GRADO sr60 WOW
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chris8519
Golden Ears; Tin Budget.
Ah yes, the Grado headphone sound! I have a pair of SR125s, and they are great!
At first I was disappointed by the 'lack of bass' compared to my old sony 'phones. But I soon realized it wasn't bass-- it was muddiness!
The imagining is stunning. BUT: listening to records will inevitably make you want to upgrade EVERYTHING in your system because they are so accurate! You can endlessly toy with the geometry, VTF, etc. because every little tweak will be noticeable with the Grados.
I suppose very expensive speakers (over-$1000 range) will have as much detail. My pair of Polk Monitor40s are nice, but not quite as accurate as the Grados.
Good Luck!
At first I was disappointed by the 'lack of bass' compared to my old sony 'phones. But I soon realized it wasn't bass-- it was muddiness!
The imagining is stunning. BUT: listening to records will inevitably make you want to upgrade EVERYTHING in your system because they are so accurate! You can endlessly toy with the geometry, VTF, etc. because every little tweak will be noticeable with the Grados.
I suppose very expensive speakers (over-$1000 range) will have as much detail. My pair of Polk Monitor40s are nice, but not quite as accurate as the Grados.
Good Luck!
Permanent Waves
Digital Man
I don't know about that...my Usher S520's have as much mirco detail/transparency as my 225i's (actually more, and they are far more accurate/neutral because they are not so colored like the Grado's are), it's just that with speakers it's not always as easy to hear the details as it is with headphones. (For obvious reasons...put your ear up to your speaker and you can hear details a lot easier as well).
With my AKG 702's it's a closer match between my 520's and them for detail and accuracy, but I'd still say the 520's beat them, at least with accuracy/neutrality/realism (the 702's having a slight hardness and prominence to the upper mids and highs that make them a bit unbalanced overall).
With headphones it's simply easier to hear more detail/nuances/subtleties etc. than with speakers imo, but it's still there in good/accurate/resolving speakers at least, it's just not so prominent because speakers are supposed to be more linear or neutral or balanced in their presentation (all or many headphones suffer from some kind of over exaggeration of the EQ, usually in the upper mids and highs which accounts for the "more detail" description/judgment, at least from what I've read/my experience).
Only right now? Haven't they ever since they came out?
Certainly some of the best bang for the buck cans around. :yes:
zenith2134
Lunatic Member
Since you asked about records and Grado's I had to chime in. I started out with SR80 and felt basically what you described. At the time my system was barely on the same level as yours and yet the sound was damn good. I now run 325i's and it's gotten better ever since. Not to open this can-o-worms again, but burn-in is pretty beneficial with the Grado's I've used.
And I remember my sx-838 had a nice sound through its headphone-out.
But once you experience a well-dialed in cartridge and a niece piece of your favorite vinyl through those, you'll see what it's all about. I once read that John G. voices his cans with vinyl. And I believe this since it is a nice experience with LPs.
And I remember my sx-838 had a nice sound through its headphone-out.
But once you experience a well-dialed in cartridge and a niece piece of your favorite vinyl through those, you'll see what it's all about. I once read that John G. voices his cans with vinyl. And I believe this since it is a nice experience with LPs.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
Only right now? Haven't they ever since they came out?
Certainly some of the best bang for the buck cans around. :yes:
Ok so I didn't word that very well.
I've read that as well, I'm sure it's true. But these headphones also work really well with good CD players!
I've said this before here: the 325i's sounded awful before they were broken in, and now they're great. With the 60's I only noticed that the bass filled out over time.
Permanent Waves
Digital Man
Ok so I didn't word that very well.
Meant nothing by it, in fact you probably know how long they've been out...I'm ignorant as to the history of the Grado line.
Well I don't know how well regarded your speakers are (I'm not familiar with them), but I would think that they are on another level than a less than $100 headphone.
Now if you spent more like $500 to $1000 on a can, then they might give your speakers some competition (especially with a good dedicated headphone amp), as my $250ish (originally over $400) AKG 702's do to my $400 to $500ish Ushers.
