Headphone Demo

[crusaderlord]

A need to keep later night listening volumes low (main bedroom above the lounge) has eventually led me back to using headphones more. Sadly my trusted Sennheiser HD595 were playing up (one driver seems to crackle). I have never felt the need to change these over the years but now seemed a good time and maybe even an upgrade. A demo at my local store went as follows :

Sennheiser HD700 - i wanted to hear the HD650 to be honest but were not in stock. I was a little dissappointed with these - being used to the HD595 i initially felt the 700 were a bit uneventful and perhaps almost veiled in presentation. Turn up the volume and you get used to them but i couldnt quite shake that inital feeling that the HD595 were more alive. I guess you get used to things a certain way but i didnt feel like paying out £500 for these.

Beyerdynamic T90 - great looking headphones and these really sounded worth their extra money. There was a relaxed nature to way the music was presented, with loads of detail and a great musical tone. The soundstage is very wide too. Also they were very comfortable too. A cracking listen and one i would be very happy with.

Grado 325e - i wasnt sure about the Grado brand as i probably read too much about the lack of comfort. However these were increadibly clear in the midrange especially. Female vocals sound like someone is singing directly to you. The presentation here v the Beyerdynamic is different, these have a more compact soundstage and less intricate details level in the treble but the overall rhythm and balance between bass and mid range is amazing. Percussion also seem to gell and drive the songs a bit more. Overall they are very clear and have a great music balance.

Summary :

The Sennheiser HD595 are still amazing headphones - i cant get away from their ability at the price. Very clear, good musical presentation, easy to drive even plugged directly into a tablet. The good news for now is that the dodgy driver seems to have cleared after a bit of tap and squeeze on the inner case (probably temporary but at least ok for now). I will miss these when they are gone.

The Beyerdynamics are truly great headphones but at £200 less the Grados i felt offered enough difference in presentation from my Sennheiser to argue as case for being purchased. Also whilst a different sound i felt they pushed close to the T90's in sound quality only falling short on a bit of comfort although i didnt find them too bad at all and my listening will be shortish stints rather than hours at a time. The T90 allow you to analyse all the little musical details more but the overall rhythm of the Grados is hard to resist and they are so clear to listen to.

The rhythm and clarity of the Grados pursuaded me to invest in them and will arrive next week. Very exciting. I aim to use with my Arcam A38 socket but will also try out my Little Dot iii which has been sitting in a cupboard for a long time now. If any headphone amp comes recommended for Grados i may be interested but i suspect what i have is plenty good enough.

I hope this may prove useful - but we do all of course have different ears !

 

[Deleted member 108165]

As another Senn owner you will indeed miss your Senns, if only for the comfort. Totally agree that the Grado sound can be something else but may I ask how long were they on your ears for? Only asking as I have both the SR80 and SR225 and the max I can wear them for is about 1 hour, but maybe you have a better shape head and ears than I

. Unfortunately the comfort factor is why I shall be moving my Grado's on, but I will miss them, greatly.

 

[ID.]

Sennheiser HD700 - i wanted to hear the HD650 to be honest but were not in stock. I was a little dissappointed with these - being used to the HD595 i initially felt the 700 were a bit uneventful and perhaps almost veiled in presentation. Turn up the volume and you get used to them but i couldnt quite shake that inital feeling that the HD595 were more alive.

Interesting. I find the 595s to be rather laid back. Great through the mid range and work really well for acoustic and classical but the low bass is lacking and overall they feel a bit veiled. The 700s were clearly better for me, but I wasn't prepared to pay that much. I think at most I'd buy a 2nd hand set of 650s.

Grados I also find uncomfortable to wear for very long and the sensation of them sitting on my ears makes the sound even more in your face.

I will eventually get around to selling both my 595 and 80i because I just don't listen to them any more.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Hi ID, I have the HD650's and they are the best headphone I have in my collection for my ears, both for comfort and SQ. I also have the HD598 and they are great for portable devices. My idea is to sell the Grado SR80's, SR225's and Shure SRH840's and try and source a pair of SRH1540.

 

[crusaderlord]

Headphone preference is very subjective it seems. I may have been quick to purchase the 325e but in the demo i felt it offered the best value / performance. The HD650 is still a headphone i really want to hear, and if my HD595 ever give up the ghost completely then i may still search these out. It would be a bit of a luxury to have two headphones of this quality but still if they offer a different approach then that may warrant it.

To answer a couple of questions, i listened to the Grados for about 40 mins so yes i may find comfort a factor - will let you know soon as i get them. However my listening stints are never usually more than an hour anyway in the evening, usually i get a chance to listen to 1 album and thats about it (busy family life etc).

Still looking forward to getting them at the moment ....

 

[Frank Harvey]

Chances are, the crackling you hear in one channel is being caused by a dodgy cable, which can be replaced very easily and won't be too expensive. Even if you do go with new headphones, this will allow you to get some money back on them.

 

[crusaderlord]

Yes i can hope it could be the HD595 cable, seems the balance is off - there is sound from both sides but the right channel doesnt carry as much bass volume as the left so everything is off centre and so are the vocals - although sound still seems clear. Turn it up and i get a bit of a crackle in the left drum. I may try and replace the cable just to see and would keep them to be honest.

The Grados are proving their worth. Current form seems that i get about a half hour listen in the evenings so whilst comfort is definately not as good as the Sennheiser i have to say i dont notice it much so far. Sound though is excellent, i think the balance between bass and mid range is amazing and so is the clarity. It is different than the HD595, and i would say the rhythm is stronger with the Grados. I am very happy so far.