[chailee80]

I've been hit with Grado fever again! Havent listened to any Grados since my friends hijacked my ones lol. But the new e series piqued my interest so i got a new pair of 225e's for comparison and now the fevers full blown and i've ordered the ps500e's for comparison also :O. Quick somebody find a cure before i'm completely broke!

 

[SBranson]

Grado was my gateway drug.  I had some Panasonics that at $30 I thought was pretty pricey (this is the mid-90's).  They broke and the local record shop guy sent me next door to the hi-fi centre.
I was blown away what $60 could get in the SR-60s.  I bought them but they developed a buzz in less than a week so I went back and what the heck,,, up to the SR-80. 
Not too long later, I traded them in for Sr-125s, then traded those in for SR325...  well I was on a roll so I auditioned the RS-1s..  $1100 later I had them and the RA1 amp.
 
Man...  That guy must've loved seeing me come through the door.
 
Is there anywhere to get the e-series in Canada? (other than the SR80e)
 
I have some broken SR125s and SR60s and only my SR80s are working so I feel like getting something to replace the broken ones.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
The old 225i was still too shouty for me with bowls. The 325is however was good and much better than the 225i IMO.

I wasn't willing to sacrifice a bit more bass of the 325is for the etched treble....I'd still take the 225s over them. 

 

[Nerrel]

  So what do you recommend?  I've got 2 sets of brand new L Cush,
I'm going to put one set on the 1e's now and give them a listen.
If you have any other recommendations, please let me know.

I was just suggesting that you put the RS1i bowls on the RS1e, nothing fancy.  The new pads may be less comfortable because the material isn't worn in as much.  The newer headband could also be putting more pressure on your ears than the older RS1i band. 
 
Those are the only two possible reasons I can see why the e's would be less comfortable, and both of them are things that usually improve after some break-in. 
 
It's good to hear that you think the e's sound a little better.  It's surprising to hear that the soundstage is larger, since the shallower bowls would suggest the opposite.  In my comparison between the 225 and 225e, I noticed that the sound was obviously smoother and clearer with the e series.  I'm assuming that's due to the new drivers and maybe the new resonance damping features, which are common to every model. 
 
Grados hold their value well, so it wouldn't cost too much out of pocket to sell a current model and upgrade to the new one.  From what I'm hearing so far, the RS1e is probably worth it. 

 

[donunus]

  I wasn't willing to sacrifice a bit more bass of the 325is for the etched treble....I'd still take the 225s over them. 

I think it really depends on the particular frequencies one is sensitive to since I find that the 225i had harsher lower highs vs the 325i which had more highs in a slightly higher frequency. I felt the 325i was brighter in the 10khz and up region which I dont mind as much as the area from 5khz to 10khz being boosted.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
I think it really depends on the particular frequencies one is sensitive to since I find that the 225i had harsher lower highs vs the 325i which had more highs in a slightly higher frequency. I felt the 325i was brighter in the 10khz and up region which I dont mind as much as the area from 5khz to 10khz being boosted.

Then we're hearing things rather differently? I found the 325is brighter across the board. The measurements show this here:
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=383&graphID[]=373&scale=30
 
The very small differences in the 5kHz range are most likely due to measurement variations. As a result, I prefer to use the innerfidelity measurements (being an average of 5 measurements instead of one-offs like Headroom):

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR225i.pdf
vs.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR325i.pdf
 
These actually show a bit more treble energy in the 5kHz ish range on the 325s. Could be HRTF differences between our ears? But most have commented that the 325s are the "brightest" in the Prestige series. They do some things very nicely like the bass and quickness, but I couldn't get over the treble.

 

[gregorya]

Does anyone know if the drivers protrude on the SR series e models like on the RS and PS series?

 

[Claritas]

225e looked just like 225i to me on the outside. It also measured the same with a precise tape measure.

 

[donunus]

  Then we're hearing things rather differently? I found the 325is brighter across the board. The measurements show this here:
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=383&graphID[]=373&scale=30
 
The very small differences in the 5kHz range are most likely due to measurement variations. As a result, I prefer to use the innerfidelity measurements (being an average of 5 measurements instead of one-offs like Headroom):

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR225i.pdf
vs.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/GradoSR325i.pdf
 
These actually show a bit more treble energy in the 5kHz ish range on the 325s. Could be HRTF differences between our ears? But most have commented that the 325s are the "brightest" in the Prestige series. They do some things very nicely like the bass and quickness, but I couldn't get over the treble.

I think I know what it is. Its probably the weight of the metal grados making them press harder into my ears making the sound thicker and seemingly less harsh.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
I think I know what it is. Its probably the weight of the metal grados making them press harder into my ears making the sound thicker and seemingly less harsh.

 
Not sure, I've got a pretty large melon and they pressed pretty hard on my ears due to the weight too. I'm thinking HRTF or upstream setup?

 

[baka1969]

I wasn't willing to sacrifice a bit more bass of the 325is for the etched treble....I'd still take the 225s over them. 

That's the truth. I've heard/owned the 325(i) and they were screechingly etched in the treble. The worst of the Grados. IMHO. YMMV

 

[Sonic Defender]

I loved my 225, it was a great sounding headphone all things being considered. Pretty durable as well.

 

[Claritas]

I'm unsure if the sound differences between 225i and 325is are caused by the driver or the housing material or both.

 

[MrFaust]

So do we know if there have been any unmarked PS500e spotted yet?

 

[donunus]

   
or upstream setup?

That too. I didn't have them both at the same time. I had different systems. The 325iS was hooked up to a basic fiio e10 while the 225i was connected to a better desktop amp which may have been too neutral for it. Its the hf2 and 325iS that I heard side by side out of the humble fiio e10. The weird thing is that the 325iS that I had wasn't much brighter than the hf2 as well. Maybe I had a dud hahaha.