[amp 36]

Hi all again,

Still not convinced with my Sonys 3000, I am considering( for the future...if I am finally not convinced) AT-900 or GRADO SR225

Source: Musical Fidelity A3CD
Headphone amp: Perreaux SX-1
Music I listen to: A lot of indie/alternative pop-rock, power-pop, some rock, emo, punk-pop, americana and soft electronica.

What I don'y like about the Sonys: Way too bright sometimes. Thin and metallic with some cds, specially rock or punk-pop.

I own a pair of Grados SR-60 and I like them, less bright and more bass, but in detail, sounstage..etc can't be compared with the Sonys.

Maybe the SR-225 are what I am after......but I prefer closed cans, that's why I am asking how the AT-900 compare with the Grados and which of them do you think are better overall.

Regards,
AMP

 

[superjohnny]

Well I'm in an interesting position to make a comparison. I recently sold my SR225's to get the A900's. At the time I'd never heard the A900s and while I liked the 225's very much, I just wanted to try something different. Call it a whim. Let me first say that they're both very good... just different. I also own the SR60's which is why I got the SR225's. The SR225's do everything the SR60's do, but better… especially the bass. The 225's go very low and seem to do so effortlessly. They're a much more refined sound than the 60's.

The A900's don't have the low end that the 225's have and they (of course) lack that "in your face" Grado sound. They have good bass, but not like the 225's. Where they excel over the 225's is with their instrument separation & soundstage.

Without doing a full on review of both I'm going to list what I see as pro's & con's of each.

Pros for SR225's:
- Detailed, in-your-face Grado sound
- Great bass
- Clear & fast highs & mids
- Open & light so your ears don't get hot
- Wonderful match with RA1 headphone amplifier
Cons for SR225's:
- Open can means I have to fight with the TV
- Build quality not near as nice as A900's
- Cord can get hard & tangled as drivers twist in circles
- Have to buy a 1/4" -> 1/8" adapter

Pros for A900's:
- Great soundstage & instrument separation
- Great build quality and no Y where wires get crossed & tangled
- Closed offers decent isolation
- Soft pleather makes them soft & comfortable.
- No need for an amp with these, sound great out of an iPod
- Comes with built in 1/8" -> 1/4" adapter
- I really like the cord, which feels like an extension cord and doesn't get twisted
Cons for A900's:
- Not as fast as Grado's
- Ears can get hot & sweaty
- Quite heavy
- Not really adjustable size-wise. They "automatically" fit. Pro or Con? I don't know, they seem to fit without too much clamp. If they clamped your head you wouldn't be able to fix it. Take note all you Head-Fi melon heads.

I may add to this list as stuff comes to me, but that should get you started.

 

[ntsour]

I've owned an SR225 for 5 months now and an A900 for a couple of weeks. I run them both unamped straight out from an iriver H120. So take into consideration that I am more used to the Grado sound and A900 are not burnt-in.

To be fair SR225 might benefit signifantly from a good amp. I heard it briefly with the RA-1 and I think the difference was quite big. Anyway, since I don't own a decent amp, all my comments will be limited to my experience with the phones unamped. I also have no experience whatsover with other headphones at the same or higher price range so all comments are supposed to be relative to these two cans.

I still haven't decided which one I like more. For the moment I would say they are complementary. Here are my comments both positive and negative:

A900:
====
+ Better bass extension, I think it goes lower that the Grados. Also bass sounds as if it had more body. Don't know if this is the right way to describe it. It sounds 'bigger' in some way. Combined with the better soundstage it creates a more speaker-like sound than the Grados.
+ Soundstage. No comparison with the Grados. It serves some genders quite nicely but it might not be your case.
+ Better construction and design. Very comfortable indeed.

- Worst midrange in my opinion. Voices sound more distant, more like in the background than the grados.
- Highs are not as detailed as the grados. More smooth but just a little bit less detailed IMO.
- Bass sometimes feels out of control. It gets in the way hiding other instruments. No always, just with certain songs/types of music. (I also might be spoiled by using the grados for so long)
- Very big and not easy to transport.

Grados
=====
+ More bass slam (even with bowls), faster.
+ More prominent midrange. Male voices sound excellent.
+ I find them more detailed in general. Especialy midrange/highs when using bowls.
+ Easier to transport. Just put in a folder with some foam and are ready to throw in a backpack.
+/- I find it brighter than the A900. Could be a good or a bad thing depending on your tastes and type of music you are listening.
- No soundstage with the flats. A tiny little hint of a soundstage with the bowls.
- Thiner bass (even with flats)
- That bloody cable is always in permanent danger to twist. I hate that. Comfort is not bad once you strech the headband so that no force is applied to you ears. I can wear them for hours.
- Turning up the volume a little bit for more than an hour makes my ears hurt. I think it is because they are a little on the bright side and a little bit harsh. I enjoy it but my ears suffer. A900's smoother sound is less fatiguing. Maybe it's just me.

Well, it is a close call. It depends on the music really. But if for practicall reasons you need a closed can then you cannot go wrong with the A900. It sounds nice that provides isolation.
Hope this helps.

 

[slug]

I have both the a900 and SR225 and I have similar tastes in music as you as well. If sound is the most important thing for you... then get the grados. They are, in my opinion, funner, more aggressive, and more detailed than the A900's. The SR225's are awesome for anything with drums and guitar.

