[iamfir]

Okay, I am new here, lol. Anyways, I am stuck between the Shure SRH440's and the ATH-M50's and the ATH-A700's. I am 16, about to turn 17 in two months and want a new set of cans. Yes, I am barely an adult, but I have been looking at a new pair of headphones for at least a month now. Now I have narrowed it down to these three. I have learned a lot this passed month about headphones so you can be technical and I should understand. But, getting to the point! I started this mainly because i have seen no threads on my type of music. I mainly listen to screamo and desperately need to know which one of these sets is the best. Just overall, and which one is best comfort and sound wise for my music. Please and Thank you!

 

[alv4426]

Well I think most will say it goes M50>A700>440... but for screamo? is that like peruvian death metal? If yes you may need grados. And there is a pretty big price difference between these, whats your limit?
 

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Well I think most will say it goes M50>A700>440... but for screamo? is that like peruvian death metal? If yes you may need grados. And there is a pretty big price difference between these, whats your limit?
 

Yeah, Grado do not do metal well.
 
Screamo is where the singer goes "HAHAJDPOAIJOKFNaFBN{OIA{OCbDC{uIOB!!!!!!"
 
right?
 
The M50's are the best choice, then you can work your way into others. I recommend them for any metal fan that can't buy an amp. They have great bass, good everything and DO NOT need an amp.

 

[Cheeznuklz]

Screamo is pretty broad.  Vocal centric bands with screaming vocals (something like GlassJaw) sound great on my Grado SR60i's.  The forward and aggressive mids sound great with the screaming vocals.  Heavier 'screamo' bands like We Came As Romans don't sound as great because of the lack of bass presence.  My knowledge on what qualifies as screamo is pretty limited.  I may be entirely off base with my band examples, but you get the idea. 

 

[ubitwarr]

I believe that Grado's do exceptionally well with metal (as do the majority of grado owners). Personally I would recommend a pair of sr-60 or 80's over the above choices for metal/screamo. If you stick with the above choices I would say go with either the 440's or m50's. I haven't heard the a700's but do own a pair ad-700's and find that they lack the bass impact for metal.

 

[Ikelmonster]

iamfir can you give some examples of bands you listen to the most? I don't listen to band I would call screamo, but I do listen to a lot of metal where the vocals can range from singing to screaming to growling and everything inbetween. I only have 1 set of hi-fi headphones right now, grado sr60i's, and I love them for the music I listen to. My next purchase will be m50s, but for a starter set of headphones the sr60s are both on the lower end for price and fun to listen to 

 

[iamfir]

okay, price limit. I would say $130 at the most, I know M50's are around $150 and I think I can do that. Just gotta work a little more but that'll be fine. And my music is all over the place, I mainly listen to Chelsea Grin, As Blood Runs Black, Oceano. But then it could, lets say, switch over to deadmau5, or, Frank Sinatra, or Attack Attack!; my genres are every which way. but mainly its screamo like the bands above.

 

[RokBoks]

\m/ GRADO FOR THA METALZ \m/
hahaha i have a set of sr60i's and they do all sorts of rock beautifully (by the way easily mod-able) i listen to tons of other stuff and it all sounds great to me but i am biased seeing as theyve been my only cans for about 3 years now 

 

[iamfir]

You know, I have always wanted to know about this "modding" how do I do it and what does it do? And is it easy enough for my age? (not saying im not capable of doing it, I am quite smart for my age, I just dont want it to be overwhelming, if there is delicate matters then idk about it. Would not be good if i messedup my first good pair of cans)

 

[FearSC549]

Quote:

You know, I have always wanted to know about this "modding" how do I do it and what does it do? And is it easy enough for my age? (not saying im not capable of doing it, I am quite smart for my age, I just dont want it to be overwhelming, if there is delicate matters then idk about it. Would not be good if i messedup my first good pair of cans)

There are various mods for Grados, ranging from cutting a hole in the foam all the way to changing the whole structure and driver of the headphone. Just search Grado mods or SR60 mods, a lot of stuff will show up. 
 
I'd say Grados are good for screamo/metal since they have forward and aggressive mids; try the SR60i or SR80i if you want to spend a bit more. 
 

 

[iamfir]

Which Grados are better? SR60i's or SR80i's?
 
UPDATE: I just looked at the headphones and they look like they dont isolate any sound. from the felt covering the whole driver.

 

[Cheeznuklz]

Most of the sources I've seen seem to agree that the SQ differences between the sr80 and sr60 are almost entirely due to the different pads.  Frequency graphs indicate that the sr60 has a bit more low and a tad less high.  I would advise you go with the sr60 to get a taste of the sound.  If you like what you're hearing you can always order new pads or save up for an even higher model in the Prestige line (the 225 is frequently recommended as the next step up).  Grado's sound very different than other cans, but the difference between different Grados is widely considered to be much more subtle.
 
As for modding this thread goes through all the mods you could ever want for Grado's.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod

 

[iamfir]

I checked out the link. The headphones don't really seem, well, much. I know they are only about $80, but they don't seem to be anything I want, like the Shure's or A-T's. Plus they don't look like they could isolate any sound, they look like on-ear cans and I really prefer over-ear. And as the guy mentions about the cans being held together by heat-adhesive, they don't seem to be durable, I  could break them if I dropped after five times or so. I AM NOT DISSING THESE HEADPHONES, ITS MY PERSONAL OPINION. I hate to say it but are there ANY other brand of headphones you guys could recommend? Sorry to disappoint if I did. 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

okay, price limit. I would say $130 at the most, I know M50's are around $150 and I think I can do that. Just gotta work a little more but that'll be fine. And my music is all over the place, I mainly listen to Chelsea Grin, As Blood Runs Black, Oceano. But then it could, lets say, switch over to deadmau5, or, Frank Sinatra, or Attack Attack!; my genres are every which way. but mainly its screamo like the bands above.

Heya,
 
You listed closed headphones, so I imagine you don't want open-air at all? I would assume so since you likely want to listen on the go too I imagine? It's too bad, because personally I find metal/screamo/etc to sound better on larger sound stages (open-air cans). Just my opinion on it. That said, you would do well with a balanced sound can. The M50 would do well.
 
I'm curious though, have you considered IEM's? Or are you set on a pair of headphones? I ask because if you listen in public and/or around people at all, even closed headphones are going to leak, and people within a few feet of you will hear what you're listening to. If that's a problem, IEM's would be the logical step. If it's not an issue at all, back to the cans. If these are for listening purely at home, I can't help but recommend open-air.
 
Very best,

 

[alv4426]

I have M50s and you drop them 5 times hard I'm sure you'll mess them up. People may say one can is more durable than another but seriously even the most durable can is still a lot more vulnerable to damage than your average item... And I would wait for M50 to drop in price since they are normally priced about $50 cheaper or just buy the sony V6 cause they are almost as good but less than half price. both are monitor HP so isolation is no prob.