[MalVeauX]

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Thanks for all the information and help guys.
 
I wound up getting a pair of SR80i's from Amazon with the L-Cups.  Super excited to get them.

Awesome.
 
Next step, if you fall in love with Grado, is to use those SR80's and upgrade them to wood enclosures and a cable upgrade. Then you have what's basically a higher end Grado.

 
Very best,

 

[davidgotsa]

I just ordered the SR80i and I'll get them on monday. I already have the HD650 but wanted to see what all the Grado fuss what about so I decided to buy cheap ones and maybe upgrade later if I like them. 
 
What does changing it to wood do to them? I'm new to all this...
 
I'll have to say though that wooden Grados are by far the best looking headphones in my opinion but if it makes them sound better as well, that's a plus. 
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Awesome.
 
Next step, if you fall in love with Grado, is to use those SR80's and upgrade them to wood enclosures and a cable upgrade. Then you have what's basically a higher end Grado.

 
Very best,

 

 

[jeckyll]

I'm not familiar with the HP4, but I can tell you that the PA2V2 works great with my SR80i's.  Portable, inexpensive, nice sound (to me ).
 
The 80's are fairly easy to drive.
 
HTH
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I recently purchased the Grado sr80 along with a pair of Grado Alessandro MS1 headphones.
 
The sr80's I purchased on ebay sounded great right out of the box, had already been burned in. I don't think the Grado Alessandro MS1 have enough hours on them yet because they sound a bit more harsh when compared to the sr80's I have. 
 
I will be getting the Grado sr225 soon ... have to share my thoughts once I get to audition them. 
 
Also I am looking for info on reasonable priced headphone amp.  I am new to headphone amps. 
 
I need a budget priced headphone distribution amp, and I read that the PreSonus HP4 - 4-Channel Headphone Distribution Amplifier Priced at around $150.00 was a good choice for monitoring voice over recordings and the like.
 
My question is: can this amp work for everyday listening with my Grado sr225 headphones?
or do I need to get something more suited to and dedicated to audiophile use?
 
Just thought I might be able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
 
Any help is appreciated.
 

 

 

[crepuscular457]

I dont know if anyone else mentioned this or not but i'll say it anyways. the 225i's have a MUCH thicker cord and have a 1/4 inch termination. this makes them much less portable than the 80's. and what people say about the grado's are true...you'll love them or hate them. so you made a very wise decision in buying the 80's first.
 
i guess i'll add my opinion of the 225's as well. i do not and have not owned them but have auditioned them (burned in) with songs that i know very well. some say the differences are subtle but i say the opposite. the bass is more present and digs a little deeper. there is a wider soundstage. and the biggest difference i would would say is the detail. there is so much more detail with the 225's. they also take away some of the harshness in the highs that the 80's sometimes have. 
 
as for the charts in one of the first posts...the only things the charts say is that they have the same "grado house sound." the amount of detail present in the 225's and lacking in the 80's cannot be portrayed in a frequency response graph (i say lacking in the 80's but they do have good detail). and although the graphs show that the 225's only go a little deeper, the bass presence is much more apparent. that extra little bit allows you to lose yourself in the music so much more.
 

 

[scoopbb]

anyone have any ideas how the modded 60s compare? doing all the hole poking, taking the cloth out, etc.
also how do the alessandro ms1s compare?

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

I had SR80i's but just got a Beyer DT880 Pro (250ohm) and it just kills them and I haven't even amped them properly yet! My Grado is now retired, can't listen to them anymore, they sound like a toy now.

 

[CC Lemon]

I had a similar decision not too long ago and I was torn as well. It was a Christmas present so I decided to go big and ask for the SR225i (and mentioned the 80 as an alternative if the 225 was too much). In a way, I had the decision made for me. I opened up a pair of 225's on Christmas day. Kind of like you, I wanted variety and needed to replace my old, somewhat cheap, closed cans as well. So, I also picked up ultrasone HFI-780's at about the same time. I do enjoy the Grados, but I just don't think they're right for me. I ended up listening to the HFI-780 more often, picked up a different open headphone and have another closed headphone on the way.
 
If you're interested, I'm actually selling my SR225i right now. Considering how little they've been used, I am asking a little bit on the high side but they're pretty much in new condition and it's still a reasonable discount off of the full new price. PM me if you have any interest and I can send pictures or something.
 
As far as build quality: They're not the most durable looking headphone out there, that's for sure. I wouldn't be too scared of breaking them but I wouldn't expect they'd last if you're just stuffing them in a backpack or tossing them around all the time. I think they're probably sturdier than they seem, but I've always been careful with how I store mine so I can't really say I've tested their durability.

 

[crepuscular457]

 
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I had SR80i's but just got a Beyer DT880 Pro (250ohm) and it just kills them and I haven't even amped them properly yet! My Grado is now retired, can't listen to them anymore, they sound like a toy now.

 
correct me if i'm wrong but you're comparing a 300$ set of cans against a 100$ set of cans... that hardly seems fair.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

you can get the dt880 pro for $229 with free shipping, barely more than say grado sr225i.

