Grado SR225 Thread

[Julienstanford]

  Thank you, but I saw those after looking around. It's strange I don't see them searching for ear pads, Amazon only listed them after searching for cushion. I've also seen the HD414 pads, but those are way off from what I've looking for.

I'm looking for a thinner, donut shaped pad, without a cloth filter in the center. Much like Sony usually uses.
I really don't understand with all these people make special exotic woods cups, and hand-made real leather headbands, but no one is makeing a better ear pad?!

Thanks again HeatFan, anyone have another lead for me?

 

[HeatFan12]

 
I've been using Mogani, Canare, Forza, and some reasonable silver plated cables from china to build my own.  I don't hear a difference in any of the cables that I've tried on the SennGrados but there was some very slight dynamics increase with the AKG 533 when I did a re-cable using Canare star-quad.  I've also installed SMC connectors in my TH-600, installed dual mini xlr in my DT-990 premium, changed the 3 pin connector to 4 pin in my AKG-K7XX.

 
 
Hey David,
Went to the dark side with my SR225.  Loving it!!!! 

 
 
 

 

[DavidA]

@HeatFan12, really nice work, how do you like the sound with the wood cups?
 
PS: I'm in Japan right now, having a blast at my friends house, see this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/197776/sennheiser-hd650-impressions-thread/28530#post_11894908

 

[GreenBow]

I'd be keen to hear what you think of your 225 with wood cups compared to with plastic cups. Most def-natlee!

 

[HeatFan12]

  @HeatFan12, really nice work, how do you like the sound with the wood cups?
 
PS: I'm in Japan right now, having a blast at my friends house, see this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/197776/sennheiser-hd650-impressions-thread/28530#post_11894908

 
 
Thanks!  I sent them out for the work.  Getting other phones SMC'd too.
 
Wow David, that is some awesome gear all in one place.  I bet you are having a blast.  Loving the sound with the woodies.  And the SMC connectors...

....Thanks!!!
 
 
 

  I'd be keen to hear what you think of your 225 with wood cups compared to with plastic cups. Most def-natlee!

 
 
Well, GreenBow, the woodies make me love the bowls on the SR225s.  Had been using the HD414 pads or comfies due to the highs for a while.  A fuller sound all around with the woodies and everything in balance.  Throw in the SMC connector mod which make them versatile with different cables and I also purchased an impedance adapter to use them with my OTL amps.  A good week indeed!!!
 
A little SR225 love tonight:
 
Cheers!
 
 
 

 
 
 

 

[DavidA]

@HeatFan12, Which amp do you like better with the SR-225w, the WA2 or Darkvoice? I love the all black look, wish I had painted my BH Crack black (black power coat for the aluminum top plate and black lacquer for the base) would have been nice after looking at your amps. 
 
My friends house is a music lovers dream home, he has a specially designed sound room, its mostly for listening to speakers but there is an area where he has a wall of headphones, amps and dacs.  We've actually been spending more time with the speakers, easier to talk and drink wine.  Wish everyone I know that like music could once in their life listen in this room, I've asked him how much he spent on the room and he said it was about $450,000 back in 1988, upgraded/renovated in 2008 for $150,000.  He can't even figure out how much the equipment in the room is worth since he's always changing/buying/trading but said somewhere between $500,000 to $700,000 would be close.  Also his youngest daughter is into headphones, this is what I can remember seeing in her room (Ether, HD-800, T1, HE-560, HE-400, HE-400S, Ultrasone Edition 8 Julia, HD-650, HD-700, RS1i, RS2e, PS-1000e, GS-1000i, LCD-X, LCD-2f, TH-900, TH-600, Alpha Primes) along with a hand full of DACs and Amps on her listening bench area.  I would just like her room, its about 1200sf in size, bigger than my 2 bedroom condo which is 1050sf, going to be sad when I have to go back to Hawaii in a few days.

 

[HeatFan12]

Wow David...All those phones in her room and 1200sf...

  Awesome indeed!
 
LOL...Hawaii is crazy beautiful...I went a few years ago...Amazing...I loved it!
 
