[kelly]

HP-1000, if anything, has a Joseph Grado house sound, while modern Grados have a John Grado house sound. This isn't to say one couldn't like both, but they sound nothing alike. I like the HP-1000 and don't tend to care for other Grados.

The biggest problem I have always had with Grados is that they tend to be too bright for me. This has always puzzled me that people recomemnd them for rock and pop--recordings that are already bright.

However, most people who listen to rap find bass punch very important and this is an area that all of Grado's headphone excel at.

I definitely concur that you should audition the Grados. Their sound will be quite different than the V6. On the other hand, I think the Beyerdyanmic DT250-80 that Snufkin mentioned may be closer to what you're looking for overall and you should probably audition that also.

 

[perfektrtw]

Thanks guys, I guess I will have to check out the Grados more closely

I am surprised no one mentioned the 770 Pro, after reading about its characterisitics. Any thought on this?

 

[JiPi]

edit :

never mind me, im just a tired old man

 

[Snufkin]

Quote:

Originally posted by perfektrtw Thanks guys, I guess I will have to check out the Grados more closely I am surprised no one mentioned the 770 Pro, after reading about its characterisitics. Any thought on this?

I mentioned the 770pro

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally posted by perfektrtw Basically, I have the Sony V6's right now, and they are GREAT... but now I want something even better

Something better.........how many thousands of dollars have we collectively wasted in search of the elusive goal of something better..........

I own the V6, it was the first good headphone I bought. I have searched for the past year to find something better, and while I have found things along the way that have refined and improved the sound of my V6's, I must honestly say that I have yet to find something better.

I tried the Beyer 250-80's, and I must warn you that if comfort is a major issue for you, you must be aware that this headphone was not intended for those of us (like me) with large heads or ears. The most wonderful thing about the V6's is the ergonomic miracle of the slightly slanted earcups. This slight slant more naturally approximates the shape of your pinnae (the outside part of your ear). The Beyer earcups are straight up and down, so if you have anything other than normal or small ears, the earcups will rest ON your ear, they will not go INSIDE, as they really should for a closed headphone. Plus, the Beyer's exerted a clamping force on my head that was most unpleasant.

Quote:

Originally posted by redshifter a dedicated headphone amp is more about the quality of the amplification, not the quantity. if your panny pcdp has a line out, you could always run a cha47 from that. ditto for your soundcard. i recently asked the experts here the best headphones for rock music and many agreed it was the beyer dt770 + a good amp. sorry about your wallet.

I would suggest that instead of looking to REPLACE the V6's, since you already like their sound, you should look to IMPROVE the sound that you already like. An external amp and a good interconnect will go a long way to refining the sound of the V6's. Despite what others say, and I have the testimony of respected amp builder and designer ppl to back me up, the V6's do in fact require good amplification to sound their best. I have not owned the CHA47 that redshifter is suggesting, but I do own a JMT built CMOY with a single 9v battery with a Burr Brown OPA2134PA, and this unit really helps to tame the bad qualities of the V6 and enhance its strengths.

Something to think about........

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly HP-1000, if anything, has a Joseph Grado house sound, while modern Grados have a John Grado house sound. This isn't to say one couldn't like both, but they sound nothing alike. I like the HP-1000 and don't tend to care for other Grados. The biggest problem I have always had with Grados is that they tend to be too bright for me. This has always puzzled me that people recomemnd them for rock and pop--recordings that are already bright. However, most people who listen to rap find bass punch very important and this is an area that all of Grado's headphone excel at. I definitely concur that you should audition the Grados. Their sound will be quite different than the V6. On the other hand, I think the Beyerdyanmic DT250-80 that Snufkin mentioned may be closer to what you're looking for overall and you should probably audition that also.

Wow Kelly, its not often that you and me agree... but I would definetly concur that the current Grado range's treble is a little... emphasised (I have no knowledge of the original line-up, but how well they are sought after I guess they are brilliant)

It, to me sounds somewhat artificial... I have the SR125s and have demoed the SR60 and SR325 also, and found with all that they just didn't sound right... whilst the V6 might be classed as bright, it seems to be a natural brightness, sibiliant vocals and hi-hats still sound how they should, albeit a little sharp, whereas on Grados, they sound skewed, dirty...

Doesn't mean of course that they won't be a good match against the V6... everyone hearing is different, but I personally would definetly opt for an A/B demo with your V6 and the Grados, rather than just having an impulse buy and regretting it later...

 

[finleyville]

Yeah, what's up with this? I am also agreeing with Kelly. Must be one of those days where all the planets are aligned or something...

I also only own the V6's and went to the World Headphone tour to find my next purchase. I did audition the Grados and my impressions were kin to Kelly's. On the whole I thought that the Grado line was a little too bright for my tastes, although I did love the evergy that the Grados brought to the music. I liked the SR225's the best in the middle price category and the HP-2's in the upper category. As for comfort, I thought they were almost as comfortable as my V6's with the Beyer pads. I should mention that my head and ears are definitely on the small side. (Sometimes I have to find a youth sized hat.) I'm sure that makes a difference too.

So my recommendation would be to try the Grado's. Since you haven't heard them yet I would say if you added more energy, oomph, and are able to stand a little brighter sound than your current V6's, then the Grado's are for you.

over and out...

 

[fiddler]

Quote:

...but I do own a JMT built CMOY with a single 9v battery with a Burr Brown OPA2134PA, and this unit really helps to tame the bad qualities of the V6 and enhance its strengths.

My thoughts exactly! I have a self-built CMOY with the same opamp, and I find that it's a great combination with the the V6. The rolled off highs on the CMOY helps taming the brightness a great deal. It's a mistake to assume that this headphone doesn't require an amp because it's easy to drive; I find that it's too thin and bright sounding out of all the portable sources that I have. They completely transform when being driven by either my Corda quasi-Blue or my CMOY.

 

[a1leyez0nm3]

Quote:

Originally posted by kerelybonto You should find a local dealer that carries Grados and go try them on. A lot of people have absolutely no qualms about their comfort. I'm one of those people -- no, they're not all cushy-cuddly, but they're not uncomfortable. Grados have a frequency response similar to the Sony MDR-V6, so if you like that general sound, you'll probably like what you get out of a Grado. Any of the Grados from the SR-80 (MSRP $95) on up will get you noticably punchier bass, which is a large part of why I prefer my SR-80 to my V6 for almost all music. I'm listening to Pearl Jam's "Go" right now, and it just sounds so much more intense than on the V6. I have a set of Grado HP-1000 (HP-2) headphones on their way -- a $600 investment that attests to how much I like the Grado house sound. I also picked up a new Sony SCD-CE775 to run them with, and I'm working on getting a good amp for them. That, however, is another of the benefits you get from a Grado -- you won't need an amp right away. With their low imepedance and high sensitivity, they'll sound relatively better without an amp than most other high-quality headphones. Of course, when you get the cash to buy a nice amp, they'll sound even better. I'm sure you'll get lots of other good recommendations. But don't let the supposed comfort issue turn you off from a great line of headphones. kerelybonto

the only grados that i have heard were the rs1s... i havent heard the hp2s or 325s tho... i love the v6 tho. i dont like many grados. '



i would recommend the er4 etymotic.

 

[Magicthyse]

Quote:

Originally posted by a1leyez0nm3 the only grados that i have heard were the rs1s...

OK

Quote:

Originally posted by a1leyez0nm3 i dont like many grados. '