[eugenius]

Upgrade to the HF2 to get the bass and lose the brighness (or to the PS1000 - just kidding).
 
Or change manufacturer (try Ultrasone HFI2400 if you are a DJ and you don't want an amplifier).

 

[andrewjamesdean]

I must admit I found the bass in the Grado's lacking too, although haven't heard the Pro's....

 

[roker]

I don't think Grados are a logical step if you're coming from a DJing background.
 
Here's some headphones I'd recommend:
 
Sennheiser HD 25 II - DJs actually use these, while not bass heavy, it's certainly more satisfying and present than most Grado headphones.
 
Denon D2000s - Nice textured bass, but a good soundstage and good clear highs.  It's pretty much a fun headphone but with refinement.  No muddy bass or piercing highs. 
 
Besides those two:
 
Beyer 770s
Audio Technica (no specific model, but definitely on the "fun" side of the spectrum)
Ultrasones -- I have zero experience, but they're pretty popular here and also known for being more musical than analytical.

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

I wouldn't recommend "get used to the bright sound." It would essentially mean desensitizing his ears from high frequencies. Getting used to neutral sound on the other hand will most likely be more beneficial for his hearing.

x2. If they sound like ear-bleed, then they are. Most of the saner Grado owners have modded their cans, used flat pads, or picked certain kinds of amps that mate well with them.
 
Quote:

... I'm sad I didn't get to meet you at the meet and hear your modded W1000X. Hopefully, I have more time to do proper introduction next time. 

Definitely. I was looking around for the "W11R" guy, but got pulled in three other directions. You know how it is.

 

[Riku540]

Yeah... how come no one ever recommends Ultrasone's as the Grado alternative? The Ultrasone PRO 900 is $320 and has a similar sound signature to Grado's but is a king at bass, and surprisingly has a huge soundstage for a closed headphone in comparison to Grado's non-existent soundstage for an open headphone.
 
In my opinion its a better headphone in every way.

 

[magnaton]

Thanks so much everyone for your contributions. It's really great having this level of expertise guiding me on my choice of cans. 
 
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the W1000x's, but for those of you who own them... can you tell me about the sibilance problems/ brightness that I've found from a number of reviews/ posts. After my Grado 225's, I don't wanna go anywhere near phones with that sort of high-end. I'm convinced it can't be as bad as the Grado's, but can anyone comment to what extent this may be true?
 
T.R.A.N.C.E. I promise it's gonna be the Ms-Pro's next if the Technicas are too fatiguing. Also, can you please tell me why you prefer the bass of the MS-Pro's to the 990's?  Cause I was looking at the Frequency Responce for the 990's and they're quite high-up on the low-end. Can the MS-Pro's really have more than that, or is it just more impactful/ tighter?
 
Cheers.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Quote:

T.R.A.N.C.E. I promise it's gonna be the Ms-Pro's next if the Technicas are too fatiguing. Also, can you please tell me why you prefer the bass of the MS-Pro's to the 990's?  Cause I was looking at the Frequency Responce for the 990's and they're quite high-up on the low-end. Can the MS-Pro's really have more than that, or is it just more impactful/ tighter?
 
Cheers.

Well the MS-pro has more impact in its bass, which I prefer to just boomy bass. The greatest thing I like about the ms-pro's is that I can change between using the Bowl pads it comes with, and the Flat pads which alters the sound a great deal. With Bowls, the ms-pro sound balanced, with nice tight bass that maintains good impact and is speedy and still goes down deep. The treble is sparkly, but not enough to sound harsh for my ears and the mids are just beautifully fleshed out. Very energetic and detailed sound. With the Flat pads, the bass goes wild and is more impactful than even the DT990 (which is known as one of the bassiest phones around). The mids become more warm, and the treble is pulled back making a very smooth and relaxing listen. So to have these two different sounds in the one headphone, just from a pad change are great. The MS-Pro for me has been my all time favorite headphone, and I have tried a wide variety of phones.  The MS-Pro will definitely have less sibilance and more bass than all grado models except the HF2 which has a dark sound for a grado.

 

[eugenius]

Op, W1000X are not the heaphones for fast dynamic music. I thought you wanted an open headphone anyway (they're better).

