[StratCat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MilkyWay /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats it, I'm going to keep them both, until I get the HA5000+W5000 combo. For portable though it's a no brainer when comparing the D2000 and K701.

Yeah, I'd definitely not sell the 701's on a two day lark w/o living with both for a while. As good as the 701's are, the D2000's are great as a change, especially when you want some bass or isolation.

I guess I'm just saying I wouldn't hurry to a quick sale and possibly regret it later. There's often that "first try" honeymoon period with new cans.

JMHO

 

[Chu]

I'm sort of curious, what exactly is the sticking point in your decision?

Those three headphones are nothing alike and I'm wondering what specifically is causing you so much trouble in deciding after reading so many reviews.

One note on Grado's that I haven't seen in this thread so far -- some people find them supremely comfortable, some people literally have their ears bleed after using them. If this ends up being your final choice then you need to get them someplace where they are returnable if you're in the latter category.

It's also a little odd you have open and closed phones on this list. Nothing in the op says anything about the listening environment. Is one naturally more suited than the other?

 

[eruditass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is such a hassle to do that to say 80 gigs worth of music. Besides that, 89db is too low to enjoy on an ipod IMO I'd rather have great cans and forget eq

you should do this anyway because many recordings will have clipping by default.

it only takes 1 or 2 nights left on running.. you can even listen to music while it does it. once it analyzes the songs once, you can change them a lot quicker. any songs already analyzed will take a second.

drag whole music folder into mp3gain, listen to music for a while, hit album gain, and do whatever.. sleep, listen to music, etc.

if you're listening to music while it is playing, all it does is skip that one file, so just run it again and it will take a couple seconds to do whatever song you were listening to.

 

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sort of curious, what exactly is the sticking point in your decision? Those three headphones are nothing alike and I'm wondering what specifically is causing you so much trouble in deciding after reading so many reviews. One note on Grado's that I haven't seen in this thread so far -- some people find them supremely comfortable, some people literally have their ears bleed after using them. If this ends up being your final choice then you need to get them someplace where they are returnable if you're in the latter category. It's also a little odd you have open and closed phones on this list. Nothing in the op says anything about the listening environment. Is one naturally more suited than the other?

I've never heard of anyone's ears bleeding from 325is.

I'm a huge fan of 'em, but even I would never call them "supremely comfortable". "Nice for an hour or so" maybe. I've nicknamed my pair "No Pain, No Gain".

 

[donunus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomzDayz /img/forum/go_quote.gif you should do this anyway because many recordings will have clipping by default.

Ive tried mp3gain on a recording that had clipping by default. It doesn't fix it. It just lowers the volume. The damage has been done at the record company. You can't restore what was already been recorded with clipping on it.

 

[strangemusic]

Wow, I haven't been to Head-Fi in ages... and to think my wallet was safe!

I own the K701 and have had extensive listening experience with the 325i... based on what you describe as your musical tastes and so forth, between those two (as the ones I have actually heard) I would probably recommend the Grados. They sound very forward, present, and "live on stage": it's not "A concert on your head" which is actually done really well by the K701, but more like "the musician's guitar feels like it's in your hand". I think they would also perform better straight from a source like an iPod without an amp. The K701 is quite amp-dependent and needs a good bit of juice IMHO to sound truly great. Both phones have great treble response (the 325 is brighter-sounding where the 701 is super smooooth and light), and the Grados have a bit better bass response. And if you're going to use them portably the K701 looks a little odd...

and honestly I think mine would be too fragile to take outside! I'd get too worried about them! As for the all-important comfort issue... the K701 is like a warm fur coat on your head. Except for the "bumpy" headband which turns lots of people off or so it seems (maybe those with less hair than me?), I find them to be amazingly comfortable. The 325s are less comfy, they grip the head a bit less tightly and have foam pads as opposed to the soft fabric ones on the K701, but they're certainly not excruciating by any means!

Furthermore, don't use the iPod preset EQ! I agree with posters who have already said "find a pair of phones that accentuate what you want to hear".

 

[Charles_1985]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ive tried mp3gain on a recording that had clipping by default. It doesn't fix it. It just lowers the volume. The damage has been done at the record company. You can't restore what was already been recorded with clipping on it.

Very true. IMO it's best to have all your music at one volume though . . . if you're listening to a normalized track and then a ridiculous 98.0 db song comes on, it's annoying. Best to normalize it all to one level. 92.0 db is a good compromise.

 

[f00fighters]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif and for heavens sake, stop using the ipods eq! it adds too much clipping. just leave it off. With your current amp, I wouldn't suggest hard to drive cans like the k701. The denon d2000s might do ok as well as the grado sr325i. You might also want to try the sennheiser hd600s as well

Quote:

Originally Posted by strangemusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Furthermore, don't use the iPod preset EQ! I agree with posters who have already said "find a pair of phones that accentuate what you want to hear".

