[Nasir]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking to get one of these for purchase very soon. This will be my first purchase of "good" headphones, so I don't want to purchase something I'll end up regretting.

I'll be unamped at first, but hope to get one within a few weeks from the headphone purchase. My source will be foobar2000 on my PC, 192kbps or higher MP3s.

Music I'll be playing on it: rock (progressive, alternative, hard, post-harcore, indie, punk) and metal (progressive, power metal, heavy metal, speed metal).

So what I'm asking is how do these three headphones compare to each other? Also, how much do HF-1's typically go for?

I'll probably make a new thread for amps recommendations in the Amplification forum in the future, but if you have any suggestions right off the bat, feel free to let me know.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Other. MS2i.

 

[cary]

Depends somewhat how highly you rank Metal. If it weighs heavily towards most of your listening music, then 325i hands down. For some older metal and general rock, I'm a HF-1 guy.

There is no standard accepted price for HF-1s. They at one time ran up to $500 but it is generally accepted that that was irrationally high, driven by supply and demand factors unique to this community. The prices have come down quite a bit, and range more appropriately between $250 and $350, $250 obviously being a good price. I have one for sale now that I bought for $300.

By the way, the same factors have been at work in other legendary Grado cans. HP-1s years ago could be found as cheaply as $350, then shot up to as high as $1700 for a pristine set and now command a price between $850 and $1100, depending on who you are dealing with and how much they were bought for.

 

[jrussell6]

i don't have any comparison knowledge, but i do have a pair of 325i's and listen to them unamped. LOVE THEM,, just pulled the trigger on headrooms total bithead and shure e500's, time to test out this amping thing

 

[TheMarsVolta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT Other. MS2i.

X2

But for your music tastes you can't really go wrong with any of your choices.

 

[Nasir]

I sort of ruled out the MS2i, because of reading that it was more of a "laid-back" headphone compared to, at least, the SR325i, and I'd be okay with getting something for that type of music later on anyway. Correct me if my intuition was bad or I misunderstood what I was reading, etc. I'm a real "newbie" at this hobby.

 

[J-Pak]

Yeah the MS2i compared to Grados is more laid back. I'd take the HF-1 or SR-225 over them for rock.

 

[Nasir]

What about actual sound quality? Are the SR325i and the HF-1 at about the same level? The HF-1 and the SR225? Are the SR325i headphones much better than the SR225s? What are the three's strongpoints?

EDIT: Or really, what I would like to know is why I should choose one of the three over the others. I see a lot of HF-1 votes right now, but I haven't really found a thread here that says why they're better than, say, the SR325i's, so if you guys could explain to me why, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Rob80b]

Directly comparing the Sr225 and SR325i’s with a good source and amplification, the SR325i is much better, first thing I noticed was the increased stage width and depth, highs were better defined as well as instrument separation. The bass had better control, I found the SR225 was a little sloppier; making you at first think there was more.
All in all the SR325i is a more sophisticated phone, sound wise and build.
I’ve seen a lot a post where the SR325i’s are overly bright but I have never experienced it, so depending on your source and amplification the SR225’s may be a better choice, but not in the long run.
I should also mention the Corda Headfive (a real bargain in terms of amps) has a good synergy with the SR325i’s and one would think also with other Grados.

 

[Nasir]

Okay, thanks for the info.

What about the the HF-1 and the SR325i?

 

[grawk]

I'd rank them:

1. hf-1
2. sr225
3. steaming pile of poo
4. dried out pile of poo
5. sr325i

 

[GlendaleViper]

If you want another take on the 225, I'd like to pipe in that it is probably the overall better value out of the bunch. My 225 actually grew on me over time and while you can certainly recognize its own shortcomings, I find it just a little more fun than the HF-1. When I got to hear 325is, they immediately stood out as a superior can to the 225, but the brightness was too much for my tastes.

Of course, this is a simple opinion from a 225 owner, so just my two cents.

Were you planning on beefing it up with an amp or anything? This is an important consideration for all three of these headphones. They run great unamped, but there's so much wasted potential!

 

[Nasir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk I'd rank them: 1. hf-1 2. sr225 3. steaming pile of poo 4. dried out pile of poo 5. sr325i

Okay, so another viewpoint on the SR225s and the 325i's. Would you mind elaborating on why the 325i is so low for you? Thanks.

 

[Nasir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper Were you planning on beefing it up with an amp or anything? This is an important consideration for all three of these headphones. They run great unamped, but there's so much wasted potential!

Yes, I plan to get an amp a few weeks down the road (can't immediately, not enough money to do so).

 

[MdRex]

The SR325i hands down, I am fortunate enough to own both the HF-1 aand SR325i at the same time right now and at the rate the HF-1 is going for (>$300), it is not worth that much money for a pair with respect to it's sound quality. The news of SR325i brightness is so over-rated, the HF-1 is actually brighter than the SR325i, the SR325i are airy, but the HF-1 has a less extended treble but a peaky 7k-10k frequency. HF-1 is only good for sentimental reasons. The SR325i is better in everyway, better imaging, deeper bass, more extended highs.

Get a new source, amp and better rip of your digital music.