[Michael415]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newgnr /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok something just came up, I just found a pair of Senn HD580's for sale at $140 brand new. This is a pretty good deal, is it not? I have yet to find as good a deal on any brand new grado's, so it is very tempting for me to wannna get the 580's. But i'm really looking for a good rock can like the grado's. Is there any online place offering tasty deals on grado's, should i pick up this hot deal on the 580's and forget about the grado's, or should i just get the grado's anyway at normal price? god, this is sooo difficult.

Good price or not Senn's is a totally different sounding experience. If you prefer the grado sound over the Senn why would a good deal make any difference? Todd the vinyl junkie (and a site sponsor) has pretty solid deals on grado and my experience with him as been top notch.

Unlike a few others I enjoy the brightness of the 325i and don't find the weight to be an issue. The exact opposite to be honest, I like the weight and feel of the cans. I am sure in Tuscon there are several, give Grado a call 718 435 5340, or a few local hifi shops should point u in the right direction.

 

[DEZ]

What differences are there between the MS2 and 325i?

 

[newgnr]

so i've decided between the 225's and 60's. I want to spend as little as possible so i'm leaning towards the 60's. What justifies the $100 increase on the 225's? Is it worth it? I just want something that is quality and fun. My sourse is straight out of my mac/ipod with no amp. Whether or not i get the 60's or 225's, I will not be getting an amp for either. And i listen to stuff like guns n' roses, aerosmith, ac/dc, sublime, rock and some jazz/classical here and there.

What do you think suits me?

 

[Ingo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newgnr /img/forum/go_quote.gif so i've decided between the 225's and 60's. I want to spend as little as possible so i'm leaning towards the 60's. What justifies the $100 increase on the 225's? Is it worth it? I just want something that is quality and fun. My sourse is straight out of my mac/ipod with no amp. Whether or not i get the 60's or 225's, I will not be getting an amp for either. And i listen to stuff like guns n' roses, aerosmith, ac/dc, sublime, rock and some jazz/classical here and there. What do you think suits me?

I'm assuming you haven't heard any of these (I haven't read through the whole thread) but you may want to get the SR-60s because they are a lower risk. That is, if you don't like the sound you'll be out less money. The SR-60s are also more suitable for portable use because it's terminated with an 1/8" mini-jack. I would only reccomend the SR225 if you're planning on upgrading source and amp in the near future. They will sound as good as the Sr-60 unamped but it's not worth the extra $100 if you're never going to buy gear that will do them justice. Also, I find using the SR225s with portables is a bit cumbersome because of the heavy cord coupled with the heavy 1/4" > 1/8" adapter.

 

[rb67]

Ingo makes a good point. The 1/4" adapter on my SR-125's is very cumbersome when going portable with my ipod. If you will be using them as portable headphones often, I'd got for the SR-60's.

Question: what keeps you from going for the SR-80's? I haven't heard the SR-60's so i can't compare but I have heard the 80's and they sound great. Hoping another member can give light on the question.

 

[alpeggio]

I have SR80 at the moment and find the sound to be extremely detailed.
Tough I do agree on the treble being a bit harsh and pointy at times. But good produced music trough these phones are not a problem at all.
Anyway I bought a set of SR325i lately for a merely 200$, and I am expecting it to be better concerning treble and overall sound quality.

 

[newgnr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpeggio /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have SR80 at the moment and find the sound to be extremely detailed. Tough I do agree on the treble being a bit harsh and pointy at times. But good produced music trough these phones are not a problem at all. Anyway I bought a set of SR325i lately for a merely 200$, and I am expecting it to be better concerning treble and overall sound quality.

supposedly the 325i's are even harsher on the highs than the 80's...or in general. thats from what i read anyway.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 225s are great cans, and in my opinion the 325is are among the most painful listening experience I've ever had.

Any explanation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by newgnr /img/forum/go_quote.gif supposedly the 325i's are even harsher on the highs than the 80's...or in general. thats from what i read anyway.

From what I've read, the sound gets less harsh as you move up the line

 

[NiceCans]

had sr60, sr80, sr225
Liked them all, each are worth their price

OK, I can agree the 1/4" plug is a PITA unless they are for home use mostly.
If this makes a difference then I'd suggest you stay with either sr60 or sr80.

