Darksyde
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2009
- Posts
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- Likes
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Hello Head-Fi!
As we all know, Head-Fi is a great resource of information, thanks to the thousands of people who give up their time to write up reviews of things for the benefit of others. I'm doing this because I have to (thanks HK_Sends). Ok, I'm just joking. I always wanted to write a review anyways, and HK_Sends gave me a great deal on a CMoy amp and some other stuff, under the condition that I write a review on my portable rig. I would just like to say that he is a very friendly, honest, generous, and reliable person. I would not hesitate to buy anything from him, and neither should you! It's because of him that I am enjoying the fantastic sound that's coming from my Grados! Thanks, HK!
Alright, onto the review. What I'm comparing are my Grado SR80i's and SR225i's amped an unamped. I have also assigned percentage improvements in the 225i's, plus I'll give a written description of each aspect of the sound and how it's improved in the latter Grado. Note: My setup can be found in my sig, and all songs used to compare the headphones are flac files.
Grado SR225i Unamped Improvement Over SR80i (%):
Highs: 25%
Mids: 30%
Bass: Impact: 25% Tightness:15% Extension: 20%
Weightiness: 20%
Fullness: 20%
Detail: 12%
Clarity: 20%
Separation: 25%
Soundstage: 20%
Explanation:
Highs: I found the highs on the 225's to be much more refined, better extended, more natural, and so much less fatiguing than on the 80's that I wouldn't even call them fatiguing anymore. They are just perfectly defined, and instead of being overwhelming, they are less prominent, giving the 225's a significantly more neutral sound than the 80's. I used Time by Pink Floyd to test this aspect of the sound specifically. On the 80's, I found the clocks ringing at the beginning to be far too shrill, and I had to lower the volume on my Cowon in order to make that part of the song more bearable to listen to.
Mids: I used The Fantasy by 30 Seconds to Mars to test the mids on both of the 'phones. I paid specific attention to the guitar being played at the beginning of the song. While it sounds good on both headphones, it sounds so vibrant and realistic on the 225's that sometimes it makes me forget about reality. You can hear everything: the fingers strumming the notes, to the rich sound of the strings vibrating. It's truly something to behold!
As for vocals, I used All to Myself- Marianas Trench. This song is very well recorded, and the vocals are so rich and well presented that you can't help but think that the artist is right there, a few feet away from you, performing just for you! Every nuance can being heard, including Tyson's voice getting a bit pitchy in the beginning of the chorus.
Bass: The bass is similar to how it is on the 80i's, but there's a good deal more of everything. It is very tight, deep, and the impact is very satisfying. It's very realistic and in very natural quantities, so that it's not over-powering. It may not live up to a basshead's standards, but that's why there are Dennon headphones out there (come to think of it, Bose too)! Oh, to hear the best-sounding song on any Grado, listen to Animals by Nickelback, and for the first 25 seconds, you'll see Grado for all that it is. Trust me.
Weightiness: This is the impact of all the other non-bass frequencies. The 225's are a good deal better than the 80's in this category.
Fullness: Fullness is the depth to the sound, and is similar to weightiness. I hope that you understand what I mean. Perhaps what I'm trying to describe is richness?
Detail: The 80's are very detailed, and the 225's are a touch more so. I once again used Time because of the clock alarms at the beginning of the song. I think that if you close your eyes and listen to it at a decent volume (something I can only do with the 225's because of the shrillness and lack of refinement on the 80's) you can hear everything! I mean every little detail. But, you know what they say: hearing is believing!
Separation: There is a lot more air cushioning each note on the 225's, and more definition. There is also a greater sense of depth to each note. Separation can also be considered part of the soundstage.
Soundstage: It's not really until the RS-1's that you get a real soundstage, but the 225's come pretty close. Instead of the music being 2D, I can now differentiate the distance of different instruments to some extent. Also, the sound extends to almost full circle around my head (or so it sounds xP), which really helps get rid of the "clutter" you can sometimes hear on the 80's.
Grado SR225i's and SR80i's Amped (using a decaff CMoy, courtesy of HK_Sends xD)
Because the amp doesn't make the headphones sound different (just better), I won't go into detail like I did before. Just know that even a cheap amp like a CMoy really does a lot for the 225i's. It helps make the difference between the 80's and 225's much more apparent. Note that this is with both headphones amped, so while most things don't change more than 5%, this is how much better the 225's sound amped when compared to the 80's amped. If it were the 225's amped vs the 80's unamped, there would be an even greater difference.
Highs: 30%
Mids: 40%
Bass: Impact: 33% Tightness:18% Extension: 22%
Weightiness: 25%
Fullness: 25%
Detail: 15%
Clarity: 20%
Separation: 30%
Soundstage: 25%
Overall, I have to say that the 225's are well worth the upgrade. I hope I don't come across as ragging on the 80's. They are fantastic headphones, and are terrific value! These are both Grados, so most things are very similar. I think that the 225's just give you more of everything, like most other headphones higher up their brand-tree do. Keep in mind that the numbers that you see are my opinion, and you should take them with a pinch of salt. However, they represent the difference I heard. Then again, chances are that me being 13 years old and not having fully-developed ears will change what I hear from what you might. Your mileage may vary.
