[vai-777]

Yeah SR325e

 

[GreenBow]

I feel like saying mega-congratulations.

 

[vai-777]

Thanks!. They really are something special... one caveat, they can be a little uncomfortable, but I suspect I will get used to it... even if I don't, they sound too damn good to care.

 

[joseph69]

No more Stax…no more ringing in my ears! 

 

[zazex]

 
Thanks!. They really are something special... one caveat, they can be a little uncomfortable, but I suspect I will get used to it... even if I don't, they sound too damn good to care.

You might know that the earpads will soften a bit as you wear the headphones,
and you can bend the headband somewhat if that's what's causing the discomfort.
 
Enjoy your new 325e's!

 

[ruthieandjohn]

  I listened to the GS-1000 back when it first came out 2005?... somewhere around there. Anyway, I didn't like it at all, and stuck with my hd600. Recently I have been looking for HD600 alternatives (I have the HD800) but was looking for something a little less expensive and a little more portable.  Tried the Q701, loved them... then I tried the DT880, loved them too. I figured I was set, I'd keep the Q701 and the DT880 as alternatives to the HD600. Then I saw the SR325e, yeah just a few days ago... I've been off the forums for years. $300... that is a little steep, considering I got the Q701 AND the DT880 off Amazon for a little over $300 total. I really like the look of the Grados though, so I checked out the FR graphs... I always check the graphs, they usually dictate whether I will like a phone or not. Philips X2 was a perfect example, didn't like the graph, tried them anyway, hate them. Back to the Grados though. Ordered through Crutchfield, cause why pay tax on Amazon when they have the same 60 day return policy. They came today!!! Yeah Sunday!!!! UPS... weird. I plug them in and frankly, I AM BLOWN AWAY!!! Out friggin standing. Haven't heard anything that made me this happy since the HD800. $300 is a steal. They absolutely are a cut above the Beyerdynamic DT880 and the AKG Q701... and the HD600 (hate to say it, but it is true) The HD800 is a different beast, so I'm no going to compare the two.
 
I will skip the usual banter about how they sound. We know all the words audiophiles use to describe these things... open, bright, clear, muddy, smooth, etc... we have all heard the words before, they are in almost every review. I'll say just one thing. The Grado SR325e makes the music sound REAL... the other headphones (save for the HD800) reproduce the music quite accurately but there is something missing, it just doesn't sound as authentic as it does on the Grados. I don't know what it is, or how to describe it, but real is the only word I can use here. It is like the Q701 HD600 and the DT880 are trying to hard to do things right, but the Grados seem to just effortlessly project what is supposed to be heard. Not sure if I just got an outstanding pair, or if this is the norm. I'm honestly thinking about getting another set to put away, god forbid they change things.
 
Anyway, just thought I would chime in here, because they really are that great.
 
PS.... Bought the HD600 in 1998 or 1999, it's been a long and enjoyable affair....

CONGRATULATIONS (and Hallelujah, sung by choirs of angels!).  The Grado SR325e is top rated two years in a row by Consumer's Reports (yeah, I know we all sneer... that publication is for the masses, not us pristine Audio Files, but it just shows that our beloved Grado is getting into the mass market!).
 
Do not, under any circumstances, try the $79 Grado SR60e.  It will blow your mind with its quality, at just a quarter of the price of a SR325e.  No, we don't want THAT... remain content with your purchase (just so you know and can calibrate my remarks, I have 20 pairs of Grados, plus 2 Grado amps, that include ALL of the SR325 family, i.e., four of 'em... the SR325 original, the SR325i gold anniversary, the "improved" SR325is, and your SR325e!).

 

[vai-777]

wow 20 Grados? that is carzy!!!! I probably will try a few of the lower end models, cause I really don't want anything to happen to the 325e that I have. I do recall hearing the 125 isn't that great though.
 
Is the 225e basically the same as the 325e without the aluminum?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

 
wow 20 Grados? that is carzy!!!! I probably will try a few of the lower end models, cause I really don't want anything to happen to the 325e that I have. I do recall hearing the 125 isn't that great though.
 
Is the 225e basically the same as the 325e without the aluminum?

The 225e will be less bright than the 325e, which is the brightest of the Grado e series.  That said, the older Grado i series, which the e replaced in June of 2014, is brighter in general than the e series for any given model number.  In fact, the SR225i, which is brighter than the SR225e, to me is indistinguishable from the SR325e, which is less bright than the older SR325i.
 
You might enjoy the 4D plot and comparisons of 13 Grados that is in my signature line!

 

[vai-777]

well, I don't think I would want the 325e any brighter, I think they hit the sweet spot here... I was considering looking into the RS series but I suspect diminishing returns at that level. I mean, I'm not sure what I would want a headphone to do better than what the SR325e already does.

 

[joseph69]

Listening to my 325is at my desktop right now and they absolutely are amazing!

 

[GreenBow]

 
Thanks!. They really are something special... one caveat, they can be a little uncomfortable, but I suspect I will get used to it... even if I don't, they sound too damn good to care.

Check out this thread for L-cushion comfort. http://www.head-fi.org/t/754373/grado-l-cushion-comfort-for-sr225-ps500#post_11345196

 

[marts30]

  CONGRATULATIONS (and Hallelujah, sung by choirs of angels!).  The Grado SR325e is top rated two years in a row by Consumer's Reports (yeah, I know we all sneer... that publication is for the masses, not us pristine Audio Files, but it just shows that our beloved Grado is getting into the mass market!).
 
