[donunus]

Nice comparison Germania,
So would you say the es7s are total garbage beside the esw9s or are they 90% there

 

[gurusan]

very nice review.

one thing on the HD580 comfort...were they properly stretched out? Because I seriously cannot imagine headphones being more comfortable.

 

[Permaximum]

But which headphones are the sexiest? I don't know why but I just love the look of the grados, you'd want people to see you in them. Retro but still up to date. very cool

 

[gideonMorrison]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Permaximum /img/forum/go_quote.gif But which headphones are the sexiest? I don't know why but I just love the look of the grados, you'd want people to see you in them. Retro but still up to date. very cool

Exactly, that's why somebody should buy mine, since they are ^ for sale!

 

[lui_boy]

I had all these headphones at the same time and they all served a different purpose.

I liked the ES7 a lot and it had a fun punchy and aggressive sound, with bass. A great portable phone that worked well for all genres, especially hip-hop and pop. Combined with a nice portable amp, it starts sounding really nice. However, for me, they were not the most comfortable even with stretching the head band a bit.

The HD580, is not a portable can and does not sound like a portable can. It's sound excels above the rest dramatically but needs a nice powerful amp and a decent source. It's not the fastest can, but extension, depth, and sound stage is unbeaten by the other cans mentioned here. There is the so called "veil" and is apparent, but it seems to disappear when the volume is pumped up. However, I fear listening this way for a prolonged period of time will make me deaf. This is still one of my most favorite fairly comfortable cans.

The IM716 is currently my daily commuter phones and it serves its purpose well. It's not the most amazing thing I've heard, but it's not bad either. It's pretty transparent in its sound production and I can actually hear my music while on the bus or train. IEM's aren't for everybody and some people don't like sticking things in their ears. But for those who don't mind, these are worth it.

The Grado SR80's were my first headphones getting into Head-Fi and really showed me there was more to headphones. At the beginning, the bowls were hard and a bit uncomfortable, but over time, they got better, and so did the sound. These cans really excelled in rock and metal and kicks all the other headphones mentioned in these genres. Some might want a little more bass, in which a portable amp can bring out.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif The pain I get is only when I wore the HD580's - I have no pain whatsoever from the ES7. Also, glad to hear from people that apples to orages review were a good thing - I was expecting purists to go crazy!

Great review. l own the HD580 and im716 although I don't use either that much any more. The HD580 caused a lot of pain for me when I first got them. I put them over a tower computer case for about a month and that stretched them out so there was no more pain.

I'd probably use the im716 more if I could get small Shure black olives on them, but I've never been able to get them on. The mediums are just a little too big for me to use during allergy season.


Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll take them over a KSC-75 any day, but generally I agree that IEMs are no match for full-size, and only use mine when I'm on the subway or somewhere else with a lot of background noise. Even walking on the street I'll wear my Pro 30 over the Altecs any day (except a really cold day where I need to wear a hat!)

x2. Other than comfort, I like the im716 better. Can't beat the Koss warranty though. You must not wear hats that cover your ears because the im716 sticks out too much for me to wear them under a hat. If I have a hat on I use my UM1.

 

[Tiemen]

Would love to read a comparison between those four and your K400.
That is, if you still have the AKG.

 

[-=Germania=-]

^ This thread is a oldie returned!

Oh yeah - I still have the AKG.

It would be very part to part them from me now.
I have just not heard any headphone as consistant as these are from song to song. I did do a more recent recable to dual entry after for a long time of debating over whether to "mar" these for personal gain.

The Ultrasone and the AKG's seem to compliment each other while not being too different. Both are faster with good treble and soundstage. AKG does the best on the classical, acoustic, vocal, and instrumental. Prolines (extremely burnt in) do very well in the areas where the AKG is average (pop, rock, more bass heavy music).

This is the first time I have been pretty happy and almost completely satisfied with my portable and home setups. future additions might be a set of Stax, ESW9 or 10, Zap Filter in the Zhaolu, and making a balanced amp. For my purposes right now, that would be pretty superfulous and very time consuming.

If you have further questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[filch]

5 stars for the review! ! ! ! i was thinking either a sr80 and a es7.. What about the grado sr125 does sound better than an es7 .. they are about the same price range

 

[-=Germania=-]

As you can probably gather, I am not really a Grado person unless it comes to the high end Grados (MS2/i, RS2, RS1, GS1k).

The SR-125 is probably the least high of value in the Grado lineup. Try and find a set of SR-225 use dif that is something that you are looking into. I would buy ES7's used also if possible because they will get scratches eventually.

 

[petert210]

Thanks for the great review. I have the HD580 and looking for a portable phone to complement such as the ES7. This helps a lot.