[genesyndrome]

Love my SR325is, I might go as far as saying they might be my favorite among my current collection, but who knows that changes with the day and mood. Did a 3.5mm detachable cable mod because I could not stand the telephone cable hanging off the cans. The cable weighs more or just as much as the cans themselves.

Where would one offer mods for their Grados(I can imagine there are plenty of people who feel the same way as I did about the cable)? I am familiar with the 325, 80e, DT990 250ohm, and a bunch of balanced cables. To be clear I am not offering anything here, just looking for some direction.

 

[joseph69]

Love my SR325is.

I love my 325is as well.

 

[SoundGuru]

Grado SR225e seems like the promised land for rock music. Does it really get any better going to SR325e or RS2e? I see alot of people recommending tubes with Grado. I have been doing some tests using hybrid amps (SMSL T2) and a tube buffer (Fosi Audio) with my JDS Labs. My conclusion is that I prefer the Grado with SS (Atom only) as the bass has more slam, improved overall dynamics and just generally more fun to listen to... Using good quality recordings (DSD64) just gives such a transparent sound. Grado has really altered my headphone experience. HD 650 and 560s just are missing that extra excitement factor.

I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on the RS2e...

 

[YtseJamer]

Grado SR225e seems like the promised land for rock music. Does it really get any better going to SR325e or RS2e? I see alot of people recommending tubes with Grado. I have been doing some tests using hybrid amps (SMSL T2) and a tube buffer (Fosi Audio) with my JDS Labs. My conclusion is that I prefer the Grado with SS (Atom only) as the bass has more slam, improved overall dynamics and just generally more fun to listen to... Using good quality recordings (DSD64) just gives such a transparent sound. Grado has really altered my headphone experience. HD 650 and 560s just are missing that extra excitement factor.

I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on the RS2e...

For Rock and Metal you should go with the Hemp. To my ears, the RS2e are too bright for modern heavy music. The Hemp are more fun and have better mid-bass impact. I would go with the RS2e for Jazz and Classical music, but for Rock go with the Hemp.

 

[SoundGuru]

For Rock and Metal you should go with the Hemp. To my ears, the RS2e are too bright versus the Hemp. The Hemp are more fun and have better mid-bass impact. I would go with the RS2e for Jazz and Classical music, but for Rock go with the Hemp.

Thanks for the advice. I was concerned that the RS2e is not really meant for rock music and more geared towards jazz/classical.

 

[Zomb13k113r]

Thanks for the advice. I was concerned that the RS2e is not really meant for rock music and more geared towards jazz/classical.

Oh man you have nothing to worry about. Seriously.

One area I can not criticise the RS2E is rock. You won't get that thunderous bass, but the precision in the guitars and drums is so accurate it's mind blowing.

When I said I listen to everything I mean, everything. Reggae, rap, jazz, pop and most of all rock. I love Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots etc. One thing I have always loved the RS2E for on rock is the sound stage and like I said, precision of the guitars etc. Radiohead live on the Grados is just superb. In fact, anything live on the Grado is mind blowing (providing the person you are listening to can actually sing of course).

Talking of which. My um, "replacement parts" arrived today.

I already cleaned up the RS2E cups yesterday and repainted the meshes.

So I will run in the 80s later (and make sure they are fully functional of course) then do the swap over the coming days.

 

[SoundGuru]

haha great .. i think my wallet just winced. RS2e is also easier to get in Malaysia for me.

Yea my ears are tuned to the bass on the SR225e which isnt overpowering but nice and accurate.

 

[Zomb13k113r]

haha great .. i think my wallet just winced. RS2e is also easier to get in Malaysia for me.

Yea my ears are tuned to the bass on the SR225e which isnt overpowering but nice and accurate.

Indeed. I love my T5P for being the perfect all rounders. They play everything to a satisfactory degree. However, when I put my Grado back on it feels like I am sitting behind the band as they play. Obviously rap and so on are not so good on the Grado, but if you are into real music played with instruments I have not found anything better. Been through all the Hifiman etc blah blah. It was just a very expensive exercise in buying one pair for one type of music. I should have just bought the Grado and T5P in the first place.

 

[knopi]

So Hemp is darker than RS2e. Where stand GH4?

 

[THGM]

Oh man you have nothing to worry about. Seriously.

One area I can not criticise the RS2E is rock. You won't get that thunderous bass, but the precision in the guitars and drums is so accurate it's mind blowing.

