[Headphonefred]

Hi guys, im almost ready to buy the grado sr80i headphone, but i just want to be certain, are those the best sounding headphones around £100/ $100? Looks do not matter, i am soley interested in HOW THEY SOUND. If it helps i will be using them only at home and for jazz and and a small bit of Rock (pink floyd etc) Many thanks

 

[12345142]

Yes, get them. You will definitely be satisfied. No need to worry so much.

 

[Melvins]

Grado's sound astounding for jazz. The warmth of the grades and of the jazz recording blends so astoundingly well...
 
grado's tend to sound way more expensive than they are. you will surely be satisfied

 

[NA Blur]

The SR-80i is not that great at jazz.  This is because of the one dimensional soundstage of most Grado headphones.  For rock and metal the SR-80i does a pretty darn good job.  Another thing I do not like about most Grado headphones is that they are really uncomfortable.  They rest on your ears and the driver filters be it comfy or bowl place too much pressure on your outer ear.  After about 1 hour it really hurts and you will ask yourself "why am I doing this to my ears?"
 
In the $100 range you can go with the Audio Technica ATH-M50 or the Sony MDR-ZX700.  Both can be found for around $100 and I can speak for the ATH-M50 being worth up to $150.  You get a little better separation with the M50 or ZX700 compared to the Grado.  They are much more comfortable.
 
The SR-80i is more portable and does sound pretty good if it was not for the discomfort issue I would recommend them to you.  If you are not into hi-fi yet the SR-80i is certainly a step in the right direction and you can assured they will be an improvement over what you may be used to.
 
The bass on the many Grado headphones does not actually extend that low.  I will admit the sub-bass ( 90Hz ) from the SR-80i does a great job and convincing your ears otherwise.  Take a look at the graphs below showing the difference in frequency response for the M50 and the SR-80i.  See how the M50 goes more into the bass region and does not have the peaks in the treble?  To me it makes it a more enjoyable headphone.  They are also pretty good for studio work.
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/audio-technica-ath-m50.php
 
 
Here is Tyll Hertsens' review of the M50
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/audio-technica-ath-m50
 
I think you will like either the M50 or the SR-80i, but I enjoy the M50 much more.

 

[Melvins]

grado's sound sultry as well. Most jazz sounds sultry. 
 
 
I honestly never listened to jazz prior to owning grados. Now I listen to it all the time

 

[Melvins]

and honestly, 1 in like 5 people find grado's uncomfortable. I find the g-cush pads to be extremely comfy. 

 

[Melvins]

also, grado's are hardly portable! Due to the fact that they leak terribly and don't have a great seal around one's ear. 

 

[WhiteCrow]

Quote:

also, grado's are hardly portable! Due to the fact that they leak terribly and don't have a great seal around one's ear. 

this due to the fact that they are open headphones.

 

[Melvins]

yeah. essentially what i meant to say

 

[Crossfire23]

Grados are excellent for Rock music but pretty below average for everything else (at least imo). Comfort could also be improved.

 

[nick n]

Check out the new Philips Citiscape Downtown. They should be out very soon even now (?) One on fleabay.
Tyll@ Innerfidelity and Jude ( here ) both thought this was the best value around/under $100 for the entire recent CES Show.
 if that doesn't say it ....

 

[fabio-fi]

Quote:

Check out the new Philips Citiscape Downtown. They should be out very soon even now (?) One on fleabay.

The problem is knowing how good they perform in Op's musical genres. 

 

[Melvins]

Those headphones do look very nice though

 

[nick n]

there's bound to be a few impressions soon in here. Anyhow here's the recent graphs link.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PhilipsCityscapeDowntown.pdf

 

[KG Jag]

If you like the Grado house sound, the 80's are a good and classic place to start.
 
However, there are better all around cans for most folks, who listen to a variety of music genres.  In the $100 range check out the CALS!, Koss ProDJ100 and it's prettier sister the Tony Bennett Sig. Ed., and the Brainwawz HM 5 and the Sony already mentioned.