survivor:Cheers Lonely Boy! A good set of headphones are tough to replace. It`s like losing an old and trusted friend. I don`t spend as much time on the headphones now as I used to but it`s still nice to have a good pair for the times when you do. For many years I existed on Sennheisers around the £50-60 mark and looking back now I think this firm excelled in this price range. Not sure about now but certainly in years gone by. When I bought my 590s I was initially disappointed because they didn`t really blow me away and I guess I was expecting to be because of the price. They sounded quite good in the shop but didn`t seem to sound that great on my old system. There was even drop-out in the right ear at low volume. However, I now have a new system and they are sounding better. Saw yours and as you do wondered how good they are and should I have stretched myself a bit more when I bought the 590s. A second pair would be nice but I can`t really justify it at the moment. Also if I was to buy a second pair it would be quite nice to try a different make. Grados always seem to get good reviews. Have you ever tried any? Anyway, thanks again and all the best.
No problem! I sometimes think that if you like something, as someone once said to me concerning items of clothing, that you should buy two of everything! But that's going to get expensive....
Going for a different make is a good idea, I've been trying to ween myself off the Sennheiser sound and using complimentary models such as the Audio Techinca W5000's,
Anyway concerning Grados - yes I do have some, They are a pair of SR-125's. I bought them a while ago, around £100 - £120?? I can't remember.
They are certainly different from the Sennheisers I've heard. I was initially disappointed with them, being made from the cheapest plastic, they feel like a £20 pair of headphones - plenty of rough edges - oh nasty! But the advantage of that is that they are light. My first few weeks with them were pretty painful, the ear cups are quite small and made of firm foam, so physically you have to go through a bit of a pain barrier with them before they become comfortable.
Onto the sound, my first impressions of them were - compressed, thin, but quite a punchy midrange, But with all equipment, I try and get used to them a bit and reserve judgment. To me they still sound compressed, they lack the soundstage of the HD600's and detail isn't obvious, but it is there, you just have to listen for it. Personally I prefer them for rock music, straight out of my portable cd player. For all their faults, I find them very musically engaging, they just rock!!
They maybe a little bit on the expensive side for what they are, in the UK, the modded Alessandro models are considered better value by some people. I guess I should have looked into these before....
survivor: Oh, just thought of a quick question for you - what`s your ultimate `headphones` album?
Ohh... difficult one that! Unfortunately a lot of music that interests me, can fall a bit flat on headphones. But I would say the work of sound artist Richard Chartier, especially "Series" is what I would pick. How can I describe it without sounding reeelly pretentious. But he has over the last few years, as with a few other artist, really helped change the way I listen completely. Also specifically because I think his work is made to be listened to on headphones, that's got to be good!
mrbungle:Some cracking kit there, very much a solo listening station there Mr Lonely!
That said never been able to get on with Senns, all sound too bland for me no matter how many people rate them
Mebbe my ears.
Thanks mr bungle! yep unfortunately at the moment it is....
Yes, Senns aren't for everyone, but i'm just a sucker for the sound of the 600's. I still can't say I'm totally convinced that the hd650's are much of an improvement over them, but time will tell. Are there any particular models that you are a fan of?
Tear Drop:What's the vintage of that Marantz tuner? Looks pretty sweet!
ah - that old thing, as far as I know it is from around 1977.
I bought it a couple of years ago, mainly for listening to the proms. It isn't a classic by any means, but it does a pretty decent job, just as long as there isn't much compression. I was originally going to later upgrade to one of the better, much more expensive vintage models at some point. But broadcast quality seems to vary so much, I don't know whether it is worth it. Maybe one day, after I've upgraded my cd player, turntable, phono stage... I just have a thing about vintage analogue tuners.
For what it's worth, I'll try and post a few impressions of the Grados and especially the W5000's with the HP8 over the weeks for those who may be interested. So stay tuned!
Anyway thanks everyone!
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