[sling5s]

   
+1
 
I was one of the prople that wrongfully thought that Grado had put different pads on the e serie.
 
The thing is that, on the models that have a larger driver, the pads are stretched, wich makes them look a bit different, and also, the stretch causes the foam to have a different density, wich can alter the sound a bit.
 
I do want to say that, I am sorry for any misunderstanding I may have caused.

No apologizes needed.  We're all trying make impressions and make sense out of what we hear and what we like and don't like. 

 

[adtrance]

Hello Head-Fi!
 
I'm about to start on my journey.  Ordering 325e next week and looking for a good amp pairing.  I'm considering Schiit Vali, but open to experienced suggestions.  I've never had tubes so I'm most curious to try that first, if tubes would be a good pairing for the Grados.  I prefer a detailed, yet smooth, full sound.
 
I'm also open to getting a separate DAC, like the Modi 2 but I'm thinking of layering my upgrades so I have a better sense of incremental improvements over time.
 
Source is my PC's onboard optical digital out to my trusty Sony S500ES that I've repurposed as my near-field amp driving a pair of SVS bookshelfs.  My main system is all Definitive Tech speakers, SVS subs and Denon receiver.  I'll take the 325e's out to the livingroom from time to time and listen through the Denon.  
 
Music varies widely from classical and quiet stuff like John Mayer, Jack Johnson when I'm studying, to Ocean Lab & trance when I'm just surfing around.  Pink Floyd, Zeppelin and Steely Dan are also a staple.    
 
Thanks and happy listening!

 

[pdrm360]

  Hmm?
 
Good move, thanks for the info.
I wonder if the red on the drivers is paint or some kind of silicone damper?
Has anyone taken apart an (e) series yet to confirm this?

 
They are red color paint, and also cleanable, based on my experience on 225e's. 

 

[acain]

  Hello Head-Fi!
 
I'm about to start on my journey.  Ordering 325e next week and looking for a good amp pairing.  I'm considering Schiit Vali, but open to experienced suggestions.  I've never had tubes so I'm most curious to try that first, if tubes would be a good pairing for the Grados.  I prefer a detailed, yet smooth, full sound.
 
I'm also open to getting a separate DAC, like the Magni 2 but I'm thinking of layering my upgrades so I have a better sense of incremental improvements over time.
 
Source is my PC's onboard optical digital out to my trusty Sony S500ES that I've repurposed as my near-field amp driving a pair of SVS bookshelfs.  My main system is all Definitive Tech speakers, SVS subs and Denon receiver.  I'll take the 325e's out to the livingroom from time to time and listen through the Denon.  
 
Music varies widely from classical and quiet stuff like John Mayer, Jack Johnson when I'm studying, to Ocean Lab & trance when I'm just surfing around.  Pink Floyd, Zeppelin and Steely Dan are also a staple.    
 
Thanks and happy listening!

Since you move to the living room sometimes maybe look into a portable DAC so its easy to move. I have the Grado SR225 and love them. I use them to watch movies when the kids are sleeping and I pair it with my Audioengine D1 Dac or Fiio E07K and they both pair well with it in my opinion. The Magni is small enough to be portable, I have never used a Schiit product yet but plan on some day.

 

[joseph69]

  No apologizes needed.  We're all trying make impressions and make sense out of what we hear and what we like and don't like. 

And what Grado is doing.
 

  They are red color paint, and also cleanable, based on my experience on 225e's. 

I couldn't see through the grills well enough when I had the GSe's, thanks.
 

  Hello Head-Fi!
 
I'm about to start on my journey.  Ordering 325e next week and looking for a good amp pairing.  

I've been using the 325is/Magni-Modi combo for 3+ years now for my desktop and still love! 

 

[adtrance]

 
Since you move to the living room sometimes maybe look into a portable DAC so its easy to move. I have the Grado SR225 and love them. I use them to watch movies when the kids are sleeping and I pair it with my Audioengine D1 Dac or Fiio E07K and they both pair well with it in my opinion. The Magni is small enough to be portable, I have never used a Schiit product yet but plan on some day.

An Audioengine would be convenient but I'd like to be able to tinker with separates.
 
Listening to movies is what I planned on doing too and comparing the speaker sound vs. good headphones.  

 

   
I've been using the 325is/Magni-Modi combo for 3+ years now for my desktop and still love! 

That combo almost seems unbreakable.  

 
I'll probably try the Magni-Vali variant first.  Also interested in trying another tube amp - Little Dot I.

 

[joseph69]

  That combo almost seems unbreakable.  

 
I'll probably try the Magni-Vali variant first.  Also interested in trying another tube amp - Little Dot I.

Yes, it does, and is for me at the desktop.
The LD-1+ is a great amp!

 

[Focker]

  I just got my PS500e set.  I'm so happy that the search is finally over.
 
