Really comfortable headphones?

[nose]

Sidetrack here but as I've said many times before on this forum - although it's been more usually on the subject of Macs vs PC's - you might like to give something a fair shake before you trash it

It looks like you were responding to the post above, not my original post.



Not if the Grados I've had are any evidence to go by. They are pretty fragile headphones - I've had earcups literally drop off and the build quality on models like the RS-1 is very amateurish compared to the competition. It's not just the build quality that's suspect but the design that allows the phones to do stuff like drop off. The bowl pads are like sandpaper and they are in no way circumaural unless you're a pixie. Do you know what circumaural is? It means they go completely around the ear and no part of it sits on the ear. The Grado cable sleeves tear relatively easily and are over-stiff, and that combined with the length makes it less than manageable than even say an AKG K701 cable. As far as a casual use headphone goes, I can actually find a lot more issues to brood over with even on an SR80 than a Triport.

If I really want to listen, I have other systems - speaker based systems considerbly better than any headphone system can manage. If I have to, there are also other better-performing headphones (which I don't find as comfortable as the Triport) I can use.

you have all this audiophile experience and still chose a set of Bose? over RS-1 and AKG 701?

last night there was 3 other post on the 3rd page before the one that you posted today. I wonder what happened to them?

I can leave this thread and honestly say you have taught me a lot!

I'm glad your happy with your decision, peace!

 

[Sesshi]

you have all this audiophile experience and still chose a set of Bose? over RS-1 and AKG 701?

No I didn't choose it over those two, don't be silly And it has to be said the RS-1/K701 have been the least of my 'experiences'.

I wanted a pair of comfortable casual headphones which I could wear for a long time to do all sorts of stuff. As I put it, I didn't need it to be 'audiophile'. For me, for the time I've been using it I have to say it works great for me. Better than the 'audiophiler than thou' choices in a similar bracket such as the Sennheiser HD25 - which fails in a big way on comfort.

But you know what, if you're using it anywhere but inside your home the Triport is better than the RS-1... because you can actually hear the music I never understood people who use Grados on the move for that reason.

 

[nose]

No I didn't choose it over those two, don't be silly And it has to be said the RS-1/K701 have been the least of my 'experiences'.

I wanted a pair of comfortable casual headphones which I could wear for a long time to do all sorts of stuff. As I put it, I didn't need it to be 'audiophile'. For me, for the time I've been using it I have to say it works great for me. Better than the 'audiophiler than thou' choices in a similar bracket such as the Sennheiser HD25 - which fails in a big way on comfort.

But you know what, if you're using it anywhere but inside your home the Triport is better than the RS-1... because you can actually hear the music I never understood people who use Grados on the move for that reason.

it's not very difficult to hear something directly against your ears!

not everyone wants to be totally isloated from the world. it's a bit of a plus to have a little outside bleed in to be able to hear what's going on around me. it's not very much different than listening to speakers in or outside of your home, work.. car stereo for example and in the same note portable environments vary with background noise. not everyone is around a jackhammer.

not much into Senn's meself! although many poeple enjoy them. it's obvious the RS-1 and 701's are the least of your experience. for me after even hearing the bottom end of the Grado line I would not want anything less for any listening environment. not even me old STAX. not to mention what the HR MicroAmp and DAC do for me Grado's! makes me Mac sing and they are portable too..

it's good that ya got what ya want and they work just great for you! and as you put it you did not need an audiophile headphone.
cool with me for it's you that you have to make happy, peace!

 

[Sesshi]

it's not very difficult to hear something directly against your ears!

not everyone wants to be totally isloated from the world. it's a bit of a plus to have a little outside bleed in to be able to hear what's going on around me. it's not very much different than listening to speakers in or outside of your home, work.. car stereo for example and in the same note portable environments vary with background noise. not everyone is around a jackhammer.

You know, people who say this are most likely to say later on "I get this ringing in my ear. What can I do about it?"

it's good that ya got what ya want and they work just great for you! and as you put it you did not need an audiophile headphone.
cool with me for it's you that you have to make happy, peace!

Thanks.

 

[nose]

You know, people who say this are most likely to say later on "I get this ringing in my ear. What can I do about it?"

your so negative! not a very happy person are you? I'm so sorry! is there anything I can do to help?

did some one at head-fi hurt your feelings? poor pitiful thing..

 

[Sesshi]

your so negative! not a very happy person are you? I'm so sorry! is there anything I can do to help?

I suppose I ought to damp down my sarcasm when making a point. Listening by defeating environmental noise is a major cause of tinnitus. The sound pressure being delivered into your ear by e.g. a Grado when you're turning up the volume to try to listen even in an (lets for generalisation's sake say) low-noise urban outdoor area can easily approach hearing-loss levels. It's one of the major reasons I shy away from open phones for any listening outside of quiet spaces. If you value your hearing, Grados and suchlike will be the very last headphone on your list for portable use.

did some one at head-fi hurt your feelings? poor pitiful thing..

