[Rebel Chris]

Ifi is producing to much gear.

I adore my PS500e. Really curious which headphones we will be seeing this year.

 

[Stevko]

Made in GB and only SE out.
Perfect for us SE fans!
But why not usb-C charging port?

 

[Gippy]

There is no professional series anymore on 4ourears....

I had a feeling that they'd kill the PS line after raising the price of the RS2x by $50 to $550. It means there's no need for a $600 PS500 anymore. It's just like how the $1800 GS3000e killed the sales of the $1700 PS1000e. As for the PS2000e, they sold discounted B-stock all of last year until it was gone, so that was definitely a clearing out.

 

[Stevko]

They also have a new ZEN Air Can model which covers this case. All amp, no DAC, 1200mw at 32 ohm for 99 GBP (according to my unbiased sources at the IFi marketing team on the Head Fi front page )

No PCB/inside pics on ifi’s site

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Do you find the RS-1X bassier?
In a relative term as we are still talking about Grado.

Not really in bass, but RS1X does produce fuller body in Midrange area, combine with darker treble when compared to RS-2X.

 

[Shane D]

Not really in bass, but RS1X does produce fuller body in Midrange area, combine with darker treble when compared to RS-2X.

Thanks!

 

[ESL-1]

There is no professional series anymore on 4ourears....

https://4ourears.com/pages/headphones

Discontinued although there still might be some of the B-Stock PS2000e phones left at about a $700 discount from retail. In my opinion they are the best sounding headphone that Grado has ever made. I will never get rid of mine.

 

[ESL-1]

Would really like to hear from anybody using a Violectric or an iFi with the RS-1x/RS-2x headphones.

I ran both the RS1x & RS2x for a day yesterday to make sure they would be limbered up and ready for the match.

As I expected my Violectric V200 did a great job with each and also conveniently has two headphone outs so I did not need to plug in and out constantly. The Violectric proved to be a good arbiter between the two. As I listened and compared I found it clearly reflected the results I have had previously. First off, both are fantastic values for their price ranges. The RS2x is definitely a close relative and does have a very natural balance and a nice bit of impact on the low end.

Switching to the RS1x while similar in many ways still continued to improve upon the overall balance of sound, a more articulate and enjoyable bass (after mucho break in, mine have at least 200 hours of play). I think what stood out most for me was a more transparent and open sound with better placement of instruments and a more refined midrange and high frequency. I feel that they also will scale better and are a breakthrough sonic design.

Of course like everything YMMV, it is all so personal.

Once again I can easily say there is no bad choice here. Dollars and/or preference are the rule of the day.

Have Fun.

 

[Shane D]

I ran both the RS1x & RS2x for a day yesterday to make sure they would be limbered up and ready for the match.

As I expected my Violectric V200 did a great job with each and also conveniently has two headphone outs so I did not need to plug in and out constantly. The Violectric proved to be a good arbiter between the two. As I listened and compared I found it clearly reflected the results I have had previously. First off, both are fantastic values for their price ranges. The RS2x is definitely a close relative and does have a very natural balance and a nice bit of impact on the low end.

Switching to the RS1x while similar in many ways still continued to improve upon the overall balance of sound, a more articulate and enjoyable bass (after mucho break in, mine have at least 200 hours of play). I think what stood out most for me was a more transparent and open sound with better placement of instruments and a more refined midrange and high frequency. I feel that they also will scale better and are a breakthrough sonic design.

Of course like everything YMMV, it is all so personal.

Once again I can easily say there is no bad choice here. Dollars and/or preference are the rule of the day.

Have Fun.

Thank you! Up here the price difference is, I think, $250.00.

Yes, I would pay an extra 25% for a better sounding option.

Food for thought.

 

[Heyyoudvd]

There is no professional series anymore on 4ourears....

https://4ourears.com/pages/headphones

Well, they clearly didn’t agree with me. lol.

I’ve often thought the same thing. It also seems weird to me that the Prestige series includes one metal headphone while the rest are all plastic.

Grado’s entire hierarchy and organization of their four headphone series seems weird. They’re almost organized by material, but not quite, given the 325e in the Prestige series and the fact that there are two wood series.

If my name were Heyyoudvd Grado, here’s how I’d reorganize the lineup:


Prestige Series:

SR100
SR200
SR300

I believe this was the original naming scheme and it was a good one. This would be the plastic line of headphones and rather than have 4 or 5 of them, there would just be 3 and they’d be well differentiated in prices and features. Make them something like $89, $139, and $195, and they’d be the best headphones Grado can make at these price points, replacing the 60e, 80e, 125e, and 225e with these three models that are similar to those.

In terms of factors like driver matching, 4 vs 8 conductor cables, de-stressed drivers, and so on, these three may not match up precisely with the current models, rather, they’d provide the best possible features at their costs. So an SR200 may sit somewhere between the current SR80e and SR125e, for example. But these would be 4th gen, adding whatever features Grado has planned for the successor to the ‘e’ series. Also, the SR100 and SR200 would use S pads while the SR300 would have L pads.


