What are the best Grado's? - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by KneelJung 

I might just skip the 225's. I'm sitting here listening to my PortPro's and they sound damn good and they only cost me 30 bucks

That's why I have no plans to move up the Grado line anytime soon......I already love the sound of my 60i's, which cost me $74 (got them for the price of the old 60's) so for me to hear much of a difference, I'd probably have to jump way up to the 225i's.....and that's out of my budget range. Not to mention the fact that I like the stock comfy pads......no quarter mods, they have the right amount of mids and highs for me the way they are.....and for that same reason, I doubt I would like the bowl pads.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KneelJung  


" I might just skip the 225's. I'm sitting here listening to my PortPro's and they sound damn good and they only cost me 30 bucks "

To me the Grado SR-80(i) blows the PortaPro out of the water. If you get the 80 and add bowls and do the tape mod (scotch or electrical tape wrapped around the outer perimeter of the bowl), you get punchy bass and much clearer mids and a nicely improved sparkle in the highs compared to the Koss. Well worth the extra money over the PortaPro IMHO. The 225, if it's within your budget is even that much better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baka1969 

Quote:
Originally Posted by KneelJung  


" I might just skip the 225's. I'm sitting here listening to my PortPro's and they sound damn good and they only cost me 30 bucks "

To me the Grado SR-80(i) blows the PortaPro out of the water. If you get the 80 and add bowls and do the tape mod (scotch or electrical tape wrapped around the outer perimeter of the bowl), you get punchy bass and much clearer mids and a nicely improved sparkle in the highs compared to the Koss. Well worth the extra money over the PortaPro IMHO. The 225, if it's within your budget is even that much better.

Baka your killing me. I went from psyching myself up to buying the 225's to, nah don't do it, to reading your post, Now I want them again. But after reading a bunch of posts I'm thinking the 80's sound cool too. Are the 225's even that much better?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KneelJung 

 

Baka your killing me. I went from psyching myself up to buying the 225's to, nah don't do it, to reading your post, Now I want them again. But after reading a bunch of posts I'm thinking the 80's sound cool too. Are the 225's even that much better?

I gotta go with my friend from Philly on this too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KneelJung  


" Baka your killing me. I went from psyching myself up to buying the 225's to, nah don't do it, to reading your post, Now I want them again. But after reading a bunch of posts I'm thinking the 80's sound cool too. Are the 225's even that much better?"

Hi kneeljung,

I only mentioned the 80 when comparing it to the PortaPro. For the money, if it's within your budget, the 225 is an improvement that's worth premium over the 80 IMHO. Let's put it this way, once you hear the 225 there's no going back to the 80. The 225 does everything the 80 does but better. Better refinement, better extension, better control, better soundstage. Better. :) Just my opinion of course.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero 

I've owned/listened to every can in the current Grado production lineup and for my two cents:

 

Best cheapest Grados: SR80s (worth the extra $20 for the better bass)

Best in the Prestige Series: SR225i (I actually prefer them to the SR325is and RS2s)

 

Best Grado can in production: RS1i

Honorable Mention: HF2

 

Biggest letdown: GS1000/GS1000i (sucked out mids and sounded off) TIED with the SR325is (too hot treble for my ears)

 

Hard to categorize: PS1000s. They do improve on the GS1000's flaws, but I keep thinking they lost that "Grado sound" I love and keep coming back to the RS1/RS1is (and even the HF2s).

I'm wearing the PS1000 right now.  Don't let the use of jumbos fool you.  They don't sound laid back like the GS1000.  They're quite forward.  Wearing them is like wearing the other Grados, but with the comfort of the jumbo pads and a couple of perks: deeper, more impactful bass, and a wider sound with better HF extension.

The next best thing to a PS1000 is the RS1 or the HF2.  The HF2 has more kick to it.  I think it's the great Grado rocker.

Of course, if you make a few tweaks to an SR60i, you can end up with a very nice set of cans for an unbelievably low price.  I've got one with the driver vents opened, the back plate damped, wood strips lining the inner plastic chamber and jumbos.  It's no PS1000 but you'd be surprised at how good this sub-$100 headphone can get with a little tender loving care.