When I said I listen to everything I mean, everything. Reggae, rap, jazz, pop and most of all rock. I love Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots etc. One thing I have always loved the RS2E for on rock is the sound stage and like I said, precision of the guitars etc. Radiohead live on the Grados is just superb. In fact, anything live on the Grado is mind blowing (providing the person you are listening to can actually sing of course).

Talking of which. My um, "replacement parts" arrived today.

I already cleaned up the RS2E cups yesterday and repainted the meshes.

So I will run in the 80s later (and make sure they are fully functional of course) then do the swap over the coming days.

Hope you enjoy listening to the SR80e/RS2e hybrid! Great idea to justify purchase to a significant other: "No it's not a new pair of headphones, its just a box of replacement parts, that's all..."

 

[johanchandy]

Grado SR225e seems like the promised land for rock music. Does it really get any better going to SR325e or RS2e? I see alot of people recommending tubes with Grado. I have been doing some tests using hybrid amps (SMSL T2) and a tube buffer (Fosi Audio) with my JDS Labs. My conclusion is that I prefer the Grado with SS (Atom only) as the bass has more slam, improved overall dynamics and just generally more fun to listen to... Using good quality recordings (DSD64) just gives such a transparent sound. Grado has really altered my headphone experience. HD 650 and 560s just are missing that extra excitement factor.

I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on the RS2e...

The sr225e is really hard to beat for rock, going up you get more refinement but that's not always necessarily better for rock, the crunch and grit the sr225e's have are magical with rock and metal imho.

 

[Zomb13k113r]

Thanks man ! Well, the deed is almost done. For any one wondering what the differences are (having had both sets in pieces lol) I can state -

SR80 - faux leather head band. However, this is probably best suited to bald folk like me who sweat when working and gaming !
SR80 - drivers are .5mm shallower than RS2e (not a problem at all)
SR80 - Headphone cable is single strand, not double. Though again, like the head band this may turn out to be a blessing as the ones on the RS2E are annoyingly thick !
SR80 - heavier. And more clamping force, due to the cups being heavier than the delicate mahogany.

Sonically? I would be lying to you if I said they were the same. Not because they are not run in and any other reason than I am using a totally different source, sound card, amp and etc. I *don't* like the SR80 pads and clamping pressure.

Any way, I decided to rebuild them first then run them in (far more enjoyable).

Got out the hair dryer and pulled them apart. I wore cotton gloves as I burnt myself doing this on the RS2E.

Trimmed off all hot snot glue with a Stanley blade in a holster. Not sure why, but maybe one day I will be bored and want to do something with the SR80 cups. I tried to follow the guide on removing the actual drivers from the "semi cup" plastic things, but he was using a small hobby knife and mine snapped a blade. So I just switched to the Stanley blade in the handle.

Time to desolder the drivers. These photos were purely for reference.

And then I noticed it. They are not red. Now this would normally be absolutely fine, but I don't have a button in my RS2E and so all you can really see is the red driver magnet. I first thought about using a red sharpie, then realised I would probably make a big mess. Then my brain kicked in *kerching*. See, I am a PC modder, and I do lots of custom vinyls for people using my plotter. Red metallic to the rescue.

Just one problem. My plotter is where the Grado usually live. I could have easily use my vernier and drawn them out and cut them, but that's a bit difficult with no plotter. In the end after trying various round things I found that a 1p piece was identical. So I drew them out by hand.

And cut them by hand. Now look, I am not trying to fool any one nor will I sell them and try ripping someone off. This is purely so they don't look nasty when you see into them.

Make sure...

Now just to make sure they go in and come out again...

Then remove the old Grado glue and the glue I used when resoldering one driver.

Solder, replace cable ties, glue.

Glue says 2-4 hours so hey, BBL lol.

 

[Damien Grief]

Thanks man ! Well, the deed is almost done. For any one wondering what the differences are (having had both sets in pieces lol) I can state -

SR80 - faux leather head band. However, this is probably best suited to bald folk like me who sweat when working and gaming !
SR80 - drivers are .5mm shallower than RS2e (not a problem at all)
SR80 - Headphone cable is single strand, not double. Though again, like the head band this may turn out to be a blessing as the ones on the RS2E are annoyingly thick !
SR80 - heavier. And more clamping force, due to the cups being heavier than the delicate mahogany.

Sonically? I would be lying to you if I said they were the same. Not because they are not run in and any other reason than I am using a totally different source, sound card, amp and etc. I *don't* like the SR80 pads and clamping pressure.

Any way, I decided to rebuild them first then run them in (far more enjoyable).

Got out the hair dryer and pulled them apart. I wore cotton gloves as I burnt myself doing this on the RS2E.

