[coopshenks]

Hello, I am starting my first head-fi thread tonight on a sudden whim. I have been a longtime lurker in the forums here but have never really come out to ask my own set of questions to this seemingly diverse yet focused community of music lovers. My question is simple:
 
What are the best headphones for my taste in music?
 
Alright, now I know there is never really a best, especially when one's tastes crosses over many genres. My tastes happen to cross a combination of: Lady GaGa, MGMT, Daft Punk, Justice, Animal Collective, Led Zeppelin, Emmylou Harris, and Elton John. I love a robust, aggressive sound to most of my music, especially the pop/electronic stuff, so I've been thinking of maybe some Grado SR225i's. I've never experienced the so-called "Grado sound," but I do know that it is definitely colored (especially in the upper and mid ranges) and warm. I think a nice broken-in pair of 225i's would do my iTunes library some never-before-heard justice, and might efficiently cart me off to the Land of Audiophilism.

 

[BotByte]

Your spread taste of music would be fit for more of Sony MDR-7509HD
 
They are very balance with great soundstage and great separation and clarity. They are like my MDR-V6, which I love, but on steroids!
 
They are great for a wide taste of music from classical to techno and will give you a pair of headphones worthy of keeping.

 

[Questhate]

We share similar tastes (Animal Collective, MGMT, Justice, Daft Punk, Led Zeppelin, Elton John...) and the Grado 225i are my favorite headphones. There are some headphones that do particular artists better (ie. I prefer Ultrasones for Daft Punk or MGMT), but overall I'd stick with the Grado if I had to choose one headphone. I also prefer an aggressive and engaging signature, and you'll certainly get that with Grados.
 

 

[keanex]

You will probably like your Grado 225i, but I think you should also look into Audio Technica Ad900s. They work excellent with Animal Collective, Led Zeppelin, MGMT, Lady GaGa, and so forth. Check my Last.fm to see that I do indeed listen to those artists and very much so enjoy these bands/artists through them. The 225i were too one dimensional imo, they sounded great with Zeppelin, but not with GaGa or electronic, for instance.

 

[coopshenks]

Thanks for all of the great recommendations! All of them so far look excellent. Alright, so I've done my research, and I know that the 225i's are great for rock (especially classic). I forgot to mention in the original post that I am starting on a major Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Pink Floyd kick, and I think the Grados will really let these tracks shine. What do you guys think?

 

[coopshenks]

bumpity

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Get the SR225i's. They're $200 new at Amazon. Can't really go wrong with them. Will cover the sound stage that most of those musics you spoke of occupy. They're not as bass-light as other Grados, but they're not basshead cans. Good everywhere, shines in the mid/upper and has that Grado sound. Might want to consider a little sweet DAC/AMP combo to run with them though so that they get juice and you avoid internal laptop shenanigans and what not (since you referred to iTunes). If you're playing from an iPod, etc, though never mind. I think there's a used udac for sale at a good price ($40's) in the source/amp sale forum.
 
Very best,