Now what is the difference you ask . . . . the pads mostly.

But the sr80 did seem to have tighter bass than the sr60. Of the two I'd say go for the sr80 . . . if you don't, you will always wonder what the sr80 has that the sr60 is missing

The sr225 is still a big jump in cost over sr80, and unless you will use it mostly at home AND with an amp you may not find them worth the extra cost.

I have, however, grown to appreciate the improvements that the sr225 has to offer as I use them at home and amped.

 

[newgnr]

I've decided i won't be getting an amp anytime soon because i'm low on cash. so it's the 60's for me. Plus even if I did get an amp a year later and still have the 60's, they will improve just as well right?

 

[chris in mo]

My sr 225's arrived today

They are larger than I had imagined they would be which is good, they fit completely around my ears instead of on top of them. I was amazed at just howl ight they are. I have had no issues with discomfort after a couple hours of listening this evening. I have been sampling various songs from my Ipod with them. When I turned on Trans Siberian Orchestra's version of Flight of the Bumblebee.... WOW just WOW.

 

[DarkWolf]

I love my 325i. I do considder Sennheiser 414 (yellow foam) pads to be essential equipment, however.

When I first heard the 325i, I was auditioning my Headfive amp, and the guy I bought it from had 325i and K701 among others, on hand. They both blew my Senn HD590s that I'd been happy with for so long, completely out of the water. I have to say, if I had any intention of sticking with the 590s after that, then it would not have been worth it to upgrade amps from my HA-1 to the H5. The better phones illustrated the difference well enough though.

I thought the AKG K701 was probably the "better" over all phone, and certainly had better sound stage and sepperation, hands down. The 325i however, struck me at first with better bass, and I later found that beside just having more energy and being generally more fun, they had a sweeter tone that worked especially well with female vocals.

I also found that out of the particular source (not mine) that they were way too bright and I couldn't stand it for too long. I was dismayed. Then my host brought out 414 pads and put them on. (The pads were brand new and not modded.) Suddenly, the sound was longer the least bit harsh and had slightly more body. I was in love. It was a double edged sword though, as he would have probably sold me the phones too untill then. I ended up buying a used set from someone else.

When mine came, I found that even with the stock bowls, I had no brightness or harshness problems on my source. I use my computer with a Terratec DMX 6-Fire sound card. I did however, find that after a few hours, having the hard plastic drivers against my ears hurt pretty pad. I went ahead and ordered the new pads and did some exparamenting in the mean time.

When I got the 414 pads, I found they took a little too much detail out, now that I wasn't having brightness problems. I did some reading here, and then used a US quarter and razor knife to cut circular holes in the center of each pad. This uncovered most of each driver, but not enough for them to really touch my ear. I was very happy. I still found my self swapping pads though, as the bowls had a little extra detail yet. After more reading, I tried reversing the pads. This makes them the most like the stock shape, and exposes the hard driver, but the padding sticks out more and keeps it perfectly comfortable with the best sound to boot.


As for amping, I think the dedicated 1/4" phone jack on my soundcard's break out box (with volume knob) is really quite good. I wouldn't recomend an amp to someone who wasn't fairly obsessed. I also find that they respond better than the 590s did to minor EQing in foobar2000. If you have a decent source, spend more on better phones and get some 414 pads no matter what Grado you choose. At $10 per set plus shipping, I bought two sets so I could mod more freely and/or have replacements on hand if these wear out.

Happy listeing.

 

[alpeggio]

Well saying the 325i has worse performance in the treble doesnt seem like a honest statement. I read alot of review's of these phones and i've not heard anything about the harshness until I came here. From what I've red the 325i is more detailed and has slightly better bass than the SR225. Maybe it's the extra detail in the treble that people do not like.
I think it has alot to do with source and the quality of the music. If I play anything that's not over 192kbps on my SR80 it will sound abit harsh. And bad produced music (like my own) sound terrible.

I've read most people that actually own the 325i have not complained about this. But it's all about your own preference in sound I guess.

And Darkwolf thanks for letting me know your thoughts on subject.

 

[alpeggio]

I also tried reversing the pads on my SR80 by the way. It actually seems better, but maybe i'm just imagining here.
A little more comfortable anyway.

 

[fonesgonewild]

Stretching the headband might help better the comfort than reversing the pads.