[Matt]

Hi.

I have been purely Grado-centric up to now. Am willing to go elsewhere, but Grado is fine, too.

Want suggestions for portable, knock-around pair of cans. Soundwise, am leaning toward Grado SR-60s (cheap, clear, detailed, extended at the top), but, again, willing to go elsewhere for different sounds (at similar price point).

I am getting an Apple iPod, so I guess the 30mW/channel is best suited to low-imp. Grados, though other suggestions are welcomed. Obviously, mp3s "revealed" are going to sound like ****, so maybe a revealing can is not best.

Not particularly a dum-bass, but am willing to venture "there" if the overall sound is nice in whatever way it is nice. Accuracy valued, but not necessarily cold and sterile. Am willing to venture to other ends of whatever sound spectrum you have in mind.

Am used to SR-80 - RS-1s sound. Obviously, I don't want to use any of those because of necessity of external amp, etc., but am used to the clarity, etc. Like some of it, some I don't. The pain of any sort of dynamic, midrange was too much for me (considering I was using a headphone amp at the time may render this argument moot).

Just need something maybe compact/light/strong/whatever, that will work nice for walking around and portability and all that. Consider there may be semi-sweaty use conditions, ocassionally. Don't like the Grado SR series pads, overall feel, but if I have to take it to get what sound I'm looking for, fine. For portability, they lie flat, so that's a plus.

OK, suggestion time...

Thanks for any help.

- Matt

 

[Gluegun]

With that power, what about the Sennheiser HD495's? Comfy, cool looking, relatively small (if you're thinking about Grado's, you're okay with medium sized stuff), open, balanced sound, need a relatively good amp....

 

[Matt]

...I'll have to have a look @ those.

Boy, I was looking thru some of those Etymotic posts and GEE GOLLY GOSH I'd love to have a set of those. I suppose I could, but I am really not motivated to go out and drop $300+ on those right now. I am seriously gravitating towards the cheap-ass, ultra-high-value of the SR-60s, as I can get them for $59 shipped.

Hmmm...

Any more suggestions welcomed...


Best,
Matt

 

[Gluegun]

With that much power, you should DEFINITELY check out those Senn's!! They are in the SR-80 range, and I think they have more good things going for them than the SR-80, except that they need power, which you have.

Also, check out some AKG K401's and K501's.

I think those are fairly big, though.

 

[MacDEF]

No one has actually used the iPod with power-hungry cans yet, so I would wait before getting some Senns. Also, the AKG's are VERY power hungry.

The Ety's are worth it, by the way

But if you're talking portable use, save yourself some money and at least give the Koss KSC-35 a try. Very light, comfortable, truly portable, and they sound GREAT. I prefer them to my Grados for portable use any day, and they're only $30. Besides the Etys, I don't think you can get a better portable headphone -- and for exercise or active use, they're better than the Etys, IMO.

 

[Matt]

Hi. Thanks for the Koss tip.

Why do you think they're better than the sixties and sound better? What do you consider "better" in these cases?

The portability/sweatiness/knock-around factor and the even lower price are attractive...tell me more...

Best,
Matt

 

[chych]

Hey now, don't forget this mystical new etymotic that is supposed to be half the price of the reference ety! I hope it sets a new standard in that ~$100-$150 price range...

 

[Matt]

...will have to look out for that.

Right now, I am trying to keep everything around the $60 mark, so they're out for now, but we'll see what comes of these new Etys, because I think I might ultimately be interested (as a lifestyle thing...getting any sort of quiet around our house is an absolute feat).

In the meanwhile, more suggestions are welcomed...

- Matt

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Why do you think they're better than the sixties and sound better? What do you consider "better" in these cases?

Well, first of all, they're just more "portable" -- they're MUCH lighter and smaller, and much more comfortable to wear. They have light, flexible cables, compared to the thick twist-prone cables of the SR60.

Plus, they have great sound. Is the sound as good as the SR60? Sometimes, I think they are for some types of music. But the other thing to keep in mind is that in a portable environment, you're going to be hearing external noise, etc., so there isn't going to be a huge amount of difference given that they're both very good headphones.

Finally, if you're ever going to use them for exercise or even active walking, the KSC-35 will be nice and secure, while the Grados will be horrible.

Don't get me wrong, I love the SR60. But for portable use, the KSC-35 walk all over them in my book -- plus you can get two pairs for the same price

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Well, I guess I'll throw my two cents in.

$.01: I second the recommendation for the Koss KSC-35s. You can't buy a better headphone for portable use. Period.

