View Full Version : Grado SR60 or Sennheiser PX 100?
When I purchased the iPod mini when they first came out I also purchased the Shure e2s. They are great canalphones except they are not practical when you have to keep taking them off due to people wanting to talk to u at the office.
Now I sold my mini and ordered a black nano and so with it I want to order some new headphones.
I did a lot of research on headfi and stuff and it seems Grado's are worshipped although they look like crap. I was having a tough time choosing between the SR60 and SR80 but the majority of users said if I am using the headphones unamped (ie with ipod) the SR60 would be better.
Anyway a bit more research sent me towards the Sennheiser PX 100. This got fairly decent reviews but when sound quality was compared with the SR60, the grado's won. But the PX100 are more comfortable and portable then the SR60, plus half the price.
So now I am in a state of confusion. SR60 or PX100?
I will mostly be using the headphones at the office. I listen to a lot of chillout and would require a decent amount of bass. I also listen to alternative like pearl jam, radiohead, blindmelon, nirvana etc..
So I am very confused. Personally I would like to get the PX100 since its cheaper, comfortable and looks normal (people wont stare at me and laugh like the grados) but whenever you compare the 2 headphones people are always going for the grados.
so can anyone help out by giving their opinion?
thanks
torifile
2005-09-25, 07:19
I can't comment on the Senns but I've got the Grados and I highly recommend them. I also listen to pj, radiohead, etc. and they're really fantastic. I even love the way they look. My only real gripe (and it's not even a gripe) is how long the cable is. When walking with my nano, it's kind of a pain to have the cable nearly scraping the street.
Get the Grado. I have the SR-60's and they sound amazing. I actually like the look. It's like old school WWII era headphones, matches the iPod perfectly.
The cable length is too long, so I just took some of the slack cable and made a small bundle with a rubber band. Works great.
lol i was really hoping for someone to push the PX100 :)
I have the SR80s and I absolutely love them. I've had Sennheisers in the past, but the headroom (upper frequency response) feels stifled compared to the Grados. The bass response also feels tight and much less muddy than other headphones.
Of course, my opinion is just that. I'd go to any local high-end audio store and bring some of your favorite CDs. Have a listen. They should have the Grado line for you to audition and maybe the Sennheiser line as well?
well problem is i am in Kuwait so whatever I am gonna order has to be based on user opinions like yours and available on Amazon.com
How are the SR80s with the iPod. I read a persons comments who said they actually sounded worse then the SR60 when used with the iPod because they need more power.
I use my SR80s for studio mixing and personal listening at home, but I'll pop them onto my iPod and see how they do.
lol i was really hoping for someone to push the PX100 :)
Here you go: not the same kind of model but I got the Sennheiser HD-497 and they are, what can I say, EXCELLENT. I have no experience with Grado, but I can tell you that Sennheiser is definitely a great choice.
Electric Monk
2005-09-25, 14:48
Grado SR60's. The 80's or 125's if you ever listen on something other then the iPod, they'll sound as good or a little better on the iPod, noticeably better on a better setup.
I spent a lot of time at some decent music shops (Bay Street Radio among others if anyone's from Toronto) and the Grado SR60's simply sound the best in their class. The SR80's are a bit better, but on an iPod sound about the same, maybe better maybe not - the 60/80 divide really depends on your ears. If however you ever hook them up to more then an iPod I'd go with the 80's or the 125's.
I figure that if you're going to step up from the bundled earbuds you might as well step up as far as you can sound wise.
As the previous poster mentioned the Sennheiser HD497 are very good, if not quite as good as the Grado's and in the same price range. Sound is maybe a touch less clear, and somewhat more mellow. They do look rather less retro as well.
I have SR-80s and they're great. I don't use them much with my iPod, but they do work fine, even unamped.
I agree with Electric Monk... with the iPod, you won't hear much difference between the 60s and the 80s (although the 80s will still be a little better). That being said, a major factor in Grado sound is the type of pads you're using. The 60s come with the "comfy" pads that are soft foam and cover the driver completely. The 80s come with the bowl pads that leave the driver exposed. In my opinion, the comfies muffle the treble a little bit. A lot of people also like the old-style flat pads (www.ttvj.com sells them) which enhance the bass a little.
So keep that in mind when you're choosing.
How are the SR80s with the iPod. I read a persons comments who said they actually sounded worse then the SR60 when used with the iPod because they need more power.
I had a listen this evening and they do seem to lose a bit of the punch when plugged into the iPod. I wouldn't call the SR80s "walking around" headphones anyway. Sounds like the 60s may be a better fit for you.
Although...if the Sennheisers are a closed ear design, I'd go with them or some of the Etymotic Research in-ear bud designs. You'll completely lose the quality of sound walking around with any open ear headphones. You'd have to crank the sound just to overcome any moderate ambient noise.