 

[crepuscular457]

so then how does the 225i compare to the dt880? and arent they both better suited for different types of music?

 

[planx]

 
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you can get the dt880 pro for $229 with free shipping, barely more than say grado sr225i.

He was talking about the SR80i not SR225i

 

[Brooko]

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I had SR80i's but just got a Beyer DT880 Pro (250ohm) and it just kills them and I haven't even amped them properly yet! My Grado is now retired, can't listen to them anymore, they sound like a toy now.

 
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so then how does the 225i compare to the dt880? and arent they both better suited for different types of music?

Amused by this
 
Just remember this is just one person's thoughts - and though they may be valid for him - there will be a lot who think very differently.
 
I currently own a set of MS1is - they've been modded quite a bit including fwj (full woody jacket) - but they do retain a lot of their original signature - just refined now.  For classic rock, acoustic, blues and bluegrass they are fantastic - I'bll be keeping them until they eventually die.
 
I also owned the DT 880 Pro 250ohm.  Again fantastic cans - great with a far wider variety of genres - but I still think my Alessandros do rock/blues/acoustics better.  FTR - I sold my Beyers.  Upgraded to the HD600 which for me are similar to the DT880 in their neutrality - but gave a more natural overall sonic signature - and for me preferred.
 
I currently own pretty much mid-range cans -> HD600 (open), HM5 (closed) and the MS1i.  They all get used equally.  Each has it's strengths.
 
Did the DT880 kill the MS1i in every way - not for me.  The MS1is still get head-time.  The DT880's (as good as they are, and I may repurchase them again some time because they were very good) now belong to someone else.
 
Just another POV.
 

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

I just wanted to clarify; I wasn't trying to knock the Grados or tell everyone they should run out and buy Beyerdynamics. I was just relating my experiences and feelings. For me I have two major and one minor issue with Grado which is why I wanted something different. 1st the bass only extends to a point with a bit of a bump then falls off a cliff. It is like a nice mini-monitor with a bumped up midbass to simulate the experience of more bass but without any real deep bass. The Beyers in comparison are more like a big floorstanding speaker that goes much deeper and is overall smoother and more detailed and much fuller sounding. Of course this is all in comparison to modded SR80i's. For reference, I listen to 90's and newer heavy metal, industrial, alternative rock, goth rock/metal(ex: Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Slayer, Otep, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Meshuggah, Gojira, Cradle of Filth, Morbid Angel, Jack Off Jill etc.) some stuff with female vocals and Cellos (Rasputina) and rarely a few other genres (Nirvana, Johnny Cash, a few others). 2nd the plastic gimbals on Grados seem to give me problems, my recent SR80i's came unglued on one side and fell off, two pairs of Grados I had many years ago both broke on me. The Beyers is mostly metal and much more robust. 3rd minor issue is that I just don't like the Grado earpads, I much prefer circumaural pads and the Beyers work well for me.
 
I still wouldn't mind hearing RS1's P500's or Magnum's and see how much up the ladder they scale from the SR80i's; but for now I'm very happy with the Beyerdynamics DT880 Pro.
 
-Joshua

 

[SashimiWu]

Hi all,
 
I just wanted to give people an update if they care enough.  So after buying the SR80i's, I was blindsided.  It was love at first listen and I now almost use these phones exclusively.  I was really amazed at the clarity and quality of the sound which is comparable to my SRH840's though the mids are a bit lacking and they can be quite harsh at times.  With around 25 hours of burn in, the highs were tamed a bit and they began to sound even better than ever.
 
This was until I couldn't help myself and bought the SR225i's for 30 bucks with use of my Amazon credit.  I'm listening to them now and WOW.  At first I didn't expect to hear any major differences from the SR80i's but straight out of the box I can already tell that the 225i's are AMAZING.  The clarity completely blows the 80i's out of the water.  The harshness was non existent and the mids were so much more prominent and refined. Also that bass is tight though its true that it does lack impact!  But man, the clarity is really something to behold and I can't wait till I get more hours of listening on these bad boys.
 
Thank you guys for all your help and my initiation into the Grado fanclub!

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

The first time I ever listened to a Grado I was blown away by the clarity and detail, glad you are enjoying them.
 
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Hi all,
 
I just wanted to give people an update if they care enough.  So after buying the SR80i's, I was blindsided.  It was love at first listen and I now almost use these phones exclusively.  I was really amazed at the clarity and quality of the sound which is comparable to my SRH840's though the mids are a bit lacking and they can be quite harsh at times.  With around 25 hours of burn in, the highs were tamed a bit and they began to sound even better than ever.
 
This was until I couldn't help myself and bought the SR225i's for 30 bucks with use of my Amazon credit.  I'm listening to them now and WOW.  At first I didn't expect to hear any major differences from the SR80i's but straight out of the box I can already tell that the 225i's are AMAZING.  The clarity completely blows the 80i's out of the water.  The harshness was non existent and the mids were so much more prominent and refined. Also that bass is tight though its true that it does lack impact!  But man, the clarity is really something to behold and I can't wait till I get more hours of listening on these bad boys.
 
Thank you guys for all your help and my initiation into the Grado fanclub!