[glpsace]

Today I spent some time in my local shop and used that opportunity to take a first or second look at some Grado models, namely the RS1x, the SR325x and the SR325e. I also had my PS500x with me, plus my M17 as a source.



I still can't understand the RS1x... I like its looks, especially the dark Cocobolo ring on the back. Sonically... no. Not my cup of tea, despite many tries.

The SR325e also won't find a place in my collection (or memory), just too bass light.

On the other hand the SR325x really surprised me. This one goes loud. I mean, they seem much more efficient than the others. Plus they put out quite a bit of bass. While I did not have the Hemp at hand to compare, it might be even more. And quite hefty at that, with even a hint at subbass. Interesting, I didn't expect that. It does share some characteristics with the Hemp (from memory), but offers better treble. This one I took with me as a loaner for one week.



At home I used the A2 to have a listen first to the PS500 vs. PS500x. As much as I liked the PS500 in the past, that was rather devastating... the PS500x is simply better. More details, better treble (more even, the PS500 seems to have some dip in the lower treble), clearer bass, more space... Hm. I like the look of the PS500, but... hm. Might have to go.



Comparing the PS500x to the SR325x I prefer the PS500x, again for its more even treble response. The SR325x presents a more spectacular bass (yes, it is louder as well, which makes comparisons unreliable), but aside from that very direct and engaging presentation the PS500x simply presents more details and, again, more space. I think I'll find some time to change to L pads and compare again. I'd expect those two to be rather similar when using the same pads. Let's see.

The SR325x is fun, no question about that. And an excellent offer at its asking price. I understand the plastic cups of the lower SR models, but the 325 feels so much better in hand... yes, obviously its quite a bit heavier, but still...

And yes, the cable of that SR325x feels stiffer than the cable on my PS500x. Did anybody else notice something like a softer cable on maybe newer x series models?

I wish I had a shop like that to go to. It must be the most famous shop in Austria by the numerous times that I see it mentioned in different threads around the forum.

Very interesting your impressions about the 325x, especially when compared to the older PS500 serie. Since I changed the pads on my 325i, the mid-bass just came alive and for the price of the HP, I love it. I had the Hemp, which bass was also very much to my liking, nevertheless a warmer, darker HP (also to my liking) but that cable... OMG, no way! And it saddens me that the 325x shares the same fate as every other X model. I´m sure that the new driver bass is much to my preference... I guess I will have to think on getting one and get it "fixed", otherwise the only alternative I see are the PS500(e) models.

I also had the RS-1 Classic, very balanced, but overall it lacked something to me, especially in the low-end.

 

[plakat]

I wish I had a shop like that to go to. It must be the most famous shop in Austria by the numerous times that I see it mentioned in different threads around the forum.

Very interesting your impressions about the 325x, especially when compared to the older PS500 serie. Since I changed the pads on my 325i, the mid-bass just came alive and for the price of the HP, I love it. I had the Hemp, which bass was also very much to my liking, nevertheless a warmer, darker HP (also to my liking) but that cable... OMG, no way! And it saddens me that the 325x shares the same fate as every other X model. I´m sure that the new driver bass is much to my preference... I guess I will have to think on getting one and get it "fixed", otherwise the only alternative I see are the PS500(e) models.

I also had the RS-1 Classic, very balanced, but overall it lacked something to me, especially in the low-end.

The PS500e might be an interesting option to you, yes.
I have to say I quite enjoy my RS1 button lately, at the moment sporting G pads which work surprisingly well.

 

[Guts390]

It does look nice, but to me it’s just too stiff… I almost passed on the PS500x simply for that. I’m all the more glad it worked out just fine

I've never thought it was too stiff. Feels durable and looks nice. Unlikely to kink. To each their own I guess. I was just surprised to see this.

 

[Guts390]

I will say tho, as much as people complain about grado cables not being replaceable. After 10 years, I've had to replace close to all my headphone cables. Even tho I treated them well. The only cable that didn't die is the cable on my sr325i and my Sony iems.

