shampoosuicide
500+ Head-Fier
This post is a combination of my impressions of the Grado SR225, Alessandro MS2 and Sennheiser HD 595, and my subsequent views on the quite controversial but nonetheless insightful thread, Differences between SR80s and MS1s?.
A month ago, I bought the Sennheiser HD 595, my first step-up from my Sennheiser HD 497. I posted my impressions of the 595 here. Suffice to say, I was not impressed. My dissatisfaction arose mainly from the fact that I didn't find the sound of the 595s aggressive and "colored" enough. This was the same with my 497s, which I felt sounded very dry and neutral, which prompted me to buy a new pair of headphones.
Twice dissatisfied, I was convinced that I wasn't a Senn-guy. Thus I began my search for a pair of Grados or Alessandros. The MS1 has an immense amount of hype on here, and I thought these would be perfect for me: a refined, more neutral-sounding Grado. That was my impression of the Grado, until I stumbled upon this thread. The main controversy here is that one forum member asserts in this thread that, contrary to common opinion, the MS1 is brighter, has harsher highs, and less bass compared to the SR80.
This opened my eyes to Grados, having previously completely negated them, thinking they would be too harsh and bright. The SR225s are highly praised around here, and are called the "sweet spot" in the Grado line.
Now, having auditioned both the SR225 and MS2 (I initially planned to audition the MS1 and SR80, but demo sets were not available at the shops I visited), my final contention is that I do not agree entirely with the assertion put forth in said thread.
I'll begin with my impressions of the SR225 and MS2. Please note that these are very amateur observations. Prior to this, the only "real" headphones I owned were Senn 497s and 595s, and my setup looks like this: iMac > Headphones. I'm also not fluent with audiophile terms. Nonetheless, I'd like to share my views.
Before I start, I would like to add that I am not a "basshead", and I do feel bass is overrated. I also do not believe that I am sensitive to treble.
*Please do not flame me. I am really not a Sennheiser fanboy. I do believe that sound and musicality is subjective, and at times relative.
Grado SR225
For a very strange reason, although these were clearly bright headphones, they did not feel fatiguing or painful to listen to at higher volumes.
The lack of a lower-end and punchy bass also leaves me completely befuddled as to how ANYONE can find these enjoyable "rock" headphones.
The lack of a sound stage made listening to these feel completely unrealistic, and hence completely unenjoyable.
Alessandro MS2
Compared to the SR225, I enjoyed these more. They were far more stronger and defined in the mids, and had impactful and punchy bass, that was almost altogether non-existent in the SR225.
However, there is something that is lacking in the MS2 that makes them unenjoyable and feel unrealistic to listen to. This might be attributed to the fact that the sound is TOO airy and open, like BrookR1 said, to create the appearance of greater instrument separation. They lack a fullness and warmness in the sound, and while they had a lower-end and punchy bass, the lower-end does not pervade the music. This creates the impression of a "bright" sound, that is dominated by the treble and higher-end, making these fatiguing to listen too, especially because I had to turn up the volume (as BrookR1 and donunus experienced).
Overall, the music ends up sounding "disembodied".
Although the sense of instrument separation is better, there is little sound stage, which also contributes to the overall sense of an unrealistic listening experience.
Compared to the HD 595, these sounded very airy, open, more crystal-clear details.
Comparatively, the HD 595 sound muddy and dark, when A/Bed. However, by no means are the 595s dark or muddy-sounding headphones. To me, they are neutral and balanced, and they are detailed.
Beyerdynamic DT990
I listened to these briefly, so my opinions on these are very inconclusive. All I can say is, these aren't my sound either. They just sounded funny, which might be due to the fact that they have a very high impedance (250 ohms), and driven from my iPod and an mSeed Spirit amp. They are brighter than the 595s, but not as much so as the 225 or MS2. They had a fullness in the sound, which both the 225s and MS2s lacked. However, they sounded VERY veiled and recessed. And just strange overall...
Conclusion
I hated the 595s when I first got them. To me, now, although they are still quite far from my "ideal" sound, I like them more than ever, having heard the 225, MS2 and DT990. A critical point to note, I believe, is that sound stage is imperative to creating a sound that is engaging and involving. Otherwise, the music just sounds unrealistic. I believed that I might not enjoy other sound signatures, afraid that I might have been "spoiled" by the smooth Senn sound. However, ultimately this had nothing to do with my perception of the headphones I auditioned. I do think the 595s could benefit from a more aggressive sound, more airiness, more impactful bass, bigger sound stage etc. But for now, what I think I could really benefit from is an amp and a DAC.
A month ago, I bought the Sennheiser HD 595, my first step-up from my Sennheiser HD 497. I posted my impressions of the 595 here. Suffice to say, I was not impressed. My dissatisfaction arose mainly from the fact that I didn't find the sound of the 595s aggressive and "colored" enough. This was the same with my 497s, which I felt sounded very dry and neutral, which prompted me to buy a new pair of headphones.
