[clundbe1]

Cheap and good. Powerful. 1200mW/32ohm and199$
Schiit Hel2
Hope this is a good match with Grado. And all in one

Loki and Magni doing there job...

 

[Stevko]

Loki and Magni doing there job...

No DAC?

 

[tameral]

Weighing the 325x vs the 225x - I'm a touch treble sensitive but enjoy my SR-80e headphones a great deal. What would be an anticipated difference vs the 325x and the 225x - and would these be a reasonable upgrade from the SR-80e? I've gone in circles around this. Perhaps I should hold off for reviews? Are these going to sound like the 325e or 225e with the Hemp pads and that's about it?

 

[kism]

I got my 60x pair in the mail this afternoon. I’ve been excitedly awaiting them as my first ever Grados. First thing, the unboxing experience is very nice with the simple, yet clean presentation with the box not completely unfolding, the family picture and signature prints with their story. Lifting that up, the headphones are set comfortably and protected in their foam enclosure. Taking them out, I notice the headband has that nice new squishy bottom to it. The ear pads are thicker and softer than I expected. The cord is also thick and definitely has held its twisty shape from being coiled in the box. It’s not as stiff as something like the Elegia cable, but it leads itself in that direction. The adjustment sliders go really fast from all the way closed to all the way open. Once I put them on, however, I was able to push them down into the best fit for my head, and they’ve stayed put for about 90 minutes now. The comfort has been no issue for me so far with my big head and large, outward-facing ears.

First impression on the sound quality: WOW. I’m just sitting on my couch with them plugged into my 3-year old iPad. Haven’t even made it to the desktop or mobile setups yet. I’m going through my favorite playlist, picking out individual songs that I know very well from varied genres. I’ve been listening to different kinds of techno, classic and modern rock, and hip-hop, r&b. Haven’t gone into my classical or jazz collections yet. I don’t really know what to say other than things just sound right. I’ve heard so many different headphones at different price points this past year especially, all different technologies and flavors I guess you could say. Open-backs, closed-backs, planars, dynamics, wireless, Bluetooth, high-ohm, low-ohm, from lots of different companies. I honestly can’t say that I’ve heard a bad headphone from all the ones I’ve tried recently, but some seem to do better in some areas and others in different areas.

These Grados just seem so balanced across the entire frequency range to me. The bass is nice and punchy. They don’t dip and rumble quite as low as my Audezes, sure, but the actual presence of the bass notes is very present and clear. Satisfying for sure. Guitars and vocals may sound a smidge more crisp on my Focals, but these are so close, honestly. They sound very intimate and almost remind me of the HD 6XX in regards to their midrange as well as their more narrow staging. I was almost a little worried reading user reports and seeing graphs of Grado’s top-end, but I must just love treble because these, while a little hot on top, aren’t painful at all. Cymbals, violins, and those computer-altered super high-pitched voices and sounds you hear in a lot of today’s newer EDM tracks sound extremely pleasant on these. I’ve been listening and closing my eyes and have gotten goosebumps multiple times in the short time I have put these on. Though, I have to give the artists and the music itself credit for most of that, as I just find those tracks particularly beautiful to my ears. These headphones have reproduced their music exactly as my brain expected it to sound.

I think this the most I’ve ever written on this forum, or even about any headphones online honestly, and this is all just first impressions. Obviously, I plan on doing a lot more listening with these on all my different sources and hearing genres I haven’t even tried yet. I just turned them down a bit, and had them in the background, bobbing my head typing all of this on my iPad for a while. It just amazes me. I’ve spent way more money on headphones than I ever expected to, and trying expensive pairs, I always go in expecting them to blow me away and sound amazing. They usually do. I only had a rough idea of what I was getting myself into when purchasing these, and I definitely wasn’t expecting them to hold up to my other cans costing much, much more. For $100, I honestly can’t think of another headphone that deserves to sound as good as these.

 

[kmhaynes]

... First set here was Satriani, then Rippingtons, some Jeff Beck, Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin....

