[Zuqi]

Hi guys, today I have a chance to auditioned a pair of grado sr80 (non-i version), and I prefer its sound to my mspro.
 
I spend most of time listen to rock/metal music, what I love about sr80s is their agressive treble, it makes rock/metal music really engaging, the highs of mspro sounds too tamed compared to sr80.
 
Also, I am using an ipod and a pico amp to drive my headpones, the SQ improvement from sr80 to mspro doesn't worth the extra 500+ dollars to me (I belive if I use a better source the improvement would be much bigger, but at the moment I have no plan to buy a desktop source & amp)
 
I have two choices: either selling my mspro and then buy a pair of sr225i/sr325is or trade my mspro for a pair of rs1i.
 
From  what I've read, sr225i is an upgrade from sr80i, and I also want to take sr325is into my consideration because it has hottest treble of all grado line-up, but I am afraid grado "upgrade itch" will eventully leads me to rs1i.
 
OTOH, some folks said grado tame the treble on rs1is, and they sound different from other grados, I am a "TREBLE LOVER" so these comments makes me hesitate to trade my mspro for rs1i.
 
Any suggestions and information would be much appriciated.

 

[BotByte]

Treblehead, not much of a following
 
But then I'm a Neutralhead... even less of a following
 
 
Go Sr225i and SR80i. Mod the Sr80i and keep the SR225i stock.
 
Sr325i is like the SR60i with more bass.

 

[Questhate]

Yes, the wood on the cups of the RS-1 will smooth the sound. Even putting wood cups on my 225s (which were much more treble-forward than the MS-Pros) tamed the treble quite a bit. If you love that forward treble, I'd say go with the 225s or 325s. 
 
 

 

[TwoTrack]

I second Questhate that the wooden cups make a nice difference on the brightness.

 

[wallace]

Never mind the RS1i's ,a modded pair of SR325is's is what a treblehead needs.I have done bil's mods and am using them with a Yulong U100 Dac/amp,They just sound better every day.
Forget woodies,ally is the way to go...These phones rock,after a few mods.Make my KRK rokit 5's sound confused.It's nice to just listen without thinking of the next upgrade,.

 

[Chris_Himself]

I wouldn't say the 325is has the "hottest" treble, it's just sharp and articulate which is a bit much for some people's ears. On paper that sounds good, but in practice it can lead to some harsh highs despite being very clear depending on your music. I LOVE the SR325 though! I feel the bass is very tight and fastest on the SR325. I haven't heard or seen an "is" model in person but I have lots of listening time on the old goldies, 300 bucks was a little too expensive for me back then and I'm not really into the finish on the new models, but I haven't heard a Grado I've hated. In fact I'm literally wearing 60's over my RS-2i's right now.
 
The SR-80 has the hot sound because those and the 60's have the most colored treble in my opinion. I've owned multiple examples of each and the only reason I haven't sold off my lower end Grados is because I go back to them for the same reason you're describing. The fact that I can go back to them lets me appreciate the subtle differences in each model.
 
You like the treble sparkle (bzzzzz) of the SR-80, it's colored treble and it's a treat for you since you're used to the refined presentation of the RS-1 with the bright treble. If you want the SR-80, get the SR-80, the SR-225-up are just coming closer and closer to your MS-Pro assuming they're within 5% of what the RS-1 sounds like which I've listened to quite a bit as a Grado junkie myself.
 
Honestly yeah your train of thought makes a lot of sense, it's not like you need a killer DAC/amp to run G-cans, but if you're not feeling the hundreds of dollars worth of difference, I wouldn't stay with them very long. No DAC/amp is going to make you love headphones you aren't really feeling, especially easily driveable ones at that. 
 
I'm very fond of my SR-225's, I skipped the 325is and went for the RS-2i because I got them for a sick deal and I heard the aluminum cups are a tad heavier than what I'd be used to.
 
The treble isn't really "tame" on the wood models, it still sounds the same from the driver if you concentrate, the wood just mellows it out and gives it a natural lush warmth that wood gives to headphones, drums, pianos, etc. I'm not entirely sure if the RS-2i is worth the money or if it's just better off to shoot for the RS-1 and call it a day...

 

[Gwarmi]

You'll struggle to find someone in Oz to trade you their RS1i for an MS-Pro due to the lack of availability of the RS1i through
'Audiophile' in Melbourne and the price difference of $799 versus $999.
 
Maybe you should wait a little and see what comes of the new PS500?
 
Should be worth about $700-ish landed here once the stock comes in.
 
Otherwise, I agree with your sentiments, there are times that my humble
SR80 feels more lively than my 325i with some material, but the latter
is still the better can once amplified.
 
G

 

[Zuqi]

Thanks for all your suggestions,
 
wallace, I took a brief listen to sr325is and not very like them for some reason, it has a little bit recessed mids to me, mod is a good thought but I personally prefer to stick with stock headphone, what happened after you modded the325?
 
 
Chris, thanks for your insight, my question about sr225is is do they still have similar level of treble boost as the sr80s? FWIR they're much more refined than sr80s in highs, how much is the difference?
 
