Some New Phones

[Fungi]

Pick 3: closed, portable, good, cheap

[Beefy]

Maybe the better analogy is that the Grados are to Oris horns what the ATs are to B&W 803's.

Is that supposed to help?!?

I can definitely understand why a Grado man would not be fully satisfied. While I have never heard the RS-1, the ESW9 are VERY far from my Alessandro MS-1, which I'm not a huge fan of. I much prefer the ESW9 - particularly in their intended use at work, for which they have just the right amount of isolation without allowing colleagues to sneak up on you.

[Beefy]

Noted

[kelvinz]

Just received my ESW9a this week and out of the box they are pretty good. Definite midrange bass emphasis but they have a nice tone to them. So far I've only listened to them straight out of my Zune.

I didn't realize that these were super aural headphones so it'll take me some time to get use to the feeling.

[dsavitsk]

These (ESW9's) ended up getting sold off. The sound never really grew on me so they weren't getting used. And, more importantly, they physically hurt my ears after about an hour. Oddly, I can wear my Grados all day (and often do) and they are totally comfortable. Back to the drawing board ...

[morphsci]

You may want to give the Senn HD-25 1 II a try using either a stock or balanced Senn 650 headphone cord. They can use any 6xx series cord (easier if you flip the earcups) so recabling isn't a real issue. They work well for me as a desk rig, plus they travel well. You can find them used in your price range, new they are around $300.

I stick by my original post.

[Fungi]

I got the HD25-1 II in a trade, using velours since pleather = MAD BASS BOOM BOOM, and still I think it's pretty bass extreme.

However, it isolates fairly well, is surprisingly comfortable for a supraaural, doesn't sound terrible, and is easy to just toss in my bag to tote around.

I no longer have the ESW9 to compare, but the HD25 is more exciting/excited, pushes the bass at you and treble is more prominent than with the ESW9. And I couldn't last very long with the ESW9 comfort either, but HD25 is fine for hours.

[morphsci]

Are you using the stock cable? I prefer it with the 650 cable although it can be a little annoying because of the length.

[Fungi]

Using the stock cable now since I like single sided cables, and because I didn't have a 650 cable on hand. I did get a 580 cable with it, but that didn't fit well at all and fell out. I would like to try out the 650 cable since it's rumored to change the sound so much, but I don't have access to an affordable one right now.

[TomB]

Using the stock cable now since I like single sided cables, and because I didn't have a 650 cable on hand. I did get a 580 cable with it, but that didn't fit well at all and fell out. I would like to try out the 650 cable since it's rumored to change the sound so much, but I don't have access to an affordable one right now.

I ran with the 650 cable for about a year. I went back to the stock cable, mainly just to see if I could re-install it properly before considering making one on my own. Turns out, the steel cable sounds loads better - plenty of oomph, but with a great high-end sparkle. The 650 just sounded dull in comparison. I put it on in the first place because the sibilance was awful right out of the box. I guess it really needed to break-in.

Doug,

Sorry to read about this experience! Personally, I think you're going to have a hard time finding something else you may like since you like the Grado sound so much. The K701 comes closest in detail, IMHO, but is essentially lifeless in the bass punch department - not very musical, either. The HD25-1 II's are very nice (love mine!) and everything these guys say they are - but they're still not that close to Grados, IMHO.

[morphsci]

One mans sparkle is anothers grating, harshness. But I also love mine for what they are and you are correct, they are not Grados.