Headphones? Anyone?


First, please don't tell me about head fi. My problem is not a lack of info, it's too much. Just want quick recommendations from anyone here. Every time I think I found "it", there's one more opinion to throw a wrench into the works!
Just received my Little Dot mkIII, only to find that my good old Grado 60s have a problem. No bass from one channel. Not the amp, it works fine with other cheap phones I have. Sounds great as a preamp too.
$100 to $250 please, didnt know I would need to replace so soon....thanks.
blkadr
Thanks all, this is not quite the ghost town it was a while back.
Not planning on dumping the Grados, but planned to get something new to try for a change. Just didnt think I would need them so soon. My first were Senn 414s, my first paycheck, first job about 1975! Haven't listened to phones that much through the years.
Definition of frustration: listening to several phone at Sam Ash, all playing from the same source simultaneously, all sounding the same. Useless.
Well, I pulled the trigger on a set that was the last brand I expected -KRK KNS-8400. Found them so cheap I will still be looking to try others. Decided to try recent closed backs.
The ATH's are beautiful, MS2s a little out of budget (what about the MS1?)... had already searched the Fischers and could not find a seller. Considered Beyer, AKGs, Senns, HifiMan, Shure... just too much to sift through. Turns out 1/2 price helps!
Thanks for the tips on my Grados and the recommendations.
Might post quick impressionson the KRKs here.
I had Grados and just recently went with the Ultrasone HFI-2400. Totally different sound and each has its positives and negatives but I'm very happy with the Ultrasones.
Do you like the Grado sound? I have SR-225is and they get fatiguing pretty quickly for me. I find the treble and overall presentation is too forward, though not piercingly bright. I much prefer Sennheiser HD-600s. The sound is darker with more balance in the mids and lows with a deeper presentation, but very detailed as well. I used to run these with an Antique Sound Labs MG Head DT OTL Mk III and the sound was sweet and engaging.

I also recently had the Audeze LCD-2 and those were real stunners! Very refined and deep with remarkable timbre and texture. Much more pricey than the aforementioned, though. If you are looking to treat yourself the Audeze should definitely be on your list.
It seems to me with headphones that sound quality and fatigue are two big things to consider independently.

Headphones and in-ear buds in particular can easily become fatiguing, even in many cases where sound quality is technically excellent. In the case of in-ear buds, you are pretty much injecting the sound directly into your ears. Very efficient but correspondingly also potentially very fatiguing!

For this reason, I am a fan of dynamic speakers but of eletrostat headphones, like the Stax and a few others. The dynamics of eletrostat drivers tend to be less fatiguing in general when done well. Much better suited for direct exposure to the ear IMHO in terms of low listening fatigue and longer listening sessions.
For under $150 you can get a pair of AKG 400's. These are smooth, Austrian made cans that give excellent dialogue response. I use them for both music and late night movies. They come with an extra cord and 1/8" and 1/4" gold connectors.