[Dr Evil Dan]

So I have had a pair of Grado SR-80s for a while now, and am extremely pleased with the way they sound (forget frequency response and all that), and so I think it is time to move up to something higher up on the Grado chain. Since it is almost christmas time, I think I want something in the area of the RS-2. I will be buying used, most likely from HeadFi's very own Buy/Sell forum. My question is, is it possible to find a pair of RS-2s for 300USD roughly, and if not, what headphone in the Grado line sounds similar to it (again, I am not looking for statistics, more like subjective opinions). I know this isn't the trading forum, but if you have something I might be interested in, post it anyways (if it isn't against forum rules).
Thanks

 

[lacrossebowe8]

I think it will be tough to find the rs2 for 300. You will find the 325's for much less than that. I would say an rs2 will run at least 350. I think the rs2 is better than the 325 but I have not heard both back to back.

 

[rockbottom]

325i's will be around $225~$250 used. RS-2s will be quite a bit more, like lacrossebowe8 said, around $350+. For me, personally I decided that I'd eventually one day go for RS-1s anyways, so I went straight for them, but you'd probably feel differently

 

[Uncle Erik]

The RS-2 usually runs a little more than $300 and they don't come up for sale that often. You could be waiting awhile.

The SR-325i is in your price range, as is the Alessandro MS-2i. Run a few searches on the MS-2i - you might like the sound of it.

Another headphone you should consider is the Beyerdynamic DT880. It is forward like a Grado, with loads of detail, but is more neutral overall. It is a different sound, but if you like Grado, there's a good chance you'll like the DT880, too.

 

[Dr Evil Dan]

I heard the the 325i are good, but that they are really mostly for listening to rock and roll. I do listen to rock, but I also listen to a lot of trip hop style music (massive attack and the like), and as a result, I need a headphone with less treble and more bass, like the SR-80. In short, I dont want a headphone that sounds different that the SR-80, just better. I looked at the DT880, but those have way too high impedance, and to be honest, I dont want a neutral headphone, I want a "musical" one. Grados just happen to sound the way I want them to for the music that I listen to.
With that out of the way, say my budget was 350, and that someone had an RS2 for sale. Would it be worth it to get that over the Alessandro? Would the Alessandro sound the way I want? Finally, would the SR225 be worth looking at?