Grado Fan Club! - Page 321

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twinster 


Yes, all aluminum including the ring inside the cups that hold the grill in place. I believed the newer SR-325 have a plastic ring.
@parbaked, they are my favorite too, maybe as much as my MS-Pro but I no longer have those so it's hard to compare.

The outer cups are anodized aluminum like the 1st silver 325.

One way to differentiate is the cups are larger (longer) than the plastic cups. 

Grado never made a large plastic cup until the mushroom shape "i" cups, which were enlarged to match the volume of the 325 cups.

Remember these were John's best headphones when they came out. They pre-date the first RS series.

IMO the larger cups, even more so than the material, are what made these sound better than the lower SR range.

I don't know why they sound better than the silver 325 that came later. Maybe the earlier batches of SR drivers (mine are very pink transitional, were a little different.

I bought 1st generation MS2, which have same cups but not pink drivers, as back-ups. They also look and sound good, but not as detailed and clean as the black 325.

The early metal cups are really nice lookin', to me better than the mushrooms

The inner cup, which hold the drivers, is plastic like the other SRs - so they are not ALL metal like the HP-1 or HP-2.

I always wanted to mod to wood inners, but I'll never touch these. Maybe my MS2 someday....

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 


How do these compare to the RS-1?
Also, very cool information there. Now, not to stir an argument, but I would swear I saw a plastic 300 series Grado, it had red lettering as opposed to the white on that. SR-300?

Correct, the SR300 had a small plastic cup. It pre-dates the SR325 and would be well worth owning, especially with HP1k drivers.

Really early SR100 had red lettering, but I never seen red SR300, maybe because SR300 introduced after all lettering switched to silver.

Of course with Grado history one is never 100% sure!

The RS1 (pre "i") are great and benefit from a bigger volume cup than the 325. 

To me they sound more open and larger, but less detailed, than the SR325.

The SR325 has an intimacy that draws you in.

I would like to own both! I would already have a pair if I didn't like my 325 so much.

Every time I almost buy RS1 I stop and force myself to save the $ for something HP1000.

I do own Martin Custom Audio (one piece no glue) 225i which to me sound very close to RS1i.

This is my bucket list:

1. HP1 and/or HP2

2. SR300 w/ HP1000 drivers (these would be SO light and comfy compared to HP1 or 2)

3. Black SR325 transitional drivers

4. Vintage RS1 transitional drivers

5. Red SR100 - pretty!

Never heard and not really interested in GS/PS, though not sure why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 

Perhaps I am thinking of SR-100 then.
Watch, because we questioned it, someone will post a picture of it just to spite us, lol.

They have to mail 'em to me for 1st hand, visual confirmation.

I don't trust kids these days with photoshop etc!

There are two versions of SR100 (just like SR200)- one with HP1000 drivers; one with normal John Grado drivers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcf 

There are two versions of SR100 (just like SR200)- one with HP1000 drivers; one with normal John Grado drivers.

We were discussing the red lettered Grados.

Any chance you know:

1. Are all the red lettered SR100 with HP1000?  I've only seen red SR100 with HP1000 drivers.

2. Did Grado make any other models with red lettering e.g. SR200 or SR300? I've only seen red letters on SR100.

This is my understanding on the HP1000 drivers in SR100/200/300 (they show up in all three):

The SR100/200/300 were designed as less expensive consumer alternatives to the pro HP1/2/3.

I believe they were designed around a new driver that Grado could produce in house as opposed to buying HP1000s.

The legend is that whenever they ran out of the new drivers they would substitute lower quality HP1000 units.

I believe Joe already made an HP-3, which was an HP-2 using the lesser drivers from each batch so using the B-stock makes sense.

I guess they felt that the B stock HP1000 were also an equal substitute for their new in house Grado driver.

I have no idea why some SR100 were red.  Maybe to denote that they were made with HP1000 drivers as I've only seen HP1000 in red SR100s OR maybe the red SR100 are just the first SRs made and they can have either driver.

I am also really interested to know when Grado made the first Alessandro MS and what is different. I heard that they were trying to get closer to a pro style HP1000 sound but I don't know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 

Alessandro and Grado got together at some point in the late 1990s is my understanding (post RS-1); if not later than that. The goal isn't (afaik) to replicate the HP-1000, but instead Grado is simply acting as an OEM for Alessandro's pro headphone expansion 

I didn't mean replicate the HP1000 but provide a pro style product that was less "consumer" than John's Grados and therefore more "studio" suitable.

I agree that they likely didn't sit around talking about how to replicate the HP1000, but rather just make a flatter Grado.

I love my sr-225s so much. They are practically a new appendage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich 

Alessandro and Grado got together at some point in the late 1990s is my understanding (post RS-1); if not later than that.

Yeah sometime after the RS (1996) but before the 2003 Goldies (early MS2 have small, straight cups).

I'm still curious what, if anything, is different. I really like my old style MS2 too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by parbaked 

We were discussing the red lettered Grados.

Any chance you know:

1. Are all the red lettered SR100 with HP1000?  I've only seen red SR100 with HP1000 drivers.

2. Did Grado make any other models with red lettering e.g. SR200 or SR300? I've only seen red letters on SR100.

 

This is my understanding on the HP1000 drivers in SR100/200/300 (they show up in all three):

The SR100/200/300 were designed as less expensive consumer alternatives to the pro HP1/2/3.

I believe they were designed around a new driver that Grado could produce in house as opposed to buying HP1000s.

The legend is that whenever they ran out of the new drivers they would substitute lower quality HP1000 units.

I believe Joe already made an HP-3, which was an HP-2 using the lesser drivers from each batch so using the B-stock makes sense.

I guess they felt that the B stock HP1000 were also an equal substitute for their new in house Grado driver.

I have no idea why some SR100 were red.  Maybe to denote that they were made with HP1000 drivers as I've only seen HP1000 in red SR100s OR maybe the red SR100 are just the first SRs made and they can have either driver.

I am also really interested to know when Grado made the first Alessandro MS and what is different. I heard that they were trying to get closer to a pro style HP1000 sound but I don't know.

To answer your questions:

1) I have seen at least one pair of SR100 with HP1000 drivers but no red lettering.

2) I have not seen any other Grado models with red lettering other than SR100.

HP1000 drivers also show up in some early SR325, as well as SR100/200/300. The HP1000 drivers didn't get into SR series because Grado Labs ran out of never drivers. It happend BEFORE John had any other drivers other than the HP1000 ones.

I have seen HP1000 in early black SR325. I think that means Grado must have used HP1000 as replacements for his new drivers as John had the new drivers by the time the 325 came out, no? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by parbaked 

I have seen HP1000 in early black SR325. I think that means Grado must have used HP1000 as replacements for his new drivers as John had the new drivers by the time the 325 came out, no? 

No ,  the first patch of SR325 had HP1000 drivers, the ones with new drivers came later.