As usurp mentioned in his first post, he already owns a pair of Shure E2Cs. He likes them but when he listens to music in his office they are inconvenient to constantly remove and insert. It often takes a few tries to get a good seal, and once you get one you want to keep it.
You should remember that all the headphones we've talked about so far (Sennheisers PX100 and HD497, Grados SR60 and SR80) are of the open style, which means the sound can leak out. If you're in a very quiet office then it's something to think about. The only problem is that closed headphones tend to be uncomfortable because they don't let your ears breathe. I used to own a pair and my ears were sweating all the time.
It's always hard to choose headphones. I have heard that the Grados are somewhat uncomfortable and may require you to bend the headband in order to loosen it up. My HD497s are very comfortable and I have been wearing them for about two hours now with no headaches or sweaty ears.
We already have an idea of your price range - you're attracted to the sub-$50 PX100s, and you balk slightly at the SR60's $70 price tag, but it seems like you're probably willing to consider anything under $100. What other qualities are you looking for? What priority do you place on comfort, convenience, sound quality, and privacy? These are all important factors to consider. For the time being, all I really know is that you want to spend less than $100 and you want to avoid the inconvenience of your canalphones while keeping the great sound quality. From these criteria it sounds like any of our recommendations would be fine - the SR60, HD497, and PX100 are all good choices that meet your criteria. But which one is best depends on your priorities.
If you want the best possible sound quality, I think the SR60s are the clear choice. But they leak sound and are uncomfortable. The HD497s have great sound quality as well, and they're more comfortable, but the PX100 is less expensive. I don't know how the PX100 sounds as I've never listened to one. If you want to prevent sound leakage, consider a pair of sealed headphones, but remember that comfort will suffer.
Hi, thanks for all the replies. Choosing a headphone is a very difficult choice specially if you cant try any of them or see them in person.
I am gonna leave my E2's for use when I travel, I would love to use them on a long flight on the plane.
What I am looking for now is for a headphone I can use for the rest of the times. I listen to my iPod mostly at work, 99% of the time but the weather is getting better and i might be interested in biking with my iPod.
What put me off about the Grado is the size and the fact that the cable is extremely long. Also I heard that the sound is "Accurate" which usually means the bass is crap. The size might be a problem because it would mean that I would have to keep the headphones at the office, they wont fit in my tiny sidepack with my camera.
Does the headphone have to be comfortable? The more comfortable they are the more I would use them.
Is sound leakage a problem? Could be, I mean I had Bang & Olufsen A8's (they were really great and would have kept them if it wasnt for the lack of bass) and they used to annoy people around in my old quieter office. Now i work in a more noisy office so the sound leakage might not be an issue, if it is I guess I could lower the volume. I currently listen to music from a pair of logitech speakers so any sort of headphones would please my work mates :)
I had a pair of Technics headphones and they used to squeeze tightly on my ear and they would end up sweating and hurting after long use. I gave those to my brother and I would rather not have the same experience again.
Hope this info helps you guys help me.
thanks again
torifile
2005-09-26, 06:26
My Grados were uncomfortable at first. After breaking them in, I'm able to hours without discomfort. If you want them to be biking headphones, you'll be disappointed. I don't know about how well the senns would work for that either. I've got 3 sets of decent 'phones now: my grados when I don't want to be sealed off from the world, my e3cs for when I do want to shut everything out and now my koss ksc75s for working out, particularly running.
Crazy. But I like my music.
I recommend the Grados. I have the SR60's, and to be concise about it: they are sweet. And they are not as fragile as they look.
The work great with the computer, analog amp's, and my iPod. They also look very old school. :lol:
SlackerDX
2005-09-26, 07:57
I know I'm going a bit off topic here, but how would you rate the Shure e2cs? I am considering making the leap from $10 crappy Sony earphones to some nicer ones and that is the model I have been looking at. They will be my everyday pair of earphones and I'll probably also use them at the gym.
torifile
2005-09-26, 08:17
I'd recommend against using canalphones if you're going to be getting too sweaty. Your sweat will pour into your ears and have no way out. If you're just going to be moderately sweaty (like just lifting or something), canalphones in general are great. But for running, I'd avoid them.
the shure e2's are nothing out of this world. the bass is there i guess sometimes...the most impressive thing is the sound isolation. i could have some music playing at a decent volume and my wife could be standing infront of me screaming, and i am not kidding here.. and i wouldnt be able to hear her.
SlackerDX
2005-09-26, 09:31
That sounds good. I ride the bus to school and I usually have to turn the volume up really high even to listen to just podcasts. I'm not big on bass anyway. I think I've seen them on Amazon for $65. Is that the best I'll see or should I keep looking?
i got mine for like 80$ i think lol
but yeah if u need sound isolation u will LOVE the shures...
they come nicely packages with a whole bunch of various foam and silicon sleeves.