Professional Series:

PS100
PS200
PS300
PS400

This is the metal series. These 4 models are the new generation of the SR325e, the PS500e, the PS1000e, and the PS2000e. Notably, the PS100 is the new SR325. Instead of calling it an SR325f (or whatever letter Grado is planning to use), rename it as part of the Professional Series. These four headphones would vary wildly in design, features, and price, ranging from the $295 PS100 to the $1,995 PS400 (the same price as the now reduced PS2000e. I don’t think the standard $2,695 is a viable price for even a super high end Grado, so I would not price anything that high.)


Reference Series:

RS100
RS200
RS300
RS400

Reference means wood. That’s the idea. The RS100 and RS200 are the new RS2 and RS1. Yes, the first digit is reversed, but this new way makes more sense and is more consistent with the rest of the naming. Then there’s the RS300 and RS400, which are the successors to the GS1000e and GS3000e (not the GS2000e, as that’s not a particularly well-received headphone and probably should be removed from the lineup).

The first two would have the cylindrical chambers like the current Reference series, while the latter two would use the larger designs (and G cushions) from the Statement series. The new Reference series essentially combines and simplifies the current Reference and Statement series, putting them under one wooden roof. The prices could be the same as today, with the range being $495, $695, $995, and $1,795, and the features, designs, and woods used would obviously improve with price.


Limited Editions:

Same idea as currently, but make the release schedule a little more cyclical. Once a year there would be a cool new experimental headphone that Grado could try out, with various new woods and designs. The really popular ones could perhaps stick around in an ongoing collection if they prove extremely popular that year, but otherwise, they’d disappear each year, like they currently do.


Then there would be the wireless line, of course. But as that line grows beyond the current GW100, I’d like to see a wireless in each line. So instead of a separate wireless lineup, there would be a wireless plastic (aka. the next GW100) called the SRW, the metal wireless will be the PSW, and the wooden wireless would be the RSW.

And finally, when the lineup is refreshed every ~5 years, the names would remain the same. No single letter suffixes like ’i’ or ‘e’. It would just be a sort of silent ‘4th gen’ or ‘2021 gen’, like some headphones and most cars do.


____________________________


That would be my plan if my last name were Grado and I lived in Brooklyn.

I love what Grado does and how they sound, but their lineup is just too messy and confusing in terms of what each Series is what what models people should purchase. I think this cleans things up, streamlines how the lineups are organized, and makes purchasing decisions a little easier.

 

[Tensen]

Good review. After listening a bit more with them, I agree with most of this. Vocals stand out more - which I love in any headphone. Soundstage is dependent on how they sit on your head. I've noticed with these pads since they're straight with no curve inside, they can move around a bit on your head if you don't put the headband a bit more forward on your head than you may be used to with the f pads. Not uncomfortable or bad - just an adjustment to make. But yeah. Overall, I like these pads a lot more than the G pads. They're different from the f pads but I don't know if I like they more than the f pads. They're just a different sound. But they're a hundred times more comfortable than any Grado pad. I can wear these for hours with no issues.

I still haven't tried the fenestrated pads. But might try to get some time with them on my PS500e this weekend.

After reading you post I played around with positioning on my ears a bit more. Moving the drivers further forward on my ears brought back more of the Grado sound and clarity to the music. Removing some of the dip in the treble dramatically. I really like the way they sound this way. I recommend if you try the velours that you experiment with positioning on your ears more then usually with pad swaps. The comfort stays the same but sound really improved when I found the “right” positioning.

 

[hammersrocco]

Ok - so first post in this thread. A bit of a journey here - with just one (both fortunately and unfortunately) happy stop.

Many years ago, I heard of Grado's reputation and of course, decided to try. It was a strange experience... Started with the SR80e. As usual, I started with some chamber music. It was great... then started trying other things... and there was the question - where is the bass? ( ) - at some point with some music, they sounded piercing to me.

I said, well, let's try others in the range. Went as high as the SR325e, selling the one below to get the next. Same thing... gave up.

Of course, later on the i series came out. Did exactly the same thing, started with some chamber music on the SR80i, was equally delighted, only to again, being utterly disappointed once more bass was required. Again, did the sell/buy thing to go up to the SR325i. Same experience. At this point decided, well, Grado is not for me.

At his point I would like to say - I am not a basshead. I mean, I had similar problems with the AKG line and all it took was the very modest bass bump on the AKG 712 Pro for me to love those cans. My fave cans ( that I own ) are the Ananda.

So fast forward a few years and by chance started reading about the X series drivers, about how they had become more balanced. So again, curiosity got the best of me and decided to try again. But this time, did things a bit different. Decided to order both the SR80x AND the SR325x at the same time. The SR80x arrived first - and, well, almost same situation. Sure you could hear that they were a bit less piercing. But not that much, and certainly to me, did not sound balanced at all. Had few hopes for the SR325x. Then they arrived.

