[darkclouds]

Just wanted to share my excitement with y'all.
I finally had the courage to pick up my soldering iron and put it to use. Turns out, it wasn't that difficult. And now the SR300 sounds perfect w/ out any rattling or distortion. I guess you never know until you try.
By the way, they do sound quite different compared to my SR325.
Also, so you'd know, the headphone out on the 555es is pretty decent.

 

[younglu]

555es?
you mean the Sony's sacd one? the SCD-555ES,
i think it's really a nice one with very clear and airful highs.

i once listened this 555ES thru the Senneiser's Orpheus with a great tube amp(i could hardly remember the model of this fair amp clearly.
but the Orpheus's not yet mine,whattt'sss a pity!!! )


i didn't not listen thru 555es's head jack straight.
maybe it's also nice with no less clear highs??

 

[DanG]

The Orpheus headphone is almost always paired with the Sennheiser-made tube amp... hm.

Anyway, on the subject of the SR300... I've only heard the SR100 and the HP-1 out of the old Joe Grado series. While the HP-1 was amazing as I would have expected, the SR100 sounded astounding considering its price -- I thought it was much better than the newer SR125 which is not as smooth-sounding. And considering the high sensitivity, I can imagine that the SR300 will sound good right out of the Sony headphone jack.

Still, I think you'd find it worthwhile to get a decent amp for your headphones. It helps even the Grado headphones to a very-noticeable degree! And congratulations on a job well done with the headphones.

 

[darkclouds]

Yeah, I do have a couple of decent amps left, a supreme/cosmic and a Melos. I've also used it with a zotl before I sold it. I just thought I'd tried the headout of the 555 just to see. And I was rather surprised at how well it drived the Grados. I haven't tried it with my 600/cardas though.

 

[DanG]

Heh, sorry for not remembering about the amps.

I just checked your profile and didn't see anything there and for some reason assumed you didn't have any.

Anyway, I found that the MS Pro was amazing with the Melos but alas I had to sell the headphones. Please tell us what your SR300/Melos combo sounds like when you can!

 

[Voyager]

Darkclouds, it's great to hear your phones are working again! Don't those old Grados sound wonderful?!

 

[Beagle]

I may have asked previously, but what are the differences between the SR300 and SR325?

 

[dngl]

sr300 was made by daddy Grado, sr325 is made by Grado Jr. Two different sounds as they were designed by two different people. 300 is to HP1 as 325 is to RS-1.

 

[DanG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Beilin sr300 was made by daddy Grado, sr325 is made by Grado Jr. Two different sounds as they were designed by two different people. 300 is to HP1 as 325 is to RS-1.

Mmm... I think you should hear the headphones first before making that assertion.

SR300 was made by Joseph Grado, founder of Grado Labs and uncle of John Grado, current owner of Grado. Joe Grado was an engineer but I do not believe that John Grado is.

The SR300 was the top-of-the-line in Joseph Grado's plastic SR series -- the SR325 is at the top of the non-wooden John Grado series, but is made of metal, not plastic. I'd be willing to bet that the SR300 sounds a lot warmer than the 325.

 

[darkclouds]

Dan, you are absolutely correct. The SR300 is quite warmer compared to the 325. The 325, to me, is a bit harsh and quite bright; though not as bright as the RS-2. I've also noticed a bit more bass with 300s and a smoother sound. Alot more inviting than the 325.
On the other hand, the 300 looks quite cheap and I do prefer the metallic/aluminum appearance of the 325s. Hence I'm keeping both.

 

[Beagle]

I am still scratching my head wondering where this SR325/RS-2 brightness is coming from, unless the SR300 has flat pads and the others have bowl pads.

Also, the aluminum factor on the SR325 would likely be strictly cosmetic, since the inside of the air chamber has a layer of plastic over it. Thus, the sound should not be directly affected by any aluminum resonances.

And this John/Joe Grado thing is also overplayed. Take the same drivers, wire, housing, put them together and it matters not whose name is on the outside. These people who find the SR100 and 200 way better or different from the SR125 or 225 must be using different pads because they are the same headphones, same specs respectively. The SR60 was also Joe's baby and it's the same phone now as it was in 1994, save for the pads.

 

[darkclouds]

Beagle, you're gonna have to try and find a pair to listen for yourself. There's a definite difference and I've compared them using the pads. Also, the chamber on the 325 looks to be larger than the 300, or at least the casing is larger/deeper.
And FWIW, the cable for the 300s has the inscription :
'Joseph signature ultra-wide bandwitdth referance cable'

 

[Voyager]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle And this John/Joe Grado thing is also overplayed. Take the same drivers, wire, housing, put them together and it matters not whose name is on the outside. These people who find the SR100 and 200 way better or different from the SR125 or 225 must be using different pads because they are the same headphones, same specs respectively.

Actually Beagle, they are different drivers.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally posted by Voyager Actually Beagle, they are different drivers.

In what respects? The SR100 and 125 and SR200 and 225 all have the OFC pure copper in the voice coils and they are the same dimensions.

 

[DanG]

Beagle, despite the bold language, you really haven't provided much actual evidence to support your claim. Sure, the name doesn't matter and neither does the number on the headphone, but there's a lot more in play than that. Consider the difference between the Grado RS-1 and the Alessandro Music Series Pro. Both use the same enclosure -- both wooden, both the same size. Both use the same headphone cable. Both use the same inernal cabling and, as far as I know, both even use the same driver. Yet the Music Series Pro, according to John Grado, was "tweaked" for a sound more suited to the recording studio.

The difference between the two headphones is dramatic (well, to headphone enthusiasts like us, anyway). How can we account for this? The wooden button on the back of the RS-1? I strongly doubt it.

There's a lot that goes on in the headphone that we might not specifically know about, many tweaks we might not notice even if we were to open up the headphones unless we knew what we were looking for.

All I can say is this -- I've heard the SR100 and SR125, and they are not the same headphone. I've heard the Grado RS-1, MS Pro, and HP-1, and they are not the same headphone.