I need heaphones that have Grado SR 80 quality

[SAWYER]

But block out more noise from around you. I do not care if they are over the ear, in ear or whatever

 

[Tiamat]

There are none. Most of what allows the Grado "air" is its open back technology. I've listened to a couple closed back Beyer, Senn, and a couple others and they had recessed upper mids/ lower highs. Of course, the grados also have ~+8dB around 9khz with the bandwidth being 4khz and that is just a signature grado sound.

Nevertheless, try out the Beyer DT770 or some offerings from AKG. The offerings from Senn. all lack that boost that grados have in the mid-upper treble.

 

[cheesehead]

I would strongly recommend my Beyerdynamic DT250s. Audio-Technica also does some nice closed headphones, though you'll have to pay quite a lot to get them. And there's always the IEM route - a pair of Westone UM2s will give you terrific isolation.

 

[CKent]

Consider IEMs like Shures, Etymotics, etc. They'll have the isolation you want and are also portable, which is great. Not that big cans aren't portable, but IEMs won't make you look like a space alien 😛

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: CKent
Consider IEMs like Shures, Etymotics, etc. They'll have the isolation you want and are also portable, which is great. Not that big cans aren't portable, but IEMs won't make you look like a space alien 😛

You could do that, or you could get a set of Sennheiser HD280Pro. My Shure E2C IEMs block out more sound, but it's sometimes a pain to get them in the ear just right. If I'm going to be stationary, I would definitely choose the HD280s. I will note that the E2C were half the price of the HD280s, so it's not a good audio-quality comparison, but I think it is a good sound-isolation comparison.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: CKent
Consider IEMs like Shures, Etymotics, etc. They'll have the isolation you want and are also portable, which is great. Not that big cans aren't portable, but IEMs won't make you look like a space alien 😛

You could do that, or you could get a set of Sennheiser HD280Pro. My Shure E2C IEMs block out more sound, but it's sometimes a pain to get them in the ear just right. If I'm going to be stationary, I would definitely choose the HD280s. I will note that the E2C were half the price of the HD280s, so it's not a good audio-quality comparison, but I think it is a good sound-isolation comparison.

He is looking for Grado quality. You wont find that in any sennheiser as they are practically balanced in opposite ways for sound (senn being laid back, warm). The AKG and some Beyers do have an upward tendancy at the mid-high treble to restore the air/detail the OP is used to and the Beyers have a ton of bass if the OP wants to explore that.

 

[SAWYER]

well I am open to non-Grado sound as long as it's good. the Grado's were my only real headphones so I have nothing else to base off of.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: CKent
Consider IEMs like Shures, Etymotics, etc. They'll have the isolation you want and are also portable, which is great. Not that big cans aren't portable, but IEMs won't make you look like a space alien 😛

You could do that, or you could get a set of Sennheiser HD280Pro. My Shure E2C IEMs block out more sound, but it's sometimes a pain to get them in the ear just right. If I'm going to be stationary, I would definitely choose the HD280s. I will note that the E2C were half the price of the HD280s, so it's not a good audio-quality comparison, but I think it is a good sound-isolation comparison.

He is looking for Grado quality. You wont find that in any sennheiser as they are practically balanced in opposite ways for sound (senn being laid back, warm). The AKG and some Beyers do have an upward tendancy at the mid-high treble to restore the air/detail the OP is used to and the Beyers have a ton of bass if the OP wants to explore that.

I assumed that by Grado SR 80 quality, he meant headphones that are on par with the quality of sound produced by the Grado SR 80, such as the HD280Pro. If he had said he wanted headphones that produced the Grado SR 80 sound, then I wouldn't have recommended them as I know they are quite different.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: CKent
Consider IEMs like Shures, Etymotics, etc. They'll have the isolation you want and are also portable, which is great. Not that big cans aren't portable, but IEMs won't make you look like a space alien 😛

You could do that, or you could get a set of Sennheiser HD280Pro. My Shure E2C IEMs block out more sound, but it's sometimes a pain to get them in the ear just right. If I'm going to be stationary, I would definitely choose the HD280s. I will note that the E2C were half the price of the HD280s, so it's not a good audio-quality comparison, but I think it is a good sound-isolation comparison.

I have both the HD280s and e2cs, the 280s attenuate more sound, I think ~32db vs. ~25. They also sound better, but that's to be expected considering they're full size and cost more. I wouldn't recommend them though, the headband will crack no matter how well you treat them, and this kills resale value as well as being aesthetically unpleasing once you've duct taped it together :frown:

Grados definitely have their own signature sound, and very few other makers & models can come close. What kind of music do you listen to, Sawyer? I also have a pair of Grados (sr-60s) and while they sound great with all flavors of rock (classic, metal, etc.), the 280s sound better with just about everything else, despite the headband thing and despite the fact in hot weather, closed headphones make your ears feel all swampy, ick...

The 280s also have deeper bass extension and are punchier, but this can be attributed to the thousands of hours of burn-in mine have and the fact that closed phones are generally punchier for reasons related to physics. 280s are generally known for anemic bass, but I think they need tons of burn-in and most who think they lack bass are probably listening to a new or semi-new pair.

 

[SAWYER]

I like rock and classical. No metal or punk, but mainly softer, more mellow music and a lot of old classic rock. I would get some more Grados if I could block out surrounding noise somewhat

 

[darkswordsman17]

Hmm, well, not sure how much you're looking to spend, but the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000 seem like they might work for you.

I've read some people mention the Goldring DR150 (I believe thats the right model and brand) as having a Grado like sound, but I have no experience with it or Grados so I really can't say myself. I think its closed, but I'm not certain, so it may or may not work for you as well, but I'd recommend looking it up on Head-Fi.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Sawyer
I like rock and classical. No metal or punk, but mainly softer, more mellow music and a lot of old classic rock. I would get some more Grados if I could block out surrounding noise somewhat

So you aren't particular about the Grado Sound?

