[Broslowski]

I love  SR80 very good without any amp portable.More bass than sr60i. Best use with no "i" series pads
 
http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/images/grado-replacment-earpad-sr80-220x220.jpg

 

[supersleuth]

Quote:

[size=x-small]Bowls don't come in layers of foam - it is one sort of foam which has been dipped in something (probably something quite similar to PVA glue) to make it firmer on either end. [/size]
 
[size=x-small]My personal preference is TTVJ Flats followed by comfies followed by bowls. [/size]
[size=x-small]I think the whole "brightness" thing with Grados is 100% based on bowls. No way they can be called bright phones if you listen with comfies or flats.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]It's all about personal preference though, great thing about Grados is you get to chose for yourself. [/size]

They're also not overly bright WITH bowls provided you wear the bowls not only on the ear, but also far enough forward that a bit of the edge of your ear is sticking out behind the pad. This also noticeably opens up the soundstage. I fell in love with my SR80 all over again after I discovered this. (You do need to bend the headband for a pretty loose fit to make this comfortable.)

 

[tyty5150]

 
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I say save your money and get the 60, then you'll know if you are a Grado fan or not. I went for the SR80i because I heard that it had more "bass", but now I realize that Grado's are not for me at all.

Grados are supposed to be awesome at guitar based rock. I've tried original CD's by the likes of Hendrix, Zeppelin, Van Halen, Floyd, Nirvana, Jane's Addiction, Alice In Chains and even the Beatles on my PS3-->Optical Cable-->Onkyo Receiver-->Grado and while the guitars are pretty cool if you crank the volume up fairly high(too high for an hour of listening), I still find an unacceptable level of impact from the bass guitar and drums. Even after I have broken them in over 130 hours. I'm really surprised I'm not a Grado guy, or can at least appreciate the 80i's, after the tons of threads and reviews I have read.

I realize now that many people do have a polar reaction to the Grado sound, but I just wanted to help balance out the comments from the Grado fans about this or that model having more or less bass. I've learned it's a lot more relative than may be apparent given the high praise here and elsewhere. My hope is that people will demo/research some other headphones along with the Grados, especially if they are short on cash.

"unacceptable level of impact from the bass guitar and drums" - with what other phones are you comparing?  I'm not arguing your position, I respect it, but I am interested in your response.  I can't say I've heard the SR80is, but I have the MS1 and it blows away the AD700 in that area.  I wasn't expecting it from open phones for about $100 after having the AD700 (similar price), I was thinking I'd have to use my M50s for the drums and bass, but wow (can hear bass and drums)!  Felt more open like a stage and definitely more in my face.

 
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OK! I finally got some acceptable sound out of the SR80i's. I had an old (1993ish) Denon AVR-610 receiver that had enough power to drive and deliver bass guitar and drums - I had to max the bass and cut the treble. Surprised my 3 year old Onkyo couldn't keep up. My head was boppin' to all my test songs, but damn if my ears aren't ringing after an hour because I had to crank it up quite a bit. I wont be listening to these more than a few minutes at a time until I can try them out with a dedicated headphone amp to see if that will make these worth keeping. I now side with the seeming minority of people who say the 80's need something powerful to drive them.

What amp are you considering?

 
Quote:

[size=x-small]Bowls don't come in layers of foam - it is one sort of foam which has been dipped in something (probably something quite similar to PVA glue) to make it firmer on either end. [/size]
 
[size=x-small]My personal preference is TTVJ Flats followed by comfies followed by bowls. [/size]
[size=x-small]I think the whole "brightness" thing with Grados is 100% based on bowls. No way they can be called bright phones if you listen with comfies or flats.[/size]
 
[size=x-small]It's all about personal preference though, great thing about Grados is you get to chose for yourself. [/size]

 
Yeah I'm interested, what is the hype exactly about Grados and being "bright" could someone explain this to me?

"choose for yourself" - do you mean replacing pads and making mods?  I respect this, but for me there is something beautiful about keeping headphones the way they came (stock pads with no mods)...

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

 
...
Yeah I'm interested, what is the hype exactly about Grados and being "bright" could someone explain this to me?

...

I want to second that but I'm in no position to do so since I own SR325 and never tried the other models to begin with. =P


 
Quote:

They're also not overly bright WITH bowls provided you wear the bowls not only on the ear, but also far enough forward that a bit of the edge of your ear is sticking out behind the pad. This also noticeably opens up the soundstage. I fell in love with my SR80 all over again after I discovered this. (You do need to bend the headband for a pretty loose fit to make this comfortable.)