I hope this helps someone!
Mark
As we all know, Head-Fi is a great resource of information, thanks to the thousands of people who give up their time to write up reviews of things for the benefit of others. I'm doing this because I have to (thanks HK_Sends). Ok, I'm just joking. I always wanted to write a review anyways, and HK_Sends gave me a great deal on a CMoy amp and some other stuff, under the condition that I write a review on my portable rig. I would just like to say that he is a very friendly, honest, generous, and reliable person. I would not hesitate to buy anything from him, and neither should you! It's because of him that I am enjoying the fantastic sound that's coming from my Grados! Thanks, HK!
Alright, onto the review. What I'm comparing are my Grado SR80i's and SR225i's amped an unamped. I have also assigned percentage improvements in the 225i's, plus I'll give a written description of each aspect of the sound and how it's improved in the latter Grado. Note: My setup can be found in my sig, and all songs used to compare the headphones are flac files.
Grado SR225i Unamped Improvement Over SR80i (%):
Highs: 25%
Mids: 30%
Bass: Impact: 25% Tightness:15% Extension: 20%
Weightiness: 20%
Fullness: 20%
Detail: 12%
Clarity: 20%
Separation: 25%
Soundstage: 20%
Explanation:
Highs: I found the highs on the 225's to be much more refined, better extended, more natural, and so much less fatiguing than on the 80's that I wouldn't even call them fatiguing anymore. They are just perfectly defined, and instead of being overwhelming, they are less prominent, giving the 225's a significantly more neutral sound than the 80's. I used Time by Pink Floyd to test this aspect of the sound specifically. On the 80's, I found the clocks ringing at the beginning to be far too shrill, and I had to lower the volume on my Cowon in order to make that part of the song more bearable to listen to.
Mids: I used The Fantasy by 30 Seconds to Mars to test the mids on both of the 'phones. I paid specific attention to the guitar being played at the beginning of the song. While it sounds good on both headphones, it sounds so vibrant and realistic on the 225's that sometimes it makes me forget about reality. You can hear everything: the fingers strumming the notes, to the rich sound of the strings vibrating. It's truly something to behold!
As for vocals, I used All to Myself- Marianas Trench. This song is very well recorded, and the vocals are so rich and well presented that you can't help but think that the artist is right there, a few feet away from you, performing just for you! Every nuance can being heard, including Tyson's voice getting a bit pitchy in the beginning of the chorus.
Bass: The bass is similar to how it is on the 80i's, but there's a good deal more of everything. It is very tight, deep, and the impact is very satisfying. It's very realistic and in very natural quantities, so that it's not over-powering. It may not live up to a basshead's standards, but that's why there are Dennon headphones out there (come to think of it, Bose too)! Oh, to hear the best-sounding song on any Grado, listen to Animals by Nickelback, and for the first 25 seconds, you'll see Grado for all that it is. Trust me.
Weightiness: This is the impact of all the other non-bass frequencies. The 225's are a good deal better than the 80's in this category.
Fullness: Fullness is the depth to the sound, and is similar to weightiness. I hope that you understand what I mean. Perhaps what I'm trying to describe is richness?
Detail: The 80's are very detailed, and the 225's are a touch more so. I once again used Time because of the clock alarms at the beginning of the song. I think that if you close your eyes and listen to it at a decent volume (something I can only do with the 225's because of the shrillness and lack of refinement on the 80's) you can hear everything! I mean every little detail. But, you know what they say: hearing is believing!
Separation: There is a lot more air cushioning each note on the 225's, and more definition. There is also a greater sense of depth to each note. Separation can also be considered part of the soundstage.
Soundstage: It's not really until the RS-1's that you get a real soundstage, but the 225's come pretty close. Instead of the music being 2D, I can now differentiate the distance of different instruments to some extent. Also, the sound extends to almost full circle around my head (or so it sounds xP), which really helps get rid of the "clutter" you can sometimes hear on the 80's.
Grado SR225i's and SR80i's Amped (using a decaff CMoy, courtesy of HK_Sends xD)
Because the amp doesn't make the headphones sound different (just better), I won't go into detail like I did before. Just know that even a cheap amp like a CMoy really does a lot for the 225i's. It helps make the difference between the 80's and 225's much more apparent. Note that this is with both headphones amped, so while most things don't change more than 5%, this is how much better the 225's sound amped when compared to the 80's amped. If it were the 225's amped vs the 80's unamped, there would be an even greater difference.
Highs: 30%
Mids: 40%
Bass: Impact: 33% Tightness:18% Extension: 22%
Weightiness: 25%
Fullness: 25%
Detail: 15%
Clarity: 20%
Separation: 30%
Soundstage: 25%
Overall, I have to say that the 225's are well worth the upgrade. I hope I don't come across as ragging on the 80's. They are fantastic headphones, and are terrific value! These are both Grados, so most things are very similar. I think that the 225's just give you more of everything, like most other headphones higher up their brand-tree do. Keep in mind that the numbers that you see are my opinion, and you should take them with a pinch of salt. However, they represent the difference I heard. Then again, chances are that me being 13 years old and not having fully-developed ears will change what I hear from what you might. Your mileage may vary.
I hope this helps someone!
Mark
