[Tmacfan4321]

I have narrowed it down to 3 options for my $150 budget.

1. I buy both the SR60 and the ER6i's
2. I buy either the SR 125's or save money with the SR80's
3. I buy the Super.fi 5 Pro or EB (EB is in my budget, pro's are $30 out)
4. I say "screw it" and just buy the SR60's.

I listen to Hip-Hop, Rap, Metal, Rock, and other things will probably come up along the way.

The only reason why I am contemplating buying 2 sets of headphones is because of my bus ride on the way to school. I would like some noise isolation and playing music would annoy the hell out of the other kids on the bus.

 

[intoflatlines]

Get the SR80 and a cheaper IEM.

Or forget the SR125 and just get the SR225 (used).

Or get the SF5 Pro.

I would go with the SR225 if you want great sound, the bus ride wouldn't be a priority for me.. But then, the SF5 Pro offers really great sound (in my opinion) and is worthy of being used at home too.. Sorry, I'm not making this easy for you.

 

[JWFokker]

The SF 5 Pro's don't sound nearly as good as the SR-60's, no less the SR-80 or SR-125 Grado models. I say go as high up the Grado line as you can afford if you want to get the best sound quality for your buck. Really, between the SR-60's and any IEM in your price range, it's not even close. Get full size cans if you want excellent sound quality for under $150. Even my $180 q-JAYS don't sound as good as a pair of SR-60's. There's really no comparison between IEMs and full size cans. You have to spend 3x as much on IEMs to get the same quality as you do with full size headphones and they still can't produce visceral bass the way real headphones can.

 

[Tyler J]

You could add the Goldring DR150s to your list.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

Just get the SR-60s IMO the SR-80s are not worth the price premium over the 60s. Then save up more money and get a really nice pair of IEMs for when you are on the move.

 

[synaesthetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWFokker /img/forum/go_quote.gif The SF 5 Pro's don't sound nearly as good as the SR-60's, no less the SR-80 or SR-125 Grado models. I say go as high up the Grado line as you can afford if you want to get the best sound quality for your buck. Really, between the SR-60's and any IEM in your price range, it's not even close. Get full size cans if you want excellent sound quality for under $150. Even my $180 q-JAYS don't sound as good as a pair of SR-60's. There's really no comparison between IEMs and full size cans. You have to spend 3x as much on IEMs to get the same quality as you do with full size headphones and they still can't produce visceral bass the way real headphones can.

I disagree with this. Unless you love bass.

My ER-6i definitely stand up very well against my Audio-Technica ATH-AD700s. Nonsense aside, comparing IEMs and circumaural open headphones is like comparing apples and oranges. Two totally different animals.

Edit: Personally I think the SR-60 sounds atrocious, but then again I do not care for the Grado sound at all. Your mileage may vary.

 

[eruditass]

iems will change your entire idea of portable bliss.

 

[JWFokker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree with this. Unless you love bass. My ER-6i definitely stand up very well against my Audio-Technica ATH-AD700s. Nonsense aside, comparing IEMs and circumaural open headphones is like comparing apples and oranges. Two totally different animals. Edit: Personally I think the SR-60 sounds atrocious, but then again I do not care for the Grado sound at all. Your mileage may vary.

I'd contend that the ER-6i's sound anemic and I'm not a bass head either. If you look at the response curve on the SR-60's, they're not particularly bassy and the treble of the ER-6i's is just as peaky as the Grados and has even worse roll off at the very top. The real problem is that IEMs simply have no visceral impact the way fullsize phones and speakers do. None at all. You can have a bass response that's completely flat out to 20hz and you can't feel the bass with IEMs the way you can with headphones. That alone makes them far less engaging and is a serious detriment to immersion. Real instruments have bass you can feel and IEMs simply can't replicate that.

 

[vhobhstr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally I think the SR-60 sounds atrocious, but then again I do not care for the Grado sound at all. Your mileage may vary.

Just out of curiosity, what do you think of the Koss KSC series?