[russdog]

I am confused by what I have read here. AFAIK, I have read everything that's around here about the Grado 325i's. I thought I read one thing, but recent posts have caused me to question whether I was sifting through it all correctly. I'm just trying boil down what people think about them. Here's what I think I read about them:

1. They were Grado's response to the dud response to the non-i 325's.
2. At first listen, many thought them glaringly bright.
3. With more hours on them, many thought that the brightness smoothed out, and the 325i's proved to be superior to the 225's if only they were give the chance.

But recently, a couple posters have referred to there being something of a consensus that the 325i's are generally not liked, have been a disappointment, and are not preferred over the 225's. I know not everybody is gonna agree. And, whenever I hear a pair, I might find that I agree with the minority opinion and disagree with the majority opinion, who knows? But for right now, I'm just trying to sift through whatever the opinion is.

So, for those of you who have not only heard both, but who have really, really listened to both the 325i's and the 225's (and perhaps to other Grados as well), what's the story? Are the 325i's disappointing, or is their sound an improvement on the 225's? If we think of 125's, 225's, RS-2's and RS-1's as being on a continuum, where would you place the 325i's in relation to the others in terms of their sonic qualities?

 

[DeeJayBump]

My first pair of decent headphones was a pair of SR-225s. I've also owned the 325i and the HF-1. For me, the 325i is a worthy step up from the 225s. The 325i is more coherent when the music gets complex, the 325i's bass has more control, reach and texture than the 225, and to my ears is a more balanced headphone top to bottom.

The only way to know for sure is to hear a pair of 325i for yourself.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeJayBump The only way to know for sure is to hear a pair of 325i for yourself.

Absolutely. That is the only way you will know if you like them. Although other people's OPINION on headphones may help you base your decision... ultimately it is YOU who decides if you like a given phone.

 

[en480c4]

I hate to say it, but I think that a lot of people here say how bright the 325i is having never heard them, only having heard about them.

IMO, the 325i is a significant upgrade from the 225. I did some extensive back-to-back between the two and there was nothing the 225 could do that the 325i couldn't do better. The 225 can sound pretty good out of almost anything. But pair the 325i with the right source and amp and they will sound great... You can get a much more refined sound, with better bass and treble extension with no harshness.

The only edge I'd give the 225 over the 325i would be comfort due to the lighter cups.

I'd agree that the best thing is for you to hear them yourself, in your system, to see how they get along with your source and amp.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by en480c4 The only edge I'd give the 225 over the 325i would be comfort due to the lighter cups.

Even that, I don't have a problem with. I'd also give the 225 the bang for buck award... but then again this is head-fi.

 

[volcomjerk]

I don't know why people are saying the 325i are bright and harsh. They are far from that. I think maybe many Grado users are not use to the brightness since it is a bit brighter than other Grados but man have I heard brighter. The K701s trounce the 325i in terms of brightness.

I love my 325i because to me they are the most neutral headphone out of my collection. I have my Beyer DT770/80 for bass, K701 for excellent highs and soundstage, and my E500s for portability. However, because of they are neutral I find myself getting bored of them quicker than other phones.

I think you'll like them but they do need a good amp so keep that in mind.

 

[Kees]

My experience with the "brightness" of the 325i:
IF the recording is on the bright side AND you turn the volume WAY UP, they emphasise the brightness of the recording a bit more than some other phones do.
They are not harsh at all. Sharp as a razor is more like it.
On normal and moderatly high volumes they are beautifully balanced.
Of course this is as I perceive it.

 

[DevilDog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by volcomjerk I don't know why people are saying the 325i are bright and harsh. They are far from that. I think maybe many Grado users are not use to the brightness since it is a bit brighter than other Grados but man have I heard brighter. The K701s trounce the 325i in terms of brightness.

Relatively speaking, the 325i is a bright headphone. I'd say it's probably the poster child for bright as the Sennheiser HD-650 is the poster child for dark. I wouldn't necessarily call the K701 bright. It doesn't have the weight or body of other headphones, but it doesn't sound bright to me.
Everybody has their preference. I'd say if you like the brightness, the 325i is a step up from the 225. I personally can't handle the brightness. But a lot of folks on here swear by the 325i. I'm sure it has it's good points. I just can't handle it.
As always, it boils down to what you like. You need to audition them all and find which one suits you best.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

I own the 325i and LOVE it with flats or Senn 414 pads (using Senns now because I don't own flats and the 414's are cheap). With bowls it is indeed glaringly bright and unbearable at least on my ears.

 

[acs236]

The 325i is probably the only headphone that I found too bright to listen to. I found a sharpness and edginess to it that was pretty unbearable. But everyone's ears are different. all that matter are your own.

 

[FooTemps]

I like the sr325i's. They are bright though. Right now I'm using SR225s and they sound great to me. Maybe you should look for the MS2i's instead of SR325i's since they are supposed to be less bright.

I did a pad mod to make my SR225s circumaural and now the highs sound a lot more like the SR325i's but the bass has more presence.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightWoundsTime I own the 325i and LOVE it with flats or Senn 414 pads (using Senns now because I don't own flats and the 414's are cheap). With bowls it is indeed glaringly bright and unbearable at least on my ears.

Is this out of your Singlepower?

I found the 325i to be a tad bright on my old RA-1, but with tubes it sings.

 

[Tbln]

Having bought and sold the 225 twice, I can say that the 325i is definitely better than the 225 in many areas: refinement, quality of bass and treble extension.

Having said that, I can also understand how the 325i can sometimes come across as 'bright'. I have found this occasionally on some less than well recorded cds.

Sonically, it can perhaps be best described as sitting on the edge of brightness?

As suggested by FooTemps, a great alternative would be the Allessandro MS2i. Gives you the qualities of the 325i with less top end sizzle.

I would recommend auditioning for yourself as individual tastes vary. Take our comments as a guide as synergy with the rest of your equipment is important.

 

[jpr703]

I had the 225 and the 325i. Since, I've sold the 325i and bought the RS-1.

The 325i was initially very impressive to me. Great clarity and the bass was deep and tight. On good recordings, it's a fantastic headphone--definitely better than the 225. However, the second I started listening to some of my old rock CDs the magic faded. To my ears, they are absolutely brutal on bad recordings. They were also fatiguing after no so long periods of time. While the 225s lacked some of the technical refinement that the 325i had, they were enjoyable with everything I listened to and not so fatiguing. Hence, the 325i had to go.

Since then, I bought the RS-1s. To me they add some back in some of the technical merits but keep the magic of the 225s. I still use my 225s on ocassion with my computer and my ipod, but the RS-1 really stole my heart.

 

[MdRex]

I have the SR325 and the SR325i (go figure why) and none have exhibited the slightest hint on the most hotly recorded CDs I have.

The SR325i have great treble energy and is airy instead of sounding piercing bright. I've always thought that the news of the brightness has been exaggerated and I even have the warmest equipment around...