Grados SR225i vs A-T ATH AD700

[oleander66]

First of all, I know that the Grados are twice as much money, but I'm wondering which of the two will better serve my needs. I will be using them for gaming (FPS - positional sounds kind of matter), music (all kinds), and movies. I understand that the AD700's are better than the Grados SR80I's ($ equivalent) for gaming, classical music, and movies, but is it better at that than even the SR225i's?

I'm also wondering if I should get the SR125i's instead of the SR225i's, or if there is another light pair of headphones around the same price that are better? I've never tried Grados, but I love the way they look. I've heard they aren't always very comfy for people, which would be a turn off, as I will be using these for multiple hours every day.

A particular worry I have about the Grados, or any headphones, is if they put a significant amount of pressure on the top of your head. I love how light the AD700's are for their size, and how loose they feel on your head, but I don't like how the cushions mess up my hair, making it feel a bit awkward after long hours.

Thanks in advance!

 

[emorphien]

I've tried and not been a huge fan of Grados. The ADs will probably seem a bit less punchy until you get them properly fitted on your head and then I find they're 'smoother' and less harsh than the Grados. More comfortable and better made too.

Disclosure: once owned a pair of Grado 325s, have heard others. Currently own a pair of ATH-AD900s (big brother to the 700s you're talking about) and have heard an older model that's the precursor to the AD700 more or less.

 

[its phillip]

Why not start with the AD700s, and see how much you like em - I think they're great for games, and fine for music/movies but nothing special. If you want a better music/movie experience, buy more headphones later, and keep the ad700s for the games.

 

[oleander66]

Well, I've had the AD700's for a while, and I just don't like how they are in games. Maybe it's how I'm wearing them, maybe it's me not paying attention to how they move on my head since they're not tight, maybe it's my head being too small/narrow, maybe I'm just too used to closed cans, but I can't really tell where stuff is coming from in games.

Anyway, I'm in this with my friend. Basically if I got new headphones, and I didn't prefer them, he'd buy them off me. If I like them, he'll buy these AD700's, so assuming I don't have much to lose, are the SR225i's better than the AD700's? You say you aren't a fan, but if you compared the two, would one be better? Can $100 headphones really compete with $200 ones? Sorry, I'm still a bit of a beginner in audio stuff.

 

[its phillip]

I've never used SR225is (only lesser grados), but I didn't find them as comfortable as the audio technicas. I didn't try them for very long nor was it an a/b comparison so I can't compare sound quality unfortunately. That's odd that the ad700s aren't working out for you in games - they're very well known across gaming/enthusiast forums for having excellent positional audio. I hear everything with them in CS Have you tried changning settings on your soundcard? Like dolby headphone or whatever other features your soundcard supports? Maybe that will help you.

Might I ask why you are only looking at the sr225is? Those are very different from the ad700s. Other headphones that are supposed to be awesome for games and extremely comfortable are the beyerdynamic dt880. I can't personally recommend them since I've never used em though.

 

[oleander66]

My friend showed me them, and we both love the way Grados look. I also like how they're very lightweight. I don't really want closed cans again, and I don't want anything big and heavy. Grados seemed like a good choice. Are Grados not so well loved by the audiophile community?

By the way, CS is the game that I play, and yeah, I've heard AD700 are great for it. I'm not sure why I can't get it to work out for me, and yes I've messed around with my soundcard and stuff, trying Dolby on and off and whatnot.

 

[oleander66]

Basically, with my AD700's, I just can't tell if someone is behind or in front of me a lot, and I can't tell if someones a little above me, or a little below me. I can tell it has a great soundstage and stuff, but it's not translating into accuracy. It must be the way they fit on my ears.

This is a silly question, but are there any tips on how to even wear them? Am I supposed to tuck my ears into the cups, or do I try to center my eardrum with the middle of the cup or something?

 

[emorphien]

I play games with my AD900s, quite like them. The way they rest on my head my ears are more or less centered in the earcups, I have bent the hoops that go over the head a bunch to get them to sound their best.

 

[its phillip]

My friend showed me them, and we both love the way Grados look. I also like how they're very lightweight. I don't really want closed cans again, and I don't want anything big and heavy. Grados seemed like a good choice. Are Grados not so well loved by the audiophile community?

By the way, CS is the game that I play, and yeah, I've heard AD700 are great for it. I'm not sure why I can't get it to work out for me, and yes I've messed around with my soundcard and stuff, trying Dolby on and off and whatnot.

Grados have a great reputation and are well liked as far as I know. Of course, if you are comfortable with them and they work out for you, that's great. I dunno why the ad700s aren't working out for you though - they work so well for me it's like they're wallhax

 

[MinusTheBear]

The AD700 are one of the headphone standards for competitive (FPS) gaming. Why I like them for gaming is because of their budget price, enormous soundstage, incredibly clear tone/sound signature which is great for footsteps etc. They also have some roll-off in the high end that makes long headphone sessions not fatiguing. On the contrary the Grado are known for a narrow upfront sound signature and boosted high end which will make a lot music recordings and portions of gaming soundtracks (gunshots) harsh sounding. Can you do better for gaming headphones, yes? The AD900 and the Beyerdynamic DT880 are just a few examples.

My biggest issue with the AD700 is the bass roll-off. If you find this is a problem I would recommend using some form of equalizer or tone control to adjust this. As for the AD700 fitting loose there is a cheap and easy mod that can help this.

 

[its phillip]

I guess I have a big head since I've never had any fitting issues

 

[MinusTheBear]

I guess I have a big head since I've never had any fitting issues

Mine fit somewhat loose on my head but that is what I prefer. The AD700 are way to big and bulky to be walking around with anyways so them falling off is not an issue with me. Going to a closed headphone after wearing them, it feels like I have a vice on my head.

 

[emorphien]

I guess I have a big head since I've never had any fitting issues

I have a big head too, they were never loose but I still adjusted the hoops to get them to sit slightly differently on my ears which drastically reduced the bass roll off.