[ArmednInsane]

Hello guys,

I finally got all my spare equipments sold, and upgraditis has reared its ugly head (well, I guess not as much as upgraditis as shopitis). Anyway, I finally cave in and want to try Grado, however I have no means to audition them, so I have to base on people's review. I am not asking you guys to decide for me, but I do appreciate Grado owners/ enthusiasts to give me a few advice to Grado noob. I was thinking of getting Grado SR60 just to try their house sound, but I figure, that is not the most efficient way because if I don't like it, I will have to sell it and there is enough SR60 FS thread as it is in the FS forum.

I have read threads regarding Grado, but there is one question that I can't find the answer. I am looking for Grado that has a lot of bass impact. I listen to rock, trance, rap, RnB, pretty much genre that has bass. I do listen to all kinds of music (folk, jazz, classical, country, pop, etc) but the ones I mentioned above is my main genre.

All in all, I currently have VALAB DAC, EF1 amp and I listen to my music with CDs or lossless files (ALAC). I prefer Bass impact > Bass tightness > Bass depth. Oh yeah, budget <$200 which leaves me between SR60, 80, 125. However I am not in a hurry to get one, so if the Grado I want is more expensive, I can save money to get it (I have 3 part time jobs, soon to be 4, and I go to school, so saving money is second nature to me).

Sorry for the long post, but your advice are greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much

Andil

 

[Shike]

Grado isn't particularly known for bass IMO. You'd probably be better off looking at Sennheiser or if you like the house sound maybe Beyerdynamic.

 

[hifidk]

I tried SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225 and SR325 at the local music shop for about an hour. They were hooked up to pretty expensive tube amp. I really thought all of them had very similar sound signature except SR325 which had warmer and fuller sound compared to other models I tried (which had piercing highs to my ears).
If you like bass and definitely want Grado, I would at least get SR225 or SR325.
If you want to try some other brand, I would go with Beyers which has great bass impact.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmednInsane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello guys, I finally got all my spare equipments sold, and upgraditis has reared its ugly head (well, I guess not as much as upgraditis as shopitis). Anyway, I finally cave in and want to try Grado, however I have no means to audition them, so I have to base on people's review. I am not asking you guys to decide for me, but I do appreciate Grado owners/ enthusiasts to give me a few advice to Grado noob. I was thinking of getting Grado SR60 just to try their house sound, but I figure, that is not the most efficient way because if I don't like it, I will have to sell it and there is enough SR60 FS thread as it is in the FS forum. I have read threads regarding Grado, but there is one question that I can't find the answer. I am looking for Grado that has a lot of bass impact. I listen to rock, trance, rap, RnB, pretty much genre that has bass. I do listen to all kinds of music (folk, jazz, classical, country, pop, etc) but the ones I mentioned above is my main genre. All in all, I currently have VALAB DAC, EF1 amp and I listen to my music with CDs or lossless files (ALAC). I prefer Bass impact > Bass tightness > Bass depth. Oh yeah, budget <$200 which leaves me between SR60, 80, 125. However I am not in a hurry to get one, so if the Grado I want is more expensive, I can save money to get it (I have 3 part time jobs, soon to be 4, and I go to school, so saving money is second nature to me). Sorry for the long post, but your advice are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much Andil

What tube are you using in your EF1? My guess would be an ECC82 Mullard short plate for your Grados, it has lots of impact and weight in the bass department and its a tad rolled off in the highs, sounds like a good match for your new headphones.

 

[feh1325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmednInsane /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was thinking of getting Grado SR60 just to try their house sound, but I figure, that is not the most efficient way because if I don't like it, I will have to sell it and there is enough SR60 FS thread as it is in the FS forum.

nothing wrong with that
sr60 is a common item on the fs forum, and you can almost get all your money back

 

[ArmednInsane]

Thanks guys for the responses. I didn't expect to get this many answers so fast.

feh1325: Yeah, it's just that I don't want to spend the time to get it sold since my schedule is pretty hectic.

olblueyez: I am still using the stock sylvannia that comes with the EF1, been meaning to try various tubes, but haven't got the chance yet

. Thanks for the recommendation for the tube though. I am looking for it at ebay.

hifidk, shike: Yeah, I have considered Beyers, but currently I have Denon AH-D2000, and based on reviews, it seems that Beyers have almost the same sound with Denon (I may be mistaken, but that's the feeling that I got from reading the reviews), and I don't want to have another headphone with similar sounds .

 

[vvanrij]

PS-1 and PS-1000 I believe.

 

[Shoewreck]

Any with tape mod.

 

[wnmnkh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvanrij /img/forum/go_quote.gif PS-1 and PS-1000 I believe.

+1

Not really sure about PS-1000 because I have not heard them yet....

Or using flat pads / tape mod will work.

 

[moogoob]

I'm a huge fan of the 325i bass, and apparently (according to some) the new silver ones are slightly more detailed in the bassy regions. Still, they do benefit from warm recordings, sources and amps, in pretty much that order.

I would describe their bass as punchy. Which is pretty much the only word that does it justice.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifidk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225 and SR325 at the local music shop for about an hour. They were hooked up to pretty expensive tube amp. I really thought all of them had very similar sound signature except SR325 which had warmer and fuller sound compared to other models I tried (which had piercing highs to my ears). If you like bass and definitely want Grado, I would at least get SR225 or SR325. If you want to try some other brand, I would go with Beyers which has great bass impact.

If you like bass, then the only solution is the SR325is. I owned the 225i headphones and returned them (the store had a 30 day trial) just because I found the bass lacking. Since upgrading to the SR325is headphones, I have never looked back.

The bass is much better on these and definitely worth saving up for.

 

[tomb]

Almost all Grados' bass will benefit from burn-in. The burn-in takes an unbelievable amount of time, too - much more time than some people are willing to invest.

While it's not commonly available, the HF-1's have the best bass of any Grado I've heard. That's the thing that distinguishes them, as a matter of fact: decent bass.

 

[Vandal]

Just to ask, besides the exotic grados and the PS-1000 which is the model from the current line-up with the best and biggest bass? I know for sure it would have to be the 325i/RS-1i or GS1000i. Can someone arrange these in descending order of bass reproduction?
Thanks

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shike /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grado isn't particularly known for bass IMO. You'd probably be better off looking at Sennheiser or if you like the house sound maybe Beyerdynamic.

Completely WRONG.

HP-1000 would be my recommendation for impact, and I've owned them all except for the new PS-1000.

 

[XXII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vandal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just to ask, besides the exotic grados and the PS-1000 which is the model from the current line-up with the best and biggest bass? I know for sure it would have to be the 325i/RS-1i or GS1000i. Can someone arrange these in descending order of bass reproduction? Thanks

Ignoring the PS-1, PS-1000 and Joe Grado models, the Grados with the most bass are the GS-1000 and then the HF-1.