 

[wind016]

Quote:

Well the MS-pro has more impact in its bass, which I prefer to just boomy bass. The greatest thing I like about the ms-pro's is that I can change between using the Bowl pads it comes with, and the Flat pads which alters the sound a great deal. With Bowls, the ms-pro sound balanced, with nice tight bass that maintains good impact and is speedy and still goes down deep. The treble is sparkly, but not enough to sound harsh for my ears and the mids are just beautifully fleshed out. Very energetic and detailed sound. With the Flat pads, the bass goes wild and is more impactful than even the DT990 (which is known as one of the bassiest phones around). The mids become more warm, and the treble is pulled back making a very smooth and relaxing listen. So to have these two different sounds in the one headphone, just from a pad change are great. The MS-Pro for me has been my all time favorite headphone, and I have tried a wide variety of phones.  The MS-Pro will definitely have less sibilance and more bass than all grado models except the HF2 which has a dark sound for a grado.

 
Quote:

Op, W1000X are not the heaphones for fast dynamic music. I thought you wanted an open headphone anyway (they're better).

Have you guys actually heard the W1000X??? Saying the W1000X has boomy bass or that it's worse you better have heard it before you throw such words out. I can not in my right mind say the W1000X is boomy. It's not even close to being boomy. The Denon D7000s are more "boomy" than the W1000X. The bass response of the W1000X is similar to the Denon D7000 but it's tighter and a bit lighter. What makes it better to me is that it's mids are more upfront than the Denons which is recessed. I've also heard a lot of Grados already. Even the darkest ones I've heard, such as the SR 60 or 80, were still bright. Sure, you hear what might resemble the bass drum on Grados, but if you're listening to rock or trance, the bass definitely needs impact and texture. Rock is not just about mids and treble. I don't know who's been suggesting that. Rock is definitely about the bass also and not all about emphasizing just the guitar. When I listen to Grados, I definitely feel the guitar is drowning out the already rolled off bass.
 
I also like the W1000X for fast paced music, but that is due to it's bass impact and soundstage. It's drivers are not the fastest, but I can't recommend a Grado just because it's open. What it does is contradictory to what the OP wants.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I wasn't referring to the w1000x when I said boomy, just in general I was saying that the the MS-Pro has very tight and impactful bass compared to a lot of phones. I'm sure the w1000x has tight bass, but there is no way in the world it will have more impactful bass than the MS-Pro using flat pads. I have heard a range of Audio Technica models, and they all share similar balance in sound. Bass is always controlled  and quite the opposite of boomy, but I'd hardly call AT bass impactful. And your generalising saying that grado's have rolled off bass, that may very well apply to the lower models, but the MS-Pro goes deep, as deep as the DT990, but is just far more controlled and textured.  As for Open vs closed, the preference should always be open unless you need closed for isolation or leakage. The MS-Pro is so fast and dynamic its unbelievable. Contrary to many peoples thoughts, it suits any music genre perfectly, I have never enjoyed my rock, trance, rap, hip hop or classical music so much before using the mspro. 

 

[Riku540]

As one who ones all open headphones except for one, I have to strongly disagree with the "always open > closed except for isolation/leakage" statement.
 
I stand by my Ultrasone PRO 900 recommendation, which seems to have been skimmed past.

 

[wind016]

As one who ones all open headphones except for one, I have to strongly disagree with the "always open > closed except for isolation/leakage" statement.
 
I stand by my Ultrasone PRO 900 recommendation, which seems to have been skimmed past.

I wasn't referring to the w1000x when I said boomy, just in general I was saying that the the MS-Pro has very tight and impactful bass compared to a lot of phones. I'm sure the w1000x has tight bass, but there is no way in the world it will have more impactful bass than the MS-Pro using flat pads. I have heard a range of Audio Technica models, and they all share similar balance in sound. Bass is always controlled  and quite the opposite of boomy, but I'd hardly call AT bass impactful. And your generalising saying that grado's have rolled off bass, that may very well apply to the lower models, but the MS-Pro goes deep, as deep as the DT990, but is just far more controlled and textured.  As for Open vs closed, the preference should always be open unless you need closed for isolation or leakage. The MS-Pro is so fast and dynamic its unbelievable. Contrary to many peoples thoughts, it suits any music genre perfectly, I have never enjoyed my rock, trance, rap, hip hop or classical music so much before using the mspro. 

What I said pretty much applies to all the Grados I've auditoned and sold in my profile. I do need to update my profile a bit. I haven't heard the MS Pros. As for the closed vs. open debate, I generally haven't heard an open dynamic headphone that was to my liking. The mids were always too dry and I'm more about the general sound of the music rather than the details and clarity which audiophiles tend to focus a lot on. Then many dynamics try to give a perception of resolution by bringing up the treble and that immediately makes the headphones not enjoyable for me. The only open headphones that I ever liked were Stax and I'm in the process of finding the right system.

