Grado SR60 > SR225 > RS1 for Jazz

[milesandcoltrane]

Lately I've been looking up many threads that ask which cans are the best for Jazz (I'm more focused on 50's 60's bop/bepop/postbop, Miles, Trane, Mingus, Rollins, etc- this constitutes 98% of what I listen to).

Based on the descriptions the RS1 has been described as being absolutely wonderful for the bop related end of Jazz. It is said to bring out the intimate club like feel - which is something that appeals to me very much.

Sadly the price of an RS1 with flats is quite out of reach at the moment. I'm wondering how close can I get to the sound of the RS1 with either the SR60 or possibly the SR225 with flat pads maybe.

Does the SR60 or SR225 get to say 80% of the RS1 sound?

 

[| Scorpio |]

Yes, even lower end Grado's have the a similar sound signature to the RS1, and will all be great for jazz.

 

[wnmnkh]

They are very, very, very close....

Sometimes I can't distingulish SR60 and RS1, with flats....

 

[cheemo]

Go with a pair of 225's. I have owned both and the RS1 are slightly better with more detail and increase soundstage with better timbre of instruments and decay. The 225's were used with bowls but if you want more bass go with flats or do a tape mod with the bowl pads. I have since sold the 225's but I can recommend it if your reaching for the RS1 sound.

 

[christiand]

I have 225's and they are great. I listen to jazz/blues/latin a great deal of the time, and the 225's give you that clarity and articulation in high frequencies, which can't be traded in for anything when listening to this type of music. And don't think the bass lacks. I listen to a lot of hip-hop, so i have a certain expectation when it comes to bass and the 225's do just fine. It won't be like a closed can rattling against your ears on every kick, but i can clearly follow a bass player while still feeling somewhat of a physical response associated with "good" or "boomy" bass.

I got to listen to pretty much every grado from 60's to GS1000 in a single hour sitting at an electronics store near me. 80s and 125s were very close, and both a slight improvement over 60s. The 225s (for me) broke into the next level of clarity (thus why i bought them). Everything over the 225s was too expensive for me at the time.

oh yea, keep the bowl pads! they are awesome. No fuzzy material in between the source of sound and your ear. Makes a big difference to my ears.

 

[sampson_smith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by christiand /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have 225's and they are great. I listen to jazz/blues/latin a great deal of the time, and the 225's give you that clarity and articulation in high frequencies, which can't be traded in for anything when listening to this type of music. And don't think the bass lacks. I listen to a lot of hip-hop, so i have a certain expectation when it comes to bass and the 225's do just fine. It won't be like a closed can rattling against your ears on every kick, but i can clearly follow a bass player while still feeling somewhat of a physical response associated with "good" or "boomy" bass.

I agree that Grado's are mighty fine for listening to the jazz material previously described--my 225's sound great with Coltrane, Miles, Monk, Silver, Evans and anything from the 60's and early 70's that I listen to most in the genre--but I've been having the hardest time appreciating them with hip-hop. I listen to the old school sampled and new'ish processed/synthy stuff and have had little luck. The bass is just too far receded. I just got some Senn 414 pads in the mail and may also attempt an electrical tape wrap of the stock bowl pads in the future (around the outside of the pads, right?), but short of increasing the bass to the max and minimizing the treble a bit for now, it's a rap on these 'phones for hip-hop. *groan*

 

[Bullseye]

The Crusaders sound great on my sr225, Thelonius Monk does too

 

[rds]

I think your less thans should be greater thans

 

[Acix]

I like the RS-1, but I would like to try the PS1000 To see how they compare in the mids.

 

[christiand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree that Grado's are mighty fine for listening to the jazz material previously described--my 225's sound great with Coltrane, Miles, Monk, Silver, Evans and anything from the 60's and early 70's that I listen to most in the genre--but I've been having the hardest time appreciating them with hip-hop. I listen to the old school sampled and new'ish processed/synthy stuff and have had little luck. The bass is just too far receded. I just got some Senn 414 pads in the mail and may also attempt an electrical tape wrap of the stock bowl pads in the future (around the outside of the pads, right?), but short of increasing the bass to the max and minimizing the treble a bit for now, it's a rap on these 'phones for hip-hop. *groan*

I did have to tweak the equalizer settings in my player away from flat to get the response i liked (for both jazz tune and hip hop tunes). I like a little + hump around 64hz, and negative hump around 500/1k to get rid of some mids that make music muddy to my ears.

I got my 225's for about $100 off by getting them used. If you are considering kicking it up a notch away from the sr60s but are shy about the price, consider used.

 

[Charles50]

I also listen to bebop and all acoustical jazz. I use to different systems. For acoustical jazz I use HD600's with a MG Head DT tube amp. With anything electric I use RS1's with a Mier Corda amp.

 

[LingLing1337]

My SR225i sounds absolutely brilliant through my TC7520 DAC when listening to jazz, especially sax based jazz. Sax and really any wind instrument sounds so intoxicating on those phones.

EDIT for spelling

 

[milesandcoltrane]

Oh in that case does the SR60 sound close to the SR225. Based on what I've read people have said the bass response on the SR225 is better than the SR60. Just concerned about the rendition of the double bass, since I listen to a fair amount of jazz trio pieces.

And is there any way to emulate the sound with flat pads? They're pretty expensive after shipping and all. Probably say a quarter modded HD414 set of pads?

 

[sampson_smith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by christiand /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did have to tweak the equalizer settings in my player away from flat to get the response i liked (for both jazz tune and hip hop tunes). I like a little + hump around 64hz, and negative hump around 500/1k to get rid of some mids that make music muddy to my ears. I got my 225's for about $100 off by getting them used. If you are considering kicking it up a notch away from the sr60s but are shy about the price, consider used.

Okay! So it's fair to EQ to one's tastes, based on the music involved. Before I got into the high-end headphone game I thought that most great 'phones would manage miracles and totally eschew the EQ altogether. I guess nothings perfect. As I recall, most "hip-hop" settings on factory stereo presets have the highs and lows bumped up and a slight depression in the middle frequencies. In this case, I just increase the bass to "6" out of an available "8" (ranging from -8 to 8--9 gradations as it's digital) and tweak the treble to "2" as the Grados are already plenty "fun". Still, I keep thinking that a closed headphone may manage a solid "thump" better for hip-hop. Perhaps the Shure SRH-840 will do the trick once it's released this July (?). Got to get a decent set for occasional DJing and the Grados (being open) will certainly not do.

 

[LingLing1337]

Yes, the SR225i is supposed to be better than the SR60 but if you're absolutely on a budget than the 60 will do just fine, I think. However, remember that Grados scale far more when you move up the product line than when you change the source/amp about. So I would really consider the 225i. Concerning the bass, it is there and certainly audible/appreciable but underwhelming compared to other offerings. However, I would not consider this too much of a drawback. The bass is well-defined and crisp.