[rodroddy]

right, and by that same train of thought, who are you to question Dr Dre and his awesome line of audiophile headphones?
 
just because a product has a company's name on it doesn't make it automatically awesome

 

[wind016]

You're right. His products are surprisingly innovative.

  I'm an opinionated, captious consumer. Not a bad trait IMO. I don't need to own another headphone company to judge headphones.

 
Quote:

You the heck are you to question how John Grado runs his company? What products have you brought to market that have such a huge following? His company has been around for a very long time and has some really great products that many, many people enjoy and think very highly of. He has made a huge contribution to the audio world.
 
Just get over it....I have NEVER heard an Audio Technica (except for the W1000X) that I liked...I see you enjoyed their flagship (W5000) so much that your selling them with a week. Sheesh...

 

[Poetik]

Well I had a bad taste after owning the HD595 for a few years then upgrading to the HD600.  Even with an underpowered source I could tell from the first listen that I should have spent the extra $50 or so to get the HD600 in the first place.  Everyone who reads this if you're considering the HD595 just do yourself a favor and go with the HD600/650 instead.
 
I bought a recabled Shure 840 and that was probably one of the worst headphones I've ever heard.  It was probably due to the recable but man I just about laughed when I put those on. 
 
The DT990 has got to be up there for me as well.  Maybe I just need more listening time with it or maybe I needed to upgrade my rig at the time (Nuforce HDP to WA6   )but they felt so cheap and the earpads felt really nasty on my face.  After getting them on I was treated to a nice muddy mush of audible not so goodness.  I even let my friend listen to them, who has really no prior headphone experience, and he instantly gave me that "what the hell" face and took them off.  Maybe they just paled in comparison to my current headphones or I really need some beastly amplifier for them but my T1's sounded decent out of my setup so I would figure the DT990's would too.  All in all I was really looking forward to hearing those and they let me down big time. DT990 = EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING.
 
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

You're right. His products are surprisingly innovative.

  I'm an opinionated, captious consumer. Not a bad trait IMO. I don't need to own another headphone company to judge headphones.

 

 

But you didn't call out his headphones you called out his company. And honestly your one sided, bias complaints are now becoming "trollish". Do you have anything else to offer or comment on beyond slamming Grado?

 

[pataburd]

DT880/250 ohm, 2005 version, followed closely by the T1.  Both were similarly and majorly disappointing purchases.

 

[nycbone]

CX300 - nearly unusable with heavy, muddy bass. I couldn't give them away fast enough.

 

[Azathoth]

AKG K518DJ - While they sounded great, no amount of stretching them out would alleviate the vice grip of death. The pressure they put at the top of your head (I keep a shaved noggin, so it's all the worse) and on your ears was just unbearable.
 

 

[FallenAngel]

Ultrasone Pro900, by far.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

DT880/250 ohm, 2005 version, followed closely by the T1.  Both were similarly and majorly disappointing purchases.

 
Good that you are well established here, greenhorns have been tarred & feathered for less...

 

 

[yashu]

I was going to say the AKG 240s 55ohm set, not MKII, the original, err, updated 240s, since there have been so many great 240 models I was very let down by those until recently.
 
I picked up a Grace 901 headphone amp, since, coming from speaker audiohile land, I was using so many parts from my main stereo that I didn't put as much money into a headphone amp, though it wasn't bad, it wasn't great for a high end setup, it was a Presonus HP4. I also used the headphone out on my Mackie VLZ3, anyway, I got the same results a lot of people get, ok midrange, kindof sleepy HF, and a pit of mud (not the fun kind!) for bass.
 
The Grace has changed my view on almost every set I own that were not immediately designed for a DAP, as in, other than my modded Aurvana Lives!/Denon 1001ks, it would sometimes make things worse, as the headstage and good low volume performance I got from my DAP, or a little NOS DAC with a tubed pre output that could drive porta pros, or esp. my XB700s to a wonderdully complete, natural, warm sound over the entire spectrum, just with an adapter to hook them up to the pre-out. (it has a headphone amp similar in power to the Presonus, but it is SS, not using the tube section).
 
Anyway, headphones I already liked a lot, Beyers, Senns, ATs, just sounded magical, even my DT770s w/ 880/990 pads, sound so natural, or the edge removed from my k271s (before the mkII as well).
 
I have managed to even get the Shure 440s to work as a pretty accurate monitor that won't shred me ears. A good tubed DAC (MHDT), a good tubed source, and the ultimate clean power of the Grace= such a pleasurably smooth, pleasing, and in some cases, sweet sound. It sounds almost entirely analog, even a 320k LAME mp3.
 