As for Ultrasones. I actually really liked the Pro 900, but the mids are even more recessed that the Denon D7000. In addition I thought the Ath W1000X is better than the d7000, so there's where I am with that. The Pros are really great for $350 tho

 

[Lubanja]

How are you wearing the Grados? Try wearing them low, with the center of the Grado just above your ear-hole. It is kind of a weird position because the bowls will sit on your ear lobe, but I find this gives the best sound with good bass impact.

 

[purrin]

Quote:

 
Quote:

Have you guys actually heard the W1000X??? Saying the W1000X has boomy bass or that it's worse you better have heard it before you throw such words out. I can not in my right mind say the W1000X is boomy. It's not even close to being boomy. The Denon D7000s are more "boomy" than the W1000X. The bass response of the W1000X is similar to the Denon D7000 but it's tighter and a bit lighter. What makes it better to me is that it's mids are more upfront than the Denons which is recessed. I've also heard a lot of Grados already. Even the darkest ones I've heard, such as the SR 60 or 80, were still bright. Sure, you hear what might resemble the bass drum on Grados, but if you're listening to rock or trance, the bass definitely needs impact and texture. Rock is not just about mids and treble. I don't know who's been suggesting that. Rock is definitely about the bass also and not all about emphasizing just the guitar. When I listen to Grados, I definitely feel the guitar is drowning out the already rolled off bass.
 
I also like the W1000X for fast paced music, but that is due to it's bass impact and soundstage. It's drivers are not the fastest, but I can't recommend a Grado just because it's open. What it does is contradictory to what the OP wants.

As what wind16 says - but 2 cents more:
 

1. W1000X is not boomy. D7000 has more of a hump - bass in some form is always evident on the Denon.
2. W1000X's bass is deeper, a little stronger (without the mid-bass jump), and has almost as much acceleration as a woody Grado's. The bass decay of W1000 is much slower though*
3. Grado's sound faster. Bass articulation (which is not the same as volume) is a strong suite of Grados. However there is ZERO bass below 50Hz on any Grado below the GS/PS1000s. 
4. Grado's open design does not introduce wood enclosure colorations like W1000X*
5. Flats on Grados will bring out the bass and low midrange. However soundstage will sound more closed in and bass may sound more muffled - you will lose some of that magical Grado bass articulation.
6. W1000X treble is not bright. One of it's minor weaknesses is the rolls-off from mid-treble, but this is true for most dynamic headphones. I hear no sibilance (there is always sibilance, but I'm thinking you mean the bad kind)
7. W1000X's mid-treble emphasis while present is not even close to that of Grado's mid-treble emphasis. The W1000 is mid-treble is very smooth. Grado treble will always sound rough - even their TOTL models has rough treble, but to a lesser extent. I can crank up W1000X's loud without ear-bleed. I cannot do that with any Grado other than HF2 or maybe to a lesser extent the MS series.
8. Grado's build quality is absolute crap, but customer service in my experience has been nothing short of excellent in a terse New York kind-of-way.
9. W1000X's build quality is a work of art compared to Grado or many other headphones.
10. Did I say there is ZERO bass below 50Hz on Grados?

 
*You can speed up the W1000X and cut down it's overly romantic decay and wood colorations by opening up the cups and applying strips of Dynamat or similar material to the back of the driver, metal frame, wood cups, etc.
 
I did like the slow romantic nature of the stock W1000X for classical, but I wanted something faster for rock/pop. Basically I was looking for a closed-phone Grado with more bass volume, real bass extension, with no-ear-bleed. The modded W1000X doesn't have the speed and articulation of a Grado, but it was good enough - considering what I got in return. One of the guys at the recent Bay Area meet commented that the W1000X's (modded) sounded like something between a Denon and Grado.
 
Finally if you are coming from DJ background, you should avoid Grados, unless you are looking to go in a completely separate direction. Also consider Beyer DT990 (semi-open), Senn HD595/600/650 (open), and Ultrasone (of which I have personally heard none, but many have recommended to me.)

 

[eugenius]

Dude, enough with the zero bass Grados, the HF2 is flat to 25Hz with bowls and the others have enough bass with flats. I'm actually selling it because it's too dark for me, I had the HD800 for two weeks and the HD800 (while too bright) made that point painfully obvious.

I didn't attack your precious W1000x, in fact I would trade my balanced HF2's for one probably, but that doesn't mean it's good for a DJ or fast music. I dislike Denons too btw.