You are absolutely correct, I appreciate that. I can't believe after all this time, I finally realize I am better off without using that dumb EQ. It's funny, I've had those shure se530's for over a year NOW i'm finally starting to appreciate them more as a result of disabling the EQ presets. Find a pair of phones that accentuate what I want to hear only makes more sense.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles_1985 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Your whole post says Grado except for the soundstage part. Grados are genre-specific. I have MS-1s (like Grados except a bit more neutral) and while I love the way they engage me in fast music, I always end up putting on my AD700s since the soundstage is so awesome. It's even better on the D2000s. If you can live with the limited soundstage, the Grados are the way to go. Rock/acoustic are where they really shine. The D2000 is a better headphone for listening to a variety of genres. Also, not sure if you saw the sticky but there's a dictionary of all the terms like "bright": http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/des...ossary-220770/ If you use MP3Gain and normalize your music to 89.0 db, you shouldn't have any clipping while using the iPod's rock EQ setting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninja13ear /img/forum/go_quote.gif i was in the exact position as you. i couldn't decide between those 3 headphones. i was able to auditon the k701 and the grados ranging from sr60-rs1's--except for the 325's(sold out). i never tried the denons so i cant comment on them. i love my 701's, they sound great, but not as great as the grados when it comes to rock. if i was you, i would completely and fully go for the grado's! its very frustrating choosing, but you cant go wrong with either. just buy one and you wont regret it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by yashicaman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Decisons, decisions. In the best of all worlds, you'd just buy the 3 headphones that you list and call it a day. I have a pair of AKG 701's and a pair of Grado 325i's. I adore them both, but I love the Grado 325i more for its ability to rock. I like the AKG 701's for jazz and classical, but the Grado 325i's for metal, punk, and rock 'n' roll. I guess that if I had to pick, I'd run with the Grado's. I'd get the 325i's now and in a year or two maybe score a pair of AkG 701's.

Honestly, as subjective as this sounds, I think I'm inclined toward the Grado's. From what I'm hearing, Grado seems to have a passionate following, almost cult-like. I'm passionate the same way when it comes to Apple computers/products. Discovery is something I'm excited about and looking forward too. And thank you so much for referring to me to glossary terms of sound. That certainly educated more on my understanding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sort of curious, what exactly is the sticking point in your decision? Those three headphones are nothing alike and I'm wondering what specifically is causing you so much trouble in deciding after reading so many reviews. One note on Grado's that I haven't seen in this thread so far -- some people find them supremely comfortable, some people literally have their ears bleed after using them. If this ends up being your final choice then you need to get them someplace where they are returnable if you're in the latter category. It's also a little odd you have open and closed phones on this list. Nothing in the op says anything about the listening environment. Is one naturally more suited than the other?

I think maybe I'd prefer open headphones, because closed headphones often times produce that seal that I don't like. I don't like that congested sealed, echoey feeling I get. Even the shures give me that closed sealed feeling that I'm not too particularly fond of. I feel like it takes a bit a way from the natural sound of things. But honestly, If not opposed to closed headphones either. If it can produce a better sound, then by all means, I will go for it.

On the other hand, closed maybe good, because my wife can get a bit bitc*@y, when the leaking out sound bothers her. And for good reason

I love my wife.

I will primarily using these headphones in my home. When I travel, I will most likely use my shures.


Quote:

Originally Posted by DoomzDayz /img/forum/go_quote.gif you should do this anyway because many recordings will have clipping by default. it only takes 1 or 2 nights left on running.. you can even listen to music while it does it. once it analyzes the songs once, you can change them a lot quicker. any songs already analyzed will take a second. drag whole music folder into mp3gain, listen to music for a while, hit album gain, and do whatever.. sleep, listen to music, etc. if you're listening to music while it is playing, all it does is skip that one file, so just run it again and it will take a couple seconds to do whatever song you were listening to.

I would like to avoid actually modifying the actual music itself, because I'd be afraid I may not like the result and I wouldn't be able to get it back to the original way it was. I don't mind screw with metadata a bit, but that's as far as I go. 95% of my music is in Apple Lossless. I deleted almost all of my mp3's. And was able to obtain almost everything in lossless. It was the best decision I have ever made. Although, I made a huge sacrifice when it comes to capacity.


I appreciate everyone's quick responses/feedback. So far, the 325i/k701 is on my list.

 

[eruditass]

for closed vs open.. there are many good closed designs that don't have a congested echo-y feeling, which is significantly pronounced on IEMs like shures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by f00fighters /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to avoid actually modifying the actual music itself, because I'd be afraid I may not like the result and I wouldn't be able to get it back to the original way it was. I don't mind screw with metadata a bit, but that's as far as I go. 95% of my music is in Apple Lossless. I deleted almost all of my mp3's. And was able to obtain almost everything in lossless. It was the best decision I have ever made. Although, I made a huge sacrifice when it comes to capacity. I appreciate everyone's quick responses/feedback. So far, the 325i/k701 is on my list.

it's a lossless and completely and quickly reversible.. at least for mp3's, flac, aac, etc. they are stored in the comment and built into the format, thus why it is quick, it doesnt edit the actual sound data. not sure about apple lossless

 

[HeadLover]

I will take the Grado

Much more suitable for Rock !

 

[baglunch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by f00fighters /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would like to avoid actually modifying the actual music itself, because I'd be afraid I may not like the result and I wouldn't be able to get it back to the original way it was. I don't mind screw with metadata a bit, but that's as far as I go.

I've got nothing to add about any of the headphones, but replaygain (and, I presume mp3gain) only adds a metadata tag, which most players recognize. It won't modify the song itself at all, and is entirely, losslessly reversible. Check it out. I mostly listen to my playlist in shuffle mode, and I use replaygain on every one of my songs (using per-track gain) so I never have to fiddle with the volume.

....aaand it looks like DoomzDayz already said the same thing. Oh well.

 

[Yukon Trooper]

D2000's are my overall favorite pair of cans. D2000's, SR225's, AD900's, HD650's and KSC75's all reside in my collection.

SR225's are fun, but the sound loses its novelty after awhile, and the soundstage is nonexistent.

AD900's are my favorite for acoustical, female vocals, and gaming. The bass is too shy for other types of music, at least for my tastes. For gaming, I just up the bass in the control panel.

HD650's are the best for large orchestra pieces, classical, anything else that needs a soundstage.

D2000's just do everything so well all-around, and I prefer them over the SR225's for rock, as long as they have the proper amplification. I suggest an amp that doesn't take away any bass, but tightens it up and slams it. These get 80% of my head-time when I'm at home.

Pick up a pair of KSC75's for your out n' about iPod headphones. Yummy for the price!