[Chronos]

Its funny because I went to AC Gears today (Audiocube's store in NYC) and got to try the Grado 125(i?)'s and ATH ES7's back to back on my Samsung Yp-T9. I played Kings of Leon, Lupe Fiasco, some screamo, and some trance and Jrock on them both unEQ'd and EQ'd with Rock setting.

The difference was quite clear, the ATH ES7's were much better in all respects than the Grado 125's. I don't know if this is pertinent for the OP since I don't know how the 125 and 80/60 differ. Altough AC Gears had the 60 & 80's to try as well.

Highs: ES7's highs were clear, detailed, and beautiful without being harsh or sibilant.
I found the Grado's got to become very sibilant at times (and on Rock EQ it was a total mess)

Mids: They were both very forward and bright, vocals sounded pretty good on both. However for some reason the Grados came across very cold and the ES7's had a slight bit of color or warmth to them that made the vocals much more pleasant. I really enjoyed the vocals on both but even more so on the ES7's. However I did notice the guitar sounded like it had more impact/warmth probably due to more midbass on the Grado's.

Bass: The bass on the ES7's I have to say is quite excellent. On Rock EQ'd it even blew away my Ibasso D2 amped Denon AH-D2000's. It reaches deeper than my D2000's while still being tight, punchy, with a strong impact. It was VERY enjoyable. The ES7's were clearly better for bass than the Grado's which were less than stellar in all categories compared to the ES7's. The Grado's even seemed to get sloppy and muddy without going as low as the ES7's do and offering less quantitative bass.

Grado has a cult following but to my ears the ES7's were a clear winner (vs the 125 of course).

 

[aragornmustdie]

what? quantitatively... d2000's bass is more than ES7's.

 

[MadMan007]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Its funny because I went to AC Gears today (Audiocube's store in NYC) and got to try the Grado 125(i?)'s and ATH ES7's back to back on my Samsung Yp-T9. I played Kings of Leon, Lupe Fiasco, some screamo, and some trance and Jrock on them both unEQ'd and EQ'd with Rock setting. The difference was quite clear, the ATH ES7's were much better in all respects than the Grado 125's. I don't know if this is pertinent for the OP since I don't know how the 125 and 80/60 differ. Altough AC Gears had the 60 & 80's to try as well. Highs: ES7's highs were clear, detailed, and beautiful without being harsh or sibilant. I found the Grado's got to become very sibilant at times (and on Rock EQ it was a total mess) Mids: They were both very forward and bright, vocals sounded pretty good on both. However for some reason the Grados came across very cold and the ES7's had a slight bit of color or warmth to them that made the vocals much more pleasant. I really enjoyed the vocals on both but even more so on the ES7's. However I did notice the guitar sounded like it had more impact/warmth probably due to more midbass on the Grado's. Bass: The bass on the ES7's I have to say is quite excellent. On Rock EQ'd it even blew away my Ibasso D2 amped Denon AH-D2000's. It reaches deeper than my D2000's while still being tight, punchy, with a strong impact. It was VERY enjoyable. They were clearly better for bass than the Grado's which were less than stellar in all categories compared to the ES7's. They even seemed to get sloppy and muddy without going as low as the ES7's do and offering less quantitative bass. Grado has a cult following but to my ears the ES7's were a clear winner (vs the 125 of course).

What, using EQ?? For shame! I banish thee to consumer low-fi hell

 

[Chronos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif what? quantitatively... d2000's bass is more than ES7's.

I didn't say D2000's had less bass than the ES7's. I guess I wasn't clear when I said "blew away". The D2000's probably do have more bass quantitatively but the ES7's go deeper which makes you really feel the bass. It felt like the ES7 headphones themselves were vibrating because of the bass. (I had them turned up listening to Lupe Fiasco to overcome the store's music)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMan007 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What, using EQ?? For shame! I banish thee to consumer low-fi hell

lol, I started to EQ because my UE SUper5 EB's have so much bass I need to EQ it to Classical settings in order to listen to them normally lol. But, EQ'ing can be fun =)

 

[robjrock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grado has a cult following but to my ears the ES7's were a clear winner (vs the 125 of course).

I'm not surprised though, the SR125 is kinda the black sheep of the grado line. Known to be very bright and overbearing. Most people would go the SR60s over the SR125s from what I hear...

ES7s closed back will make them better for bass. Tight thumping bass is not Grado's strong suit. I agree they are overhyped (Grados), but the sound sig takes some getting used to, its very unique. Sometimes the growers are the stayers...

That said a small group of people really think the Audio Technica's are overlooked and under appreciated around here... but most people lean towards the AD700/900s...

