Quote Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
That is unfortunate that the 500s was the pair you got to try. I'm not familiar with them but I can assure you that their HD600, 580 & 570's are nothing like you describe the 500s. These are more like the Senn's you heard that compared to the Stax. The bass is not bloated at all, in fact the bass is incredibly tight and detailed. I also have had no problem what so ever with distortion. This is a good example as to how one bad product can damage a companies reputation. Hopefully they took notice. Seems like both Grado and Sennheiser have devoted fans. Both have distinctively different presentations though, that's a fact. The Senn's presentation are more toward the sound of my Dynaudio speakers, very wide frequency range, dynamic and open sounding. Grado to me is like the stereotypical tube amp sound, over emphasized bass which lacks detail and rolled off highs. Grado's coloration may be appealing to those who have portables or receivers in order to compensate for the equipment's lack of ability. In comparing both brands Sennheiser was so far superior in every aspect that Grado wasn't even a consideration. Especially, since Grado's $200+ phones didn't even compare to my $90 AKG's. I hope someday you will get a chance to listen to another pair of Senn's.
Having heard some of the higher priced Senn models several years earlier, I know that they are a very reputable company, which is why the HD500 was such a disappointment. Those models were relatively new when I bought them, and their sound was nothing like I expected. The literature said that they had an emphasis on the bass, and while I can live with that, the distortion was something that did not sit well. Those things sounded so bad to me that they turned me off on the rest of the Senn lineup; however enough credible people on this board have said good things about the 570, 580, and 600s to lead me to believe that the problems with the HD500 don't extend to their other models. I'll guess have to try out some of their other models sometime just so that my own experience doesn't dominate my entire view of them. And as far as the HD500s are concerned, it's not just me.

http://www.audioreview.com/Headphone...9_2750crx.aspx

Believe me, your description of the Grados' sound is exactly what my impression of the HD500 was. By comparison, the SR60 has a more open sound, much more realistic mids, tighter bass, and far more detail in the highs.