fujee wrote:Rodheh wrote:fujee wrote:Grado headphones are best I've ever heard, some say they are too bright.. but once you wear them in, the are phenomenal. Already looking to purchase a higher end model. Wow.
They produce highs fantastically. It's just that the low end leaves a lot to be desired at almost any price range.
I have the SR325is model, and I think they handle bass and sub bass great. I know a lot of people prefer a little more boom in their headphone, but I prefer clarity, accuracy and balance, which I think these do almost unrivalled.
Out of interest what's your model of choice Rod?
Well, my issue was wanting a "flat" sound, and those are known for outstanding highs. There's probably a Grado model that is more akin to what I prefer (like a "GS1000" or a "PS1000", I wouldn't know as I haven't ever used them). I have tried the following Grado and feel the way I mentioned about them:
SR80
SR125i
SR225
SR325i
RS1
The 125i being mine briefly, the 225 borrowed from my dad (mainly because he wanted me to replace the foam) after a thanksgiving who has worked in car audio for a couple decades but dabbles in headphones and the rest belonging to a co-worker of his whom I have visited, kind enough to let me use them for a day or so.
The SR125i I previously owned for a few months though were lacking in regards to the low end compared to competition around the same price range (not talking about artificial bass for more "kick" either, I mean actual reproduction of sound). Sent them back to Amazon when I came to my final decision. The Grado pair was great (even if the foam was a little "eh" - was replaceable anyways) for more ambient music of mine but given that I listen to artists like Boards of Canada or just about anything with percussion, the sound wasn't doing it broadly, however the highs are the greatest I have ever heard (came to that conclusion listening to Zoetrope with the RS1 - scaled down with the models and was still the best with my SR125is in that price range). All were tested on a Cowon X9. Though the highs are appealing, it's utterly irrelevant for me because I like a flat signal where the highs and lows are produced equally.
As I don't have a lot of disposable income, I have some ATH-M50s like many, many other people, and my only complaint with those relates to slightly recessed mids. Highs and lows are very clear and powerful, probably the reason everyone on several forums I go to has them because they are considered some of the best for the price. At CES I actually compared mine to maybe 60-70 different headphones and only one was equal for the same price (an AKG pair). There was a Sennheiser pair that was one hundred dollars more, with only a slight improvement, whic were the only ones within my price range I found better - discounting all of the really expensive headphones, particularly Sennheiser's models (I was able to try an Orpheus and they were absolutely incredible). There were plenty of
those that surpassed my ~150-170$ Audiotechnica cans but aside from being ridiculously expensive, I would take nothing above 300 dollars out with me on the go. These are fantastic and while not really cheap are not too expensive that they are beyond replacing, so I have stuck with them. Oddly enough, when I compared the AT headphones to other headphones at the AT booth, even ones slightly more expensive, they still beat them out, and also oddly enough the AT booth did NOT have any of their ATH-Mx0 line showcased. I guess there's a reason they're so popular.
