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Cheap Headphones Opinion; Bose vs. Grado . . .

zenith2134

zenith2134

Lunatic Member
Hi, I really have not posted in this forum since joining AK a couple of years back, but i'm sure everyone here shares the same great knowledge that I've seen on this site.

So, my story - I got a pair of Sony MDRV150's (nooooo!) as a gift, and while they sound okay for like 20 bucks, they do suck, lol. Now I want to spend like 100-150 bucks on some 'phones, and narrowed it down to two pairs- Bose TriPort noise-canceling headphones ($150) or Grado Sr80's (~$100). I never really like bose, as I owned some satellites and an Acoustimass III that really didnt do it for me. But, my friend recommended these headphones, and i trust his opinion even if he listens to a late-model Sony receiver. So, basically should I get the boses or grados? {Haha} Thanks a million for any advice.
 
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Grado, without question, other than that AKG. If I was not stuck on my Burwens, one of those two would be my choice.
Vito
 
The lower price (by which I mean $100 or less) Sennheisers are pretty surprising. The Grados get low marks for long-term comfort.
 
another vote for the grados or sennheisers...funny enough i find the grados pretty comfortable even after several hours...
 
Grados or find a set of Koss ESP 9 or 9b electorstatics and for the same money you can have 1 of the best.
 
Believe it or not, I found a pair of Nexxtech headphones for $29.99 to be quite good. I wasn't really expecting much from them, since I was simply looking for something cheap and functional until I could pick up a better pair. I don't have a whole lot of headphone experience, yet these sound pretty good to me.

The Source By circuit city (what used to be Radio Shack in Canada) is where I picked them up. They were on sale and now they are back up at $69.99

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/P...category=Full+Size+Headphones&product=3312004
 
There are SENNHEISER HD590's going on the Bay for under $150. I'd grab 'em if I was shopping.
 
I can't comment about the bose, but I sure love my SR-80's. They get slightly uncomfortable after about three hours for me, but I love them, and the sound that comes out of them.
 
If I were to buy noise-canceling headphones, it would be the Sennheisers, not the Bose, nor the Sonys.

If you are looking at regular 'phones, I would look at Grados, Beyers, and Sennheisers. I personally don't think you can beat the Grados at any price point.
 
Bose are pretty horrible, like most of their equipment, they fool you into thinking that the sound is much better than it actually is. There are all kinds of articles online about Bose's marketing scams, so I won't get into that. Basically, if you want to try Bose, make sure it's your music, and that you can compare right next to the other choices.
 
I have a set of Grado 125's and a pair of Sennheiser HD280 pro's that i just got, between the two i'll take the grado's for overall sound. More of a open, natural sound, but i'll take the sennheisers for comfort and detail. I say detail i suppose because the sennheisers are closed phones with up to something like 32db of noise rejection so you can hear subtle nuances much easier with them. However the sennheisers are quite bulky so they arent something you want to wear walking through town.

BTW i found the sennheiser's at Amazon for 73 bucks SHIPPED, for new phones. Which is about the best deal you'll find for them anywhere.
 
The Sennheiser PX100's are very good for the money. I would go with the Grado's over the Bose with out question.

I own both the Grado 60's and 80's. The 80's have a little more bottom end but the the 60's for the price are tough to beat. Easy to drive also with a portable if thats your bend. The only realy negative is what mhardy pointed out. The grados can be a little tough on the ears and melon.

My Sennheiser HD 600's are the cats ass but well worth the investment if you listen to your cans a fair amount at home.


RC
 
I have a pair of Bose Noise cancelling II (the $300 pair) and they are terrible on my Analog system. Sounded great in the store (on digital), and they probably would sound pretty good on an an MP3, Ipod, or a Home theater Digital system, I've just never bothered.

I've also owned midpriced sennheisers ($100 range), that blew away the Bose, and Koss back in the 70's that were just as good as the $100 senny's.

Bottom line: steer clear of the Bose (IMHO).
 
i agree on the bose. if they spent as much on research and development as they do on marketing they would have a good product.
 
I've been very happy with my Sony V6's, with BeyerDynamic velvet covers....ooo.

Now using Shure E2c's with an MP3 thingy at work. Good, too, but they hurt physically after a couple of hours.
 
Well if it helps make your decision any easier... Powermax.com has the Grado SR60's for $50 and the SR80's for $70 (along with SR125's and SR225's at lower than MSRP). No affiliation to myself whatsoever, just though I'd share the good news :thmbsp: . Cheers.
 
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