jruser
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2005
- Posts
- 100
- Likes
- 11
Ok, I got my SR-60 last week and had some pretty big emergencies to deal with so I am just now getting back here. I will be comparing these to my (deceased) HD-25 SP. Both were powered from a MINT (OPA2227). I got the SR-60 used, although it was in practically new condition to my eyes and the owner said it was only a month and a half old.
Comfort: first think I noticed when I put on the SR-60 was how much better it felt on my head than the HD-25 SP. I always read on here about how painful Grado's are, but these are miles ahead of the SP in terms of comfort. I can't explain the difference, but it is like night an day.
Cord: I liked the thick cord. Should hold up well. It is somewhat misleading as the conductors in the cord are not as thick as they appear, but there is a lot of the black rubber part around it which should keep it from getting broken/tangled/ripped. I do not like the cord length. It is a couple feet shorter than the SP cord. The cord is too long for portable use, but too short for home use. I do not like it.
Build Quality: The headhpones seem pretty cheap, although it seems likely that they can take a bit of punishment. (But Grado offers good repair/upgrade services of old headphones don't they?)
Silver Lettering:I was kind of disappointed to see that after a week some of the silver lettering is rubbing off. I do not even think I touched the lettering, and they were sat still pads down. This makes me feel that the previous owner barely touched them. Does anybody that actually use these headphones on a regular basis still have the silver lettering? A lot of them on the F/S forum seem to still have it, but I cannot see anybody actually using the headphones having it on there still.
Openness: I was weary of getting open headphones, but am actually liking the lack of isolation. For example playing computer games with teammates in the same room, I can put on minimal volume and communicate very well. Also, I will be living alone soon, and figure it will be nice to be able to hear the phone, or knocks on the door, or fire alarms. I was worried about disturbing my roommate with open phones while he tries to sleep, and while at what I would consider a normal volume, they leak pretty bad, about 2/3rds of the normal volume and any sound leaks is easily drowned out by the fan/AC/computer. I do miss the closed phones though for blocking out noise when the people next door decide to turn on their gian subwoofer and play rap music, or when my roommate is snoring too loudly.
Sound Quality: I first put them on, put in some music that I was familiar with, and thought "what is the big deal over these phones?" They seem to have less bass and less treble compared to my old SP's. For instance, the bass drum in songs just doesn't seem to kick as hard. What is there is accurate, and they seem to produce pretty low, but the impact seems weak. The treble seems less, although not a lot. The problem I am having, is that vocals seem in the background. On the SP's I would put them on and the vocals would be in my face, which I liked. On the SR-60 it is like the vocals are in the background and on some music, I find myself straining to understand the lyrics.
They are clear, and the sonic signature is different than the SP's, but I could not say which one is better or worse. On the SP's I felt like I was standing right in middle of the stage right next to the vocalist, on the Grado I feel like I am in middle of the audience. The listening fatigue is less, but they also seem a little less fun to me. I guess that is what people mean by sound stage.
I guess the SP's seemed to have a frequency responce like a U, while the Grados seem to be more like an n. That is what it seems like to me, but I have a feeling it is opposite of the truth. I wish my SP's were still alive so I could listen to them next to each other, but oh well. I try to think about which one is accurate and which one is colored, but I guess it comes down to opinion.
On a final note, the more I wear these headphones, the more I smile. I want to keep them on my head. I still miss my other headphones though, but also feel like upgrading to some higher end Grado phones.
BTW, these headphones BEG for volume. Be careful. On the SPs turning it up too loud was almost painful. On these I just want to keep turning it up. I have had impaired hearing since birth so I keep it low. This is just a warning to others.
Comfort: first think I noticed when I put on the SR-60 was how much better it felt on my head than the HD-25 SP. I always read on here about how painful Grado's are, but these are miles ahead of the SP in terms of comfort. I can't explain the difference, but it is like night an day.
Cord: I liked the thick cord. Should hold up well. It is somewhat misleading as the conductors in the cord are not as thick as they appear, but there is a lot of the black rubber part around it which should keep it from getting broken/tangled/ripped. I do not like the cord length. It is a couple feet shorter than the SP cord. The cord is too long for portable use, but too short for home use. I do not like it.
Build Quality: The headhpones seem pretty cheap, although it seems likely that they can take a bit of punishment. (But Grado offers good repair/upgrade services of old headphones don't they?)
Silver Lettering:I was kind of disappointed to see that after a week some of the silver lettering is rubbing off. I do not even think I touched the lettering, and they were sat still pads down. This makes me feel that the previous owner barely touched them. Does anybody that actually use these headphones on a regular basis still have the silver lettering? A lot of them on the F/S forum seem to still have it, but I cannot see anybody actually using the headphones having it on there still.
Openness: I was weary of getting open headphones, but am actually liking the lack of isolation. For example playing computer games with teammates in the same room, I can put on minimal volume and communicate very well. Also, I will be living alone soon, and figure it will be nice to be able to hear the phone, or knocks on the door, or fire alarms. I was worried about disturbing my roommate with open phones while he tries to sleep, and while at what I would consider a normal volume, they leak pretty bad, about 2/3rds of the normal volume and any sound leaks is easily drowned out by the fan/AC/computer. I do miss the closed phones though for blocking out noise when the people next door decide to turn on their gian subwoofer and play rap music, or when my roommate is snoring too loudly.
Sound Quality: I first put them on, put in some music that I was familiar with, and thought "what is the big deal over these phones?" They seem to have less bass and less treble compared to my old SP's. For instance, the bass drum in songs just doesn't seem to kick as hard. What is there is accurate, and they seem to produce pretty low, but the impact seems weak. The treble seems less, although not a lot. The problem I am having, is that vocals seem in the background. On the SP's I would put them on and the vocals would be in my face, which I liked. On the SR-60 it is like the vocals are in the background and on some music, I find myself straining to understand the lyrics.
They are clear, and the sonic signature is different than the SP's, but I could not say which one is better or worse. On the SP's I felt like I was standing right in middle of the stage right next to the vocalist, on the Grado I feel like I am in middle of the audience. The listening fatigue is less, but they also seem a little less fun to me. I guess that is what people mean by sound stage.
I guess the SP's seemed to have a frequency responce like a U, while the Grados seem to be more like an n. That is what it seems like to me, but I have a feeling it is opposite of the truth. I wish my SP's were still alive so I could listen to them next to each other, but oh well. I try to think about which one is accurate and which one is colored, but I guess it comes down to opinion.
On a final note, the more I wear these headphones, the more I smile. I want to keep them on my head. I still miss my other headphones though, but also feel like upgrading to some higher end Grado phones.
BTW, these headphones BEG for volume. Be careful. On the SPs turning it up too loud was almost painful. On these I just want to keep turning it up. I have had impaired hearing since birth so I keep it low. This is just a warning to others.
