[KevC]

^^

 

[ImMersion]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jasper994 Just got my 280 Pros at Guitar Center for $69.99!!! They're a bit uncomfortable, but seem to be getting better by the day, and they sound great... The isolation is incredible!!!

THe isolation IS incredible. Someone up top mentioned they prefer the 497 over the 280 pro.....well i see it the other way around. The 280 has a lot more detail thatn the 497, definetly more bass.....but can be a bit uncomfortable for the first few weeks.

oh, and make SURE to break them in. 0-20 hours i noticed a HUGE difference...after that it kept on getting better.....but not as quickly.

 

[GanChan]

I have to agree. I own and enjoy both headphones, but the 280 Pro simply has more detail than the HD497. I wish it had a little more midbass, and I could do without that extra tad of coloration that closed cans give to the mids, but otherwise I can't find much to say against the 280 Pro.

 

[bsdfish]

I'd vote for the 497. I have those and Grado 125s and tend to use the 497s most of the time because they are much quieter on the outside. When you factor in the price difference, the 497s are probably one of the best bang for the buck cans.

 

[KevC]

Hm... change of criteria. I think I'd prefer an open phone... the closed ones ('specially the 280Pros) are a tad bassy for me...

 

[cello]

Quote:

Would the Grados be more suited for classical (mostly piano but symphonic also.... and some vocals...)?

The grados are attack headphones. They have an amazing amount of attack, and brilliance. Now when you decide to make a headphone with a ****load of attack, you end up with a very bright headphone. What are they good for? Close-mic'd music. For example, rock, classical chamber music, and other such things where the microphone is very close to the instruments. When you start to use them for orchestral music, which is not close-mic'd, there's no real advantage. All they sound is bright, and annoying. For such music, you want a more laid-back headphone with a better soundstage, such as the senn HD580s.

 

[cello]

You can also make this argument the other way around... though it's not as convincing. That is, if you use a laid-back headphone with rock music, you don't hear the attack of the pick against the strings of a guitar as much as you do with the grados. Yet, it doesn't sound bad, especially if you want to listen to rock for long periods of time. The grado doesn't work well when you listen to it for long periods of time - it starts to hurt your ears because of its amazing brilliance. (This is the problem I'm running into).

So to reiterate:
Grado - amazing attack, tends to hurt your ears, good for close-mic'd music. Very punchy and brilliant sounding, and also very transparent.
Senn - more laid back with richer mid-tones, better for music where the microphone is far from the instrument. It also has a slightly better soundstage than grados in general.