Other than sound, the A900's are better in almost all other aspects than the SR225's. While I prefer the sound of the sr225, the a900's still sound awesome and would probably be more ideal for ALL genres. They don't really leak and isolate well, are more comfortable, possibly cooler looking depending on your tastes, have better soundstage, come with a 1/8 jack and a 1/4 adapter, and appear to have better build quality.

If you are using these headphones at home where you won't bother anyone and there isn't too much outside noise, I would recommend the Grado's. I thought they were uncomfortable for the first month or so that I had them but now I can wear them for hours on end (w/ flats or bowls). In almost any other circumstance, get the A900's and you won't be disappointed. I use them at work every day.

 

[amp 36]

Very good comparisons!!! Thanks!!

And nice to find a mate from Madrid, ntsour. Unfortunatelly is still difficult to decide. I have an amp, a good one, maybe it will be better suited to the Grados.

Most of the music I listen has drums and guitars, so there it seems the Grados are better. What I don't like is the construction. An the sr-60, with the Perreux amp has a very good bass. If the sr-225 has more maybe it will be too much....

Anyway, I'm still trying to like the Sonys CD3000

 

[Kirosia]

I've never heard the A900 or sr-225, but every other grado I've heard (MS1/sr-325/RS1) had up to insane amts of bass, especially the RS1 w/ flats. The sr-225 is considered its baby brother so I would guess this applies to them as well. Drums and guitar sound incredible, especially the former. IMPACT!!!

 

[superjohnny]

It's really hard to compare these two headphones because they're so different. It's not really fair to say one is better than the other because they each have advantages & disadvantages. What you need to ask yourself is what you want and try to make a decision based on your own needs. You may also consider the Sennheiser HD580 since you already have a good amp. You can pick some of those up new on ebay for less than $150 and they're in the same class as the SR225 & A900. But again it has a different sound signature and different strengths & weaknesses. You make it hard for us to help you because you haven't mentioned what it is you're looking for.

 

[Mav451]

ntsour: How would the midrange of a A900 compare to a V6? I'm interested in this since I've been considering a A700 to replace my 225's.

The sound is nice, but I'm always missing the bass (especially since I came from the V6's). I wonder if there's a compromise between the clarity of the Grado's with the bass extension of the V6's;

and be comfortable at the same time too =D

I know A-series is known for being comfortable and, if this was a 3-factor decision, comfort would probably be equal to bass, with clarity of Grado's coming in last.

 

[lindrone]

I think one thing also has to be kept in mind... A lot of Grado users will say that the midrange of the A900 sounds "sucked out" or "distant".. well, yeah, of course, it has a soundstage!!!

Where as Grados puts your ear next to the musician's mouth, A900 puts you in a concert where you sit at like, the 10th row. Obviously sound is going to be distant to a degree, and vocals, which comes from the center on forward, would be the most obvious distance created. That's what you get with a more spherical soundstage.

 

[commando]

Have a read of the review linked from my sig.

 

[JJ3810]

I had both the A900s & the Grado 225s. I sold the 900s and kept the Grados. This is not to say that the 900s were inferior, just a different sound.
A PPA amp with opa 627s and Grado 225s are an ideal match for each other.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

Unless you desire a soundstage, SR225s or MS-2s all the way.

ATH-A900s have slow transients compared to the Grado series, in my opinion. They are perfect for slow, soulful music, but their decay rates work against them for some of the rock you listen to.

Currently listening to: "Got the Numbers" by Anti-Flag on my PX-100s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amp 36 Hi all again, Still not convinced with my Sonys 3000, I am considering( for the future...if I am finally not convinced) AT-900 or GRADO SR225 Source: Musical Fidelity A3CD Headphone amp: Perreaux SX-1 Music I listen to: A lot of indie/alternative pop-rock, power-pop, some rock, emo, punk-pop, americana and soft electronica. What I don'y like about the Sonys: Way too bright sometimes. Thin and metallic with some cds, specially rock or punk-pop. I own a pair of Grados SR-60 and I like them, less bright and more bass, but in detail, sounstage..etc can't be compared with the Sonys. Maybe the SR-225 are what I am after......but I prefer closed cans, that's why I am asking how the AT-900 compare with the Grados and which of them do you think are better overall. Regards, AMP

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfrenchman27 ATH-A900s have slow transients compared to the Grado series, in my opinion. They are perfect for slow, soulful music, but their decay rates work against them for some of the rock you listen to.

I agree - I preferred the 271s over the A900s for rock, so i'd say grados would probably be better too. I love the A900 for Jazz and electronic though, and electronic's pretty fast.

 

[blessingx]

I have the A900s and use to own the SR225 (and still have the MS1).

I think the A900s are better all around phones. While the mids are recessed compared to the Grados, so are nearly every other phones on the planet. Placement and soundstage are much better. I can't think of a genre they fail at, and yes they're less bright than the CD3Ks (my problem with them also). The detail is very much still there though. After winding through the V6, K271, HD25 and CD3K landscape I settled on A900s as the best closed phones for work, etc. They even made me debate about selling the HD650s.

That said, the aggressive nature of the Grado and the curved signature really lends itself well to certain types of music. Think woods or choral or female vocals or punk. The Grados feel more 'organic' and if you're a tube guy/gal, the sound is closer to that. They also benefit more from an amp, but depending how you take that it could be a compliment for either phone.

Basically I'd recommend a pair of A900s to almost anyone. I'd have to ask a few questions before I'd know if the SR225s were the best choice. Some of that is the open/closed nature of each though.

 

[fr4c]

definitely A900. period