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Grado 325is and PS500
Nov 18, 2012 at 2:46 PM Post #31 of 50
All Grado headphones use the same driver. I know Grado themselves have denied this, but I don't care... never trust the company who is selling a product to admit something negative about their products; they will lie through their teeth. The FACT is that if you look at the frequency response graphs for the cheapest 60i and the 10X more expensive RS1i, they both are mostly identical! Grado changes the enclosure a bit and makes some other small adjustments (like an 8-conducted cable vs 4, and a less ****ty fake leather headband) but other than that they are the same damn thing. The changes in casing etc do make a (very) small difference, but not even necessarily for the better.
 
Take a look at the photos posted of the Grado factory where these headphones are made; they are assembled by hung over minimal wage workers who don't care about the quality of their work, and the products are held together by friction and glue! As far as I am aware, the only reason why these headphones are so highly regarded on this site is because they are unpopular and people who waste a tonne of time and money on a hobby don't like coming to the conclusion that the Sennheiser can their friend bought at random for $100 is actually the best deal out there. It would mean they've done all that research for nothing.
 
Before you say I'm speaking about something that I am not qualified to comment about, I DO own the Grado 325is headphones and I have listened to the 60i later on and could not tell the difference. The 60i is not a bad deal as THE Grado headphone is worth $70... it just isn't worth $700!
 
Nov 18, 2012 at 4:49 PM Post #32 of 50
I do feel that I'm qualified to comment about this, since I did have my decision between exactly 325is and PS500. What I'm not denying is the fact that both (and even the whole Grado product line) might use the very same speaker. If company were to design a working base for it's products, using it throughout all the products seems somewhat reasonable for me. Quite like many cars are built upon same base, ofcourse primarily for cost savings, but on the other hand as this way there's less details that would break as they're quite well tested over and over again.
 
Anyhow, could be that down to the point paying almost 10 times more for PS500 than rs60i might not be reasonable on paper. But on the other hand these are purchases of pure desire, hardly ever reasonable causes. But to say I did feel that the extra pay for 500 over 325 was reasoned as their SQ was from very different ends when it comes to Grado's. Did not consider between smaller rivals from the SR series for overall built reasons, although the sound itself would have probably been enough to keep me happy. For the built quality of Grado's I might even relate as I did notice the wood parts of my 500's have some visible cracking. And because I'm more than happy for how they sound still, I haven't run back to the store to get them returned or exchanged, so now it suddenly seems to be more of a sound thing for me than built quality, paradoxically.

In the end I did turn to Grado over AKG for their identity, much like I could see myself turning to an Tesla over an Volkswagen.. or maybe not. Well anyhow cars are totally different thing, as it comes I'm not even that much into them.
 
Nov 18, 2012 at 6:29 PM Post #33 of 50
Quote:
olsenn said:
All Grado headphones use the same driver. I know Grado themselves have denied this, but I don't care... never trust the company who is selling a product to admit something negative about their products; they will lie through their teeth. The FACT is that if you look at the frequency response graphs for the cheapest 60i and the 10X more expensive RS1i, they both are mostly identical! Grado changes the enclosure a bit and makes some other small adjustments (like an 8-conducted cable vs 4, and a less ****ty fake leather headband) but other than that they are the same damn thing. The changes in casing etc do make a (very) small difference, but not even necessarily for the better.
 
Take a look at the photos posted of the Grado factory where these headphones are made; they are assembled by hung over minimal wage workers who don't care about the quality of their work, and the products are held together by friction and glue! As far as I am aware, the only reason why these headphones are so highly regarded on this site is because they are unpopular and people who waste a tonne of time and money on a hobby don't like coming to the conclusion that the Sennheiser can their friend bought at random for $100 is actually the best deal out there. It would mean they've done all that research for nothing.
 
Before you say I'm speaking about something that I am not qualified to comment about, I DO own the Grado 325is headphones and I have listened to the 60i later on and could not tell the difference. The 60i is not a bad deal as THE Grado headphone is worth $70... it just isn't worth $700!
Click to expand...

What utter rubbish.
 
Nov 18, 2012 at 6:31 PM Post #34 of 50
Quote:
mkvy said:
I'm new to this malarkey , and as a fresher, I would like to understand how any 2 people can have a critical debate about their headphones unless they are comparing the same cd, same source, same amp, etc, any ideas how to extract the truth from all this debate.

