I can't justify spending huge money on earphones as I tend to break them Headphones just seem much more durable.

Quote from TiJay :

I can't justify spending huge money on earphones as I tend to break them Headphones just seem much more durable.

Hehe true =)

BTW you heading down to Sim Racing Ltd anytime soon? Maybe we could meet up and try it again sometime? From what I saw you were not having the best of fun though =( Sorry I really didn't get a chance to chat with you, you raced while I was standing...

Quote :

BTW you heading down to Sim Racing Ltd anytime soon? Maybe we could meet up and try it again sometime? From what I saw you were not having the best of fun though =( Sorry I really didn't get a chance to chat with you, you raced while I was standing...

Was that to me? Sorry mate, you must be looking for someone else- I've never been there.

There is a guy round here with the name The_TJ or something, it could be him you're looking for.

Quote from Madman_CZ :

I guess it depends on how your ears are shaped but certainly I suffer pain after about 4 hours..... top part of my ears ache's like f***

I think ear lobe shape and structure does play a big part in comfort. I know some people who have next to know cartilidge in their ear, it's all flesh, they can fold the ears easily. Mine on the other hand are quite tough. I've no idea mhat that means to comfort but it deos show how different ears can be.

Chris - I have the E4s, they are nice gear indeed. I only use them when I'm out and about, while the Grados are for indoor use. You do pay a premium for getting the sound quality out of something that small, as the Grados were cheaper and sound considerably better.

Hey, I've got those 280-silvers They're awesome! Deep bass, awesome mid and highs!

Oh and yes, they're very comfy

And they're NOT easy to break

Thanks, I'm seriously going to have to test these things, but I'm leaning towards the Sonys right now because you can EQ out sharp highs and turn the bass up and know they'd cope, whereas the Sennheisers are biased towards bass to start with AFAIK.

If you want to have very good value for money you should consider a look at the Alessandro MS-1

http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/ ... p?t=201465&highlight=



They cost 99$ including free shipping, but don't forget, there might be tax added to this price in you country. And you should buy yourself the HD 414 pads, and quartermod them. All info you need about this is found at Head-Fi



I now have them about half a year, and to match the sound quality of this headphone you must spend at least 200$.



Yes, I admit, they look ugly as hell, but I don't really care and you wouldn't really either if you once listened to them.

lol, I was almost going to say, "Hey! Looks like a total Grado ripoff!" Looked a little closer and, "Hey! They are Grados!"

Quote from TiJay :

Sennheiser 280 Pro
The best Sennheisers you can get without needing a headphone amp, I'm told. I'm worried that the sound won't be a huge leap from what I have now though. But they are supposedly comparable to:

Rubbish - I'm using 595s unamped. They're very very good. Sure, an amp would do them good but it's not "necessary". Your information might be a bit out of date - the original 595s were 120ohms. The latest spec which has been around for a while is 50ohms and it's fine without an amp.

Ah, the only 595s I'd seen were the high impedance ones, thanks

Quote :

They cost 99$ including free shipping, but don't forget, there might be tax added to this price in you country. And you should buy yourself the HD 414 pads, and quartermod them. All info you need about this is found at Head-Fi

They look good, but I think I'd get the Grado SR-80s instead of these simply because AFAIK you can buy them in the UK.

Beyer-Dynamic DT250.

I am onto my second pair of these (my old ones died after 4 years of daily use)

I dunno if they will be in your price range, but these are the most comfortable, best sounding headphones i've ever worn. PERIOD.

With a name like that I'd expect you to be pushing a different brand.

Quote from TiJay :

Ah, the only 595s I'd seen were the high impedance ones, thanks



They look good, but I think I'd get the Grado SR-80s instead of these simply because AFAIK you can buy them in the UK.

But remeber the Grado SR-80 have the reputation to be very very harsh at the at the top end of the frequenzy spectrum.

The MS-1 are a bit more easier on your ears. That doesn't mean they are bad at the top end, they're simply brilliant, but just aren't that Grado-esque. But anyway, it's just your decision

OK, one last question- final choices:

Grado SR-80
-Better soundstage
-Warmer
-Bass more noticeable BUT doesn't go as low
-Sharpish highs

Sony MDR-7506
-Sterile, neutral sound
-Highs too high
-Bass goes lower but needs to be EQ'd in to be noticeable

I'm leaning towards the Grados. If anybody has Grados, am I right in what I said above and is it the right choice?

As mentioned above, I have the SR125's and I love them.

Love my SR80s Too much

The best unamped senn is the HD595.

I would stay away from Sony, only if you decide to buy a Qualia or a R10

If you like bass, and you can't afford a RS1, don't go with Grado

for more information try this forum: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums ... play.php?s=&forumid=2

Bob, I'll PM you or something about those Grados. I won't have a chance to try them so I want to know as much about them as I can...

Undoz, I'll try and find the low-impedance 595s. Will also have to read what Head Fi think of them.

I'm not sure if I'm the best person to ask but I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. This thread has made me dig them out again, with my house mates working night shifts there's never a real need to turn the speakers off, no matter how late it gets.

The best thing is to know what kind of sound you are looking for. It's also worth to mention what kind of music do you listen the most.

Grados are the first choice when talking about rock music, but they are a bit overpriced in europe.

I don't think you will have a problem finding the low-impedance version of the 595. The high impedance one was only available for a short time when it lauched.

I'm really torn between the 595s, SR80s and Sonys now. I'll have to draw up a table of pros and cons...

My taste in music is a lot of rock, with the odd dance/rap track. Not much classical or pop. Not a fan of opera or anything with shrieking vocals.

I got a set of HD 595's a few months ago & I think they're great. Compared to my old closed back sanyo's they're a bazillion times better. considering the product leap, that's to be expected I suppose though. mine are the 50ohm ones, i think i got them from Amazon as they were the cheapest place (£100 relative bargain). my only other set i was considering was the Grado SR125/80 (depending on price differences). i'm very happy with my Sennheisers, make me enjoy my music much much more. comfy too and came with a neat little mount/clamp thingy to hang them up on when not in use. after having got a decent set of shelf speakers (QAcoustic 1020s), these headphones provide even more detail & i now hear things i hadn't heard before in my music. kinda strange when i notice if an album is well produced or not now.

PS: i'm currently into progressive rock & metal, which is pretty varied style-wise, as the name suggests.

Quote from TiJay :

I'm really torn between the 595s, SR80s and Sonys now. I'll have to draw up a table of pros and cons...

My taste in music is a lot of rock, with the odd dance/rap track. Not much classical or pop. Not a fan of opera or anything with shrieking vocals.

I think you should choose between Sennheiser HD595 and Alessandro MS1.
The Alessandro MS1 is also made by Grado (based on the SR125 I think), but optimized for a more balanced sound, compared to the usual Grado sound that's on the bright side.
For rock, the Alesandro will perform better, for dance, pop, rap, jazz, classical, the Sennheiser.
If you are considering games/movies, I can only say that the HD595 is the most recommended model here. Comfort side, the HD595 is clearly the winner.
One advantage of the MS1 is its price. Anyway, you can't go wrong with any of these models.

Just to bring this topic to a close, I've decided to buy:

Sennheiser HD595 50Ohm

Even Head-Fi's members couldn't find a real negative point with these and they seem to be the best choice out of these, the Sonys and the Grado/Alessandros

Thanks for the advice everyone has given (esp. Bob for answering my Grado questions), it's been very helpful in making my choice. And I've learnt a lot about headphones in the process.

Enjoy the Senns.