Hey, Todd, thanks for the loaner tour.
I joined this tour because the original Grado SR125 was my gateway to good headphone sound. I still have that pair, although I soon moved up to the original SR325. Those were and are superb. They filled out the bass and expanded the soundstage I enjoyed on the SR125.
So I jumped at the chance to hear new Grados made with a few more decades of experience and the added (lowercase) x factor. Photo of the family reunion is below.
From what I've been reading, the SR225x are different from previous generations of that model. But it turns out that mostly, after years of the SR325, the SR225x sound...familiar.
Any Head-Fier knows that switching between different earphone brands, or even models, can feel like a major remix for the music -- but not with these. Timbres of instruments and voices are clearly shaped the same way. Seems like Grado decided long ago on what it considers natural and exciting.
I like that sound. With Grados, it's as if you're there live, the stage is dark, a pinpoint spotlight shines on each instrument as it appears until, somehow, all those spotlights blend.
OK, on to the specifics of the SR225x. TL;dr They need different pads, and they're not quite on par with my longtime SR325.
One advance: SR225x are much easier to drive. I'm not using megadollar sources. From an Astell & Kern player with volume gradations up to 150, on the new SR225x I get the same volume at 90 that I used to crank up to 105 on the SR325. Using the volume keys on a MacBook Air, the approximate volume match is two or three steps lower on the SR225x. If you imagine the Schitt Magni volume knob on a clockface, 11 a.m. for the SR225x equals 2 p.m. for the SR325. (None of these are precisely measured--just by ear.)
I definitely appreciate the SR225x's padded headband, which is much more comfortable than SR125. I'm not so thrilled with the hefty new cable, which is stiffer and more microphonic than the older Grado cables. Yes, it's anti-tangle, though I've never found that a problem; it also helps prevent the longtime Grado tendency for the cord to get twisted at the connection to the driver. The bulky, relatively inflexible cord also makes even clearer that Grado expects these to be used at home, not portably. (Meanwhile, a non-detachable cable, still, in 2021? Really?)
The SR225x phones themselves (not counting the weighty cord) are nearly as featherweight as the old SR125; of course the SR325 is noticeably heavier with its metal housings.
OK, downsides. The SR225x have flat foam F pads compared to the bowl-shaped "L-Cush" of my old SR125 and SR325. What was Grado thinking?
The difference between F and L pads -- an additional half an inch of foam pushing back from the ear -- seriously broadens the soundstage, so the vocals aren't nose-to-nose with you. I listened extensively with the flat pads, and things just felt squashed. (Using the flat pads on the old SR325 shifted them toward a pressed-up-to-the-control-room-glass sensation, too.)
Grados are so much more capable! Putting L-Cush pads on the SR225x helped a lot.
BTW, I also tried Sennheiser HD414 pads. Yes, they fit the drivers exactly and are soft and extra-comfortable. But they sound like total mush. (I haven't cut out the centers; probably should.) People have noted the Geekria L-cush pads in Grado fan thread, but there's also an ultra-cheap substitute for L-Cush pads--not as stiff and substantial as OEM Grado, but providing the needed thickness. These from XRHYY:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32508420454.html
Anyway, I moved some OEM Grado L-Cush onto the SR225x. And with those, they are close but still a little short of the old SR325.
The SR225x with L-Cush are pretty enjoyable on their own -- natural, balanced, reasonably spacious. I listened to a sine sweep (
https://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_sinesweep20-20k.php) through both SR225x and SR325 and WHOA! can you hear the peak around 2k Hz. (You can see it in the graphs Crinacle has for other Grado models; to me, the rise starts a little above 1800 Hz.) There's also an audible rise from around 225-850 Hz on both sets; hello, vocals and guitars (and say hi to Fletcher-Munson too).
On close listening, the SR225x are a bit more V-shaped than the SR325; mid-bass is up and vocals (esp. male) can be veiled. (Listen to Kanye West f. Rihanna, "All of the Lights," around 2:24 where it gets cluttered; on the SR225x, the drums overshadow the vocals.) The flat pads do push the vocals more forward than the L-Cush pads--but, again, by shrinking the soundstage.
My old SR325 still have more of all the good stuff: transparency, roundness, detail, separation, depth, sparkle and bite when called for. The fundamental pitch comes through more clearly on deep bass tones and bass drum hits; vocals are more individualized and three-dimensional; percussion transients are a little snappier. That Grado spotlight just seems to shine a little more brightly on each element.
I'd be very curious to hear the SR325x, which are getting a lot of Head-Fi love. For now, the SR225x won't dethrone my old-school SR325.