Not at all. It's just that among all the stealth product placements and the peer groups, it's not been of much help to me for quite a while now.

 

[Mr. Amiga500]

I've got a Grado SR125 and I agree that the cushions are pretty flimsy and a bit rough. They occasionally fall off and now have cracks in the centre (after a couple years of use though). I've got small ears and they almost fit entirely inside the centre of the cushions, but they're certainly not circumaural. The speaker part presses directly against my ear and gets uncomfortable after about an hour.

The sound quality is great, but you need perfect silence to be able to enjoy it. You can hear any little external noise. While listening to my music, I can hear a dog bark outside or the sound of rustling paper in the next room. I bet I could hear a rat sneeze in the basement. I don't like the distractions. I want headphones that cut me off from the rest of the universe.

Only buy Grado headphones if you also need to listen to external sounds - like the sound of CIA agents sneaking into your house to perform an "extraordinary rendition".

 

[nose]

I suppose I ought to damp down my sarcasm when making a point. Listening by defeating environmental noise is a major cause of tinnitus. The sound pressure being delivered into your ear by e.g. a Grado when you're turning up the volume to try to listen even in an (lets for generalisation's sake say) low-noise urban outdoor area can easily approach hearing-loss levels. It's one of the major reasons I shy away from open phones for any listening outside of quiet spaces. If you value your hearing, Grados and suchlike will be the very last headphone on your list for portable use.

listening to headphones period at high volumes is a major cause of tinnitus! and there's mixed reviews on this about open and closed. and in studies unless you have really good isolation headphones on many are still gonna crank the volume up in noisy environments.

not everyone listens at high volumes or feel a need to drown out background noise. I find it a plus that I can hear me cat talk to me, the phone ring, a knock at the door, an automobile screaming up behind me, the person next to me speaking to me, etc.. rather than being isolated from it. no difference than listening to speakers at low volume. background noise can vary to your environment! not everyone is gonna be next to a jackhammer or on a busy street.

Not at all. It's just that among all the stealth product placements and the peer groups, it's not been of much help to me for quite a while now.

when your OP is asking for suggestions and people are giving you their thoughts you should very well show them a little more respect. they were my opinons and my thoughts and I wasn't pushing anything on you. just my thoughts on a few of your post. gather what you need of it and ya can even talk with me about it but please do not act like an ... to me. there was a post at the top of this 3rd page from another member and in few words said the same thing. I do not know where his post went including the other two I posted that seemed to vanish over night.

 

[nose]

I've got a Grado SR125 and I agree that the cushions are pretty flimsy and a bit rough. They occasionally fall off and now have cracks in the centre (after a couple years of use though). I've got small ears and they almost fit entirely inside the centre of the cushions, but they're certainly not circumaural. The speaker part presses directly against my ear and gets uncomfortable after about an hour.

The sound quality is great, but you need perfect silence to be able to enjoy it. You can hear any little external noise. While listening to my music, I can hear a dog bark outside or the sound of rustling paper in the next room. I bet I could hear a rat sneeze in the basement. I don't like the distractions. I want headphones that cut me off from the rest of the universe.

Only buy Grado headphones if you also need to listen to external sounds - like the sound of CIA agents sneaking into your house to perform an "extraordinary rendition".

I have a set of SR-80's that me bud gave me that are over 7 years old with original pads that still manage to hold on as well as me new SR-225's. worn yes but I can say they have never fallen off. one of the cool things about Grado's is that those pads can easily be taken off and washed. as well they can be replaced with at least the 3 different Grado replacement pads(Bowls, Flats and Soft) with varying degrees of comfort. many prefer the Flat and Soft pads for comfort over the Bowls. many instead feel the Bowls give the best SQ and have no problem with them.

I also have very small ears and the Bowls fit over me ears with no real pressure on them. what little there is I have long gotten use to. no Grado's are not circumaural but when they fit around your ears with the majority of the pressure around the outside of your ears they just might as well be circumaural. the sturdy metal band can also be bent out to relieve any pressure you may have. I personally prefer the smaller size and lightweight of the Grado's instead of the larger cups that make me feel like I got a football helemet on. not to mention some of the large headbands. Grados are not for everyone and many cannot stand to wear them but I myself as well as others can wear Grado's for hours on end. as much as 10 hours plus meself on wasted days.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

For $125, you can get some Denon DJ Headphones, HP 1000.
For about $200, you can get Beyerdynamic DT770.
And if you can, Ultrasone Proline 750 for about $400, I got them for $300 which was a steal.

All of them comfortable, just depands on what you want.

 

[newbie builder]

Grado SR80s. Love 'em.