That's more of a fair comparison, even if speakers and cans offer fundamentally different sound, neither better or worse imo, just different ways of achieving sonic bliss
(or as close as one can get to said bliss at least).
JonL
Lunatic Member
Well I don't know how well regarded your speakers are (I'm not familiar with them), but I would think that they are on another level than a less than $100 headphone.
Now if you spent more like $500 to $1000 on a can, then they might give your speakers some competition (especially with a good dedicated headphone amp), as my $250ish (originally over $400) AKG 702's do to my $400 to $500ish Ushers.
That's more of a fair comparison, even if speakers and cans offer fundamentally different sound, neither better or worse imo, just different ways of achieving sonic bliss
No question about it. I was just thinking about some post farther up discussing how much better than speakers the Grados are, and I frankly find that hard to believe unless the speakers are really poor.
Permanent Waves
Digital Man
Got ya. And I agree (and posted a response to that poster as well). I don't see any headphones as so much "better" than speakers (all things being equal), just different. I think it is easier to hear micro-detail with cans than speakers (again, everything being equal), but it's not a huge difference and speakers can be very detailed of course.
I think cans and speakers simply have different approaches to sound and I enjoy listening to both to hear my music in different ways.
I'll agree, "better" isn't the best word, but certainly can be as good, but in different ways. I wouldn't want to turn up the volume on my headphones to the point where I get a tangible sound pressure level!
I certainly like my SR60i's and with an iPod they're definitely more appropriate in my cube at work than a few dozen pounds of receiver, speakers and source components.
I certainly like my SR60i's and with an iPod they're definitely more appropriate in my cube at work than a few dozen pounds of receiver, speakers and source components.
Brett a
~◦●○o0o○●◦~
Yes, the SR-60 are an amazing product for the money. A sure-bet for anyone looking for sub $100 headphones.
As for your other two questions: Will a record player sound better than your smartphone? Assuming you're playing lossy files (low-res mp3s) a record player may or may not sound better depending on what you get.
A down-market turntable/cartridge will sound worse or no better than your Android, but will do so with a different type of distortion than you're getting with MP3s. The world of vinyl playback, as you probably gather, is complicated and wonderful. You have to like machinery IMO. And if you choose carefully and are willing to spend (perhaps) a couple hundred bucks on a turntable (or get lucky as many of us here have and score a nice deck for $10 at a yard sale), LPs will likely deliver a richer, more pleasing sound than your Android.
And yes, many speakers sound better than the SR-60. FWIW, although my speakers do sound better, I'm VERY satisfied with my 60's and my speakers were 25 times the price of the Grados
Enjoy!
It's blissful, aint it?
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
I know I was just kidding, but I remember thinking as I typed that, "this could be worded better, but I'm too tired to care."
I tend to agree with both of you. I think the thing a lot of people seem to agree on is that you can get closer to state-of-the-art with the more expensive headphones available now (like $500 and up, and especially $1000 and up), while state-of-the-art speakers would literally cost a fortune (I'm not even going to go there, it's frightening
). For example, I plan to get Stax headphones sometime soon, and I expect those to do certain things considerably better than my speakers, which have some serious strengths of their own.But the thing that always gets me about headphone listening is that you just can't get the wide open, expansive, truly realistic sound that you can with speakers. Of course, this might just be my opinion because I've never heard headphones capable of that, perhaps they do indeed exist. I almost want to suggest that it's easier for me to get emotionally involved with the music when listening through speakers, and it's easier to listen critically with headphones. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration - certainly it's not always the case.
Permanent Waves
Digital Man
I agree with all that Lin, except that I think it's equally easy for me to get emotionally involved with music with cans as it is with speakers. Cans give you a very intimate and concentrated listening experience that make it really easy to get immersed in the music imo. It's just you and music and no outside world sometimes.
But speakers give you a more exciting and energizing presentation that make you want to tap your feet.
Again, both are great in different ways. :yes:
And it does seem easier to me to listen critically with cans since the micro detail is so omnipresent and flaws are easy to hear. It's easy to tell a well recorded album from a poorly recorded one with cans, easier than with speakers imo.
