[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Just got a FiiO  E10 for my iGrado's.  Man, this thing is small!
 
So far, it is a perfect amplifier.  I judge them on a subtractive basis: if they alter soundstage, then it's distortion.  If it makes my cans sound better, they were either underpowered, or it's adding distortion.  If I can play at LOW volume and still get into the sound, it's perfect.
 
So far, the E10 is doing quite well.

 
how can something underpowered  or low sound better? and how do you know the non-existant soundstage you are hearing isn't distortion? 

 

[jaywillin]

So-are you the $5000 backer?  That would be nuts

Lol, nope ,a whopping $139 , I've always wanted to Vegas, never made it, so I rolled the dice

 

[HPiper]

I know this is asking for a lot of opinion and little else, but I am trying to decide if I should send my SR225's in and have them refurbished and repaired, for around $80 total, or pick up a used pair of 225i phones for around $110. In other words have any of you had a chance to hear the older 225 and the 225i back to back and was the i version significantly better? I have my 325i phones so I am not going to be without headphones, so shipping them in for a couple weeks is no hardship at all, just wondering what the relative sound quality of the two 225's are?

 

[myears]

Quote:

Just got a FiiO  E10 for my iGrado's.  Man, this thing is small!
 
So far, it is a perfect amplifier.  I judge them on a subtractive basis: if they alter soundstage, then it's distortion.  If it makes my cans sound better, they were either underpowered, or it's adding distortion.  If I can play at LOW volume and still get into the sound, it's perfect.
 
So far, the E10 is doing quite well.

 
It would be nice to hear your opinion about the E10 used only as a DAC with a receiver (from the E10 line out) compared to the E10 used as DAC/Amp.

 

[gefski]

Hello everyone.. im a new user and a new owner of grado 225i. i have with them for about 3 months and im in love because im a guitarrist and this headphones are just perfect for my taste of music (gypsyjazz, blues, rock, funk, ska and even reggae sound awesome. i Bought also the yellow flat pads to replace the hurtful L cushions so they are not that bright and improve a little the bass.

im wondering if this headphones improves with an amp. i heard that little dot i+ is really good, but im a newbie and im learning what is best and whats not about headphones in general 

the other question is about the DAC. i have an asus D1 on my PC but im not sure if upgrading it could increase the quality of the grado. and which DAC is a good combo for the 225i for 200 or less money.

thanks alot in advance guys i've been reading alot this thread and the forums in general but today  i decided to join the comunity. to share my experience and learn from the comunity.. and sorry bout my ugly english im from Venezuela.

The 225is are a window (a very good one) on everything upstream. That starts with the music files. They should be lossless (such as wav or flac) and delivered to the dac with quality software. In other words, what you feed the dac matters. Poor quality files can't be "corrected" by any component downstream.

Then see what reviewers say about the sonic characteristics of dacs in your price range. Same with amps, but also pay attention to their versatility driving lots of different cans. Take your time and listen to as much gear as possible. You're a musician and know what real music sounds like.

Have fun!

 

[Pepe Silvia]

thanks for the reply to both of you. i started to switch my entire collection of music to flac because of my 225i. unfortunately in Venezuela there is no such store to test out equipment like amps dacs or even high quality headphones. thats why its so important to me to read and be acurate about my purshases and what suits best for my taste. 
 
im honestly very very happy with the grado 225i thinking and searching a way to improve even more the sound of it. thats why im starting to seek for an amp that tunes down a little bit the bright. i also saw around that little i+ its good for it, but now im not sure what tubes are the best for this vintage sound that im looking forthat suit my musical taste. and even more clueless if my current DAC (asus D1) is enough or should i switch it for a USB one. 
 
thanks for the help and tips guys.

 

[bassboysam]

you can also try putting electrical tape around the outside of the bowl pads. this will tame some of the highs and give you a bit more bass.

 

[jimbob54]

@gefski - always wondered about the player used. I use itunes with mostly lossless files- has anybody got any thoughts as to whether SQ would be improved by any other player and if so which? Stream via Airplay to an Apple TV then optical to my DAC.
 

 

[jimbob54]

Quote:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-10-best-headphones-8762247.html
 
comments are fun. 

Ho ho
Sample comment:

"wow, just wow.£14.50 bluetooth wireless stereo headphones on amazon.
Look at the reviews."
 
Dont think I will buddy!

 

[swspiers]

Quote:

 
how can something underpowered  or low sound better? and how do you know the non-existant soundstage you are hearing isn't distortion? 

