Topic: Recommendation Needed (Read 1595 times)

Donald Duck · « **on:** March 22, 2014, 10:46:56 PM »

Here is my situation. My dog destroyed my Etymoic headphones. They fell on the floor and he thought they were a new kind of treat.

I listen to many different types of music, e.g. acoustic guitar, blues, country, classical, jazz, rock. I listen neither to rap or opera.
I have
"   a used Mapletree Audio Design Ear Four Combo Headphone Amp / Line Preamp that is on its way to me.
"   a pair of Harmon/Kardon CL headphones.
"   Apple standard in ear headphones for the iphone 5c
Here are the options I have come up with:
1.   Replace them for new Etymotic E4s for about $180.00
2.   Buy Grado SR250i & a pair of Audeo PFE 122 Smart Phone Ready Black Phonak earphones for $200.00.
3.   Buy NAD VISO HP50 headphones for about $250.00
4.

Which would you recommend. If 4, please elaborate. The top of my budget is about $250.

The Alchemist · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2014, 12:15:50 AM »

I have read Grado makes great headphones, that may be a good option, however I have never heard them personally. I'm sure some fellow Pirates will steer you in the right direction.

mkubota1 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2014, 03:32:38 AM »

Are the Etys in your dog? I'm just wondering because you can replace almost everything on them. Perhaps they could be salvaged? If they did make a trip though, nevermind.

Other relatively neutral IEMs that seem well liked around here (self included) are the Hifiman RE-400 and Fostex TE-05- $100 and $150 respectively. The later is still pre-order in the US. Though both might have a little more bass than the 4S, neither will seal as well. Just throwing out more options!

hiyu64 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2014, 03:45:07 AM »

I would advise against SR series in the Grado lineup (SR-60i, 80i, 125i, 225i, 325i). I would not touch the 325i with a 10 feet pole unless I want to commit suicide from bleeding out the ears. The SR-80i is a slightly better SR-60i and can be a decent entry audiophile headphone. The sub $100 price range has better options than before though, so the two entry phones aren't anything special. I would skip the 125i and 225i since they are incremental upgrades. The PS500 and in the same vein HF2 are good, but they are outside your budget. I won't go any further.

Some people like the lower end Grado's for rock. If rock makes up most of your library then I guess it could work. The SR line up also pretty much does not scale with better DACs/AMPs etc, so plug and play.

Solderdude · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2014, 07:40:34 AM »

I think the hardest thing to do is recommend headphones to people as taste and preference as well as fit and comfort issues differ from person to person.
The more people you ask the wider the recommendations will spread.
In the end there is ONLY one thing that counts... your own ears.

that said some thoughts.

Did you mean the Grado 225i ?

The Grados sound substantially different and have quite different 'comfort' than NAD VISO HP50 for instance.
they aren't comparable in any way and advising one over the other falls in the 'personal preference' category.
The PFE 122 seems like a good deal for the price and is completely different from on-ears.
Never heard them as I hate shoving things in my ear as you also push in the ear-grease back in that is on its way out as it were.

If you liked the bass on good in-ears you might not like the Grado sound (they have a hump in the bass area but no extension).
There are Grado lovers and haters but that is true for all headphones.

I recommend you audition the Grado and NAD somewhere and see if they really are for you.
The PFE 122 will be hard to audition and may have to take a gamble or read reviews from people you know or trust that compared them to the Ety.

If you really loved the sound and fit of the Ety and want to enjoy that again... get the Ety.

DaveBSC · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2014, 07:41:07 AM »

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR225i.pdf

See the distortion graph. Treble distortion approaches 10%, deep bass distortion at high output is closer to 50%. If that's not enough to convince you, the square waves should. Not what I would call a good headphone.

Hroðulf · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2014, 09:16:05 AM »

There are very few headphone with such narrow genre bandwidth like almost all Grados. That said, most of the genres you said you'd listen are kinda midrangey, so it might not be THAT bad.

I'd hunt for a used HD600. Or something from the Philips Fidelio line.

Donald Duck · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2014, 02:31:00 PM »

Thanks for all of your helpful comments and suggestions.

The Etymotics have died the death from which there is no resurrection. Part of them has gone through the dog. They were the H5 model and can't be repaired. I used to have an ER4 model and liked the way they sounded but they were stolen.
The Grado model I was considering was the 225i.

I never really liked shoving the Etymotics in my ear but did so for the sake of their sound reproduction.
I don't want the headphone to dictate what kind of music I listen to. I listen to classical & jazz as well as rock & country. Therefore the Grado is out of the running. If I got the Grado, I was planning on doing some modifications to tame the beast but why buy headphones I will only have to modify.

The home audio system I use has a Sunfire receiver to power the center and channels, a modified Carver amp to power the main speakers. The center channel is a Von Schweikert, the mains are Carver Amazing Loudspeakers (Electrostatic), and the rear speakers are Tekton OB 6.5 (open baffle hybrids) and the subwoofer is a HSU VTF3-MK3.
I would like headphones to equal the home setup but my budget is $250.

complin · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2014, 04:25:04 PM »

Sounds like you need an older Stax Lambda Pro and a step-up transformer to connect to your power amp

Surely you won't be able to stand wearing the Grados for more than 5 minutes as they must rate as some of the most uncomfortable headphones ever produced?

Quote from: Donald Duck on March 23, 2014, 02:31:00 PM

The home audio system I use has a Sunfire receiver to power the center and channels, a modified Carver amp to power the main speakers. The center channel is a Von Schweikert, the mains are Carver Amazing Loudspeakers (Electrostatic), and the rear speakers are Tekton OB 6.5 (open baffle hybrids) and the subwoofer is a HSU VTF3-MK3.
I would like headphones to equal the home setup but my budget is $250.

Marvey · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2014, 03:55:16 AM »

OPTION #1.

If I were you. any other option would piss me off or exceed the budget. This is taking into account your Carver 'stat speakers, which I remember as kind of bright (yes I have heard them, but that was a long long long time ago when the Good Guys stores were still around), but not wonky like the Grados. The NAD HP50 sound worse than they measure. Besides, they are slow and muddy sounding. Yes, measurements lie sometimes.

Author Topic: Recommendation Needed (Read 1595 times)

Donald Duck

Recommendation Needed

The Alchemist

Re: Recommendation Needed

mkubota1

Re: Recommendation Needed

hiyu64

Re: Recommendation Needed

Solderdude

Re: Recommendation Needed

DaveBSC

Re: Recommendation Needed

Hroðulf

Re: Recommendation Needed

Donald Duck

Re: Recommendation Needed

complin

Re: Recommendation Needed

Marvey

Re: Recommendation Needed

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Author Topic: Recommendation Needed (Read 1595 times)