before i start, i'd like to give major props to Audio/Video Alternative near atlanta, GA. they were really helpful and didn't mind me hogging their headphone rack for two hours.
ever since i joined this board in january, i've been using my SR60's as my main cans. today i got a chance to go back to where i bought them and listen to the other grado cans. everything from the SR225 to the RS-1. this was my first time listening to *really* expensive headphones, so bear with me please. i just want to give a quick description of how each one sounded in comparison to the others to my ears. honestly, i wasn't paying much attention to the sources, but one was a NAD player/integrated amp combo, and the other was through a tube amp that the shop owner said sounded very similar to the RA-1 amp. so i'll take his word for it; all of the cans sounded significantly better on the second setup. i also brought along my optimus CD-3400, which fared surprsingly well unamped at low volumes against the big guys, but it ran out of breath pretty quickly when i turned up the volume.
first, the SR225. these were the first cans i listened to during the day, and i learned a good lesson right with the first cd i played through them-- don't try to judge headphones with techno. no offense if you do, but there was barely a difference between these and the SR60's when i was listned to "dubnobasswithmyheadman" by underworld. so my second CD was "musicforthemorningafter" by pete yorn, and it ended up being my main reference cd for the day since it's rock with a bit of everything and i know it very well. i honestly feel that the 225's were the most enjoyable out of all the grado lineup for this album. i don't want to listen for details with rock; these things lived up to the hype with awesome slam. clarity and details were also quite good, but not on the same level as the SR325's
next were the SR325's. i personally would take the 225's over these, but this topic has been beaten to death so i'll leave it at that. but the 325's were much better for intricate things such as solo acoustic guitars; on ryan adam's "heartbreaker", i could hear every stroke of the guitar and even heard some background talking on the opening argument of the cd. overall, though, most of my music is rock as opposed to detailed. so the 225's are my choice.
the shop owner surprised me with the RS-2's. i was listening and he came up to me and said "just try these". i did. honestly, they were good, but not worth another $295 over the SR225's. they were a bit smoother and had less sibilance, but it was very subtle. so, to sum these up, yes- they are better than the SR225's. but not worth the money.
after i tried the RS-2's, the shop owner came over again and told me to try a tube amp which he felt sounded incredible with headphones and very similar to the RA-1 which they did not currently have in stock. so i moved all the cans in question over to the amp and waited for it to warm up, and once again the shop owner was awesome and brought yet another spoil for me- the big daddy RS-1. these badass cans combined the best of the SR225's and SR325's to my ear. the details were there like the 325's, but they still had body and slam like the 225's. and they were not fatiguing in any way. the first thing that struck me was how BIG these things are; much much bigger than the RS-2's. also, they get better materials- the leather headband seemed a tad thicker and the metal rod connecting the drivers to the headband was square whereas the RS-2's get the standard round rod. the engraving in the wood was also a bit better overall. yes, they were the best cans of the day. but that huge pricetag...
so, with money in mind, the SR225's win in a romp. hell, they beat the 325's regardless of price and come damn close to the RS-2's. unfortunately, i did not have enough money to take them home today, but i made it very clear that i would be coming back to them when i have enough. so if you live in the atlanta area, GO TO AUDIO/VIDEO ALTERNATIVE!!! this place is awesome. it's a small shop run by about 4 audio enthusiasts on the corner of lilburn and indian trail road. needless to say, their service is awesome.
oh, one last thing. i did compare the 225's with the SR60's that they had on the rack. if the music is simple without much going on, they're extremely similar and actually it's quite hard to tell them apart in these situations. but as soon as lots of instruments come in, the SR60's just sound lost in comparison; the instruments seem thrown together and lots of detail is lost. but you know what? this is only in A-B testing. i came home to my SR60's and was quite content to finish the pete yorn disc with them.
i'm on such an audio high right now...
