iGrado's vs. Senn PMX 100/200 vs. ?

[Methos1979]

I'm looking for a decent set of behind-the-neck band headphones, sometimes called street phones. I've got some nice IEM's and regular headphones but sometimes for work or just running around the street HP's are nice. I had a real cheap set that worked well with my last set up.

So looking around here using the seach function I've found the iGrado's and the Sennheiser PMX 100's and 200's. Basically I'm looking for decent sound quality and comfort for on-the-go listening. They are all in the price range. The biggest issues I'm concerned about are comfort. Many reviews of these products say they can be uncomfortable pretty quickly, especially for those with big melons - like mine! I listen to music at work sometimes for 2 and 3 hour stretches so something that becomes unbearable in 15 minutes is a problem.

I can't find them locally to try out so this will be an online purchase, probably from Amazon which has a great return policy. So I'm looking for feedback from those who have or have owned these. What you liked, what you didn't like, did you keep or return them, and is there anything else out there in this style you can recommend.

Order of importanct for me is:

Comfort
Sound Quality

Phones should also have a little isolation for my co-workers. I understand that the PMX 100's are very open and with even a little volume everyone around you hears what you're listening too. The PMX 200 solves this to some degree but at the expense of sound quality and comfort. How are the iGrado's for that?

Thanks in advance for your input/experiences.

M.

 

[Methos1979]

No one?

 

[Enigmatx]

I havent personally used the PMX series but I, like you, have read about the comfort issue quite a bit. God knows I have a large melon (no baseball hat fits me

). I do, however, have a PX-200 which I use with my portable setup while on campus. They are fairly comfortable and the sound quality is pretty decent as well. They dont leak any sound once on your head. The leather-ish pads can become a little hot after a while but I live in Houston and it does get really hot here. Heck its winter now and I had my AC on last night

.

 

[gritzcolin]

I find the iGrado's are a bit more forgiving in terms of comfort. But the PX 200's are great for noise isolation. Enigmatx is correct and the pads on the 200's do get sweaty after time. Also the Senns have better bass impact than the Grados. Other than those points i dont find em too different.

When I am at work I use the iGrado's for music and the PX 200's for podcasts and anything quiet.

 

[Zanth]

I sometimes use the iGrados at work. I've never used the Senns. The iGraods do leak but not as much as the SR60's seem to but the caveat here is that I listen at very low volumes so there is generally very little sound leaking.

Comfort-wise I find them very comfortable. Larger heads might find them a bit uncomfortable, this goes for any "streetstyle" though. I have a medium sized head I guess.

Sound-wise, I find they sound very nice, warm overall, some sparkle in the treble, good extension on both extremes and the midrange is very well done for this stype of headphone though in my opinion does not compete with the more forward nature of the Koss KSC35's or the Grado SR60's. Some might say they are darker sounding. This could be a benefit for office use and for working out (where apparently some studies have found the ear becomes more susceptible to sound during exercise and the ear can be more easily damaged by higher frequencies)

 

[fusk]

i don't know the igrado's but i do know the sennheiser pmx 100 and 200, and the 200 looks more cool, but the pmx 100 has better bass, so this is what i did to my sennheiser pmx 100 because they are so damn ugly.

Imageshack.dk

Imageshack.dk

 

[TheDeliveryMan]

the PMX200 can has replaceable pads, and also, the foam pads from the PMX100 can be used on it as well. when you get a good seal, the PMX200 is punchy and clear.

we can also offer you some $$ on your old earbuds if you have any you'd like to trade in, to offset the cost.

 

[ronnielee54]

I use the PX100's at work and have no problems with fellow employees complainig about sound leakage. When I bought them I also tried the 200's and IMHO the 100's sounded much better.

 

[fusk]

well tbh the pmx 100 do leak more than the 200, but the 100 just plays better, if you notice the specs aren't the same on the two, so diffrent speakers.

 

[fusk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDeliveryMan /img/forum/go_quote.gif we can also offer you some $$ on your old earbuds if you have any you'd like to trade in, to offset the cost.

what, where and how would i do that in Denmark?

 

[fusk]

i tryed to use the foam from pmx 100 on the pmx 200, bad idear, you can use them, but they won't sit properly, and they will come off way to easy, i think it's because the pmx 200 has a thin line around the speaker where the pads from the 200 has a thin edge that fits right into, but the foam from pmx 100 dosn't have that, and therefor won't grap as good on the pmx 200 as they do on the pmx 100.

sound changed a bit tho, but no way near as punchy as the pmx 100, and i couldn't use eq on my ipod, because that would just distort the sound, and without the eq on, the bass would just dissapear in the city background noise, so basicly what sennheiser needs to do is make a pmx 110, which plays like 100 but looks nicer.

 

[Drag0n]

After hearing igrados, i dont know how anyone can even stand the pmx/px200 closed senns. Theyre muffled and hollow sounding and sound like akg k26p, or like bose.
I can see if someone possibly likes koss ksc75's better than igrados, because someone may like the fun treble boost in the ksc75, but to even wonder which to buy between igrados and pmx200 is beyond me.
Id bet skullcandys sound better.

If you want closed in a foldable portable package, sony makes a pair around the px100/igrado price range that are small and closed and look sorta like akg k26p, but sound better. Theyre at least listenable.

I guess everyone has different taste, but to me, theyre so bad that taste doesnt even fit into the equation.
I owned them all, and sold the pmx200 and k26p. Ibuds sound better.

 

[ludoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drag0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif After hearing igrados, i dont know how anyone can even stand the pmx/px200 closed senns. Theyre muffled and hollow sounding and sound like akg k26p, or like bose. [...] I guess everyone has different taste, but to me, theyre so bad that taste doesnt even fit into the equation.

I agree on all points: PX200s have awful sound quality, even modded. I used them for a few years and after having listened to better phones I just can't stand them. A pity, as they're very comfortable, small phones.

The iGrados on the other hand are very pleasant (mine had the quarter mod, and the back foam removed), not at the same level of the SR-60s, but nice portable phones overall. I did not find them very comfortable though, as they tended to pinch my ears, but I had the same problems with KSC75s so it might be a personal thing.

I liked the igrados more than the KSC75s, but the Koss are not bad for their price, and come with a lifetime warranty.

 

[Zanth]

I'm using the iGrados right now straight from a 2G Nano...lovely sound. I have an iGrado review in the works, been a long time coming. Basically, outside of the KSC 35's (best bang for the buck ever, $20 for insane sound) nothing seems to take the iGrados at the price point. Once one starts approaching the SR60 price, well then, save for ultraportability, the SR60's will take over in the sound department. Yet, at or below the $50 mark, the iGrados seem to reign for me. The build quality is quite a bit better than 35's and 75's in my opinion, but then the design principles are also different so it is hard to compare. The iGrados are a sleeper phone and for some reason haven't been granted the same love as other similarly priced phones. They are comfortable, have a full-bodied sound, are very fun, easy to drive and don't have harsh highs at all with generous portions of bass and a good mid-range. Sure it has less detail than the rest of the Grados, but it is a portable after all. Doing the above mods (quarter mod and back foam removed) and one can approach the level of the unmodded SR60's).

Seriously, for most people a pair of iGrados and a decent DAP is all the gear they will ever need. My wife still uses the 35's but they are long gone off the market and with their flimsy build, even with gentle care we've communally gone through 5 pairs in 7 years. The iGrados though? ROBUST!