[davebot]

I'm looking for 'phones to plug into the Dell laptop I have at work, and I'm thinking of two that are just under $100: Grado SR 80 and Sennheiser HD 280. I really don't want to spend much more, and I probably won't have the benefit of an amp.

Are these good choices? I listen most to classical and jazz. I like equipment that sounds open, transparent, and dynamic, but balanced. Whatever I get has to sound great on piano and trumpet.

For home, I already have Beyerdynamic DT 880, and I'm thinking of someday getting a nice amp, perhaps one of Jan Meier's. My work setup is necessarily a compromise. I've read reviews that claim these two models would be good choices for my price point and application. Do you agree? Any others that I should consider?

Mega-thanks,

David

 

[kramer5150]

Those cans are literally polar opposite in a lot of ways IMHO. IMHO the 280 is very dull, and lifeless. Everything between 55-5000Hz just sounds so flat and boring. Even energetic / emotionally explosive recordings sound subdued and blanketed by the 280. I found the treble excessively bright compared to the subdued midrange. I guess if youre after a very relaxed presentation (aside from the hot treble) they are a good choice.

The SR80 is the opposite. Stellar bass impact, vocal dynamics, and midrange detail resolution. Swarming / swelling / resonant guitar tones to the max. Everything between 40-9000 Hz explodes out of recordings. Much less sub-bass and teble extension compared to the HD280 though. IMHO this is the SR80s biggest weakness, and one of the things that separates it from the higher end Grados.

The HD280 however an excelent choice if isolation is a high priority... clearly destroys any grado in that department.

I'd take the SR80, unless you need isolation. Then the HD280 is a better choice. IMHO you should also consider the MDRV6, UR40, KSC75 and portapro. Lots of folks seem to like the XD400, and D66 too, though Ive never heard them.

Garrett

 

[gremlin]

I own both of these phones, they were my first and second good headphone purchases. I love the HD280s for listening in noisy enviornments or when I don't want to disturb people around me. They have a very flat response curve. Sound goes way down. Using a tone generator I can hear things all the way down to 20hz and all the way up to at least 17khz. I don't find them particularly boring because I love how they let me hear new details in the music that I never noticed before. They do clamp on the head quite a bit, but it didn't take me to long to get used to them.

I'll never forget the day I got my SR80s, bass impact is insane, it feels almost like holding a speaker up to your ear. Tone generator says they don't go as low as the HD280s, but you won't mind. Bass is tight, fast and fun. Highs are all there, headband is very easy to adjust for that perfect fit. No isolation at all, can be very distracting in noisy environments. I find these headphones more fatiguing. Not so much because of their sound, but because no isolation means I notice outside distraction more.

One thing I dislike about both these headphones is the cord. The HD280s cord is curly and heavy with a big straight jack. It's to long to wear a player and not have to drape it around your neck to keep it from snagging on things. And the curly bit makes it just a tad to short to put the player on the table, if you move to far away it might pull the laptop onto the floor. The grado cord is straight and somewhat stiff. It also has a large straight plug. It bothers me less with a laptop than with a DAP. I live in fear that I'll apply to much leverage to the headphone out using big straight plugs.

 

[jagorev]

With classical and jazz, I think the HD 280 is pretty good. I would not use a Grado for listening to the dude in your avatar

.

However, I think you can do better:

Best classical can under $100 imho is the HD 497 or EH 350. Really meant for this kind of music. Better than the HD 280.

Best classical/jazz can a bit over $100 would be AKG K 501 or HD 555 - both should sound smooth, refined, and detailed. If you don't need isolation, go for one of these three instead (501, 555, 497/350). The Sony SA1000 is also around $100 and gets a good rep with orchestral music - I don't know if the sound will be to your liking, but you should look into it.

 

[Ypoknons]

By all accounts, although I haven't personally tested it, your DT880's will improve a heady amount with an amp. So would the SR80's and the HD280's, but to a lesser extent. I think there's no point waiting to grab say, a Corda Aria even if it means postponing the purchase of SR80's/HD280. Also, I would not recommend the HD280 if you don't need a sealed phone. These opinions are Headroom's, admittingly, but no one's ever said that the DT880 don't suffer without an amp.

