[Philski]

I have decided to purchase a new pair of headphones, and I want to try out the Grado range to see what the fuss is about.

They will be used almost entirely with my portable rig, which is an iAudio X5 -> RSA Tomahawk. My local shop has the SR325s in stock, so I'm going to try them out later. The question is, is it worth making the effort to test the SR-1s, SR-2s, or even GS-1000s? Will my audio set up justify that kind of kit? Or are they more appropriate with high-end hi-fi set-ups? Up until now I have been using SE530s earphones, by way of a benchmark...

Music-wise, I listen to house, rock (although I'm not a bass-head), some folk/country (Nick Drake, KD Lang, etc), reggae, etc - quite a broad range. Any suggestions?

 

[majkel]

I'm not sure the Tomahawk will suit Grado. It's on the bright side however with the X5 you don't need the amp for Grado's at all. The SR325i's are good for portable, RS series is much lighter so more comfy. The GS1000 require high grade desktop setup to sound pleasant, so better don't bother.

 

[Philski]

Thanks - as for SQ, how do the SR325i's and RS series compare? As for the Tomahawk, I have to use the line-out on the X5 as the headphone jack has failed... so would you recommend an amp that might better suit the Grados?

I'm going to try out the SR325i's later with the Tomahawk anyway, so I'll see how I get along with that.

 

[moogoob]

SR325is are fantastic.

They sound great out of portable amps, but can really open up the throttle once you get some more power in there.

I need some more RS1/2 head time to compare them, though.

 

[subtle]

Philski,

You will be fine without an amp using any Grado except for the GS1000. Even the GS will sound ok unamped, but not anywhere near as good as the rest of the Grado line unamped.

I would suggest you pay a visit to your local store and try out the 325 to see if the Grado sound is to your liking. If so, you can then decide whether it is worth it to pursue either the RS1 or RS2. Personally, I would just jump straight to the RS1 if you do turn out to like the 325's. They are amazing headphones, specifically for the musical genres you listed above, and very light and comfortable as well. One thing I would recommend though, should you end up with a pair of RS1's, is to pick up a pair of the TTVJ flat pads for them. The RS1's were designed with flats.

 

[feh1325]

have you considered the alessandro ms2i?

 

[frekvens]

highly recomend the sr325i, have gone through hd650 and iems like e500, tfp10 and owned alo-780 a while now.

but there is just something with these golden grados =)! (mine are recabled by alo tho....) the love is in the details...