[goober-george]

Amazing... I just got back from auditioning the 325i (actually the newer -e version)... loved it and indeed different from my departed PS500s.

Can you comment on the differences please?

 

[ruthieandjohn]

The Grado Blind Headphone Party!
 
The jocks have their football, the Brazilians their futebol, the Romans their orgies...
 
For me?  The ultimate fun would by the Grado Blind Headphone Party (hey, I'm an engineer... what do  you expect?)
 
Participation requires bringing one (or more) Grado headphones.  Headphones are marked in a way to be identifiable in the dark (a Braille label would work for some, but maybe for the rest of us, a big number like you put on a birthday cake like "7").
 
Labeled headphones placed on the table, any necessary libations completed, and then... lights off.  Complete darkness.
 
The chore of each person is to RANK the Grados in the dark... by Price!  Yep... you try to end up with a list that ranks them from least expensive to most expensive!
 
Why not sound quality?  Because one person's PRAT is another person's Blat!  We seek different things in our ideal sound.
 
But those who know the Grado line can start thinking..."hmm... light weight, small cups, lotsa treble, no bass... must be a 60i or an 80i! So if 60i, it's the least expensive!"
 
And of course, with 10 headphones and 10 people and complete darkness, there will be a certain amount of colliding, stumbling, and groping that must ensue (it may not be Headphones that those cups you grab are fastened to!!!).  The large birthday-cake numbers let you be sure you eventually get through all headphones, 1 through 9 (or whatever).
 
The winner is the one who comes closest to the proper rank ordering based on MSRP.
 
Coming soon... HIDE!!!
 
 
(and to think SOME wonder whether head-fiers have a sense of humor!!
 


(guess not!)

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Can you comment on the differences please?

Of course... 325es to my ear had even greater transparency than the PS500s (which were my most transparent of headphones) and much brighter treble.  Its sub-bass (below about 50 Hz... lowest octave on piano) was hard to hear the fundamental tone of, but was quite apparent based on strong harmonics.  Sound stage size was somewhat modest, about as I recalled that of my PS500s.
 
But I suspect (someone else can help here) that the great rock guitar and organ sound reproduction for which Grados are known will be more stellar on these 325es than my PS500s.

 

[bbophead]

 

 

225i is the sweet spot, IMHO.

sweet spot sure but it's not "the" Grado sound. All Grados in my opinion are variations or departures (in the case of the PS and GS) of the RS1.

No, 325i is the sweet spot and the Grado sound.

Just messin' with everyone.

 
I use G-Cush on my 325i and they've been woodied so all bets are off.

 

[joseph69]

Sad to me. I've wanted a new RS1 model for over 10 years. The beautiful mahogany cups are what attracted me to learn about the Grado line and start buying. Now that I'm ready to jump on the model that I've been waiting for, it may be a lemon. Guess I'll have to audition first. Or look for a used non-i RS1.

Sorry to hear this.
But I'm sure you will find a used RS1i being the (e) models are out, and I would think most would want to try them, good luck!

 

[xaval]

It's easier to stand out the least Grado sounding cans. To me, these would be PS500 and PS1000.
 
RS1 is the king of the hill and the one that got me into the Grado sound - too bad they are so expensive in EU where the "value" of these cans takes a hit. But they're magical...
 
The next best thing would be 225 as best bang for the buck.
 
The RS series sounds quite similar and I remember having a hard time blindly selecting which was what, to be honest in a long session.
325s are the exception of the series: the most forward sounding and "aggressive" of the bunch. Once the Grado sound bites I think it's impossible not to own a pair at some point.

 

[JES]

The Grado Blind Headphone Party!

The jocks have their football, the Brazilians their futebol, the Romans their orgies...

For me?  The ultimate fun would by the Grado Blind Headphone Party (hey, I'm an engineer... what do  you expect?)

Participation requires bringing one (or more) Grado headphones.  Headphones are marked in a way to be identifiable in the dark (a Braille label would work for some, but maybe for the rest of us, a big number like you put on a birthday cake like "7").

Labeled headphones placed on the table, any necessary libations completed, and then... lights off.  Complete darkness.

The chore of each person is to RANK the Grados in the dark... by Price!  Yep... you try to end up with a list that ranks them from least expensive to most expensive!

Why not sound quality?  Because one person's PRAT is another person's Blat!  We seek different things in our ideal sound.

But those who know the Grado line can start thinking..."hmm... light weight, small cups, lotsa treble, no bass... must be a 60i or an 80i! So if 60i, it's the least expensive!"

And of course, with 10 headphones and 10 people and complete darkness, there will be a certain amount of colliding, stumbling, and groping that must ensue (it may not be Headphones that those cups you grab are fastened to!!!).  The large birthday-cake numbers let you be sure you eventually get through all headphones, 1 through 9 (or whatever).

The winner is the one who comes closest to the proper rank ordering based on MSRP.

Coming soon... HIDE!!!


(and to think SOME wonder whether head-fiers have a sense of humor!!







(guess not!)

:eek: I'm staying in Ypsi where I belong.

 

[Claritas]

What Grado headphone would you say is most representative of what is called the "Grado signature?"

