[dkm24]

Well for a couple of years I have had a pair of Sony Mdr-7506's and a pair of Grado SR-125's for my listening pleasure. I just purchased some Rs-1's on e-bay recently and have decided to compare them to the SR-125's which I am very familiar with of course.
I want to first say I think the Sr125's are the best value in the Grado line up.
I ran thru my normal listening stuff and found that the RS-1's to me more detailed. Not by a lot but I was hearing things I have not heard before.
RS-1 - 1 Sr125 - 0

The RS-1's had a much lowered bottom end. It goes to the floor due to the bowl cups. The 125's seems to tapper off in the lower octaves but the RS-1's are strong in all material.
RS-1 - 2 Sr125 - 0

The upper end of the 125's are polite to me, too polite. The RS-1's had more of a metalic sound (real) in the upper end. They we not as polite. Cymbils were more lifelike.
RS-1 - 3 Sr125 - 0

I don't know what is going on yet but the lower midrange seems a little reccessed in the RS-1's. The 125's are more forward and less muffled. Again I think it has to do with the bowl cups.
RS-1 - 3 Sr125's - 1

Overall tonal balance I think I would have to go with the 125's. They seemed to be smoother thru all frequencies. The RS-1's seem to emphasize some frequencies. The Rs-1's were more pleasing to the ear though.
RS-1 - 3 Sr125 - 2
Imaging and involvement. The RS-1's are hands down the favorite. Some of the music was breathtaking. The RS-1's resolve spacial queues very well. The instruments have a 3-D space about them. The 125's are a little flat. The involvement with the RS1's did put you into the music. That is addictive. The 125's give you the impression that the music was playing around you.
RS-1 - 4 Sr125 - 2

If I judge on different categories the 125's hold their own, but if I was to judge the music as a whole the RS-1's were so much more enjoyable. Judging equipment is hard. The music has to be listened to as a whole to judge the whole picture. I think the 125's are the best value and was very surprised at how well they held up against the RS-1'S but I am so glad I bought the RS-1's because the give a breathtaking experience. These were initial impressions with about 4 hours of listening time. The RS-1's have yet to break in. My 125's got better and better as time goes on. I'm sure the RS-1's will do the same. doug

 

[Pepsione1]

What kind of pads do you have for your sr-125? I ask this because the sound of the sr-125 can change a fair amount by using different pads. I was using the comfy's before and just recently got the bowl pads. After the pad change, the soundstage become more spacious, highs are brighter and bass has less impact but remains very tight.

 

[dkm24]

Thats interesting you say that. I took the existing pads and trimmed then at the ridge with a stripping blade. I made a platform to put the knife on and then sawed around the pads. They came out real nice. No jagged edges. When I opened up the RS-1's I was a little shocked to see the pads were virtually identical to the custom job I did on the SR125 pads. I really think the depth in the soundstage had to do with the fact of the wooden cups. I really would think the 325's and the RS-2's share this characteristic also. It also could very well be the cable too. doug

 

[dkm24]

I should clarify that. The depth could be due to the deeper cup. The 325's have an aluminum cup. doug

 

[sacd lover]

Its intresting reading peoples impressions of familiar products. I had sr-125s and I thought they were to bright,especially with bowl pads, while you found the 125s polite.I like the 225s much better because they are less bright and sold my 125s. But, comparing my 225s with my rs-2s was mostly like your comparisons between the 125 and rs-1. I think the 225s have a wonderful top to bottom smoothness, but overall I prefer the 2s. My comparison was close, just like you found, but my 2s have better bass and the more real sounding highs,again just as you noted in your comparisons of the 125 and rs-1. I dont like an overly bright sound and I use senn pads to tone down the treble, where you seem satisfied with the stock bowl pads.
The point I would now make is the cheaper grados are much like their expensive brothers. Those of you who cant afford the best grados arent losing that much.Changing the pads makes a bigger difference than changing the phones to me. IMO, I would rather have a 225 with flat or senn replacement pads than an rs-2 with bowl pads. We pay dearly for that last bit of refinement and we get something that sounds better in direct comparison, but in actual use something thats no more satisfying. This was a good post, you made me recognize the importance of satisfaction.

 

[bootman]

Nice post!

Quote:

We pay dearly for that last bit of refinement and we get something that sounds better in direct comparison, but in actual use something thats no more satisfying.

One thing to remember is that the higher end Grados (actually all high end phones) really start to shine when they are coupled with high end equipment.
So while the lower end Grados does give great enjoyment now, having one of the higher end Grados is a good investment in the long run.
(if you let the audio habit take its natural course of getting better amps, cables and sources.

)

 

[Steve999]

A great comfort to those of us who can't in good conscience spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of headphones!

