[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 

Most headphones benefit one way or the other from having a headphone amp, but to be honest I'd rather have an RS-1 with something like a Mini^3 than an SR325 with a Schiit Valhalla. Grados dont' exactly scale with amplification upgrades as well as it's competitors which is a good and band thing, good because it saves money, bad because if you listen to other headphones and enjoy the shopping process for other gear, thats one less headphone thats really going to shine with your new stuff. The grail amp for Grados is a Mapletree Audio EAR which is a handbuilt tube amp, I don't feel it'd be as good as some solid state options but it's got plenty of meaty full bodied tube warmth which is great for cans like this.
 
Buy the most expensive Grado you can afford. As for the 225 vs 325 thing, I don't know where the 325 being really bright and shrill comes from, the aluminum just tightens up the sparklyness for me. In fact Alghazanth who I talk to everyday for like an hour, says he found the SR225 shrill but the 325is just fine, which means the treble must have been a lot more refined vs brightness.
 
 

Have not heard it myself, no surprise there and I doubt few on here have either - but this puppy could be the king
pairing with a Grado. Stumbled across it the other day, supposedly John has one at Grado HQ in Brooklyn and it
played a part in finalizing the PS1000. Must find this 'supposed' source again.
 
Then again, does not mean it would do wonders with anything RS1 and under. Bet it sounds nice though!
 
E.A.R HP4 - $5000USD+ - Ouch!
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

After you mentioned EQ I found a post on this forums about EQ settings on a clip+ for grados, just took the higher freqs down a few notches and its a huge improvement.
As for amps, I was thinking of getting a set up from Schiit so asgard/valhalla/lyr although I was leaning more towards the solid-state asgard.
Does the brightness lessen in the higher-priced grados?
 

 
I did find the 225i to be more forgiving of certain recordings than my 325i the time that I had it for a couple of weeks.
 
As for the Schiit range of amps, I'm hoping to snag a listen in a few weeks at a Head-Fi meet. Suffice to say that
the Lyr should be overkill for a Grado-only collection of phones. It would keep the door open though if you wanted an
LCD-2 or HE-6 down the track.
 
No need to get ahead of myself but if the tax man is kind to me in a few weeks then I'll be pulling the trigger on a
Cayin HA-1A. I have yet to find a review that speaks any ill of this tube amp, the only criticism appears to be that
the stock tubes could be better but can be easily 'rolled' in the future. I love the 4 x different setting impedance rotary
switch on the back of this amp.

 

[cmac2010]

Hey guys I'm new to the Hi-Fi scene, and am considering getting the Alessandro Music Series Two Dynamic Headphones by Grado. Do you think that this would be a sufficient headphone for my first hi-fi headphone? I have over $3000 invested in my car stereo and SQ just makes me happy. Thanks for the help in advance guys!

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Hey guys I'm new to the Hi-Fi scene, and am considering getting the Alessandro Music Series Two Dynamic Headphones by Grado. Do you think that this would be a sufficient headphone for my first hi-fi headphone? I have over $3000 invested in my car stereo and SQ just makes me happy. Thanks for the help in advance guys!

I've heard the MS-1 but not the MS-2, if it's anything like the reports I've read and my comparison between my SR80i and the MS-1
then you can expect it to be less treble happy than the 325i. The newer 325is might be tamer in the treble from what I hear.
 
Still, you probably do not know how sensitive your ears are to the 'Grado Grate' as some people call it

 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I've heard the MS-1 but not the MS-2, if it's anything like the reports I've read and my comparison between my SR80i and the MS-1
then you can expect it to be less treble happy than the 325i. The newer 325is might be tamer in the treble from what I hear.
 
Still, you probably do not know how sensitive your ears are to the 'Grado Grate' as some people call it

 

I thought they were pretty similar (SR325i and SR325is). The original SR325 did have more treble (way too much IMO).
 

 

[koolkat]

15 hours of total listening time. 
 
I love these Grados for songs like 2 Hearts (Digitalism) and Forrest Gump (Digitalism). Enough bass, very nice tight percussions,
and the vocals still don't sound buried under all that. I'm using the Grados for fast songs, mainly Digitalism, Nirvana, Trivium,
Roadrunner United mix, A7X's So Far Away, stuff like that. I also love listening to unplugged or acoustic songs on these cans.
 
I find the highs refreshing. They're not overly sibilant and the highs aren't too painful to listen to (unless I turn the volume up ). 
Great for acoustic guitar type songs. Oh. I was thinking of getting an amp to pair with these SR60s but decided against that.
Adding the amp might make the headphones too bassy. 
 
Contrary to what the majority say, I think the SR60s are not too polarising. There are songs that perform better on my HD438s but
you'll be just fine playing those on the SR60s. 
 
Yes, I'm a fan now 

 
P.S Those who are new to the world of headphones and are looking for sub 100 cans, look into getting the SR60s and some HD414
ear pads. 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 

Yes, I'm a fan now 

 
P.S Those who are new to the world of headphones and are looking for sub 100 cans, look into getting the SR60s and some HD414
ear pads. 

 
Hey koolkat,
 
I've got 2 x sets of HD 414 pads on order, sight unseen - I thought they would be identical to my SR80i flat pads?
 
The same pads that come stock on the SR60i right?
 
 

 

[CEE TEE]

Recommend washing those HD 414's though...they are scratchy!
 
If you have two pair, you can "quarter-mod" one pair and keep the others "whole".  Tune the treble a bit... 

 

[vpop4me]

So I just purchased my very first pair of high quality headphones. I found a dealer willing to sell the RS1i's at nearly 20% off list. I'm looking forward to the new cans arriving next week! I am now a member of the Grado club.
 
Now my research begins for a headphone amp.
 
Thanks to this forum for providing so much valuable information.

 

[CEE TEE]

I recommend spending a good amount of time with them (genres, moods, get used to them).
 
Then see what you would like to do to your RS1i's sound.  (If anything.)
 
That will help your amp search.
 
 
Congrats.  Enjoy the journey!!
 

 

[koolkat]

The pads on the HD414 are softer than the stock SR60 pads.
I didn't notice really notice any differences in the SQ between my stock and HD414 pads.
 
I did audition both the SR60 and SR80 before buying the SR60s but I didn't notice any difference
in the shape/design of the SR80s. The stock ear pads on both the SR60s and SR80s should be
the same. 
 
 
Quote:

 
Hey koolkat,
 
I've got 2 x sets of HD 414 pads on order, sight unseen - I thought they would be identical to my SR80i flat pads?
 
The same pads that come stock on the SR60i right?
 
 

I quarter-modded my stock pads, decided to keep my HD414 pads safe for now since I've only got 1 pair. 
 
The quarter modded stock pads made the sound a little brighter imo, but for some reason I felt that they were
much more uncomfortable for prolonged usage. 

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

Must find this 'supposed' source again.
 
 
 

Betcha it was a phonograph! You're forgetting the OTHER product they're known for haha!
 

 

[maconhel]

I love my rs1 semi vintage B....

 
Vintage S or rs1i will be better?

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I love my rs1 semi vintage B....

 
Vintage S or rs1i will be better?

Just slightly different IMO.

 

[GreenTea]

So I just got my brand new MS1s in the mail today. They're my first audiophile headphones and they sound awesome. I've definately become a Grado fan. I couldn't stop listening to music for hours non-stop! 
 
Only have 1 complaint. Although the sound quality is awesome the MS1s clamp to my head really really hard and after a while I found myself to actually be in a little pain from it. I just bent the headband a bit and it seems a bit better. Don't know it's a lasting effect on these headphones or not.