Doesn't wearing it so forward muffle up the sound? It does for me and it doesn't improve the soundstage either.

 

[grokit]

My SR325is came with the stock bowl pads, I got the big jumbo pads and liked them better for awhile, then tried the flats and now prefer them; I'll probably get back into the bowls again soon, my point is that all these pads make a big difference and preferences can change. It's nice to have such an easy mod available on Grados, but none are perfect they all have their pros and cons. The bowls are the best compromise between the other two for obvious reasons.

 

[tyty5150]

Quote:

I want to second that but I'm in no position to do so since I own SR325 and never tried the other models to begin with. =P
 

That color is hard to read...
 
But yeah I have MS1, supposed to be more refined and balanced.  So I can't agree/disagree/qualify any statements about Grados really...
 
However, before we can interpret if it is bright, we have to understand where on the frequency line we are talking.  "Bright" means treble happy (so the highs).  But what exactly is the distribution between lows, mids, and highs?  Also do we want to get into sub lows, lows, mid lows, mids, mid highs, highs, and very highs?
 
I'm going to test my MS1 to see if they are bright, as well as my other phones.

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Yeah I'm interested, what is the hype exactly about Grados and being "bright" could someone explain this to me?

People who wear Grados are bright.  People who don't are dull. 

 
The tonal balance on a pair of Grados is skewed toward the high frequencies (HF).  That's because their open-air design reduces resonance but lets bass leak out, leaving that imbalance.  Unamped, the Grados sound a little lite.  Guess what also sounds a little lite unamped?  The HD800, the T1, the HD650, the K701, you name it.  Closed cans are darker and give more thump but unless you pay for the best, you're going to have problems with dull treble and echoey resonance.
 

 
Because Grados are low-impedance cans (32 ohms compared to 64 ohms or 300 ohms or 600 ohms), it's common to run them unamped - and to judge them unamped against amped headphones from other firms.  This is as unfair as downgrading the sound quality of a higher-impedance can because it just doesn't sound as loud (it takes more juice to get the same sound off a high-impedance can).  If you amp the Grados with a high-quality amp, you will get performance you couldn't have imagined from the same cans unamped.  I've had a number of cheap amps, but when I hooked my SR60s up to an M^3 with STEPS and a variable bass boost (as well as a crossfeed switch), the difference in sound was remarkable.
 

 

[jdkJake]

No doubt, grados need an amp to deliver them to the next level. Preferably, one with low voltage gain and maximum current delivery.

The difference is like night and day.

jk

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Quote:

No doubt, grados need an amp to deliver them to the next level. Preferably, one with low voltage gain and maximum current delivery.

The difference is like night and day.

jk

so agree with this 

 

[Caphead78]

Quote:

Are the 60s easier to drive, with a 1/8" termination, while the 80s have a 1/4" termination? I'm not sure but I thought that was the case for some reason. Ok, I checked and according to Amazon they're both 1/8", but they could be wrong, or maybe that was before the "i" models or something. Are there any differences between the drivers on the two models?

I don't know about driver differences but my SR80i has a 1/8" plug and is fairly easy to drive; but an amp helps.

 

[Bilavideo]

My SR325is came with the stock bowl pads, I got the big jumbo pads and liked them better for awhile, then tried the flats and now prefer them; I'll probably get back into the bowls again soon, my point is that all these pads make a big difference and preferences can change. It's nice to have such an easy mod available on Grados, but none are perfect they all have their pros and cons. The bowls are the best compromise between the other two for obvious reasons.

What you are doing is very smart.  When the PS1 and HP1000 were released, they were aluminum cans sporting flats.  In the effort to satisfy the demands for greater soundstage, Grado came out with the bowls.  The SR60 didn't get bowls; it got comfies.  To get bowls, you had to move up a little in the product line (SR80s at the time).  This meant that when Grado introduced the 325, there was an expectation that bowls were better.  But the 325 would be dogged by complaints that its presentation was too bright, too shrill.  Nobody ever said that about the PS1 or the HP1000, but for two reasons: those cans had the older drivers that are not made anymore; and those cans sported flats.  You can't do anything about the drivers.  Maybe there's no need.  But there was always a straight-forward common-sense way of reaching for the PS1/HP1000 sound: Get flats.
 
I sold my 325 before I discovered flats, so I can't say for sure whether the flats do the job, but I can't see why they wouldn't.  Do you experience more bass with these with the other Grados?

 

[tyty5150]

Quote:

 

People who wear Grados are bright.  People who don't are dull. 

