Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Anyone out there use headphones? I'm thinking of buying some headphones to enjoy ocremixes. Particularly, I'm looking at the Grado SR60. Word around the internet is that they are the best headphones under 100$. Since I've never had any high end headphones. The highest I've ever had are 14.99 Sony headphones. Now my question is does anyone think these headphones will sound better? The price really isn't a problem since its only $59.99. And, also has anyone tried these headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuriousFure Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 yeah, highend headphones sound so much better. i got some Sennheiser for about $70.00 years ago. they were noisecancelling, cover up phones, and the bass was awesome. i don't know about those specifically. but i have heard of Grado before and that alot of good things were said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Damned Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 While I haven't tried any of the Grado line, I can tell you that a good pair of headphones will make a massive difference. I also had the usual cheap headphones for years, and I listened to the same CDs on the same machines for a long time. It wasn't until I picked up a set of Sennheiser PX-100s that I realized how much of the music I was missing. I plugged them into my computer and listened to the same MP3s I had for the last few years. I noticed background vocals I never heard before. Why? The headphones I used before were so low-quality, they couldn't even reproduce the background stuff in compressed audio. They were that bad. So yeah, a really good set of headphones will make a giant difference. The money you spend on them will be an investment, and a wise one at that. As for the Grado SR60, it seems to get a few minuses for being uncomfortable after a few hours of use. If you're going to be listening to anything for a few hours, you really need that comfort. A bad set will ruin the whole experience. If you plan on ever using them while you're out and about, the size and weight are factors as well. If you're going to use them at home, then it's not a problem. Just think of how you will use said headphones. That will determine what you should get. Also, there was a sticky in the Remixing section that dealt with the different brands. I think it's still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidThunder Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 yeah...i use a philips type headphones for my CD player Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Wolf Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 If you're willing to bump it up a few dollars, you can get Grado SR-80's for about 120, and I believe they have different earpads that make them more comfortable to wear. And yes, Grado phones sound incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Thank you all for your input. I ask this question because the only thing I've ever heard are stereos which in my cases only add more base.. never anymore quality. Thank again.. I'll be checking reviews for headpones. I couldn't find the thread you wre talking about.. if its not too much trouble do you have alink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Here's the thread: http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3483 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al3xand3r Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 You might as well get an Alessandro MS-1 for $99 shipped. Alessandro collaborated with Grado in making the "MS series or Music Series." I have the MS-1 and, personally, it is THE best bang for the buck headphone below $100. No question about it! It is a favorite among many audiophiles. You can see it here, as well as the more expensive brothers: http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html The problem some might have with the Grado sound is that the highs are sometimes too shrilly for some people (and the bass, though punchy, is not as deep as some would like it to be). The Alessandro MS-1 addresses these issues, and is comparable to the more expensive Grado SR-120, though it costs less. The bass is tight and controlled, though it might not satisfy you if you are a bass-head (if that's more your style, go for the AKG K81DJ). I really do like it. Also, there are different types of pads interchangeable with it that alter the sound abit. "Flat pads" make the bass really stand out at the cost of sacrificing some of the higher range (but not too much), "bowls" are the best all-around as far as sound (the most balanced), and the "comfies" are the softest, though they muffle the sound a bit. Keep in mind though that the Grado line, as well as the Alessandro line, is "open-end," meaning that they leak a lot of noise. People next to you can hear what you are listening to quite clearly. Thus, at the same time, they allow a lot of outside noise to filter through. These headphones are meant for indoor use. Keep that in mind. But the whole "open-end" aspect is what makes them sound so good: HEADPHONES NEED TO BREATHE to sound their best. Also, the guitars on the Alessandro MS-1 sound delightfully sweet! If you want something more isolated, go for the AKG K81Dj's I mentioned before (they really are good for "closed" headphones and are sold for $60 to $70). I also have Sennheiser HD555's, which, because of its velour pads, are the most comfortable things your ears will ever wear. The sound is good too, but I use these only for classical music, since they provide better soundstage imagery than the Grado's. The Grado (and in that case, the Alessandro line) lack soundstage. Thus, they provide a more "in your head" sound, while Sennheiser provides a more "seated in front of a music hall sound." The Grados/Alessandro WHOOP Sennheisser when it comes to rock, though, since Sennheiser seems to have a slower attack, a slower punch if you will. There really is no perfect headphone, sadly. If you got any more questions, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Wow...... I humbly bow down before you're knowledge... I've had my heart set on the SR60 but now I may not. For someone who likes OCRemixes.. what should I get? Bass doesn't matter as long as its enough not to sound bad. I have my stereos for that. I want clarity in voice and instruments. Any reccomends? EDIT: Also I need a link to a palce where I can read about all this jargon (monitors/amplifiers?