[Damien Grief]

I love the SR225e in that I think they strike the perfect price/performance ratio of the entire SR line. But after hearing my PS500e and Hemp, it's hard to go back to them. They're not as detailed as either of the other two and it kind of bugs me after hearing the better cans.

 

[dpump]

And Grado keeps cranking out the Hemp. Will it ever end...?

 

[earmonger]

Are you referring to the original SR models or the "i" or "e" versions?...

Originals. And--important--with the L-cush pads. Flat pads (or Sennheiser HD414 replacement pads as are often suggested) are a real comedown.

These knockoffs from Ali aren't quite as good as the expensive original but they are way better than flat pads.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32508420454.html

 

[unfriendly]

The Shipibo earpads have arrived time to test them!

(edit: I will be only comparing them against the stock, TTVJ flats, and G cushions since those are all I have. I am waiting for an order at beautiful, and I can’t wait to use those merino and leather cushions in a project.)

So far these are nice (comfortable foam and fabric with a medium to slow rebound on the foam)!

I will be making a detailed update soon.

 

[unfriendly]

Wow that case is way overpriced , The other one at 60 far better. You could buy a pair of SR 225 And get change to buy some music instead......lol

100% Agreed that it is over priced, lmao

(I was just posting it as it was the only alternative that I could find in my short search, that had a different way of opening the case/bag)

 

[Okrelayer]

I’ve had about an hour with the RS2e so here are some early impressions (with some minor comparisons to Hemp and SR80e): Coming off of the SR80e i felt the hemp was too dark. I know a lot of people dig it, but It just didn’t have the excitement i fell in love with on the SR80e. My biggest issues with the SR80e was that some albums seemed a little shrill and annoyingly bright. The harmonica in “a borrowed tune” by Neil Young was ear killing. Most of what i played sounded amazing, but there was a few times like that that really didn’t sit well with me. After getting myself situated and playing random songs, i revisited that same harmonica on the RS2e and it was loud and annoying like harmonicas tend to be, but the RS2e handled it with grace! Songs sound three dimensional verses the SR80e. Like each instrument has it’s own sonic plane. Where as the SR80 sounded a bit more on a horizontal stage. I’m loving that these headphones have all of the excitement (and yes it’s still on the brighter side of neutral) but everything sounds smooooth. The brightness doesn’t feel forced. Also, the pads to me are much more comfortable than the Hemps. Just a few thoughts I’ll have more as i listen. But so far so good. It’s a suped up version of the sr80e which is exactly what i wanted.

Also just wondering, is there as sweet spot for where to position the RS2e on my ear? Just wanna make sure I’m getting the most optimal sound of it!

 

[carboncopy]

I’ve had about an hour with the RS2e so here are some early impressions (with some minor comparisons to Hemp and SR80e): Coming off of the SR80e i felt the hemp was too dark. I know a lot of people dig it, but It just didn’t have the excitement i fell in love with on the SR80e. My biggest issues with the SR80e was that some albums seemed a little shrill and annoyingly bright. The harmonica in “a borrowed tune” by Neil Young was ear killing. Most of what i played sounded amazing, but there was a few times like that that really didn’t sit well with me. After getting myself situated and playing random songs, i revisited that same harmonica on the RS2e and it was loud and annoying like harmonicas tend to be, but the RS2e handled it with grace! Songs sound three dimensional verses the SR80e. Like each instrument has it’s own sonic plane. Where as the SR80 sounded a bit more on a horizontal stage. I’m loving that these headphones have all of the excitement (and yes it’s still on the brighter side of neutral) but everything sounds smooooth. The brightness doesn’t feel forced. Also, the pads to me are much more comfortable than the Hemps. Just a few thoughts I’ll have more as i listen. But so far so good. It’s a suped up version of the sr80e which is exactly what i wanted.

Also just wondering, is there as sweet spot for where to position the RS2e on my ear? Just wanna make sure I’m getting the most optimal sound of it!

