What should my first pair of "real" headphones be?
Jul 12, 2011 at 6:38 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10

Hyvlarn

New Head-Fier
Joined
Jul 12, 2011
Posts
5
Likes
0
I'm pretty new to this. The best pair of headphones I have owned so far in my life are the Steelseries Siberia V2 because I play FPS games. The mic and headband has broken, and I have stopped playing FPS games so I need a new pair. The most I'm willing to spend is $100 USD. So I have been doing my homework and what most of my research has pointed to is the Grado Labs SR80i. I know someone who has used these and he says they are great. If I were to buy these, I would be using them for listening to music on my computer and listening to my iPod. So Head-Fi, are these a good choice for $100, or can you recommend anything better?
 
TL;DR: Are Grado Labs SR80i worth it? If not, recommend something better for under $100 USD please.
 
                         Thanks ahead of time,
 
                                                 Hyvlarn
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 7:08 AM Post #2 of 10
AD700 closed is wicked for gaming  and that electronic music that is all the rage today while not being sloppy for real music as well lolol.
 
AD700 open is a crowd pleaser for sure. Bigger soundstage and airer presentation at the expense of bass impact. The bass is still there you can just hear it more instead of feel it now since open air headphones allow for deeper extension at the expense of midbass physical impact.
 
Grado SR-80i is wicked for music-ing, if you can get over the initial shock of decades of reviews building them up to be god tier end-all headphones. They cost 100 dollars, and have more detail and a more present midrange than some 200 dollar cans. That being said the treble presentation which objectively described, extends far compared to neutral headphones and can come off as "sparkly" which some people like, some people don't. At the SR-80 level, it's toned down a bit so I wouldn't worry about it. They look cool to me, are easily serviceable if they ever break, are backed by a credible warranty, have a really durable cable, and if youre a midrange and treble seeker like myself, you'll really enjoy them.
 
Allessandro MS-1i is another option, free shipping too (yay). The "i" models don't really make a difference to me, I'll buy either. I own an SR-80i which I'm about to sell. It's an SR-80 that is impossible for me to sleep with since the deeper earcups stop me from laying on my side (I sleep at an angle that isn't quite 90 degrees lol). It's like an SR-125 except you don't have to use a 3.5mm adapter since it's already terminated that way, it is buttonless, and they claim more neutrality but it's really hard to say that when there isn't quite a Grado to compare it to, (Grados become more neutral as you go up, but honestly none of them are even remotely neutral unless you're talking vintage out of production G-cans). I can't really hear any differences between SR-125 and MS-1 unless I'm listening to really transparent music, but it's still not enough to even take a stance on how each one sounds. The treble is a bit less sparkly and more polished (less fun to some), but it's by such a small degree that I'd just buy the first one I saw.
 
Hmm what else have I owned at around 100 dollars..
 
Oh I like AKG K240 Studio. A lot. It's not an audiophile headphone, it's sort of closed I remember, but it sounded really good, was very comfortable, looked kind of cool, had a good build quality and I liked the single ended cable. It also can compete with more expensive headphones because it has a sound signature that can please a lot of people and obviously even if you buy headphones that cost more, if you don't like them, then that means these are better for the money right? Go to your local Guitar Center or something and listen to these, that was the first place I heard them and liked them.
 
Unfortunately I have a condition where I like almost all sound signatures except for really dirty basshead cans, so it's kind of sad that I'm attracted to all manner of expensive headphones! Except for the K701, I probably still don't like those lol.
 
TLDR; yeah they're worth it. I have a broken Siberia Icemat that I don't even bother with anymore and just for gaming and movies the Grados already trounced the,. So before anybody even goes on a rant like I did, they're going to be better than those for sure, just use a 10-15 dollar clip-on mic and you'll be happy. It's what I do lol.
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 7:09 AM Post #3 of 10
The Grado SR60i/SR80i are both great headphones that will no doubt be great upgrades to your Siberia headset. My first "real" headphone was a Grado SR60 and that thing started my whole passion for headphones. Beware though, the Grado's lack any isolation whatsoever. Everyone around you will be able to hear exactely what you're listening to. At louder volumes you will probably bother people with the Grado's leakage if you use them in public. They are also prone to brightness. Music with a lot of sibilance ("...I SSSSSSSSSSZZZZFSSHHSSStill love you..." 
wink_face.gif
) will sound pretty harsh and uncomfortable on these. 
 
