[coolvij]

now hold on just one blasted second......duncan - do you really think the 125s with your D777 sound better than your Senn/Xcans combo?

If so......i'll be gettin a Pana 570, Grado SR80/125, and a lot of happiness. Even if people challenge my decision (TOO MUCH MONEY, etc., etc.), i'll have an alibi - so Brit named Duncan says this sounds good, so HA!

But seriously - does the Grado really sound that good?

 

[flashbak]

DanG,
I resent your statement 'No syrupy goop that you get with the RS-1'.

Your discription is the first I've heard that discribed the RS1's that way. Sir, as the owner of a pair of RS1's I can certainly attest to the fact that they indeed are not 'syrupy goop'!

 

[Duncan]

to me... yeah... but... for different things...

Rock, and Dance / Trance music... the Grado / Sony combo sounds brilliant... upfront, punchy... loud... just the way I like it, but for more conservative genres, the Senns / X-Cans still have it... more laid back and refined...

I think my point is, that comparitavely the Grado combo is of more value than the Senn one...

Total cost of Grado setup : $620 (as new)
Total cost of Senn setup : $1150 (as new) (incl CDP and ICs)

You don't get twice as much sound quality for double the cost

Hope thats cleared that up

 

[DanG]

Okay, flash (not Gordon

), maybe I did go a bit overboard with that description. But compared to the MSP, the RS-1 does have a sound that is warmer, less detailed, and midrange-emphasized. Overall, this makes the RS-1 a less-balanced headphone, in my opinion.

 

[Apheared]

Sigh.... I didn't want to get into this... BUT oh well. I have most of them; short of RS2s and SR40s. I have duplicates of 80s, 125s and 325s. (and a pair of 225s we're still not sure what they are, if you read HW) Anyway...

125s to 325s. BIG STEP. Not sideways. Vertical and forward. Much much bigger than the 80s to 125s step. Especially if you want sharp detail and more bass. And POWER HANDLING. Bass notes that will cave in the 60s-225s sound just fine on 325s... in fact, I'd say these will take more power than any other Grado. I know I'm the only person listening to 200mW+ but there you have it, the 325s will slap back without the sound collapsing beyond that. The others won't. (I dunno about the RS1s, I'm afraid to blast a headphone worth this much when it's not under warranty... someone give me a new set so I can blow them intentionally please)

325s to RS1s. Hmm. No. I wouldn't. I like the RS1s well enough, they're incredible. But as Vert says the 325 fits me MUCH MUCH more than RS1. I could sell the RS1s easily. The 325s you'd have to kill me. I'd get rid of every other phone I have before giving these up. But that's me.

 

[Matt]

...of the 'phones in question.

I first bought the 125s because I found I had some extra cash in my pocket, so I traded up. WOW, what a difference (the sound you're hearing now). Then I said to myself, "well, if there was that much difference between those two steps, I'd be willing to pay another fifty for the next step. I did get the 225s and I did not regret it. I am not ultra-rich, but the difference was worth it.

The difference was that the bass felt much more "sorted out" and less of a muddle with the mids. To me, it was worth the fifty dollars.

The only other higher model I've heard (which I now own and have experience with) is the RS-1s and I must say that I am enjoying the sound of these cans even more that the 225s and below (I've owned from the 80s on up, as described). The most wonderful thing to me, so far, is the absolutely holographic soundstage, which really does the trick of putting one "in" the recording. This can be altered depending on your equiptment, including the cables you use.

As everyone has said so far, it is a far smoother sounding phone, a very pleasing difference to me. I can't say I was 100 percent pleased with the 225s, as they were revealing of the "digital edge" on CDs in a not-terribly-pleasant way. But were talking minutia here, especially if you're relatively new to all of this.

I would say your best bet is probably the 325s, based on what I've heard. They're top-of-the-line in the SR series (you can pride yourself on that) and from all reports, they sound great. Plus, they've got that kewl metal look which I'd go for in a second if I wanted a second pair of cans.

- Matt

 

[Vertigo-1]

Quote:

But if you listen to classical music which actually requires balanced musicality, the MSP and HP-1 are far better.