 

[familyman]

i own 280's and have tried sr-80's.... my votes for the 280's for reaching lower bass and you can eq em to make your ear lobes vibrate if thats your cup of soup! although i have some ms-1's on the way which are also only 99 bucks with free shipping so my opinion may change when the ms-1's arrive

edit: and the 280's "hot treble"(lol i like that) just makes it so i dont eq the treble up so if you like your eq V shape then i'd definantly say go for the 280's

 

[davebot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by familyman edit: and the 280's "hot treble"(lol i like that) just makes it so i dont eq the treble up so if you like your eq V shape then i'd definantly say go for the 280's

Seriously? A V-shaped EQ is not what I'm after. Maybe it's because I'm a classical-head (see my avatar

) but I want as flat a response as possible.

I'm still interested in the 280 Pro, but I'm also wondering about the EH 350, and especially the HD 555.

If you go by specs, the 555 would seem easier to drive. According to Sennheiser, the 280 Pro has an impedance of 64 Ohms, and an SPL of 102 dB; the 555 has 50 Ohms, and 112 dB. The cheaper EH 350 has 32 Ohms and 112 dB. The other question is how much I'd bother coworkers with the open phones, but I couldn't find a spec on isolation.

The proof is in the listening. Anyone compare the 280 and the 555? Can you tell me what the differences are?

Thanks,

David

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebot Seriously? A V-shaped EQ is not what I'm after. Maybe it's because I'm a classical-head (see my avatar ) but I want as flat a response as possible.

Might want to consider the HD580. Its not ruler flat, but its got a nice warm character, and balanced sound that works well with a lot of ambient kinds of music. It is however my flattest can. You might have to spring a little $$ for amplification though.

Garrett

 

[gremlin]

I don't know if efficiency is really going to be a problem with the 555 or the 280. Quick check with my meter shows that I need less than 50% volume out of my Zen to reach 90db. Certainly loud enough for any kind of listening that you would want to do.

If you aren't going to bug your coworkers, the 555 would offer much better sound.

 

[davebot]

kramer5150, yes, the 580's would be great! I borrowed a friend's pair and liked them quite a bit. I'm just balking at spending that much money (plus amp!) for my office cans.

gremlin, that's reassuring. The one thing that concerns me about the 555 is the frequency response plot on headroom: looks jagged (drop-outs?) in the treble response. I'm wondering how much "character" that gives them. I like characters in movies and books, not in audio equipment!

I'm listening to "Take 5" now on my solid-state Audio Research / Vandersteen system, and it just sounds fantastic: solid, open, detailed, dynamic, smooth. I wish my NAD / DT 880 combo sounded this real.

David

 

[gremlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebot gremlin, that's reassuring. The one thing that concerns me about the 555 is the frequency response plot on headroom: looks jagged (drop-outs?) in the treble response. I'm wondering how much "character" that gives them. I like characters in movies and books, not in audio equipment! David

Can't say as I've ever seen a response graph that doesn't look jagged in the treble (650s and 701s excluded). I've never heard it when I'm listening to the phones, unless they are really cheap. Certainly haven't heard it with the 280s, or the Super Fi 3s, or the ER-6.

 

[IHaveNoSpaceBar]

I bought a pair of audio technicha's A500, instead of the HD280 pro and the Sony MDR-V6. For a about $100 they are a good deal i believe. The Grado SR-60's I currently own sound real nice playing jazz, I listen to a lot of miles davis, and the trumpets shine. I will play the same miles davis tracks once I get my A500's(hopefully this week) I will let you know how they do in the jazz/trumpet department.

Like everyone else told you here, expect the Grado's to leak out all of your music. Which is why I am selling my SR-60s. The HD-280s provide a 20db isolation, which is pretty impressive. Sony MDR-V6s give 10db, and the A500's are right in between rated at 15db isolation. So if isloation matters to you the HD280 is a good choice.

 

[d00dez]

Etymotics, maybe? ER-6 is supposed to be a pretty good "can" if you want to call it that. And the right price, too. You may not be able to hear your boss yelling at you, though. That could pose a problem.

If you're getting the SR-80s for long listening sessions, find some replacement pads, like these

 

[bizarro_estevan]

This thread is relevant to my interests. I have a pair of the HD 280s, i love them! They are very clear, and i can hear just about every pitch clear. I was disappointed in that they don't have that punchy bass(you can hear all the bass pitches fine, but they don't punch). I'm looking into the SR80s, but i'm not too sure if its worth paying the 95 bucks for another pair of cans. I can tell you that the 280s block out a lot of sounds, you don't really have to crank up the volume to hear em either. As far as comfort go, they're ok. they do kinda clamp onto your head which isn't a problem but after a while the air pressure inside the cans kinda causes some ear fatigue, at least for me. Overall they're a great pair of cans.