Pariah1
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Posts
- 394
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- 10
They came Tues. actually, but I held off posting about them until now when I have a better idea of their sound (no, I don't mean "burn in"; just getting familiar to their SS and having more time with them to listen to music I'm familiar with).
Well overall I'm VERY happy with them!
They kill my 595's (my first "real" cans I have been using for over 3 years now) in any sound aspect I can think of: the 595's sound flat, lifeless, thin (less bass by far), anemic, dry, "lazy" or "tired", unfocused, even shrill/sibilant and with recessed/distant voices and mids in comparison.
The 225i's sound/have: More bass, taut/tight, more energetic, focused, fuller, snappy, driving, propelling, engaging, fun! They have more natural mids and a fuller, rounder, even softer sound. There is lots of snap to certain drums/cymbals in particular, and some sound very present--as in the drummer is in my head!
I don't understand the "too sharp/harsh" criticism of these cans at all: my 595's are more so! And if anything the 225i's are a tad, just slightly, "dark", at least in the upper mids. They are also not at all fatiguing.
I mostly have little to no problem with the Grado SS, but if there were any complaints it would be that they aren't the most detailed in the highs or bass (mids are just fine) and don't have tons of micro detail. So cymbal work, for instance, isn't the most delicate, light, or airy, and bass guitar isn't the most articulate. And those little nuances and subtleties hidden or mostly hidden in recordings don't pop out at you, they stay in the background.
However this is not necessarily a bad thing: one isn't supposed to concentrate on the details in the music as much as the main push of the music itself! And that's what the Grado's are all about: They get you to concentrate on the music instead of how you think it should sound; you get swept up with the flow of the song instead of dissecting it and analyzing it hearing only parts of it at any one moment (and thus missing the experience of the whole song!).
In fact, when I was trying to concentrate on how the 225i's produced this or that facet of the music I was listening/testing them with, I quickly forgot about what I was focusing on and just started enjoying the song! And I would keep listening to it even though I was trying to go through a lot of my music to hear how the Grado's handled certain song parts. But I ended up, more often than not, listening to the entire song I liked the sound so much.
There is one minor complaint I have with the 225i's sound though that isn't so much of a comprise/good thing as those above: sometimes the cymbal work can sound "brash" or "swishy". But this is the only real complaint I have.
However, SS aside, I do find these uncomfortable.
As they sit on my ears they tend to press down and hurt them after only about 20 minutes. Yes I know there are mods and ways to deal with this (and I have bent the head band a bit which helped), but I don't see why Grado can't design their cans better in the first place.
Also, within the first hour of listening, I heard the dreaded "grattle" in the right side and it has not gone away since (well, it seems to at times). Of all things I heard it first on Lennon's "Imagine". Hardly a demanding or bass heavy song, but I could hear the rattle/crackle at the 4 sec mark and 14 sec mark clearly. Then I heard it on other songs right after and hours/days after. I thought I had a defective can (well, maybe I do) but after reading about this phenomena on here I don't know what to think. I don't have long hair at all and see nothing in/around the driver in any case. And the phenomena comes and goes: last night, after listening to hours of music without any hint of grattle, I listened to the first 35 sec. of "Imagine" to see if it was there on this song, and it started right in and was worse than ever, present in more of the sound than I had heard it ever before. But today, when I first started listening, I put on "Imagine" to test for "grattle" and heard nothing, not the faintest crackle/rattle. (Yes this is the same FLAC file and same volume which is not at all blasting). Then, just now, after hours of listening without any "grattle", I put on "Imagine" once again and it's right there. I guess after hours of use the "grattle" starts in, but if I "rest" the cans for awhile (like overnight) then it goes away. Weird.
In any case I intend to send these back for an exchange (I have a 30 day exchange/return policy on them). I hope my next 225i's don't have any grattle or I might just have to give up on them no matter how much I like their sound. The uncomfortableness combined with the grattle problem are not worth spending $200 on. I really don't want to give up on these cans and try out any other cans I was thinking of before I got these though, as the 225i's are exactly what I was looking for.