I have ps500,
I am very happy with the sound
They remind me of standing next to a massive mega speaker array when at high volume
Click to expand...

Glad you're happy.
 
I did compare the two for almost a year and stayed with the 325is.
 
I'm happy, too.
 
Nov 18, 2012 at 9:00 PM Post #35 of 50
Quote:
olsenn said:
All Grado headphones use the same driver. I know Grado themselves have denied this, but I don't care... never trust the company who is selling a product to admit something negative about their products; they will lie through their teeth. The FACT is that if you look at the frequency response graphs for the cheapest 60i and the 10X more expensive RS1i, they both are mostly identical! Grado changes the enclosure a bit and makes some other small adjustments (like an 8-conducted cable vs 4, and a less ****ty fake leather headband) but other than that they are the same damn thing. The changes in casing etc do make a (very) small difference, but not even necessarily for the better.
 
Take a look at the photos posted of the Grado factory where these headphones are made; they are assembled by hung over minimal wage workers who don't care about the quality of their work, and the products are held together by friction and glue! As far as I am aware, the only reason why these headphones are so highly regarded on this site is because they are unpopular and people who waste a tonne of time and money on a hobby don't like coming to the conclusion that the Sennheiser can their friend bought at random for $100 is actually the best deal out there. It would mean they've done all that research for nothing.
 
Before you say I'm speaking about something that I am not qualified to comment about, I DO own the Grado 325is headphones and I have listened to the 60i later on and could not tell the difference. The 60i is not a bad deal as THE Grado headphone is worth $70... it just isn't worth $700!
Click to expand...

 
dude. I think you're taking this way too personally. I'm not very picky about where products are made, but it's cool that a popular consumer product like headphones are manufactured here in USA! Also, how do you know how much their employees make and whether they care or not? Are these 'conclusions' a major factor in your purchasing decision?
 
Mar 9, 2013 at 8:11 AM Post #36 of 50
I agree with talisman42, awesome they are made in the good old USA. Some people just ooze hate on certain brands. My Grado 325 cans destroy my Shure SRH440's. I don't hate the Shure cans, I just know their limits.
 
Mar 9, 2013 at 9:11 AM Post #37 of 50
I agree with talisman42  also.
 
I like my RS1i's better than my buddies Senns 650...and Hifiman 500....granted...I only listen to rock and classic rock.....but the guitars just sound so damn good with my RS1i's....the Senns 650 and Hifiman 500 are good phones, no doubt.....but they cant match the guitars I am hearing from my RS1i's...IMHO
 
Mar 10, 2013 at 3:44 AM Post #39 of 50
I've been to and spent significant time visiting the Grado factory numerous times over the last twenty years. John Grado takes great pride in his products (deservedly so) and puts a lot of effort and R & D into every new design he comes out with in both his headphone and phonograph cartridge lines. I have had the privilege to sometimes get to hear a new model go through it 's development and evolution before it get's to the final production version. Be assured that there is a lot of work put into this process.

John's staff, many of whom have been with him for many years are good at their jobs and share John's dedication to making an excellent product and take pride in their work.

One's preference in headphones like most other products we might contemplate owning are personal choices and no one can force those choices upon you but that does not entitle one to bad mouth or make spurious remarks in an attempt at disparaging something that might not be "your cup of tea".

Grado's reputation for making good sounding, good value audio products that win awards and garner great worldwide reviews has been a reality for many many years and that is a fact that is consistent.

A side note based on my years selling and buying high quality audio gear, like many items in life diminishing returns often are an unavoidable fact. A simple example is that a quality product selling for $1500 will almost never be 3x better than another similar good product that sells for $500. It should and probably will be superior but one's personal opinion whether the difference in performance is worth the difference in price "to YOU" will be the deciding fact and your "reality".

BTW, my least favorite for the money Grado headphone is the SR325, I much prefer the SR225i or the SR125 which is half the price of the 325 but that is strictly my opinion and my preference. I would certainly not look to insult the person who thinks otherwise, who knows, maybe I just haven't had enough experience or exposure to what that person likes.

Just some random thoughts I felt worth sharing, I guess the inflammatory comments earlier got me going. :cool:
 
Mar 10, 2013 at 3:47 AM Post #40 of 50
Quote:
johnnycrash8 said:
Yeah my Grado's rock the guitars too!
Click to expand...

