[GreenBow]

  My impression
RS1e, it's good regardless how you deal with them.
RS2e, don't do G pads.
325e, G pads help if you like HD650 as well. By the way this can is very good, worth buying. 
PS500, G pads are a must.
PS500e, G pads are a must but L is still good.

 
This is a great post. I like to hear appreciation of the RS1e, now the drivers are properly set.
 
I was always interested in the g-cush l-cush with different headphones.
 

1. Like I read a review on Amazon (UK) where the customer said that the PS500 in its element with the g-cush. (The customer also quoted John Grado as having said it was the way to go with the PS500.)
2. The PS500e (and the PS1000e) are said to be bass lighter than the old versions of the them. I wondered especially how the PS500e was. Whereas some found the PS500 bass heavy and that's why they prefer the g-cush. (I was a little put off the PS500 though because What Hi-Fi said it lacks a little refinement. Maybe that was down to the l-cushion. I was always worried it was more about detail and clarity. That it was a little weak in performance for it's price.)

 

[chicken beer]

   
This is a great post. I like to hear appreciation of the RS1e, now the drivers are properly set.
 
I was always interested in the g-cush l-cush with different headphones.
 

1. Like I read a review on Amazon (UK) where the customer said that the PS500 in its element with the g-cush. (The customer also quoted John Grado as having said it was the way to go with the PS500.)
2. The PS500e (and the PS1000e) are said to be bass lighter than the old versions of the them. I wondered especially how the PS500e was. Whereas some found the PS500 bass heavy and that's why they prefer the g-cush. (I was a little put off the PS500 though because What Hi-Fi said it lacks a little refinement. Maybe that was down to the l-cushion. I was always worried it was more about detail and clarity. That it was a little weak in performance for it's price.)

Very slightly less bass but the bass is better I would say. 
 
PS500 was a legend, the little unbalanced (slight V with some dips) sound sig actually creates great sound. Great for Rock and Pop. PS500 with G cush, for me, opened the soundstage, and make the listening less energy-focused, much more enjoyable. Still not a reference phone, just a great phone for listening to certain types of music.
 
Best to try both and see if you prefer PS or RS, they are quite different, it really is hard to tell.
 
RS1e is very good, highly recommend.
 
GH-1 have not heard yet but seem to receive a lot of love.

 

[GreenBow]

Yeah I have known folk pass on their PS500 and buy RS2e and prefer it for being more balanced.
 
I still have and use my SR225e and never did upgrade, however I have been rethinking my requirements. I am interested even more in a more balanced response. Whereas headphones like the Prestige Series have a bass that rolls off a little early and a little much. They are perfectly fine for musical enjoyment and match the frequency repose graphs of many highly recommended speakers.
 
However the reason I have been rethinking is because I am going to be doing some audio editing. Therefor I really want a headphone with a more extended bass. It gets complicated because within the Grado line there are no frequency response graphs for the more recent headphones.

 

[Monsterzero]

  Yeah I have known folk pass on their PS500 and buy RS2e and prefer it for being more balanced.
 
I still have and use my SR225e and never did upgrade, however I have been rethinking my requirements. I am interested even more in a more balanced response. Whereas headphones like the Prestige Series have a bass that rolls off a little early and a little much. They are perfectly fine for musical enjoyment and match the frequency repose graphs of many highly recommended speakers.
 
However the reason I have been rethinking is because I am going to be doing some audio editing. Therefor I really want a headphone with a more extended bass. It gets complicated because within the Grado line there are no frequency response graphs for the more recent headphones.

You might want to build yourself a Magnum Grado,or if youre like me and arent tech savvy have it made for you.

I have a V4 Magnum grado,and frankly I have yet to hear any Grado more natural and detailed yet still retaining the Grado aggresiveness w/ no harshness.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/576717/grado-modders-go-magnum

 

[zjred]

I had the SR60 for around 5-6 years before buying my PS500e recently. Both are great phones, the PS500e is clean sounding and fairly forward. Closed my eyes and it sounds like I'm taking a first row seat in front of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.

