[Snagle]

What I've owned before:

iPod buds, $20 Sonys, etc- used with iPod, I cant stand them anymore

Sennheiser PX-100s- Used with my iPod, I liked them but they hurt my ears after listening for over 30 minutes

Sennheiser PC-150 headset- Used with my Chaintech AV710, sound was decent but made my ears really hot/sweaty and also got some fatigue


What I often listen to:

Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Radiohead
Bright Eyes
Pink Floyd
Sparklehorse
Modest Mouse

My Sources:

Chaintech AV710
Possibly my iPod (not a big deal)

My Budget:

$125 or less

What I'm considering:

1. Senn HD 555 - What I plan on getting
2. Senn HD 580 - Are these better than the 555s for my music?
3. Senn HD 515 - Would save me $$$ but do they compare to the above?
4. Grado SR60 - I need comfort, I've heard these arent comfortable


What I'm concerned about is that I won't be using an amp, will the Chaintech AV710 and my computer be able to hand the 555s or the 580s?

Sound quality doesn't matter if they aren't comfortable. My ears seem to be really sensitive and get fatigued easily but I want to be able to keep these on for a few hours at a time if that's even possible. Noise leakage isnt a big deal so they can be open phones.

Please share your thoughts and feel free to recommend some other models for me.

 

[Sean T. Ryan]

Allesandro MS-1 $99.00 - very comfortable and don't need an amp
580 is great but needs more power than your set-up

 

[brandoj]

Some people say the HD555's aren't spectacular with music, and where they really shine is with movies. On the other hand, other people say they are 90% of the 595's for much less of the price. Heh, I didn't help you with that at all did I?

Sean is right about the HD580's, they NEED an amp, so I wouldn't go for them. If your concerned about saving money, the 515's or the sr-60's would both me good. With the comfort issue of the grado's I think most people over-exaggerate. But if you plan on listening to these for hours on end, I probably wouldn't go with the grado's. The ms-1's comfort would be basically the same as the sr-60's as well. May I suggest the Audio-Technica a500's. They are a cheaper version of AT's praised a900's. They can be had for $109 from audiocubes.com, good luck finding them new anywhere else.

ps. You may like the Grado/Alessandro sound for your type of music more than the Sennheiser sound. Grado's tend to sound a little more aggressive, and the Senn's will be more layed back and neutral. The a500's sound would be somewhere in the middle of the two.

 

[mrkangpae]

Though Grados are generally considered one of the better phones without an amp, they can be pretty uncomfortable. You will hate them straight out of the box. However, once the band is broken in and you get used to the foam, they're fairly tolerable. But even then, they are by no means comfortable.

 

[TonyTripleA]

MrKangpae is definitely giving you good advice on the grado comfort - stretch that headband as soon as you get them. I did and the comfort of my Alessandros (aka modified grados) improved considerably. I need a rest after four hours but heck, by then I gotta get another beer anyway.

Of course, a fridge near the computer could allow a real endurance test I suppose....

TonyAAA

 

[PTheD]

I would go with the Grado Labs SR60, but if comfort is a must then the Sennheiser HD555s would be my pick. If you can stand breaking the Grado's headband in and dealing with the moderate level of comfert that you get with it being broken-in then go for them. If comfert is realy tops then you wouldn't be lossing much, besides that Grado sound which so many love, in getting the HD555s. If your not a Grado head, then you wouldn't lose much.

 

[Twigs]

My Sr-60's feel great and not at all unconfortable, but that's because i have a tiny head. If you have a small head then get the Grados, because then it will be confortable and great sounding.

 

[EdipisReks]

i have a huge head, and after a little bit of headband bending my SR-60's have been perfectly comfortable.

 

[HeavySoul]

heey, Sparklehorse ...me too!

I suggest going with a Senn.
The 555 you're planning on is the better choice, IMO.
That one is really preferable to the 515, but is "overcome" in its turn by the 595 (by a little margin / by a good margin, difficult to say... so it's up to you!)

 

[RnB180]

I dont know about the sr-60's but my sr-80s need an amp from my sound blaster 5.1 card.

It sounds great until I hear a very low bass note then there is slight clipping, it can be easily mistaken as material distortion though. But it does not happen with the same cd via Harmon Kardon phone out. So I definately know its clipping.

grados are also very colored headphones, and have a severe treble issues, unless you get the flat pads.

 

[cmanc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 I dont know about the sr-60's but my sr-80s need an amp from my sound blaster 5.1 card.

Is this your primary source? I found when I moved to a Envy24 based sound card the improvment in SQ was pretty big through anolog out. A Chaintech AV710 cost less than flat pads and the improvement in sound is not debatable.

 

[cmanc]

To answer the original Question I need an AMP. Come on Norm hurry up already!

But I can tell you that the MS-1 is pretty darn easy to drive even from a flash drive MP3 player. [infact it's easier to drive than the KSC series, i'm not kidding]



..I was meant to edit my previous post I must have hit the wrong button.

 

[clauswitz]

Hi,
I got my Alessandro MS-1's a week ago. I have no problem driving them with a portable cd player (Panasonic SW-505) or my hd mp3 player (iaudio m3). I am sure they will sound even better when my Porta Corda comes (hopefully this week). They sounded muted when I first got the cans. I have been burning them in and they just get better and better. They are so good they will bring out any imperfections in your source. Other members have recommended cutting a hole in the ear pads to open up the sound even more. I haven't had time to do that yet. These phones are a big improvement over my px200's.

 

[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmanc Is this your primary source? I found when I moved to a Envy24 based sound card the improvment in SQ was pretty big through anolog out. A Chaintech AV710 cost less than flat pads and the improvement in sound is not debatable.

my source is a pioneer 563 sacd/dvd-audio player, and Im currently using the phone out on my harmon kardon receiver.

Im switching my sr-80s over for portable use, so when the muvo 512 slim (screw shuffle

) and super mini moy arrive, its heading off to become a portable.

 

[skitlets]

I have an av-710 and the ms-1, and let me tell you, the av-710 can not drive a thing through its lineout. It will sound anemic and harsh. The ms-1 is very easy to drive, and your iPod will be able to do such fine, but the av-710's lineout is just not meant to have any kind of juice in it. The volume will be fine, but the quality is far from optimal if you go unamped with the chaintech.