[Brinston]

I own a koss portapro and audio technica ws 55. 
I love the sound of the koss. And hate the sound of the ath ws 55. The ath just gives me a headache in a minute.

I had shortlisted ath ad700 and alessandro ms1 for my new headphones. I am going to use them with cowon iaudio 10. 

I am compleately fine if the headphones have no isolation and even if they leak out the sound to outside world.

I am going to use them explicitly for music.

Which one will you suggest.. ATH AD700 or Alessandro MS1.

I live in India (mumbai)...

I am sorry if the post is not inside the correct thread or anything else...

If anyone could guide me that would be great...

I also wanted to ask if i opt for international shipping of alessandro ms1, will i be required to pay customs or import duty on the product ?.... If so, how much is it charged ?

 

[KG Jag]

These cans are both good, but are also quite different.  For us to be of much help, you will have to describe the sound signature that you seek.
 
Will not venture to get into the financial and legal issues pertaining to import goods into your country.

 

[Brinston]

i prefer warn balanced sound... i do not like boomy bass but the bass impact must be powerful when it needs to be...  i do not listen to metallica stuff... i prefer jazz pop country n dance songs... soundstage must be good but it is not on my priority list... soundstage as good as koss portapro will work just well.. if you can let me know what exactly do you need from me in order to suggest the best, that would be great.

 

[KG Jag]

  i prefer warn balanced sound... i do not like boomy bass but the bass impact must be powerful when it needs to be...  i do not listen to metallica stuff... i prefer jazz pop country n dance songs... soundstage must be good but it is not on my priority list... soundstage as good as koss portapro will work just well.. if you can let me know what exactly do you need from me in order to suggest the best, that would be great.

 
My reference points are from dead neutral--which means reproducing the track exactly as it was laid down, with nothing added, subtracted or colored in any way.  This is a much different scale than using the cans that are currently most popular in the consumer market as the baseline for judging and describing sound from a headphone (or any other source).  With that said and hopefully understood....
 
Neither one of these cans is warm.  Neither is a bass oriented can in any way.  In fact the AD 700 is bass light.  That is its major weakness.  The 700 has a very large sound stage and there is much to like in the way that it delivers mids and treble in the context of its normal price range and quality tier.  Because its large sound stage spreads the sound and musical voices, it will not deliver any/much slam in your music.
 
The MS-1 takes the opposite approach with regard to sound stage.  It puts you on stage with the band.  This smallish sound stage for an open can, coupled with a forward presentation delivers a great deal of slam.  While it is not bass lite, its emphasis is with the mids and lower treble.  It is a great can for classic rock and electric blues.

 

[Brinston]

I havent heard to many headphones... so comparing the warmness, bass impact and soundstage of these headphones to koss portapro, how will you rate them both ?
Also that... i listen to Hard Rock, R&B,  Latin, Hip-hop, Dance, Blues, Electric Blues, Country and Pop is my favourite...

 

[KG Jag]

  I havent heard to many headphones... so comparing the warmness, bass impact and soundstage of these headphones to koss portapro, how will you rate them both ?
Also that... i listen to Hard Rock, R&B,  Latin, Hip-hop, Dance, Blues, Electric Blues, Country and Pop is my favourite...

 
Sorry, I find it to be difficult comparing upline cans to entry level ones--even the excellent entry level PortaPro.  In addition it has been a while since I used my PortaPro.  It leaks too much to be used on the go.  At home and for longer sessions it is uncomfortable and I have much better sonic choices.
 
That said--if you like the bass of the PortaPro, you will probably find that of the 700 to be insufficient in quantity and presence. 
 
The MS1 is closer in sound signature.  However, it has more emphasis on mids and lower treble and less in bass, when compared to the PP.  However, the bass of the MS1 is better controlled.

 

[Brinston]

Ok.. So ad700 being out of the list now, can you recommend a member of head-fi who can answer this question ? Someone who has shifted from portapro to ms1 would be great...
 
And also it would be great to meet an indian here, who has bought ms1 directly from alessandro website...

 

[KG Jag]

  Ok.. So ad700 being out of the list now, can you recommend a member of head-fi who can answer this question ? Someone who has shifted from portapro to ms1 would be great...
 
And also it would be great to meet an indian here, who has bought ms1 directly from alessandro website...

 
Sorry--there are many you have heard the PortaPro, but few who have heard the not-very-well-known MS-1, and I can't direct you to a specific person in that smallish universe.
 
In the meantime do some on line research for reviews of the MS-1 (don't know which version you are considering--"i", "e" or one earlier than either) and of the PortaPro for comparison purposes.

 

[Brinston]

The alessandro website lists 2 products... original and 2009 version... I got the message "The 2009 version ($109.99) is most current version with larger air chamber and new housing design." when i asked them for specific differences between them.... Also i am already done with reading all the reviews of alessandro ms1... Do you know any indian who has bought the alessandro from their website ?

 

[KG Jag]

  The alessandro website lists 2 products... original and 2009 version... I got the message "The 2009 version ($109.99) is most current version with larger air chamber and new housing design." when i asked them for specific differences between them.... Also i am already done with reading all the reviews of alessandro ms1... Do you know any indian who has bought the alessandro from their website ?

 
The original is based on the SR 80, the 2009 version is based on the SR 80i, the current Grado model (released in mid 2014) is the "e" version.
 
I know of no one from India who has placed an order there or elsewhere.

 

[Brinston]

Yeah Thanks KG Jag, Also should i consider any other headphone apart from these two in the similar price range. Which ones will you recommend for the genres i mentioned above..?

 

[KG Jag]

  Yeah Thanks KG Jag, Also should i consider any other headphone apart from these two in the similar price range. Which ones will you recommend for the genres i mentioned above..?

 
I like the MS-1 for the 50% to 60% of your genres that overlap with what I listen to.  For the others, I can't tell you.
 
I have no idea what pricing in or ordering from India looks like.  If you have a couple more specific options, I can tell you what I know about them--if anything.

 

[Brinston]

Can you specify those genres u say which overlap... For which you suggest ms1
 
Also that if some equalizer or so is used for boosting bass on the alessandro ms1, will they be able to sound as intended or will it lead to speaker being vibrating insanely... like those "drrrr" effect ?

 

[Brinston]

Pricing in India is similar to US, so in the similar price range of upto 125$ if you can recommend some headphones that sound great for pop(the genre i like the most) would be great

 

[KG Jag]

  Can you specify those genres u say which overlap... For which you suggest ms1
 
Also that if some equalizer or so is used for boosting bass on the alessandro ms1, will they be able to sound as intended or will it lead to speaker being vibrating insanely... like those "drrrr" effect ?

 
Your genres to which I listen include Hard Rock, R&B (from the 60's and 70's), Blues, Electric Blues and Country.  My favorites as U.S. roots music of all kinds.
 
I almost never EQ my cans, but it is an option.  How it will sound will depend largely upon the level of control your software or system provides you, including the available frequencies--and of course how much & what type of EQ you select.  There is no universal answer, even with just one can.