Those in the Know on Grado

[nab]

I was offered a deal on two pairs of Grado headphones.   One is the 125i and the other the 225i.  The offer places the 225i at $40 more than the 125i.

I'm looking to buy one of them next week some time.


Any of you have any expereince with either of these or both?  Is the 225i worth the extra money, or am I just buying a higher number.  Please elaborate if you can, I've read reviews on the net but trust your guys' ears.

Thanks

[rowjimmy]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

[postjack]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

[nab]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now. 

[postjack]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now.

sweet. Grado has a unique house sound that can be quite polarizing. if you can try before you buy that'd be great, if not you can always flip them if you don't like the sound: fast attack, famous Grado midrange, treble emphasis, tiny soundstage, punchy midbass.

[nab]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now.

sweet. Grado has a unique house sound that can be quite pilarizing. if you can try before you buy that'd be great, if not you can always flip them if you don't like the sound: fast attack, famous Grado midrange, treble emphasis, tiny soundstage, punchy midbass.

Well, I've been using Senns up to this point, though nothing too high end.  I have alternated between the HD-25 Studio Monitors and the HD-415's.  I like the studio monitors, but they have a well known and troublesome connection issue between the cups and the cord.  I also find them to be lacking in a full bass sound.  The HD-415's, on the other hand, have plenty of bass, which sounds great on some tracks, but can lead to them feeling boomy and distorted in other ranges.  I'm not exactly sure how to differentiate soundstage on any set of headphones, but the 25's sound more closed in, where as the 415's sound more open. 

My main attraction to Grados are:

1.  Reputation
2.  Open design
3.  Availability


I use a Grado cart on my turntable.  Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones? 

I've been pretty pleased with the cart.   

[rowjimmy]

Have I mentioned that I love my Grado headphones?

[Superfreakie]

Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones?     

aside from reputed quality, no, it's apples and oranges.

And drop the extra 40. It'll be worth it.

[postjack]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now.

sweet. Grado has a unique house sound that can be quite pilarizing. if you can try before you buy that'd be great, if not you can always flip them if you don't like the sound: fast attack, famous Grado midrange, treble emphasis, tiny soundstage, punchy midbass.

Well, I've been using Senns up to this point, though nothing too high end.  I have alternated between the HD-25 Studio Monitors and the HD-415's.  I like the studio monitors, but they have a well known and troublesome connection issue between the cups and the cord.  I also find them to be lacking in a full bass sound.  The HD-415's, on the other hand, have plenty of bass, which sounds great on some tracks, but can lead to them feeling boomy and distorted in other ranges.  I'm not exactly sure how to differentiate soundstage on any set of headphones, but the 25's sound more closed in, where as the 415's sound more open. 

My main attraction to Grados are:

1.  Reputation
2.  Open design
3.  Availability


I use a Grado cart on my turntable.  Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones? 

I've been pretty pleased with the cart.   

Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones?     

aside from reputed quality, no, it's apples and oranges.

And drop the extra 40. It'll be worth it.

Well, I don't know, I think you can draw some parallels between the Grado cart sound and the Grado headphone sound, namely both have a bloomy midrange, and both have a smaller soundstage, but in a different way. The Grado headphone soundstage is just compacted, while the Grado cart soundstage (at least on the Platinum and Sonata and Silver carts) is like being in a cozy, warm room. But in terms of speed I think the Grado headphones are faster, with an overall sound signature that is brighter then the carts.

Personally, while I've found lots to like about the Grado carts I've owned, I've never found one that I've been totally happy with. The upper midrange and aforementioned "warm room" sound was nice in the short term, but ultimately bugged me enough that I sold off my carts.

In terms of Sennheisers vs Grados, they have very different sound signatures. I think everybody who is interested in headphones needs to spend some time with both companies, so I'm glad you are giving Grados a shot after livings with Senns for a while. My experience with Senns is primarily with the HD line (580, 600, 650), whose sound signature is rich, dark, deep, and large. Criticisms often thrown at Senns is they are too slow and too dark (criticisms that were address in Senn's current flagship, the HD800, which is an incredible headphone). Several years back I was enthralled by my HD650, but as time went by I started putting much more emphasis on speed and midrange purity (I have a theory that everyone ends up here eventually) which is why I'm a Grado/Stax man today. I currently use the HF-2 and PS1000. Neither is the most tonally neutral headphone in the world, nor is any Grado aside from the HP1000, but they are both fun and fast and have a sound signature I enjoy.