The DT990s, 250 ohms, used, seller said basically never used, so they came in a flawless looking box, the earpads felt new, but a dark secret lurked within. These things had been around the block so many times, the drivers had so much hair stuck to the membranes, the slightest bass note would crackle and whiff, it was aweful, just plain aweful. I wanted to have a complete set, 770s-990s, but I am just going to have to enjoy the 770s and 880s, and the new earpads on those 770s. The seller wo't contact me back, I disputed it, so we will see what happens, but I spent hours and hours carefully removing the hair stuck to the drivers, as you may know, beyer drivers use a special membrane that is almost "sticky" so when you remove a hair, it is sometimes almost melted into the driver membrane and you have to be extra careful to not pull the center voice coil out of it's channel, and the tiny voice coil wires from the solder points are so small they can hardly be seen, but sever one and that driver is gone.
 
After putting them back together, one driver still sounded like the same crap, the other, though did sound good. I figure there is hair on the underside of the driver, because there are holes all around the edge for air to move in and out, and if hair could hit the driver membrane, it could go into those holes, so i just gave up, there is really no way to fix it, you can't just remove the driver membrane and voice coil to access the underside!
 
I regret ever pressing that buy now button. I am sure he bought new earpads and put them on, along with the new foams that gome with them, called them new and hoped and idiot would buy them and not care.
 
Not fooling me pal, those things had to have been used for more than a few years, with many many hundreds of hours, ecept for the new pads. Even the driver housings, one had a stain on it, so some liquid made it through at one point, that explains the new foams too. I have a like new 990 pro box, a new set of 880/990 pads that sound great on my 770s, and headband/housing parts... I won't even say what I paid because it is too sad. I knew my 880s were probably better than the older 990 style, but i wanted to have a pair, because it is not always about "better", because I have several brands that bring equal pleasure, just in different moments and types of music, or environments.
 
I still want a pair of the older style 990s, but I am going to hold off on that one. The Grace can provide plenty of power to almost any headphone, so I can now actually consider a T1, or a much higher end AT model, even the warmth of the tubed parts of my chain could tame a set of k701s, or I could turn a pair of HD650s into a rocking set of cans, maybe set aside my sr350s and look into RS2, or RS1s. I am just enjoying the sets I have as most of them sound like new phones, such as the k240s that let so many people down, I am admiring how well it reproduces certain percussion instruments because the headphone can create a realistic decay, that "hollow" sound of sound reverberating out of a cylinder.

 

[prem]

One of my most disappointing headphones that I purchased was the HD212pro. I bought it because of the bass. But it was way too muddy. And the mids were horribly recessed.
 
I then bought a pair of Ultrasone HFI 580. The bass on these phones are exactly how I like it, in terms of quality and quantity.

 

[wind016]

I don't think I'm one sided lol I said the RS1s are ok (kind of).  There's not a honest person I have met that haven't admitted that Grado pads are painful/uncomfortable. That just does gives me the impression that Grado is a cheap company that is not bothering to research better pads and will continue to produce cheap foam donuts 'til the end of time. I'd rather put my money on a company that is actually willing to use the money given to them by customers to investment in research and development. Stagnant electronic companies deserve whatever criticism they get.
 
 
Quote:

But you didn't call out his headphones you called out his company. And honestly your one sided, bias complaints are now becoming "trollish". Do you have anything else to offer or comment on beyond slamming Grado?

 

[maverickronin]

DT990/600
 
Sounded good for long enough for me to decide to buy them.  Comfy, nice bass, and awesome soundstage but... The treble...  It sneaks up on you and jams an ice pick through your eardrums.  I can listen to my SR80s till my ears risk permanent deformation, but I couldn't stand that =2241]giant peak in the treble for more than 45 minutes.

 

[Justin Uthadude]

I guess it would have to be the Grado SR60. Not because I didn't like it, but because it has caused me to buy a Sennheiser to see which one I liked better. Then a pair of AKGs, then a Beyer . . .   I still have them all. Guess I'm weird. I haven't bought a headphone I haven't liked.
 
@pataburd: I'm glad you got yourself a pair of Beyer600's that you like, otherwise I'd feel guilty listening to my '03/250s, lol.
.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I don't think I'm one sided lol I said the RS1s are ok (kind of).  There's not a honest person I have met that haven't admitted that Grado pads are painful/uncomfortable. That just does gives me the impression that Grado is a cheap company that is not bothering to research better pads and will continue to produce cheap foam donuts 'til the end of time. I'd rather put my money on a company that is actually willing to use the money given to them by customers to investment in research and development. Stagnant electronic companies deserve whatever criticism they get.
 
 

 

I am an honest person and I find them very comfortable. I love just how you speak in absolutes

. Their pads are quite comfortable and the material has to be selected to not negatively affect the sound and many more agree with me than you. I am done feeding your trollish comments.