[appar111]

Looking for one of the inexpensive Grados, amped most of the time, and I need something with the Grado sound, but not big bucks (i.e. under $100). So I can grab the SR60's for $69 shipped, the SR80's for about $89 shipped, or the MS-1's for $99 shipped.

This will be for metal and rock (Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, Marilyn Manson, etc.). I've heard the MS-1's recommended pretty highly as a Grado alternative, but would they still be ideal over the SR60/80's for metal? And out of the 60 or 80, will the 80's really be that much better for this type of music, or will it not make much of a difference? (i.e. a little marketing hype for the SR80's)

 

[BowerR64]

$55. on e-bay

For some reason my SR60s sound better then the SR80s. The 80s dont sound as thick and full as the 60s for some reason. Ive switched the pads but the 60s still sound better.

 

[MKAL]

I've gotta give the nod to the SR60 too. I tried both the 60 and 80 and found that while the 80s maybe had a little more bass, they were way too bright. SR60 is the way to go between the two. One qualification though is that I did not break in the 80s for more than 30 hours. I don't know if more break in time would have helped them significantly though.

 

[phkd]

i was also going to recommend the 60's, but i haven't heard the MS-1. but if you take out them, between the 60s and the 80's i enjoyed the 60s more.

 

[comabereni]

I liked the SR-60. I like the MS1 better and seriously doubt that anyone who tried both would say they like the SR-60 more. At least I have never heard it. The MS1 is the same price as the SR-80.

In short, I recommend either the SR-60 or to skip the SR-80 and get the MS1, which is an optimized/neutralized SR-125, only for ~$50 less MSRP.

-coma

 

[Puddleglum]

I agree if that's true, I love my SR80's and I think everything is perfect except the harshness. I've also heard that the SR80's sound much better with an amp, which I have not tried.

 

[Head Creep]

I've never heard the SR-80's or MS1's, but I do own SR-60's and listen to music along the lines of what you listed (except for Manson, whom I despise, but that's a whole other thread in a whole other forum). They work great unamped, but I do find myself wishing that they were a bit stronger when it comes to bass. If you're using them amped, I would probably lean away from the 60's simply for a bit of an improvement in bass.

 

[fureshi]

i had sr80 about a year ago but i don't remember how they sound now. more recently, i had the ms-1 that i now totally regret selling and compared to the sr60, they're much more livelier. for some reason, the sr60 sound pretty boring compared to the ms-1. the ms-1 are better in every way than the sr60 and they're only $30 more, which is well worth the cost.

 

[kugino]

sr60.

 

[Imyourzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowerR64 For some reason my SR60s sound better then the SR80s. The 80s dont sound as thick and full as the 60s for some reason. Ive switched the pads but the 60s still sound better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MKAL I've gotta give the nod to the SR60 too. I tried both the 60 and 80 and found that while the 80s maybe had a little more bass, they were way too bright. SR60 is the way to go between the two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phkd i was also going to recommend the 60's, but i haven't heard the MS-1. but if you take out them, between the 60s and the 80's i enjoyed the 60s more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino sr60.

Wow, I guess I'm in the minority here because I've owned both the SR80 and SR60 and enjoyed the SR80 more. I found it to be more detailed and I enjoyed the bass a lot more than the SR60. I even tried padrolling with the SR60, but I ended up taking off the flats and going back to the comfies because, well...they were far more comfy. They did definitely affect the sound, though. Perhaps it's a matter of what equipment I used the SR80 with, but I never found it to be harsh or shrill. I simply found it to be energetic and detailed, two attributes that I really like and that is probably why I'm a big Grado fan.

edit: I was using both unamped, and no I don't think the SR80 *needs* an amp to sound good. I don't think it sounds muddy without an amp, like Headroom states, but I'm not denying that it would probably benefit from one.

 

[MKAL]

I just noticed you said you will be using them mostly with an amp, I am not sure about the SR80, but the SR60 will not benefit all that much with an amp.

 

[appar111]

Hmmm, I'm still confused as to which to get... there are benefits to all-- the SR60 is the least expensive and has gotten alot of support, the SR80 has a little more bass, and more energy and detail, the MS-1 sounds more lively than the SR60 and less harsh than the SR80.

Since I already have the DT770/80's, I'm looking for something that has quite a different sonic signature. It's a close tie with all these, for slightly different reasons. It doesn't sound like I could go wrong with any of them.

Imyourzero-- how many hours have you logged on your SR80's? I wonder if that helps tame harshness.

BowerR64-- was the $55 a price for a new pair of SR60's? And is it a regular seller on Ebay, or a one-time, individual sale?

I've also read that the SR60/80 benefit from a good deal of burn-in to get the drivers loosened up. Would you all agree?

 

[ixeo]

i'd suggest you go straight to the MS1 (seems its said to be the equivalent of the SR125) and save some $$$ on the long run. i'm getting MS-1 soon..real soon.

 

[TMC]

MS-1 > SR60 by a fair margin, it's just more refined with clearly better bass extension and is really worth the (quite small) price difference.

 

[fureshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 I've also read that the SR60/80 benefit from a good deal of burn-in to get the drivers loosened up. Would you all agree?

That seems to be the case. I recently purchased my SR60 from a guy on ebay who bought them, used them two or three times and threw them in his closet. They looked brand new when I picked them up. They've been burning in for 72hrs and I didn't hear much change in the sound. This could be why I find them so boring. Maybe things will change afterwards. Imo, the MS-1 sounded great out of the box and even better with Senn pads. Seriously, you won't go wrong by skipping the SR60/80 and going straight to the MS-1.