Thanks to Amazon's generous return policy, I was able to audition the following:
 

1. GS1000e
2. PS500e
3. Sennheiser HD700
4. RS1e

 
Then I went back to the PS500e, for my ears, it's the best of that group.
 
The GS1000e and RS1e are certainly a sight to behold, and I wanted to love each of them.  None of them compare to the PS500e.  If there are better sounding headphones, I don't want to know about them, at least for a year or so....
 
Grado, fantastic job on the PS500e.  You have my respect and appreciation.  Oh, and my money.
 
Now - let's hope that future revisions of the "pretty" Grado headphones come about, and their sound matches their looks.

 
Congrats man, I haven't heard the "e" version yet, but that's pretty much what happened to me. Still haven't heard the PS1ks, but the 500s beat out the GS1ks to my ears, and they have remained my "go-go Grado" ever since. 
 
You made a great decision...if you ever are in the market for a tablet, get a Kindle Fire HDX and watch the 500s turn that thing into a multi-media DREAM  (I truly can't put my finger on it, but the 500s just have amazing synergy with Kindles...been that way for a couple years now.)

 

[Focker]

   
Let's see if we can keep this going, read on

 
My pain medication is starting to kick in, so I hope that what follows will make sense...to a few of you, at least.
 
Based on what I have heard, and read, lately, about Grados in general, and the e serie in particular, I have been asking myself this simple question, what if ?.
 
I'm sure that by now, M.H., Joseph, Focker, and others, know that I think that past the $500- $600 price point, the return on investment drops drastically. In fact, I'm not surprised when someone says they prefer say, the RS1i, to the PS1000, heck! I even prefer the $400 Bushmills X, to the $800 ish, RS1i.
 
So, based on this, what if Grado had maxed out on, ''the Grado sound'' , with the RSi, and GSi models, and I'm sure that for some, the vintage models, still represent Grado's, golden years. These days, I'm on the lookout for some first gen RS1, so, as they say, guilty as charged.
 
When you're at the top, there's only one way to go, and that's down. 
 
As far as I'm concerned, this dark cloud,does have a silver lining, in the form of Grado's greatly loved and wonderful sounding SR e serie.

 
Are those Bushmills still available? I meant to look into those but completely got sidetracked. Was cool they had some celeb power helping with the marketing, too. Even though I can never remember that dude's name. 

 

[Focker]

  Where do you get Grado pouch?  This is from Grado Facebook.

 

 
http://goodcans.com/HeadphoneStore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=36
 
http://www.amazon.com/GoodCans-Protective-Headphone-Sided-Pouch/dp/B007TM3WLQ

 

[muzic4life]

  +1
I think I need to get a polite sounding amp for my PS500e, the bass is a bit too much for my liking.

yup..this is what exactly i was gonna say earlier

 agree with you 100%..polite sounding amp and no need too much driving power. enough just to make Grado sing and let Grado dance by it self..that will be the best for Grado. 

 

[muzic4life]

i always think that ak240 with ps1000e are a perfect match (purely based on my own preference). I believe there could be a better desktop amp to match with, but i am pretty satisfied with this combo (considering of how simple it is, too), especially playing DSD, the sound is just unbelievably REAL. 
 

 

[Zuqi]

  i always think that ak240 with ps1000e are a perfect match (purely based on my own preference). I believe there could be a better desktop amp to match with, but i am pretty satisfied with this combo (considering of how simple it is, too), especially playing DSD, the sound is just unbelievably REAL. 
 

Nice! I always want to own a pair of PS1000 but the whole sytem would be too bulky for my liking.
I've read your profile, it seem that the MS2 and the 325e are your afvourite Grados, is that the case?
As for the MSpro, could you please explain why you prefer the MS2 over it? Cheers.

 

[muzic4life]

  Nice! I always want to own a pair of PS1000 but the whole sytem would be too bulky for my liking.
I've read your profile, it seem that the MS2 and the 325e are your afvourite Grados, is that the case?
As for the MSpro, could you please explain why you prefer the MS2 over it? Cheers.

Thanks Zuqi.
 
The only flaws i have with PS1000e, the headband could be too small for its heavy cups. The clamping is also (a bit too) soft, actually they are very comfy, the weight does not bother me at all, but i just can't move my head too much bcos that cup will easy moved from position. So i use this headfon mostly for my serious listening (and not for my everyday listening actually). I still prefer the fitting of my GS1000e. I find my self grab GS1ke more often than PS1ke, not bcos i like it more, bcos is better for my listening where i can carry it around inside my home (or i bring it with me when i am on travel).
 
