[cck5]

i have owned a pair of grados since i started my journey into this headfi world. i started with the 80I loved what i heard, and upgraded to the 225I where i was satisfied for a long while.
 
But i was unsatisfied with the lack of bass they put out. i loved everything else about them. I just needed a little more bass, not crazy amounts. i like bass only when it needs to be or is supposed to be there nothing over bloated. just want some impact. for those heavy breakdowns.
 
 
I want to purchase another pair of cans and confused what would be better suited to me.
 
Music choice: 90% of the time death core/hardcore/metalcore 10% acoustic music.
i mainly almost always be using these for death metal, and once in a blue moon, for some acoustic music
 
I want to spend $300 dollars or under.
 
id prefer to get something that be used unamped with my ipod or with my laptop. with a possibility of getting a portable amp for them maybe down the road.
 
they dont have to be portable, il be using these in my house 99% of the time.
 
Doesnt matter if they are open or closed, i live alone.
 
 
 
Heres what i thought might be a good start for can selection so far. But feel free to guide me in a different direction
 
 
Grado 225I with flats, to try and bring out more bass.
 
Gradi 325I with flats
 
Dennon d2000
 
The M50
 
 
Also i dont want to buy anything that i will consider a down grade from the 225I im previously coming from.. and if it helps i love the sound of my turbine pro golds. but only with comply tips. silicone tips are way too bassy for my preference.
 
and i loved the grado sound so far.
 
 
thanks for the help =D

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Have you considered an amp for the 225i?  That's probably part of the reason they are lacking in the low end.  

 

[sokolov91]

Where you should go next is obvious: waste your time and money being a victim of placebo -buy cables! and lots of them. Seriously, I think it depends on the volume you listen at. low to mid, the D2000 or M50 would probably be best... louder and the grados would probably be good. Personally I don't think any of those headphones are a good match for heavy metal , but thats just me. I like more neutral stuff with crowded music.

 

[JFroese]

I LOVE my HD-555s for heavy genres (metalcore, deathcore, etc). I found that the M50s were a bit too bassy for those types of genres, especially in breakdowns or bridges with a lot of bass kicks. I personally think that if you want to listen to metal type music it's best suited with open cans, but of course that's really an opinionated statement. I don't have a whole lot of experience with a lot of headphones either though, but in my experience the HD-555s are great for that type of music.

 

[cck5]

i listen loud almost all the time.
 
so if they dont sound good loud, dont bother listing.
 
 
interesting on the amp aspect.
 
and you think it would make sense to venture into the 325I or go back with the 225I and see what amps will do lol
 
 
 
and what do you reccomend if you dont like any of the ones i listed

 

[Asr]

Have you visited the AudioCubes and J&R stores in the NYC area?

 

[eujaee]

I have the 325is and I'm running fiio e7/e9 with it.  I don't think that it's a great combo for hardcore/deathcore/mathcore, because some albums are way too sibilant with them.  The two that offend the most are "Jane Doe" - Converge and "Miss Machine" - Dillinger Escape Plan.  Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are kind of borderline.  Other albums from the same artists sound better to me so it might just be a matter of recording quality.  I modified the stock pads to put some distance between my ears and the drivers.  I feel that this has reduced the sibilance a lot, but not eliminated it.  Also, I feel doing this lets the bass impact and detail come through, which I think the 325is does very well, but too much distance makes the bass boomier, at least to me.  I'm starting to listen to more jazz and chamber music because of these headphones.

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

i listen loud almost all the time.
 
so if they dont sound good loud, dont bother listing.
 
 
interesting on the amp aspect.
 
and you think it would make sense to venture into the 325I or go back with the 225I and see what amps will do lol
 
 
 
and what do you reccomend if you dont like any of the ones i listed

Depends what  you like. The time I had the 325i I was listening to metal much more than I am now, and I found while it made guitars sound great, they simply are too damned bright and coloured.
 
I think getting an $$ Amp with grados is not the best idea... they don't seem to benefit much from it IMO and if they do it is very little.
 
I liked my HD 600 with metal and just about everything... but it does not have an up front sound you might want. I found this complemented the poorly mixed and compressed metal tracks a lot though.
 
K70X is not a bad idea although you would probably want an amp. Personally I found the tonality was off.
 
 
If you want to go loud, and keep the sound quality good, don't buy a closed headphone... even if people say "amazing soundstage for a closed headphone". This only works if you listen low to medium volumes.
 
The oldschool trio of HD 600, K70X and the DT 880/990 should be of great interest to you... especially the DT990 if you want some extra bass and highs.

 

[Region2]

Quote:

Have you visited the AudioCubes and J&R stores in the NYC area?

x2 on J&R.
 
