[KG Jag]

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FWIW, I found the 325 (the goldie i) to be overly harsh; the 225 seemed more "in line" with the rest of the SRs. I'm not saying the 325 are a bad can, they just seem to stick out like a sore thumb imho. To the op: I think the SR-80 is a fine choice; to imagine the 225, just think about continual refinement and slight "betterings" over what you have now. You did good (even the SR-60 are good

).

 
That's part of the beauty of "tubes light".  Some of the brightness of the 325 falls away.  They are very bright out of a Yamaha RX-A800 solid state receiver.  But the clarity, bass and slightly increased sound stage (over the MS1) remains and/or grows.

 

[musiclover666]

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I've had 125, 225, 225i, PS500........all gone now. I just purchased a pair of new Alessandro MS2i. (be here tomorrow)
 
The 125 and 225 didn't sound much different to me. There was a bit of variation with the 225 and 225i, both great in their unique way. The PS500 was a big leap, most notably in bass quality/quantity and beautiful tamed highs.
 
Really looking forward to MS2i.
 
Amps used LD I+ and Asgard.
 
Enjoy your 80's!

 
Yes, I definitely see an Alessandro in my future as well. I am also considering Schiit amp and DAC once I am back at work. But for now I am enjoying the hell out of these 80is. They haven't left my head since 5 this afternoon when I got them!

 

[Grado77]

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[BrainFood]

This article has some good info on the different pads. I personally like the taped bowls.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evaluation-grado-stock-and-modified-ear-pads

 
Many thanks for the link- will try the taped bowls.  Nice, easy mod!  
 
I guess I'm looking for something in between the bowls and TTVJ flats for my RS2i's.  I prefer the flats overall, they sound pretty good. The flipside though is a slight veiling or muffling. The bowls sound clearer but then the top end becomes a bit too bright and brittle and the rest lacks body- at least to these ears.  Any advice appreciated.
 

 

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I have a pair of flats, L cush, and Senn 414s coming this week sometime, so I will be doing some serious pad rolling before I start dismantling the cups. 

 
  Look forward to hearing how you get on.  Senn 414's on their way here too...

 

[musiclover666]

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Good for you! Grado sound is very addictive. Just a note, the Little Dot I+ should not be under-estimated. With the 32 ohm Grado's it completely holds it own against an Asgard, with the added advantage of tweaking the audio with op-amps and tubes. I only bought the Asgard to have an amp that was less fragile and solid state. If money was tight for me, and Grado was my goto can, I wouldn't bother with the Asgard at all and instead opt for the LD I+. It's quite a bargain for what it accomplishes. A good source/DAC is a must with all headphones. The Bitfrost is a beauty, but I opted for an Emotiva XDA-1 because of the multiple inputs and the cost. It's a bit less capable but it sounds fantastic for the price. I run XLR cables out of it to whatever amp I am using.
 
http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/xda1
 
Anyway, enjoy your Grado's!

 
Well right now I am using a Fiio e-10 with my Grados and it seems to work just fine. I am looking at Schiit DAC and amp simply because I can get tubes with the Schiit, which a lot of people say warm up the Grado sound a bit. For right now I am content, however I am sure once some extra money comes my way I will be bit with the upgraditis bug. 
 
On a side note I was up til 2 am listening to my new phones, and had a hell of a time plowing through my music collection.