Other headphones to check out on your budget are the Head-Fi fav's Audio Technica ATH-M50 (closed), Shure SRH440, Superlux HD668b (my favourite semi-open budget audiophile headphone), Superlux HD662F (my favourite closed budget audiophile headphone), AKG K518DJ (closed), Fischer Audio FA-004 (closed) and probably some more I'm missing right now. If you're still playing a FPS now and then you can check out the ATH-AD700 for awesome positioning and soundstage. Also, don't underestimate great budget headphones like the Koss PortaPro, KSC75 and (the slightly more expensive) Jays V-Jays. Check out this thread for more info on these. 
 
 
 
 
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:00 AM Post #4 of 10
Thanks for all your guys' help. I'm not much of an FPS gamer anymore, so 7.1 isn't a big deal. I also recognize that the Grado SR80i leaks sound a lot and I have taken that into consideration. And if it helps to know at all, I mainly listen to Liquid DnB so theres also a necessity for decent bass as well, but please, I'm not that picky when it comes to my first pair of "real" headphones, because I don't really know what's good (I used to think the Siberia V2 bass was awesome). Anyways, I will look into the other presented options and will make my next move accordingly. Thank you guys once again. I know I can trust you guys and I hope to become a future audiophile connoisseur myself!
 
                                      Thanks,
 
                                                           Hylarn
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:06 AM Post #5 of 10
Uhm I have not unfortunately tried any Grados, but I still think it goes without saying that they are great, since anyone who tries them gets hookes on their sound signature. But if you like DnB you might want something more in the sub-bass department, and not so much mid-bass. You know that 'ooomph' in electronic music? That's sub-bass. Closed cans tend to have more. My Shure SRH750 have great quality and quantity, and Beyerdynamic are said to be great at it as well. I'm not saying you won't like Grados or that they aren't suitable, just that in my opinion some with deeper bass is more suitable for your musical choices.
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:13 AM Post #6 of 10
I got a pair of Bose On-Ear headphones. Sound quality is about on par with Creative EP-630's, ie worse than sennheiser CX earbuds. They cost 160 and lasted me for 2 years before the drivers got so worn out that the sound quality actually is staticky. They have decent bass and they are comfortable, and would definately sound better amped. Not really saying you should or shouldnt get it, just letting you know that those are close to your price range and if you are willing to get meh sound quality, you'll at least have a pair that lasts.

Now just a disclaimer, if you ever listened to Monster Turbine (lowest end model) you'll be appalled at how horrid the bose sound quality is. theres no sound stage or anything.
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:18 AM Post #7 of 10


Quote:
I got a pair of Bose On-Ear headphones. Sound quality is about on par with Creative EP-630's, ie worse than sennheiser CX earbuds. They cost 160 and lasted me for 2 years before the drivers got so worn out that the sound quality actually is staticky. 



Wait... what? $160 for a pair of headphones that sound worse than the $30 CX300? Why would anyone be happy with that when there are so many amazing $100 headphones out there? 
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:35 AM Post #8 of 10
I will probably get the Grado SR80i's. They are perfectly in my price range, they're on the ear, they are durable, and I have heard nothing bad about the sound except for the audio leak which won't affect me until I go on a plane to Europe X(.
 
Jul 12, 2011 at 9:51 AM Post #9 of 10


Quote:
I'm pretty new to this. The best pair of headphones I have owned so far in my life are the Steelseries Siberia V2 because I play FPS games. The mic and headband has broken, and I have stopped playing FPS games so I need a new pair. The most I'm willing to spend is $100 USD. So I have been doing my homework and what most of my research has pointed to is the Grado Labs SR80i. I know someone who has used these and he says they are great. If I were to buy these, I would be using them for listening to music on my computer and listening to my iPod. So Head-Fi, are these a good choice for $100, or can you recommend anything better?
 
TL;DR: Are Grado Labs SR80i worth it? If not, recommend something better for under $100 USD please.
 
                         Thanks ahead of time,
 
                                                 Hyvlarn


Heya,
 
Grado SR80's are excellent entry point headphones into the world of HiFi. They have a very forward mid/high sound and have bass representation but they are not a bassy headphone. So if you're into rock, indie, jazz, vocals, etc, you should really do great with the SR80's. If you are into dub, really low frequency based music or percussion music, the Grados are not as appropriate as they won't represent the low frequencies the way another headphone would. They're not an `all arounder' headphone in my opinion simply because they can't go into those low frequency based genres of music. But again, for the main stream stuff like rock/pop/indie/folk/jazz/classical they're brilliant.
 
There's used ones around $80 in the for sale forum. Otherwise, new ones on Amazon for $99. You can also get the L-Cush pads to make them bigger and get them off your ears for comfort if you wish for like $20.
 
Very best,
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top