I guess I am confused with what you are asking for other than sound isolation. What type of sound are you looking for? All of the headphones mentioned sound completely different. What are your preferences?

 

[Baked]

You don't need to drop a shit load of money for the AT W1000 to experience AT sound. Sure the wood cups melos the sound out, but I like my AT flavored. Check out the A500. Sound isolation is excellent and the unique pads make wearing it many times more comfortable than your Grado cans.

 

[aphex]

Out of all the headphones i've tried, i've still never heard a pair of Grados. One of these days i'll pick one up.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: aphex
Out of all the headphones i've tried, i've still never heard a pair of Grados. One of these days i'll pick one up.

polar opposite of sennheisers. Frankly, I've had to make some modifications, but I am very happy with the results.

I've added a Beyer Dynamic DT770 headband and a few PEQ filters and my headphones are amazing now.

Filter #1
GAIN: -8.0 dB
FREQ: 6901 Hz
Q: 4.79

Filter #2
GAIN: -10.0 dB
FREQ: 8971 Hz
Q: 4.79

 

[herm0016]

you should also check out the sony 7506/ v6 both of these phones color the sound very little and block out a majority of outside noise. These are sitting next to the grado's in many recording studios and are the phones you see at FOH with most live sound engineers. I love my v6's, they are very durable and sound great.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: Baked
You don't need to drop a shit load of money for the AT W1000 to experience AT sound. Sure the wood cups melos the sound out, but I like my AT flavored. Check out the A500. Sound isolation is excellent and the unique pads make wearing it many times more comfortable than your Grado cans.

The W1000 sound quite a bit different than say the A900s to my ears. Its faster, more detailed, and sounds more akin to what people describe with Grados. The stock sound was good, but not quite my cup of tea, and sounds better after modding.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: herm0016
you should also check out the sony 7506/ v6 both of these phones color the sound very little and block out a majority of outside noise. These are sitting next to the grado's in many recording studios and are the phones you see at FOH with most live sound engineers. I love my v6's, they are very durable and sound great.

No, never ever buy Sony products. They're overpriced, they're cheaply made and fall apart, and you'd be supporting a company which puts rootkits on compact discs.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: CKent

Originally posted by: herm0016
you should also check out the sony 7506/ v6 both of these phones color the sound very little and block out a majority of outside noise. These are sitting next to the grado's in many recording studios and are the phones you see at FOH with most live sound engineers. I love my v6's, they are very durable and sound great.

No, never ever buy Sony products. They're overpriced, they're cheaply made and fall apart, and you'd be supporting a company which puts rootkits on compact discs.

Well, they have made a few good headphones over the years, and they do still make some good products (took them a while, but seems like they've finally started to figure out this whole MP3 thing).

 

[Muadib]

I wanna see where this thread goes.

I have SR80's, and simply love them. I bought senn's 595 when I thought my SR80's were stolen, and there is no comparison.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: Muadib
I wanna see where this thread goes.

I have SR80's, and simply love them. I bought senn's 595 when I thought my SR80's were stolen, and there is no comparison.

Try my mods, you may like them even more! My mods were for SR-125, but the headband mod is a simple snap on (PM me if you need more info.) and it helps keep the metal band from digging into your head (if it does). The EQ thing, if you are interested and use foobar, I can also help you with as well.

 

[moonboy403]

Grado sound(very bright) is a love it or hate it thing. I'm not a fan of Grado sound, or at least that of SR80. Comfort is an issue, there isn't much soundstage to speak of, bloated bass...SR80 is overrated.

 

[herm0016]

Originally posted by: CKent

Originally posted by: herm0016
you should also check out the sony 7506/ v6 both of these phones color the sound very little and block out a majority of outside noise. These are sitting next to the grado's in many recording studios and are the phones you see at FOH with most live sound engineers. I love my v6's, they are very durable and sound great.

No, never ever buy Sony products. They're overpriced, they're cheaply made and fall apart, and you'd be supporting a company which puts rootkits on compact discs.

i guess you have never used anything that would market to pro-audio. Sony makes some nice effects units, some nice wireless mic units, and really great headphones. Grados are fragile. the V6's from Sony can live in a road case on top of a board for years and never be damaged, sound as good as the day you buy them. I still like them better than the beyer, senn, and grado phones I have used while mixing. don't listen to the fanbois.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: CKent

Originally posted by: herm0016
you should also check out the sony 7506/ v6 both of these phones color the sound very little and block out a majority of outside noise. These are sitting next to the grado's in many recording studios and are the phones you see at FOH with most live sound engineers. I love my v6's, they are very durable and sound great.

No, never ever buy Sony products. They're overpriced, they're cheaply made and fall apart, and you'd be supporting a company which puts rootkits on compact discs.

i guess you have never used anything that would market to pro-audio. Sony makes some nice effects units, some nice wireless mic units, and really great headphones. Grados are fragile. the V6's from Sony can live in a road case on top of a board for years and never be damaged, sound as good as the day you buy them. I still like them better than the beyer, senn, and grado phones I have used while mixing. don't listen to the fanbois.

Keep buying their products, it will inspire them to keep breaking privacy laws :thumbsup:

 

[QueBert]

If budget is no concern the Beats By Dre cans from Monster are real nice. People can hate Monster for selling overpriced cables, but nobody who's actually heard these should be able to say anything, except maybe they're a bit overpriced. My neighbor has them, and they sound utterly amazing. They block out noise very well and produce very rich bass with outstanding highs. If they were $250 I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

I'm not a Monster fan boy, but I like them, and every review I've read has said they're really great cans.