 
The tonal balance on a pair of Grados is skewed toward the high frequencies (HF).  That's because their open-air design reduces resonance but lets bass leak out, leaving that imbalance.  Unamped, the Grados sound a little lite.  Guess what also sounds a little lite unamped?  The HD800, the T1, the HD650, the K701, you name it.  Closed cans are darker and give more thump but unless you pay for the best, you're going to have problems with dull treble and echoey resonance.
 

 
Because Grados are low-impedance cans (32 ohms compared to 64 ohms or 300 ohms or 600 ohms), it's common to run them unamped - and to judge them unamped against amped headphones from other firms.  This is as unfair as downgrading the sound quality of a higher-impedance can because it just doesn't sound as loud (it takes more juice to get the same sound off a high-impedance can).  If you amp the Grados with a high-quality amp, you will get performance you couldn't have imagined from the same cans unamped.  I've had a number of cheap amps, but when I hooked my SR60s up to an M^3 with STEPS and a variable bass boost (as well as a crossfeed switch), the difference in sound was remarkable.
 

This is very informative, thanks for your input, I appreciate it.  I do have the Alessandro MS1 which is practically a Grado but more refined FWIR.  So I guess they are still bright in some sense?  I think I will sit down when I have time and really compare all the cans I have and write a comparison thread.  Maybe it would help to have experienced people look at what I type up and see if I'm headed in the right direction...  I just don't know anymore.  I've read a bunch on this forum but when I actually sit down and hear stuff it's hard to understand what's going on and figure out what the differences are.  Guess I'm still very untrained in the ears.  Oh well, looking forward to learning.  Anyways...  I have no clue about headphone amps (don't really know or understand what is out there).  And low voltage high current makes sense for low impedance.  And I understand if you make the impedance higher you need more power to get it to the same volume.

 
Quote:

No doubt, grados need an amp to deliver them to the next level. Preferably, one with low voltage gain and maximum current delivery.

The difference is like night and day.

jk

See above same thing really (don't know much about amping).

 

[Reprobate]

@TYTY5150 - I'm going to just sell my 80i instead of going the amp route for now. For whatever reason, I don't think I'm going to find what I'm looking for with the Grados. I think I've learned that I prefer closed back cans and IEM's and my ears are not sensitive to lows but fairly sensitive to highs. This may be due to some terrible listening practices when I was a youngster! My ears are still ringing from last night's session with the 80i and I think I need to cut my losses. If expense wasn't an issue, I might have gone another route. I was able to demo the M50 for a bit through my weak outputting phone last week and I got more of the sounds I was looking for from the low end as well as some nice guitar and vocals so they are now mine. Peace and respect to the Grado fans; Grado is obviously doing something right to garner so much support for all of these years.

 

[grokit]

Quote:

I sold my 325 before I discovered flats, so I can't say for sure whether the flats do the job, but I can't see why they wouldn't.  Do you experience more bass with these with the other Grados?

Yes definitely more bass than the other pads, but at the expense of some air and soundstage. It really depends on the music, and my mood what I prefer at any given time.

 

[dizzyraider]

 
Quote:

@TYTY5150 - I'm going to just sell my 80i instead of going the amp route for now. For whatever reason, I don't think I'm going to find what I'm looking for with the Grados. I think I've learned that I prefer closed back cans and IEM's and my ears are not sensitive to lows but fairly sensitive to highs. This may be due to some terrible listening practices when I was a youngster! My ears are still ringing from last night's session with the 80i and I think I need to cut my losses. If expense wasn't an issue, I might have gone another route. I was able to demo the M50 for a bit through my weak outputting phone last week and I got more of the sounds I was looking for from the low end as well as some nice guitar and vocals so they are now mine. Peace and respect to the Grado fans; Grado is obviously doing something right to garner so much support for all of these years.

It took me about 2 days of listening to get use the the Grado sound, but after my ears adjusted I absolutely became a fan. The Grado's are bright, but it's not a fatiguing high. I initially did find my 325i's not so fitting for hiphop and rock due to its "brightness" and somewhat lacking bass, but after picking up a pair of flats that has totally changed.
 
Although a smaller sound stage, the flats have lessened the brightness and put bass WAY up compare to the bowls. It is incredible how much the pads changes the sound. With the bowls and flats, I essentially have 2 different cans. That is how much difference they make. Which is why I purchased a pair of bowls for my brother who is rocking the SR80i's. They will give his 80i's more flexibility alongside his comfy's