so i have finally narowed my search for quality headphones for my ipod/studio down to one pick: the grado sr-60. my research concludes these to be the best for their price (under 100). I am, however, intrigued at how much better the 80s would preform. i have no plans, nor do i want to, buy an amp simply for my headphones. I have a hartke amp for my bass, an akai for my sound system, and both are pushing 200+ watts. an amp for headphones... well, just dosent seem worth the extra 100. My question for you is weather or not the difference between these 2 models of grado's line are that different. yes i understand the one has better compenents, and thus a crisper low-end, however, is it worth the extra 25 bucks? these cans are mainly going to be used with my headphones, and every now and then i will plug them into my akai so as not to disturb the hall with my speakers. (i.e. no amp) from what i hear, the 80s are best used with an amp... i dont know... i did as much research as i could... any input from those who actually have these cans?

I've got the 80's and they're really awesome. But I've never tried the 60's, so I can't compare. Use them off the laptop and my daughter's Cowan - no issue with having sufficient power. All depends on whether you want to spend the extra bucks, I guess.

- Ed

I have SR-60's and I love them. The best 70 bucks I've spent in a long time. If you're really that concerned, I'd go to a hi-fi shop and try them out. E-mail Grado, maybe there's a retailer near you.

i love my SR80s but they do benefit from having a headphone amp

Build or buy a Cmoy amp if you don't want to drop $100. Also check out the head-fi for sale forums.