 

[YtseJamer]

I've never thought it was too stiff. Feels durable and looks nice. Unlikely to kink. To each their own I guess. I was just surprised to see this.

If you've recently purchased your RS1x, chances are you have the newer, more flexible cable. The first version of this upgraded cable was really bad...

 

[Guts390]

If you've recently purchased your RS1x, chances are you have the newer, more flexible cable. The first version of this upgraded cable was really bad...

Oh I see. A silent revision. Makes sense.

 

[YtseJamer]

Oh I see. A silent revision. Makes sense.

Trust me, you'd definitely be aware if you had the earlier version of that darn cable!

 

[username643827]

If you've recently purchased your RS1x, chances are you have the newer, more flexible cable. The first version of this upgraded cable was really bad...

I just got the RS2x and the SR325x does that mean that i have the newer cable?

 

[ikoster]

Just finished touching/examining all my Grado cables:

Cable on The Hemp (v2 braided) feels the softest of them all

Cables on the SR325X, SR125X, RS2X are all "about the same/same" (a little bit less soft than on The Hemp)
Cable on the RS1X (v1?) is similar to the one on the GS1000X they both share that "morphing" trait
Cable on the GS1000X is stiff and hard/heavy and I like it a lot
btw it is morphing into something special (not a straight clean line but bent and turned around axis a bit like if it wants to shrink in length? It is super cool looking it feels just serious I love it and would not want it any other way!
It is the hardest cable of them all very stiff has 12 wires inside.

Cable on the SR60X is only 4 wires but it is similar to The Hemp (it is soft).

 

[jase2k]

Oh I see. A silent revision. Makes sense.

Just curious, does Grado ever publicly post news/articles/updates on these things? Or simply tribal knowledge discussed in forums as such?

 

[username643827]

Witch headband is more comfortable turbulent labs XL headband or Nyczaj XL headband? Nyczaj headband one looks more padded.

 

[dbull12]

225x showed up yesterday! I've been working at home so I've already put several hours on them. Gotta say I'm really liking the sound and I was a bit surprised that I enjoyed them straight away even though I first listened to them right after listening to my Atticus. Those two headphones basically emphasize exact opposite parts of the music haha. I was hearing guitar and synth parts brought more to the front with the 225x that were wayyy in the background on the Atticus. But of course the mid-bass of the Atticus is no joke and just gives such a lush presentation and hits so hard on the sludgier and 'doomier' metal I listen to. I mean Boris's guitarist, Wata, tunes her guitar all the way down to A standard! Gotta love Atticus's mid-bass and lower mids for stuff like that (by the way if you're a fan of atmospheric and massive, monolithic sounding metal then Boris are a must-see live - just know that ear plugs are essential ).

Speaking of Boris, I dove straight into a couple guitar treble torture tests very quickly after first listening to the 225x. One of these is 'You Laughed Like A Water Mark' by Boris with guitarist Michio Kurihara. This isn't very heavy and is mostly just some nice psych rock, but Michio Kurihara's guitar tone during the solos is intentionally very harsh and trebly. That comes through on the Grados, but actually in a way I really enjoy with a ton of bite while somehow not being super fatiguing to me. Another song I tried was 'Enter the Eternal Fire' by Bathory for some good old trebly buzzsaw black metal guitar. I felt the Grados did very well here and brought the crunchy guitar to life more than the Atticus does. It's really done a good job with most of my music - however occasionally I run into something really glarey that isn't glarey at all on the Atticus, like the little guitar lick around 1:05-1:10 of 'Fascination Street' by The Cure. Maybe burn-in will help with stuff like this though!