That's some good stuff there. Russ Freeman always produces and engineers the Rippingtons so clean and dynamic. Return To Forever "Romantic Warrior" is a gorgeous sounding album -- great headphone music.

 

[kmhaynes]

I wonder how the 325x will
compare to the Alessandro MS2?

That would be an interesting comparison, and I think with the new X series, the 325x might sound very close to the MS2 in the upper region. The Allesandro line was "smoothed" versions of the SR125 & 325, and in the 'e' of both of those Grado definitely smoothed them out a bit -- the SR125e I had for a while sounded very much like the MS1 I had for a while. But, based on early reviews here, the 325x would likely have a bigger bass presence than the MS2.

 

[Luckyleo]

I have been listening to the 325x for 2 days straight. Amazing! I highly recommend them. But then I put on the Rs1e and omg. No comparison... Well actually yes. They both have the Grado sound. The RS1e has much better sound stage, separation, tight bass, and much much more refined sound. From a price standpoint there is no comparison. If you are budget conscious I would go for the 325x.. However, if you want the very best and are willing to pay.. Well, the Rs1e.. Just saying

 

[elvergun]

I have been listening to the 325x for 2 days straight. Amazing! I highly recommend them. But then I put on the Rs1e and omg. No comparison... Well actually yes. They both have the Grado sound. The RS1e has much better sound stage, separation, tight bass, and much much more refined sound. From a price standpoint there is no comparison. If you are budget conscious I would go for the 325x.. However, if you want the very best and are willing to pay.. Well, the Rs1e.. Just saying

What would be interesting, when the time comes, will be to compare apples to apples. I'm happy with my RS2e...but I can't wait to read a comparison between the RS2e and the RS2x.

 

[Wid]

Enjoying the RS1E tonight. Been a while

 

[SomeGuyDude]

What would be interesting, when the time comes, will be to compare apples to apples. I'm happy with my RS2e...but I can't wait to read a comparison between the RS2e and the RS2x.

If it's anything like the change to -i and then to -e they're pretty incremental. Nothing staggering, more just revisions that "tighten them up" so to speak. Better parts, etc.

 

[Astral Abyss]

If it's anything like the change to -i and then to -e they're pretty incremental. Nothing staggering, more just revisions that "tighten them up" so to speak. Better parts, etc.

I just received the 325x yesterday. Initial listening impressions were an immediate sense of a wider, more open soundstage, and much faster transient response... this new driver is indeed fast and responsive. Great imaging, I can make out and place individual instruments easily. Warmer sound than the Grado of old, which I like. I'm comparing to my GH1 and GH2.

 

[elvergun]

If it's anything like the change to -i and then to -e they're pretty incremental. Nothing staggering, more just revisions that "tighten them up" so to speak. Better parts, etc.

That's what I think the x is going to be. If that is the case then I will not need to sell my RS2e to upgrade.

 

[AWS Soul]

I have been listening to the 325x for 2 days straight. Amazing! I highly recommend them. But then I put on the Rs1e and omg. No comparison... Well actually yes. They both have the Grado sound. The RS1e has much better sound stage, separation, tight bass, and much much more refined sound. From a price standpoint there is no comparison. If you are budget conscious I would go for the 325x.. However, if you want the very best and are willing to pay.. Well, the Rs1e.. Just saying

All this talk about the 325x made me dig out my 325e , I put TTVJ deluxe flats on them and plugged them into my laptop , Deezer HIFI was the music platform for the evening. A truly incredible headphone they are indeed , but then like yourself I went back to my RS1e , a different level all together is all I can say.

 

[AWS Soul]

That's what I think the x is going to be. If that is the case then I will not need to sell my RS2e to upgrade.

The RS2e is a magnificent headphone , I've spent many years using it as my main can . I really don't see how Grado can make it better , Sure I could be wrong , but to better the e series is one heck of a tough ask . Is going from e to x really an upgrade , especially if it's the same model.

 

[AWS Soul]

The RS2e is a magnificent headphone , I've spent many years using it as my main can . I really don't see how Grado can make it better , Sure I could be wrong . To better the e series is one heck of a tough ask , is going from e to x really an upgrade , especially if it's the same model.