[Beagle]

Grado cables are great at eliminating microphonics, but horrendous with the twisting themselves into a knot on your upper chest area. I'm listening to my RS1e now, and with the right source it sounds amazing, but let's be real y'all: we all hate that twisty Y connector part of the cable. We despise it.

The SR80i was my first ever audiophile experience, and I loved it besides that evil twisty knotty Y connector from hell (that was part of why I sold it, and my friend who I sold it to has told me "yeah, that thing is way too twisty"). The fact that Grado says they've finally fixed that problem got me instantly hyped, and I ordered the SR80x immediately. I don't care about the headband, that's whatever, it looks fine. I do look forward to hearing how the sound has improved two versions past my old SR80i, and especially since these days I have waaaay more expensive stuff to plug it into! I hope it's as fun and versatile as the i version was.

Also, this is just stating the obvious, but X is the coolest letter you could possibly name a series, props to Grado for that.

Agree. I hate the current thick cables. Loves the thinner flexible ones from 10 years ago and back.

 

[oryan_dunn]

Agree. I hate the current thick cables. Loves the thinner flexible ones from 10 years ago and back.

But bigger is more betterer!!!

I really like the cable on my SR60i, soft and flexible, not to thick or heavy. I wish it had a 6.35mm jack as standard, and wish the cups couldn't infinitely spin.

I don't understand why they didn't move to detachable cables. It's like they heard people wanted detachable cables, and concluded people wanted a fancier cable. No, I want the ability to have a small 1m cable for portable use, and a nice long flexible cable for home use. Other people want their own. I guess they're saving something to add for the z line in 4 yrs.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

The thick cable also has the hilarious issue of just being this big monstrosity that flops all over the place whenever you're listening at a desk where the connection is fairly close. Mine keeps looping around the armrest on my chair and getting tugged around whenever I move.

 

[wormsdriver]

Grado 325X just arrived! Stiching on top is grey, like on the bottom of the headband.

Picture of the y/yolk

Now it's time to listen!

Man I don't know about those new sleeved cables, just by looking at it I think I'd prefer the old rubber ones. Lol
They look like they might be a bit stiff and microphonic

 

[BobG55]

Big or small cable, what I love is the sound of my GS1000i & GS3000e. When I’m listening w/ them I don’t think about their respective cable.

 

[choombak]

The thick cable also has the hilarious issue of just being this big monstrosity that flops all over the place whenever you're listening at a desk where the connection is fairly close. Mine keeps looping around the armrest on my chair and getting tugged around whenever I move.

Hell yeah! Exactly what happens with me too... to a point it gets frustrating sometimes. But I cannot bear to listen to any other headphone brand, just love the Grado sound.

 

[ESL-1]

About to do a shootout of the SR-80e with the stock and L pads vs the Hemp. Interested to see if it is mostly the 'flat' pads which send the Hemp across the line

The Hemp was designed around the original flat pad after some experiments prior with flats on several models. Right now I have been using the flats on my RS1e & PS500e and liking them. Of course my vintage RS1 came with flats and I always kept them that way.
That said, there is a lot more than just the pads that make the Hemp so good, especially for the price.

Enjoy,

 

[waveinterference]

Running this comparison (my workhorse SR-325e and my fresh-out-of-the-box SR-225x) right now! Nothing like a new Grado day, is there?

I’m sure I’ll get laughed out of the forum for not doing a side-by-side comparison of an old and new 325, but I wanted to add a different model to my Grado lineup.

 

[ESL-1]

Hell yeah! Exactly what happens with me too... to a point it gets frustrating sometimes. But I cannot bear to listen to any other headphone brand, just love the Grado sound.

I find even the Grado thick wire is a lot less a hassle or in your way than the Focal Clear (swear it was alive so I replaced it with a much better Wireworld Platinum Eclipse). Now it also sounds significantly better too.

I never really found any of the Grado cables I have cause me any hassle. One note, since Grado earcups can rotate 360 degrees you should on occasion check to make sure they haven’t kinked up due to that.

 

[zazex]

ordered 325x on amazon yesterday. but now i see there is no warranty outside US. Mmmmm

After looking around a bit, I see that Grado's Registration and Warranty page states that its warranty
covers only products bought from its Authorized Dealers.

https://gradolabs.com/warranty

Then, clicking on the link provided, Amazon.com does not appear on the list of Grado's Authorized Dealers.

But. then looking at Amazon.com, it states (on the 325x listing that the 325x is sold by 4ourears, which is in fact
Grado's own dealer and obviously therefore "authorized". (Once again, I'll note, Amazon is doing
the 100% right thing for the customer).

To be even more certain, though, I'd just contact Grado by email or phone. Many if not most
find them to be very customer-friendly.

 

[elvergun]

Man I don't know about those new sleeved cables, just by looking at it I think I'd prefer the old rubber ones. Lol
They look like they might be a bit stiff and microphonic

If they are anything like the HF3 cable then they are a step back and not an improvement. I don't like the rubber cables...but I loved those compared to the HF3 cable.

The HF3 is not microphonic, but it was really stiff. It made the RS2e cable seem like a nimble gazelle in comparison.

 

[Joaquin Dinero]

Running this comparison (my workhorse SR-325e and my fresh-out-of-the-box SR-225x) right now! Nothing like a new Grado day, is there?

I’m sure I’ll get laughed out of the forum for not doing a side-by-side comparison of an old and new 325, but I wanted to add a different model to my Grado lineup.

You can always find a used 225e for decent prices on EBay if / when you're interested in the "vertical" comparison.

Enjoy!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I just really like the look of these. That fabric cable seems so much more pro.

 

[kmhaynes]

Hmm... have you tried the Grado G cush, and if so, can you describe the difference between those and the Geekria pads?

The RS1e is very picky about what I plug it into. It honestly sounds wonky and bad to me when using either my Chord Hugo 2 or Dragonfly Cobalt, and I now use it exclusively with a tiny cheap DAP, a Hidizs AP80, because it smoothes the treble, increases bass up to a reasonable level(nothing crazy), and generally complements the sound signature, giving a nice wide soundstage. I might just not be the biggest fan of the high end Grado sound, as it seems worlds apart from the SR80i that I used to greatly enjoy. It may be that the AP80 is un-gradofying my RS1e, and that's why I like it. But I have read some Grado fans saying that the RS1e's tuning is weird and wonky, so I'm not sure what exactly is happening.

I haven't tried the Grado G Cush, and I think it is a bit denser, so it may produced a more "contained" sound.

I only have 2 simple sources for my RS2e: laptop headphone out into Monolith Liquid Spark (yeah, I need to get a USB DAC, but this sounds good), and my LG V35 phone which has an outstanding internal DAC. Anyway, the RS2e sounds effortlessly great from both.

 

[zazex]

Sold my E. Hope its worth upgrading to X

As is often the case, time will tell.
Meantime i suspect there are going to be a flood of 325e's over the next month or so
in case you're looking to get another one.