I don't have the Verite with me for comparisons. I was fortunate enough to be able to demo a Verite at home for about a month and a half. After the demo I placed a custom order for one, which I should have in the next week or two. I'm sure the Verite outresolves the 225x, but I think the clarity and layering of the Grado is really great value for money, and I love how open they sound. I don't have the FiiO KA11 dongle yet so I've just been running it straight out of the headphone output of my Soekris dac1421 or out of the Cayin iHA-6. Honestly between the two I think I prefer running them straight from the Soekris since they sound a bit more open and airy. The iHA-6 has a ton of power and the lowest output impedance of the single-ended outputs is 10 ohms, so I feel it accentuates the mid-bass at a loss of clarity on the low impedance Grados.

I'm undecided on comfort so far. I've bent the headband so there's very little clamp force, but for whatever reason the cartilage on the back of my left ear is really sensitive and after a while of my ears being (gently) pushed against my head it starts to get bothersome regardless of where I set the pads on my ears. It seems I just need a break for a few minutes every hour or so to keep from getting too uncomfortable, but of course it would be nice if there just weren't these issues at all. Swapping back to the Atticus feels like my head and ears are getting hugged and everything just feels cushy and comfortable.

The cable isn't a dealbreaker for me, but it is a lot more stiff than any other headphone cable I've experienced, and when I turn my head there's creaking from the cable causing the plastic cups to flex slightly. I'm assuming this only happens on the plastic models and not something like the RS2x right? I still feel like my heart is kind of set on the RS2x. I didn't want to get it as my first Grado, but if I continue liking the sound of the 225x this much, I'm considering maybe returning/selling it and getting the RS2x. My thinking is that if I put Beautiful Audio pads on the RS2x it would bring the bass up and tame the treble just slightly so the tonality might end up being similar to the 225x but with better refinement, clarity, build, and comfort. Is this a flawed conclusion? Also, I've seen people say the small BA pads are over-ear. Are they actually? Would they lead to my ears being pushed against my head less than the F cushions? I'm sure the merino wool is a lot softer than the F cushions, but if it's still pushing my ears in then it probably wouldn't result in much more comfort for me.

Anyway, that's the end of my rambling and here's a pic of the 225x looking very petite next to the Atticus

 

[Delmonaco]

Speaking of Boris, I dove straight into a couple guitar treble torture tests very quickly after first listening to the 225x. One of these is 'You Laughed Like A Water Mark' by Boris with guitarist Michio Kurihara. This isn't very heavy and is mostly just some nice psych rock, but Michio Kurihara's guitar tone during the solos is intentionally very harsh and trebly. That comes through on the Grados, but actually in a way I really enjoy with a ton of bite while somehow not being super fatiguing to me. Another song I tried was 'Enter the Eternal Fire' by Bathory for some good old trebly buzzsaw black metal guitar. I felt the Grados did very well here and brought the crunchy guitar to life more than the Atticus does. It's really done a good job with most of my music - however occasionally I run into something really glarey that isn't glarey at all on the Atticus, like the little guitar lick around 1:05-1:10 of 'Fascination Street' by The Cure. Maybe burn-in will help with stuff like this though!

Wow, you put quite a lot treble extreme test with all those black metal stuff. If you already don't dislike it those situations, thats great news. My guess is that with burn in time you will enjoy so much more. My 325x was very hard in the beginning, it becomes much loose and warmer over time.

I still struggle with the F pads, I just have to pause from time to time also. With the L less, and S even less.

An aesthetic note, the Grado matches so much better with all that crazy guitars Japanese metal band. Not fancy and very tr00.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Whelp, another year gone by and it appears to be another Grado no-show at CanJam NYC. They are 13 miles from the Marriot Marquis. Let’s get it together guys, it’s time we hear everything all laid out in front of us.

 

[YtseJamer]

I just got the RS2x and the SR325x does that mean that i have the newer cable?

Chances are, if they were made recently.

Just curious, does Grado ever publicly post news/articles/updates on these things? Or simply tribal knowledge discussed in forums as such?

Nope, Grado doesn't share much about that. They stay pretty low-profile and aren't too keen on interacting with customers. Rich drops a Facebook post every 2-3 months, but getting answers from him? Not so much.