[jsulmeyer]

I recently bought a set of Grado SR325i's and while I'm happy with the sound, I'm curious about something having to do with their design, and I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is intentional or an issue with poor build quality control:
 
The ear cups are held in place by two black rings that snap into holes in the edges of the ear cups. When I hold the headphones in front of me, as if I'm about to place them on my head, and I look at the edges of both the ear cup and the black ring, the ring looks like it is slightly warped and curving inwards, towards the foam pad. I'm not talking about the swivel angle; when the outer edge of the ring (the edge furthest from the foam ear pad) is aligned with the metal edge of the ear cup, the ring appears to curve inwards, towards the foam ear pad, so that the bottom "end" of the clip is closer to the pad than the top of the ring. I would think this is be design, except for the fact that one side seems to be slightly more curved than the other.
 
I know this probably doesn't make sense, so please have a look at the pictures, below.
 
I'm wondering if anyone out there who has a pair of the SR325i's would take a look and see if their's are like mine or if the black clips are less curved or warped inwards than mine.
 
Many thanks,
 
John
 

 

 

 

[HeretixAevum]

When I first looked at your pictures I thought that was almost certainly something wrong with yours. I just looked at my 225i's and it's actually sort of like that on mine. I believe it's called the gimble, kind of bends in however it's less severe on my 225i's. I guess I just never noticed it because the gimbals blends in with the black cups. 
 
So, it might be normal but it certainly looks more bent on your 325is than with my 225i.

 

[National]

Huh. Mine has that too, but it doesn't look as extreme as yours. 
 
Funny because I never noticed it.

 

[jsulmeyer]

Thanks for the input - I kind of had a feeling it was somewhat normal AND that my gimbals might be a bit more curved inwards than others. I looked at a pair of SR125's and the inward curve didn't look nearly as extreme, but, like on your SR225's, it's hard to tell, due to the black ear cups.
 
Now the question is, for $300, should I exchange them for a new pair...
 
Thanks again for the feedback!

 

[kskwerl]

Quote:

Thanks for the input - I kind of had a feeling it was somewhat normal AND that my gimbals might be a bit more curved inwards than others. I looked at a pair of SR125's and the inward curve didn't look nearly as extreme, but, like on your SR225's, it's hard to tell, due to the black ear cups.
 
Now the question is, for $300, should I exchange them for a new pair...
 
Thanks again for the feedback!

I would send em back but that's just me, your gimbals def appear to have a more extreme curve. Obviously its not going to effect SQ so it's really up to you.

 

[zazex]

Quote:

Thanks for the input - I kind of had a feeling it was somewhat normal AND that my gimbals might be a bit more curved inwards than others. I looked at a pair of SR125's and the inward curve didn't look nearly as extreme, but, like on your SR225's, it's hard to tell, due to the black ear cups.
 
Now the question is, for $300, should I exchange them for a new pair...
 
Thanks again for the feedback!

I'd email or phone Grado.  The people there are very knowledgeable about their products,
and very willing to help.  Being a relatively small, family-owned company has its benefits.
 
 
I'd lean towards exchanging the headphones for another pair, but obviously I'd first want
to see what the gimbals look like in the new pair.  If they're more or less similar, why bother?

 

[HeretixAevum]

You can definitely contact Grado about it, but I don't know if I'd bother if it was me. It's not something that would really bother me. It's hardly a defect, that's sort of just the nature of handmade stuff. You get little deviances like that. It's part of the charm, if you ask me.