Sennheiser Hd600/6xx vs Alessandro MS2/Grado SR325?

[RunOutGroove]

I managed to break the driver in my HD600 phones and Sennheiser has been out of that part for a while. I really like the sound of these phones though and am kind of jonsing for a headphone session on the level of the HD600. I do have an old pair of Grado SR60 phones which sound OK to me, but just OK (they lack the smoothness/transparency/open sound-stage of the HD600). The HD600s are in a whole other league to me of sound stage and smooth, realistic presentation. I hear that the HD6xx are nearly the same as the HD600 phones that I have and they are priced pretty attractively, but a bit more than "impulse buy" territory for me and used ones that I've seen are priced not much less than the new. I recently came across someone local selling these Alessandro MS2 phones for a very decent price and I wonder how these things might compare to my HD600, or for that matter my Grado SR60 phones? I understand that the MS2 phones are really a mod of these Grado SR325 headphones and are a little less bright sounding and more smooth, which I would probably like and how I think of the HD600 sound.

What's the verdict then on these Grado, Massdrop, Alessandro headphones? Would it be worth owning a pair of the Alessandro MS2 assuming that eventually I'll get the part for my HD600 phones or are those things likely to be so much better than the Alessandro MS2 phones that I'll feel like I shouldn't have bothered?

FYI, I'll be plugging the headphones into a Schiit Vali mkI headphone amp, if that makes any difference...

 

[swechsler]

The HD6xx is similar to the HD650. The closest drop.com equivalent would be the HD-58x, which is their version of the now-discontinued HD-580. The HD-580 and HD-600 used the same transducers (the difference was in the enclosure), the HD-650 uses different ones. FWIW, I modified my HD-580s with HD-650 transducers, but I think I prefer the originals.

Sorry, not familiar with the other headphones mentioned in your post.

 

[RunOutGroove]

The HD6xx is similar to the HD650. The closest drop.com equivalent would be the HD-58x, which is their version of the now-discontinued HD-580. The HD-580 and HD-600 used the same transducers (the difference was in the enclosure), the HD-650 uses different ones. FWIW, I modified my HD-580s with HD-650 transducers, but I think I prefer the originals.

Sorry, not familiar with the other headphones mentioned in your post.

Yeah, I know that those Sennheiser models are supposed to be fairly similar, with just subtle differences in voicing. I was more asking about how those Grados compare... but now I've just bid on some HiFiman Sundara phones. I didn't bid very high so I probably won't win them, but if I do I'll be able to compare to the Sennheisers... that is if I'm ever able to get the parts for that thing to get it fixed.

 

[keitht]

Classic Senn sound vs classic Grado sound.
Polar opposites. The 325 sound was horribly bright.
The hd650 was too dark. I have a pair of Grado ps500's
that sound pretty good. Available used at a pretty decent
price. HF2's are also almost the same as ps500.
I've fixed a couple of things about Grado's that drive me
crazy. Added a Sony headband to prevent the issue of
cable twist and failure that can happen. Also using a
mid-sized bowl aftermarket earpads.
I have owned several other Grados and Senns.
HD650 and RS1's were both strong in their own
ways. But in the end both are gone.

 

[RunOutGroove]

Classic Senn sound vs classic Grado sound.
Polar opposites. The 325 sound was horribly bright.
The hd650 was too dark. I have a pair of Grado ps500's
that sound pretty good. Available used at a pretty decent
price. HF2's are also almost the same as ps500.
I've fixed a couple of things about Grado's that drive me
crazy. Added a Sony headband to prevent the issue of
cable twist and failure that can happen. Also using a
mid-sized bowl aftermarket earpads.
I have owned several other Grados and Senns.
HD650 and RS1's were both strong in their own
ways. But in the end both are gone.

Well... now I have some of those Sundara phones, which I'm really liking so far (and may end up sounding even better after a long break in). I think that I'm good for headphones for the time being, so I don't see myself buying those Alessandro headphones that I saw for sale (if they haven't already sold anyway). Those ones though are supposedly designed in a way to tame the brightness of the typical Grado sound. I do remember that my HD600s had a bit of a darker sound, which I liked. Since I no longer have a working pair, I can't A/B it with my new Sundara phones, but I kind of imagine that I would enjoy both of them, despite them probably sounding very different to me. I have a pair of Grado SR60 phones and I know that it isn't fair to compare these as they're Grado's least expensive phones, but those things sounded pretty hash and flat compared to either the Sennheisers or the Sundaras...

