[sadhanaputra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif But it does not. The SR60's with the bowl pads have specific climate, the SR80's are less euphonic, partly warm, partly cold. I'd stick with the SR60's + bowls.

as an SR60 user thinking about upgrading to SR80s myself, i'd like to know what exactly does "partly warm, partly cold" means, and why is it bad?

the SR80s [supposedly] has better cable than the SR60s.. shouldn't the sound be better?

i HAVE been doing some research with the 'search' button on this.. and trust me, i haven't come across any definitive post about this matter yet..
most people comparing SR60's to SR80's don't even mention which pad they use on the SR60's.. and when comparing both 'phones with the bowl pads, the opinions also vary.. this is the first time i hear someone describing the SR80's as 'partly warm/cold', though, so kudos to majkel, i guess

 

[Bullseye]

Welcome to Head-Fi sadhanaputra.

Going to your post, and seeing you are an sr60 user I would not recommend "upgrading" to sr80. There is some upgrade but not definitely worth its price once you have already spent money on the sr60. I have tried sr60, sr80, sr125, own sr225 and tried also rs2, and for upgrade i would consider going for the sr225 (double the price of the sr80 but they are the sweet spot of the line -also supported by other head-fi members-), or even the sr325i.

The latter has aluminum housing and that changes SQ. Some people don't like how the highs sound with it. I have not tried it, but after having recently bought sr225 (still in burn in process), I would go for the reference series, instead of looking to its direct predecessor (the sr325i), thus having tried myself one of the headphones of that series.

Even so, the best thing you can do is to try them all. To take your time with them, even go more than once to the Hi.fi shop till you make up your mind.

Let your ears decide. EDIT: Oh and your wallet too

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif But it does not. The SR60's with the bowl pads have specific climate, the SR80's are less euphonic, partly warm, partly cold. I'd stick with the SR60's + bowls.

And some who have tried it say that they are indistinguishable. Again we face the fact that Grados are not very consistent in their sound...

 

[majkel]

Some say LAME -V0 mp3 is indistinguishable from lossless. Probably the same people.

 

[grawk]

It's more likely that the differences between drivers and runs on the SR60 and SR80 (and individual SR60s and 80s) make the difference. It's fairly well established that the only difference is the pads.

These are grados' lowest end headphones, and they don't do driver matching for them.

 

[majkel]

IIRC the coils for the SR80's are wound with the UHPLC wire, while for the SR60's its standard copper wire. The cable is for both the same.

 

[grawk]

I don't think you remember correctly.

 

[Bullseye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't think you remember correctly.

x2 The only sr grados that use UHPLC wires are the sr225 & sr325i, previous models use standard copper

 

[majkel]

Nevermind

 

[grawk]

Where did you get that information? It doesn't agree with anything else I've ever seen

 

[tbaker]

Can one get an SR60 get a new better cable and then modded to the aluminum housing like the higher end models? Also which is better aluminum housing or wood when it comes to sq?

 

[sadhanaputra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif Welcome to Head-Fi sadhanaputra. Going to your post, and seeing you are an sr60 user I would not recommend "upgrading" to sr80. There is some upgrade but not definitely worth its price once you have already spent money on the sr60. I have tried sr60, sr80, sr125, own sr225 and tried also rs2, and for upgrade i would consider going for the sr225 (double the price of the sr80 but they are the sweet spot of the line -also supported by other head-fi members-), or even the sr325i. The latter has aluminum housing and that changes SQ. Some people don't like how the highs sound with it. I have not tried it, but after having recently bought sr225 (still in burn in process), I would go for the reference series, instead of looking to its direct predecessor (the sr325i), thus having tried myself one of the headphones of that series. Even so, the best thing you can do is to try them all. To take your time with them, even go more than once to the Hi.fi shop till you make up your mind. Let your ears decide. EDIT: Oh and your wallet too

thank you, Bullseye, for the warm (and informative!

) welcome..

yes, i am aware that the price difference doesn't really pay for the SQ difference.. but let's say i have my own reasons to consider upgrading.. and plus, there's something inside me that just doesn't like unsolved mysteries

enjoy your SR225, Bullseye!

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's more likely that the differences between drivers and runs on the SR60 and SR80 (and individual SR60s and 80s) make the difference. It's fairly well established that the only difference is the pads. These are grados' lowest end headphones, and they don't do driver matching for them.

iirc, the grado website listed the SR80 as having a different cable..

plus, this thread mentions that the use of bowl pads on MS-1 (granted, different phones, but the effects should be the same) "emphasizes the upper midrange and highs", and induces "mid-freq and bass loss".
"Even with bass boost, the treble is too prominent".

the increased range from the driver to the ear given by the bowl pads fits the descriptions above, so it continues to itch me why most people mention the SR80's as having more bass than its younger sibling.. and how much more bass the SR80's would have if one mods them with 414 pads which put the driver closer to the ear..

ah, mysteries, mysteries..

 

[grawk]

You can mod the sr60 to your heart's content, but it'll only get so much better. The housing the driver is encased in makes it challenging to get the benefit from changing the outer housing.

As to whether aluminum or wood is better, I have owned quite a variety of grados, and my favorites are my woodied HF1s. So my opinion on the matter is fairly obvious.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can mod the sr60 to your heart's content, but it'll only get so much better. The housing the driver is encased in makes it challenging to get the benefit from changing the outer housing. As to whether aluminum or wood is better, I have owned quite a variety of grados, and my favorites are my woodied HF1s. So my opinion on the matter is fairly obvious.

I have some ALO woodied dead soft silver cabled SR-60 that come surprisingly close to my Headcoverage woodied HF-1 with APS V3 cable, but as with you I prefer the HF-1 too (even with just the cable change and not woodied). They are just a bit more detailed and refined, with better bass (both using flats).

I also prefer the MS-1 over the SR-60 (I have both), but I do like the SR-80 more than SR-60 too. I don't have a pair of those at the same time as SR-60/MS-1 though.

 

[CaptHowie]

Well Everyone, I just brought myself a pair of Grado SR-60's. Walked into the shop, had a listen and i find out they only had that pair i tried out left. As they were display models, payed $[secret

]AUD for them. How good is that? The sound is warm and contradicting other people, the bass isn't that bad but the treble does need some toning down. So for pads, whats better. The HD414 pads flipped or the Grado bowl pads. I can get the HD414 pads for around $35AUD off Headphonic, but ill have to have a search around for the bowl pads.

-CaptHowie