[guru388]

You all sound very experienced with headsets so please excuse what might sound like dumb questions. I just bought a set of Grado 325i headphones. The high end is very pierceing and starts to hurt my inner ear after a short while. I have had them 4 days now and a friend urges me to let them burn in over the next three weeks. Do any of you think that the high end will change in any noticable ways in that time or should I just take them back? I am also not thrilled with the ear pads. Should I of bought the sennhauser 580 or 600 or 650 instead? I have used Sonys over the years and have the MDR-v900 which needs eq tweeking to make me happy. I have found that the replacement Sony now makes for the v900 is the MDR-7509HD and that sounded not as good as the V900. At this point I am really in need of help.

P.S. The reason I started looking for a new headset was I bought a set of B&W CM1 speakers and then the Sonys started to sound flat.

 

[Drakemoor]

Grado's are considered 'love or hate' cans, some people can't get enough of the sound signature, others just don't get it.

Sounds like you might not like the Grado sound (normally they are fairly forward sounding in the treble area) but one thing i will say is that my SR225's were the best example of 'burn in' taking effect that i've ever had. When i first listened they really were hard to listen to and had a really harsh sound, now they are still fairly bright but smooth at the same time.

If you give us an idea of what type of sound you like or whether you have preferences in headphone design ie closed or open i'm sure we could give you a few idea's

 

[guru388]

Thanks for the speedy reply. So you seem to be saying what my friend is saying that it is worth the wait to see if the burn in changes things? I usually like closed system headphones. Now the B&W CM1s have really spoiled me. They have a full sweet warm sound where I really do hear all the instruments clearly. When I was younger I played in an orchestra and heard all the instruments and it seems that for years I forgot that sound until I got the B&W speakers. So now what am I to do?

I do listen to all kinds of music from classical to jazz to rock and roll and show tunes.

 

[incognitoedleon]

The SR325i's are known to be overly bright for a lot of people. We can give you some better recommendations if you mention what kind of sound characteristics you are looking for and what genres of music you listen to.

 

[guru388]

Would there be another Grado that would be a better choice for me?

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guru388 Would there be another Grado that would be a better choice for me?

Maybe not. The effect you describe is something a lot of us feel with Grado headphones in general. From what I've heard, the SR-60 and 325i are the worst for this effect and perhaps the RS-1 and 2 are the best, but it's really just a question of degree.

If you have time before you have to return them, you might try to burn them in a bit and see if your ear grows accustomed to the sound. It's very possible that a couple of weeks would suffice to get you over this problem, and you'd be left with some fine-sounding headphones. But if you have to act soon, I'd be very hesitant to stick with Grado having your ears.

 

[Mercuttio]

You could be a candidate for a Sennheiser. The HD580 is incredibly priced for how good it is, I'd try that next.

 

[augustwest]

Grados do have a very extended high end, many of their fans love them for that quality.

However, there are a couple of things you can do to minimize the concerns that you described. With Grados the pads you use greatly effect the sound, the "bowls" that they come with tend to emphasize the high end character of the headphone. Flats on the other hand trim the highs & give you more bass, although the bass will not be as well defined. There are other pad options as well, including "reversed bowls", they have been discussed in great depth here, so just do a "search", and you will have hours of reading ahead of you. All headphones vary depending on the amp you are driving them with. I listened to the 325's a few weeks back paired with the Grado RA1 amp, and noticed no bright high end at all. You might pair the Grados with an amp that has a more "rolled off" high end. Tube amps are great because you can swap out tubes to effect the sound signature.

In terms of comfort, you can make the pads more comfortable by washing them. This goes a long way towards making them tolerable.

Happy listening!

- augustwest

 

[mrarroyo]

I would let them burn in for about 200 hours and see if you like them then. Tube amps also take away the "edge" and mellow the sound.

 

[TomH]

Aa a long time B&W owner and a fan of their sound signature, and as an owner of Sennheiser and Grado cans, I find the HD600 and HD540 come closest to my loudspeakers in overall balance, with the 540 being brighter and the 600 close to spot-on. The Grado 225 is not as natural in the upper mids and exhibits a mid-bass emphasis which is fun but not at all like the B&Ws.

I suspect the 580 would be quite close to the 600 in signature.

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guru388 Would there be another Grado that would be a better choice for me?

There is a Grado that might work.

If you like the style of the SR-325 and the somewhat forward presentation, then the Alessandro version of the SR325; the MS2, would be worthy of consideration.

The MS2 is of the same aluminum construction as the SR-325 but with a non-anodized, natural aluminum finish.

The sonic signature is more analytical and neutral in nature.

The MS2 also ships with the bowl pads, but lots of folks swap them out for Sennheiser HD414 pads which allow themselves to be adjustable for additional comfort, or with Headphile C-pads for even greater wearability. Of course there's always the Grado flat pads, so there are numerous ways that these cans can be set-up for a sound and comfort level that should fit!

 

[Zorander]

I have the MS-2 but I don't regard it as neutral when compared to a Sennheiser. With bowls, it still sounds awash with brightness and hurts my ears easily. I much prefer the flat pads with the MS-2: clarity is still there and with killer bass impact. Make no mistake though: it still carries that Grado sound signature and is still relatively forward-sounding.

My thoughts are: if you can afford it, get a second can, preferably from Sennheiser. Cans from both companies tend to compliment each others nicely. Once you have lived with two cans, you'll be wondering how you can live with just one of them.

Regards.

 

[darkninja67]

Give them some time and if they are still piercing, go to the Dark Side.

 

[guru388]

You folks are great these answers are just what I needed to hear. Tom I do think since you have B&W your comments are really what I needed to hear. I do thank all of you for your feed back.

 

[guru388]

Well to follow up..... Today I go back to the high end store to see about returning the Grados. But another problem has arisen. I called Sennheiser and spoke to the Southern California rep. I very nice guy named Steve Goldner and it seems there are no stores here in Southern California where a customer can audition the headsets any longer. It is a hit and miss deal now and he pointed out that stores today don't want to stock all the models and demo them. Even though he is in Southern California he did not offer to invite me over to his office to hear them. His suggestion was to buy them on the internet at the best price and then return the ones that I didn't like. Additional pain for me in tieing up credit card money and making sure I get return credit and bother with the seller. I really miss the high end houses of old. So we will see what happens today.