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DJGammaRabbit t1_jef8iw4 wrote

How much better? I'd be using an android so that kind of narrows it down but my only hifi (midfi?) reference is the OG SR80, I had them for ten years, ten years ago. If amps are magical I may want one but otherwise I used an old PC and EQ. I didn't mind the sound of the SR80 but they were kinda bright or thin on the highs and not as boomy as I'd like, although controlled, it was a welcomed trade.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jeflgwv wrote

You have tons of options coming from android if you want better sound, starting from entry level enhancements like a Dragonfly dongle DAC (which I wouldn't use with pretty much any Hifiman headphones) all the way up to a Chord Mojo portable amp/dac and even beyond. If you want to drive more serious headphones properly though, you're going to have to do something, because unless you want to wade into the sea of IEM options out there, most proper full size headphones that are worth listening to need more juice than your android phone can provide. Also, if I had to choose between the HE400SE and the SHR840A I'd take the Shure in a heartbeat. The 400SE have an issue where if the mix is very complex the sound kinds of bunches up, sounds muddy, and you lose the sound stage. The 400SE lacks bass punch which is fine for most music but if you put something like "Who am I" By Beenie man on, you're going to be a sad panda. The 400SE delivers a very relaxed non-speedy sound that is usually detailed and does great work with vocals end electric guitar especially but they run into issues with a lot of music. An example of a ridiculously cluttered track is Champagne supernova by Oasis. On the 840A it still sounds organized but feed it to the 400SE and it just becomes a swamp in the most complex parts.Basically what I'm saying is, the 400SE is not a "This is my only headphone" headphone. It doesn't meet the cut for that. It does a lot of things really well, but it does too many things badly to be your "only headphone" and it's also seriously non ideal to run off mobile without investing $$ into a proper mobile amp. The 840A also gives you several advantages over the 400SE and Grados- it's closed back, so you can take it on the bus and not bother people. It's easier to drive than the 400SE. Buy a dragonfly, and you're going to be good. Also, based on my experience with the SR80 and 400SE and even 400i I can confidently say that the Shure's sound "right" with more music, more often, than either of those other headphones, while also offering better bass. I don't have experience at home with that many headphones long term, but I have listened to pretty much all the major full size headphones at the headphone shops in my city at some point. I don't like talking about most of them though because I have maybe 4-5 tracks each on them and not 3500 like on the stuff I use at home.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jefn0ce wrote

Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is that, depending on what you're looking for and how far you want to stretch your budget, bluetooth headphones have gotten gooooood in the last couple of years. Really really good. All the ones that are worth buying are $300 USD and up, BUT, you have a few advantages on hand. 1) You buy ONE thing and you're done. They sound right out of the box because they are self amplified. No need to buy any dongles or anything which means more junk to stuff in your bag or pocket. 2) No cables! No more getting tangled in cables or snagging the cable with your leg and ending up with headphones on the floor. 3) They always sound right. No fiddling with "Should I get THIS dongle DAC or that dongle DAC. But so and so said it sounds better with XYZ. It's a pain free experience.

My personal favourite full size bluetooth headphone that I own is the Sennheiser Momentum 4- but it's firmly in basshead territory. It has classic veiled Sennheiser upper treble and very prominent and tight sub-bass- but not in a way that makes the mids sound crappy. These headphones are phenomenal for electronic music IMO and they do vocals in a very pleasing way. Battery life is up to 60 hours and they charge fast on USB C. Call quality on these is the best regular phone call quality I have ever heard absolutely anywhere. Idk how they do it but they make crappy phone audio sound like a skype call. It's magic. Also if you're walking downtown in high wind with trucks driving past the person on the other end can't hear shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit it's spectacular. I will say that if you're going for Bluetooth headphones, make sure your phone supports at least BT 5.0 and AptX. That's going to give you the best experience. The Momentum 4 are $300ish USD and very worth it. If you're even a bit of an audiophile don't even look at the Sony's. Do look at the Bowers and Wilkins PX7S2 and the PX8 but those are starting to get into the big bucks. I also have the Focal Bathys which is the second most expensive bluetooth full size after the Mark Levinson 5909. Bathys is worth it but I only have them because I'm a curious single loser with no wife or children and I can buy stupid things that I don't need. If you can afford the Bathys they're delightful but you don't need to go that extreme coming from SR80s. I think the Momentum 4 might be ideal for you in terms of cost effectiveness and providing what sounds like an upgrade coming from your Grados.

Having said aaaaaaaaalll that, if you LIKE Grado (Grado sounds great I just hate the way they look. I've had SR80/125/225 myself) and you want good grado, Get SR325's and pick up a decent quality Dongle DAC. That's going to put you above the Momentum 4 price wise but will arguably give you better detail and a more natural sound, which might be good depending on what you listen to. Still open back though so hard to blast loud on public transit etc.