Looking forward to hearing how you like the SR225, please keep us posted.

[Hicks]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now.

sweet. Grado has a unique house sound that can be quite pilarizing. if you can try before you buy that'd be great, if not you can always flip them if you don't like the sound: fast attack, famous Grado midrange, treble emphasis, tiny soundstage, punchy midbass.

Well, I've been using Senns up to this point, though nothing too high end.  I have alternated between the HD-25 Studio Monitors and the HD-415's.  I like the studio monitors, but they have a well known and troublesome connection issue between the cups and the cord.  I also find them to be lacking in a full bass sound.  The HD-415's, on the other hand, have plenty of bass, which sounds great on some tracks, but can lead to them feeling boomy and distorted in other ranges.  I'm not exactly sure how to differentiate soundstage on any set of headphones, but the 25's sound more closed in, where as the 415's sound more open. 

My main attraction to Grados are:

1.  Reputation
2.  Open design
3.  Availability


I use a Grado cart on my turntable.  Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones? 

I've been pretty pleased with the cart.   

Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones?     

aside from reputed quality, no, it's apples and oranges.

And drop the extra 40. It'll be worth it.

Well, I don't know, I think you can draw some parallels between the Grado cart sound and the Grado headphone sound, namely both have a bloomy midrange, and both have a smaller soundstage, but in a different way. The Grado headphone soundstage is just compacted, while the Grado cart soundstage (at least on the Platinum and Sonata and Silver carts) is like being in a cozy, warm room. But in terms of speed I think the Grado headphones are faster, with an overall sound signature that is brighter then the carts.

Personally, while I've found lots to like about the Grado carts I've owned, I've never found one that I've been totally happy with. The upper midrange and aforementioned "warm room" sound was nice in the short term, but ultimately bugged me enough that I sold off my carts.

In terms of Sennheisers vs Grados, they have very different sound signatures. I think everybody who is interested in headphones needs to spend some time with both companies, so I'm glad you are giving Grados a shot after livings with Senns for a while. My experience with Senns is primarily with the HD line (580, 600, 650), whose sound signature is rich, dark, deep, and large. Criticisms often thrown at Senns is they are too slow and too dark (criticisms that were address in Senn's current flagship, the HD800, which is an incredible headphone). Several years back I was enthralled by my HD650, but as time went by I started putting much more emphasis on speed and midrange purity (I have a theory that everyone ends up here eventually) which is why I'm a Grado/Stax man today. I currently use the HF-2 and PS1000. Neither is the most tonally neutral headphone in the world, nor is any Grado aside from the HP1000, but they are both fun and fast and have a sound signature I enjoy.

Looking forward to hearing how you like the SR225, please keep us posted.

Meaningless audiophile speak FTW!   :wink:

[postjack]

Meaningless audiophile speak FTW!   :wink:

+K

[Superfreakie]

Increased airflow and closer matching on the drivers...
From what I've read, it's a worthwhile $40.

x2

the sweet spots in the current production grado lineup are sr60, sr225, and rs-1. the sr225 retails for $200, a good used price is $150.

Thanks for the feedback gents.  I've got a line on a new pair of the 225's for $170.  Looking like the right  deal now.

sweet. Grado has a unique house sound that can be quite pilarizing. if you can try before you buy that'd be great, if not you can always flip them if you don't like the sound: fast attack, famous Grado midrange, treble emphasis, tiny soundstage, punchy midbass.

Well, I've been using Senns up to this point, though nothing too high end.  I have alternated between the HD-25 Studio Monitors and the HD-415's.  I like the studio monitors, but they have a well known and troublesome connection issue between the cups and the cord.  I also find them to be lacking in a full bass sound.  The HD-415's, on the other hand, have plenty of bass, which sounds great on some tracks, but can lead to them feeling boomy and distorted in other ranges.  I'm not exactly sure how to differentiate soundstage on any set of headphones, but the 25's sound more closed in, where as the 415's sound more open. 

My main attraction to Grados are:

1.  Reputation
2.  Open design
3.  Availability


I use a Grado cart on my turntable.  Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones? 

I've been pretty pleased with the cart.   

Is there anything analogous between the sound Grado carts produce and headphones?     

aside from reputed quality, no, it's apples and oranges.

And drop the extra 40. It'll be worth it.

