[ESL-1]

Just a little advice: save up and buy a better deck like Rega P3 or Project Debut Pro. And don't forget a good quality phone pre-amp.

Well analog sound doesn't come cheap.

For good performance at a low cost the phono preamp by Parasound is quite respectable.

 

[DTgill]

I think that the Rs1e was made for my LG V60 "WoW they sound good!"

 

[Opalius]

I'm testing some different pads right now these Yaxi pads sound the best to my old ears right now.

Does anyone have any input on pairing these with a iFi Zen DAC? I'm thinking about buying one for these cans??

Hey - as the Ifi Zen DAC has more or less the same specs and sound as the Hip dac . And (Yes - I have listened to one and the other, before deciding on the Hip-Dac) … you may find some comparisons of interest in my small review of the SR125X’s



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I thought I´d write a short review of the new Grado SR125X as I just bought them, and could not find any reviews on them on the interhighway. - Hope this is the right place...

Anyways, just to get the boring stuff away from the start: Build

Build is very Grado like, mostly I’d compare them to some cheap toys made in China. I as the gods as my witness I am not kidding. I paid some 228 euro for them. That’s 270 USD! For headphones, that are made of cheap cheap plastic and you pray they don’t brake. Even worse, the emblems one the headphones are not even glued on straight, the housing that holds the drives are also not straight, the metal pins are not straight… And no, I am not even going to start on the cable. I think you all get the idea, right?

On a good note – the new head padding and comfort in general very good.


Amping:

First thing first, amping and machining. I have tested the Grado’s with my dragonfly red, Fiio BTR5 and Ifi Hip-dac. I can tale you straight up, if you want the best, with most extended bass and body in your music, the SR125X and Ifi Hip-dac is a match made in heaven. The Hip-dac has a warm sound signature that matches well with the highs from the SR125X. When using the Dragonfly red or the BTR5 you are mostly left with a “even more” mid centric sound.

To give an example: When playing Adele – Fire in the Rain there is a bass line playing in the background. This bassline is very easy to pickup with the Hip-dac companied to the Dragonfly red and BTR5.

But - the BTR5 does have more detailed and extended highs…


Sound: - Well, if only the Grado´s were only built as they sound.

To start Bass:

The bass is not very far extended, and the headphones really can’t produce any sub bass. But – bass is very clear, textured and very detailed. The best way to describe it is that it is very natural, it’s like listening to someone playing live unplugged. Very pleasant all in all. The HD650 can produce somewhat more ( but also bloated in relative comparison ) bass. Something like a DT990 600 ohm would be a bass canon compared to the Grado SR125X.

The mids: The mids are the star of the show. They are very clean, again detailed and very forward. Think HD650 mids, just more forward. They don’t have any strange scoops that make vocals sound hollow or anything. The SR125X makes a HD650 sound very vailed. Female voices tend to sound angelic.

The highs: The highs are bright, but in no way piercing and the sound is not sibilant. But yes, this is in general a bight sounding headphone. The highs very well extended and also detailed. Again the best way to describe the sound would be a very “live like” sound. The HD650 tend to sound like a pair of good speakers where the Grado is more like in a small live setting.



Imaging and soundstage:

Imaging is not the sharpest, - it tends to be very “left, right, center”. A HD650 has more sharp imaging – but the soundstage is a lot wide then on HD650’s. Even to the point where, depending on what’s playing, I thought that a “knock” or something was coming from my door to my house, when it in fact was just the music. – so again, a good surprise.


So. – is it a keeper are you are asking? Short answer - Yes.


Why? Because they simply sound good. Period.
And I can’t see the build when it’s on my head.

I can run them from my Hip-dac and even BTR5 and they still sound good and give a very natural crisp sound. Think “mobile” hifi. And yes, I know I can just use IEM’s, but it’s not every day I want to be “closed of”, when I’m at work and so forth….


And why not buy SR325 – simple, - I did not find the sound that different. Yes – they have a bass boost or “hump” in the mid bass, but I like the leaner sound. The aluminum is heavier and painted. ( and yes, he paint chips ). Lastly, and most important: They don’t have the same comfort because of the pads used on the SR325X compared to the SR125X. And yes – I know I could just change them… but I find in somewhat irritating paying twice the price and still having to change something to make headphones comfortable.