I actually keen on getting a pair of 225e after reading this thread. XD

Edit:
I got myself a pair of 225e and I'm very please with it. I've always loved how guitars sounded on the 60. 500e sounded like it was on 'crytalizer' setting (Creative's enhancement feature) and the 225e sits right in between. A good mix of euphoric guitars and clear vocals. I have also compared the 325e for about 30 minutes in the shop and it sounded very much like 225e with slightly more treble (or maybe less bass).

My opinion on the next step from 225e would be 500e instead of 325e to get a reasonable signature change.

 

[AWS Soul]

I just read this entire thread ,   great read.
I own the SR-325e & RS-2e , and they are two different beasts all-together .     First of all what is important and only one person mentioned it in this entire thread is frequency response , this is not to be confused with Bass that can be EQ'd.    
The RS-2e goes alot deeper than the SR-325e ,  you can really feel the depth of the bass on the RS-2e .   The frequency response of the RS-2e is 14-28 ,  whilst the SR-325e is 18-24.
Therefore you need to listen to music which goes that low to get the benefits of the low bass frequency response .   Classical music is heavenly on the RS-2e as the instruments involved use the frequencies that the RS-2e is tuned for.
Overall the SR-325e has a more pleasant bass than the RS-2e due to the fact that most music is mixed with a 20-20 frequency response in the studio .     Now the SR-325e really comes alive due the aluminum shell ,  but if you used a 18-24 frequency response in a plastic shell it would sound trash .

Both of these headphones are my end of line headphones ,  i use them both often for different music genres .
The RS-2e is not an upgrade from the SR-325e ,  it is a totally different headphone.    You can't sell one to replace the other ,  you need both of these HP's in your arsenal.
 

 

[DavidA]

  I just read this entire thread ,   great read.
I own the SR-325e & RS-2e , and they are two different beasts all-together .     First of all what is important and only one person mentioned it in this entire thread is frequency response , this is not to be confused with Bass that can be EQ'd.    
The RS-2e goes alot deeper than the SR-325e ,  you can really feel the depth of the bass on the RS-2e .   The frequency response of the RS-2e is 14-28 ,  whilst the SR-325e is 18-24.
Therefore you need to listen to music which goes that low to get the benefits of the low bass frequency response .   Classical music is heavenly on the RS-2e as the instruments involved use the frequencies that the RS-2e is tuned for.
Overall the SR-325e has a more pleasant bass than the RS-2e due to the fact that most music is mixed with a 20-20 frequency response in the studio .     Now the SR-325e really comes alive due the aluminum shell ,  but if you used a 18-24 frequency response in a plastic shell it would sound trash .

Both of these headphones are my end of line headphones ,  i use them both often for different music genres .
The RS-2e is not an upgrade from the SR-325e ,  it is a totally different headphone.    You can't sell one to replace the other ,  you need both of these HP's in your arsenal.
 

This is why it great to have various choices, while I love the RS2e I couldn't take the treble of the SR-325e and got the SR-225e, did some mods to it and have a great all arounder that is easy to drive.  Also got a PS-500 but its going back since it can't compete with the newer Ypsilon S2 and Nhoord Red V2 drivers.

 

[GreenBow]

It's good that folk are still finding this thread and posting in it. Personally the idea of an upgrade purchase of headphone started to take less importance with me. However I still keep thinking about it and soon may buy some more headphones. At the moment I am spending on other things: not vast amounts, but my energies are elsewhere. Like I think very soon I will finally buy a (pricey electro-acoustic) guitar that I have been aching for. Then eventually I may need some good headphones with more detail retrieval for recording-editing.

 

[AWS Soul]

  This is why it great to have various choices, while I love the RS2e I couldn't take the treble of the SR-325e and got the SR-225e, did some mods to it and have a great all arounder that is easy to drive.  Also got a PS-500 but its going back since it can't compete with the newer Ypsilon S2 and Nhoord Red V2 drivers.

You should try TTVJ deluxe flats on both the RS-2e & SR-325e ,  the treble is taken care off very well .    You may be pleasantly suprised .    They may be quite expensive but i guarantee they are worth every ££/$$. 
I have TTVJ deluxe flats on all my Grados , i swear by them.

