Sennheiser vs Grado Headphones - Opinions Needed

Hi All,
I'm about to replace my failed Stax SR-X Mk. 3 headphones and I'd like any informed opinions.
I see that Audio Advisor has the Sennheiser HD 600 on sale for $225 because it has been discontinued. I'm also interested in the Grado RS-1, which will cost near $600.
There are no dealers in my area, in fact, the closest Grado dealer is 80 miles away.
If anyone has any experience with these 'phones I'd appreciate you insight and experiences.

Have a great holiday season and thanks!

Dave

 

I love the way Grados sound. I've had various models for years, and when my current pair died, they fixed and shipped them back to me for free no questions asked. That said, they are extremely uncomfortable to wear for long periods. The Sennies I've tried are far more comfortable (though I've not tried or heard the 600), but I can't quite convince myself that they sound as good. So there's a trade-off. I know there's lots of threads on this very subject with more details here and at sites like http://www.head-fi.org/ - but I think mileage varies about each set so if there's any way at all to try some before you buy that'd be best. Also, there are things like burn-in times which can be factors at first... Still, sounds like quite a deal on the 600! I hope you'll keep us posted on which way you go, Dave!

 

I have the 600's. sharedon is right - they are supremely comfortable. Also, word has it that the Grado's are on the bottom end of the "comfort" scale. If you want to go Grado, I'd be sure to get them on your head first to see if they hurt. If your like me, pressure on my ear cartilage starts being painful after about 15 minutes.

The Senns don't touch my ear at all - they are truly the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, and - of course - sound fantastic too. I doubt you'll be disappointed going with the 600's.

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I generally listen for a few hours per day at work, so comfort is very important. I may have to take the 80 mile drive to audition the Grado's.

 

I'm going to check out the new Sennheiser HD-650s...if they sound even a little bit better than the HD-600s, I'll wind up buying them, because I really like the HD-600s. As far as Grado is concerned, they're not as comfortable, and that tends to be a big issue for me. They definitely sound different from the Sennheisers. Not better or worse, just different. In other words, it'll be purely your preference.

 

Here's the bottom line...

Grado: Exciting, accurate, "in-your-face" sound. Rockin' headphones. They don't need an amp to shine. Slamming! Engaging! Some people find them comfy, some people don't. Their sweetest value might be the SR-125 and the SR-325.

Sennheiser: Laid back, relaxed, mellow, syrupy, warm, incredibly accurate, precise, detailed, delicate, comfortable, sweet. Be ready to invest at least $250 on a good headphone amp. A headphone to fall in love with. I'd get the 580's - 95% of the performance of the 600's. Then again, with all the rebates, the 600's are very close in price to the 580's.

Then again, the 580's are as *classic* as headphones go...

 

I personally think that Sennheisers have a more accurate/neutral sound, and that Grados have a dark/warm coloration that many people will find very pleasant...including me (I like both sounds).

I can't get past the comfort issue...I just can't wear Grados for more than 30 minutes or so at a time.

 

i tried both sennheiser and grado and ended up buying AKG's. very very comfortable, i've worn them for hours at a time.

very flat response. i really like them.

renny

 

FWIW, I use 1979-vintage Koss HV/X cans and I love them, .. I believe I've read you guys also got them as a rebranded Radio Shack product, but I don't know which model it was.

 

Ah, yes! I used to love Koss HV/X cans, too. Anyhow, at work we just got some AKG's for studio chores, and they are extremely comfy with a nice flat response, as noted by renny. All said and done for me, like Michael I like the sounds of both Sennies and Grados, different as they are.

 

For my Grado RS-1 I recently got a pair of the Sennheiser yellow pads (I forgot what model they're for). They are more comfortable than the Grado pads. Of course, the big thing is that they still rest on your ears rather than around yours ears (as with the Sennheiser 600).

I really do like my Grado's. Though I have to admit that I don't listen to them that often or for very long periods.

 

First of all, I'm on the lower end of the scale. My last set of Sennheiser's (which I dearly loved) were 450II's. That was my 3rd set of Sennheiser's over the last 15 years and while comfortable...the models I had always sounded mushy on the bass.

So, I decided to try some Grado SR-60's.
Now, if I could only get the accurate Grado sound from a headphone as comfortable as the Sennheiser's...in my price range-- I'd be happy.

 

In my opinion, the Grado headphones I've heard had a very annoying 3000 - 5000 cycle boost that exaggerated the midrange unpleasantly. I felt that the Sennheisers I heard, on the other hand...while not necessarily accurate (what headphone is?)...were more pleasing...and much easier to wear for longer periods of time.

 

The Sennheissers are very easy to wear and listen to. I have the 600s, with a dedicated Musical Fidelity headphone amp, and there's probably no way I'll ever be able to afford more accurate sound out of a "real" stereo. The Sennheissers can even be worn with eyglasses.

 

I own the Sennheiser HD600s and they are wonderful. I have never heard the Grado model, so I can't voice an opinion there.

The Sennheiser is an extremely comfortable headphone to wear and the sound is awesome. I own three headphones: Sony MDR-7506, Sony MDR-F1 and the Sennheiser 600. All three models have good strengths, but if I had to use just one, it would be the Sennheisers.

 

You got me interested enough to check out the frequency response graphs at headroom.com

Here's a comparison animated gif I tossed together from their images. Pretty interesting, eh?

 

After the 700th frame it starts going backwards.

 

Thanks for posting that, Jeff...I guess I'm KINDA right, then...

 

headroom.com is a great place! My ears tell me different stories from the graphs, but I'm surely growing older and deafer - hence, perhaps, my pref. for the Grado sound. Anyone here got the Senn 497??

 

I surfed over to headroom.com and it looks like a page for kids or some such thing. The closest I've found dealing with audio is headroom.headphone.com.

Best,

Damián

 

I don't know about the Grado's, but the HD650's beat the HD600's in every way, to my ears. The bass goes deeper and is more defined, the mids are unbelievably realistic, and the treble is not quite as etched, but very nice indeed. These are still breaking in and only have about 40 hours or so on them, so I expect them to improve. Over at Head-Fi, I believe someone posted the frequency response chart and said it was almost perfect(nearly flat). I don't really know how to read these charts so go do a search over there and check it out. If you are going to spend this kind of coin on cans, you must give these a listen. I own both the 600's and 650's and I will probably never put the 600's back on my head, they really are that good! Gary.

 

yep...

 

Headphone.com appears to be doing their own frequency repsonse charts, instead of relying on company marketing literature.

They also show normalized charts (I presume normalized for the shape of the ears), and a smoothed chart that I assume ignores the extremely fast sharp rises and falls.