That’s all folks… PS. – sorry for the bad English

 

[Stevko]

Hey - as the Ifi Zen DAC has more or less the same specs and sound as the Hip dac . And (Yes - I have listened to one and the other, before deciding on the Hip-Dac) … you my find some comparisons of interest in my small review of the SR125X’s



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I thought I´d write a short review of the new Grado SR125X as I just bought them, and could not find any reviews on them on the interhighway. - Hope this is the right place...

Anyways, just to get the boring stuff away from the start: Build

Build is very Grado like, mostly I’d compare them to some cheap toys made in China. I as the gods as my witness I am not kidding. I paid some 228 euro for them. That’s 270 USD! For headphones, that are made of cheap cheap plastic and you pray they don’t brake. Even worse, the emblems one the headphones are not even glued on straight, the housing that holds the drives are also not straight, the metal pins are not straight… And no, I am not even going to start on the cable. I think you all get the idea, right?

On a good note – the new head padding and comfort in general very good.


Amping:

First thing first, amping and machining. I have tested the Grado’s with my dragonfly red, Fiio BTR5 and Ifi Hip-dac. I can tale you straight up, if you want the best, with most extended bass and body in your music, the SR125X and Ifi Hip-dac is a match made in heaven. The Hip-dac has a warm sound signature that matches well with the highs from the SR125X. When using the Dragonfly red or the BTR5 you are mostly left with a “even more” mid centric sound.

To give an example: When playing Adele – Fire in the Rain there is a bass line playing in the background. This bassline is very easy to pickup with the Hip-dac companied to the Dragonfly red and BTR5.

But - the BTR5 does have more detailed and extended highs…


Sound: - Well, if only the Grado´s were only built as they sound.

To start Bass:

The bass is not very far extended, and the headphones really can’t produce any sub bass. But – bass is very clear, textured and very detailed. The best way to describe it is that it is very natural, it’s like listening to someone playing live unplugged. Very pleasant all in all. The HD650 can produce somewhat more ( but also bloated in relative comparison ) bass. Something like a DT990 600 ohm would be a bass canon compared to the Grado SR125X.

The mids: The mids are the star of the show. They are very clean, again detailed and very forward. Think HD650 mids, just more forward. They don’t have any strange scoops that make vocals sound hollow or anything. The SR125X makes a HD650 sound very vailed. Female voices tend to sound angelic.

The highs: The highs are bright, but in no way piercing and the sound is not sibilant. But yes, this is in general a bight sounding headphone. The highs very well extended and also detailed. Again the best way to describe the sound would be a very “live like” sound. The HD650 tend to sound like a pair of good speakers where the Grado is more like in a small live setting.



Imaging and soundstage:

Imaging is not the sharpest, - it tends to be very “left, right, center”. A HD650 has more sharp imaging – but the soundstage is a lot wide then on HD650’s. Even to the point where, depending on what’s playing, I thought that a “knock” or something was coming from my door to my house, when it in fact was just the music. – so again, a good surprise.


So. – is it a keeper are you are asking? Short answer - Yes.


Why? Because they simply sound good. Period.
And I can’t see the build when it’s on my head.

I can run them from my Hip-dac and even BTR5 and they still sound good and give a very natural crisp sound. Think “mobile” hifi. And yes, I know I can just use IEM’s, but it’s not every day I want to be “closed of”, when I’m at work and so forth….


And why not buy SR325 – simple, - I did not find the sound that different. Yes – they have a bass boost or “hump” in the mid bass, but I like the leaner sound. The aluminum is heavier and painted. ( and yes, he paint chips ). Lastly, and most important: They don’t have the same comfort because of the pads used on the SR325X compared to the SR125X. And yes – I know I could just change them… but I find in somewhat irritating paying twice the price and still having to change something to make headphones comfortable.



