bit of a pickle (but a good one)

[raphael 0]

I MUST buy either Grado 225, 325i or Sennheiser HD650 for a class I'm taking (poor me) Problem is: all I have is an unamped ipod and an mbox (pro tools computer recording interface) at my house I will probably buy an amp somewhere down the line. My current setup is Sennheiser PX100 and Ety ER6i out of my unamped ipod/mbox so it shouldn't be that hard to impress me.

 

Will all three headphones sound dismal out of my unamped ipod/mbox? Will all three be an improvement over my current setup? As of now I am leaning towards the 650's based on the whole comfort thing (me likey velvet earpads) I have asked around and been discouraged from buying the 650's for an unamped ipod because it is an overkill and a waste of money but I HAVE to buy one of the three so what the hay? I also emailed grado labs and was discouraged from buying the 225's or 325i's for unamped ipod use. I realize that high-end headphones are an overkill on an unamped ipod and will not shine nearly as much as they are capable but will they actually sound worse than PX100's? What the scuff should I do?

[Guest joi-ful]

The general consensus is that the Grado's are perfectly alright for umamped portable sources. They will definitely shine when given better sources but that does not mean they are worse off than the px100 in terms of SQ when driven from the iPod.

 

Then again, you mentioned that Grado Labs actually discourage you from getting the 225 and 325i?? Hmmm, that's definitely something to take note of....

[viix 0]

I MUST buy either Grado 225, 325i or Sennheiser HD650 for a class I'm taking (poor me) Problem is: all I have is an unamped ipod and an mbox (pro tools computer recording interface) at my house I will probably buy an amp somewhere down the line. My current setup is Sennheiser PX100 and Ety ER6i out of my unamped ipod/mbox so it shouldn't be that hard to impress me.

 

Will all three headphones sound dismal out of my unamped ipod/mbox? Will all three be an improvement over my current setup? As of now I am leaning towards the 650's based on the whole comfort thing (me likey velvet earpads) I have asked around and been discouraged from buying the 650's for an unamped ipod because it is an overkill and a waste of money but I HAVE to buy one of the three so what the hay? I also emailed grado labs and was discouraged from buying the 225's or 325i's for unamped ipod use. I realize that high-end headphones are an overkill on an unamped ipod and will not shine nearly as much as they are capable but will they actually sound worse than PX100's? What the scuff should I do?

 

You don't have to worry how dismal they may sound if you are using it for classroom "studio monitoring". In class you WILL be monitoring through speakers. I went through mine with no specialise equipment. The er6i is a good choice already because most of the time you're damn familiar with your recordings anyway. Not much to monitor except during the recording & output process. As long as you know your materials inside out, you're good to go!

 

On to cans now, why not head down stero and have a listen out of your iPod. You'll save the time second guessing/mis-interpreting the sonic signatures of the cans from forummer's inputs anyway.

 

btw, where are you taking your classes

Edited August 16, 2006 by viix

[siriuz 0]

What a freaky coincidence..

 

I was researching the feasibility of having a HD650 without amp for my friend.

 

Headfi's consensus is that:

 

The HD650 will sound better than lower cans (unamped), given that everything else is equal.

HOWEVER, they will not reach their full potential.

 

So.. since you have to buy, DO IT!

[raphael 0]

The class in question is "critical listening" at Middle Tennessee State University. They have a whole Recording Industry major there. Pretty Sweet I figured that the Grado's would be easier to drive unamped but I was put off when I got the email from grado labs telling me to buy the 325i for class and the SR80 for unamped ipod use. I totally got the reasoning behind it but my question was which (325i or 225) is better for the ipod. I stated it very clearly. The fact that I was encouraged to buy two headphones also shouldn't surprise me but that is pretty discouraging that grado labs would consider the SQ on the SR60 to be superior to the 325i on an unamped ipod. In all fairness I would probably get a similar response from Sennheiser. Maybe I'll give them a try...uh oh yeah...sounds like you're going to have to buy all of our headphones to solve that situation HA!

 

if anyone knows a shop in the Washington DC or Nashville area that will let me test all three on my ipod that would be the bees knees

[Mackie 0]

raphael: You've misunderstood the intention behind Grado Labs' reply. I would have made the same recommendation as 325i has higher resolution than SR80 and thus, more suitable for critical listening. The SR80 is recommended for your ipod as its meant for leisure after all. Well, they could have suggested 2 pairs of 325i for both class and leisure, if all they care about is generating sales income. The reason why they recommended a lower end SR80 for your ipod is the quality of compressed music is still technically inferior than that from a cd player. Moreover, the value-for-money factor is also a consideration because the price premium of SR225 over SR80 does not equate to the same margin of sound quality improvement. I figure they are giving you kind advice in consideration that you are still a student. So take heart dude.

Edited August 17, 2006 by Mackie

[siriuz 0]

I just got my HD650

 

Sure enough, it sounds pretty damned good right out of my iPod video.

 

BUT! it really really shines when plugged into my dynalo.