adtrance said:

Oh yeah?  That WAS my first choice before deciding on the Little Dot 1+ tube amp.  Since then, I've spent FAR too much time in Head Fi, filling my mind with all sorts of ideas.  O2, M-Stage, Schiit, Violectric, there's just so many out there.  SO MANY!

I don't mind spending $$ (okay, there is a limit  ) on a good amp to try with the 325e.  I'm really happy with the Little Dot, but I also want a solid state amp that will complement it.

I'll probably keep reading user impressions for a while until I can't stand it any more and then just throw a dart to see which amp it lands on.

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darts have worked for me before

oracle said:

  Just received my RS2e this morning and will be giving them some heavy listening this evening with impressions to follow.  My initial impression after having owned the RS1i and RS1e I'm confused why these aren't more popular on Head-fi.

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Congrats. They are great. I think some people are just buying into the fallacy that the RS2 is a "boring" sounding grados which the RS2e definitely is not. I'm still on the fence since I own a buttonless RS1 non i/e. I just wish the gimbals were metal like the RS1 .

kite7 said:

 

oracle said:

  Just received my RS2e this morning and will be giving them some heavy listening this evening with impressions to follow.  My initial impression after having owned the RS1i and RS1e I'm confused why these aren't more popular on Head-fi.

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Congrats. They are great. I think some people are just buying into the fallacy that the RS2 is a "boring" sounding grados which the RS2e definitely is not. I'm still on the fence since I own a buttonless RS1 non i/e. I just wish the gimbals were metal like the RS1 .

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Yeah, but that helps keep the cost down of the RS2....but i see your point.

kite7 said:

   
Congrats. They are great. I think some people are just buying into the fallacy that the RS2 is a "boring" sounding grados which the RS2e definitely is not. I'm still on the fence since I own a buttonless RS1 non i/e. I just wish the gimbals were metal like the RS1 .

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I'll admit I was one of those who went from the SR325is to the RS1i not even thinking about the RS2 and I can definitely say that the RS2e is not boring at all sitting here listening to Catfish Blues (Live) by Gary Clark Jr.  I love how the RS2e reproduces that guitar 

So out of the all the Prestige series(SR60e-SR325e) which comes with the most comfortable pads? I tried the SR80e but it became too uncomfortable after less than an hour of use. 

I liked the L cushion on the 325e more than the S cushion on the 80s.  But the optional G cushion is the most comfortable for me.

sayitaintsoap said:

  So out of the all the Prestige series(SR60e-SR325e) which comes with the most comfortable pads? I tried the SR80e but it became too uncomfortable after less than an hour of use. 

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I also prefer the L-cushion over the S-cushion. The L is much cooler which says a lot. It is also more comfortable than the S-cushion if you have it in the right place. I.E. you need to slide the ear-cup up and down the leg to find the right place. Otherwise it becomes agony.
 
That doesn't mean the L-cushion is infallible. It can hurt a little if you have listened for many hours a day, over many days. You can though just move the cup around slightly off where it hurts and continue listening.
 
However for me it is still preferable to the S-cushion which can hurt more over longer sessions. The pressure of the pad over the entire ear causes discomfort on various areas of the pinna. You can't move the pressure off either, as pressure is uniform across the ear-cup.
 
As 'adtrance' mentioned above you could go all out for the G-cushion. Alternatively in the UK on Amazon there is a trader selling what are custom made slightly larger L-type-cushions for £12. They review well.
 
 
P.S. I can't recommend putting an L-cushion on a SR60-SR125. It might be OK on the 'e' series to do this. However I put an L-cushion on the SR125i and it was too bright. I think the S-cushion is there to absorb some higher frequency, or vice-versa.)

greenbow said:

   You can't move the pressure off either, as pressure uniform across the ear-cup.
P.S. I can't recommend putting an L-cushion on a SR60-SR125. 

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You can simply stretch the headband to achieve the correct pressure for your liking.
The entire SR models benefit from the (L) cushions in every way...in fact all of the earlier SR models came "stock" with the (L) cushions. But it does come down to your personal preference. 

But be careful don't stretch it too much... You will lose bass... Happened to me on my old 325is (not the one I'm having). Luckily you can still press the cans toward each other
 
On pads yep buy the L cushs, sound good for every Grado from RS1i downwards. I would disagree on S cushs vs L cushs comfort - IMO stretching the headband means everything concerning Grado comfort.

williamleonhart said:

  But be careful don't stretch it too much... You will lose bass... Happened to me on my old 325is (not the one I'm having). Luckily you can still press the cans toward each other
 
On pads yep buy the L cushs, sound good for every Grado from RS1i downwards. I would disagree on S cushs vs L cushs comfort - IMO stretching the headband means everything concerning Grado comfort.