That’s all folks… PS. – sorry for the bad English

Nice review
I like your english. Perfect. Can’t see anything wrong with it.
Gonna buy a Grado X this year.
And that will be my last HP this year

 

[DTgill]

Hey - as the Ifi Zen DAC has more or less the same specs and sound as the Hip dac . And (Yes - I have listened to one and the other, before deciding on the Hip-Dac) … you may find some comparisons of interest in my small review of the SR125X’s



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I thought I´d write a short review of the new Grado SR125X as I just bought them, and could not find any reviews on them on the interhighway. - Hope this is the right place...

Anyways, just to get the boring stuff away from the start: Build

Build is very Grado like, mostly I’d compare them to some cheap toys made in China. I as the gods as my witness I am not kidding. I paid some 228 euro for them. That’s 270 USD! For headphones, that are made of cheap cheap plastic and you pray they don’t brake. Even worse, the emblems one the headphones are not even glued on straight, the housing that holds the drives are also not straight, the metal pins are not straight… And no, I am not even going to start on the cable. I think you all get the idea, right?

On a good note – the new head padding and comfort in general very good.


Amping:

First thing first, amping and machining. I have tested the Grado’s with my dragonfly red, Fiio BTR5 and Ifi Hip-dac. I can tale you straight up, if you want the best, with most extended bass and body in your music, the SR125X and Ifi Hip-dac is a match made in heaven. The Hip-dac has a warm sound signature that matches well with the highs from the SR125X. When using the Dragonfly red or the BTR5 you are mostly left with a “even more” mid centric sound.

To give an example: When playing Adele – Fire in the Rain there is a bass line playing in the background. This bassline is very easy to pickup with the Hip-dac companied to the Dragonfly red and BTR5.

But - the BTR5 does have more detailed and extended highs…


Sound: - Well, if only the Grado´s were only built as they sound.

To start Bass:

The bass is not very far extended, and the headphones really can’t produce any sub bass. But – bass is very clear, textured and very detailed. The best way to describe it is that it is very natural, it’s like listening to someone playing live unplugged. Very pleasant all in all. The HD650 can produce somewhat more ( but also bloated in relative comparison ) bass. Something like a DT990 600 ohm would be a bass canon compared to the Grado SR125X.

The mids: The mids are the star of the show. They are very clean, again detailed and very forward. Think HD650 mids, just more forward. They don’t have any strange scoops that make vocals sound hollow or anything. The SR125X makes a HD650 sound very vailed. Female voices tend to sound angelic.

The highs: The highs are bright, but in no way piercing and the sound is not sibilant. But yes, this is in general a bight sounding headphone. The highs very well extended and also detailed. Again the best way to describe the sound would be a very “live like” sound. The HD650 tend to sound like a pair of good speakers where the Grado is more like in a small live setting.



Imaging and soundstage:

Imaging is not the sharpest, - it tends to be very “left, right, center”. A HD650 has more sharp imaging – but the soundstage is a lot wide then on HD650’s. Even to the point where, depending on what’s playing, I thought that a “knock” or something was coming from my door to my house, when it in fact was just the music. – so again, a good surprise.


So. – is it a keeper are you are asking? Short answer - Yes.


Why? Because they simply sound good. Period.
And I can’t see the build when it’s on my head.

I can run them from my Hip-dac and even BTR5 and they still sound good and give a very natural crisp sound. Think “mobile” hifi. And yes, I know I can just use IEM’s, but it’s not every day I want to be “closed of”, when I’m at work and so forth….


And why not buy SR325 – simple, - I did not find the sound that different. Yes – they have a bass boost or “hump” in the mid bass, but I like the leaner sound. The aluminum is heavier and painted. ( and yes, he paint chips ). Lastly, and most important: They don’t have the same comfort because of the pads used on the SR325X compared to the SR125X. And yes – I know I could just change them… but I find in somewhat irritating paying twice the price and still having to change something to make headphones comfortable.



That’s all folks… PS. – sorry for the bad English

Great review!

 

[movinIron]

…, it’s like listening to someone playing live unplugged.

Best Grado description ever!

That’s all folks… PS. – sorry for the bad English

It was a pleasure to read. And please believe this, you could teach some of the so-called international managers I am working …uh, with.

 

[movinIron]

For good performance at a low cost the phono preamp by Parasound is quite respectable.