For me the sweet spot was very easy to find. Just move it back and forth and the sound will open even more. It was very obvious. For me personally it is a bit pushed back towards the back of my head. But I think it is dependent on the form of your ears.

Glad you like the RS2e, I sure do love mine

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

Random note -- we already have the top position in the "Headphones (full-size)" category on this site, and if I had to guess one of the longest (by content) in general! Approaching THREE THOUSAND pages!

 

[schoolpizza]

It's been fun reading through some of this thread

I have a question about G pads. Over the holidays I got some wireless GW100s and modded them with components from Shipibo. The stock GW100 pads no longer fit so I went on a pad hunt. I got the TTVJ Deluxe flats, and some ebay L and G pads. I would rank them: Flats < L < G. It could be the GW100s, just my pair after the mods specifically, or just my taste, but the cheap G pads totally bring them to life. They did not kill the low frequency at all (as I read G pads do on certain models), but rather created a huge, spacious, and more detailed sound.

I'm thinking about getting the beautifulaudio G pads, but given the high price I was hoping to hear some opinions about them before diving in. How do they compare to the ebay G pads (identical to Geekria, I think)? I'm mainly wanting these for the better looks, durability, and comfort, but given that they are totally different materials, I imagine they have a somewhat different acoustic signature.

Should I also consider the official Grado G pads?

Edit: also, if anyone wants some Deluxe flat pads for half price, send me a PM, they definitely aren't for me with these headphones.

 

[Benno1988]

Anyone else find the GS1000e a bit boring? A/B against the GH4, it's hard to like them, despite price difference.

 

[534743]

Random note -- we already have the top position in the "Headphones (full-size)" category on this site, and if I had to guess one of the longest (by content) in general! Approaching THREE THOUSAND pages!

On Dec 29th we had our 10th birthday. So that's really quite a long time!

 

[SoundGuru]

For me the sweet spot was very easy to find. Just move it back and forth and the sound will open even more. It was very obvious. For me personally it is a bit pushed back towards the back of my head. But I think it is dependent on the form of your ears.

Glad you like the RS2e, I sure do love mine

My RS2es finally came today! I ordered them Jan 1st, but it has taken a while since they were out of stock and I am in Malaysia.

So far comparing these to the SR225e, I really noticed the bass is much more present giving more of a full weighty sound. SR225e is leaner but still very quick bass. The sound stage is definitely an improvement on the RS2e as the headphones feel like they disappear, and sound is coming from outside your ears. You can smell the wood on these which helps to complete the experience...

Treble is extended but very smooth - Classic rock tracks that are on the warm side sound great. Steely Dan is excellent - Kid Charlemagne really shows the separation of the instruments with the guitars. A great guitar solo on that one from Larry Carlton. Another classic, "Do it Again" the cymbals sound lively, and it really brings the track to life. I have heard the guitar solo many times, but not quite like this!

Even some 80s metal Judas Priest - Metal Gods - speed and dynamics of the RS2e capture energy of this track.

I was worried as I have seen some reviews that said these were not good for rock/metal, but I think the tubes help with this. Some rock/metal tracks that are already bright probably wont sound too good though.

Changing up the mood with some Diana Krall, "Just You, Just Me". This sounds like your in a live music venue. Probably one of the strengths for this headphone is acoustic instruments. They sound very lifelike to my ears. Vocals are silky smooth.

Listened for maybe a couple hours so far. It will be interesting to see how these change over time. So far I am hearing tracks like the first time compared to listening on some of my other headphones 560s, HD 650, SR225e. They sound good at lower volumes too which is a positive. Loud sounds incredible but those highs will hurt after....

For placement on my ears I push them a little bit forward as I do with my other Grados.

 

[Okrelayer]

My RS2es finally came today! I ordered them Jan 1st, but it has taken a while since they were out of stock and I am in Malaysia.

