Grado RS2 vs. SR225/MS-Pro: A Comparative Review (with pics!)

[KneelJung]

Thanks for bumping this Nick, very good read. Some of the OP's thoughts corroborate a discussion that was going on at the end of the SR60 mod thread with regard to the difference in sound between a stock 225 and a "woodied" one. A couple of people said they didnt notice that much of a difference and I thought there were some which I think kontai69 articulated. I think wood provides the illusion of a little more soundstage or airiness which is one of the things kontai seemed to indicate in his comparison. He attributes that to his perception that the decay of the notes being better reproduced. Which I also perceive. To me the timbre of sound from a wooden cup is more pleasant than one produced by plastic. The signatures are very very similar but the timbre is different.
 
I also recently had use of an MS Pro to compare my woodied 225 too. I dont know how much my methodologies compared or contrasted with kontai's. The whole A/B thing is sort of an inexact science but I echo his perception on the bass of the MS Pro, it is thunderous at times, even more than my HF2. I agree with his thoughts about the mids too which is probably why a PM I exchanged with another head fier recently found the MS Pro not to his liking. He preferred his RS2.
 
My take away from the comparison here though is you have a plastic Grado and two wooden ones with different dimensions. The MS Pro's dimensions being slightly larger than the RS2's which I am sure effects the presentation; and whatever it is Grado does to tweak the drivers. One thing I noticed with the MS Pro is the back of the driver magnet had a blob of something on it though I have no idea what the substance is. In the SR60 mod thread several modders have added dynamat to the back of the driver magnet to accomplish what kontai referred to as the blob mod or adding mass to the driver. How this works I'm not sure. Maybe one of the resident sound scientists can chime in and clarify what the goal of this tweak is and what the substance on the back of the MS Pro magnet is.

 

[xaval]

I've tried Dynamat on a load of cans. Once you buy a sheet of Xtreme your set for life!
Not being a scientist I hear an effect. It damps the driver and this non resonating effect has always resulted in a perceived "thightness" of the sound in the low octaves section, eg, you get less bloat and muddiness. If you apply too much, it may even reduce the extension of the bass in exchange of it being more articulate.
 
The most dramatic impact of this kind of damping I have experienced was with the HFI780. D2000 also benefited a lot, however the nature of this cans bass and the recessed mids (and they were pushed ahead a bit after being Dynamated) were not to my liking no matter what.
The "right" amount is a matter of trial, and taste.