[jonathan c]

How would you describe the sound? Strengths? Weaknesses?

I almost bought this set a month or two ago and am wondering what I missed.

The Gilmore Lite II + Golden Reference psu is an excellent headphone amplifier! Sonically, it is very detailed, linear, spacious, with a tinge of sweetness. GLII+ is tremendous with Focal Clear OG, with all Grados. My only complaint is (was) that the Golden Reference psu does not have an off/on switch itself.

 

[Shane D]

I´m not the best to review or compare gear. I´m used to the Valhalla2 and they are different indeed.

As soon as I listened to it for the first time, the resolving was immediately noticeable, so clear compared to the Valhalla who seems sort of veiled in comparison. It is definitely more neutral but still a little warm, especially in the lower range. The result for me is that it is very detailed but not tiring, there is some smoothness to it. The Valhalla is warmer for sure and therefore gives the impression of being less detailed, or maybe it just is. Also the lower range, that I also like is not as punchier as the Gilmore. With the tubes I have, I always loved the Schiit but in all honesty, now that I listened to the Gilmore, I feel the later is indeed the superior amp, without any doubts to me. This is a little surprising because I usually have some difficulty in understanding or even getting major differences between gear. But this was not the case. Maybe it just suits best my taste. I prefer usually a little warmer, can´t stand those neutral, sterile, resolving amps who are very tiring and boring to my ears. But this Gilmore is the marriage of resolving and clear with smoothness, a touch of warm and musicality. It is very dynamic but not tiring. It is a powerful amp and you can see in the picture where I keep the volume with my grado, and that is sort of medium-high.

I can never tell major differences between DAC´s, at least in similar price range and that seems to be the case between the MM2 and the LP RS06. The major advantage of the RS 06 is the output level via software. Setting it to the lower output, -3 with unbalanced cables, it gives you a lot more room to play with the Amp volume knob. I had it for sale but might be rethinking it. Not sure about a good DAC that has good synergy with the Gilmore and has a way to regulate the output.

I´m still getting used to it but very impressed. That lower punch is so good to my ears, especially with the Grado 325 Gold with the Nycjaz pads.

Cheers.

Funny, as I read your post I am listening to my slightly modded HD660S2's on my Valhalla 2.

It might have been an interesting pick up, but you never know until you have it at home.

 

[Shane D]

The Gilmore Lite II + Golden Reference psu is an excellent headphone amplifier! Sonically, it is very detailed, linear, spacious, with a tinge of sweetness. GLII+ is tremendous with Focal Clear OG, with all Grados. My only complaint is (was) that the Golden Reference psu does not have an off/on switch itself.

I did appreciate your input on this set-up. I ended up going a different way, but am still a little curious.

 

[jonathan c]

She might have been an interesting pick up, but you never know until you have her at home.

FTFY…[Reg. TM; © bcowen: 2021] …

 

[Saudan]

Shootout - 325i/Goldies with flats vs 325x with flats . This is a tough one…both sound fantastic — leaning toward the early model.

 

[jonathan c]

Shootout - 325i/Goldies with flats vs 325x with flats . This is a tough one…both sound fantastic — leaning toward the early model.

Q: Does the 325i have more break-in time than the 325x? That can make a difference.

 

[jonathan c]

The NOS Telefunken ECC801S, a 12AT7 tube, feeding the fixed SS2590 op-amp in SparkoS Labs Gemini is giving Grado PS500e: absolutely wonderful tonal balance and sinuous, textured bass / midbass.

 

[Saudan]

Both have in excess of 200 hours. IMO, This previous generation can definitely stand the test of time!!

 

[Saudan]

Q: Does the 325i have more break-in time than the 325x? That can make a difference.

Both have in excess of 200 hours. IMO, This previous generation can definitely stand the test of time!!

 

[HWB3]

Look at all of the love. I can't wait to try my new ones on.

 

[544322]

Yet again edited with my lastest findings and also added the SR80X

***************************************************************************************************************

Finally did a full comparison of all of my Grado headphones. Maybe it's helpful to someone torturing his brain about what Grado to buy next

I tested all headphones with a Mojo 2, EQ set to neutral but also tried EQ adjustments.
I don't care much about sound stage so i didn't say anything about it. For me they all sound great in that regard anyway.


GH2
- Very balanced across the frequency range
- Doesn't need EQ, works very well with every source i tried it with, even the iPad headphone jack
- No real sub bass, lower bass slightly bloated, otherwise punchy
- Ok mids
- Clear nice treble but not sibilant
- The sound has a certain je ne sais quois mojo, my girl friend loves it and so do i
- Works great with a Dragonfly Cobalt and Mojo 1


GS1000i
- On the muffled side
- Massive yet bloated bass and sub bass
- Very nice mids
- Low treble ok, high treble muffled
- Needs some EQ, the Mojo EQ makes it edible if you dial down bass
- Can sound very nice and serious with the right sound material, in any case not an allrounder
- I have a feeling i don't get this headphone yet


PS500e
- Very balanced across the frequency range similar to the GH2 but more neutral with slightly more "bottom"
- Every frequency band is there, no need for EQ, because of that it sounds well-rounded or some might say "boring"
- Works well with every sound source
- Sounds like a real Grado but without the classic "downsides"


RS1 button ("Classic", not sure if A, B or C)

- I use it with L pads, this combination does VERY well with an iPod Classic but also with a Mojo 1 or 2
- Defined impactful bass, never bloated
- Very good mids, nearly on par with the WH1 and GS1000i, voices are detailed and stand out nicely
- Great microdynamics
- Really good treble, comparable to the RS2e
- Overall a great package which also works nicely with my Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 (+3 +3 +1 +1 EQ makes it even better)


RS2e
- Awesome with some EQ
- Very lean bass but surprisinlgy there is some sub bass
- Pretty, non-sibilant treble
- Good mids
- Needs a +5 +5 0 0 EQ bass boost which sounds awesome. Very nice defined punchy bass with that setting, the treble is great anyway
- Without the Mojo 2 EQ it always lacked something for me but with EQ it's da bomb!

