When comparing Grado Prestige Series SR80e vs Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B, the Slant community recommends Grado Prestige Series SR80e for most people. In the question“What are the best headphones?” Grado Prestige Series SR80e is ranked 32nd while Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7B is ranked 53rd. The most important reason people chose Grado Prestige Series SR80e is:
The highs are quite forward which brings out a lot of detail from the music. The mids, while not upfront, have nice presence and body to the music. The bass has good impact and is well-defined. The SR80e works best for rock, country or live music, but can also perform well for classical music, EDM and similar genres.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Fun sounding with extended bass and highs along with warm mids
The highs are quite forward which brings out a lot of detail from the music. The mids, while not upfront, have nice presence and body to the music. The bass has good impact and is well-defined.
The SR80e works best for rock, country or live music, but can also perform well for classical music, EDM and similar genres.
Pro Open back design results in good sound stage
Th ear cups sport an open-back design, with mesh as the only covering on the driver. This gives a good sound stage which, while not very wide, is enough to give a feeling that the sound is coming from some distance away instead of just from beside your ears. This gives the music a more natural feel.
Pro Cable feels high quality
The cable is fairly long, thick and has a good weight to it. This is reassuring, as it means the cable will not break easily.
Pro Hand assembled in America
Grado Labs first started in the 50's, and to this day still hand craft all their products in their Brooklyn plant.
Pro Very light
The headband is only a piece of leather with a very thin metal sheet inside to give it structure, along with thin metal rods as gimbals for the plastic ear cups. Not only is it light, it's also quite portable too.
Pro Exceptional mic
The microphone has good clarity and can actually be used for tasks other than talking on the phone - like recording podcasts on the go for example.
Pro Comes with two different cords
One cord comes with an inline mic and with controls, and the other cord is your standard audio cable. This inclusion not only allows you to pick a cable to best suit your use-case for the headphone, but this also ensures that you have a spare cable should one get damaged.
Pro Good bass reproduction, warm mids and smooth highs
The bass of these headphones is pretty good. Bass drum hits have good power to them, yet they do not muddy up the sound. The mids are warm and forward, and should present vocals and mid-range sounds quite well. The highs do not have a lot of sparkle, but they are clear and present a good level of detail.
Pro Can effectively cancel out noise
With these headphones it will be much easier for you to focus on your music, or whatever it is that you are listening to. Combined with the closed back design, airplane/train/bus engine noises are effectively cancelled out.
Pro A good number of accessories are included
Along with the two headphone cables, you get a carrying case, an airline adapter and a 6.3mm plug. These should help make the headphones easier to transport and also make them compatible with a wider range of audio sources.
Cons
Con Highs can sound piercing/harsh
Some users may find the highs to be too much. This is especially true if used with music that have a lot of high frequency sounds or effects like cymbals for example.
Con On ear design can be uncomfortable
The SR80e's ear cups sit on top of the user's ears with just a thin foam piece acting as cushion. This can result in an uncomfortable listening experience, especially when worn for extended periods.
Con May feel flimsy/cheap
These sound great, but build quality might not be up to par with the sound. The headband is very thin while the ear cups are mostly made of plastic. If you are looking for headphones that look and feel premium then these may not be for you.
Con Open-back design leaks a lot of sound
These headphones leak a lot of sound which means that other people near you can easily hear what you are listening to. These are not the best to use if you are in a place where silence is important.
Con Cable is non-removable
The cable is long, thick and non-removable, which makes it quite difficult to manage.
Con Very bulky plug
The 3.5mm plug is very large, and if you use a case on your phone, you won't be able to fit it in all the way. This can make the headphones sound off, or not produce any sound at all.
Con Barebones accessories
There is no included case, no in-line remote, and no microphone.
Con Requires an amp for optimal volume/sound quality
If you really want to get the best sound quality as well as volume from these headphones then you will need a decent headphone amp. The impedance of these headphones is quite high at 300 Ohms, so these require a good bit of power to function optimally.
Con Can get uncomfortable for people with larger ears
The ear cups of these headphones are quite compact, and may rub against the ears of some users, which can get quite uncomfortable.