[humanflyz]

Volume-wise, yes, a soundcard can drive the SR225 fine. But I think I speak for most people here when I say that people amp Grados for the improvements in SQ rather than greater volume.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasZakrY I was under the impression that 32ohm headphones didnt require amping anyway. Even a soundcard should be able to drive them fine.

thats a very WRONG assumption around here that needs to be squashed. Low impedence cans need HIGH CURRENT amplification (note i didnt say "amplifier") just as much as any high impedence can needs high voltage amplification.

Yes an under-amped low impedence phone can reach considerable volumes under-amped... its the dynamics and transient response that lacks.

All my low impedence grados, KSC75 and e2c sound considerably more dynamic and responseive amped with either my gmoy, govibe or PA2V2. Through my creative Muvo they sound very compressed and lack dynamics.

IMHO of course...

Garrett

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 Yes an under-amped low impedence phone can reach considerable volumes under-amped... its the dynamics and transient response that lacks.

Not just that, but IME bass can sound bloated/flabby/boosted with under-amped low impedance cans. That's the primary area I heard an improvement with my Portapros going from a Go-Vibe to Pimeta with dual stacked buffers.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexcy After of about two weeks of waiting, I finally recieved my first pair of quality headphones, the grado sr225. I just ordered the headphone and had to run out to radioshack and pick up 1/4 to 1/8 adapter. Anyways, I was quite excited to try them on, expecting a HUGE improvement over the creative earbuds that i got with my mp3 player. *THESE ARE MY VERY FIRST IMPRESSIONS, LISTENING TO THEM FOR ABOUT AN HOUR WITH NO OTHER EXPERIENCE WITH ANY OTHER HI-FI HEADPHONE* Honestly, when I put them on, I was expecting to be blown away from the sound quality. I wasn't. I certainly did notice an improvement over the creative earbuds. It was clearer and didn't have an annoying static sound. But I paid around $180 for it. The improvement wasn't anywhere close to that. I always hear people say the Grado's are too bright/high. Too much treble or something like that. I am confused. I'm listening to them now and I can't notice any difference from my cheap creative earbuds. It's NOT fatiguing in any sense and sounds completely normal to me. How is this unbearable? After hearing so much hype about the "sennheiser veil" I'm doubting that I would even notice such a thing. It seems to me that I took people's opinions way too much. The differences are really really subtle to me, so far... Comfort wise, I've had these on for more than an hour. Once again, I'm completely stunned how anyone could find these uncomfortable or hurting. These are the best headphones I've ever wore. Yes, I've only had experience with lower quality everyday brand headphones, but geez, how is this painful in any way? There is a slight heat build up, and slight pressure on my ears, but it is in no way bother me. Build quality, they seem OK. I'm 18 and have pretty good ears. Here is what I'm using for my cd player. JVC Compact Component System FS-S77 My headphones are connected to an adapter then into the headphone jack. Final note -- These headphones have no burn-in time but I seriously doubt that will make much of a difference. My cd player is obviously not that great. I have no amplifier. I ordered these from ttvj and I know they have a 30 return policy. My question is, does your days count from when you recieved them or when you first ordered them? I will certainly maximize my time with them, giving them some burn-in and listening to them seriously. I would greatly appreciate feedback from all of you. You are much more experienced with headphones than I am.

You don't notice a huge improvement for one main reason: you aren't cultured enough in headphones yet to understand the qualitative differences between them. It's like giving caviar to a bum and expecting him to tell the difference between that and a Costco hotdog (which by the way are fantastic

).

That reason aside, 1.) your equipment isn't great. Really $200 isn't a lot for headphones, and you get what you put in--$200 isn't a lot for anything to be honest, what have you invested $200 into and gotten a lot out of? Also, 2.) your expectations may be operating on a different scale than many people's here--you expect greater changes for what you perceive to be an exorbitant amount of money. 3.) Burn in may also be a factor (but I'm not sure it will make as much of a difference to you as placebo might).

I encourage you to explore the headphone world, but $200 isn't very much, so if you realized this isn't for you it's not too late to turn back! I encourage you to give your phones some listening time, and your ears will eventually culture themselves into understanding the quality of your purchase. Hope this helps!

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch Not just that, but IME bass can sound bloated/flabby/boosted with under-amped low impedance cans. That's the primary area I heard an improvement with my Portapros going from a Go-Vibe to Pimeta with dual stacked buffers.

Agree fewtch!!

to the OP... **CAUTION** that rat shack adapter nearly shorted my govibe, after ~30 days of carefull home-use. IMHO youre much safer with the senn, Grado or a DIY adapter.

Garrett

 

[fureshi]

yikes, that a pretty nice mangled connector you have there garrett. i'm kinda partial to the canare 1/8" connectors but they're a bit big for portable headphones and stick out like a sore thumb when connected to portable devices.

 

[Flea Bag]

I think I understand what you mean. I remember when I first tried a pair of MS1, I didn't think they sounded "Hi-Fi" or anything special. They sounded like an ordinary pair of earphones to me. I was listening to them through comfy pads which allow a lot of bass to come through and they just sounded like a pair of thick-sounding, heavy bass phones to me and not a precise or accurate headphone. I wasn't impressed.

However, with a 30 money-back policy from the vendor, I brought them home to try them for a longer period and with time (and a pair of flat pads), I started to realise that they offered a nice, thumping bass that no other brand of headphone has managed to duplicate. They turned out to be fun though not a 'reference' quality phone.

