[blacknile]

I completely agree with Kevin. The amount of disinformation about the SR125i on these forums is surprising. They are not a "dud" or "the weak spot in the Grado line" by any stretch of imagination. They are a noticeable improvement over the Alessandro MS1 in my experience. They compare very favourably to my SR325is.
 
I have written my subjective impression about these headphones in a post a couple of months ago:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/720115/grado-sr125i-vs-alessandro-ms1-grado-sr125i-sound-noticeably-better
 
hope it helps.
 
Quote:

  I cannot believe the amount of wrong information about the MS1i's here !!
 
The MS1i's are not based on the SR125i, they are based on the SR80i.  They have the same thinner cable as the SR80i and not the beefier cable that the SR125i has.  And the MS1i's do not have the same driver as the SR125i.  The SR125i does have the same driver as the SR225i.
 
As far as sound quality, I find the MS1i's do not sound good at all.  They do not have the bass that the SR80i's, SR125i's, SR225i's, etc, have.  The MS1i's sound like the SR60i's to me.  No bass.  Thin and unsubstantial sounding.  Unauthoritative.  The MS1i's have the same/similar mids and highs that the SR80i's do, not as refined as the SR125i's.  But no bass.  I don't understand anyone who would prefer the MS1i's to either the SR80i or the SR125i if you actually can listen to each model back to back.
 

 

[Claritas]

It's not disinformation. You're in the small minority of people who like it.

 

[Wyd4]

Imo sr80 then sr225 or 325 depending on your taste. Then rs1 if you have that bit extra coin. Ps1000/gs1000 are different beasts again.

I haven't heard the HF models to comment

 

[wippo808]

It's not disinformation. You're in the small minority of people who like it.

 
To each their own.  I owned both the 125i and 225i at the same time and from what I remember, if they had the same pads, they sounded nearly identical.  I think the 225i had slightly more controlled treble and a touch more mid-bass but otherwise they were very very similar. More of the differences come from pad choice and disregarding that, whether it's worth the extra $50 is debatable in most cases.  I think most people just opt for the 225i since it already comes with bowl pads whereas buying the 125i with bowl pads comes out to nearly the same price anyways.

 

[Claritas]

125 used to come with bowls and people preferred 225 back then too.

 

[up late]

yep that's right. grado switched from l-cushions (bowls) to s-cushions (flats) with the introduction of the sr-125i model.

 

[wippo808]

125 used to come with bowls and people preferred 225 back then too.

 
Again, just emphasizing that while I preferred the 225i as well, the differences were overstated to my ears.  While I do think the 125i sits in a weird spot of the SR lineup, each step in the lineup sounds a touch more refined and it's really up to the buyer to decide whether the upgrade is worth it.  It's too subjective to generalize IMO.
 
I'm more curious as to see how the new 'e' series fits in.

 

[RyanLuong]

i think you should wait for new ''e series''

 

[blacknile]

It's not disinformation. You're in the small minority of people who like it.

 
Possibly. Or, as it often happens, somebody, somewhere, once said these are the "weak spot in the grado line" and people who have never even listened to them started repeating the mantra, which then became gospel.

 

[Claritas]

Possibly. Or, as it often happens, somebody, somewhere, once said these are the "weak spot in the grado line" and people who have never even listened to them started repeating the mantra, which then became gospel.

No, I've tried them. They are the runt of the litter.

 

[HPiper]

   
To each their own.  I owned both the 125i and 225i at the same time and from what I remember, if they had the same pads, they sounded nearly identical.  I think the 225i had slightly more controlled treble and a touch more mid-bass but otherwise they were very very similar. More of the differences come from pad choice and disregarding that, whether it's worth the extra $50 is debatable in most cases.  I think most people just opt for the 225i since it already comes with bowl pads whereas buying the 125i with bowl pads comes out to nearly the same price anyways.

I had both at one time and I think you nailed the differences between them, 225i has a bit better bass/midbass and a little smoother more controlled treble. I liked both of them but obviously if I had to choose I would pick the 225 and did, because I still have the 225i and sold the 125i.

 

[blacknile]

No, I've tried them. They are the runt of the litter.

 
Again, just your opinion. Based on your music, your ears, your equipment.

 

[Claritas]

Again, just your opinion. Based on your music, your ears, your equipment.

Actually, it's pretty much the consensus and always has been. There's always room for minority opinions.

 

[wippo808]

Actually, it's pretty much the consensus and always has been. There's always room for minority opinions.

 
Unless you've owned both and A/B'd them, you're kinda doing everyone a disservice with these generalizations.... If you go back and read the threads, those who actually owned both simultaneously did not form a consensus at all.  Some even find no difference throughout the entire SR line (60i vs 325i) so it's all subjective.

 

[Claritas]

I have. Believe whatever you want.