Trimmed off all hot snot glue with a Stanley blade in a holster. Not sure why, but maybe one day I will be bored and want to do something with the SR80 cups. I tried to follow the guide on removing the actual drivers from the "semi cup" plastic things, but he was using a small hobby knife and mine snapped a blade. So I just switched to the Stanley blade in the handle.

Time to desolder the drivers. These photos were purely for reference.

And then I noticed it. They are not red. Now this would normally be absolutely fine, but I don't have a button in my RS2E and so all you can really see is the red driver magnet. I first thought about using a red sharpie, then realised I would probably make a big mess. Then my brain kicked in *kerching*. See, I am a PC modder, and I do lots of custom vinyls for people using my plotter. Red metallic to the rescue.

Just one problem. My plotter is where the Grado usually live. I could have easily use my vernier and drawn them out and cut them, but that's a bit difficult with no plotter. In the end after trying various round things I found that a 1p piece was identical. So I drew them out by hand.

And cut them by hand. Now look, I am not trying to fool any one nor will I sell them and try ripping someone off. This is purely so they don't look nasty when you see into them.

Make sure...

Now just to make sure they go in and come out again...

Then remove the old Grado glue and the glue I used when resoldering one driver.

Solder, replace cable ties, glue.

Glue says 2-4 hours so hey, BBL lol.

Looks like it's coming along nicely! I did my first Grado mod a few weeks ago. Modded my SR225e with new wood cups, a leather headband, and a replacement cable. Went really well and I like them a lot more now.

 

[THGM]

Thanks man ! Well, the deed is almost done. For any one wondering what the differences are (having had both sets in pieces lol) I can state -

SR80 - faux leather head band. However, this is probably best suited to bald folk like me who sweat when working and gaming !
SR80 - drivers are .5mm shallower than RS2e (not a problem at all)
SR80 - Headphone cable is single strand, not double. Though again, like the head band this may turn out to be a blessing as the ones on the RS2E are annoyingly thick !
SR80 - heavier. And more clamping force, due to the cups being heavier than the delicate mahogany.

Sonically? I would be lying to you if I said they were the same. Not because they are not run in and any other reason than I am using a totally different source, sound card, amp and etc. I *don't* like the SR80 pads and clamping pressure.

Any way, I decided to rebuild them first then run them in (far more enjoyable).

Got out the hair dryer and pulled them apart. I wore cotton gloves as I burnt myself doing this on the RS2E.

Trimmed off all hot snot glue with a Stanley blade in a holster. Not sure why, but maybe one day I will be bored and want to do something with the SR80 cups. I tried to follow the guide on removing the actual drivers from the "semi cup" plastic things, but he was using a small hobby knife and mine snapped a blade. So I just switched to the Stanley blade in the handle.

Time to desolder the drivers. These photos were purely for reference.

And then I noticed it. They are not red. Now this would normally be absolutely fine, but I don't have a button in my RS2E and so all you can really see is the red driver magnet. I first thought about using a red sharpie, then realised I would probably make a big mess. Then my brain kicked in *kerching*. See, I am a PC modder, and I do lots of custom vinyls for people using my plotter. Red metallic to the rescue.

Just one problem. My plotter is where the Grado usually live. I could have easily use my vernier and drawn them out and cut them, but that's a bit difficult with no plotter. In the end after trying various round things I found that a 1p piece was identical. So I drew them out by hand.

And cut them by hand. Now look, I am not trying to fool any one nor will I sell them and try ripping someone off. This is purely so they don't look nasty when you see into them.

Make sure...

Now just to make sure they go in and come out again...

Then remove the old Grado glue and the glue I used when resoldering one driver.

Solder, replace cable ties, glue.

Glue says 2-4 hours so hey, BBL lol.

I didn't want to believe you were going to cannibalise a brand new pair of Grados so soon! Look forward to the results of your handiwork later..

 

[Zomb13k113r]

Done. Sorta kinda. They are all built, soldered, glued etc.

Sadly I had two issues. I left the "big girl's drawers" at the other place. The original RS2E pads seemed fine, though when I went to fit them they literally disintegrated in my hands. I didn't want to make a big mess so I chucked them. Sadly some of the glue ran through the mesh onto the SR80 pads so they too are unusable. Well, they stink of glue. EDIT IN. Oh and the alcohol I used to remove the glue from the mesh took off some of the paint, so a tiny bit of touching in to be had....

So I have ordered a new pair of big girl's drawers, as I was then worried about the ones I have had for all these years (plus they are probably very dirty)

And what I should have been using all along to stop the wear and tear hitting them so hard.