 

[aragornmustdie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos /img/forum/go_quote.gif They even seemed to get sloppy and muddy without going as low as the ES7's do and offering less quantitative bass.

that is the line im referring to, it says that D2000s offer less quantitative bass.

 

[Chronos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragornmustdie /img/forum/go_quote.gif that is the line im referring to, it says that D2000s offer less quantitative bass.

Sorry I wasn't clear but I was referring to the Grado's with that line =)

 

[Nuge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Its funny because I went to AC Gears today (Audiocube's store in NYC) and got to try the Grado 125(i?)'s and ATH ES7's back to back on my Samsung Yp-T9. I played Kings of Leon, Lupe Fiasco, some screamo, and some trance and Jrock on them both unEQ'd and EQ'd with Rock setting. The difference was quite clear, the ATH ES7's were much better in all respects than the Grado 125's. I don't know if this is pertinent for the OP since I don't know how the 125 and 80/60 differ. Altough AC Gears had the 60 & 80's to try as well. Highs: ES7's highs were clear, detailed, and beautiful without being harsh or sibilant. I found the Grado's got to become very sibilant at times (and on Rock EQ it was a total mess) Mids: They were both very forward and bright, vocals sounded pretty good on both. However for some reason the Grados came across very cold and the ES7's had a slight bit of color or warmth to them that made the vocals much more pleasant. I really enjoyed the vocals on both but even more so on the ES7's. However I did notice the guitar sounded like it had more impact/warmth probably due to more midbass on the Grado's. Bass: The bass on the ES7's I have to say is quite excellent. On Rock EQ'd it even blew away my Ibasso D2 amped Denon AH-D2000's. It reaches deeper than my D2000's while still being tight, punchy, with a strong impact. It was VERY enjoyable. The ES7's were clearly better for bass than the Grado's which were less than stellar in all categories compared to the ES7's. The Grado's even seemed to get sloppy and muddy without going as low as the ES7's do and offering less quantitative bass. Grado has a cult following but to my ears the ES7's were a clear winner (vs the 125 of course).

Have you burned in your ES7 yet? After 100 hours, you definitely notice a significant change in the sound but I would say it takes 300 hours to fully burn them in. After this, to my ears, the ES7 sound near-perfect. I only wish the bass extended a little deeper and that there was a full-sized version of the ES7.

 

[Chronos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuge /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you burned in your ES7 yet? After 100 hours, you definitely notice a significant change in the sound but I would say it takes 300 hours to fully burn them in. After this, to my ears, the ES7 sound near-perfect. I only wish the bass extended a little deeper and that there was a full-sized version of the ES7.

These were a demo set at ACGears so I'm pretty sure they have more than 100 hours use.

I felt like the bass extended pretty deep already and like I said more so than my Denon's. I do wish there was a fullsized version as well...

 

[aragornmustdie]

lol ok.

 

[Nuge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronos /img/forum/go_quote.gif These were a demo set at ACGears so I'm pretty sure they have more than 100 hours use. I felt like the bass extended pretty deep already and like I said more so than my Denon's. I do wish there was a fullsized version as well...

Yeah, but I feel their IS a bit of mid-bass hump, which makes the music feel SLIGHTLY bloated on songs with a lot of bass, but it DOES make the music more fun . I don't really give a crap about accuracy, I want my music to be fun and enjoyable. That's why you will NEVER see me with a pair of Etymotic IEM. Thank God for the Es7s! After 300 hours, I feel like the highs really become more sparkly. Oh, I guess that's another thing, I kind of wish they were slightly more sparkly, which is why I'm looking for a full-sized can with the ES7 signature. Problem is, most full sized cans I read about are too smooth for my tastes. What I also love about the ES7 is that it is slightly aggressive and not too smooth at all. Btw, if you are looking for a good portable way to make the ES7 sound even better, you should buy the Ibasso D10 dac/amp, it really makes the ES7 sound great. At first, I was dissapointed, but now, I'm really starting to love the sound signature(which is improving with D10 burn in). Sorry if this seems like a rant, I just am in love with the ES7!!!

 

[Skoobs]

when i first got the es7, it was very harsh but began to grow accustomed to it. once they were broken in, they didnt benefit significantly from an amp. i use them straight out of an ipod now, which is something i never did before they were broken in. 
 
also, i went and demoed sr80s today, and they sounded very, very similar to the es7 (es7 burnt in, sr80s not.) the es7s have more bass sustainability though. like for rap. and the emphasis on the mids/treble is a little higher on the es7. so, as far as i heard, spoken words sound SLIGHTLY deeper on the sr80s. but they arent quite as good at rap, although the midbass (like bass drum kicks and bass string plucks) is very similar.
 
hope this helps

 

[jjinh]

huh? the original post was nearly a year ago!

 

[Mr Joboto]

Thread bump fail has been happening a fair bit lately