Do not, under any circumstances, try the $79 Grado SR60e.  It will blow your mind with its quality, at just a quarter of the price of a SR325e.  No, we don't want THAT... remain content with your purchase (just so you know and can calibrate my remarks, I have 20 pairs of Grados, plus 2 Grado amps, that include ALL of the SR325 family, i.e., four of 'em... the SR325 original, the SR325i gold anniversary, the "improved" SR325is, and your SR325e!).

Yeah, preferring the 60e with bowl pads to my 325is! Crazy value.

 

[vai-777]

does the bowl pad (G Pad?) add treble?

 

[stacker45]

  It is easily reversible. You just pull off the sorb if you don't like it after you try it. A sheet of 1/8 in self-stick sorb big enough to do about 8 headphones can be bought on Ebay for about $15.00

 
I might check into that, thanks.
 
 

Don't understand modding other than alternative pads from the same manufacturer used on other derivatives of the same headphone. If the headphones can be improved I'd trust the manufacturer with years of experience to do it. Grados are apparently tuned by ear better ears than mine no doubt. Likewise EQ.

Just me I suppose.

 
The final choices that Grado makes might not be ideal one for you. Take the GH-1 for exemple, from what I've read, everyone that have tried the G-cush have preferred them to the L-cush that Grado decided to go with. I own 7 pairs of Grados, and 4 of them aren't wearing their original pads, and comfort is the only reason why I keep the stock S-cush on my SR80i, because I mostly use them when I'm wearing my glasses.
 
Like I've said before, I'm willing to try pretty much any mods, as long as they don't leave permanent scars.
 
 

  I listened to the GS-1000 back when it first came out 2005?... somewhere around there. Anyway, I didn't like it at all, and stuck with my hd600. Recently I have been looking for HD600 alternatives (I have the HD800) but was looking for something a little less expensive and a little more portable.  Tried the Q701, loved them... then I tried the DT880, loved them too. I figured I was set, I'd keep the Q701 and the DT880 as alternatives to the HD600. Then I saw the SR325e, yeah just a few days ago... I've been off the forums for years. $300... that is a little steep, considering I got the Q701 AND the DT880 off Amazon for a little over $300 total. I really like the look of the Grados though, so I checked out the FR graphs... I always check the graphs, they usually dictate whether I will like a phone or not. Philips X2 was a perfect example, didn't like the graph, tried them anyway, hate them. Back to the Grados though. Ordered through Crutchfield, cause why pay tax on Amazon when they have the same 60 day return policy. They came today!!! Yeah Sunday!!!! UPS... weird. I plug them in and frankly, I AM BLOWN AWAY!!! Out friggin standing. Haven't heard anything that made me this happy since the HD800. $300 is a steal. They absolutely are a cut above the Beyerdynamic DT880 and the AKG Q701... and the HD600 (hate to say it, but it is true) The HD800 is a different beast, so I'm no going to compare the two.
 
I will skip the usual banter about how they sound. We know all the words audiophiles use to describe these things... open, bright, clear, muddy, smooth, etc... we have all heard the words before, they are in almost every review. I'll say just one thing. The Grado SR325e makes the music sound REAL... the other headphones (save for the HD800) reproduce the music quite accurately but there is something missing, it just doesn't sound as authentic as it does on the Grados. I don't know what it is, or how to describe it, but real is the only word I can use here. It is like the Q701 HD600 and the DT880 are trying to hard to do things right, but the Grados seem to just effortlessly project what is supposed to be heard. Not sure if I just got an outstanding pair, or if this is the norm. I'm honestly thinking about getting another set to put away, god forbid they change things.
 
Anyway, just thought I would chime in here, because they really are that great.
 
PS.... Bought the HD600 in 1998 or 1999, it's been a long and enjoyable affair....

 
I've always thought that the GS1000 first came out in 2006. Anyway, I owned HD600 too, and when I compared both, the HD600 sounded veiled next to the GS1000, so I sold my HD600, and became a Storm Trooper with the Dark Side.
 
I did give the HD800 a try, when they first came out, and even though I thought that they sounded very good, and were a major improvement over the HD600, by that time, I'd bought my PS1000, wich, to this day, have been my favorite pair of headphones.

 

[stacker45]

  No more Stax…no more ringing in my ears! 

 
I'm happy for you Buddy!

 
 

  CONGRATULATIONS (and Hallelujah, sung by choirs of angels!).  The Grado SR325e is top rated two years in a row by Consumer's Reports (yeah, I know we all sneer... that publication is for the masses, not us pristine Audio Files, but it just shows that our beloved Grado is getting into the mass market!).
 
Do not, under any circumstances, try the $79 Grado SR60e.  It will blow your mind with its quality, at just a quarter of the price of a SR325e.  No, we don't want THAT... remain content with your purchase (just so you know and can calibrate my remarks, I have 20 pairs of Grados, plus 2 Grado amps, that include ALL of the SR325 family, i.e., four of 'em... the SR325 original, the SR325i gold anniversary, the "improved" SR325is, and your SR325e!).

 
Hey John, just out of curiousity, where would you rank your HP1000, and PS1000, among your 20 pairs of Grados?
 
 
 
 

 
well, I don't think I would want the 325e any brighter, I think they hit the sweet spot here... I was considering looking into the RS series but I suspect diminishing returns at that level. I mean, I'm not sure what I would want a headphone to do better than what the SR325e already does.

 
In my opinion, when you reach the $500-$600, anything's possible. Some people prefer the $900 RS1(i) ,to the $1900 (Canadian prices), PS1000.
 
That being said, I'm sure that many would agree, that even compared to the SR325e, the RS2e, still represents a great value,
 
 
 
 

 
does the bowl pad (G Pad?) add treble?

 
Yes, and they also take some of the bass away, and widen the soundstage.