Closed Back Options

[dalethorn]

Well i thought i would add an update to my 18 month old post about my headphone journey...

My travelling time reduced dramatically over the last year, such that closed back headphones became less of an importance to me, and most of my hi-fi set up has remained unchanged since early 2016, with one exception.

Over time i found the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 a little less to my liking, it is hard to put into words but against my Beyerdynamics T90 i found it had a slightly modified sound, especially the bass which is a little boosted and the treble a little recessed at the top end. I lived with this for a long while and was pretty happy too (they remain great headphones) but as my need to have closed back dimished i could not help wish again for my old grados - they were not perfect for all recordings, even a little too bright at times, but with some more of my more muddied or darker albums, i remembered these just pulled out the detail and clarity like no others i have owned. Also female vocals were so good.

Eventually i couldnt resist returning to the Grado 325e, picking up a 2nd hand set to check i wasnt just remembering with tinted ears, and then deciding to sell on my Sennheiser Momentum 2.0. They are very different headphones, and to be fair are largely for different uses, but it was great to have my Grados back, that is for sure. I think what i like most is that they are complimentary to the T90's rather than a competitor, different music or recordings lend themselves to one or the other, i am slowly working out which albums i prefer to use with each.

Anyway i thought i would update my journey, and revisit on the forum my fondness for the Grado 325e. You may wonder why i didnt sell both my headphones and get one even more expensive set. Well i like the choice to be honest, i find the price bracket of the T90 and 325e a bit of a sweet spot for value v cost (for my own wallet and ears anyway) and i really do find that some albums need one or the headphones over the other. With one set i may be concerned that some recording were never really delivering.

Happy to hear others thoughts, if i was going back to long train journeys again then i still rate the Sennheisers, but for home listening i decided to change. I have still kept the Oppo HA-2 which is still a lovely little dac and amp which i use with my desktop PC or phone.

In my humble opinion, the Grado and the Beyer are made for serious music listening by people who are real pros. While Sennheiser also makes some serious headphones, the Momentum series were designed to be 'Lifestyle' headphones rather than audiophile headphones.

 

[Paulq]

Crusaderlord for sharing your experiences. I tend to switch between lengthy periods of headphone listening and speaker listening without ever mixing the two. I am in a 'headphone phase' right now.

Recently I was looking for a pair of headphones that would give me the level of detail I have been craving. AKGs and Beyerdynamics came and went and I concluded, like you, that there isn't a 'one size fits all' pair and that you (or at least I) have to match different ones to different music. I was also setting up a desktop system and decided to explore the Grado range. I did a lot of research and concluded that I'd start with the SR80e.

I had also just bought a Meridian Prime amp and can honestly say that those two pieces of equipment are two of the best I have ever bought. The Grados are simply superb despite being at the low end of their offerings.

I am also considering which of their models to 'upgrade' to - RS1e's, PS500's or GS1000's at some point but also need to consider whether the cost is worth the improvement over what is already excellent.

I did consider the SR325's but have read that they are brighter than others - wonder if you have any views on that?

Am glad you are enjoying them.

 

[paulkebab]

SR60 and 80 are really good, I swapped the 60's for 80's and I still have those for using with my Roland drumkit and random use on my upstairs desktop PC. Why? They're not over-forward even when going loud, which was the opposite to what I found with the 325's so they went. I got fed up of searching so spent the best part of a day at High-End Headphones which I would recommend to anyone spending more than a few hundred quid. Yes the PM1's are way expensive but I will never want for another pair of cans which was my main aim. The main thing I noticed with all the planars is the linear rise in volume, nothing starts shouting out in front of anything else.

I enjoyed reading your write-up and glad you got there eventually, it is a very long road sometimes.

 

[good_enough]

Want to add my thanks to @crusaderlord in sharing his experience.

Faced with a similar requirement I auditioned the 'high end' that my local Richers had in, which amounted to the Oppo PM-3, Shure SRH1540, Audio Technica ATH-W1000Z. I'd read good things about the Oppos and the others were really to see if I might be missing out if I just went ahead and snapped a pair up.

Not on that comparison - the Oppos were head and shoulders above the other two. The difference was in transparancy and 'open' feel, and as noted above, a linearity that meant that turning the volume up didn't lead to any 'swamping' of detail by the bass, but just 'more of everything'.

The Oppos have a very sweet and open upper range, which as i listen to a lot of chamber music, is easy on the ear. Piano and violin sound natural, which is important to me. After the first few days, I can say I'm very happy with them. I doubt anyone buying a pair would regret it.

 

[NigelF]

Add Mrspeakers AEON a game changer at its price point

 

[crusaderlord]

Glad my reviews were of some help to people.

I have to say if my situation changed and i was buying closed back again - i would go for the Oppo PM3. It is interesting how extra time with headphones changes from initial perceptions.

Why ? Well they are more comfortable than Sennheiser Momentum 2 which i always found hurt the top of my head after a while, and their sound is more balanced and does not appear boosted in certain areas. Actually i would quite like to try out a pair again against my Beyer T90's but it is doubtful i would switch as i do like the Beyers very much and most of my listening is done with those. However now and again when i need a bit more detail for a dull recording, well the Grado 325e does the job, and female vocals are lovely with them.

To answer the brightness question, i would say the Grados do have quite a bright sound, and again with some recording this can be too much, this is effectively why i decided on two very different headphones to keep - recordings vary so much that what sounds dull or bright can be compensated a little with the right headphone. Sadly i do not find one headphone fits every occasion. The Oppos are probably one of the best that i have heard that hits the middle road between the two - but as i said i really like the T90's so it would be hard to part with them.