Gwarmy, yeah its really hard to find someone to trade his RS1i for mspro in Oz as the price is quite steep here, I certainly will trade my mspro with someone in the US as it is more fair to them (if I ever do that). I DID preordered a pair of ps500 yesterday from moon audio, BUT... as we all know no retailler in the US will ship grados oversea, so I got my refund as I expected

. BUT... I asked a dealer in China yesterday, he told me the retail price of ps500 would almost as same as the price in America

, I am quite sure I could get a much better deal than with 'Audiophile' cos they probablly will selling them for at least 750AUD.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

 
Chris, thanks for your insight, my question about sr225is is do they still have similar level of treble boost as the sr80s? FWIR they're much more refined than sr80s in highs, how much is the difference?
 

 
Yes they do, all the way up until the woodied Grados. The GS-1000 sounds different though, but everything before it sounds the same in terms of overall tonal balance.
 
If you didn't live in Oz, I'd mail you a pair of recabled SR-60's to try out and see how that compares to your higher end Grados:
 

 

 

[Zuqi]

Hi Chris, thank you very much for your kindness

. actrally I am leaving Oz next week and will be back next year. Maybe next time if I have a chance. Beautiful mod BTW.
 
Quote:

 If you want the SR-80, get the SR-80, the SR-225-up are just coming closer and closer to your MS-Pro assuming they're within 5% of what the RS-1 sounds like which I've listened to quite a bit as a Grado junkie myself.
  

 
 
I am start to thinking maybe I should listen to your advise to get a pair of sr80i (for home use), an er4p/triple fi. (my fovorate IEMs, for portable use) and call it a day, here is a quote from another "sr80i vs. sr225i" thread, saids Bilavideo:
 
"There's a certain audio greed that afflicts us all. We find something we like and what's our first thought? "How can I get something better?" If you love the 80s, there's no reason to substitute another phone."
 
I think you and him share similar opionion which is very helpful to me, in my case, I bought ms-pro because I heard ms1s and love them

, so I can't help myself thinking :"How can I get something better?" then I got mspro instead of ms1, but I am not very excited about their sound, they're fantastic sounding cans through, but for me, I might prefer ms1 & sr80's sound signiture, plus I really don't have the killer source to make ms-pro shine.
 
So I might get a pair of sr80i, and selling my ms-pro when I come back to Oz. And maybe get some Hi-end gear when I really decide to buy some dedicated gears.
 
Thanks again for your generous offer.
 
Zuqi

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Thanks for all your suggestions,
 
wallace, I took a brief listen to sr325is and not very like them for some reason, it has a little bit recessed mids to me, mod is a good thought but I personally prefer to stick with stock headphone, what happened after you modded the325?
 
 
Chris, thanks for your insight, my question about sr225is is do they still have similar level of treble boost as the sr80s? FWIR they're much more refined than sr80s in highs, how much is the difference?
 
Gwarmy, yeah its really hard to find someone to trade his RS1i for mspro in Oz as the price is quite steep here, I certainly will trade my mspro with someone in the US as it is more fair to them (if I ever do that). I DID preordered a pair of ps500 yesterday from moon audio, BUT... as we all know no retailler in the US will ship grados oversea, so I got my refund as I expected

. BUT... I asked a dealer in China yesterday, he told me the retail price of ps500 would almost as same as the price in America

, I am quite sure I could get a much better deal than with 'Audiophile' cos they probablly will selling them for at least 750AUD.

I hear what you're saying - the allure of going through a non-official distributor is tempting but remember it is a
'roll of the dice' - if you receive your pair in perfect condition and working order then you're ahead.
No question. If they are damaged in transit or fail for what ever reason then they will be considered
'out of warranty' - freight and all service costs will be held accountable on your end.
 
I'll be honest - I was too chicken to do it any other way - so I'm a Grado Oz HQ guy

 

[Chris_Himself]

Nothin' wrong with getting SR-80's. Some people buy 80's to complement their HD-650's and they're perfectly fine switching back and forth. Grado is a great headphone outright, but they make even better companion cans since they're so different from what else is out there

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Nothin' wrong with getting SR-80's. Some people buy 80's to complement their HD-650's and they're perfectly fine switching back and forth. Grado is a great headphone outright, but they make even better companion cans since they're so different from what else is out there

Wearing my SR80i at the moment
 
Sure, I can grab my T50RP at my right, but NO I feel like my Sr80i's
 
For Grado, you have to enjoy them.
 
Some people love them to death
 
Some despise them

 

[Zuqi]

 
Quote:

I hear what you're saying - the allure of going through a non-official distributor is tempting but remember it is a
'roll of the dice' - if you receive your pair in perfect condition and working order then you're ahead.
No question. If they are damaged in transit or fail for what ever reason then they will be considered
'out of warranty' - freight and all service costs will be held accountable on your end.
 
I'll be honest - I was too chicken to do it any other way - so I'm a Grado Oz HQ guy

Too am quite picky on where to buy pricy products. I wouldn't worry cos that's an authorised dealer with good reputations, and the price I mentioned is regular retail price, not retailer "street price". They sell ps500 for merely 650 dollars, which is a very nice deal.

 

[Zuqi]

Quote:

Nothin' wrong with getting SR-80's. Some people buy 80's to complement their HD-650's and they're perfectly fine switching back and forth. Grado is a great headphone outright, but they make even better companion cans since they're so different from what else is out there

 Yeah, I think if I love sr80s, then I should get one, although even just a biref litsening from my portable rig in the outside, I still can hear mspro have superior sound quality over sr80, but the most important thing is "does the headphone made you to enjoy the music?" So I guess I won't risk to get another "better" headphone.
I do belive Grado & Senn could cover most music genre.