[MacGP]

First of all let me say hello to everyone at Head-Fi. I’ve been reading the forum for a couple of months now and finally decided to sign-up and join the discussions. I’d especially like to thank Skylab for his one-of-a-kind work on Head-Fi. The amount of information he passes though the detailed reviews and his extensive experience with many different setups, definitively has helped a lot.

OK then, let get to the issue at hand. I’m a total newb in all things related to headphones. Although I have been working in the Home Theater custom installation business for over 10 years I never really paid any attention to headphones. Closest thing I got to using headphones was when the Sony walkman first came out but that didn’t last for more than a month before engaging some other youth related trend.

Some years ago I decided to buy an iPod and find out what the deal was with these portable media players. Little did I know it would grow on me and become an essential accessory during my commutes or while doing slow and repetitive work. As most people do, I used the iPod with the included headphones which started falling apart a couple of years later. Enjoying the earbud style for it would allow to listen to ambient sounds and hear if someone calls me, the failing Ipod earbuds got replaced with some cheap Sennheiser MX500’s which seemed to sound better than the original Apple headphones and their included volume control allowed for quick on-the-fly volume adjustments. Last year I finally decided to give another set of headphones a try. I got a new set of Sennheisers HD202’s and was blown away with their sound quality in respect to earbuds. I know the HD202’s are far from respectable in this crowd, but from someone who has never used closed type headphones they sound great. It sure did help me to rediscover all the music stored on the IPod and to start worrying about bitrates and even lossless formats. Last month I decided to finally upgrade the iPod to something that could play lossless formats. I finally settled on the Nationite S:Flo2 which is essentially a rebranded Teclast T51 sould through one of the forum sponsors, mp4nation. It will be arriving sometime later this month/early April.

Along with the portable media player update I decided to get a new set of headphones as well, something better than the HD202’s. I have narrowed my choices down to the Grado SR60i and the Audio Technica ATH-AD700, both of which can be found online close to 80 bucks. These are my 2 main choices after reading endless forum topics, buyer’s guides, reviews, etc. Since I’m currently working in Colombia (South America) I’m left with a very narrow selection of headphones, mainly cheap earbuds and DJ oriented cans. There is no way for me to audition the above mentioned models, so I have to take a leap of faith and pull the trigger on either one to have them delivered though my shipping forwarder in Florida. Cost alone on the cans will increase by about 25% due to shipping costs and customs duties. I plan to use the new headphones with the Nationite S:Flo2/Teclast T51, listening mainly to jazz, chamber music, lounge/chillout, and female vocals. Nothing really heavy and only a few occasional rock or pop titles.

I’d appreciate if some of you would take the time to share your experiences/suggestions with either model based on my (very) limited headphone experience, personal media player choice and musical preferences.

Thanks

Update!

The Audio Technica ATH-AD700's were delivered about 2 weeks ago. I've been breaking them in and will post some impressions in a couple of days. So far I really like them.

 

[Mochan]

Based on your listening tastes I think I'll recommend the AD700 for you, though I love the SR60. I haven't actually heard the AD700 though -- am in the process of acquiring one for myself. I'm just parroting what people are saying regarding the AD700.

Your taste seems to be more for the laidback stuff... SR60 is not ideal for that, though it will do. But I think the AD700 will be better for you. You probably will want to move on to a higher end open Sennheiser later on.

 

[MacGP]

Great, thanks for the input.

From several topics I've read on the issue it would seem the ATH-AD700 would be the better choice for my setup and listening preferences. It's just that the Grado's carry quite a reputation and somehow one feels compelled to include them on the short list.

I have another question. Although both headphones are open designs, I imagine the Grados suffer from more sound leakage (both out and in) than the Audio Technica, right? It's not that I'm looking for maximum isolation, just that it's OK if they block out some of the more subtle background noises that commonly occur in households, which is where I plan to use the new cans.

 

[jp_zer0]

neither of those cans block any sound. With my AD900 and MS1i, my computer's fans are still irritating.

I have to recommend the AD700, much better than SR60 when it comes to light music.

 

[Marximus]

Definitely AD700s. Really easy to drive, appropriate for your musical tastes.