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DJGammaRabbit t1_jeft2or wrote

This is where I'm at, cycling between sr80x, 325x, gw100x and any other brand that's supposedly way better for the same cost. I emailed Grado asking very specific questions about the GW100 sound and all I got back was "the GW100 is very, very good" 😂. I'd be happy with any of these. Public transit not an issue but I do want to ride my bike with these, cables or not, I'm that guy lol. The 325 I probably wouldn't take outside.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jeftmvk wrote

Ya Grado is a strange company... All you have to do is look at their headphones. They look like they sound awful, but they don't sound awful. Very strange indeed. The 325 can best be described like this:

SR 60: YesSR 80: Yes, and then someSR 125: Even more Gradoey goodnessSR 225: Gradoey goodness with graveySR 325: Extra tasty crispy Gradoey goodness, and they painted it silver so it looks more expensive.

Every step you take up from the SR 60 just sounds like a better SR60 all the way up to the 325. Again, Grado is frickin weird. I don't know of any other company that has 5 of the same headphone, literally, looks and all, where each step up is just (It's like the cheaper one, but with peanuts).

So, if you got the 325, your reaction, almost guaranteed would be "This is better". Not, "This is different" or "ooh I like XYZ"... just "This is Grado-er than the other Grado"

I WILL say that, if the GW100 is the wireless grado, that's a stupid product if I ever saw a stupid product. Bluetooth- so highly mobile... and open back? So "Take them on the subway train and annoy absolutely everyone with your k-pop"? I don't get it.

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DJGammaRabbit t1_jefuwlf wrote

Those are perfect descriptions. The GW was made just to fit in lol.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jefvm8v wrote

Ya definitely don't buy the GW that's just a batshit crazy product. So I take it you're looking for an all-rounder right? Because you only have the Grados now so I'm guessing whatever else you get needs to be well rounded? I really think you should check out the PM3 you know.. The more I think about it I think you're really not going to be disappointed with those and if you factor everything in they're cost effective, punch above their price, and are a really truly decent and very well made headphone. You should listen to them. They scratch that planar itch very well. Inarguably superior to 400SE IMO (at 3x the price mind you)

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DJGammaRabbit t1_jefxnqm wrote

My SR80 were stolen from me ten years ago by a drug addict friend from HS. He came in to use the washroom, took a little long and when he left my pills and headphones were gone =(

I used the SR80 for every genre and even tried mixing with them which they were terrible for.

I used to press them to my head to get more bass (I even wore grass cutting ear protection over them to squeeze to my head, my poor elf ears) and when I did they were almost excellent. Whereas other boomy cheap headphones had boominess what they didn't have was control and authority down to 20hz. I want a new headphone to have the same clarity effect where in first listen you're like alright, what the fuuuuck. They sounded like a purity, like hearing an angels voice. Since I've never heard anything as good I look at each other headphone and think they can't be as good unless a higher Grado 😂.

One song that comes to mind is floyds hey you. That guitar intro just rang into my brain with such a metallic, clear and separated twang, I could taste the strings. Really made school bus rides enjoyable. I also lost 135lbs by biking with them. I put toilet paper under the pads to catch the sweat and had the cable stretching out from a backpack. I probably looked like a time-travelling radio operator ghost buster. I'll look at the PM3 but I am kinda sold on Grado already.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jefuggo wrote

One thing I do really want to stress is that the fun of collecting headphones is in the differences and getting to the point where you decide "These are for pop" "These are for techno" "These are for jazz" and you have a good rotation going. If you get any other grado below their "premium" line it's just going to be a slightly better version of the same. It will obsolete your current grados so you never use them again. Wouldn't it be more fun to buy something that was totally different and sounded totally different to add some variety to your life? Just saying.

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DJGammaRabbit t1_jefvk8x wrote

On my budget, no, and I trust Grado enough to throw money at them. I've got $200 ATM and another $200 will take another month. I started looking at headphones like 8 months ago and bought cheap Marley IEMs for the time being. I had $500 for the 325x and it slowly dwindled into groceries. I'm not sure if my phone even has BT 5.0.

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mistersprinkles1983 OP t1_jefo14c wrote

Oh sorry- totally spaced on these I keep forgetting they exist. Oppo PM3. $399 on Amazon.com (you have to click them then click see all buying options and there's only one seller).

I used to have these and had to tragically sell them when I ran into financial trouble BUT this is the one planar magnetic headphone that you can run off pretty much anything and it sounds good. You can even run them off those little 3.5mm to USB C dongles. That's not ideal, and I'd still suggest at least a dragonfly, but they sounds pretty damn good straight off a phone, and they will definitely get loud with no clipping. You get most of the planar benefits that would come with the 400SE/400i/4XX with less drawbacks (better build quality, closed back, smaller driver is quicker and doesn't get muddy, better bass). The only place I'd say the 400SE beat the PM3 is in smokey female vocals, which most music doesn't have, but if you were Dianna Krall's number one fan I'd stear you to Hifiman or LCD.

Sorry for 3 posts in a row. I'd say my 2 best recommendations that are the most bulletproof are Momentum 4 and PM3. PM3 is $100 more but sounds like $300 more, but is also not wireless, and you really ought to consider the Dongle DAC. Momentum 4 is $300 one time and done.

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DJGammaRabbit t1_jefti5z wrote

More information is always better. I have so many people telling me different things and while it makes it harder to choose it ultimately makes it easier. I think I want 325x with a DAC but would be better off with the gw100.

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