[fewtch]

Which do you like better, and why?

I have a pair of Grado SR-60 and am thinking about getting a pair of better, more neutral open cans sometime in the next month or two. I'm probably most interested in one of these two, as price-performance seems to be good. They generally sell for close to the same price used, and I'm wondering which people tend to prefer (never got a clear picture from reading the forums).

If it matters, I listen more to studio types of music than classical and acoustic, but would want something that's pretty good with both. Also, I have a Creek OBH-11 amp (standard, non-SE) which I think works well with higher impedance cans but I wonder which of these two it would drive better.

 

[fewtch]

Bump -- nobody's heard both extensively and has any opinions? It's sure surprising to find a lack of opinions around Head-Fi, of all places...

 

[Wodgy]

I've owned both the Senn HD600 and the Grado SR125. IMHO, if you like the sound of the Grado SR60s, you probably won't be satisfied with the Senns. The difference in presentation between the Senns and Grados is huge -- among the greatest contrasts I've heard with headphones. If you're looking for something in between the two, perhaps consider the Beyerdynamic 880s.

 

[fewtch]

I'm not too fond of the sound of Grado SR-60's (in fact I'm getting rid of mine to help finance my next HP upgrade), although I understand that SR-225's are much better.

The Senn 580's I've heard (briefly), but not the SR-225... just wondering if there's someone here who owns both and can say which they like better and why (the latter is what I'm most interested in finding out).

 

[Wodgy]

I auditioned both the SR125 and SR225 in-store when I bought the SR125, and while the differences were there, they weren't enormous. Keep in mind though that this was a brief impression, and it may be that the SR225 are different enough from the SR125 over a long period of time that my impressions don't apply.

Personally, I greatly preferred the Grados over the HD600 when I owned them. Why? The Grados have a fluid, clear midrange that tends to lend emotion to music. They also have bass "slam." That sounds like a nutty audiophile term, but I just mean they have dynamic, impactful bass. The Senns with a proper amp have stronger midbass (and arguably better bass extension), but really no impact. You can hear the bass, and it's clearer than with Grados, but it doesn't feel like real bass. The killer for me with the Senns was the veiled midrange. Music with vocals was just too distant to get used to. On the other hand, the Senns did have better detail for classical music, but not as much emotion. The big disadvantage with Grados is the brightness. You need a very smooth, slightly warm source with the Grados, whereas the Senns are much more forgiving. Even then, you'll find yourself dicking with the pads (trying different ones, reversing the bowls, etc.) to get the right balance of brightness/bass/soundstage. Despite that, I preferred the Grados. Eventually I sold them because I needed closed phones for work, but I remember the Grados fondly and I'm thinking of buying a pair of SR-225 for home use at some point in the future. I'm scared away from the SR-325 because of the metal frame and reported brightness (I've also never liked metal tweeters, just a personal preference) and the RS series are too rich for my blood.

 

[fewtch]

Thanks. Part of it is that I can't really decide whether I want the Senn "neutrality" (which probably is actually a slightly recessed midrange) or the Grado "warmth" (which I really think might be a boosted midrange). Probably I'll end up with the Senns since the Grado SR series sounds a bit too much like my closed studio cans for comfort (forward, fairly weak soundstaging, frequency balance), but all feedback is appreciated.

 

[sacd lover]

The grado would be much easier to drive. I have owned both and I much prefer the sr-225. I dont like the hd 580; the midrange sounds sucked out to me, not simply recessed. The grado has a wonderful midrange and the warmth is more from a full mid/ upper bass, not a midrange emphasis. The 225's do have a narrower soundstage and the high frequencies can be bright. But the 225's with some careful system matching will sing. The grado sr-225 has a fast and impactful bass that is much better with rock.The senns sound slow to me in comparison and lack impact. I have owned 225's for years, and I had never heard a better rock headphone until recently; when I auditioned some sony cd3000's.

 

[bifcake]

I owned the 580s and I sampled the entire Grado line.

To me, the 580s are two heads and shoulders above Grados. I think they're better phones than the Grado RS line. They're warm, not really neutral. But they're pleasant and very musical. The Grados don't have a sound stage and I find them to be so bright to the point of being shrill. What they do have going for them is that they're faster than the Senns. To me, that's not enough. So, given a choice between a 580 and 225, it's not a choice at all. 580 will win out every time.

 

[blessingx]

I just came off a week of a trade with a fellow Head-Fier. My 225's for his 580's. Really depends what you're after, but all the hype is true. The Grados pack the punch. The Senns are more laid back/neutral. The Grados lush midrange does wonders with female vocals, etc. The Senns have better separation (though this was less a difference than I expected). The Grados put you in the middle of the performance, the Senns step you back and gives you a larger soundstage. In fact everything I was told to expect was there. It was just if the degree of said differences were what I expected or not. These phones are definitely in the same class. I suspect a lot of which one takes the lead is based on the above preferences, musical genres and the amp they are paired with. For my preferences and Havesave Ultra, I thought the 225's won by a decent margin. I'm probably done with the Senn line now. I could easily see why someone would prefer the other though.

 

[Habib]

I am on the other side of the trade with blessingx. My opinion is pretty much the same as blessingx and sacd lover just with different preference. Grado is is really amazing when paired with the right amp (it was great with the Gilmore V2). Extremely responsive, impactful, and warm with slightly smaller soundstage. Works very very well with rock/hip hop and such. The HD-580 has a wider soundstage, better resolution, seems to extend just a little further both ways (high & low). HD-580 is really great for for classical given that you have a very powerful amp to drive them.

I dont feel one phone is "better" than the other. I agree with blessingx that they are in the same class. It's really your personal preference. To me Head + HD-580 beats the Gilmore + SR-225 in classical and jazz. But the Gilmore + SR-225 wins in the rock, pop, hip hop catagory. It's really what you want. Comfort is a big issue for me so I like my HD-580 better because they can stay on my head longer. But again, they are just different and not really that much better than one another provided they are driven by matching amps.

I have no experience with Creek OBH-11 so I wont comment on that. Although I almost bought one, very happy I went with Head instead because it gave me so much satisfaction.