move up the XB line. Because its such a warm sounding headphone it doesn't have the same detail as the SR60i. It does have excellent bass impact and although its not audiophile grade sound it does a pretty respectful job keeping the bass powerful yet controlled. The XB 500 has more bass slam but its quite sloppy. The XB 700 has a better refined bass and it doesn't leak into the mids and doesn't overpower the highs. Think of the XB 700 this way, when listening to it you can't help but imagine you're in a dance club in the middle of the dance floor with a 100 other people and the bass is slamming into your ears and you just have to dance.
 
Which set of cans is better is up to you. My opinion and advice hinges on two suggestions. Firstly what genre of music do you listen to the most? If it's 75, 80 90% of the time electronica and its sub genres the XB line might be the animal you want. Secondly before you buy anything I suggest you get some music you know and have listened to a 1000 times and get yourself to an audio store. Try and demo both the Grado SR 60i and the XB 700 and take your time doing it. In the end it's your ears that decide not other peoples impressions. For me the XB line is a fun sound to play around with when listening to electronica and especially trance. For rock metal and industrial and especially for serious listening (when I want to hear detail and pick the sound apart instrument by instrument) the XB 700 fails in that regard and I go with the Grado SR 60i. Both cans have their weaknesses and strengths. Good luck I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[itgm4rk]

thank you to all, especially DigitalFreak. i will take your advice and try out both of them at a local store. any store recommendations around the las vegas, nevada area? 

 

[DigitalFreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by itgm4rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
thank you to all, especially DigitalFreak. i will take your advice and try out both of them at a local store. any store recommendations around the las vegas, nevada area? 

 
Can't really help you with that I'm in Canada. If there's a Sony Store in Vegas you might want to start there for the XB. In my neck of the woods BestBuy carries the XB lines so maybe also try there. As for the Grado's do a search on the net for high end audio Vegas stores. Considering you're in the States I doubt you will have to much problem finding a dealer in your city. From my understanding Grado's are quite widespread amongst the higher end audio stores in the U.S. Try also searching around this site and maybe finding a member or two in your area. I'm sure they could provide you with some addresses of dealers with the Grado line.
 
P.S.
 
You're very welcome. Once you decide and eventually buy your new cans feel free to post your impressions along with some fun pics. Reviews are always fun to read and the more reviews we have the better the site becomes for all users. Good luck in your search and I hope you find the perfect can for your music.
 
Bless \m/
 

 

[itgm4rk]

thank you very much. i will be planning to do a couple impression when i get my cans. thank you again
 
mark