I don't know what headphones you have had (probably better than mine), but my AKG 702's do have a pretty big "speaker like" sound stage, for headphones at least. There are many times, for instance, when I hear a little noise/effect in the music when listening to them and think it was something outside them, a noise in the house, such as a door closing. I pause the music and it was nothing. Start it up again and I hear the little background noise again. I only got that sense of hearing something outside my listening environment (that was actually coming from the music) with speakers before getting the 702's. But no, they do not have as wide or all enveloping sound stage as any speakers I've heard at least.
But speakers give you a more exciting and energizing presentation that make you want to tap your feet.
Again, both are great in different ways. :yes:
And it does seem easier to me to listen critically with cans since the micro detail is so omnipresent and flaws are easy to hear. It's easy to tell a well recorded album from a poorly recorded one with cans, easier than with speakers imo.
I don't know what headphones you have had (probably better than mine), but my AKG 702's do have a pretty big "speaker like" sound stage, for headphones at least. There are many times, for instance, when I hear a little noise/effect in the music when listening to them and think it was something outside them, a noise in the house, such as a door closing. I pause the music and it was nothing. Start it up again and I hear the little background noise again. I only got that sense of hearing something outside my listening environment (that was actually coming from the music) with speakers before getting the 702's. But no, they do not have as wide or all enveloping sound stage as any speakers I've heard at least.
stratmaster4
Active Member
I have a set of SR225i's and they sound amazing.
alot of people are liking the SR60s I think i may get a set just for walking around with, cause I don't want to risk breaking my SR225i's
alot of people are liking the SR60s I think i may get a set just for walking around with, cause I don't want to risk breaking my SR225i's
uofmtiger
Addicted Member
I have a pair and use them for the backyard or on vacations. They sound decent plugged directly into a portable player, so that makes them easy to recommend for those that don't want to mess with headphone amps and separate DACs.
For around $80-90, you can get Audio Technica ATH-AD700, which have a much wider stage than the SR60s. They are quite a bit bulkier, but I think they may be a better bargain than the SR60s in a similar price range if you are not using them for portability.
stratmaster4
Active Member
I'l look into those when I go to buy portable headphones, I really like the Grado soundstage but I'm willing to check out others, and it would be nice to add another brand/sound to my gear collection.
my main focus now is building new speakers as thats how I prefer to listen to music. I use headphones mainly at college so I don't piss everyone off.
CountBowers
New Member
I bought my SR-60's sometime in the late 90's and opted for the ear cups without center pads that the higher-end phones use. They've been through several moves with me and been loaned out countless times to introduce people to decent audio reproduction. They still work great, and sound better than ever after all the abuse!
I've never gotten so much enjoyment from a $60 purchase before.
I've never gotten so much enjoyment from a $60 purchase before.
Grado + Speakers Better together
The open soundstage of the grados and the lack of ambient noise isolation makes them ideal for listening to with speakers playing at the same time. I have a apple airport (wireless router) this has a headphone jack. I use a headphone to rca to plug it into the stereo and plug the headphones into my computer. The bass from the speakers and the extra details that the grados bring closer to your ear makes an awesome listening experience. If you don't have the same wireless setup as I do you could use a headphone splitter.
I have the SR-80's would a headphone amp be a good investment? (they sound great without it just wondering if I am getting the most out of my headphones) If so what would you guys recommend? Also for the future reference is the price jump up to the SR-125 or 325 worth it?
The open soundstage of the grados and the lack of ambient noise isolation makes them ideal for listening to with speakers playing at the same time. I have a apple airport (wireless router) this has a headphone jack. I use a headphone to rca to plug it into the stereo and plug the headphones into my computer. The bass from the speakers and the extra details that the grados bring closer to your ear makes an awesome listening experience. If you don't have the same wireless setup as I do you could use a headphone splitter.
I have the SR-80's would a headphone amp be a good investment? (they sound great without it just wondering if I am getting the most out of my headphones) If so what would you guys recommend? Also for the future reference is the price jump up to the SR-125 or 325 worth it?
