New headphones to complement Er-6i

[Avril Fourteenth]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend me some headphones to complement my Etymotic Er-6i's. I love them, but I am looking for something with a little more bass and out of the ear. These headphones will mostly be used inside, but I don't want anything too gigantic so I can wear them outside without feeling like an air traffic controller. I would like to keep it ampless and in the $100-150 range. If you could also tell me how the recommended headphones compare to the Etymotics, that would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-AF

 

[mdarnton]

I have ER-6s, not 6is, but I bought Grado SR-80s as an at-home alternative for them because at the time, several years ago, it seemed as if a lot of comparisons were being made between them, which I took as being good.

Ultimately, though that made me dissatisfied with the ER-6s (especially in the bass end--the Grados are just as defined as the Etys, which I do like, but they have more bass), so I just upgraded to ER-4Ps, which are, to me, very similar in overall personality to the SR-80s, though obviously not as airy. Anyway, I'm not dissatisfied with that set at all, and if you don't mind spending the money, you may like the SR-80s. I do think that the overall timbre of the Etys and Grados is somewhat comparable, vs [the far too many sets of] other in-ear phones I have.

In my opinion, of course.

The Grados are big, though.

 

[Avril Fourteenth]

If their size is comparable to the SR-60s, that's no problem. I was just wondering how they perform ampless, since I've seen reviews that said they perform much better amped.

Thanks for your input!

 

[jinp6301]

if your thinking of grados, the best place to start imo, is the Alessandro MS-1. It sounds great unamped and sounds much better then the 80s imo. and all the lower end grados/alessandros are the same size

 

[mdarnton]

The SR-80s are fine unamped--they just sound better with one--but I like the MS-1 idea. If they'd been available when I got the SR-80s, from what I read I probably would have bought them, instead.