A few of my friends preferred my MS1 to my Senn HD280 because the MS1 just sounded more familiar to the general sound signature that they were used to getting from ordinary earphones. In this aspect, we're definitely not alone.

I hope it works out for you a few weeks down the line. If in the end the SR225 is still disappointing, you can try to sell them here.

 

[Polaris111688]

Dude, after a good week of playing various rock songs (Iron Maiden, Dreamtheater, Skid Row, AC/DC), my Grados got so much more refined it's not even funny.... Bass was a lot more solid and prominent, and treble was tamed and more controlled. I love these 'phones now...

 

[Cyrilix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chia-pet You don't notice a huge improvement for one main reason: you aren't cultured enough in headphones yet to understand the qualitative differences between them. It's like giving caviar to a bum and expecting him to tell the difference between that and a Costco hotdog (which by the way are fantastic ). That reason aside, 1.) your equipment isn't great. Really $200 isn't a lot for headphones, and you get what you put in--$200 isn't a lot for anything to be honest, what have you invested $200 into and gotten a lot out of? Also, 2.) your expectations may be operating on a different scale than many people's here--you expect greater changes for what you perceive to be an exorbitant amount of money. 3.) Burn in may also be a factor (but I'm not sure it will make as much of a difference to you as placebo might). I encourage you to explore the headphone world, but $200 isn't very much, so if you realized this isn't for you it's not too late to turn back! I encourage you to give your phones some listening time, and your ears will eventually culture themselves into understanding the quality of your purchase. Hope this helps!

I totally agree with this. When I came into the headphone realm, I already understood that sound quality differences weren't going to be "shocking", because I think sound in the year 2005 is already very good (for most people). To me, upgrading from cheap headphones to a set of DT880s was like a 10-15% improvement, which is a lot, in my opinion. Also, knowing this, I never really take my equipment and compare it to my older equipment on the first day. I just plug it in, sit back, and enjoy. Then after a couple of weeks, I'll do a wholehearted A/B session and think...so these are the differences and improvements. You can appreciate your gear alot more that way.

 

[Alexcy]

OK, I'm taking your advice and burning them in. They've been on all night and morning. How long does it usually take for them to be burned in?

I won't touch my earbuds until I've extensively tested and heard these headphones. By then, I really do hope I can note the differences between them. Another question though. What kind of cd should I pick to test out my headphones when I'm seriously listening to them? Should it be recorded really well, or does that matter? Should I just pick my favorite cd, regardless of its sound? ( I really like "...And Justice For All", but I can't hear the bass at all!)

 

[milkpowder]

BURN IN. Like so many of the other posters recommended, allow for at least 100 hours of burn-in time. Do listen to your phones as part of the burn in. When I first recieved my SR325i, they were rediculously bright, fatiguing (soundwise) and gave me headaches. Now (few hundred hours later), the top end has slightly mellowed out. The ear fatigue and headaches also went away. I use the following set-up and the sound is soo sweet and detailed. I love them! I now even use them for classical music! Since receiving my RnB Black Diamond reference, the sound has improved again. The brightness has been greatly reduced. I surprised you didn't think your SR225 is bright though... I guess that is a good thing?! Expect the bass to loosen (open) up as well.

 

[Alexcy]

Hello everyone!

Well, a lot has changed since I posted here about my sr225's. I really like them now, but not enough to keep them. I'll explain later. I don't know if it was the burn-in or my ears getting used to the sound, but these headphones sound wonderful. I can here some of the bass lines better, and the detail just blows me out of the water. I could locate where the cymbals were crashing and it really made songs I thought average stand out.

The headphone is great, but there are some problems. First, the comfort. It's a love hate thing. Some days I feel no pain or agitation. Other days the moment my ear hits the driver they're screaming for mercy. It really bothers me. I believe getting different pads would help out alot.

The only thing that I felt unsatisfied by is the soundstage. Sometimes I have a real difficult time seperating instruments and that bothers me. Guitars at times can sound everywhere.

So I'm going to return it and get a new headphone. I've been seriously thinking of getting the beyerdynamic DT 990, since it's supposed to have a 3-d soundstage and that will hopefully solve my dilema with the grados. The only thing I'm worried about it is that the detail might lack compared to the grados, which I really like. Can anybody tell me what I gain or lose in soundquality when I do the switch?

Thanks everybody for getting me this far.

 

[Coltrane]

First he doesnt notice a difference between 200 dollar heaphones and crappy earbuds. Now a week later he is looking to upgrade.

If that isn't head-fi in a nutshell I don't know what it.

a note on comfort, try bending the headband a little (which is actually reccomended by Grado) or wearing them more. They will get better. Soundstage is always a bit of an issue though.

 

[J-Pak]

Unamped the SR-60 and SR-225 sounded nearly identical to me out of a AV-710 soundcard.

Amped with my E-MU0404 and M3 theres a large difference.

Bottom line is the SR-225 will scale with better equipment down the line

 

[Alexcy]

Haha, well actually the headphone is slightly cheaper than the grados. But I was seriously considering buying the sr325i...

And the music I listen to is rock/metal/prog rock/metal Bands that include Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Symphony X, Nevermore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Megadeth, just to name a few.

I'm looking for good soundstage/instrument seperation, strong bass, and detailed sound. Does the DT 990 fit this discription?