 

[Head Injury]

As big a fan as I am of the SR60i, the AD700 is rumored to do wonders with female vocals. Chamber music likes big soundstage, and the AD700 has big soundstage, though I can't comment on how well it handles separation of instruments.

And neither one is going to block any sound. None. Well, like 2db. You'll hear a pin drop as long as you're not blasting your music.

Grados are also USA-exclusive. So I don't think they'll ship to Colombia. You may have to buy used if that's so. I wouldn't know, I don't live there

 

[nhancakes]

Side note, I found the sr60 to be fairly uncomfortable when I first had them. My ears adjusted later on, but they were never really great to wear. I think in terms of comfort you'd be better off getting the AD700.

 

[dorkvader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacGP /img/forum/go_quote.gif These are my 2 main choices after reading endless forum topics, buyer’s guides, reviews, etc.

That part alone makes me happy. I salute you. From what I've read, the AD900,which I own, is similar to the AD700,which I do not. From that, I would soy it will perform admirably for you, particularly with those genres you listed. What music I do have that is similar to that sounds really amazing. You'll have to try out some Soundstage-y music with them, It's wonderful.

I'm trying to fix my limited knowlege about the Grado line, so I'll leave that up to other people. I have read time and again that they are "aggressive," "in your face," etc. They apparently have little soundstage. I'd say they are great for rock (I head it once, and it was certainly great for rock) but I feel that's not really your style.

Keep in mind both these are open headphones. They don't block out sound well at all. This is good, because you can hear important things around you, but bad if your room-mate is behind you talking loudly into a phone and completely drowning out the music. On the other side of the volume control, other people will be able to easily hear your music if it's loud enough. I'd say that if it's loud enough to drown them out for you, they'll probably be annoyed with at.

Some people have comfort issues with Grados. Some people say the AD700 (and the AD900, as they look like they have almost identical headband designs) are big and don't fit well. I don't think I have a large head, and I've not had any trouble with it. For me, they are big, light, and comfy.

But seriously, I'd say you will likely be pleased with either headphone. I just think the AD700 will be better, as the AD900 that I have is superb with those types of musics.

Good luck with your purchasing, and listening!

 

[TobaccoRoad]

When I have a dilemma between two completely different headphones, I just buy both. Problem solved.

 

[gav007]

Your best bet is to go with the AD700 like many others have mentioned. I own the Grado SR80i which is just one model up on the SR60i and they are not ideal for your type of listening. They are used mostly for rock music since their sound is aggressive, but they don't have much of a soundstage for vocals.

 

[MacGP]

WoW, thanks for the responses. Was definitively leaning towards the AD700's and with all the positive feedback I now feel reassured that I'm heading in the right direction for my listening preferences.

The reason I asked earlier if the Audio Technica had less sound leakage than the Grado, is because visually the SR60s seem much more open. The design basically reminds me of the design Sony used when they started marketing the cassette Walkmans. I remember those things as a miniature omnidirectonal speaker rather than a headphone...

Anyways, thanks for your responses and I'll probably be posting my Impressions on the ATH-AD700 once I receive them. They'll probably come from Amazon although I missed a $5 discount they had last week

 

[bcpk]

I too would recommend the AD700s with one caveat : They're freaking huge. Not suggested for outdoor/portable use.

 

[Young Spade]

Grado line = Rock/metal/hardcore oriented. In your face signature.
Get the AD700s. They're open, very comfortable, and will handle the genres of music you listen to better than the Grados will.

 

[fjrabon]

Yeah, I just recently sold of my SR60i's, because my AD700's finally went from just sounding "different" to me to just sounding "better" to me, and I listen to probably 95% rock. I would definitely recommend the AD700 over them for the type of music you listen to, IMHO its not even close for those types of music. Honestly, I think that unless all you want out of music is to be upfront and "in your face" as possible, the AD700 is just an all around better headphone. It's much more refined, more comfortable, better quality build, more versatile for different types of music and more balanced. Yes, the AD700 is bass light, but the SR60i is only slightly better in that regard. The AD700 doesn't have the harsh frequency response spikes that the SR60i does.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I too would recommend the AD700s with one caveat : They're freaking huge. Not suggested for outdoor/portable use.

well, I wouldn't recommend SR60i's for outdoor/portable use either.