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effef Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826159420 Sennheiser eH250 Sound good, I use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Wow... 39.99 .. thank you... EDIT: NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effef Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Out of stock though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yeah ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al3xand3r Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Wow...... I humbly bow down before you're knowledge...I've had my heart set on the SR60 but now I may not. For someone who likes OCRemixes.. what should I get? Bass doesn't matter as long as its enough not to sound bad. I have my stereos for that. I want clarity in voice and instruments. Any reccomends? EDIT: Also I need a link to a palce where I can read about all this jargon (monitors/amplifiers?) Hey, don't misunderstand me, the Grado SR60 is one nice piece of equipment! You absolutely cannot go wrong with it! I was just giving you some more choices. However, if you're gonna get the SR80, or the SR120, THEN AND ONLY THEN would I say invest on the Alessandro MS-1 instead, since it is better as far as quality-to-price ratio. Also, I want to tell you something known as "the law of diminishing returns." What does that mean exactly when it comes to headphones? Well, that, as you progress up the high-end line of headphones, the more you spend, the less you get in return. Example: let us suppose you have a cheap pair of earbuds. You invest in some $15 headphones. Big improvement right there, I bet! I'd say 1000% better! Then you spend $50 on a pricier set. Another big improvement, but this time only 500% better. Then you spend $100. What do you get? Around 200% better. See what I mean? (those are just made up numbers by the way, to illustrate my point, don't take them literally) In other words a $500 headphone will NOT sound 500% better than a $100 headphone. Maybe it will sound 50% better. But it is still an improvement. Some people take this hobby seriously, spending upwards in the $1000 almost just to get that extra 5%! Crazy, I know! I like the $75-$200 range. Anything more than that and I'd have to become a music major or something... Anyway, since you are starting out, I would suggest you don't spend more than $125 (and that's pushing it, heck, I'd stick at $100 TOPS). But as I said, the SR60 is one fun set of cans. If you want something with the Grado sound signature, I'd say get either the SR60 or the Alessandro MS-1. The SR80 is good, but for its price, you might as well go MS-1 and never look back. Noise-cancelling headphones are good for what they do: cancel noise. But, in my opinion, once you've heard the clarity of open-air, man... heaven. It is heaven. The problem with ACTIVE noise-cancelling headphones (these produce a sound that pretty much negates outside noise), is that they tend to produce an audible hiss during quiet passages in music, which I find annoying, really. I'd rather invest in PASSIVE noise-cancelling (closed cans or, even better, I.E.M.'s - In Ear Monitors) which do not add artifacts to the music. If you want introductory mid-range IEM's, look for Sennheiser CX300s. These are pretty good for their price range. Remember that IEMs go inside the ear canal, thereby making them the absolute best in blocking outside noise. If you want to spend upwards of $100-$200, there is the Shure brand, which has multiple models, as well as the Super.Fi brand (also with multiple models). Choosing is simply a matter of preference then within their respective price ranges. As far as BOSE, meh... not that they are bad, but they are overpriced for what they do, really. You can get better sound by spending the same amount of money in any of the brands I mentioned above. Oh! One more thing... you might be a bit disappointed when you get your first set of "high-end" cans because you can't, at first, see any improvement. But it's funny how this works. You always notice a big change going DOWN than when going UP. What does this mean? Well, when you get your new set of cans, you will enjoy them, I'm sure, but you will tell yourself "this isn't as big a deal as I thought." Give it some time. Use your new set a lot. After a month, go back to your old set, and you will go "WHOA! this is crap!" This is because your ear has become more "educated" with the new set and has learned to appreciate certain subtle aspects of the music that you couldn't appreciate before. Also, if you want something good for use in-house as well as outside, consider Sennheiser PX100 (around $50) or Sennheiser HD212 Pro ($90), though the PX100 is certainly less bulky. Pick anything from what I have mentioned in my two posts according to your needs, and you will be happy. Take care. (if you have anything else you'd like to know, ask away). