[Bernard23]

I have the SR325X and it is much better and more balanced than the SR325e.

That's what I have read from multiple sources, they're very different phones. Personally, they are probably closer to the Hemp, so a somewhat pointless investment (for me), I'd rather save and get the RS2x!

 

[Stevko]

So which new Grados have the good old Grado sound?

 

[ian91]

I've received the SR325x from Amazon Warehouse at a pretty decent price (about £200) and thankfully on opening them there's no damage to them at all, just to the outer cardboard box.

It's very early days yet but theres certainly more note weight compared to the SR80x. I've switched to G pads for better stage and it still manages to hold onto low end extension but just with less impact. The SR325x certainly has a more metallic flare to its sound compared to the more 'woody' sound of the SR80x, has greater resolution and is more incisive with some treble emphasis that does need careful volume adjustment to tame to my ear. I've moved the stock F pads to the SR80x and they seem to match up nicely for my tastes.

The SR80x is certainly a more comfortable all day listen but I can see myself enjoying the SR325x in the evening for more critical listening.

£300 for two quite complementary, mid-forward sets that can be driven by anything! Happy camper!

 

[Plautus001]

The other thing I did was remember that Grado themselves suggests wearing the cups slightly lower than you would normally for either over ear, or on ear headphones. When worn that way they seem too low, but are actually much more comfortable AND it seems to have a positive impact on sound stage and general overall tonal balance throughout the sound spectrum.

Thanks for posting this suggestion.

I did some more listening with my SR325X last night while using different positions for the headphones.

Moving them down below my ears seemed to sound 'smoother' while being more comfortable.

Shifting them forward was a touch more 'lively'.

I find my preferred position for the SR325X varies based on my sources/amps and program material.

By the way, the SR325X have great bass and 'bite' with the stock pads... comfort is my only issue.

I am now wondering - which Grado would still have good bass with the G-Pads?

 

[max232]

What changes did you notice with G-cushion? I just bought RS1x, but my ears hit the grills with the stock pads. I've never had this happen with any other Grados before.
G-cushions would help, but it would be a $50 gamble if the sound changes too much.

Buy them. Dramatic improvement in comfort. I didn't notice a difference in sound.

 

[murphythecat]

can any kind soul compare RS2x vs Hemp?

as for the claims that the Hemp and the RS2x are probably the same driver, i doubt it... The RS2x with the g pads are 99.5db, the Hemp with the F pads are 98db and the RS2x with the F pads are clearly more efficient then with the G pads.

 

[DTgill]

I've received the SR325x from Amazon Warehouse at a pretty decent price (about £200) and thankfully on opening them there's no damage to them at all, just to the outer cardboard box.

It's very early days yet but theres certainly more note weight compared to the SR80x. I've switched to G pads for better stage and it still manages to hold onto low end extension but just with less impact. The SR325x certainly has a more metallic flare to its sound compared to the more 'woody' sound of the SR80x, has greater resolution and is more incisive with some treble emphasis that does need careful volume adjustment to tame to my ear. I've moved the stock F pads to the SR80x and they seem to match up nicely for my tastes.

The SR80x is certainly a more comfortable all day listen but I can see myself enjoying the SR325x in the evening for more critical listening.

£300 for two quite complementary, mid-forward sets that can be driven by anything! Happy camper!

The SR325x is my gateway into the world of Grado, you don't notice at first, but soon you find yourself wanting to buy another one ... Don't say you weren't warned...

 

[Glokta]

As a guy who loves his Biodyna drivers and 600 ohm voltage hogs, which Grado has a treble level comparable to Fostex TH / Beyer DT880...?

 

[TooFrank]

Interesting take. I find them to be some of the sparkliest treble among my Grados. Bass is fine too, but not like The Hemps. Sometimes I like to flip them back and forth with The Hemps for contrast.

Agree that they are a lot of fun. )

Agree, I definitely like the HF3, but compared with the Hemps and GH2s, I find them somewhat brighter overall. (Although I have never listened to the 325s, I tend to think of the HF3s as the wooden 325?).

 

[TooFrank]

Grado RA-1 Headphone amp. They are long discontinued. Rather simply OP-amp based headphone amp. But! I also had 47 Lab stuff and they were also like...super cheap looking weird things. With exceptional sound quality I must add. I do think the Grado did the exact same thing that 47 Lab made later. I fact I am thinking about buying a Shigaraki USB DAC (if I ever find one) just to match with these amp. Bonsai audio! And I bet it would sound absolutely sublime with my RS-1 classic.

FWIW, I had the battery version of the RA-1 a while ago. I was very good with my Grado's and looked gorgeous. I recall a lot of discussions/opinions, that it was heavily overpriced, especially when you looked inside at the components. Anyway, the only tiny annoying thing was the slight channel imbalance a low listenings levels.....

 

[TooFrank]

I also have all Geekria pads and tried them all but as much as I love the comfort and the soundstage that the G pads provide for example, they change the sound too much on Hemp / 325 to be able to enjoy them, the sound doesn't jump at you anymore, I feel they kill the liveliness and soul of these models. (for the music I usually listen to that is)

FWIW: For comfort I was switching the stock pads on the Hemps to the Beautiful Audio pads quite some time ago. It works very fine. However, today I shifted back to the stock and realized why the Hemps have received so good reviews So much more punch - Need to adjust to the flat pads - again......