Well, I don't know, I think you can draw some parallels between the Grado cart sound and the Grado headphone sound, namely both have a bloomy midrange, and both have a smaller soundstage, but in a different way. The Grado headphone soundstage is just compacted, while the Grado cart soundstage (at least on the Platinum and Sonata and Silver carts) is like being in a cozy, warm room. But in terms of speed I think the Grado headphones are faster, with an overall sound signature that is brighter then the carts.

Personally, while I've found lots to like about the Grado carts I've owned, I've never found one that I've been totally happy with. The upper midrange and aforementioned "warm room" sound was nice in the short term, but ultimately bugged me enough that I sold off my carts.

In terms of Sennheisers vs Grados, they have very different sound signatures. I think everybody who is interested in headphones needs to spend some time with both companies, so I'm glad you are giving Grados a shot after livings with Senns for a while. My experience with Senns is primarily with the HD line (580, 600, 650), whose sound signature is rich, dark, deep, and large. Criticisms often thrown at Senns is they are too slow and too dark (criticisms that were address in Senn's current flagship, the HD800, which is an incredible headphone). Several years back I was enthralled by my HD650, but as time went by I started putting much more emphasis on speed and midrange purity (I have a theory that everyone ends up here eventually) which is why I'm a Grado/Stax man today. I currently use the HF-2 and PS1000. Neither is the most tonally neutral headphone in the world, nor is any Grado aside from the HP1000, but they are both fun and fast and have a sound signature I enjoy.

Looking forward to hearing how you like the SR225, please keep us posted.

I'm not so sure I'd attribute everything you've listed to the cart alone. I'd have a look at some of the other components before going that far (speakers/amps/pre's/DAC's/EQ). And these are generally not components that are gauged in conjunction with phones. 

[postjack]

I'm not so sure I'd attribute everything you've listed to the cart alone. I'd have a look at some of the other components before going that far (speakers/amps/pre's/DAC's/EQ). And these are generally not components that are gauged in conjunction with phones.

For sure, there are very few absolutes when it comes to reviewing carts. In particular the tonearm/table/phono stage can have a great effect on the sound a cart produces. The table I used with the Grado carts was my 1200, so its very possible the tonearm and the cart weren't a good match, and IIRC I was using a Grado PH-1 phono at the time which no doubt had a great impact on the sound. FWIW I owned a low output Platinum, high output Sonata, and low output Sonata. I found the "warm cozy room" effect to be more prevalent in the high output cart.

Having said that I also currently have a Technics SL-7 with a Grado silver, and through a Bellari VP129 or the phono in on my Quad 99 Pre I noticed the same hot upper midrange that bugged me from the other Grado carts. Honestly I just prefer my cartridges to have a more neutral sound. For the longest time I used a Denon DL-103, but currently I use a KAB/Ortofon ProS30.

[Superfreakie]

I'm not so sure I'd attribute everything you've listed to the cart alone. I'd have a look at some of the other components before going that far (speakers/amps/pre's/DAC's/EQ). And these are generally not components that are gauged in conjunction with phones.

For sure, there are very few absolutes when it comes to reviewing carts. In particular the tonearm/table/phono stage can have a great effect on the sound a cart produces. The table I used with the Grado carts was my 1200, so its very possible the tonearm and the cart weren't a good match, and IIRC I was using a Grado PH-1 phono at the time which no doubt had a great impact on the sound. FWIW I owned a low output Platinum, high output Sonata, and low output Sonata. I found the "warm cozy room" effect to be more prevalent in the high output cart.

Having said that I also currently have a Technics SL-7 with a Grado silver, and through a Bellari VP129 or the phono in on my Quad 99 Pre I noticed the same hot upper midrange that bugged me from the other Grado carts. Honestly I just prefer my cartridges to have a more neutral sound. For the longest time I used a Denon DL-103, but currently I use a KAB/Ortofon ProS30.

It has been awhile since I have spun any vinyl so I cannot entertain a thoughtful discourse on carts. That being said, I would suggest that the soundstage you highlight via your cart has as much to do speaker position, room shape, room size/speaker + amp power and lastly, and quite probably most important, the recording itself. Whereas soundstage via headphones is mostly attributable to the headphones themselves (assuming you have a relatively decent soundcard) and the recording. I know you are aware of this, anyone who likes sound is, just thought I'd bring it up.

[nab]

Just registered my 225i's.


First impression.  Immediate improvement in clarity from other cans I've used.  Detail is extraordinary.  Still under an hour in the burn in process, but I've got a lot of thesis to write so I'll be breaking them in over time as I write.