Sr325i

Really? Yes. Best Grado money can buy and worth every penny

Other then that, if you like more bass on your Grado, Sr60i would be nice

Less bass? Sr80i

If you're strained on cash, Grado are nice because other then the 60/80 difference, there is no dramatic jump in difference.

The SR325i is more balanced then any other Grado, so that's why I like them better.

But I have the Sr80i and will not upgrade because I know all that more detail, clarity and sound quality will just go wasted as I simply listen to music through them rather then analyze it.

I would Go SR60i and look into mods/headbands - I wouldn't vouch for woodies of aluminum cups though, waste of money to my ears.

Any chance you can audition any one of those models?

Recommending a Grado (any Grado) to someone who has never

heard them is always fraught with risk, especially people who

come in from the cold having owned a Sennheiser.

Still, I'd start off with an SR80i like I did or the 225i.

L-cush bowl pads help as a spare to fine tune the

sound with any of those pairs (except the 225i

which comes with them stock)

Sorry yet to hear the 125i.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoahZ 

Thanks for the input. Out of curiosity, what's the issue with recommending Grados? I vaguely recall hearing things like that before, do they just have an entirely different sound profile from other brands?

I'm from the general Chicago area, and there're a store about 25 minutes from me that has at least some Grados for sale/testing. I'll try to head there before buying anything.

 

The bright forward, front row sound that can unsettle people who are used to a really laid back signature that places

you in the middle row. Grados are either very fun to some or just a painful, grate in the ear to others.

The pads play a big part - for example, my 325i's were shrill (and still are with some crappy recordings) but tamed

down nicely with burn-in and using the flat pads. My SR80i's on the other hand appreciated the donor L-cush bowls

from the 325i's. Personal preference.

I'm sure the guy at the Chicago store won't mind if you mix and match pads for testing.

I like the SR-225i, with wooden cups and the TTVJ "Flats" ear pads.  Granted, such a setup may run you a bit over $300 when all said and done (depending on which wooden cups you use), but, it's a great sounding setup.  I've had the SR-325i Grados before and sold them so I could go with modified Grados.  I feel as though I've reached the pinnacle of sound at this point.  For me, spending more on headphones than I have invested would only yield marginal increases in sound and wouldn't be worth it.

Just my .02, because "I've been there, done that."

For comfort the SR-60i's.  For sound quality and discomfort the 325i's.  The 325i is where both ends of the frequency spectrum spreads, below the 325i's the highs only extend making them all too bright especially with bowl pads.

http://www.gradolabs.com/page_headphones.php?item=71ea2b53c254a6a29f7da233d0238ccd

I went all the way up to RS-1i to try to get the perfect sounding Grado, they were awesome, but the comfort remained horrible and through my amp they sounded too dry unless I turned them way up.  If I used comfy pads I lost a bunch of clarity and detail downgrading the RS-1i's to a 125i.

I am not sure what your headphone collection consists of but for $150 there is the venerable ATH-M50 which remains one of the highest ranked headphones for under $200.  I know they are on headphone.com's top 10 list too.  They sound excellent for the price and were one of many headphones I said "wow" to when I first head them.  I still listen to mine.

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/audio-technica-ath-m50.php

If you want to stick with open the ATH-AD700 is great.  They are also $150 perhaps even less from a non-dealer.  I auditioned a pair last week and really liked them.  They are also highly spoken of around here.  They are extremely comfortable and sound great.  They sound a tad thin for some, but not any less than a Grado of the same price.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/audio-technica-ath-ad700.php

In the end even the top tier Grado's were to uncomfortable.  I listen to my headphones for hours at a time and expect, no, require comfortable headphones.  I just cannot believe that John Grado listens to bowls for extended periods of time without experiencing discomfort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

I like the SR-225i, with wooden cups and the TTVJ "Flats" ear pads.  Granted, such a setup may run you a bit over $300 when all said and done (depending on which wooden cups you use), but, it's a great sounding setup.  I've had the SR-325i Grados before and sold them so I could go with modified Grados.  I feel as though I've reached the pinnacle of sound at this point.  For me, spending more on headphones than I have invested would only yield marginal increases in sound and wouldn't be worth it.

 

Just my .02, because "I've been there, done that."

 

 

I'm at that point. I really don't care how they sound better then the more expensive pair, but I just want their personal sound and the usage. I'm looking at Custom IEM's and just getting a single driver because of this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NA Blur 

For comfort the SR-60i's.  For sound quality and discomfort the 325i's.  The 325i is where both ends of the frequency spectrum spreads, below the 325i's the highs only extend making them all too bright especially with bowl pads.

http://www.gradolabs.com/page_headphones.php?item=71ea2b53c254a6a29f7da233d0238ccd

 

I went all the way up to RS-1i to try to get the perfect sounding Grado, they were awesome, but the comfort remained horrible and through my amp they sounded too dry unless I turned them way up.  If I used comfy pads I lost a bunch of clarity and detail downgrading the RS-1i's to a 125i.

 

I am not sure what your headphone collection consists of but for $150 there is the venerable ATH-M50 which remains one of the highest ranked headphones for under $200.  I know they are on headphone.com's top 10 list too.  They sound excellent for the price and were one of many headphones I said "wow" to when I first head them.  I still listen to mine.

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/audio-technica-ath-m50.php

 

If you want to stick with open the ATH-AD700 is great.  They are also $150 perhaps even less from a non-dealer.  I auditioned a pair last week and really liked them.  They are also highly spoken of around here.  They are extremely comfortable and sound great.  They sound a tad thin for some, but not any less than a Grado of the same price.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/audio-technica-ath-ad700.php

 

In the end even the top tier Grado's were to uncomfortable.  I listen to my headphones for hours at a time and expect, no, require comfortable headphones.  I just cannot believe that John Grado listens to bowls for extended periods of time without experiencing discomfort.

I've heard you don't like the bowls before. I enjoyed them with my messed up ears and I guess some people like them or love them.

Best comfort you can find on a Grado is the Sr60/80/125 with the flats and just bend the headband to just grab your head to take pressure off.

I found the Ps1000 uncomfortable after a while because of the cups being so far out and my head turning.

But then the GS1000i didn't have that. weird.

That's true - 60 minute album stretch on the 325i's leaves you with blushed, slightly tingly ears

All good things come with moderation though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

That's true - 60 minute album stretch on the 325i's leaves you with blushed, slightly tingly ears

 

All good things come with moderation though.

every can has it's downfall.

My Hd598 can only last 8 hours at most on my head without me sending them across the room.

SR60-Good energetic sound for the money.

SR80-same as 60

SR125-No bass.

SR225-More balanced than the 125

SR325i-The worse headphone ever created and sold. Uncomfortable and danger of hearing loss.

Just gotta keep lightening your wallet until you find something you can live with :)  It's sorta like dating.

Go for the 225i, given your diverse musical tastes. 225i handles everything you can throw at it.

23 Cans?? Oh dear, i'm choosing between the 60/80/MS1, but since i hear the KSC75 is a "baby Grado" i am in no rush to choose.