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8282 Posted January 16, 2007 Author Share Posted January 16, 2007 I have already experienced something similiar in a CD store. I listened to demos of some cds for bout 3 minutes.. that where I got the idea of better headphones. Anyways, thanks for all that information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion303 Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 AKG 240S. And for the fourth time...this needs to be stickied (here in the newbies forum). Doesn't vbulletin allow you to cross-sticky the same post in different forums? Bah. -steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 Sennheiser HD-280. It's what I use for Mixing/Listening to music/Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al3xand3r Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 Sennheiser HD-280. It's what I use for Mixing/Listening to music/Games. Hmm, I had forgotten about this one. Another one widely recommended. Sadly, I haven't auditioned them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoke Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 Hmm, I had forgotten about this one. Another one widely recommended. Sadly, I haven't auditioned them myself. HD-280 Pro is what I use. Awesome and comfortable headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53phy Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 ...Sennheiser PX-100s... The PX-100s can be had for a low as ~ $30 on eBay... Are they actually still good at that price? I mean, usually you get what you pay for, and it just seems like a reeaally sweet deal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Damned Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 When I bought mine, it was $80. That's Canadian, so there's a fair bit of exchange rate going on there. And they were a new model, so I also paid for that. And it was, regrettably, at a store that charged a little too much. But yes, they are good, and the price is great. The only thing I would be concerned about buying them off of eBay is whether or not they are used, or have been damaged. I'd stick with buying from an actual store. If anything does go wrong, you have someplace to go back to and get either a replacement or a refund. eBay? Not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
53phy Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Yeah, good point. One decision remains, though- I could easily buy these, or just barely afford the HD-280s. Damn, not being rich sucks. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al3xand3r Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Having a tough choice picking between the Senn PX-100 and the Senn HD-280? Hmmm, personally, I'd go the HD-280, simply because it is a well-built (both physically and acoustically) set of headphones that functions nicely both outdoors and indoors. After all, it is a set of closed cans, thus, it will block out ambient noise better than the open-backed PX-100. However, they are much bigger than the super portable PX-100. The PX-100 will not get many "funny looks" as opposed to wearing the bigger HD-280's. I don't care for such trivial matters though, sound is most important, but I know some people don't like to look semi-geeky with big headphones outside... That said, the PX-100 is a nice choice anyway within its price range. If I had money for either one, I'd go for the HD-280 for the reasons I said above, but you can't go wrong with the PX-100. As someone said though, beware eBay when it comes to headphone brands, ESPECIALLY Sennheiser. I've had many online friends who have been sent fake ones, especially imitations of the CX-300 (pretty good earbuds, I might add, though somewhat bassy at times -I'm not a basshead). All in all though, you do get more "bang-foryour-buck" out of the PX100 than you do out of the HD280. VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER: it doesn't matter how good your headphones are if your source is crap. The order in which to upgrade should be as follows: (1) Source: SoundCard/DAP/MP3 Player/CD Player/Stereo System. Whichever of these you prefer, make sure it is the best you can afford without having your wallet cry. (2) Music Bitrate if at a compressed format (ignore this if you listen directly to CD's only): higher bitrates will enhance your listening experience, usually nothing lower than 192 kpbs when in mp3 format (which is the most common lossy format). Anything 225kbps and above is pretty much for perfection freaks, the 10% of the population who can tell the difference (rolls eyes). 128kbps is really crappy when compared to 192 (or even 160). I don't know why companies still use the 128kbps as the industry standard. It sucks, really. (3) Headphones: usually, open-back headphones sound better than closed, but there are some truly remarkable closed cans out there. Open-back will not block out ANY noise at all, closed will block to some extent. You can pick between supra-aural and circum-aural. There are also earbuds, which just sit in the outer part of your ear, and IEM's (In-Ear-Monitors), which go inside the ear canal for ultimate isolation. (4) Amplifier: Yes, some people use a portable amp between their source and their headphones, but this is only required when using high-impedance headphones (usually anything above, hmmm, 100ohms, just to be safe). None of the headphones mentioned in this thread so far NEED an amp, though some shine a little better. Depends who you ask. (5) Interconect cable: This is the connection between amp and source. Spending lots of money on this is just for audio freaks, really. People who spend $50 or more just to get an extra 1% in quality, and even then that is debatable. FREAKS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tron920 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Yes you should go with the Grado Prestige Series SR80e, because I bought it a long time ago and its the most amazing headphone under $100 and I think you should go for it, but it leaks sound, because of the open back design. So, as long you are ok with that, you its the best option. timaeus222 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I would actually recommend the SR-60i rather than the SR-80e, as it's even flatter: http://graphs.headphone.com/index.php?graphID[0]=393&graphID[1]=353&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph but yes, Grados is great for sub-$100 headphones. The SR-60i was kinda itchy for about a month, but after I broke it in, it worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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