[BillsonChang007]

Hello everyone!
 
I heard good stuff about Grados which is great for Rocks and I listen to those genres in the afternoon in my room. Feeling to give it a try but afraid it might be slightly too bright for my taste as I tried the Sennheiser IE800 and don't like it. So my main question is how bright are Grados? Will take SR80i as standard. 
 
Thanks!
Billson 

 

[DivergeUnify]

Honestly not that bright.  They're bright, but here thats distorted to mean painful and bad.  In reality the 225i is pretty excellent in energy and no where near painful.  325is could be considered too bright, depending on music( not in my opinion), but these are the brightest in the Grado line-up

 

[whirlwind]

If you like rock, give them a try....go for the entry level SR60i or SR80i....this will let you know if you like them or not.
 
I have just recently bought the RS1i....my ISP is going to love me this month, as I have 2 weeks to go before my billing and I am at 90% of my data used.
 
Ever since I got these cans I have been streaming AC/DC concerts big time.....damn you Angus Young 

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEHpBNf_cA
 
I say give them a try and if you do not like them, sell them.
 
A new set of SR60i's can be had for $80....maybe a used pair cheaper here in the buy/sell/trade forum

 

[ToddTheMetalGod]

They tend to be bright, but there are ways of reducing their sibilance and over time you will adjust to the brightness. With my SR325is, I found that up-sampling from 44.1 KHz to 88.2 KHz helped by stopping the highs from cutting off so abruptly and now they seem to roll off ever so slightly. Changing the type of ear pads you use can also reduce the sibilance, as can lightly shampooing and washing them to soften them up. I wouldn't suggest the SR325is, the brightness isn't bearable for more than 2-3 hours of listening at medium-high volumes without slight pain. I threw my money at them because they were the first pair of Hi-Fi headphones I listened to. As Diverge said the SR225i is a good option. In the Prestige Series, the lower end models are the ones with the least sibilance, but in return less clarity and detail.

 

[whoelse]

I use to think they are bright and later realised I was listening to them too loud. After I listen to the right volume, I never had any issue. The only headphones I cannot stand is the Superlux 681F, it has piercing high that come very suddenly. Grados are bright but unless you are listening to them too loud they never bother me a single moment.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Quote:

If you like rock, give them a try....go for the entry level SR60i or SR80i....this will let you know if you like them or not.
 
I have just recently bought the RS1i....my ISP is going to love me this month, as I have 2 weeks to go before my billing and I am at 90% of my data used.
 
Ever since I got these cans I have been streaming AC/DC concerts big time.....damn you Angus Young 

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEHpBNf_cA
 
I say give them a try and if you do not like them, sell them.
 
A new set of SR60i's can be had for $80....maybe a used pair cheaper here in the buy/sell/trade forum

Does it sound good with other genres of music? As I find it not worthy if it is only meant for rocks.
 
thank you for the input! Am now looking between SR80i or SR225i

 

[nehcrow]

Alessandro series is great if you are worried about harsh treble.
They have a more neutral treble whilst retaining Grado clarity and energy. 
 

 

[whirlwind]

Quote:

Does it sound good with other genres of music? As I find it not worthy if it is only meant for rocks.
 
thank you for the input! Am now looking between SR80i or SR225i

I really hate to comment on other genres too much, because I only listen to rock, but I would think they would do fine, unless you are talking something where you want the bass to boom.

 

[GREQ]

To put things into perspective, I thought the HD800 was slightly more fatiguing than my RS2i. (SR80i has similar treble quality, but a little grainer).
 
I think classical, jazz and anything acoustic also sounds fantastic on Grados.
If you have a good EQ, almost anything sounds pretty good on them.
 
My only advice is to pair it with the darkest, gruntiest amp you can find - it can help take the edge off. 
I'm using a cheap 80's Fisher amp, but the headphone out is nice and bassy.

 

[mastershake2393]

As other have said, I'd try the SR-80i out if you want to try the Grado sound because it certainly isn't for everyone. That way you can form your opinions on the sound without having to spend a lot of money.

 

[streetdragon]

they have plenty of life and energy, the comfy earpads help reduce the treble, but the minibowls found on the higher end grados help with clarity at the cost of possibly being too bright.
it doesn't really cost a bomb so i suggest you give it a try, then you would better know how to upgrade from there

 

[Douger333]

I have had SR60's and SR225's for around 12 years, and if you can justify $200 the 225's are worth it with increased bass and detail. Even the 325's sound very smooth and polished after break-in, which may take 60-100 hours... If you fall in love with the Grado sound the PS500's are truly awesome at $595.

 

[BillsonChang007]

Hmm... Maybe I could head to a shop and demo them first... Anyone knows if there's any demo unit for Grados at Rome, Italy? Going there in 3weeks time. There ain no any headphone shop in my place here(Brunei). 
 
Douger333: 60-100 Hours??? That's lengthy! I only though of 20-40 hours for two of mine! Anyway, good to know that!

 

[Chris_Himself]

Most Grado pain is related to overly loud volumes to try to hear bass that isn't there. The pronounced treble helps those older guys hear details that weren't present in other cans.

But to answer your question:

Lasers.

 

[hiyu64]

I've had an SR-60, SR-325i, and PS500. 

Personally, all Grados or at least the ones I've heard are bright to a degree.  SR-325i's are extremely bright and I sold them as fast as I could since I could not sit through most songs using the 325i.  SR-60s are less bright in comparison.  
PS500(which has similar FR to HF-2s) are the darkest sounding Grados, but they still slightly bright. 
 
If you look at the Data Sheets on Innerfidelity, it'll all make sense.  The FR of highs of the Grado Reference series are very similar.  They all have a peak at 2Khz and 10Khz with the 10Khz peak increasing in amplitude when you go up from SR60 to SR325i.  The 325i has a very high 10Khz peak and a very high 3rd peak at 4.5Khz.  This is just ear rape. 
The PS500's 2K peak is almost level when compared to the mids.  It also has a bumped up mid bass as well as having a 10khz peak similar to the SR60 to SR125.  The SR225i and SR325i both have that nasty 10khz peak, but the SR225i does not have the 4.5khz peak the 325i has. 
 
whew I'm still trying to understand and learn about measurements, but it's really interesting to see how measurements match your subjective impressions.