boom3 Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Hi, I'm looking for a pair of headphones $100 and under. Koss Pro4AA came first to mind, but the SO doesn't care for vinyl earcushions. I don't think Koss makes fabric cushions for the 4AA, and also these suckers are heavy. I had a pair in the 80s that I traded for some albums. We're also thinking about wireless. I haven't looked at wireless in a long time so I don't know how good those have become. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickcr42 Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html Made by Grado Labs but more are voiced to be more tonally accurate which means you get the great efficiency and dynamics of the Grado sound with less of the bottom end bloat or high end tizz.Maybe a bit less "fun" for some but closer to true is my take (I have the Alessandro MS-1 @ $99 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 The best headphone I have ever heard for the money is the Grado SR80. $95.00. They may not be the most comfortable. I listened a number of times and was very impressed but I didn't have them on that long. The KOSS PRO4AA is a nice headphone. I have a pair myself. Pretty damn accurate and a ton of bass. Also weigh a ton. You should know. You owned a pair. They are closed which means you can't hear much outside noise and other people can't hear what you are listening to. I got mine used a year ago for about $30.00. The Grados are open headphones. Ergo, you will hear outside noise and other people will hear what you are listening to. If you need closed, then maybe the Sennheiser HD280 will do the trick. I have not heard them. However, Senns are very comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickcr42 Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 The best headphone I have ever heard for the money is the Grado SR80. $95.00. There was a discussion at Headwize on where in the Grado line the Alessandro falls and if it were closer to the SR80 or the SR125 and after a long drawn out period of tests by those familiar with the grado sound it was finally determined it was closest to the SR-125 but in reality was an enirely new beasty. The SR80,the SR125 and the lower end SR60 are tremendous bang for the buck headphones but only if you like the sound.That "signature" sound can be compared in loudspeaker terms to the Klipsch Heritage series speakers while the Senheiser "house sound" could be considered maybe like an old boston Acoustics or AR loudspeaker. even the driving requirements could be compared in the same way : Grado=extremely sensitive so it takes very little voltage to drive them to earsplitting levels (but they DO like current being a low impedance design and the more you give them the better the impact of the bass will be).Like the Heritage series loudspeakers very sensitive to any harshness in the electronics from the upper mids to the highs but also like the klipsch speakers there is a lot of "life" and impact in the sound reminiscent of the live event. The sound can range from "this is seriously good !" to "get these damn things off before I go deaf" if the synergy not good between the driving electronics and cans. Sennheiser=not very sensitive so need a lot of voltage to drive and this usually means an external headphone amp (though the new designs seem be be targeted to directly compete in both efficiency and voicing with the grados).These have a far more relaxed sound thast goes to romantic but in no way do the upper end models (or the newer lower end models like the HD-497) lack in the detail department.they just portray this upper end detail totally different.Kinda like a pair of comfortable shoes. Which is more tonally accurate ? Which brings the event closer to the person ? All about taste and expectations. Because there is a very close ear/driver coupling combined with a "big old head" in between the sound field will in no way resemble the natural crossing of the left and right channel loudspeakers in the room so the image will be totally different.At the same time,eliminating the room means acoustics play no role in the final sound so it is all headphones and if you like what you hear during an audition you most likely will if you purchase the headphones and take them home for a listen,unlike loudspeakers which may or may not work in your room. I own a seriously cheap set of Sennheiser HD400 earbuds for fast and light travel,working out,riding a bike,anything active without much emphasis on the accurcy of the sound.just me,my portable,the song. For all other duty up to the extreme critical listening sesssions it is the Alessandro MS-1 which sounds crazy good straight out of any headphone jack i have ever plugged them into from portables,to my computer line out,to vintage receivers,to dedicated headphone amps.For serious listening i break out the "big guns".My Grado RS-1 and DIY Hybrid amp.The RS-1 also crazy easy to drive but at $700 i am not jogging around the block with these puppies on or plugging them into my cheesy computer sound card (even though I could and they would work fine) but instead save the top end cans for when i am prepared to just kick back and relax,settle in for a long session of locking out the world while i lose myself in the music. I could easily live with the above headphones,three or four models from Senheiser and for certain music my Stax setup,maybe toss the AKG271S and Sony MDR-7506 into that mix and if they did not look so damn retarded on the AKG K1000 but most of these well above the C-note range in price. Check out Headroom Corporation for a huge selection then maybe do as much personal reviewing as you are able.Last i knew both Radio shack and Circuit city carried some models by Sennheiser though Grados will likely mean a trip to the local high end audio salon for a listen Rickster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom3 Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 Thanks, yall. I think I have registered with Headwize forum but they were having problems last night so I need to try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 Good post, Rickster! I picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD-600's on Amazon a few months ago for around $200. They were factory refurbs. I totally agree, pretty inefficient (I had my Panasonic discman-type player cranked all the way up on the flight to Arkansas last month), and laid-back. My experience was that demoing any of these better headphones locally was a real problem. I bough the Sennheisers without ever hearing them (based on others' opinions), and have yet to find any of the Grados to try out. Maybe I have to get out more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblue Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 I'll recommend the Grados as well. I have a pair of SR80's...best headphones I've ever heard personally...got them for about $100. Unbelievable sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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