[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 (Was the 325i mellower than the 325is?)
 

They pretty much sounded the same to my ears.

 

[Kevin Brown]

Quote:

They pretty much sounded the same to my ears.

Thanks.  I don't know why, but that gold of the older 325i is just a draw for me.  My brain keeps trying to persuade me that they could be mellower than the 325is and that I should try them !!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Thanks.  I don't know why, but that gold of the older 325i is just a draw for me.  My brain keeps trying to persuade me that they could be mellower than the 325is and that I should try them !!

Honestly...I prefer the SR225s by a good margin.

 

[seasterl]

So what's the consensus regarding the least forward? I do recall, now, the evolution of the HF-1, but never considered them at the time because I was already content. I'm still not wanting to thin the herd, but rather just contemplating adding a new sound without killing my ears. BTW, to my surprise, are you guys telling me the GS-1000 would likely not be the answer?

 

[bbophead]

I would not tell you that.  :^ )

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Thanks.  I don't know why, but that gold of the older 325i is just a draw for me.  My brain keeps trying to persuade me that they could be mellower than the 325is and that I should try them !!

LOL, me too, the gold is so much more....endearing
 

 

[rgs9200m]

The PS1000s are not forward or pushy. I love mine. I also hate forwardness, especially in the midrange. (I guess that is where this happens, by definition.)
The PS1000s are just diffuse enough to keep vocals and other
midrange items at a perfectly safe distance, just a bit diffuse and recessed and sonorous to sound gorgeous to me.
It is a very refined sound, in my opinion. Other more forward phones make me wince (when there is too much focus) and
it just plain hurts, no matter how good the phones are in other areas. Some phones are helped by good tubes with this.
The PS1000s have turned into my favorites in my collection (HD800s, T1s, 650s, RS1s, 701s and more).
Methinks the 800s and T1s can be too forward sounding unless they they have tubes (then they can be great).
The PS1000s don't need all this big support structure.
If I could only keep one set of phones, the Grados would be it. They are sooo musical.
I think they get way too little respect around here. After a lot of careful listening, I think they are a breakthrough phone.
I might even get a 2nd pair after I sell off some of my older collection.
I want to give a big thanks to Joe Grado for these.
 
(I do really like my 800s and T1s also, but only with my B52 amp, and it took a lot of fiddling with tubes and cables to get there.
But I still like the PS1Ks better overall for their big, friendly, megabuck-speakerlike sound.)

 

[Kevin Brown]

gs9200m - Nice writeup on the PS1000's.  Have you heard the HF1's / HF2's?  I think I remember somewhere someone saying the HF2's are a "baby" version of the PS1000's (Todd maybe?).  Similar construction anyway. 

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks! No, I never heard any HFs; the only other Grados I have heard are the RS1s and GS1000s.

 

[seasterl]

Thanks for all the comments, guys.  I may give the GS-1000i a shot in the very near future, esp. if I can find someone looking for a $2.5k custom chess board with whom to do some trading!

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

The PS1000s are not forward or pushy. I love mine. I also hate forwardness, especially in the midrange. (I guess that is where this happens, by definition.)
The PS1000s are just diffuse enough to keep vocals and other
midrange items at a perfectly safe distance, just a bit diffuse and recessed and sonorous to sound gorgeous to me.
It is a very refined sound, in my opinion. Other more forward phones make me wince (when there is too much focus) and
it just plain hurts, no matter how good the phones are in other areas. Some phones are helped by good tubes with this.
The PS1000s have turned into my favorites in my collection (HD800s, T1s, 650s, RS1s, 701s and more).
Methinks the 800s and T1s can be too forward sounding unless they they have tubes (then they can be great).
The PS1000s don't need all this big support structure.
If I could only keep one set of phones, the Grados would be it. They are sooo musical.
I think they get way too little respect around here. After a lot of careful listening, I think they are a breakthrough phone.
I might even get a 2nd pair after I sell off some of my older collection.
I want to give a big thanks to Joe Grado for these.
 
(I do really like my 800s and T1s also, but only with my B52 amp, and it took a lot of fiddling with tubes and cables to get there.
But I still like the PS1Ks better overall for their big, friendly, megabuck-speakerlike sound.)

I don't think of forwardness as having to do with just the midrange.  Especially when you're talking about the way grados are forward.  If someone thinks the 325 hurt their ears, I doubt it was the midrange that did it, treble/lower treble and possibly upper mids is where music can be painful.  I haven't heard the PS1000 so I can't say, but if the 325 hurt your ears, the GS1000 is going to just be much worse as it has more treble and upper mids.  The people who like the GS1000 either listen at such low volume that the huge treble peak isn't an issue, or they like it and like the 325 as well.  that doesn't seem to be the case for the OP though.
 
 

 

[seasterl]

Here's what I was basing the decision on as to why I think the GS1000i might be worth a try (see graph below):
 
 
 
Notice how the RS1 and SR325 have mid-range peaks 2k and 4.5k Hz whereas the GS-1000 smooths those out?  I think this is why I might like the GS1000i better.  This is also similar to the 701 and HD600 that I currently use.
 

 

[socrates63]

After the SR225 experience, I never thought I would go back to Grado. But coming from the HD600/K701 camp, it was the HF1 that made me a Grado head. HF1 led to my purchase of the RS1. I haven't tried the 325i nor GS1000 so no comment there.

 

[rgs9200m]

Skip the GS's and go for the PS's I say. It's a major improvement, much more sophisticated and less gimmicky.
Read this here (I and others posted some stuff recently):
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/456335/grado-ps1000#

 

[rhythmdevils]

Buying a headphone soley based on a graph is a big mistake, especially when the headphone is that expensive, and especially when you'll be selling prized possessions to get it, and especially when you've created a thread to get feedback  

  This is a great example of why graphs have nothing against the human ear.  I'm telling you, if the 225's hurt your ears, the GS1000 is going to be like torture.  Does anyone who has heard both those cans feel otherwise? 
 
But the best way to find out is to buy them and listen for yourself, as we all hear differently.  Just maybe get used if it's a lot of money for you...