Quote:

Originally posted by sacd lover The point I would now make is the cheaper grados are much like their expensive brothers. Those of you who cant afford the best grados arent losing that much.Changing the pads makes a bigger difference than changing the phones to me. IMO, I would rather have a 225 with flat or senn replacement pads than an rs-2 with bowl pads.

 

[anearfull]

I posted earlier today with a long question about which Grado to buy (the thread before this one). You’ve answered most of that question … thanks.

I’ll be purchasing the SR125s on Monday. They fit my budget and during my listening test they struck me as "best bang for the buck". Once I have them home and can’t A/B them with the RS1, I’m sure I’ll fall totally in love with them. I’m still in dark about what’s going on inside each model but I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

The salesman at the shop tried to make me believe there were internal differences to the drivers used in each model but he seemed full of BS. The best explanation he could muster was the diaphragm suspension was “better” as you spent more money.

From the knowledgeable responses I’ve seen here, I’d say that the acoustic transducer is probably identical in all of the models from the SR125 up to the RS1. It’s the differences in ear cup material, ear cup shape and ear pad configuration that differentiate the sound of the different models. Is that fair to say or am I full of BS?

Peter

 

[Steve999]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that even the lowly SR60s (which I have and love) use the same driver. Compare the frequency response curves on headroom's site.

Also, see the currently circulating "A Question for Grado Freaks" thread to see Grado's side of the story.

 

[Blighty]

Quote:

Originally posted by anearfull From the knowledgeable responses I’ve seen here, I’d say that the acoustic transducer is probably identical in all of the models from the SR125 up to the RS1. It’s the differences in ear cup material, ear cup shape and ear pad configuration that differentiate the sound of the different models. Is that fair to say or am I full of BS? Peter

The drivers are the same from the SR60 to the SR125. I believe the SR225 - RS-1 share the higher quality drivers. The SR60 - SR225 have 0.5 inch air chambers, the SR325 & RS-2 employ a 1 inch air chamber while the RS-1 utilizes a 1.5 inch chamber. The lower end Grados employ plastic for their driver housings. The SR325 has an aluminum housing and the RS-2 & RS-1 are made of mahagony wood. Those are the major differences IIRC while the minor variations of each model are shown on the Grado website.

 

[anearfull]

Quote:

Originally posted by Blighty The drivers are the same from the SR60 to the SR125. I believe the SR225 - RS-1 share the higher quality drivers. The SR60 - SR225 have 0.5 inch air chambers, the SR325 & RS-2 employ a 1 inch air chamber while the RS-1 utilizes a 1.5 inch chamber. The lower end Grados employ plastic for their driver housings. The SR325 has an aluminum housing and the RS-2 & RS-1 are made of mahagony wood. Those are the major differences IIRC while the minor variations of each model are shown on the Grado website.

I guess it depends on what the definition of "drivers" is. I'm referring to the element comprised of the diaphragm, and its electromagnetic actuator. That’s the wired, disk shaped metal transducer that slides into each ear cup. I consider the earcups, which house that transducer to be a different functional element. In your post, you refer to three different “air chamber” sizes (0.5”, 1.0” and 1.5”). Are those the depths/diameters of the plastic/aluminum/mahogany earcups that vent the back of the drivers?

Quoting from the Grado website:
“the SR125 features an improved diaphragm and voice coil design and UHPLC (Ultra-high purity, long crystal) copper voice coil wire. The Diaphragms are put through a special 'de-stressing' process in order to enhance inner detail”.

Clearly, the SR125 does NOT share the same driver as the SR60 and SR80 and my question remains: does the SR125 have the same driver element that’s in the SR225, SR325, RS2 and RS1?

In all of the product descriptions posted on the Grado website, the SR125’s is the ONLY one that describes a substantive change in their driver technology. Since they clearly state how and why the SR125 driver is “better” than those in the cheaper models, I find it inconceivable that they would neglect to brag about further driver refinements in their more expensive models. For example, if the RS1 is the only model that uses 18-carat gold voice coils instead of UHPLC copper then you can be sure they’d mention it.

FYI, I compiled all of Grado's product descriptions at the start of another thread: http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...05#post210405.
Based on their descriptions, I can only conclude Grado's drivers are identical from the SR125 on up.

My conclusion fits with the realities of mass production. It’s generally cheaper to mass-produce your best core technology and then differentiate your product line with relatively inexpensive packaging options. Making the earcups from plastic/aluminum/mahogany is relatively cheap and highly visible to customers compared to implementing subtle changes in their fundamental driver technology.

I’m not saying that it’s merely a marketing ploy … the shape and material of the earcups clearly has an impact on sound. I’m just trying to determine if the 125 is a relative bargain because it uses the same driver as the RS1.

Peter