[buzzlulu]

Well here I go again. I started reading this forum 2 years ago when I got my ipod upon its initial release. Listening to you crazy guys got me to purchase the Etymotic 4P. At the time I thought I was insane to purchase an "ear plug" for that price. YOU WERE ALL RIGHT! They are truly amazing.

Fast forward 2 years and I am just returning to this forum. I have a new 40gig iPod and the hots for a new pair of "good" headphones. I do NOT want to purchase an amp (at least not yet) so the iPod will have to drive these babys. I tried out the Grado SR60's and was impressed. What do you think? SR80's? Any Sennheisers without an amp (although my MX400 sits unused I do not like them)? Price is not an issue (keep it acceptable though).

Gregg

PS Anything I can get to change from my SportaPros in the gym?

 

[blessingx]

Welcome officially to Head-Fi. Both the SR60 and SR80 run fine off the iPod (unamped I'd give the edge to the former). But the best I've tried with it is the ER4P you already own. Why not use your Etys?

 

[cadobhuk]

None of the headphones that equal/top etys will work well without the amp(only sr325 may be).If the money is not an issue,why not get an amp?

 

[buzzlulu]

First off I want an alternative to the Ety's which are not "in ear". Regarding the amp I really do not want an extra piece of equipment thrown into the mix. I like the simplicity of the iPod into a set of cans.
Later on if I did consider an amp which one is recommended for the iPod? The new headroom one?

Gregg

 

[hop ham]

i own sr80's and they work well out of an ipod unamped but certainly benefit from one.

you will not even get CLOSE to the quality of sound that the er4's will give you straight out of an ipod IMO.

the sr80's sound very nice and they hold a special place in my heart as my first good pair of phones but if you want to use them portably, then the cord length will be a problem as well as the leakage level.

get another pair of ety's

edit: did not read your previous post...

 

[Geek]

Stick with the etymyotics. Excellent and perfectly suited to what you need headphones for.

The only headphones that I could think of which are superior to the ER-4s are the RS-1, which doesn't need an amp but you'll be spending about $600, the HD580/600/650, which needs an amp and brings your total in at a minimum of $400 if you find a really cheap powerful amp, and up to $1,200 if you get 650s with a discounted headroom supreme or cosmic, and the DT880, which needs at least a cosmic reference amp or emmeline XP-7 for adequate power in a portable environment.

Stick with the etys or get RS-1s, although the grados do leak and don't isolate at all, so keep that in mind if you are going to make a decision about the purchase.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[gsferrari]

I think a Grado SR-80 will go well without the amp but im not sure...

Im a bit sceptical about this impedence **** because I just ran my Senn HD580 out of a stupid Palm Pilot's headphone socket and it ROCKED!!!

 

[daniel808]

I can totally dig the desire to have something other than the canal phones. Between the isolation and the microphonics, the canal phones can really get to be a bit much, especially when you're chomping down a bowl of frosties. I can't afford the etys, but use a modded koss which works ok for $15, but sometimes I feel like tearing them off while screaming "get out of my freaking head", so -- for me -- I need to "detach" my ears from my skull, etc.

And, oddly enough, the sr60s are really good for that. They're really open, and you can get grounded real nice -- I mean -- get back in the environment, and out of canal-phone-skull-space, which, as I mentioned, freaks me out after a while.

sr60s or sr80s would be a relatively easy choice for me becuase of the price difference. The $25-30 delta is important (hence the koss plug for isolation

). The sr60s are really fun, and knowing that they were only $70 really spices the deal for me. without an amp, there may be little difference between the sr60s and sr80s out of the iPod. But, I have no idea. Again, the $$$ makes it real easy for me (poverty has its advantages).

The only thing is, if you've got an iPod, and don't want an amp, maybe you want to be uber-portable. The grados are a little heavy and the wire is a little bit of a nuisance (for me). If that's the case, you might consider the sennheiser px100 for $40. They sound good (not quite as good as the sr60s) they are light and comfortable, and fold nicely into a carrying case. I really like these, and often wish that I had bought them for myself instead of for my wife ... oh well ...

 

[buzzlulu]

As the previous poster said, I am in fact looking for an alternative to my Ety in the skull/canal phones. It appears to me that the SR60's are the only ones which I can use without an amp (many have said these over the SR80's).

IF I did decide to purchase my first amp to use with the iPod, what should it be (not TOO crazy on the price) and then which headphones could I upgrade to ?

Gregg