I agree, and understand where you're coming from, even having not heard the MSP. But I'm saying IN COMPARISON to the RS-1, the MSP can sound dry and bright...(I'm gleening off of what Vka told me in the past, I think he described the MSP vs. RS-1 issue the same way I do) If a person never heard a RS-1 and got the MSP, they'd probably describe it as you do.

Whatever I say tends to always be in comparison...like jude said, I'm "loyal to no single headphone".

It's very possible I think to turn the RS-1s into syrupy goop...just pair them with an Earmax Pro, and voila...instant thick chocalate milkshake!

But otherwise, pair the RS-1 with a solid state amp (like its own soulmate the RA-1) and the midrange will sound very analog-like. Just plain old warm and smooth. No doubting though, the RS-1s DO have a more pronounced midrange than the rest of the Grado lineup.

Strangely, it seems all the high end dynamic headphones really do strive for the analog taste by increasing the warmth of the midrange...this could be said for the Sennheiser HD-600s, Grado RS-1, and Sony MDR-R10.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

it seems all the high end dynamic headphones really do strive for the analog taste by increasing the warmth of the midrange...this could be said for the Sennheiser HD-600s, Grado RS-1, and Sony MDR-R10.

Color is good, unless you plan on using the cans for pro work, like Mike

 

[SumB]

I wouldn't describe the RS-1/Earmax combo as syrupy or thick. More like inviting yet dynamic. Now if you want to talk the MG-Head/RS-1....

 

[flashbak]

Apheared,
Dude, due to your response I'm considering ordering a pair of the 325's for comparison against my RS1's. Jeeze, if there as good as you say I can sell off the RS1's. Are they really that good?

 

[Neruda]

Want to see something interesting? Check these out...

Do you see the similarities? A drop-off in bass after about 70Hz, a slight hump around 100Hz, a relitavely smooth slope to about 2kHz, and a peaky treble (there also seems to be a lack of treble extension, particularly in the SR225 and RS-2). Judging from the frequency response alone, I would say the Grado line is very similar (chances are they all use the same drivers, or at least very similar drivers, and the changes in sound come from different housings or cables). Now obviously there is a lot of stuff that frequency response doesn't tell you, such as transparency and whatnot. But no matter what model you get, you're sure to get that trademark grado sound!

 

[coolvij]

neruda - i am about to get the SR80s now......about to.

 

[Neruda]

they're a great set of phones, man. personally, I like them a lot more than the SR60's. I like having that extra bass response in comparison, because it makes them better for rock. I'e never regretted buying them, I just wish they were more comfortable and that their damn cable didn't keep getting twisted up!

 

[KurtW]

Neruda, thanks for putting up these graphs, very interesting! These look like the new Headroom graphs, but I haven't seen them on their website. They do have a very interesting one on their "taste" of their new website which compares the SR60 to the HD600 and K501. I have all three of these and I think that graph pretty much tells it like it is. As you mentioned there is a lot more to sound than frequency response, and a good frequency response curve doesn't mean that it will sound good, but deviations from flat response are audible and meaningful. This confirms my comment in my eariler Grado Shootout post that the SR125, 225 and 325 all have boosted treble over the SR60 (although you didn't show the graph of this one), 80 and RS-2.

I bought some used SR80s recently and agree that they have better bass than the SR60, and with the comfy pads ($10 from Headroom) I like them quite a bit...better than the 125, 225 and 325 (because I don't like the treble boost of these) but not as well as the RS-2. I borrowed some SR225s once and couldn't stand to listen to them on a lot of material. I usually use an amp but I tried the SR80 with the portable Panasonic SL-SX510 directly and thought they still were somewhat better than the SR60. I didn't get any of the murkiness that Headroom mentions, but maybe the CD player makes a difference.

 

[Neruda]

Although the new site isn't really up yet (tyll's working furiously on doing the finishing touches), you can view it here: http://207.66.131.158/headroom2/layout.php

personally kurt, I agree with you. The SR80's can sometimes have too much bass, but I think it mainly depends on the music. I've never found the bass to be at all muddy.