[radrd]

I've got the 'new can bug' and I'm not sure what to try. Eventually I want the Grado PS-1, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

It seems like a lot of people who have heard both the Grado 225 or 325 and the Sony CD3000 prefer the Sony. I'm not too worried about how any of them perform with the lighter stuff, but for harder music, does anyone who has heard both really prefer the Grados? I say 225 or 325 because I will probably end up trying both to see which is better with my system.

Comfort isn't an issue, btw. I'm talking sound only.

I will only be listening to Grados with the flat pads, so bowl/vwap pad experiences aren't relevant.

 

[blessingx]

Don't really listen to a lot of harder stuff (well Sonic Youth is about as hard as I get, you decide how that fits), but I'd put them in the following order for rock.

1. CD3K
2. SR225
3. SR325

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well I've owned the SR325 w/flats, and extensive auditioned the 225 w/flats, and of course currently own the CD3000. For me the CD3K is king, and I listen to 90% metal/hardrock, though I could see someone preferring the 225 (and have). The Sony wins the treble battle, as its treble is more extended and far smoother and flatter than either Grado, even with flats (which are mandatory IMO).

Midrange goes to the SR225, followed by the Sony, then the 325. The 225 has a liquid smooth midrange that lets guitars really shine beautifully, whereas the CD3K's midrange does not stand out as much from the bass/treble thus not sounding quite as beautiful. The 325 has an odd distortion in the midrange around 2-3kHz, that made them headache-inducing for me on good systems, though if they did not have this proble, they'd like sound a good deal like the 225.

Bass is won by the Sony, followed cby the 325, then the 225. The Sony's bass is much fuller, deeper, tighter, and (gasp!) impactful than either Grado. The 325 comes close in terms of impact, but the notes sound thin compared to the Sony. The 225 sounds a bit thinner, and a good deal sloppier than either of the others. The bass is what sells me on the CD3K, drums just sound so much more like real drums, I love it!

Soundstaging/imaging is won by the Sony, followed by the 325, then te 225. The Sony excels at these charateristic, beat only by the K1000 and R10 IME. The 325 has very good imaging (tighter than HD600 IME), but the soundstage is pretty small. The 225 has fairly slopping imaging (worse that HD600 IME), and the classic Grado "on-stage" lack of soundstage.

For me, the oly dept the CD3000 doesn't win is the midrange, but it is still very good there, so I can sacrifice a little bit of mids for more of everything else. If you love your mids though, the 225 is the way to go. I would only recommend the 325 for lower-quality systems not resolving enough to reveal its' mirange distortion (maybe the MS2 fixes this).

 

[radrd]

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to bump this once to make sure there isn't anyone out there to break the tie in my poll.

 

[lindrone]

Hilarious!!! More people who just like to vote in polls for the heck of it than anything else...

I've tried SR-225 w/ flats & CD3000... My thoughts are pretty much in line with Iron_Dreamers'. CD3000 takes the crown for overall performance, as it does with just about all genres of music.

 

[screwdriver]

SR325 - soundstage is a lil narrow , bass is good and adequate

CD3K - soundstage is wide - sometimes too wide /not natural , bass goes deep

 

[purk]

I agree with Iron_Dreamer on everything except the midrange on the CD3K. Based on my experience with all three headphones, I believe that CD3K has the best midrange. The midrange on the SR-225 and SR-325 is nearly the same. Grado also has colored, but very liquid midrange. The SR-325 is certainly has more bass and more full-bodied than the SR-225. CD3K is very versatile in my opinion.