It depends on which concern is greater for you: providing your fiancee with a quiet atmosphere, or gaining the best headphone sound you can. If your goal is to have nice-sounding headphones which don't leak noise, then I'm affraid the Grado's might not be the best choice. I have SR 60s and 80s (someone gave me their 80s...don't ask) and love the sound, but don't love how much noise they leak into the room. If you don't mind in-ear headphones then the shure e3c is a nice choice, but a little over your budget. They make an e2c which I think is good, but think the 50 dollars jump to the e3c is totally worthwhile. These will provide you with an isolated listening experience, and provide your fiancee with total silence. The e3c lets you customize the earplug, and if you use the replacable foam ear-plug style ones, they're really comfortable and totally isolating. If your fiancee can deal with a little ambient noise, then definitely go for the sr-60s. Great sound for the price. The grado amp is good as well, but I think the CI amp is what I'd take if I had the scratch. A friend just got one from amusicdirect and it's a great sounding and looking thing.
Searching for Good Headphones & Headphone Amp
I currently use an Audio Refinement integrated amp coupled with Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Monitors. However, as my PhD-aspirant fiancée (in the middle of her dissertation) more often than not needs total quiet in our small apartment (save for when we share listening sessions!), surprisingly I find myself in need of good headphones under $100 (new only) and an headphone amplifier.
For headphone amps, I’ve read good things about Channel Islands at 6moons, but have never bought anything from CI. I don’t need anything overly ambitious, and I don’t want to spend a disproportionate amount on the amp compared to the price of the ‘phones. However, I do need these sooner rather than later, lest I be too long without listening!
For headphone amps, I’ve read good things about Channel Islands at 6moons, but have never bought anything from CI. I don’t need anything overly ambitious, and I don’t want to spend a disproportionate amount on the amp compared to the price of the ‘phones. However, I do need these sooner rather than later, lest I be too long without listening!