[Lorspeaker]

I recently heard the new Fostex T40RPMk3 with the Fiio X1 dap loaded with Wav music.
V spacious soundg...clean treble without sibilance...bass with good body without being loose.

Grado 225 is probably the least sibilant amongst the first few gradomodels.
325 is a nono

880 is a a few nono.

If u want a fullbodied spacious mellow soundg bluetoooth...
Check out definitive technology symphony 1...
V comfy...great off yur fone..dun need any amp or dap.

 

[obobskivich]

When you say "death metal and acoustic" I really want to suggest Grado, but the point about brightness or stridency may be a problem depending on how sensitive to treble you are. Personally I think they're "just right" - bright without going too far - but I'm also kind of a treble head (I like bright headphones; there's only a few that really annoy me - none are "too much"). IMHO they aren't sibilant, they're just bright - there's a difference - but to some folks that's still likely a problem (and I could see "bad brightness" being called "sibilant" in a pejorative sense). I would not consider the HD 580/600/650 family - those are warmer, more laid back, more polite, etc - they're *very* good headphones, but they aren't what I'd reach for when it comes to "death metal" (although for some slower acoustic genres, they can be absolutely fantastic).

The AKG K701 may be worth a look, but depending on what exactly you mean to plug into, they may not be the best choice as they're somewhat insensitive (my Walkman can drive them straight-out, but some PC soundcards or other portable devices won't fare so well - any sort of dedicated headphone amplifier should have no problem). They'll be somewhat tamer than the Grado cans, for better or worse.

You might finally give a look at the Ultrasone HFI-2400 (and before anyone jumps on me and goes "man Ultrasone makes bright headphones" - the 2400 are pretty sedate, very smooth, and do very well with a lot of rock/metal/grunge genres as well as acoustic music; they live up to their "hi fi" name quite well).

Oh, and very sorry to hear about your troubles.

 

[toadthedry]

Hi,

I imagine it is pretty tough right now for you. Sorry you are going through all of that. Music and exercise are awesome in tough times.

I own senn 650s and they are awesome. They are opened. One thing is they really benefit in my opinion from an amp. I have never heard the fidelo X2 but I have read good things about them and also read they do not need an amp. They are opened too.

But asking others about headphones can be tricky as everyone perceives things differently. Use other peoples opinions as a guide. Treat yourself to a trip to a good headphone shop or two. Must be some around your neck of the woods. Listen to some cans on whatever source you plan to listen from home on and get what you like.

Let me know what you end up with.

Mike

 

[chry5alis]

Exercise is definitely the best way to get over a break-up.  See this as an opportunity to use as motivation and make a difference to yourself - they don't come around very often.
 
For this reason I am recommending a good pair of IEM's.

 

[darwinvsjesus]

I'd love to have a really good pair of IEMs. And I totally get the whole exercise thing. I have a congenital heart defect and I am not able to do any kind of running or anything. I am, however, going to be lifting weights. 
 
That said, the primary reason I'm looking for new headphones for now is just because I have a funny feeling that the V-modas aren't doing justice to Lantlos and Deafheaven, and I find that the HD-25s sound really, really congested now since I'm used to the V-modas. My primary aim is to get lost in the music I love.  I am absolutely going to test out the Grados and if I like them I'm going to get them because they are so inexpensive it seems like a steal.  It would be between the SR80 and the SR225, based on what I've read. I'll let my ears decide. 
 
 
The thing is, I'm still living with this girl for another two weeks and I'm the only one with a job -- and it gives me a good chuckle that she gets mad about me blowing my hard-earned money on myself. And it was a really good job that I'm leaving to move back home. But my mental health comes first. So the headphones are really just meant to help me rediscover some music, or hear it in a way I never have before. It's true that with good headphones you can be utterly astonished. I want that.

 

[darwinvsjesus]

I have to reiterate that the brightness is not the issue -- it's when treble becomes to sibilant that it's sharp.  The HD-25s are like that, mostly. But I still listen to them. From what I've read, Grado (also, how is that pronounced?) is a good choice to at least have. I have no intention of having one set of cans. I'd like to get a whole collection of them, each with their own purpose among my music library.

 

[M-13]

So are you looking for a closed portable set up or are you fine with open-backed on the desk type of set up?
 
For portable I would say maybe Beyerdynamic T51p + Fiio X5ii for a good time. Or the Westone W30s.
 
For at home listening I would say Sennheiser HD650 + Schiit audio Vali/Modi 2 (uber) would be nice too
 
Not sure what you're budget is but your story has touched me.
 
I have sort of a similar story and mental health issues are really serious issues that many people seem to underplay/overlook
 
I can definitely help you with recommendations as I've been here for a while. PM me anytime

 

 

[obobskivich]

I have to reiterate that the brightness is not the issue -- it's when treble becomes to sibilant that it's sharp.  The HD-25s are like that, mostly. But I still listen to them. From what I've read, Grado (also, how is that pronounced?) is a good choice to at least have. I have no intention of having one set of cans. I'd like to get a whole collection of them, each with their own purpose among my music library.

I wouldn't regard the Grados as sharp/sibilant - they're bright but quite smooth/refined, especially as you move up the line, imo. As far as pronunciation - "gray dough" is correct.