I agree with the others: SRs and RSs especially 225, 225i, RS1, RS1i. The two e's I've heard sounded somewhat different from the originals and the i series, so those are the classics.

 

[DmixAmont]

Any PS500e owners have success with other pads? I bought the G cush to try if it would loosen up on the bass a bit  but couldn't get it to fit. Just me? The new 44mm driver the issue? Anyone try G-cush with any of the 44mm e-model drivers? Maybe they changed the g cush for the new 1ke series? Pictures/measurements would be amazing

 

[LCfiner]

the PS500 does not have larger drivers (or larger housings, as that is what would matter for a cushion). this was confirmed by John Grado (conversation with member) plus measurements taken in the e-series thread.
 
the external housing (black plastic) of the PS500 driver is the same 46mm diameter as every Grado driver that’s come before.
 
the external plastic driver housing on the RS1, PS1000 and GS1000 is 50mm. the part that sticks out of the housing (and touches some people’s ears on the RS1) is 46mm.
 
G cush should definitely fit (they fit on my old PS500) but it can be tough to get the foam around the wooden ring. the wood ring is, I think, larger on the PS series than the GS1000 and the foam can be tough at this spot, so it’s a tight fit. maybe the e series wood ring is thicker?

 

[DmixAmont]

Thanks for the clarification - so yes, it's not the driver but rather the wood ring that I had difficulty fitting the older G cush around. For anyone that's done the G cush add-on to downstream cans (eg not 1000 series), any recommendations on how to fit the G cushs?

 

[markm1]

  Actually, I have gone back to the WA6 because the 6SE doesn't accept my favorite sounding 6SN7 tubes. I currently have the 6SE F/S. And yes the Woo amps IMO are excellent in every way. 

Actually, I think that's what I listened to. If I ended w/ some orthos It would be nice to have an amp that could accommodate both headphones

 

[markm1]

   you really need to tell us about all of that equipment....hurry back  

It was frustrating. Just not enough time-3-6 pm and I missed the headfi meet today held in conjunction with the CAF. I had a 7 hours of teaching kayaking on the Potomac which is a blessing, but I would have enjoyed the meet. I may try to squeeze in tomorrow afternoon after my class. There were all these amazing headphones and amps and speaker systems and not enough time. For instance, I ran out of time to listen to Oppo.
 
 I have a small dedicated listening room (10 x 12) and I'm always torn between investing in my HP and speaker system. I spent some time listening to speakers suitable for a smaller room such as I have. Some small speakers that put out really amazing sound. And, as expected other stuff so expensive I would never be able to afford it-like speakers starting at 10K.
 
I walked into a room that a fellow Headfi pal was helping out with. I said, yeah, this sounds amazing. How much does this system run. Answer: 80 K. So, I don't work on Wall Street. Cheers.
 
anyway, what to say. Flavors. I'm looking at contrasting my RS1i with something different. If I forced were to buy something right now, it would probably be the newest incarnation of Audeze LCD-2. I don't see myself exceeding 1K. I did listen to the GS1000. listening along side Audeze and and HE, I was underwhelmed. The sleeper was the GS500 e which sounded really quite good. And, you guys know how these things are...you're listening for a few minutes to a vendor's laptop with a bunch of tracks for a few minutes.
 
My RS1i, sounded understated, clear, but thinner sounding than the Audeze and HE stuff-natch. At home, my RS1i sounds killler. But, kind of a runt next to these big ortos. The GS500 sounded more similar to the orthos in a way. It was Moon audio. They were cabled by Moon Audio and the new E series-maybe a bit more efficient. But for the money, I liked the GS500. There was a fullness to the sound-maybe a warmer, fuller or smoother sound. Seductive. Sexy.
 
I thought the HE400i was a great sounding HP for the price-involving and lively. The 560 was also really nice, more refined. At first blush, I would say the 400i would be great for rock/metal and the 560 was more neutral and would be terrific for jazz among others. I could be happy w/ the 560.  And for the money the Mr. Speakers sounded good, but not as good as Audeze to me. Contrast and price wise, the LCD-2 were a winner for me. Lush, warm, nice base but not overkill.
 
And, then as  I said in a previous post-the DAC and amplification made a huge difference. I have to say at a bargain price the Lyr-2/Bifrost sounded good -really good, but not as good as WOO and a  3K DAC-which is to be expected. 4-5 K in electronics makes a difference. Source, yo!

 

[whirlwind]

Sounds like a great time.....thanks for the update.
 
Hope you get to listen to more stuff tomorrow.

 

[joseph69]

 
Actually, I think that's what I listened to. If I ended w/ some orthos It would be nice to have an amp that could accommodate both headphones

Which did you listen too…the WA6 or the WA6-SE?
The WA6 IMO sounds more like a tube amp, where as the 6-SE sounds more like a SS amp. This could be the 6SN7 tubes making the WA6 sound more like a tube amp, but I'll never know being the 6-SE doesn't accept the 6SN7's. I also tried every tube combo with the 6-SE, and couldn't quite achieve that tube sound which I preferred from the WA6. One thing is for sure though…the 6-SE is a much more powerful amp than the WA6, but the WA6 is more than enough for low impedance dynamic headphones.