[dima1109]

Hi all,

I recently sold my DT770, and am in search of am upgrade.

I used to have a pair of Grado SR225s before trading them for the Beyers. I loved everything about the SR225 except for the bass. It wasn't quite enough. I did the tape mod, and bought an amp (Headsix) but it just wasn't quite there, by a tiny bit, but not quite there nevertheless (I am not a fan of equalization). I then traded them for a pair of DT770, since these guys are generally regarded as bass monsters. To be honest, I didn't think they were as bassy as some describe them. Maybe my ears are weird, but they didn't quite have what I needed either. They packed enough raw bass, but lacked the punch the SR225s had. Because of that, they got significantly less listening time than both my IEMs (Crossroads X3i and Creative EP630, nothing too crazy). So now I decided to sell them and look for something that suits my needs better.

My options right now are:

Denon D2000
Grado SR225
Grado SR325i

D2000 is very highly regarded around here. AFAIK it has more bass than the DT770, it goes deeper and is less muddy. It is my main option right now, as they are closed, and I plan on using them at work. The only concern I have with these 'phones - I'm not sure if they will give me enough impact. Some people say that they slam just fine, some people say that they are fairly warm and don't have very much impact. Which one is it? Especially in comparison with the SR225, as it is my best reference.

SR225 is my safe choice. It's the can I know and love, and I would not be disappointed to acquire it again. But like I said earlier, the bass could be a little better.

SR325i is up in the air for me. On one hand, I've heard that it is supposed to have a bit more bass than the SR225, which would be great for me. On the other hand, it does not provide the extension that the D2000 may provide. Plus, many users reported it to be shrill, I guess the highs are a bit out of control. How true is that? And how different is the bass in SR325i from the other two?

Or is there another can that would blow the above three out of the water as far as impact is concerned?

I listen to exclusively metal, mainly prog and death.

I did create another thread a few days ago asking a similar question. I apologize for littering the forum, but I isolated the issue that is most important to me (bass impact) and am now asking a more direct question.

Thanks!

Cheers

Dima

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

how about the akg 240 sextett

 

[Currawong]

AKG's are very base anaemic. It's a weird thing, I find my D5000's to have almost overwhelming bass, though I'm used to it now. I've heard Ultrasone's have insane amounts of bass, confirmed by the graphs on this site (go to the 8th link down for a listing of headphones, the pages for which have frequency response graphs). The bass hump on, say, the 2500's is insane.

What are you plugging your phones into by the way? A good amp should help with the bass on the Denons.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

AKG have great bass they are studio cans so there is no boost at all the better the signal the better they sound..

 

[Planar_head]

The problem I think is that you're looking for bass that will hit you in the chest.

The problem is that headphones can't do that, no matter how much you spend.

So, either go to a nice speaker setup with very good subs, or you can get used to not having that kind of bass you're looking for.

 

[dima1109]

I'm afraid I wouldn't have the current to drive AKGs, as they require massive amounts to sound good. I am using a Corda Headsix.

I forgot about Ultrasone. I've heard their bass is pretty good. What is their overall sound signature? I tend to favor sound on the bright side, the Grado sound I guess. How do they compare?

I would love to get some speakers if I had a house/condo instead of a dorm room

I can't have speakers, so I have to stick with headphones. I know they will never give me the physical sensation of low frequencies that speakers do, but I would like to try to get the best my wallet is capable of while sticking with headphones.

 

[Alpha 1 Omega]

the only grado I know of with a good bass punch is the sr-225

 

[DarKu]

i recommend you SR325i
i had SR60 and listened SR225 for one weekend, and i can tell that 325i have more of everything, much more detail, and MORE puchy bass/mids, i don't notice hights to be shrill on these cans, if these have a bad sinergy with an amp or were not fully burn in it can sound shrill, after burn in hights will sound just fine.
If you find SR225 confort to be ok, go for SR325i, but i find them unconfortable after 3-4 hours of listening, this is the ONLY problem i have with them

apart from that these cans do ROCK! on rock/metal music ofcourse

 

[scytheavatar]

I think what you are looking for is both bass quality and bass quantity. Have you conisdered an IEM like the Atrio M5 or Superfi 5?

 

[dima1109]

I don't think shrillness of 325i's would be too much of a problem for me, plus I've heard they get better with burn-in.

How much more bass do they have compared to the 225s? Have you tried doing the tape mod on either?

Quote:

I think what you are looking for is both bass quality and bass quantity. Have you conisdered an IEM like the Atrio M5 or Superfi 5?

I already have some IEMs that satisfy me quite well. Besides, most of my listening is stationary, and I don't like stuff in my ears for long.

 

[Woobies]

X2 on the ultrasones. They are exactly what you're looking for. They have the PRAT and speed of the Grados, while also having slamming bass. Check out the Pro750s or Pro950s if you have the extra dough.

 

[Shahrose]

ultrasone pro750. too much bass for even my tastes, but bass quality is great.

 

[dima1109]

Which Ultrasones would I be looking for, budget considered?

And what is the rest of the sound like?

 

[Yukon Trooper]

Mostly I'm a rocker, and both cans do different rock music justice; however, if I was stuck with one, I'd take the D2000's for their versatility.

The D2000's mids are neutral, while the SR225's are pumped up. Definitely more neutral on the D2000's, so better for most rock, but the SR225's sound really good with select rock.

The D2000's highs are better, but the highs are good enough for me on the SR225's. Once again, depends on the rock.

Soundstage is slightly wider on the D2000's, but both are very intimate cans, which is good for rock.

PRaT is good on the D2000's and excellent on the SR225's. The strong bass on the D2000's is what gives it less PRaT; however, all is forgiven on my Gilmore Lite.

Bass "slam" is better on the D2000's, because there is simply more. The SR225's have a bit more mid-bass, but the overall presentation of bass is much stronger on the D2000's.

Paired with the right amp (Gilmore Lite), the D2000's have longer legs to stretch than the SR225's. A much more versatile can, and the favorite in my collection. The SR225's are very fun cans, but I find they match with a less variety of music. They also color the sounds much more, but this is where the "fun" factor comes from. They do sound very good with certain music.