$.02: Don't believe everything you read on the headroom site. Yes, the Grado SR-80s sound slightly better with an amp. But they still sound great driven by a portable directly. Better than the SR-60s, that's for sure. So you really don't have to buy anything new if you don't want to. Just use the SR-80s. That iPod headphone amp should be able to drive them no problem. But of course, the 10 foot twist-prone cord is problematic when mobile... so see tip $.01.

Russ

 

[Xevion]

I third the KSC-35s, I have a pair of KSC-50s and love them as my portable headphones, everyone here says the 35s are better

Sure, they don't compare to my Senns, but for $20 I can't complain, and neither will you when you hear them.

 

[Matt]

OK, asked below about portable cans, got good response and a better picture of what I want.

I have two general questions:

1. Let me re-state the original query better: what is a great value pair of cans for a portable unit such as Apple's iPod (which I plan on getting)? Am used to Grado sound, but would *prefer* to go elsewhere. Will not be running marathons, so don't particularly consider the "sweat 'n movement" factor. Do appreciate Grado clarity. Would *prefer* a fuller sound; analytical detail appreciated, but musical enjoyment appreciated more.

Will be using them with Mac 'puter, too, but not for Serious Listening.

Am leaning towards the new "cheaper" Etys, but who the hell knows when those will be out. The isolation afforded is very attractive, on one hand.

2. Can some technically-inclined person explain in simple terms what all the "x mW output" and "headphone impedance" and all that works? For instance, I know that Graod's are supposed to be "low impedance" cans, and the iPod has "30 mW per channel" output...how do those mesh?

Furthermore, for question one, I would prefer a longer battery life, so more efficient cans would be preferred. Are Grado '60s the only cans that fit this bill along with the other criteria above?

Best,
Matt

 

[Matt]

What do you technically-inclined individuals think of using the ER4S Etys with an unamped iPod? Will it work? Will it be as nice or nicer than the Etys made for portables?

- Matt

 

[Russ Arcuri]

I had typed up a nice long answer to your questions, but then my 18 month old child managed to kill my browser before I could hit "submit." A shortened answer follows...

1. The best value pair of cans for the iPod are the earbuds that come with it. No one here has had a chance to evaluate them yet, but the early buzz is that they're pretty good for an earbud. Maybe you'll like them.

If not, I still say you should try your SR-80s. The iPod will have no trouble driving them, and you said you like the Grado sound. There's really no point in buying SR-60s if you already have a perfectly good pair of SR-80s, which sound better than the SR-60s driven by any source, IMO.

When you realize that the 10 foot, twist-prone Grado cord is a PITA for portable listening, give the Koss KSC-35s or Sporta Pros a try. They sound terrific and are ideal for portable listening.

2. Here's where I'm going to skimp -- sorry. I had spent 15 minutes typing up a long explanation of impedances and power and headphone efficiency (sensitivity), when my little monster smacked the keyboard and walked away. Maybe someone else will have the patience to type up a full explanation, or point you to another source for the information.

The short summary is: x mW power is measured into a certain impedance -- measured in ohms. Manufacturers may or may not specify what impedance they measured the amplifier output into. Typically an amplifier can deliver more power into fewer ohms. But none of this can tell you how loud an amplifier will drive a given set of cans unless you also know the efficiency of those cans.

You could have high-efficiency headphones (say, 105 dB at 1 mW) that are also high impedance (say, 300 ohms). The iPod amp should be able to drive those (theoretical) cans to reasonable listening levels. That's because even though there's no way it can deliver 30 mW into 300 ohms, it probably CAN deliver at least 2 or 3 mW into 300 ohms, which is enough to drive them past 105 dB.

In reality, most modern headphones are fairly efficient, but impedances do vary widely. I have to doubt that there will be a set of (portable) cans that the iPod WON'T drive to reasonable levels. Someone will have to test the Etys, but I wouldn't be really shocked if it works fine, even with the higher-impedance ER-4S.

Russ

 

[gloco]

Matt,


Analytical detail? Sony MDR7506/V6 headphones. I think this is what you'd like, their closed headphones so they block out some noise. Head-fi member Desben found this link:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/hogwildstore/mdrv6.html

That sells the v6's for $69. They are worth every red cent. The Koss' Russ wrote about are open so you'll hear everything around you and i do recall reading that they are not analytical at all. I did listen to the port pros once and they sounded a bit grainy compared the Sony's which sound very clean, crisp, tight strong bass. Best of Luck!

George

Team Sony lol