 

[Glokta]

FWIW: For comfort I was switching the stock pads on the Hemps to the Beautiful Audio pads quite some time ago. It works very fine. However, today I shifted back to the stock and realized why the Hemps have received so good reviews So much more punch - Need to adjust to the flat pads - again......

Talking about comfort, I was actually looking at the Shipibo earpads as they don't seem to change the sound much, I guess I'll just order a pair and try them out.
I also have the Geekria headband pads for the HD650 strapped to the actual headband, I have a big head with a "crest" that makes uncomfortable most of the headphones that don't distribute the weight correctly. With that padding and extended tot the max, I can barely get the Grados in a normal listening position, imagine that. I guess my mom watched too much Star Trek when she had me.

 

[ian91]

Spent the evening swopping through pads I had to hand on the 325x. My observations, and these are purely personal, will probably change over time but so far:

• SR80x adapts much better to pad rolling with most adjustments in signature being variations on an already palatable sound and is much more comfortable due to the plastic housing
• With the SR325x it is difficult to find the sweet zone and this is something like 1/3rd due to the shift in sound imparted by the pad and 2/3rds due to discomfort from personal anatomy and being a glasses wearer
  • Stock F-pads - most mid-forward, thumpiest midbass, upper mids/lower treble on the verge of becoming offensive, uncomfortable and limiting me to about 30minutes listening max
  • Third party G-pads - largest soundstage, midrange placed further back accentuating treble emphasis, midbass sucked out, overall the sound is 'thinned' making it sound much less organic and the inherent metallic timbre even more apparent. Strings remain enjoyable but lack some of the body from the midrange and lower midrange fundamental notes
  • Grado S-pads - seem to make the stage feel more congested reducing separation and dulling some of the upper midrange and lower treble just slightly too much for my taste
  • Third party L-pads - open stage second only to G-pads, very clean and transparent signature but some loss of midbass warmth, comfort is an issue with these due to the firmer and narrower sponge acting as a pressure point on my ears (and the glasses arm behind it)
  • Third party L-like pads (??) - probably the best pads for a balance of comfort and open sound signature but that retains midbass impact and warmth
• The drastic effect of pad-rolling is reminding me of a similar phenomena with IEM eartips! This is taking lots of experimentation.

Any help or suggestions on pad choice / comfort measures would be welcomed. I'm going to experiment with headband adjustments to see if I can offset some of that pressure around the ears.

 

[jeremiahl]

Spent the evening swopping through pads I had to hand on the 325x. My observations, and these are purely personal, will probably change over time but so far:

• SR80x adapts much better to pad rolling with most adjustments in signature being variations on an already palatable sound and is much more comfortable due to the plastic housing
• With the SR325x it is difficult to find the sweet zone and this is something like 1/3rd due to the shift in sound imparted by the pad and 2/3rds due to discomfort from personal anatomy and being a glasses wearer
  • Stock F-pads - most mid-forward, thumpiest midbass, upper mids/lower treble on the verge of becoming offensive, uncomfortable and limiting me to about 30minutes listening max
  • Third party G-pads - largest soundstage, midrange placed further back accentuating treble emphasis, midbass sucked out, overall the sound is 'thinned' making it sound much less organic and the inherent metallic timbre even more apparent. Strings remain enjoyable but lack some of the body from the midrange and lower midrange fundamental notes
  • Grado S-pads - seem to make the stage feel more congested reducing separation and dulling some of the upper midrange and lower treble just slightly too much for my taste
  • Third party L-pads - open stage second only to G-pads, very clean signature and transparent signature but some loss of midbass warmth, comfort is an issue with these due to the firmer and narrower sponge acting as a pressure point on my ears (and the glasses arm behind it)
  • Third party L-like pads (??) - probably the best pads for a balance of comfort and open sound signature but that retains midbass impact and warmth
• The drastic effect of pad-rolling is reminding me of a similar phenomena with IEM eartips! This is taking lots of experimentation.

Any help or suggestions on pad choice / comfort measures would be welcomed. I'm going to experiment with headband adjustments to see if I can offset some of that pressure around the ears.

Thank you for the comprehensive review - that's really helpful!

My experience with pad rolling (on my GW100s) just to add to the mix is that the stock pads (W cush) was a pretty warm but responsive sound which is great, but made my ears heat up after maybe 1hr. Changing to G cush (Geekria) opened the soundstage but cut the warmth significantly, felt that some of the mid bass felt 'far away' compared to stock pads.
Recently bought the beautiful audio pads as well (hybrid merino and leather) - these do also increase soundstage compared to stock, but lose less of the mids/ mid bass as the soft cushion does compress and form a bit of an over ear surround. These are my long term choice so far.

 

[ian91]

Thank you for the comprehensive review - that's really helpful!

You're welcome. Obviously all our ears/heads are different so it might not all apply but hopefully it helps someone...

Recently bought the beautiful audio pads as well (hybrid merino and leather)

I'm looking into those and have purchased the shipibo pads in the meantime. I think key to my comfort will be finding a pad that's deep enough to keep the grille off my ear and wide enough accomodate the size of my ear. Then I just have to hope the mids don't change too drastically! This isn't easy, lol.