Well, happy to report - exactly what I was hoping for. I am amazed how much I loved them. Indeed not just more balanced, I loved the sound signature. In sense very similar to my beloved Ananda, but with slightly wider soundstage and with those sweet mids that I have always heard on every Grado try. Definitely a departure from the traditional Grado sound - or at least in my opinion. Maybe they are not, but being the first Grado I loved, they feel really different. They are actually competing for play time with the Ananda, which cost double the SR325x, on sale!

So have some questions:

1) Given that the SR80x have the same x drivers, would love to keep them, IF I can get them to sound similar to the SR325x, with no EQ, btw, have no means to do that. So wanted to ask, if I get the F cushions for the SR80x, will they somewhat sound similar to the SR325x?

2) If, I get the upgrade bug, wanted to ask. First of all, from my understanding, the Hemp and the SR325x are pretty much the same so I would skip that - asking for confirmation, but from what I read here, sounds like it.

3) If so, going up the line, RS1x and/or RS2x, could I expect either of those to be similar to the SR325x? Or are they more like the SR80x, intending to be just a bit more balanced, but still with that traditional Grado sound that I did not enjoy in the past?

4) If so, then are the SR325x ( and Hemp ) unique in their sound signature?

thanks so much in advance, apologies for the long post.

hammers

 

[Plautus001]

Ok - so first post in this thread. A bit of a journey here - with just one (both fortunately and unfortunately) happy stop.

Many years ago, I heard of Grado's reputation and of course, decided to try. It was a strange experience... Started with the SR80e. As usual, I started with some chamber music. It was great... then started trying other things... and there was the question - where is the bass? ( ) - at some point with some music, they sounded piercing to me.

I said, well, let's try others in the range. Went as high as the SR325e, selling the one below to get the next. Same thing... gave up.

Of course, later on the i series came out. Did exactly the same thing, started with some chamber music on the SR80i, was equally delighted, only to again, being utterly disappointed once more bass was required. Again, did the sell/buy thing to go up to the SR325i. Same experience. At this point decided, well, Grado is not for me.

At his point I would like to say - I am not a basshead. I mean, I had similar problems with the AKG line and all it took was the very modest bass bump on the AKG 712 Pro for me to love those cans. My fave cans ( that I own ) are the Ananda.

So fast forward a few years and by chance started reading about the X series drivers, about how they had become more balanced. So again, curiosity got the best of me and decided to try again. But this time, did things a bit different. Decided to order both the SR80x AND the SR325x at the same time. The SR80x arrived first - and, well, almost same situation. Sure you could hear that they were a bit less piercing. But not that much, and certainly to me, did not sound balanced at all. Had few hopes for the SR325x. Then they arrived.

Well, happy to report - exactly what I was hoping for. I am amazed how much I loved them. Indeed not just more balanced, I loved the sound signature. In sense very similar to my beloved Ananda, but with slightly wider soundstage and with those sweet mids that I have always heard on every Grado try. Definitely a departure from the traditional Grado sound - or at least in my opinion. Maybe they are not, but being the first Grado I loved, they feel really different. They are actually competing for play time with the Ananda, which cost double the SR325x, on sale!

So have some questions:

1) Given that the SR80x have the same x drivers, would love to keep them, IF I can get them to sound similar to the SR325x, with no EQ, btw, have no means to do that. So wanted to ask, if I get the F cushions for the SR80x, will they somewhat sound similar to the SR325x?

2) If, I get the upgrade bug, wanted to ask. First of all, from my understanding, the Hemp and the SR325x are pretty much the same so I would skip that - asking for confirmation, but from what I read here, sounds like it.

3) If so, going up the line, RS1x and/or RS2x, could I expect either of those to be similar to the SR325x? Or are they more like the SR80x, intending to be just a bit more balanced, but still with that traditional Grado sound that I did not enjoy in the past?

4) If so, then are the SR325x ( and Hemp ) unique in their sound signature?

thanks so much in advance, apologies for the long post.

hammers

1. I listened to the SR80X yesterday, a pad change will not make it into a SR325X
2. I have never listened to the Hemps, but most people say they are more mellow with less bass than the SR325X
3. From reports, neither the RS1X or RS2X have as much bass stock as SR325X; however, there apparently (I have not heard them) things that they do which make them special.
4. From all reports the Hemp and SR325X have different overall signatures.

I keep repeating this, but the SR325X have taken a lot of listening time away from my other 28 pairs of Headphones. Currently, they are my go to when I want to "rock" and tap my feet.

 

[TooFrank]

Picking just one favorite is hard . . .but the GH2, GH4, PS1000, HF3, and 1888 Reserva probably make the top 5. The Hemps also would make it on that list sound wise but they're not really very "limited" anymore so I would grab those others first if the house was on fire.

+1 On my top 3 is the GH2, HF3/hemps

 

[TooFrank]

+1 On my top 3 is the GH2, HF3/hemps

but as I am going to NY soon, I might be tempted and consider to bring back (to EU) the RS1x.....or should I think of the GS3000?