- RS1 button and RS2e compete closely when used with a Mojo 2, every time i switch i think "Oh this one is better than the other". RS1 has a little more detail and microdynamics and RS2e separates things a little better and sounds more "substantial"


SR325e
- Similar to RS2, great with some EQ
- Lean sub bass, bass and mids (but more bass than the RS2e)
- Very good treble and extraordinary high treble (aka "Grado magic") which none of the others have!
- The treble is why you must keep this headphone, great to spot new nuances in guitars!
- Set EQ to +4 +4 0 0 so you get a nice bass-ment under those awesome highs
- If it wasn't for that treble i'd say it does nothing better than the RS2e but it's worth keeping around


WH1
- Weird bell-shaped frequency range
- Sounds like a vintage radio which can work well for some kinds of music (Beatles, classic, singing, jazz)
- Very good mids, beautiful for voices
- EQ doesn't really help with the shortcomings


SR80X
- Sounds good on first listen, you get that Grado sound, but compared to the others it's clearly inferior
- The cable looks great but is stiff, I never minded the old cables but this new one is annoying
- Can be used with S- and L-pads. I prefer the L as you get more treble detail, S has a little more bottom and oomph
- Although worse than the others i have it's a steal for the money
- From memory i preferred the 60e, 80e and 225e, this X version has more bass which alas sounds kinda less defined to me


tl;dr

GH2
Buy, you can't go wrong with it, it's magical.

GS1000i
Interesting, different, beautifully made, not a must have for me (yet?).

PS500e
Buy, you can't go wrong with it.

RS1 button
Awesome with my iPod Classic, a match made in heaven only slightly behind usage with a Chord Mojo.

RS2e
Buy if you got EQ or bassy amp, then it's awesome.

SR325e
Buy for the treble, it's cheap!

WH1
Still trying to find a reason why i need it, but it's pretty and special.

SR80X
Great for the money, but rather try the "e" versions or if you have the money get one of the higher up models.

 

[drummerman1]

I can't say the 80X with stock pads has excess bass with the Mojo2 (flat EQ). I actually increase bass very slightly in Roon occasionally using Quobuz and Tidal Hidef streams. Compared to my 'E' it has a better balance throughout though differences are subtle. More warmth in the mids, slightly better bass and a reigned in Grado treble peak. These ears defo prefer the 'X' to the predecessor.

I may yet get another, higher Grado but to be honest, I (and my partner, for whom I got a second 'X' so she doesn't constantly nick mine) just enjoy this amazingly cheap headphone which brings music to life like almost no others. Yes I have other, more expensive phones but even if they are technically better they can't do what this bargain Headphone does.

I agree about the cable, it's stiff and constantly seems to have a mind of its own but to be honest, it wasn't much better before and I probably prefer the more robust cable construction, stiffness notwithstanding. I mean, lets face it, the whole headphone is a straight beam through a time tunnel from whenever it was launched first in its original iteration. - Much could be done different (including cable) but to me that would distract from its (to me) iconic design and idiosyncrasies and that goes for all models. Still made in the US of A rather than China. There's something rather nice about wearing a lightweight Headphone that looks like it belongs in a 2nd world war movie.

In a sea of Headphones they (Grado) remain a little diamond. I hope the design never fundamentally changes.

If it ain't broke ... (and very few do)

 

[544322]

I can't say the 80X with stock pads has excess bass with the Mojo2 (flat EQ). I actually increase bass very slightly in Roon occasionally using Quobuz and Tidal Hidef streams. Compared to my 'E' it has a better balance throughout though differences are subtle. More warmth in the mids, slightly better bass and a reigned in Grado treble peak. These ears defo prefer the 'X' to the predecessor.

I may yet get another, higher Grado but to be honest, I (and my partner, for which I got a second 'X' so she doesn't constantly nick mine) just enjoy this amazingly cheap headphone which brings music to life like almost no others. Yes I have other, more expensive phones but even if they are technically better they can't do what this bargain Headphone does.

Indeed, too bad we humans get used to everything so quickly and always want 'more and better'

 

[drummerman1]

Yup. The great thing about the little Grado is that I always look forward to use it, even after other, more expensive headphones. I never feel like its a downgrade (in comparison to my Sundara, Sennheiser 58X Jubilee, Beyer D700 Pro X and Meze 99 Classic.) - Whilst none are high-end, they all cost considerably more. To my ageing ears they are all decent headphones in combination with the Chord DAC/amplifier but I'd be just as happy with an 80X or other Grado as my only Headphone.

It engages me fully which the others don't always do.

This ends my love letter to Grado

 

[HWB3]

I usually use IEM's when I walk but now that the weather has turned colder, and I can put my hood up I've been using my 225x's. What a treat. Now I face a delima come the spring. Do I continue to use the Grado's and look like a dork? Maybe.