[Joshatdot]

I looked for ever for hi end headphone stores. Then I remembered Roosevelt Way NE & 65th St area has lots of hi-fi stores!

I first tried Magnolia Audio Video, but they didn't have any thing better then Sennheiser PXC 250's and none for demo listening.



I went 1 block down and across the street and found this GEM of a store: http://hawthornestereo.com/

They had a nice little wall area with a decent demo selection. Sorry if I can't name every model, but they were all Pro series Senn's and Grado's.

I emailed the store just now so they can tell me exactly what models, versions/years and possible number of hours of use each had. I also asked what brand & model of cd player I used, headphone amp, and interconnects if possible.

 

[Joshatdot]

I remember that the Senn HD25-1's reproduced the Ultrasone S-Logic Demo CD the best to my ears. While the Grado's had a more bright, detailed sound, and did not have alot of bass oomph, yet had a better sound stage.

The SR60's had better bass, but did not sound as detailed/bright as the SR80's, SR125's & SR225's. I liked the feel of the SR60's flat pads, while the SR80's/125's/225's had cupped pads that were round, and didn't fit my ears well.

 

[captainbrendo]

hey there

I live near tacoma, and am looking for some new headphones. Do you know of any other stores that carry good headphones that you can demo. I too was dissapointed at Magnolia's headphone section! I am thinking about the HD580, HD595 or anything similar

 

[pretzelb]

I think the signature store for Magnolia is in Bellevue. I've been to it and they have headphones you can demo. I think the top of the line is the HD 600. They have a bunch of other Senn's and two Bose but that's all. They did not have the HD 580 but I think they did have the HD 595 ... can't recall.

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainbrendo /img/forum/go_quote.gif hey there I live near tacoma, and am looking for some new headphones. Do you know of any other stores that carry good headphones that you can demo. I too was dissapointed at Magnolia's headphone section! I am thinking about the HD580, HD595 or anything similar

I would give hawthorne stereo a call, cause all they do is hi end stereo, and see if they know of anyone down there in the Tacoma area.

 

[captainbrendo]

Thanks guys, I'll go check hawthorne and the magnolia in bellevue!

 

[Dregur]

Sweet, thanks for the advice! I'm actually trying to move around that Ravenna/Greenlake/Greenwood area too. Nice!

-The Grinman

 

[Geo]

I am going to be in Seattle soon. Good tip. Geo

 

[Javatango]

I think Definitive Audio is in that same area located on Roosevelt. Be sure to check them out.

 

[dgbiker1]

Awesome, thanks! I've been jonesing to try out some headphones in the area but Magnolia was the nicest place I knew of... and wasn't that great. I'll check out Hawthorne soon.

 

[Joshatdot]

FYI to who are in the Seattle area, mini-meet in March, link in sig.

 

[joe_seattle]

Magnolia Hi-Fi in Bellevue has Senn HD600 and HD650 for demo. They have a great higher end cd player for testing, but not an external headphone amp. I've tried both headphones there and the cd player drives them easily, though obviously not with as much authority as a dedicated amp. The staff is friendly, unlike the Roosevelt location where they are simply rude. Hawthorne Audio is great and has a good selection of Grado: 60, 80, 225 and 325i. They also have a fantastic array of used equipment - I tested a wonderful Marantz 63se xd player that sounded great but was priced at a somewhat optimistic $225.

 

[WittyzTH]

^
^

agree, I love the service in the Bellevue location, but there's only Sennheiser.

Hawthorne Audio has some Grado, and Sennheiser esp. HD25-1 and 25SP. I tried them once before ending up with HD25-1.