As far as the multiple cans "for different kinds of music" I generally don't like that arrangement, because type-casting doesn't do favors for many truly excellent headphones, however multiple headphones offering multiple listening experiences is a nice option vs speaker-systems that largely are harder to "swap out" as your tastes change. But I wouldn't regard it as "well this headphone is for this genre" or similar, again because it narrows the functionality or usefulness of a headphone - none of these designers are specifically making a headphone to be type-cast.

 

[riledo]

I'm sorry for what you are going through, that sucks.
 
I'd like to second the Philips Fidelio X2 recommendation - for background, I own a pair of HD600's & a pair of X1's (with replacement cable).  The X1's/2's just sound good with whatever I throw at them, and for the record, I have my HD600's paired with a Valhalla 2 tube amp, so they have plenty driving them, and I love them, and I'd still recommend that you'd probably enjoy the X2's quite a bit as being the high end, well rounded (for extremes in music) choice here. Especially given that they sound just stunning whether driven by a phone or a $400 amplifier.

 

[EekOZ]

Hey Man,
 
Really sorry to hear about what you're going through and as with all other fellow forum members, I too wish you all the best moving forward. Be strong! 
 
Moving on to headphones, I'll be another one to recommend grados as an option to consider for metal and acoustic. Was just listening to some Iron & Wine last night and it sounded sweet on the grados. 
 
Though I do agree that they can be perceived as bright, I also agree with what was said a few posts up, they are quite smooth. I generally don't do well with too bright, but found them to be fine. You are better off giving them a listen first though, but if like me you have nowhere near you where you can demo them, it's a bit of a gamble I guess. For me the gamble paid off and they'll always have a place no matter how many other cans I own. 
 
In addition to my Grados, I also own a pair of Sennheiser HD650's and 95% of the time the Grados are my go to. When listening to metal I find they allow you to really hear and pick each instrument, where on the HD650's a lot gets 'blurred' in the low end. On acoustic the Grados pick out vocals exceptionally well and those mids IMO also really compliment acoustic guitar. Sennheisers also handle acoustic really well, more laid back approach, and on songs with a piano or strings focus, I feel the HD650's have more of an edge. 
 
Grados are easy to drive too without an amp, but Sennheiser 650's as mentioned earlier would benefit from an amp. 

 

[chry5alis]

In that case if its big chunky headphones, comfort fit, that sound great, easy to drive, then I also recommend the fidelio x2

 

[darwinvsjesus]

Eexactly. It's really for different genres. But it's about experiencing the music in different ways. 

 

[darwinvsjesus]

  Hey Man,
 
Really sorry to hear about what you're going through and as with all other fellow forum members, I too wish you all the best moving forward. Be strong! 
 
Moving on to headphones, I'll be another one to recommend grados as an option to consider for metal and acoustic. Was just listening to some Iron & Wine last night and it sounded sweet on the grados. 
 
Though I do agree that they can be perceived as bright, I also agree with what was said a few posts up, they are quite smooth. I generally don't do well with too bright, but found them to be fine. You are better off giving them a listen first though, but if like me you have nowhere near you where you can demo them, it's a bit of a gamble I guess. For me the gamble paid off and they'll always have a place no matter how many other cans I own. 
 
In addition to my Grados, I also own a pair of Sennheiser HD650's and 95% of the time the Grados are my go to. When listening to metal I find they allow you to really hear and pick each instrument, where on the HD650's a lot gets 'blurred' in the low end. On acoustic the Grados pick out vocals exceptionally well and those mids IMO also really compliment acoustic guitar. Sennheisers also handle acoustic really well, more laid back approach, and on songs with a piano or strings focus, I feel the HD650's have more of an edge. 
 
Grados are easy to drive too without an amp, but Sennheiser 650's as mentioned earlier would benefit from an amp. 

which Grados do you have?

 

[EekOZ]

  which Grados do you have?

Sorry, I have the SR325e. 
 
I took the liberty to listen to some Cannibal Corpse (Kill album) and didn't find sibilance to be an issue at all on the Grados. Loved the way they mapped the guitars, especially on Make Them Suffer. I then listened to some Decapitated - Empty Throne, Deicide - Trifixion,  Carcass - This Mortal Coil, Marduk - Christraping Black Metal and again found them to be fine for me, except for Marduk which was more borderline to being overly bright...but it may just have been my copy.
 
Purity Ring was a bit of a "lol" directly coming from Cannibal Corpse as I don't know them, but to my untrained ear the Grados delivered. Song I listened to was Begin Again, and it was clean, crisp vocals, good soundstage. I even went on to listen to the next song on the playlist, Belispeak. Grados sounded like they eat synth staccato and arpeggio progressions for breakfast. I then switched over to my Sennheiser HD650's and didn't feel the same attack on the song as with the Grados, but a very solid balanced performance with more depth in the low end.
 
That said, only thing I can really point out after listening to Purity Ring is, if you're looking for bass, then Grados may not be what you're after. They do really well with metal, rock, acoustic and I thought they held their own with the Purity Ring, but some might wish for more bass in that genre (is it electro pop, is that even a genre? lol). 
 
Not sure how Grado SR80e compares to the 325e, but I see Massdrop.com is running them for $75.    
 
Hope this helps.

 

[darwinvsjesus]

I've got the v-modas for stuff like purity ring. For stuff like Cannibal Corpse, Marduk, Ahab, et cetera, I still need something. I'm going to demo the Grados tomorrow. And the Fidelios are on my list.