 
I have been experimenting with different off the wall tubes in both amps (with and without adapters).  So been testing a lot.  The WA2 gets the nod for refinement.  The DV is no slouch though.  I love 'em both...The impedance adapter has worked really well.  Plugging low-z phones into OTLs was not essential.  No volume control/attenuation....I have volume 'play' now and low volume goes all the way down without imbalance.
 
 
Take a look at the DV336 tube rolling thread part II.  I started that thread 7+ years ago and it's still going, thanks to a few motivated and tube lover head-fiers...we have a lot of fun....We've been trying different tubes and adapters...Cross referencing the Elise and WA2...

 

[DavidA]

@HeatFan12
The total SF for the country house is 7900+, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, the youngest daughter has the largest room because my friend and wife didn't like climbing stairs so they switched rooms with the daughter, talk about lucking out.  They also have a condo in town where they live during the week which is 3 bedroom and 2900 SF, nice to have $$$$$$$.  I haven't been to Florida yet, only North/South Carolina on east coast, golf vacation with the guy many years ago.
 
Sub to DV336ii thread, interesting reading, seems like some of those tubes will work with my BH Crack.
 
Can you give me a little more info on impedance adapters, wanted to try some of my lower z headphones (SennGrados) with my BH Crack?

 

[GreenBow]

@HeatFan12, thankyou. I have been wondering about investing in wood for mine. DavidA made SennGrado and said they were better than RS2e. However they say SennGrado is very special, so I was wondering about just wood with 225e. (You have modded the cable also which should alter the sound.) I think getting wood is the best thing to do with them.

 

[HeatFan12]

  @HeatFan12
The total SF for the country house is 7900+, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, the youngest daughter has the largest room because my friend and wife didn't like climbing stairs so they switched rooms with the daughter, talk about lucking out.  They also have a condo in town where they live during the week which is 3 bedroom and 2900 SF, nice to have $$$$$$$.  I haven't been to Florida yet, only North/South Carolina on east coast, golf vacation with the guy many years ago.
 
Sub to DV336ii thread, interesting reading, seems like some of those tubes will work with my BH Crack.
 
Can you give me a little more info on impedance adapters, wanted to try some of my lower z headphones (SennGrados) with my BH Crack?

 
 
Hey David,
 
Wow!  That is some serious coin.  7900+sf...

 
 
The impedance adapter is working really well.  Rockin' an Ultrasone 32 ohm with the WA2 now.  Here is the link from the buyer.  They are mostly used with Etys.  I emailed the buyer several times before purchase and he was very helpful answering all questions.  I went with a 120 ohm resistance.  He has several ones available.  1/4" into amp and mini headphone side.
 
Cheers!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Etymotic-ER4P-to-ER4S-6-35-to-3-5mm-resistor-adaptor-/281728711409?hash=item419856faf1
 
 
 

  @HeatFan12, thankyou. I have been wondering about investing in wood for mine. DavidA made SennGrado and said they were better than RS2e. However they say SennGrado is very special, so I was wondering about just wood with 225e. (You have modded the cable also which should alter the sound.) I think getting wood is the best thing to do with them.

 
 
Hey GB,
 
You are welcome.
 
David got me started on this journey with the removable cables.  I am little by little sending my phones out to have removable cables on them.  A woodied 225 sounds very very good.
 
Cheers!

 

[DavidA]

@HeatFan12, did you ever try the Elise amp?  Started to read up on it, sounds like a more flexible version of the BH Crack, only thing is I'll have to start getting tubes in pairs again

.
 
I tried my friends daughters Ultrasone Edition 8 Julia, the perfect chick headphone in pink and super nice looking, the sound was also tops for a closed headphone but when she told me the price

took it off quickly and put it back her wall.  She also had a DT-1770, its new and just came out, sounds really good and its affordable ($600 MSRP) so will be looking for these when I get back to Hawaii in 3 days.
 
