[smeerkaas]

ther ms1's are considered to be great cans. (to start of with

)

 

[F107plus5]

Another vote for MS-1.

$99 and no amp required.

Even gives you a choice between 1/8 and 1/4" plug!

And like with all Grados, you can change out pads for a variety of sonic signatures and comfort levels!!

 

[go_vtec]

I'm going to suggest Audio Technica ATH-A700. Grado is definitely a rock phone, but I found the amp is sort of required to make it sound even better than driven directly out of mp3 device, soundcard or receiver. On the other hand, A700 is more practical since it can be driven directly by mp3 player and it costs $129. A700 should be more generally appealing phone with wider soundstage, can be worn longer without the risk of hurting ears, and less harshy treble than Grado. Only issue is sleeping with the phones, I think you can lay flat on your back to listen to music on either A700 or Grado. However I don't recommend falling a sleep in them (you can ruin your phone that way). You can pick up a tiny earphones like Sennheiser CX300 or Creative (probably better bet between two) as a second set for sleeping.

 

[blinx]

so im looking into it, and something is really appealing about the grado's. i might just go with a SR 80 or a 125... but arnt those 1/4th jacks?

 

[blinx]

call me a noob or whatever but what brand are the MS-1? i just want to research it...

 

[DevilDog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinx call me a noob or whatever but what brand are the MS-1? i just want to research it...

Allesandro. Only available from them. The MS-1s are great, they're just a bit smoother than the Grado SR-80s they're based on. Many on here like them much better, myself included. But the SR-225s blow them away. IMO, the SR-225s are the quintessential Grado can. I'd recommend getting them from Todd the Vinyl Junkie. His link is at the top. He's an advertiser here and a GREAT guy to deal with. He has a liberal return policy so if you don't like them, return them and get the Senn HD-595. Also, if you log on to his site and contact him you may get a better price than you think.
Anyway, go with the SR-225s. They play fine unamped, although amping helps just as it does it with any headphone. To me, when you amp Grados they sound better, this just means they're even better with an amp, they're not bad without one. You're not missing much without an amp, but when you decide to upgrade your system, they'll go pretty far.
Good luck.