Low cost? John ‘I‘m a vinyl kinda guy‘ Curl‘s Parasound?!
Can you please provide a link or produktname to something less than 2000,- €?
Cheapest I remember is the JC3 Jr.

(@ all non-‘fossil like myself‘ members: John Curl is for Parasound, what Rob Watts is for Chord or Thorsten Loesch is for AMR/iFi. Parasound owner/founder is Richard Schram.)

 

[ESL-1]

Low cost? John ‘I‘m a vinyl kinda guy‘ Curl‘s Parasound?!
Can you please provide a link or produktname to something less than 2000,- €?
Cheapest I remember is the JC3 Jr.

(@ all non-‘fossil like myself‘ members: John Curl is for Parasound, what Rob Watts is for Chord or Thorsten Loesch is for AMR/iFi. Parasound owner/founder is Richard Schram.)

Richard was very dedicated and driven when he was first getting Parasound into a good number of quality stores at the time which included where I worked, Harmony House II in NYC. He was also quite enjoyable to talk with.

No I was really meaning low but good sounding, the ZPhono, only a few hundred dollars for a tight budget solution.
John Curl’s many classics are always top choices but there is a bit of trickle down.

 

[Johnscheley]

I'm very impressed how great a Schiit “magni+mani” stack, a MacBook and a Grado Sr325x sounds. I even wonder why more than that.

Great session with Baden Powell, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Henry Mancini, David Byrne and others. The sound is palpable, exciting, timing, rhythmic and detailed. It has life, body and breath. Life like sounds. Unbeatable cost-benefit ratio.

 

[movinIron]

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-ps-lx310bt
Any Grado/vinyl fans tried this one?

No, but I never experienced good vinyl sound from a plastic housing.
May be try a Pro-ject? There are some sporting Bluetooth, I think.
There might be some Thorens, Music Hall, Rega, …
I once was forced (money) to use a plastic JVC, later a (used) plastic Technics. Both made me avoid the records boxes for years.
Don‘t get me wrong, Technics an JVC did some pretty good turntables, just these two plastic things were a nightmare.
I tried many more: Marantz, Lenco, Onkyo, Sony and some brands that don‘t exist anymore. Wooden housing: ‘OK‘ up to ‘Yeah!‘ Plastic: ‘Nope!‘
And I‘m not talking about some special Cocobolo, Koa or whatever wood.
Mostly MDF with vinyl or maybe wooden veneer.
Never seen a Dual, PE or Thorens made of plastic.

Just a little advice: save up and buy a better deck like Rega P3 or Project Debut Pro. And don't forget a good quality phone pre-amp.

Definitely!

Well analog sound doesn't come cheap.

I agree only halfway. Yes, you can purchase an extraordinary good CD player by spending just 249,- €.
With that stipulation I have to agree. One good turntable? Yes, you‘ll maybe manage to get one.
But not including an acceptable phono pre. For that you need at least an additional 130,- €.
Even the cheapest turntables often come with an acceptable cartridge. But a good one?
Add another 100 - 150,- €. Just take a Grado Prestige Blue. Don’t even start thinking about MC can be better than MM.
This is true, but with MM you can get very, very far before (a high priced) MC is outrunning it.
If your dealer likes you - a little ‘I‘ll get back to you, when I‘m clear on which cartridge and maybe fitting pre amp it will be in the next step‘ might help - you may purchase a good set for about 450,-.
Hm… a good phono package 450,- … an extraordinary CD 250,-…
There‘s one little detail we forgot to mention. No extraordinary good CD player is a match to a good turntable.
So it‘s maybe not cheap, but not to expensive a thing to start with.

And if you take one extraordinary record player… for example starting at 800,-, let‘s say with one 300 - 500,-€ cartridge… try to find a matching CD player. This will be a task. If you found one at around 8000 - 10.000,-, switch to a Transrotor Figaro cartridge or something equal and… checkmate.

You buy vinyl for the physical experience, not necessarily the sonic experience. Handling records, collecting the cover art, going to a local shop that still sells vinyl and striking up a conversation with the staff... digital can't do that. Technology gives and takes away.

100% true.

