[emericanchaos]

my setup should be listed below. if not i'm using an M-Audio FW solo out to a DV 332. i play DT 990's and i've never been extremely happy with them.

i'd say my problems with this setup starts with a complete lack of mids. i listen to alot of guitar laden music and my current setup always forces me to add EQ from .8k on up to 2k. i'm happy with the bright highs for the most part. they do get a bit sibilant and shrill on some things so i wouldn't mind a headphone that sacrifices some highs but not all. for my tastes i have way too much bass. the only time i really appreciate the bass is when i'm watching movies.

i'm not sure what's changed since i was last involved heavily in the community so i thought i'd drop a newbie post and see what kind of hits i get. IIRC i was recommend HD600/650's last time around due mostly to my amp.

most of my listening is music. mostly metal and guitar related stuff. i also do a fair bit with movies and games but that's maybe 15% of my total time. i'd like to only swap my headphones but if i have some equity in the amp i can maybe swap that too.

 

[hardstyler]

Interesting. I'm not sure how different 990pro is to 990 03 but I absolutely love listening to acoustic guitar albums on 990pro.

I mean the album "The Guitar Trio - John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia" sounds absolutely fantastic to my ears. Its like those 3 guitarists are sitting there in front of you playing music.

Or maybe 990 03 mids really are crap. Surely those 2 models can't sound that much different?

 

[scytheavatar]

Why would anyone recommend the HD600/HD650 to you? What you are looking for is obviously the Grados, just go get the SR225 or SR325 NOW.

 

[Herandu]

I wish there was a 'one size fits all' headphone, but I can't find one. You'll probably end up like most of us and have several headphones for different listening needs. Many HD650 owners also own the K701 as its complement. The new HD800 looks nice, but I would like to own the far cheaper SA5000 first.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...i'm happy with the bright highs for the most part. ... mostly metal and guitar related stuff.

I'll second the Grado recommendation. The SR-225, SR-325i and MS-2i should be high on your list. If you could swing a used RS-2 or RS-1, you'd be even happier.

 

[djayjp]

only cans with less bass afaik are the grados... the beyer's are already known for being a little on the bright side, though the grados are perhaps worse for any possibility of shrillness/sibilance arising.

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardstyler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting. I'm not sure how different 990pro is to 990 03 but I absolutely love listening to acoustic guitar albums on 990pro. I mean the album "The Guitar Trio - John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia" sounds absolutely fantastic to my ears. Its like those 3 guitarists are sitting there in front of you playing music. Or maybe 990 03 mids really are crap. Surely those 2 models can't sound that much different?

i have the same 990's as in your av. i referred to them as 03's because the redesigned ones came out and alot of people were saying that they sound different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herandu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish there was a 'one size fits all' headphone, but I can't find one. You'll probably end up like most of us and have several headphones for different listening needs. Many HD650 owners also own the K701 as its complement. The new HD800 looks nice, but I would like to own the far cheaper SA5000 first.

i'm still a bit confused as to exactly where the K701's fit into the picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why would anyone recommend the HD600/HD650 to you? What you are looking for is obviously the Grados, just go get the SR225 or SR325 NOW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll second the Grado recommendation. The SR-225, SR-325i and MS-2i should be high on your list. If you could swing a used RS-2 or RS-1, you'd be even happier.

i've heard bad things about grado comfort plus i don't know how my amp would come into play with them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djayjp /img/forum/go_quote.gif only cans with less bass afaik are the grados... the beyer's are already known for being a little on the bright side, though the grados are perhaps worse for any possibility of shrillness/sibilance arising.

i thought that this was true for the 880's. 770's were very bass heavy and the 990's were more of the classic V shape with boosted bass and highs.

all in all i'm a bit confused as to where they all fall into place these days.

i also listen to some more relaxed stuff. sigur ros, chili peppers, as well as use my headphones for home theater purposes, movies, games etc.

i like this idea of having two different sets of cans i guess. i'd like to be able to keep as much of my existing rig as possible though. is there a way to run a grado type of headset (that's still comfortable) and another headset for movies and chill out music off of my amp? what would work that way?

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have the same 990's as in your av. i referred to them as 03's because the redesigned ones came out and alot of people were saying that they sound different. i'm still a bit confused as to exactly where the K701's fit into the picture. i've heard bad things about grado comfort plus i don't know how my amp would come into play with them. i thought that this was true for the 880's. 770's were very bass heavy and the 990's were more of the classic V shape with boosted bass and highs. all in all i'm a bit confused as to where they all fall into place these days. i also listen to some more relaxed stuff. sigur ros, chili peppers, as well as use my headphones for home theater purposes, movies, games etc. i like this idea of having two different sets of cans i guess. i'd like to be able to keep as much of my existing rig as possible though. is there a way to run a grado type of headset (that's still comfortable) and another headset for movies and chill out music off of my amp? what would work that way?

Have you actually tried the Grados? The comfort issue is something that varies according to the person, most people get used to it after a while. I think you should try out one of the low end Grados like the SR80.

Otherwise, you can look at the Audio Technica, the AD700/AD2000 are great for gaming and movies and is quite similar to the Grados in terms of speed and forward midrange. And is more comfortable.

But trust me, I have never seen a bigger "I WANT GRADOS!!!!" in head-fi ever. No matter how uncomfortable they are you'll want them.

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scytheavatar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you actually tried the Grados? The comfort issue is something that varies according to the person, most people get used to it after a while. I think you should try out one of the low end Grados like the SR80. Otherwise, you can look at the Audio Technica, the AD700/AD2000 are great for gaming and movies and is quite similar to the Grados in terms of speed and forward midrange. And is more comfortable. But trust me, I have never seen a bigger "I WANT GRADOS!!!!" in head-fi ever. No matter how uncomfortable they are you'll want them.

never tried them personally. i'm the top headphone nut around here and not many places sell them in stores.

i was looking at grado awhile back as well as audio technica. after all this conversation i might look into SR-325's. that's about what i was looking to spend on HD650's give or take. i don't know how they'd do in the home theater area of my listening though. my 990's are shot. my brother used to use them by cranking the amp all the way up and just holding them next to his head

now they crackle and distort on certain sounds.

 

[emericanchaos]

i know we were last talking about grado but i've been doing some shopping and i've found some nice pricing on audio technica's stuff. amazon.com has AD700's for about $100 new and i can get AD900's for about $240. in contrast 325i's seem to chime in at $295 or more.

so i ask you. given the situation and what not; would you go with one of the AD's or would going the way of grado really be ideal even with the cost.

i ask because it seems with either of the AT's or grados my voltage monster valve amp isn't necessary so i could hopefully sell that and use the proceeds to fund the new cans.

what kind of amplification would the AT's or grado's really thrive on? iirc grado's don't really require amping until you get into the very high end models.