We also were talking about Grado's and I was telling him to building some SennGrados but he said doesn't have much free time so he said he would trade me one of his SR-009/SRM-007 for building 3: wanted 1 using SR-225e drivers, one with PX-100ii drivers and one with SR-60e drivers.  Said not to rush, will pick them up when he is in Hawaii in Dec.  Told him the SR-009/SRM-007 was too much but he said its his spare and he doesn't use it anymore, great to have friends like this.  He also told me that the other night when we were out with 2 of his friends bar hopping in the Ginza/Roppongi? area his friend treated us to two private hostess bars and spent a little over $12,000 while his other friend spent $9,000 at another hostess/dance/karaoke bars we went to, I spent $0, they wouldn't let me pay for anything.  I will only say that the hostesses in these three bars were some of the hottest, sexiest women I have ever seen, even better than Vegas.  Got to get ready to go out again, this time my GF is coming so no hostess bars

, but she is ok with strip clubs

.
 
One more question: I'm guessing that the impedance adapter will add its impedance to the headphone, headphone 32 Ohm + 120 Ohm adapter = 152 Ohm combined which the amp will see?

 

[HeatFan12]

Hey David,
 
 
Quote:

  @HeatFan12, did you ever try the Elise amp?  Started to read up on it, sounds like a more flexible version of the BH Crack, only thing is I'll have to start getting tubes in pairs again

.
 
 
Nope, never tried the Elise. In the DV thread we reference tubes that can be used in the Elise and WA2 with adapters.
 
 
 
Well
 
I tried my friends daughters Ultrasone Edition 8 Julia, the perfect chick headphone in pink and super nice looking, the sound was also tops for a closed headphone but when she told me the price

took it off quickly and put it back her wall.  She also had a DT-1770, its new and just came out, sounds really good and its affordable ($600 MSRP) so will be looking for these when I get back to Hawaii in 3 days.
 
 
She has a great collection indeed!
 
 
We also were talking about Grado's and I was telling him to building some SennGrados but he said doesn't have much free time so he said he would trade me one of his SR-009/SRM-007 for building 3: wanted 1 using SR-225e drivers, one with PX-100ii drivers and one with SR-60e drivers.  Said not to rush, will pick them up when he is in Hawaii in Dec.  Told him the SR-009/SRM-007 was too much but he said its his spare and he doesn't use it anymore, great to have friends like this.  He also told me that the other night when we were out with 2 of his friends bar hopping in the Ginza/Roppongi? area his friend treated us to two private hostess bars and spent a little over $12,000 while his other friend spent $9,000 at another hostess/dance/karaoke bars we went to, I spent $0, they wouldn't let me pay for anything.  I will only say that the hostesses in these three bars were some of the hottest, sexiest women I have ever seen, even better than Vegas.  Got to get ready to go out again, this time my GF is coming so no hostess bars

, but she is ok with strip clubs

.
 
 
Now, That's a PARTY....

 
 
 
One more question: I'm guessing that the impedance adapter will add its impedance to the headphone, headphone 32 Ohm + 120 Ohm adapter = 152 Ohm combined which the amp will see?

 
 
Sort of...I went back and forth with the seller and decided on the 120 ohm.....I have a couple of OTLs...So, tried to set a happy medium with the output impedance of the amps.
 
Here is a thread started 3+ years ago on it.  It deals a lot with iems and home amps but good info.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/601669/impedance-adapters-cables-explained-listed

 

[DavidA]

@HeatFan12, thanks for the link for the impedance question, good reading, feel like I'm back in high school again, lol.
Sorry for the late reply, jet lag for a day.

 

[iMusicLover]

Hey, guys! I am planning to get Colorfly C4 Pro for my Grado Sr225i. One of the most think what I like on C4 is very nice looking design dap. What do you think about this combo. It's a good improvement from Xonar essence Stx? Maybe somethink has C4 and Sr225(i-e)?

 

[GreenBow]

It depends what you want. The Asus Xonar is an internal component, but the C4 is external. If you are going external there is a range of DAC. If you want a player that works as a DAC on your PC, don't overlook the Astel & Kern Jr.