Twice dissatisfied, I was convinced that I wasn't a Senn-guy. Thus I began my search for a pair of Grados or Alessandros. The MS1 has an immense amount of hype on here, and I thought these would be perfect for me: a refined, more neutral-sounding Grado. That was my impression of the Grado, until I stumbled upon this thread. The main controversy here is that one forum member asserts in this thread that, contrary to common opinion, the MS1 is brighter, has harsher highs, and less bass compared to the SR80.
This opened my eyes to Grados, having previously completely negated them, thinking they would be too harsh and bright. The SR225s are highly praised around here, and are called the "sweet spot" in the Grado line.
Now, having auditioned both the SR225 and MS2 (I initially planned to audition the MS1 and SR80, but demo sets were not available at the shops I visited), my final contention is that I do not agree entirely with the assertion put forth in said thread.
I'll begin with my impressions of the SR225 and MS2. Please note that these are very amateur observations. Prior to this, the only "real" headphones I owned were Senn 497s and 595s, and my setup looks like this: iMac > Headphones. I'm also not fluent with audiophile terms. Nonetheless, I'd like to share my views.
Before I start, I would like to add that I am not a "basshead", and I do feel bass is overrated. I also do not believe that I am sensitive to treble.
*Please do not flame me. I am really not a Sennheiser fanboy. I do believe that sound and musicality is subjective, and at times relative.
Grado SR225
- Thin
- Hollow
- Lacks punch
- Bright
- Lacks lower-end
- Lacks fullness and warmness in sound
- Not at all punchy or fun
- NO sound stage at all, thus sounded very cluttered/messy and unrealistic
For a very strange reason, although these were clearly bright headphones, they did not feel fatiguing or painful to listen to at higher volumes.
The lack of a lower-end and punchy bass also leaves me completely befuddled as to how ANYONE can find these enjoyable "rock" headphones.
The lack of a sound stage made listening to these feel completely unrealistic, and hence completely unenjoyable.
Alessandro MS2
- Punchy
- Crystal clear, compared to 595
- Detailed
- Bright, more fatiguing to listen to compared to SR225
- Lacks energy (?), had to turn up the volume, and still it was lacking
- Airy, very open
- Very small sound stage
- Colored
- Enhanced and defined mids
- Punchy, impactful bass, esp. when compared to 595
- Lacks fullness and warmness in sound, felt lifeless and unrealistic to listen too
Compared to the SR225, I enjoyed these more. They were far more stronger and defined in the mids, and had impactful and punchy bass, that was almost altogether non-existent in the SR225.
However, there is something that is lacking in the MS2 that makes them unenjoyable and feel unrealistic to listen to. This might be attributed to the fact that the sound is TOO airy and open, like BrookR1 said, to create the appearance of greater instrument separation. They lack a fullness and warmness in the sound, and while they had a lower-end and punchy bass, the lower-end does not pervade the music. This creates the impression of a "bright" sound, that is dominated by the treble and higher-end, making these fatiguing to listen too, especially because I had to turn up the volume (as BrookR1 and donunus experienced).
Overall, the music ends up sounding "disembodied".
Although the sense of instrument separation is better, there is little sound stage, which also contributes to the overall sense of an unrealistic listening experience.
Compared to the HD 595, these sounded very airy, open, more crystal-clear details.
Comparatively, the HD 595 sound muddy and dark, when A/Bed. However, by no means are the 595s dark or muddy-sounding headphones. To me, they are neutral and balanced, and they are detailed.
Beyerdynamic DT990
I listened to these briefly, so my opinions on these are very inconclusive. All I can say is, these aren't my sound either. They just sounded funny, which might be due to the fact that they have a very high impedance (250 ohms), and driven from my iPod and an mSeed Spirit amp. They are brighter than the 595s, but not as much so as the 225 or MS2. They had a fullness in the sound, which both the 225s and MS2s lacked. However, they sounded VERY veiled and recessed. And just strange overall...
Conclusion
I hated the 595s when I first got them. To me, now, although they are still quite far from my "ideal" sound, I like them more than ever, having heard the 225, MS2 and DT990. A critical point to note, I believe, is that sound stage is imperative to creating a sound that is engaging and involving. Otherwise, the music just sounds unrealistic. I believed that I might not enjoy other sound signatures, afraid that I might have been "spoiled" by the smooth Senn sound. However, ultimately this had nothing to do with my perception of the headphones I auditioned. I do think the 595s could benefit from a more aggressive sound, more airiness, more impactful bass, bigger sound stage etc. But for now, what I think I could really benefit from is an amp and a DAC.