OK, I think i have made another turn in my decision making. I am now considering the Sony MDR-A44, I had something similar when I was younger and I really liked them. I havent read reviews on it yet but they seem interesting.
here are some pics
http://www.trusite.com/economy/img/mdra44.jpg
http://sfera.cz/shopbiz/images/def_product/821.jpg
This decision has made me realize that I am looking for a compact/portable headphone with decent sound. So I guess the grado is out, the PX100 might still be in incase these sonys turn out to be crappy sounding.
What is your budget?
I don't really understand what you are looking for, if its portability then aren't the Shures you already own exactly what you needed? If you want another pair check out the ER6i (http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er6i.aspx), designed for the iPod.
Maciej, I dont want an canal phones because they are a hassel to keep removing and putting back on whenever i get interuppted at work.
earlier i was still confused on what exactly i needed. now though i realized that i am looking for heaphones that are compact, ones i could use all the time and carry with me everywhere.
my friend just ordered the ER6i today btw. He had Shure E3's but they got stolen at his work so he got the ER's today. I tried to convince him to get the grado's (So i could try them) but he wanted canalphones..
Aight, I gotcha now.
The ER's are great, I got a pair of the ER4s and I've got nothing but compliments about the sound quality and isolation. Only thing that bothers me is when the cable bounces on something and a loud thud reverberates through the cord.
Okay, if you want good combo of portability and sound quality I can't help but recommend the Koss Portapro (http://headphonereviews.org/headphone.php?action=view&headphoneId=9). ... Yes I know they aren't pretty but thats good, no one will steal them from you.
In a similar vein, I really like the Koss KSC-75. They're clip-ons, so they're even more portable. They should sound the same but they're not quite as ugly as the PortaPros.
This is assuming you'd be wearing the new pair at work and your Shures for other things, like working out. But maybe you want a total replacement; I can't quite tell.
torifile
2005-09-26, 21:02
In a similar vein, I really like the Koss KSC-75. They're clip-ons, so they're even more portable. They should sound the same but they're not quite as ugly as the PortaPros.
This is assuming you'd be wearing the new pair at work and your Shures for other things, like working out. But maybe you want a total replacement; I can't quite tell.
I recommended the koss ksc75 up above. I got my pair for $10 from CC. They screwed up my web order/in-store pickup and offered to ship them to me free and give me 1/2 off. That's a good deal. :)
I dunno, I honestly can't say I've heard as good of things about the 75s as the Portapros, but its your call, they are significantly cheaper too...
Grados aren't "walking around" headphones. You wouldn't be able to hear shit wearing them in any somewhat noisy environment. If I ever see a person wearing Grados on the street I will punch them in the face.
LOL
Yeah, Grados are basically little speakers mounted on a harness that attaches to your head. There's no isolation at all, so you can hear about the same regardless of whether your ear is on one side of the headphones or the other. They're meant for listening in a quiet setting.
My Sennheisers are not so much like that. They don't leak as much sound, though quite a bit still leaks out. Smaller units like the Koss PortaPro and KSC-75 sit closer to your ears and thus your ear absorbs most of the sound. But if you turn them up to a pretty high volume there will be sound leakage there as well.
I'd recommend against using canalphones if you're going to be getting too sweaty. Your sweat will pour into your ears and have no way out. If you're just going to be moderately sweaty (like just lifting or something), canalphones in general are great. But for running, I'd avoid them.Thanks for the tip tori - I'd never considered that issue when working out.
... and thanks for the thread too usurp - I love finding out people's opinions and experiences with headphones. I'm thinking of the Ety ER-6i's personally, but the Sennys you mentioned look good value for just chilling out. Btw - what did your friend think of the Etys?
One more thing - I used the standard in-ear iPod headphones last night on the train from Beijing to Nanjing and they managed to block out most of the extraneous noise around me. (I can only imagine the improvement in sound quality and isolation that the Etys should provide.) I love being able to block out the world and retreat into my own space. :)
hey Mac+, my friend also lives in Kuwait so they need another 7 to 10 days till he gets them.
if you like talking about heaphones I would recommend you check out
http://head-fi.org/
a lot of people there like talking headphones and if you search the forum for a earphone of your choice you should be able to find tons of info on it.
Head-Fi is great, I personally like HeadWize better, but they've mostly fallen out of the spotlight in the last several years...
I can only say good about Etymotic Research, sadly the company I got my ER4P's from (for a really nice 33% off) is no longer around it looks like.
I have a pair of ATH-900s for just casual listening when I don't wanna bother anyone, they're fairly good and I haven't had any of my roommates complain about the isolation on them.
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