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+1

Quote:

joseph69 said:

  You can simply stretch the headband to achieve the correct pressure for your liking.
The entire SR models benefit from the (L) cushions in every way...in fact all of the earlier SR models came "stock" with the (L) cushions. But it does come down to your personal preference. 

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Actually the SR60 came with S-cushion. I bought two pairs around 2003-2004. The first pair I gave away to a relative; as you do. The SR80 upwards came with L. (I auditioned the SR80.)
 
My SR60 were comfy enough, but I didn't do very long listening with them. My SR125i would hurt my ears with S-cushion in long listens. That was whether given a little stretch or not. I was loath to stretch them much at all in case they went too far, or became misshapen. After a gentle stretch I was happy to let them wear themselves in. (Maybe they needed longer as I didn't have them too long.) The other issue as I already said was heat. S-cushions make your ears perspire after a longish listen. They feel warmer to wear full-stop. 
 
My SR225i(red drivers) I can wear comfortably for hours with their L-cushion, and they never get hot. (I am yet to wear them in summer, but up to 25'C they have been cool.) They rarely give me reason to move them. That's my experience and the best advice I can give. It's all entirely about finding the place on the leg where they are comfy on the ear long-time.
 
If you think L-cushion sound OK on lower that 225i models fair enough. I didn't on SR125i, after trying it recently. Each to their own as they say.
 
(Generally, though, no point me labouring my S vs L comfort discussion anymore. It's pretty obvious other folk will have other impression.)
 
 
@satitaintsoap, what I would say unremittingly is get yourself some Grados if you want them. Once bought there is no regret. Wise to ask first though as, if in doubt don't. However if you can afford SR325e ..........  

greenbow said:

  Actually the SR60 came with S-cushion.
 

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October 1994: Grado introduces their SR60 headphone

I tried the new MSpro e at a local dealer, the headphones looks gorgeous in brown leather head band, much nicer than the ones with black. The dirvers stick out about 1mm from the wood cups but this does not affacts comfort much, the woodie headphones are very light weight and comfort, much comfy than my PS500e.
 
Sound wise, well, I understand Alesssandro/Grado's new aprroach about how they tuning their new "old flagships" but I wasn't appriciate that.
It's definitely not a bad sounding headphones for sure, the sound quality is of the same level of the PS500e, but they've changed the sound signature a lot from the 'i' version.
The MSpro e has much more bass than the old model, the quantity of mid bass is even more than it's on the PS500e, the bass is a bit bloated and is a bit too much for my liking, there is a possibility that the headphones haven't burnt in yet but I could see even after a while the bass will still remains there. Treble is quite rolled-off, I will not say it's a bad change as in my case, it's not easy to find  the perfect amp/dac to tame the treble/upper mids energy of the old MSpro i (actrally I did find the WA7 manage to drive the mspro i very well), the new e version is quite forgiving, the treble never sound harsh no matter what you drive it with, but it's dark at the same time, even darker than the PS500e, the mids of the headphone is quite nice actrally, I think it's the only part of their sound that I was satisfied with. The mids is a bit forward, the quality is really good and musical. The general sound of the MSpro e is quite warm and full-bodied. It has less treble extension and energy than the PS500e, not to mention the previous MSpro i, the bass extension is less than the PS500e also, but the quantity of mid-bass is more than the PS500e. It's not a fast sounding headphones as the previous model.
 
The MSpro e is a pair of "fun sounding" headphones, it's quite a departure from the previous model. IMO the change is unnecessary. I would not recommend this model, unless for vocal.
 
The PS500e is another "so-so" heaphones to me, some may disagree with me but after I tried them with dedcated source and amp, I was still underwhelmed. Maybe I am a "treble head" but I am still appriciate the sound of the GR10 (mids) and the a bit bassy Shure se215 and Senn PX100. I think it's a matter of "getting things right" and in the case of the PS500e and MSpro e, unfortunately they don't. These are the only "e" series I've tried and I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I shoudl try the SR325e and MS2e to see if the company has done something good to the new e series.

zuqi said:

   
The PS500e is another "so-so" heaphones to me, some may disagree with me but after I tried them with dedcated source and amp, I was still underwhelmed. Maybe I am a "treble head" but I am still appriciate the sound of the GR10 (mids) and the a bit bassy Shure se215 and Senn PX100. I think it's a matter of "getting things right" and in the case of the PS500e and MSpro e, unfortunately they don't. These are the only "e" series I've tried and I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I shoudl try the SR325e and MS2e to see if the company has done something good to the new e series.

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I went with the 325e after reading so many posts and reviews on how it retains the Grado signature sound.  It's the whole reason I went with it instead of the 500e.  Believe me, I agonized over this decision.  For what it's worth I never auditioned the 500e, but I couldn't be happier after spending time with my new 325e.

adtrance said:

   For what it's worth I never auditioned the 500e, but I couldn't be happier after spending time with my new 325e.

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Definitely seems the 325e gets the highest regards in the new (e) series Grado's.