[A<aA?]

hi all,

i've recently been getting into headphones, and got myself some grado sr225's. I didn't listen to them much when i got them and just let them burn in for about 20 hours, I was convinced though that the hd650's would be better, and just the other day I got them through, with a cmoy amp.

After listening to the senn's and then the grado's, there isn't much of a comparison to me now, the grados imo rock. I mainly listen to rock, metal, blues, electronica.

anyhow now I'm basically in love with grado, and surprised at myself, as I do value comfort etc the Senn's offer, I actually find the senns abit too tight around the head, and much heavier.

I'm now looking at completing the setup by going for a Earmax amp; it'll cost me about £400, is it definitely worth buying? Oh and anyone want to buy my hd650's? (joke).

 

[byrdparis]

hi
im very happy to read such post ...
im going to get my sr 225 today

and couldnt wait till the fed ex guy will come already .

i got the senn' too (and two phones more) i bought the grados for some reasons :

1: i dont have any grado can
2: it suposed to be a great rock\metal phones
3: i want to see what the "big deal" about them grados can's
4 i want a bit of a spred ...

may be i fell in love today also

 

[MrEcted1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by byrdparis hi im very happy to read such post ... im going to get my sr 225 today and couldnt wait till the fed ex guy will come already . i got the senn' too (and two phones more) i bought the grados for some reasons : 1: i dont have any grado can 2: it suposed to be a great rock\metal phones 3: i want to see what the "big deal" about them grados can's 4 i want a bit of a spred ... may be i fell in love today also

Please post your first impressions with your first Grado can! Personally I was blown away when I first heard em' but then again - it was my first higher-end can (SR-80, now HF-1 #406)

 

[acidboy84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrEcted1 Please post your first impressions with your first Grado can! Personally I was blown away when I first heard em' but then again - it was my first higher-end can (SR-80, now HF-1 #406)

Me too. Got the SR-80 and listening to it now. Planning of getting the SR-325i soon, probably January 2006. (It's gonna be my first headphone of the year

)

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ċãţ I'm now looking at completing the setup by going for a Earmax amp; it'll cost me about £400, is it definitely worth buying? Oh and anyone want to buy my hd650's? (joke).

NO! The original Earmax amp will not properly drive low-impedance headphones such as Grado's. Simply won't work. However, the Earmax Pro is a different story, and works wonderfully with Grado headphones. The Anniversary Edition of the Earmax Pro is better still, but if you find one at that price you're a very lucky person.

Do not get the standard Earmax for low impedance headphones. It won't work. Fixing this issue was a driving force for creation of the Pro version. The standard needs to see at least 100 ohm, IIRC.

 

[A<aA?]

ok, thanks for the info. do you have one? definitely worth the price? i can get mine for £425, steep, but im prepared to buy if it's worth it.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ċãţ ok, thanks for the info. do you have one? definitely worth the price? i can get mine for £425, steep, but im prepared to buy if it's worth it.

i got mine used. I think that is the way to go. If youy can. But if you are looking to use this mostly with the Grados, I would think a SS amp would be the way to go. I perfer the SMv3 to the EARMAXPRO generally with RS-1s. With HD650 I definitely prefer the EMP.

 

[byrdparis]

hi ...

so my grado's are fianly here ... you guys told me to keep my wallet close but i couldnt halp it i guess

im about to finish my first listen to them and they great

.

i will post some review later on
in the meanwhile they rock !!!!

 

[agile_one]

ċãţ: as mentioned by Hirsch above, the EarMax is incapable of driving Grado's or other low impedance headphones satisfactorily. It is magic with 600/650's and other high impedance cans, though.

Ah, but the EarMax Pro - that's an entirely different matter. The EMP was specifically designed to supply the current that low impedance cans require, and sounds wonderful with Grado's. I am listening to HF-1's from my EMP as I type (Buddy Guy wailing some Chicago blues), and am being rewarded with just a touch fullness and roundness with no loss of speed or sense of immediacy we all love in our Grados. I believe the SR225's are the basis for the HF-1, so that model should sound just as good.

The EarMax Pro Anniversary Edition would take you to another level entirely (at 2.5 - 3 x the price), but is probably over the diminishing returns curve.

EMP's come up used for around $500 - $550, and they respond very nicely to tube rolling if you like to play.

 

[stevieo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ċãţ hi all, i've recently been getting into headphones, and got myself some grado sr225's. I didn't listen to them much when i got them and just let them burn in for about 20 hours, I was convinced though that the hd650's would be better, and just the other day I got them through, with a cmoy amp. After listening to the senn's and then the grado's, there isn't much of a comparison to me now, the grados imo rock. I mainly listen to rock, metal, blues, electronica. anyhow now I'm basically in love with grado, and surprised at myself, as I do value comfort etc the Senn's offer, I actually find the senns abit too tight around the head, and much heavier. I'm now looking at completing the setup by going for a Earmax amp; it'll cost me about £400, is it definitely worth buying? Oh and anyone want to buy my hd650's? (joke).

ċãţ

the grado sr225 is my personal choice for grado's rock & roll cans.

earmax & grado? i hope you are not kidding. they are made for each other. i use my rs-1 with an earmax anniversary & the earmax pro is no slouch either. i know nothing about the standard earmax but hirsch & agile_one commented on that & they know what they are talking about.

also, i might add that the akg K701 is killer with the earmax & those cans rock! but they need a good 300 hours or more or serious burn-in. it is somthing to consider in the furure.

the hd650 needs about 250 hours of serious burn-in so don't rule them out yet.

 

[GoRedwings19]

I like the grado and earmax combo over the senn and earmax combo.

I like the EMP a.e with the Ps-1 and the EMP pro with the rs-1. YMMV

 

[A<aA?]

Yeah I agree, I don't want to put anyone off going for senns. They are good, but sound completely different, alot less 'energetic' than grado, more suited to classical - I believe they're for mixing as well, so they will be more neutral.
By tonight the Senns should have burnt in for total of 17 hours, and I'm sure they sound better even now.

I'm definitely going for the EMP - I just needed to hear someone say it will work well. I would get the anniversary ones, only if by some miracle I get a load of cash for christmas

 

[Sugano-san]

Grado out of Earmax Pro sounds very good indeed. The problem is the background hum, which is much stronger with Grados than it is with Senns, due to the significantly lower impedance of the Grados. I am not imagining this---I discussed the problem with Stefan Brocksieper over the phone and he confirmed my perception (although he added that only one out of 500 customers notices the hum), which occurred independently from mains filtering and the like. Maybe it's less of a problem with PSU-modded earmaxes or the anniversary model, but there is definitely an audible hum with Grados and the Earmax Pro.

 

[A<aA?]

should this put this me off, does it matter alot? i haven't heard about this before, and even so I don't know whether it means I shouldn't buy a Pro

the alterantives are the graham slee or sugden, but i thought i'd go for the emp as its valve and known to be very good...

 

[Hirsch]

I've never noticed a hum with EMP and Grado's. With a 1/500 occurrence, my first guess would be a ground loop somewhere. My second guess would be a noisy tube. In any event, I would not let this put you off. Listen to the amp with Grado's before purchase, if that's possible, to see if you hear the hum. Enough people like the combination, however, that I don't see it as a likely problem (RS-1 and PS-1 are among my favorites with EMP).