[fierce_freak]

I loved the 325i's when I had 'em. I think I'm going to search out a pair sometime soon.

I didn't find them bright at all (but found K701 bright o.O) and I'd like a tad more bass, but overall they are one of the best I've heard when backed by a strong amp and good source.

 

[areskay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTL /img/forum/go_quote.gif Btw - are you sure, those 325s you're listening to are not the 325is? And if you do enjoy the Grado sound: nothing's wrong at all or rather the question could be - what's wrong with the people who do not like Grados?

you couldn't have said it any better...

 

[rb67]

I think RS-2 vs W1000 would be a more fair comparison considering prices. Over some time, I've realized that I like the sound of the RS-2 better. However, the W1000 is not too far off from the RS-2's in terms of sound quality. The soundstage is better, but the RS-2's bass is tighter and is generally more detailed overall. However, the W1000 does have "something" special about it that I enjoy. Not quite sure about what it is but it certainly holds it's ground against the RS-2. Comfort-wise the W1000's win hands down. I find myself spending about equal amounts of time with both.

I did a quick comparison here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ght=rs-2+w1000

One thing to note is others have disagreed with my opinion.

 

[_jazz]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the 325/i. I think they're great sounding with classical and jazz. I do think they are brighter than any other Grado and if you listen to very high volumes, it could be fatiguing.

 

[MD1032]

I think the new 325i is great, it's the perfect intermediate setp between the SR-225 and the RS-2 and definitely offers a big boost over the 225's to be honest. The old 325's, however, I was not fond of when I tried at the recent NYC meet. The sound was simply far too bright. However, I did not get to hear them with flat pads (mind you, the pads they were originally sold with!!) and I'm sure they sound 10000% better with those.

 

[Toonie]

I absolutely loved the 325i's with flats and dare I say it, preferred them to the HF-1s which I owned at the same time. To be honest I'm not sure how much of that has to do with the fact that I liked the physical weight and substance of the 325i over the HF-1. Personally I felt that with the flats the 325i's had better bass impact than the HF-1s (even with flats) and did everything else well also. I never found them overly bright or fatiguing as many others seem to (even with bowls, though I rarely used them). For me they were just right.

Of course, this is all IMO and I do not even remotely consider myself to be an audiophile or critical listener. I just know what I like, and for me the 325i's were a great headphone.

 

[humzebra]

Nothing! You just need comfy pads.
I use the yellow ones with the nickel hole mod. This gives them the most appropriate sound signature to me. I like their midrange better than my HF-1. I'm not sure which has the better midrange, but somehow the mid of the HF-1 seems more awkward maybe a little congested.
~Don

 

[BigJohn]

Right now I’m checking out the Ultrasone pro 750.
They sound great, especially in the bass dept.
They look right down awful compared to Grado’s though…

 

[Paragon]

I have had 325s for quite some time now. I think they are fine. First real set of cans that I have owned. Tried the 225 and 80s and settled on the 325 (they had to order so I didn't even listen to them before I bought them.

They seem fine for all types of music to me (it's all in my head)
I can see how some people say they lack bass but I believe that is more the recording than anything. If you find the right recordings, the bass will be there.

I can see how they can be bright at times (especially in games - yeah.. remember they are the only headphones I have and I use them well) but they have excellent detail.

Granted I am using these mostly out of my comp speaker headphone out (I think it has the NJM5532 opamp for the headphones) so better amplification will probably help.

 

[BigJohn]

Well I’ve done it…
I bought a pair of Grado 325’s, the ones with the aluminium housings.
The serial number is 1044, I have no idea how long they’ve been at the shop where I bought them, but I got a great deal on them and these where the ones I liked and listened to for a long time.
I really tried to like the RS2 better, but I really liked the way the 325’s made listening to music fun!
I know some will comment on the sibilance of this particular model, but I guess they just match my hearing very favourable, at least partnered with the Creek OBH 21 that I’m still using.
Also the lack of bass some people complain about is just what I need, since I’m the opposite of a bass head.
I admit that with some music I like a bit more bass, but with most of the music I listen to I like the 325’s bass just fine.
The 325 as well as the RS2 and probably other Grado’s are about the only ones that make the foot tapping of the (acoustic) guitar players that I love to listen to so much, not bigger than they are in reality (the Beyerdynamic DT770 was the champion in making the foot tapping larger than live…)
One moment I really liked the big bass the Ultrasone Proline 750 could give me, but in the long haul I still preferred the more real sounding bass of the 325’s.
I hated the way the 750’s felt on my head, more precisely around my ears, and I really didn’t care for the way they looked.
What I did like about them was they’re price at the moment in Belgium, 185 Euros, that’s a great deal.
What I did like was the look of the Audio Technica ATH W1000, and they sounded really good for a closed can, at first.
After some more listening I kept noticing some sort of distortion that I couldn’t help but find that somewhat annoying.
It’s still a very fine sounding closed headphone though, and I guess the distortion I noticed is something I’m just sensitive to.
I started out wanting a closed headphone, but found that closed didn’t meant that I could not here the talking and TV around me in the same room.
I know it’s less of an annoyance than with open headphones but still…
So after time I didn’t felt the need so strong to want a closed headphone, and realised I liked an open headphone more.
Now I want to find the best possible amp for the 325’s and stop the searching and just keep enjoying using them to listen to my favourite music.
So here I am with my 325’s asking you to comment on what amplifier you think will match the best with them, remember I like to listen pretty loud so I need enough power.

 

[EyeAmEye]

10 Things wrong with Grado SR325 &/or SR325i:
1. Way too bright
2. Horrid comfort
3. Way too bright
4. No soundstage
Reasons 5-10: Way too bright

BTW, the 325 is brighter than the 325i.

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adanac061 /img/forum/go_quote.gif NOTHING IT'S PERFECT ... ...Just kidding. You have to understand the 325i is a strange and demanding creature. It demands the best source, the best amp and source material. The 325i is actually used around the world as a studio headphone for mastering and mixing (just do a google search) apparently they sound alot like genelec monitors? The highs are only bright if you have a bright amp and/or source material etc. The only thing I can think of thats wrong, and this is nitpicking here, is that the soundstage is much less than k501. and also it doesn't stay on my head very well . Other than that, they are perfect (for me) Thanks

He's asking about the 325, not the 325i....

 

[adanac061]

.....and that people is why you should read a whole thread before posting .

sorry.

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigJohn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I’ve done it… I bought a pair of Grado 325’s, the ones with the aluminium housings. The serial number is 1044, I have no idea how long they’ve been at the shop where I bought them, but I got a great deal on them and these where the ones I liked and listened to for a long time.

I was in the same boat as you a couple summers ago. I got a great deal on a pair of 325's at a local shop. It was their last pair and they were willing to cut me a deal so that they could clear out the 325 and order the 325i's.

I really liked mine, but even after burn-in, they were very bright. Even at low volume listening, I was developing ringing in my ear, and I believe that the frequency response of these cans was the cause. I reluctantly had to sell them at a slight loss.

Hopefully you have better luck w/ the 325's than I did and you can rock out w/ them for many years to come.

 

[MaZa]

I guess original 325 would be perfect victim for Flat pads! Softened highs and boosted bass, it might actually sound very balanced.