[edit] - forgot to mention, but the comfy pads are quite, erm, comfy. the bowls were just as everyone has said here. also, all of the cans seem to rest on one's ears a bit differnetly; i could feel the drivers on my ears with the 225's and RS-2's, but not with the 325's and RS-1's. go figure.
ever since i joined this board in january, i've been using my SR60's as my main cans. today i got a chance to go back to where i bought them and listen to the other grado cans. everything from the SR225 to the RS-1. this was my first time listening to *really* expensive headphones, so bear with me please. i just want to give a quick description of how each one sounded in comparison to the others to my ears. honestly, i wasn't paying much attention to the sources, but one was a NAD player/integrated amp combo, and the other was through a tube amp that the shop owner said sounded very similar to the RA-1 amp. so i'll take his word for it; all of the cans sounded significantly better on the second setup. i also brought along my optimus CD-3400, which fared surprsingly well unamped at low volumes against the big guys, but it ran out of breath pretty quickly when i turned up the volume.
first, the SR225. these were the first cans i listened to during the day, and i learned a good lesson right with the first cd i played through them-- don't try to judge headphones with techno. no offense if you do, but there was barely a difference between these and the SR60's when i was listned to "dubnobasswithmyheadman" by underworld. so my second CD was "musicforthemorningafter" by pete yorn, and it ended up being my main reference cd for the day since it's rock with a bit of everything and i know it very well. i honestly feel that the 225's were the most enjoyable out of all the grado lineup for this album. i don't want to listen for details with rock; these things lived up to the hype with awesome slam. clarity and details were also quite good, but not on the same level as the SR325's
next were the SR325's. i personally would take the 225's over these, but this topic has been beaten to death so i'll leave it at that. but the 325's were much better for intricate things such as solo acoustic guitars; on ryan adam's "heartbreaker", i could hear every stroke of the guitar and even heard some background talking on the opening argument of the cd. overall, though, most of my music is rock as opposed to detailed. so the 225's are my choice.
the shop owner surprised me with the RS-2's. i was listening and he came up to me and said "just try these". i did. honestly, they were good, but not worth another $295 over the SR225's. they were a bit smoother and had less sibilance, but it was very subtle. so, to sum these up, yes- they are better than the SR225's. but not worth the money.
after i tried the RS-2's, the shop owner came over again and told me to try a tube amp which he felt sounded incredible with headphones and very similar to the RA-1 which they did not currently have in stock. so i moved all the cans in question over to the amp and waited for it to warm up, and once again the shop owner was awesome and brought yet another spoil for me- the big daddy RS-1. these badass cans combined the best of the SR225's and SR325's to my ear. the details were there like the 325's, but they still had body and slam like the 225's. and they were not fatiguing in any way. the first thing that struck me was how BIG these things are; much much bigger than the RS-2's. also, they get better materials- the leather headband seemed a tad thicker and the metal rod connecting the drivers to the headband was square whereas the RS-2's get the standard round rod. the engraving in the wood was also a bit better overall. yes, they were the best cans of the day. but that huge pricetag...
so, with money in mind, the SR225's win in a romp. hell, they beat the 325's regardless of price and come damn close to the RS-2's. unfortunately, i did not have enough money to take them home today, but i made it very clear that i would be coming back to them when i have enough. so if you live in the atlanta area, GO TO AUDIO/VIDEO ALTERNATIVE!!! this place is awesome. it's a small shop run by about 4 audio enthusiasts on the corner of lilburn and indian trail road. needless to say, their service is awesome.
oh, one last thing. i did compare the 225's with the SR60's that they had on the rack. if the music is simple without much going on, they're extremely similar and actually it's quite hard to tell them apart in these situations. but as soon as lots of instruments come in, the SR60's just sound lost in comparison; the instruments seem thrown together and lots of detail is lost. but you know what? this is only in A-B testing. i came home to my SR60's and was quite content to finish the pete yorn disc with them.
i'm on such an audio high right now...[edit] - forgot to mention, but the comfy pads are quite, erm, comfy. the bowls were just as everyone has said here. also, all of the cans seem to rest on one's ears a bit differnetly; i could feel the drivers on my ears with the 225's and RS-2's, but not with the 325's and RS-1's. go figure.