 

[DavidA]

 
You should try TTVJ deluxe flats on both the RS-2e & SR-325e ,  the treble is taken care off very well .    You may be pleasantly suprised .    They may be quite expensive but i guarantee they are worth every ££/$$. 
I have TTVJ deluxe flats on all my Grados , i swear by them.

I tried those flats once, not very comfortable for me, really like the G pads only

 

[AWS Soul]

  I tried those flats once, not very comfortable for me, really like the G pads only

I purchased a pair of cloned G-Cush from E-Bay yesterday , as i know the official grado G-Cush will not be good on the RS-2e ,  the 3 layer foam is designed to leak air.
I have a pair of cloned L-Cush and they sound totally different to official grado L-Cush ,   they hold the bass and the overall sound is full ,  unlike the official grado l-Cush.
Therefore i know the fake G-Cush will homefully sound good on my RS-2e.    Also they where only £6  , so if they don't sound good then it's only 6 quid down the drain.    Unlike £55 for official Grado G-Cush.

 

[AWS Soul]

  It's good that folk are still finding this thread and posting in it. Personally the idea of an upgrade purchase of headphone started to take less importance with me. However I still keep thinking about it and soon may buy some more headphones. At the moment I am spending on other things: not vast amounts, but my energies are elsewhere. Like I think very soon I will finally buy a (pricey electro-acoustic) guitar that I have been aching for. Then eventually I may need some good headphones with more detail retrieval for recording-editing.

Hey buddy ,  i didn't know you was a guitarist .
I'm a professional guitarist ,  check out my webpage if you are interested.  

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=993824

 

[DavidA]

 
I purchased a pair of cloned G-Cush from E-Bay yesterday , as i know the official grado G-Cush will not be good on the RS-2e ,  the 3 layer foam is designed to leak air.
I have a pair of cloned L-Cush and they sound totally different to official grado L-Cush ,   they hold the bass and the overall sound is full ,  unlike the official grado l-Cush.
Therefore i know the fake G-Cush will homefully sound good on my RS-2e.    Also they where only £6  , so if they don't sound good then it's only 6 quid down the drain.    Unlike £55 for official Grado G-Cush.

Note that the cheap Ebay pads from different vendors can vary in the density of the foam and the thickness.  Since they were so cheap I got 4 pairs for$5-6/pair and compared them, its when I noticed the slight differences, luckily they sound very similar.

 

[GreenBow]

Yesterday I came to a dead stop with the idea of buying more headphones.
 
Just two nights ago I EQ-ed my SR225e and got a shock-surprise.
 
I dropped the hotter treble stuff in the JRiver EQ function.
 
I pulled:
3KHz down by 3.9dB.
6KHz down by 3.1dB.
12KHz down by 3.5dB.
 
That's going by this graph.

 
I got such a shock in just how much better they are now. That shine and glare is all but gone.
 
It leaves me with the option where I will have to mod them, even if only with at least the tape mod.
 
 
What is does mean though is that I am possibly out of the running with all bright Grado headphones. I literally did not realise what I was missing in my music until I EQ-ed these 225e. By cutting the highs, all the mids and low end come forward and are equal. There are lush tones there which I was missing. It's because they were so quiet, because I was adjusting volume to cope with highs.
 
I knew my SR225e were a bit bright, but this is an open and shut case of I need to do something. I need to mod them, find a more balanced Grado, or look at other headphone makers.

 

[cerb998]

 
I purchased a pair of cloned G-Cush from E-Bay yesterday , as i know the official grado G-Cush will not be good on the RS-2e ,  the 3 layer foam is designed to leak air.
I have a pair of cloned L-Cush and they sound totally different to official grado L-Cush ,   they hold the bass and the overall sound is full ,  unlike the official grado l-Cush.
Therefore i know the fake G-Cush will homefully sound good on my RS-2e.    Also they where only £6  , so if they don't sound good then it's only 6 quid down the drain.    Unlike £55 for official Grado G-Cush.

 
 

  Note that the cheap Ebay pads from different vendors can vary in the density of the foam and the thickness.  Since they were so cheap I got 4 pairs for$5-6/pair and compared them, its when I noticed the slight differences, luckily they sound very similar.

What do you think of the cloned G-Cush in terms of comfort and sound? I've been wanting to try some Grados but the price of the authentic G-Cush is putting me off.