[K-Woodz]

Hi, 
Im Keith. I have been leeching off this site for knowledge for about a year now, and after reading multiple threads full of flaming and bashing, i decided this was my kind of place. 

 
Anyhow, i recently began voluntarily commuting via public transportation, and i have found myself with a lot more time to use my headphones. I have been a musician for many years and i appreciate "good tone". Im no slouch when it comes to NOS tubes, tube rolling, amp modification, etc. I just never really paid much attention to the "final product" ...
 
I recently got rid of my 6th Gen iPod classic, which i never really liked, and acquired an iPod 5.5 video and booted rock box. Everything on it is FLAC or equivalent. Im loving it so far. My main headphones are Skullcandy Aviators which i received from them for free
(and were the first consumer headphones i ever put on that made my eyebrows raise...yes, i know..there are much better options out there).
I have used some great headphones in recording studios, but I'm generally only listening to the playback of my own track, which i am already horribly critical of. I never thought of actually "getting out what i put in" until i visited an audiophile's house to pick up NOS tubes. His whole living room was like a soundstage and the source was an amazing, Teres Audio turntable. It was truly life changing. 
 
Im currently looking into a set of Grados for home use and a portable amp for my iPod for use with a LOD. Im looking forward to picking up tons of knowledge. 
 
 
-Keith

 

[White Lotus]

Hey Keith, great to meet you, welcome to the community.
 
The aviators really aren't that bad! They might be a little expensive, but it sounds like you paid the right price..
 
Say, ever looked into the Alessando MS1? It's a great "start point" for the Grado sound, and dirt cheap. They have an almost cult-like following!

 

[K-Woodz]

Hey Keith, great to meet you, welcome to the community.
 
The aviators really aren't that bad! They might be a little expensive, but it sounds like you paid the right price..
 
Say, ever looked into the Alessando MS1? It's a great "start point" for the Grado sound, and dirt cheap. They have an almost cult-like following!

Thanks for the tip. I will definitely check those out. My biggest gripe about the Avaitors is the lack of isolation even though they are closed back.

 

[Me x3]

Hi,

Shure's Srh-840/940 are very good options in terms of sound quality and isolation.
Srh-840 are probably more fun while Srh-940 are detail monsters.

Best Luck!

 

[doc-oren]

Hello, I just joined the forum after several years of passive reading. Joined it mostly to write a review about my SRH940 and than saw this thread.
 
Yes, they (the 940) are very detailed. They still sound good even when driven by my smartphone or my Sandisk Sansa. and when they are not broken they provide good isolation.
 
I also have the Grado SR80 (somewhat similar to the MS-1), survived much abuse, sounds nice, though not as detailed as the 940 and open-backed, so no isolation whatsoever and not very good if you want to be isolated from the typical noises of public transportation. What about IEMs?

 

[K-Woodz]

Hello, I just joined the forum after several years of passive reading. Joined it mostly to write a review about my SRH940 and than saw this thread.
 
Yes, they (the 940) are very detailed. They still sound good even when driven by my smartphone or my Sandisk Sansa. and when they are not broken they provide good isolation.
 
I also have the Grado SR80 (somewhat similar to the MS-1), survived much abuse, sounds nice, though not as detailed as the 940 and open-backed, so no isolation whatsoever and not very good if you want to be isolated from the typical noises of public transportation. What about IEMs?

I have the monoprice 8320s? The ones that everyone raves about. They are pretty good but don't isolate that well.

I also have the vmoda faze earbuds. They isolate much better, but I think the monoprice sounds better. I have ear damage induced tinnitus in the right ear and the earbuds seem to exasperate it more than cans. Although, the balance feature in rockbox allows me to tilt the sound more to the left, which works amazing for my issue.