 
+1
 
the Beyerdynamic T1 is the only one i've enjoyed with guitars as much as a grado. made me sell my rs1i and 325s, but the grados are still awesome.
 
Mar 10, 2013 at 3:58 AM Post #41 of 50
PS the previous mention of frequency graphs hit another point. In my opinion these can be an interesting and sometimes handy device but I can state from experience that if you took five speakers (or phono cartridges) with almost identical graphs I would not at all be surprised for you to hear very different audio results between them. They do not tell the complete story, there are other factors involved, some that defy easy measuring with instruments. :cool:
 
Mar 10, 2013 at 9:25 AM Post #42 of 50
Quote:
esl-1 said:
PS the previous mention of frequency graphs hit another point. In my opinion these can be an interesting and sometimes handy device but I can state from experience that if you took five speakers (or phono cartridges) with almost identical graphs I would not at all be surprised for you to hear very different audio results between them. They do not tell the complete story, there are other factors involved, some that defy easy measuring with instruments.
cool.gif
Click to expand...


I agree completely with this statement.  However, it did get me wondering about the actual data, so I went over to Head Room and did their frequency response comparison with 4 different Grados:
 

 
They are similar, but no exactly the same!  Not saying this proves the Grado's have different drivers, but IMHO it is very unlikely that all of the differences are from different enclosures.  I would argue that the similarity between the graphs could simply be evidence that Grado does have a consistent "house sound".
 
Mar 10, 2013 at 9:56 AM Post #43 of 50
Quote:
esl-1 said:
I've been to and spent significant time visiting the Grado factory numerous times over the last twenty years. John Grado takes great pride in his products (deservedly so) and puts a lot of effort and R & D into every new design he comes out with in both his headphone and phonograph cartridge lines. I have had the privilege to sometimes get to hear a new model go through it 's development and evolution before it get's to the final production version. Be assured that there is a lot of work put into this process.

John's staff, many of whom have been with him for many years are good at their jobs and share John's dedication to making an excellent product and take pride in their work.

One's preference in headphones like most other products we might contemplate owning are personal choices and no one can force those choices upon you but that does not entitle one to bad mouth or make spurious remarks in an attempt at disparaging something that might not be "your cup of tea".

Grado's reputation for making good sounding, good value audio products that win awards and garner great worldwide reviews has been a reality for many many years and that is a fact that is consistent.

A side note based on my years selling and buying high quality audio gear, like many items in life diminishing returns often are an unavoidable fact. A simple example is that a quality product selling for $1500 will almost never be 3x better than another similar good product that sells for $500. It should and probably will be superior but one's personal opinion whether the difference in performance is worth the difference in price "to YOU" will be the deciding fact and your "reality".

BTW, my least favorite for the money Grado headphone is the SR325, I much prefer the SR225i or the SR125 which is half the price of the 325 but that is strictly my opinion and my preference. I would certainly not look to insult the person who thinks otherwise, who knows, maybe I just haven't had enough experience or exposure to what that person likes.

Just some random thoughts I felt worth sharing, I guess the inflammatory comments earlier got me going.
cool.gif
Click to expand...

I find it weird that Grado headphones are not sold in some of the bigger chain electronic stores or that they do very little, if any advertising......I guess that they basically do not have to do that stuff, as if people want their product they know where they must go to get it.
 
At any rate , i am so happy that I found the Grado sound, as it just perfectly suits my taste.....the guitar sounds are too die for from my classic rock collection.......Thanks Grado.
 
Dec 7, 2013 at 2:48 PM Post #44 of 50
I owned the 325is for about a year and ended up selling them because they were just too bright. I listen to a lot of extreme metal, and I'd always walk away feeling very fatigued due to the loud highs. I liked everything else about them, the especially the guitar tone.

Are the PS500 as harsh as the 325is? Should I even be considering them, or will I walk away having a thinner wallet and more disappointment?

Thanks
 
Dec 7, 2013 at 3:05 PM Post #45 of 50
campj said:
I owned the 325is for about a year and ended up selling them because they were just too bright. I listen to a lot of extreme metal, and I'd always walk away feeling very fatigued due to the loud highs. I liked everything else about them, the especially the guitar tone.

Are the PS500 as harsh as the 325is? Should I even be considering them, or will I walk away having a thinner wallet and more disappointment?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I did exactly the same only did the opposite at the end.  Sounds like the 500s would be a match for you.
 
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