Jesus! 

SR325is all the way for me too. The SR225i sounded virtually indistinguishable from the SR60i to me, once I swapped the bowls onto the SR60i. The SR325is, however, is in a class by itself, and is probably my favorite all-around Reference/Prestige Grado at this point.

The SR-325/is/i is THE most polarizing can in the Grado lineup IMO. You either love 'em or hate 'em.

karlagathon said:

Bilavideo, you need to apply for a professorship and come lecture at my university!

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That comment made my day.
 

kboe said:

I personally like the 325is more than any other Grado.  It just seems even more lively than the other models, and I like that.  Plus the looks, to my eyes anyways, are just perfect.

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I agree - on both counts.

All right, this is becoming an issue that is consuming my thoughts day in and out.
 
the SR325 will run me a good deal of money, and looks like it's built to last a lifetime of use. And just like dabbling in the world of Craigslist adult threads will give you Syphilis, The SR225 seems like the guaranteed way to be infected with upgraditis. The 325 sits on the razor's edge, between the world of the casual listener, and the world of the sonically-obsessed. It looks like the SR325is is at the start line of the point of diminishing returns, hence the more logical choice, because we know now that it gets only marginally better up the price range. Do we want to go up the ladder? well, yes, but only our wallet can weigh us down. 
 
so, for $300 - I pose another Question - and potentially derail the thread - if Not the SR325is, then what else? The MS2i? the DT880? The K702? The HD600/650 are out of my budget, so strike those out. OTOH, my motorbike needs a crank rebuild and a valve-gear replacement. Why do things always happen at the worst times?
 
@Bilavideo - Where you at in FL?
 
I Used to live in Manatee County, FL. The Folks still live there, i usually visit twice a year. You should come down to India-the absolute pinnacle of headphones around here are Bose products.

Quote:

dxps26 said:

so, for $300 - I pose another Question - and potentially derail the thread - if Not the SR325is, then what else? The MS2i? the DT880? The K702? The HD600/650 are out of my budget, so strike those out. OTOH, my motorbike needs a crank rebuild and a valve-gear replacement. Why do things always happen at the worst times?

 
@Bilavideo - Where you at in FL?
 
I Used to live in Manatee County, FL. The Folks still live there, i usually visit twice a year. You should come down to India-the absolute pinnacle of headphones around here are Bose products.

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Each of these alternatives brings something different to the table, though most of the cans I buy are used.  I like the new-product smell, and the fun of being the first owner, but most of the time, I find it sooths my wallet more to buy the same headphone at a fraction of its MSRP.
 
Each of the cans you mentioned deserves its own thread - and has one.  A number of them have threads comparing them to the 325.  What you should get depends on what you want out of a headphone.  It's always an issue of tradeoffs.  The Sennheisers, for example are more "refined," in the sense of being more laid back.  If that's what you're looking for, you can pick up either headphone for less than $250 used.  I had the 650, which I liked in many ways, but I missed the Grado energy.  I had the K701, which is a white K702, and it was tremendously comfortable and wide in soundstage.  I liked it a lot but lost no sleep after I sold it.  I keep coming back to Grado.
 
You asked where I live.  I live in Lakeland, which is halfway between Tampa and Orlando.
 
As for visiting India, nothing would please me more.  I have heard great things about your country.  I won't feel that I've fully lived until I've done so.

I have a little different take on the 325 vs 225 situation. For 15 years I've owned and used the first generation (black) 325 and a set of later 225s. The 325 was not a well regarded headphone as it had a bass bump that tended to cause spikes in the mid/ lower treble range giving it a harshness. It did however, have a lot of slam which made it a favorite for rockers. I never felt that the aluminum canisters were causing any type of ringing and was able to compare the 325 to the HP-2 which I have also owned during this period. I am in the 225 camp as I think it is a better balanced general use headphone.
 
Recently, my 225's gave it up, so I pulled the big canisters from my 325's and replaced them with the short plastic 225 canisters. Yes, I have a little less bass impact but the mids and highs have smoothed out such that the SQ is now well balanced but a little warmer than the 225s while retaining the 325s dynamics. Seems the newer 325s has received a good bit of criticism regarding shrillness and I read that Grado has developed a new driver for the current 325is but I haven't had its pleasure yet. The older 325 had a more powerful driver (2dB per an old Grado spec sheet) than the 225 but it didn't seem to be the best match for the large aluminum canisters and the driver doping to control resonance and extend bass added to the 325 issues. So I would still go with the 225i, but I'm not sure you would even need a cable upgrade as Grado cable is pretty good.
 
One last thing about my canister change out, micro dynamics are better with large canisters as they tend to isolate left / right open air sounds from cross bleeding. I didn't do any other modifications to my 325 headphones.

I finally bit the bullet.
 
Ordered the SR325is on Amazon last night. Should be here in October.

