[Haoleb]

Hmm, well after all these replies, i really like the grado SR80's and they might just be my choice, but the the 570,580 etc is our of the qustion now. but the Sennheisers Look SOOOOOO comfortable. and the HD280's really do look oh soo comfy compraed to the grado's. So i am asking if you had to decide between the Grado RS80's and Senn HD280 which would you choose for sound and comfort? Thanks

 

[Kryogen]

Man the grados ain't that bad, I wear em 4-5 hours a day and they don't hurt.

 

[Kubernetes]

Man, my advice is to go to headroom and order both (or three) assuming you have the cash to spare. Listen for a couple weeks and return the ones you don't want (or be like Joelongwood and put in an order for even more headphones

).

In any case, only you can decide what kind of sound you like. Personally, I love Grados, but I know that a lot of people can't stand them. You should try a number of different phones in your price range and see what works for you.

Suggestions:

Grado Sr60/Sr80
Senn 280pro
Senn 495/497
Sony v6
Beyer 250-80 (cheap at Meier Audio)

Good luck.

 

[Magicthyse]

Quote:

Originally posted by Haoleb id have to say that the longest i can imagine myself usingt he phones at a time is 2-3 hours, And i dont care what i look like. i want sound quality.

You would definitely not have to care what you look like with a Grado. However if it's sound you want, the Grados have it. But, they're leak city. If you use them on a PCDP, whoever's sitting next to you will 'enjoy' the same music that you think you're privately listening to.

I'd suggest something cheap but acceptable for mobile use like an eggo, and the Grados for home listening (assuming your home is quiet - because the leak works both ways).

 

[fredpb]

SR80s will be harder to drive and will leak in a major way. 570's will also leak. Both have exaggerated highs. You have made a difficult selection out of this. I would look at some other headphones too. Including Sony V6, senn 280's. Look for Sony 7506s/V6's.

 

[hokiefritz]

Heh, nothing like differences in opinion.

I previously owned the Senn 570 and currently own the SR80s, among several other phones. The Grados are plenty easy to drive. I don't know where the idea comes from that they're hard to drive. Sure, you can squeeze a little more out of them with an amp and I use one with them sometimes, but they sound great out of my measly 5mw per channel MiniDisc recorder. It's not the tiniest bit of strain on MD and the phones sound very clear. The Senn 570 is by comparison more difficult to drive than the Grados.

Someone said in this thread to the effect that they both had accentuated highs and my ears agree with that. The 570 sound very bright to me, too bright. With the SR80s, I turn the treble 1 step below flat when using my MD and it's just right for me. But, I read in another thread where someone had compared the cymbal crashes of Grado headphones in general to a car wreck and although that's stretching it a bit, I can see where they might come to a conclusion like that based on what they're looking for in a headphone, so you really need to check them out for yourself. As far as that goes I don't think you can rely on someone else's opinion about Grados. Period. There doesn't seem to be a consensus, just strong opinions both for and against.

That said, here's my opinion.

The Grados are better sounding headphones the Senn 570. In my case, for all types of music. I think the 570s could be good with certain material or tastes in headphones, I just think they're not a good value in terms of what they cost vs. what you get. However, the Senns are WAY more comfortable than the Grados. The Senn 570 are the most comfortable phones I've worn so far, but comfort alone isn't enough.

fredpb and some of the others here have some good advice for you, if you're at all interested in a closed headphone, check out the Senn 280pro or Sony V6. Both are a good alternative and are less that $100 USD. By the way, none of these are all that comfortable to me for long listening sessions (3 hrs +) but aren't bad for less than that.

If you're willing spend a little more, I think that the Beyer 250-80 would be excellent; good sounding and comfortable, but higher priced and coiled cord (that's a minus for me). If I had it to do over again, I'd probably get the Beyers instead of the Senn 280pro and Grado SR80, and I still might.

What ever happens, best of luck to you finding some great headphones!