So far comparing these to the SR225e, I really noticed the bass is much more present giving more of a full weighty sound. SR225e is leaner but still very quick bass. The sound stage is definitely an improvement on the RS2e as the headphones feel like they disappear, and sound is coming from outside your ears. You can smell the wood on these which helps to complete the experience...

Treble is extended but very smooth - Classic rock tracks that are on the warm side sound great. Steely Dan is excellent - Kid Charlemagne really shows the separation of the instruments with the guitars. A great guitar solo on that one from Larry Carlton. Another classic, "Do it Again" the cymbals sound lively, and it really brings the track to life. I have heard the guitar solo many times, but not quite like this!

Even some 80s metal Judas Priest - Metal Gods - speed and dynamics of the RS2e capture energy of this track.

I was worried as I have seen some reviews that said these were not good for rock/metal, but I think the tubes help with this. Some rock/metal tracks that are already bright probably wont sound too good though.

Changing up the mood with some Diana Krall, "Just You, Just Me". This sounds like your in a live music venue. Probably one of the strengths for this headphone is acoustic instruments. They sound very lifelike to my ears. Vocals are silky smooth.

Listened for maybe a couple hours so far. It will be interesting to see how these change over time. So far I am hearing tracks like the first time compared to listening on some of my other headphones 560s, HD 650, SR225e. They sound good at lower volumes too which is a positive. Loud sounds incredible but those highs will hurt after....

For placement on my ears I push them a little bit forward as I do with my other Grados.

Loved your impressions! Spot on! As for the placement, how far down my ear should they be? I over think these sort of things. Pushing them a little forward I noticed a huge difference but I’m over thinking how much or how little I should extend the headband

edit: which tube amp do you use?

 

[SoundGuru]

Loved your impressions! Spot on! As for the placement, how far down my ear should they be? I over think these sort of things. Pushing them a little forward I noticed a huge difference but I’m over thinking how much or how little I should extend the headband

edit: which tube amp do you use?

Thanks they are great headphones.

For the position I push them forward a bit so the driver is not directly over my ear. I read this years ago on Grado tweaks from a hifi website.

I use a tube buffer into a solid state amp. Its called Fosi Audio Tube P1. Tubes are upgraded to GE ones. This is connected to the JDS Labs Atom. This amp is low impedance with quite a bit of power - 1 watt at 32 ohms. This adds a bit of tube coloring, which IMO has a nice synergy with the Grados.

I tried this as a an experiment and so far I like the result. It probably sounds similar to other hybrid amps like the little dot.

The tube buffer has volume knobs and I try to set them so no added gain is applied. This is about 12 o clock.

 

[Okrelayer]

Thanks they are great headphones.

For the position I push them forward a bit so the driver is not directly over my ear. I read this years ago on Grado tweaks from a hifi website.

I use a tube buffer into a solid state amp. Its called Fosi Audio Tube P1. Tubes are upgraded to GE ones. This is connected to the JDS Labs Atom. This amp is low impedance with quite a bit of power - 1 watt at 32 ohms. This adds a bit of tube coloring, which IMO has a nice synergy with the Grados.

I tried this as a an experiment and so far I like the result. It probably sounds similar to other hybrid amps like the little dot.

The tube buffer has volume knobs and I try to set them so no added gain is applied. This is about 12 o clock.

thanks for all of that info! I’ll see how I like the headphones in a week or so before I decide to buy an amp.

as for the positioning, like you I noticed the sound open up when I push the ear pads forward. I got that. But I’m having trouble with is how far or little I should extend the headband down my ears. Sounds stupid, but I think about this a lot lol. Because the pads are sort of a hybrid of around ear/on ear headphones I don’t know how I should wear them. I want to be sure the sound is directed into my ear! In this attachment you can tell she’s able to extend the headband lower if she wanted, but would that be the sweet spot? I’m sure I’ll figure it out as I experiment but it’s always in the back of my head while listening lol. Sorry for the long rambling, but I’m at work and this little irk is making the enjoyment of the headphones a little less.