[Alig112]

Hey Guys.
A while ago I had been told by a friend to buy some skull candy headphones. He seemed to think they were the best headphones in the world so I purchased them without really researching (I know, stupid decision right?). They are the biggest disappointment I have ever had in a purchase. Ever. Terrible quality sound. This put me off buying headphones for a while and just stuck with In-earphones.
So having learned from my mistake, I have been looking into buying a good pair of headphones. I have narrowed it down to hd555's and the slightly more expensive Grado sr-60i's, both of which are in my price range (up to £100).

So Basically this is a lot of money for me so: Which pair would you reccomend and why? Also, are the Grados really THAT uncomfy?
-Home Use
-Good Quality Sound
-Comfort (I use my computer a lot)
-I dont want to buy an amp atm.
Will these headphones truly be a lot better than the skullcandy's as I have limited experience with headphones.

any help appreciated
Thanks

 

[Donut]

You should know, people on this forum harbor an intense distaste for Skullcandy. The answer will universally be that both are better by a good long shot.

 

[Alig112]

Well I completely agree with them. I hate skullcandys. I just haven't used many headphones before and want to be sure that the two headphones I am thinking of are good. I won't get to try them out because of where I live

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Equus]

The Grados are not the most uncomfortable things I've put on my head, but they weren't super comfy either. Personally, the sparkly treble started fatiguing me, so that really was what stopped me rather than the headband. Though you said you don't want an amp right now, I should say that this was at work auditioning a coworker's pair through a Corda 2Move.

I can't speak to the HD555's having never heard them at all, but if you can say what your music tastes are and whether sound isolation makes any difference whatsoever, someone with experience with them might be able to help you.

 

[Pepsi]

The headphones you just listed are quite popular here on head-fi, and both brands are very reputable. I would give a thumbs-up in terms of considering those as an entry level headphone.

Some others to consider are the HD448, and the little more expensive Audio-technica ATH-M50.

 

[tisb0b]

The Alessandro MS1's would be your best bet as they should work out cheaper if you order them direct: Alessandro High-End Products

 

[Alig112]

To Equus - So they aren't drastically uncomfortable? Well to be honest I like most music. The only music I tend to stay away from is chart music. But I guess I sway toward vocalists and rock bands such as led zeppelin.
To Pepsi - by entry level do you mean someone who is new to headphones (sorry I am a bit of a newb)? I will look into those other head phone.
Thank you both for the quick replies. Very helpful

 

[Alig112]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tisb0b /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Alessandro MS1's would be your best bet as they should work out cheaper if you order them direct: Alessandro High-End Products

yes I have seen a lot of praise for the MS1's in these forums. However, I live in the UK and the site doesn't give any information about shipping details.

 

[Equus]

Pepsi probably uses entry level meaning your wallet won't need resuscitation or necromancy to keep it alive, unlike some of the other options out there. ^_^

As far as comfort, I could probably use them longer than KSC75s, but I wear glasses and hate clip-ons while others find KSC75s very comfy, so it's hard to say. I can say that I have a big head (both literally and figuratively) and I wasn't bothered too much by clamping force or the pads or anything. My coworker's pair, I'm betting, are pretty worn in though too.

If Zeppelin is your groove, you may really like the in-your-face presentation of the Grados and Allesandros, along with the sparkle.

 

[Alig112]

Equus - Oh right, well entry level headphones are definitely the ones for me. (Thanks for clearing that up)

Ok well thats good news. I think I am starting to be swayed towards the grados. Sorry about all the questions about comfort but is the grado's comfort issue just a minor issue?
Yeah zeppelin is one of my most listened bands so hearing them through a good pair of headphones sounds great. Thank you for your advice. I am close to purchasing the Grados.

 

[Alig112]

By the way, I forgot to mention, I think I would like open headphones because I am looking more for sound quality rather than base. It doesn't matter about sound leakage.

 

[Equus]

You probably won't know for yourself if the Grados are going to pose a comfort issue or not for you until you try them. Some people can't stand them, some people have little or no trouble. Like I said, I had problems with fatigue from the treble while trying them out and probably couldn't last more than an hour or so with them, but some people can listen to them all day. I know that doesn't seem very helpful to you in choosing, but you pretty much can only take what people say with a grain of salt and see how it works for you. This pretty much applies to everything about headphones unless we were talking about cost of materials or something else that we could directly quantify. ^_^

If sound leaking is not a problem, then open is probably the way to go. There are some very good closed phones out there, but there are added complications from the closed design and you usually have to go a little higher on the price scale until you get to closed cans that either don't suffer or make use of the design.

 

[joomongj]

About the comfort of Grado cans; my ps1k sounds wicked but it's far from the most comfortable 'phones. Nevermind the top-tier flagship status they advertise let alone the unsymmetrical sloppy rim finish on one of the cups, the soft foams feel dirt cheap and the thin headband pressing down on my skull in the long haul due to the heavy weight of the aluminum cups just turn me off. I expect a better construction quality for the msrp. Regardless of what I think it exudes quite the contrasting image from beyer T1. I'm not the only one to quibble over their craftsmanship so in case you do go Grados and find yourself on a similar boat, don't say we didn't warn you.

 

[Alig112]

Ok. Well again, thank you very much Equus. You have been extremely helpful and I am going to purchase the grados. So excited

I will let you know how I find them.
Yeah, I won't be taking these anywhere so that is fine. Is it because with the closed type, you get sound bouncing around a lot in the headphones?
Thanks

 

[Equus]

joomonj does bring up a valid point. Were the Grados I tried terribly uncomfortable? No. Kinda cheap craftsmanship-wise? In some ways, yes.

As to closed vs open, the sound bouncing around is one potential design challenge. The other is that open backed by their nature let in ambient sound from your environment, which has an effect on how you perceive things. I'm sure someone with more experience and engineering background could add or expound, but yeah. It'll be easier at a lower price point to find decent open versus decent closed.