To play devil's advocate again, I don't think the 225 is a worthwhile audible upgrade compared to the 80. For the price difference, I'd rather get a budget amp which I can use across several different headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo 

I'm wearing the PS1000 right now.  Don't let the use of jumbos fool you.  They don't sound laid back like the GS1000.  They're quite forward.  Wearing them is like wearing the other Grados, but with the comfort of the jumbo pads and a couple of perks: deeper, more impactful bass, and a wider sound with better HF extension.

 

The next best thing to a PS1000 is the RS1 or the HF2.  The HF2 has more kick to it.  I think it's the great Grado rocker.

 

Of course, if you make a few tweaks to an SR60i, you can end up with a very nice set of cans for an unbelievably low price.  I've got one with the driver vents opened, the back plate damped, wood strips lining the inner plastic chamber and jumbos.  It's no PS1000 but you'd be surprised at how good this sub-$100 headphone can get with a little tender loving care.

I do agree that the PS1Ks have more attack than the GS1Ks and as I said they do fix many of the issues I had with the GS1Ks. But they simply lack the slam front center Grado sound that I prefer. The PS1000 mid presence is also dialed down from the RS1s. Thus my vote for the RS1s.

IMO, no Grado headphone currently in production is balanced. They are all coloured and I prefer the RS1 colouration.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

To play devil's advocate again, I don't think the 225 is a worthwhile audible upgrade compared to the 80. For the price difference, I'd rather get a budget amp which I can use across several different headphones.

On the contrary, to me it was worth it. I kept the SR225 far longer than I kept my SR80, in fact I liked them enough to woody them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kite7 

 

On the contrary, to me it was worth it. I kept the SR225 far longer than I kept my SR80, in fact I liked them enough to woody them.

Me too! The SR80s were great beginner cans, but the SR225s were a few steps up and only surpassed by the RS1s.

No amping of the SR80s could ever get them to sound as good as the SR225s.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MacedonianHero  


" Me too! The SR80s were great beginner cans, but the SR225s were a few steps up and only surpassed by the RS1s.
No amping of the SR80s could ever get them to sound as good as the SR225s."


I'll even add that I think the SR-225(i) can be the cornerstone of a great headphone based music system for not tons of money. Add a good source and a good amp and I believe the 225 can carry a system for the long haul. Even intergrated into a two channel system, I believe it can hold it's own.

And from the non-US perspective (where we have to pay ridiculous premiums for grados), I would say the MS1 and HF2 are your breakpoints.

The best Grado is two Grados.  Get an entry level Grado/Alessandro like the SR60 or MS1 for knock-around type use and times when the mini plug is handy.  Then get whatever higher level Grado/Alessandro floats your boat whether SR225, SR325, RS1, HF2, MS2, MS Pro, or whatever.

I'm enjoying my SR60 and SR325is combo.  There's some music when I'm in a Grado mood and the SR325is is too much (too much treble and too much SR325 sound for that particular music) and the SR60 is just the ticket to smooth things out and give me a Grado sound in a more pleasing manner.  The SR60 is also portableable and has a mini plug.  The SR60 can go with me when traveling.  The SR325is isn't so friendly for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

And from the non-US perspective (where we have to pay ridiculous premiums for grados), I would say the MS1 and HF2 are your breakpoints.

I would always recommend buying Grados (when you're in Canada) from the F/S forum to avoid the uptick in price. If you look though, there are some Canadian retailers that aren't too bad at all for the mark up. I've seen RS1is for only $29 more than the US price new from a local Toronto hi-fi shop.

The best Grados, IMO, aren't Grados, but the Symphones Magnums mod of the 325is/MS2i, which I reckon are better in some ways, than the HD-800s which are twice the price. 

Now I've got that out of the way, HF-2s, not having the typical Grado signature, are pretty fun and very good.  You can cheat and get two headphones for one by buying the GS/PS1000 jumbo pads for them. The result can be a bit of a peaky treble, so you need to find the "chux wipe" mod, where you put a bit of cleaning cloth over the driver tame the treble slightly if that's the case with your gear.

The best bang-for-the-buck Grado IMO is the old HF-1, however, which at around $350 S/H sounds great with a slightly warm-of-neutral tube amp (which I guess is what the cheap LD amps are).  I was playing around and found them to be good with the Sparrow DAC/amp even, which I didn't expect, as its predecessors weren't so great with Grados, to my ears anyway.  When you win the lottery or whatever, you can send them along to Headphile for the wood treatment as well.