[Dutchess of York]

Hey guys, im pretty new to this, and i know there are probably many smiler trends, so sorry in advance. Im looking at getting some nice neutral headphones to complement my grado's, but i have no experience with the 'house sounds' of sennheiser, akg, or beyerdynamic. I listen to alot of folk/rock/classical, and my current cans are grado SR225's. One of my biggest concerns is comfort, because the grados are lacking it. I can find dt880's, dt990's, akg k701's and hd650's all in the same price range. I haven't heard any of these headphones, and probably wont have the opportunity too (i live in RI, anybody know any shops nearby?). Can anybody help me make up my mind?

p.s. im also looking for an amp for the grado's/new headphones, im thinking about headrooms micro amp (any other suggestions)

 

[xinoxide]

equation audio RP-21's pretty neutral cans and great for their price

 

[starmaker]

I have the HD650 and would highly recommend their comfort. Also, they go really well with classical.

 

[SysteX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starmaker /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the HD650 and would highly recommend their comfort. Also, they go really well with classical.

X2! Classical with HD650 is simply stunning--full, wide soundstage; luscious sound; great comfort. It's all there.

 

[Dutchess of York]

ive heard mixed things on the comfort of the akg's, anybody have any firsthand experience?

 

[MaloS]

I'll join the club on 'Senns to complement Grados'

 

[Dutchess of York]

are there huge differences between 600's and 650's in comfort and sound?

 

[MaloS]

Comfort is identical. Sound has differences. Hd650 is faster, with stronger bass, and a roll-of in higher treble. HD650 also has more treble energy. HD600 is more neutral (very accurate and pleasing with classical), with less energy, but more tonal accuracy. Don't get influenced by my preferences, but as an example, I can't listen to hd650 for too long due to the bass being too much (my hard personal preference), while on electronic music or jazz I can enjoy hd600 just fine.

 

[Dutchess of York]

any advice for an amp with the grado/sennheiser? i was thinking about a headroom micro amp, but i dont really know any others. i dont think i want to spend over 300

 

[MaloS]

Headroom Micro is a nice amplifier, if you feel for trying tubes you could try a Darkvoice 336i. There are a few other neat options on the market, portable amplifiers would not be bad at all either for the money. There is also Gilmore Lite, although I've no idea about it and Grados...ask on the amp forum of what you can do, and what kinda of thing you could get out of different amplifiers for your headphone pair.