I'd like to thank everyone who helped give advice and recommendations in my other threads: I went from looking for a different amp to drive my 595's to getting a new can altogether and I'm glad I changed my mind! (Even with the problems I'm having with it
).
Well overall I'm VERY happy with them!
They kill my 595's (my first "real" cans I have been using for over 3 years now) in any sound aspect I can think of: the 595's sound flat, lifeless, thin (less bass by far), anemic, dry, "lazy" or "tired", unfocused, even shrill/sibilant and with recessed/distant voices and mids in comparison.
The 225i's sound/have: More bass, taut/tight, more energetic, focused, fuller, snappy, driving, propelling, engaging, fun! They have more natural mids and a fuller, rounder, even softer sound. There is lots of snap to certain drums/cymbals in particular, and some sound very present--as in the drummer is in my head!
I don't understand the "too sharp/harsh" criticism of these cans at all: my 595's are more so! And if anything the 225i's are a tad, just slightly, "dark", at least in the upper mids. They are also not at all fatiguing.
I mostly have little to no problem with the Grado SS, but if there were any complaints it would be that they aren't the most detailed in the highs or bass (mids are just fine) and don't have tons of micro detail. So cymbal work, for instance, isn't the most delicate, light, or airy, and bass guitar isn't the most articulate. And those little nuances and subtleties hidden or mostly hidden in recordings don't pop out at you, they stay in the background.
However this is not necessarily a bad thing: one isn't supposed to concentrate on the details in the music as much as the main push of the music itself! And that's what the Grado's are all about: They get you to concentrate on the music instead of how you think it should sound; you get swept up with the flow of the song instead of dissecting it and analyzing it hearing only parts of it at any one moment (and thus missing the experience of the whole song!).
In fact, when I was trying to concentrate on how the 225i's produced this or that facet of the music I was listening/testing them with, I quickly forgot about what I was focusing on and just started enjoying the song! And I would keep listening to it even though I was trying to go through a lot of my music to hear how the Grado's handled certain song parts. But I ended up, more often than not, listening to the entire song I liked the sound so much.
There is one minor complaint I have with the 225i's sound though that isn't so much of a comprise/good thing as those above: sometimes the cymbal work can sound "brash" or "swishy". But this is the only real complaint I have.
However, SS aside, I do find these uncomfortable.
Also, within the first hour of listening, I heard the dreaded "grattle" in the right side and it has not gone away since (well, it seems to at times). Of all things I heard it first on Lennon's "Imagine". Hardly a demanding or bass heavy song, but I could hear the rattle/crackle at the 4 sec mark and 14 sec mark clearly. Then I heard it on other songs right after and hours/days after. I thought I had a defective can (well, maybe I do) but after reading about this phenomena on here I don't know what to think. I don't have long hair at all and see nothing in/around the driver in any case. And the phenomena comes and goes: last night, after listening to hours of music without any hint of grattle, I listened to the first 35 sec. of "Imagine" to see if it was there on this song, and it started right in and was worse than ever, present in more of the sound than I had heard it ever before. But today, when I first started listening, I put on "Imagine" to test for "grattle" and heard nothing, not the faintest crackle/rattle. (Yes this is the same FLAC file and same volume which is not at all blasting). Then, just now, after hours of listening without any "grattle", I put on "Imagine" once again and it's right there. I guess after hours of use the "grattle" starts in, but if I "rest" the cans for awhile (like overnight) then it goes away. Weird.
In any case I intend to send these back for an exchange (I have a 30 day exchange/return policy on them). I hope my next 225i's don't have any grattle or I might just have to give up on them no matter how much I like their sound. The uncomfortableness combined with the grattle problem are not worth spending $200 on. I really don't want to give up on these cans and try out any other cans I was thinking of before I got these though, as the 225i's are exactly what I was looking for.
I'd like to thank everyone who helped give advice and recommendations in my other threads: I went from looking for a different amp to drive my 595's to getting a new can altogether and I'm glad I changed my mind! (Even with the problems I'm having with it