Bring your own source and they'll let you plug it in.  Grado have a rather forward sound sig so I don't think the M50 is going to be good for you since it will sound a bit recessed.  Last time I checked out both AudioCubes and J&R they didn't have an M50 to sample.  I have a pair if you want to meet up and try it out at my office.  I can't comment on the D2000 as I haven't spent too much time, but going from the D7000, it might hit the spot.  J&R has the all 3 Denons for demo, some ATs (W5000 and such) and I do believe they do have a Grado SR325i you can try out as well.  Store is a bit loud but bring your own source and, if necessary, a plug adapter.
 
Or you could always just hook up a subwoofer and take advantage of the open can design 

 

[cck5]

i dont find grado mids to be anoyying to me, like many do, so if this is the siblance your reffering to it wont be an issue for me.
 
i might have to check out JR, but ive heard the Sen models are very laid back and i dont think that pairs well with agressive music from a common sense stand point...
 
 
how will the bass from a 325I with flat pads compare to a 225I with bowls that i came from? if the bass is slightly more impactful and present id be sold.

 

[cck5]

Quote:

I have the 325is and I'm running fiio e7/e9 with it.  I don't think that it's a great combo for hardcore/deathcore/mathcore, because some albums are way too sibilant with them.  The two that offend the most are "Jane Doe" - Converge and "Miss Machine" - Dillinger Escape Plan.  Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza are kind of borderline.  Other albums from the same artists sound better to me so it might just be a matter of recording quality.  I modified the stock pads to put some distance between my ears and the drivers.  I feel that this has reduced the sibilance a lot, but not eliminated it.  Also, I feel doing this lets the bass impact and detail come through, which I think the 325is does very well, but too much distance makes the bass boomier, at least to me.  I'm starting to listen to more jazz and chamber music because of these headphones.

i plan to listen to a lot of despised icon, whitechapel suicide silence, carnifex,
 
i feel dillinger and tony daza will sound like that no matter what you play it out of it, that anoyying screech is kind of their sound =)

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

i dont find grado mids to be anoyying to me, like many do, so if this is the siblance your reffering to it wont be an issue for me.
 
i might have to check out JR, but ive heard the Sen models are very laid back and i dont think that pairs well with agressive music from a common sense stand point...
 
 
how will the bass from a 325I with flat pads compare to a 225I with bowls that i came from? if the bass is slightly more impactful and present id be sold.

No, was not just sibilance (i am not very picky about this because it has more to do with the actual recording). The entire boost in the highs eventually drove my ears nuts.
 
 
Grados have a big midbass boost, which means at any given volume the mid bass is far lower than the low low bass. You might need a decent amp to really bring out the low hz, but I don't think it is really a concern.
 
 
What you should be aware of is that the FR of metal makes it near impossible to hear the true bass there is, because there is so much going on. 20hz gets drowned out easily, so what you might be trying to hear might also be an impossibility due to the nature of the recording.
 
FWIW I am listening to "No pity for a coward" through my combo right now. The LCD-2 are the undisputed kings of bass in the headphone world. You can't get better bass like this even if you had the money. Even at this, the low hz don't come through because of how poorly the music is mastered. The mastering job is on purpose though to give it a "raw" sound but you don't hear it even though the spectrogram says it is actually there. The bass guitar is barely audible throughout most of the CD from memory. Metallica is like this too... so is slayer. Job for a cowboy is not bad.
 
So, you should define exactly what you wan't to hear. And maybe give examples of a song where you find this lacking, because it might just not be possible. If its not a cheap way to remedy it is via EQ.
 
 
If you take a cleaner CD like All Shall Perish, this lower bass detail is easier to hear, but still lost amongst guitars that drown out most else in the recording.
 
Breakdowns, when the drums are on their own,  and just about any recording do sound devastating though.

 

[cck5]

i wanted to hear a stronger bass on the kick drums, and more earth shattering slam on breakdowns., that is intended to be there when they play live.
 
 
this sound is there when i listen to my turbine golds, my 225i couldnt match them in this department of feeling the bass.
 
 
if the 325I sound similar to the 80i or 225I and have more bass than im sold.

 

[sokolov91]

Quote:

i wanted to hear a stronger bass on the kick drums, and more earth shattering slam on breakdowns., that is intended to be there when they play live.
 
 
this sound is there when i listen to my turbine golds, my 225i couldnt match them in this department of feeling the bass.
 
 
if the 325I sound similar to the 80i or 225I and have more bass than im sold.

I think they have more bass, but they also have much more highs IIRC. Turbines are closed, so it is normal they would have a fair bit of bass. As far as impact though, the D2000 are probably a good bet. Like currawong said, you should go audition. If you like how they sound loud, they are probably the best bet.

 

[cck5]

well do you like yours...?
 
thje 325I
 
i dont want a closed can, realized open would sound better.