Yes, the 325e and ms2e been my favorite for my everyday listening. The ms2e, to me, is like the more balance version of ps500. Well, i don't mean ms2e is better than ps500. Technically, i still think ps500 is better on some aspect. For example the music separation and all that, ps500 slightly wins over ms2e, but both have similar tonal presentation to my ears, which are mellow sounding, warm and not as aggressive as, let say, 325e. I like how ms2e voicing the vocal, i feel like the mids just a tad more bodied compared to ps500, and the bass, is more controlled and give me a sense the overall presentation of ms2e is more balanced compared to ps500. On the other hand, 325e, which i rate on par to ms2e, has more aggressive kinda signature, more lively sounding, fast, and i slightly rate 325e to be more accurate compared to ms2e (and so to ps500). So the 325e and ms2e, to me, they really complement each other quite good, and i use them everyday for my easy listening - so both is my favorite for my day2day listening.
 
For the mspro, if what u meant the e series, yea..i don't really like it. I much prefer the previous "i" series. The RS1e and MSPROe, IMHO and to my ears, the signature slightly "derailed" from original Grado's sig. Seems like they trying to create a new signature to love. I believe some might like it, but i definitely don't. Simple to say, based on what i personally prefer, they (rs1e/msproe) are having too less treble, missing the clarity of vocal which lead to a poor imaging, and somehow i feel they have too much bass as well. The bass part, actually is not too bad, but they need to have a slightly more treble to make the mids more clear, otherwise the bass will somehow definitely clouding the vocal clarity. BUT..it could be caused by only me, who does not like this kind of signature, some other people might prefer it over the "i' series.
 
The MsPro "i" series used to be my favorite cans. but until i returned it bcos of the wood cup is cracked. I wanted to get the replacement from the store. But seems they dont have the stock anymore. So i kinda miss it so much 

.
 
Cheers

 

[Zuqi]

  Thanks Zuqi.
 
The only flaws i have with PS1000e, the headband could be too small for its heavy cups. The clamping is also (a bit too) soft, actually they are very comfy, the weight does not bother me at all, but i just can't move my head too much bcos that cup will easy moved from position. So i use this headfon mostly for my serious listening (and not for my everyday listening actually). I still prefer the fitting of my GS1000e. I find my self grab GS1ke more often than PS1ke, not bcos i like it more, bcos is better for my listening where i can carry it around inside my home (or i bring it with me when i am on travel).
 
Yes, the 325e and ms2e been my favorite for my everyday listening. The ms2e, to me, is like the more balance version of ps500. Well, i don't mean ms2e is better than ps500. Technically, i still think ps500 is better on some aspect. For example the music separation and all that, ps500 slightly wins over ms2e, but both have similar tonal presentation to my ears, which are mellow sounding, warm and not as aggressive as, let say, 325e. I like how ms2e voicing the vocal, i feel like the mids just a tad more bodied compared to ps500, and the bass, is more controlled and give me a sense the overall presentation of ms2e is more balanced compared to ps500. On the other hand, 325e, which i rate on par to ms2e, has more aggressive kinda signature, more lively sounding, fast, and i slightly rate 325e to be more accurate compared to ms2e (and so to ps500). So the 325e and ms2e, to me, they really complement each other quite good, and i use them everyday for my easy listening - so both is my favorite for my day2day listening.
 
For the mspro, if what u meant the e series, yea..i don't really like it. I much prefer the previous "i" series. The RS1e and MSPROe, IMHO and to my ears, the signature slightly "derailed" from original Grado's sig. Seems like they trying to create a new signature to love. I believe some might like it, but i definitely don't. Simple to say, based on what i personally prefer, they (rs1e/msproe) are having too less treble, missing the clarity of vocal which lead to a poor imaging, and somehow i feel they have too much bass as well. The bass part, actually is not too bad, but they need to have a slightly more treble to make the mids more clear, otherwise the bass will somehow definitely clouding the vocal clarity. BUT..it could be caused by only me, who does not like this kind of signature, some other people might prefer it over the "i' series.
 
The MsPro "i" series used to be my favorite cans. but until i returned it bcos of the wood cup is cracked. I wanted to get the replacement from the store. But seems they dont have the stock anymore. So i kinda miss it so much 

.
 
Cheers

Thanks for sharing, I too think weight of the PS is a bit heavy.
Regarding the MS2e, do you mean it has less bass and more treble than the PS500e?
MSpro is quite easy to drive but not so easy to drive it well. The best pairing I've ever tried is Woo WA7. The pairing was so nice but I sold the headphone and then bought a pair of RS1i and RA1 instead. I am still longing that sound...
My favourite "i" Grado would be the RS2i, which has very forward and aggressive sound while not being overly bright. I think it represents the original Grado flavour, I guess ultimately I may love the bottoned RS1. But since I never have a chance to have a listen to it, so be it.
To be frank I am a bit concern about the new Grado's strategy and I am not sure whether they will carry on the legend in the future.