…not necessarily the sonic experience…

…not necessarily. But easy to experience!
It‘s hard to tweak/tune a CD player. A new DAC is the best/most effective way I think.
With a record player… you will get an idea of what your car can achieve being in Dominic Torrettos garage.

 

[movinIron]

Richard was very dedicated and driven when he was first getting Parasound into a good number of quality stores at the time… He was also quite enjoyable to talk with.

Now I‘m jealous.

No I was really meaning low but good sounding, the ZPhono, only a few hundred dollars for a tight budget solution.

No ZPhono on the german distributors website.

 

[Shane D]

I have been on a binge for the last year. On average, probably one new piece every two months. Just constantly testing and comparing. Always looking for that next rush.

Today I just pulled out my GH2's and plugged them into a recent purchase, the iFi Pro iCAN. It has cool features and a TON of power. Sounded pretty good for an hour.
And then I went back to my SS amp, the Violectric V220. No special features and no EQ. The combo sounds Wonderful! That was the rest of the day and will be all day tomorrow.

Violectric amps really fill out the sound of Grado's beautifully. If you can get a used V220 or V200 for a good price, I would strongly recommend it.

 

[ESL-1]

My V200 is one of my top Grado mates.

Find a Joseph Grado Signature HPA-1 and you will also likely be quite happy. All Grado headphones have been designed with the HPA-1.

The HeadAmp Gilmore Lite is good too, especially if you add the upgraded power supply.

 

[ESL-1]

Now I‘m jealous.

No ZPhono on the german distributors website.

Too bad, they now have a model that can do moving coil and moving magnet simultaneously with two discreet circuits at $499 stateside.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-wWb0X...7043&msclkid=07b1591757aa12f69f96384c8b3a4c80

 

[Stevko]

No, but I never experienced good vinyl sound from a plastic housing.
May be try a Pro-ject? There are some sporting Bluetooth, I think.
There might be some Thorens, Music Hall, Rega, …
I once was forced (money) to use a plastic JVC, later a (used) plastic Technics. Both made me avoid the records boxes for years.
Don‘t get me wrong, Technics an JVC did some pretty good turntables, just these two plastic things were a nightmare.
I tried many more: Marantz, Lenco, Onkyo, Sony and some brands that don‘t exist anymore. Wooden housing: ‘OK‘ up to ‘Yeah!‘ Plastic: ‘Nope!‘
And I‘m not talking about some special Cocobolo, Koa or whatever wood.
Mostly MDF with vinyl or maybe wooden veneer.
Never seen a Dual, PE or Thorens made of plastic.

Definitely!

I agree only halfway. Yes, you can purchase an extraordinary good CD player by spending just 249,- €.
With that stipulation I have to agree. One good turntable? Yes, you‘ll maybe manage to get one.
But not including an acceptable phono pre. For that you need at least an additional 130,- €.
Even the cheapest turntables often come with an acceptable cartridge. But a good one?
Add another 100 - 150,- €. Just take a Grado Prestige Blue. Don’t even start thinking about MC can be better than MM.
This is true, but with MM you can get very, very far before (a high priced) MC is outrunning it.
If your dealer likes you - a little ‘I‘ll get back to you, when I‘m clear on which cartridge and maybe fitting pre amp it will be in the next step‘ might help - you may purchase a good set for about 450,-.
Hm… a good phono package 450,- … an extraordinary CD 250,-…
There‘s one little detail we forgot to mention. No extraordinary good CD player is a match to a good turntable.
So it‘s maybe not cheap, but not to expensive a thing to start with.

And if you take one extraordinary record player… for example starting at 800,-, let‘s say with one 300 - 500,-€ cartridge… try to find a matching CD player. This will be a task. If you found one at around 8000 - 10.000,-, switch to a Transrotor Figaro cartridge or something equal and… checkmate.


100% true.


…not necessarily. But easy to experience!
It‘s hard to tweak/tune a CD player. A new DAC is the best/most effective way I think.
With a record player… you will get an idea of what your car can achieve being in Dominic Torrettos garage.

think I forget vinyl. a vinyl album is pretty expensive. don`t own any
digital is cheap and easy.
better to spend the money on a new grado or a german headphone amp