Quote:

dxps26 said:

 
the SR325 will run me a good deal of money, and looks like it's built to last a lifetime of use. And just like dabbling in the world of Craigslist adult threads will give you Syphilis, The SR225 seems like the guaranteed way to be infected with upgraditis. The 325 sits on the razor's edge, between the world of the casual listener, and the world of the sonically-obsessed. It looks like the SR325is is at the start line of the point of diminishing returns, hence the more logical choice, because we know now that it gets only marginally better up the price range. Do we want to go up the ladder? well, yes, but only our wallet can weigh us down. 
 
so, for $300 - I pose another Question - and potentially derail the thread - if Not the SR325is, then what else? The MS2i? the DT880? The K702? 

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I personally don't agree that the SR325is sit at the start of the point of diminishing returns. Here's how I see the Grado lineup generally:
 
SR60-SR225 -- pretty much the same can with minor differences. Forward, bright and aggressive mids
SR325 -- different kind of sound with more far more aggressive sound than the already aggresive Prestige series
HF2 -- totally different again; the most "un-Grado"-like of all Grados except maybe the GS1000. Dark and Creamy.
MS1 -- a more balanced version of the SR60-SR225 line
MS2 -- different from the MS1, basically a softer version of the SR325
MS Pro -- MS1 with ultra-refined sound
RS1 -- the different models kind of confuse me, but the RS1 doesn't strike me as an upgrade from the 325, but more an upgrade over the SR225 line with smoother sound and more detail on the low end
 
Can't comment on the other Grados as I have not heard them, but I hear the GS1000 isn't like a Grado at all either and is more like a K701 or something.
 
So yeah, I wouldn't say the SR325 is the start of a certain diminishing returns point, because it sort of branches off in a different direction altogether from the other Grados, sort of like the HF2. At the higher end of the Grado lineup it seems you start getting more "specialized" cans. But in a sense you are right, because the stuff after the 325 are so expensive that it's sort of mind-boggling how big the price gap is for what is not necessarily "that much better" sound, just "different."
 
Anyway congrats on the SR325 purchase. Contrary to what's been said here, I don't think the SR325 are an "unfinished product" or one that needs a lot of primping to get a good sound. I felt it worked great out of the box with standard DAPs. It sounds better amped, but all cans sound better amped. Have yet to meet an exception. It is a little powerful on the treble side, so anyone who is sensitive to treble may potentially have issues, but not everyone will and a lot of people like the SR325 as is. I am sure you will love them if you love that uber aggressive raw sound they possess.

My first post on head-fi....resurrecting a year old thread.
 
I'm debating between the 325 and 225. But, I'm only using a CMOY. Will I see the added benefits of the 325 with a CMOY or would I need a better amp?
 
Thanks for the input!
 

Quote:

scootsit said:

My first post on head-fi....resurrecting a year old thread.
 
I'm debating between the 325 and 225. But, I'm only using a CMOY. Will I see the added benefits of the 325 with a CMOY or would I need a better amp?
 
Thanks for the input!
 

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You seem to be assuming that there are added benefits to the 325 in the first place.  As noted in several posts above and in other threads, not everyone (including myself) likes the 325 better than the 225 at all.  The 325 is tipped up more on both ends of the frequency range (brighter treble and thumpier bass).  Some people like this, other people don't.  I personally like the 225 better overall.
 
Grados in general will run pretty well without an amp, but will scale pretty well with good power as well.  A CMOY should be fine really.  There are amps that will sound better, but a CMOY is enough power to make any Grado listenable.
 

I guess that more or less answered my question. I've been using MDR-V6s for a while straight off an iPod (my good stereo, LPs, and other source material, are unfortunately in another state at the moment). I've noticed some clipping and sibilance and just generic "blah-ness". The CMOY seems to have helped.
 
I'm pretty sure anything in the Grado line-up will be a drastic difference from what I'm currently using (though, for $40 closed cans, I certainly have no complaints about my V6s).
 
I guess I'm trying to ascertain where the best value lies.
 
Thanks Barleyguy for the input.

Barleyguy, what are your musical tastes, out of curiosity?
 
I'd be interested to hear that information from some of the others that have posted on this thread.
 
Thanks again!

Quote:

scootsit said:

Barleyguy, what are your musical tastes, out of curiosity?
 
I'd be interested to hear that information from some of the others that have posted on this thread.
 
Thanks again!

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I like a large variety of music.  My stock answer would be "anything but most country and violent rap".  Some favorites are vocal electronica (Oceanlab, BT, Thievery Corporation, Groove Armada), Female metal (Tarja, Evanescence, Todesbonden), Rock (Spin doctors, Audioslave, Tool, A Perfect Circle), Classic Rock (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Moody Blues) Female vocalists (Regina Spektor, Sara Barellis) Some classical (Mozart, Debussy), Reggae (Iron Pulse, Bob Marley).  A little of everything.
 

Excellent! In the genres I am most fond of (rock, mostly, but classical as well), we seem to have similar(ish) tastes. Thanks!