Totally legitimate questions!
 
The E10 is certainly not underpowered compared to the noisy and underwhelming out put from my Asus PC.  As far as 'low' sounding better, my average listening volume is roughly 80 to 85 dB, and the frequency response of the Grado's I have are perfect for that volume, with the emphasis on low-mids and the significant bump in the treble. They tend to follow the Fletcher-Munson curve, which is why they are the headphone of the choice for low-to-moderate volume listening
 
The soundstage still exists, and YES, soundstage can be considered in and of-itself as a form of distortion.  I am used to the somewhat narrow presentation that Grado tends to deliver, at least in the two models I own.  The E10 did not significantly change the presentation of the headphones, it just gives me more of what I expect.  And I have no logical means to declare that my preference is not the distorted perception. 
 
All I can state is that distortion itself is not necessarily a bad thing, otherwise tubes would not be popular and we'd all be rolling op-amps. But heck, the very act of reproducing music is essentially a distortion of the mastered file, considering I am unlikely to own the exact DAC/amp/speakers or headphones that were used in the mastering to begin with.
 
Or to put it in a Zen context- if everything is distortion, then nothing is distortion. It simply is.

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

Totally legitimate questions!
 
The E10 is certainly not underpowered compared to the noisy and underwhelming out put from my Asus PC.  As far as 'low' sounding better, my average listening volume is roughly 80 to 85 dB, and the frequency response of the Grado's I have are perfect for that volume, with the emphasis on low-mids and the significant bump in the treble. They tend to follow the Fletcher-Munson curve, which is why they are the headphone of the choice for low-to-moderate volume listening
 
The soundstage still exists, and YES, soundstage can be considered in and of-itself as a form of distortion.  I am used to the somewhat narrow presentation that Grado tends to deliver, at least in the two models I own.  The E10 did not significantly change the presentation of the headphones, it just gives me more of what I expect.  And I have no logical means to declare that my preference is not the distorted perception. 
 
All I can state is that distortion itself is not necessarily a bad thing, otherwise tubes would not be popular and we'd all be rolling op-amps. But heck, the very act of reproducing music is essentially a distortion of the mastered file, considering I am unlikely to own the exact DAC/amp/speakers or headphones that were used in the mastering to begin with.
 
Or to put it in a Zen context- if everything is distortion, then nothing is distortion. It simply is.

i too have the e10, and have had it since my head fi journey began, i can't really tell you why (technicallly challenged), but i will say i like it ! i think i paid like $58 delivered ,
the main thing, deficiency to me, and more noticeable when listening to my speakers , is the soundstage, its narrower, and thats really not so bad, but i do prefer the more spacious sound of my hrt music streamer ii+ , and it does some other things better, but which i get the itch to switch, i can sell, and listen to to the e10 all day long, until the next unit comes in, of course, my system isn't reference quality by any means, but the pieces i have generally work well together

 

[jaywillin]

holy S****, me and the ps500's are all in the same town !! ready for the mail to get here 3ish central time !!
 

 

[Focker]

Quote:

@gefski - always wondered about the player used. I use itunes with mostly lossless files- has anybody got any thoughts as to whether SQ would be improved by any other player and if so which? Stream via Airplay to an Apple TV then optical to my DAC.
 

 
 
That's the same way I access my music and I get excellent results. There would have to be a significant improvement in quality for me to forego the convenience I get from using this set-up, and I've just never been able to hear any difference among transports in terms of accessing the 1s and 0s. Others feel differently, though, so hopefully they'll chime in and offer some feedback as well.  But I love the iTunes "remote" app on my iPhone....I just turn out the lights, fire up my gear, and control my entire music library with the touch of a button. 

 

[Focker]

Quote:

holy S****, me and the ps500's are all in the same town !! ready for the mail to get here 3ish central time !!
 

 
 
That's great news! I always get excited when I hear about someone picking up some PS500s...they've just become such a tremendous source of enjoyment for me, it's fun to hear about others discovering a similar love for these phones. 

 

[jimbob54]

That's the same way I access my music and I get excellent results. There would have to be a significant improvement in quality for me to forego the convenience I get from using this set-up, and I've just never been able to hear any difference among transports in terms of accessing the 1s and 0s. Others feel differently, though, so hopefully they'll chime in and offer some feedback as well.  But I love the iTunes "remote" app on my iPhone....I just turn out the lights, fire up my gear, and control my entire music library with the touch of a button. 

Ditto- improvements would have to be significant versus the genius of the functionality/simplicity.