 

[Spe@kerBox]

My HD600s never came alive for me until I drove them from the speaker taps on my HK330A. Sound pretty awesome now.

 

[RunOutGroove]

My HD600s never came alive for me until I drove them from the speaker taps on my HK330A. Sound pretty awesome now.

I found that my new Sundara phones don't sound great when plugged into the Schiit Vali mkI headphone amp that I have as apparently they need something with more power. They sound rather thin with those phones compared with what I get by plugging them into the headphone jack of my old Marantz 2270 receiver. The HD600s that I was unsung before though worked better with that little Vali amp. It seemed that the brighter quality of that vs the Marantz counterbalanced the relative dark character of those headphones.

By "speaker taps," I'm assuming that you rigged up some kind of adapter the goes from the speaker outs to a headphone jack? I've never heard of doing that, but if it works...

 

[Spe@kerBox]

I found that my new Sundara phones don't sound great when plugged into the Schiit Vali mkI headphone amp that I have as apparently they need something with more power. They sound rather thin with those phones compared with what I get by plugging them into the headphone jack of my old Marantz 2270 receiver. The HD600s that I was unsung before though worked better with that little Vali amp. It seemed that the brighter quality of that vs the Marantz counterbalanced the relative dark character of those headphones.

By "speaker taps," I'm assuming that you rigged up some kind of adapter the goes from the speaker outs to a headphone jack? I've never heard of doing that, but if it works...

Correct, a simple resister dividing network connected to a HP jack.

 

[seely]

I can't speak specifically about the HD600, but I can speak to the SR325x (latest 325 series)

I would have a very difficult time referring to the 325x as "bright" -- if anything, I feel like they skew slightly dark *relative* to most other headphones of their caliber, which I generally find to be far too bright (compared to other Senn's and especially Beyerdynamics I've tried). I find them to be exceptionally smooth and "natural" sounding with no excessive emphasis on any one part of the range. The bass is just phenomenal. It's bottomless, but never "boomy" or exhausting. Just pure, smooth, deep and present. My personal benchmark is my beloved Dynaco A35XL speakers, and the Grado's have an extremely similar sound profile I haven't found in any other set.

I felt like going to the "G cushion" ear pads are essential, though. The stock F pads put the driver right on your ear, are uncomfortable, and had a much "peakier" sound. Going to the G cushion opened up the sound stage even further (it certainly wasn't bad with stock pads) and mellowed out the range overall. I personally only wear headphones when I have to, and it's been a real struggle to find a set I can listen to for a couple of hours until I tried the 325x. They are, by far, the closest I've come to replicating the experience of listening through speakers with headphones.

 

[BMWCCA]

As an owner of both the HD598 and HD598SE, I have to ask: How did you break a driver??

 

[keitht]

325 not bright? Must be a production change. Original series was not good.
I had an sr125 for a while that sounder better. 225 was better as well.
Rs1 was good, but colored. The ps500 is still here. In current setup,
beats Senn hd58x and AKG q701. Stax sr202 edges it out, but looses
in comfort. The headband mod plus aftermarket mid-bowl (softer on ears)
made ps500 the winner. I had Beyers and Audio Technia at one time as well.
Got a set of Bose here as well I use with my tablet because they are closed.
Those didn't costme anything, so they are the value leader!

 

[RunOutGroove]

As an owner of both the HD598 and HD598SE, I have to ask: How did you break a driver??

The spring connector things that attached the wires had gotten loose on one side (a design flaw, I think) which meant that the sound cut out on that side, so I ordered extras of those things. I watched a YouTube video on how to take those things apart and replace those spring clip contact connector things... so I thought that I knew what I was doing. In order to replace the contacts one has to pull out the driver, which snaps into (and out of) the plastic housing. It takes a bit of force to get out though and in doing that the screwdriver that I was using as prying tool slipped a bit and went underneath the driver piece, which is the actual driver but also larger plastic piece that it's mounted in and severed a hair thin wire that leads to the metal piece which makes contact with the part that I was replacing, the spring-contact thing. The actual driver part of it is fine, but I can't see any way of repairing that tiny broken wire. I feel like it's one of those sorts of things where if you break the tiny, most vulnerable part of it that you need to replace the whole part, even if most of it is fine...

I like the design of the Sundaras far better where the cord for it is attached as it uses those little headphone style jacks, not with those more finicky, proprietary two prong things that Sennheiser uses. All that being said, I still might consider another pair of Sennheisers (maybe the 6xx or the 560, 580, etc) in the future as other than the aforementioned part of it, I do like the design of those things... and the sound, of course.