Plastic, Metal, Or Wood Grados?

[Artguy]

It might seem like a strange question, but I am ready to buy Grado cans and am thinking of either 225's, 325i or RS1 or RS2. I am using 701 cans with WooAudio3 and Heed Canamp, with computer as source and also a Sony SCD-CE595. Now, I have read many of the comparos of these phones, but my question is centered on materials used for the sound chamber. Is plastic, wood, or metal fundamantally better for a musical, lively sound. I have the 701's and like those cans for most things, but think the grados may have something to offer in the rock/Jazz/vocal genres. So, as the grado line progresses we go from plastic to metal and end up with wood. Does anyone who has done the Grado shuffle, upgrading to finally end up with one of the RS-1 or 2 cans think that part of the reason for the improvement in the sound had to do with the material of the sound chamber? If so, I should not consider the plastic, but maybe the metal and certainly the wood. Any ideas? I am also considering the MS2 and MSPRo Allesandro. Feel free to add them in your comments relating to the subject. Thanks, this is a great forum...

 

[003]

Go for metal. HP1000 or PS-1

 

[Chris_Himself]

doubt the guy has around 900 bucks to spend. it seriously depends, i seriously think a pair of of SR225s is pretty much the sweet spot for Grados, or RS-2 if youre up there.

i cant really justify spending 700 on some RS-1s and like another 500 on an amp to realize their potential.

im still new here but i believe a lot of people say the SR325i cans contain uncomfortable highs but i think after proper burn in and placed with a good amp/better music.

The RS-2s for me are as high as ill go with the Grado line if i ever decide to go with wood, but i typically treat my stuff like crap unintentionally, so its your call. the air chamber is slightly smaller than the RS-1 but otherwise, mahogany is mahogany isnt it?

people tell me they can run their SR225s fine out of the Zune/pc and still be happy with them. so basically ill get a little better when running them out of my microshar i just ordered. PA2V2 is going to another home.

im probably assuming the Alessandro guys are going to swarm in and totally disregard any of the grados ive mentioned, but i mean Bill from goodcans.com, a predominantly Grado reseller, told me that he had a conversation with John Grado about the Alessandro line possibly being a threat to the Grados from which they are based, and he said that the Grado signature sound is more relaxed in the MS series and if you are going to buy a pair of Grados wouldnt you want to give the V-shaped frequency response a try?

im actually reading this and am pretty surprised at how far ive come in the past month here.

 

[Bozz_Keren]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris_Himself /img/forum/go_quote.gif doubt the guy has around 900 bucks to spend. it seriously depends, i seriously think a pair of of SR225s is pretty much the sweet spot for Grados, or RS-2 if youre up there. i cant really justify spending 700 on some RS-1s and like another 500 on an amp to realize their potential. im still new here but i believe a lot of people say the SR325i cans contain uncomfortable highs but i think after proper burn in and placed with a good amp/better music. The RS-2s for me are as high as ill go with the Grado line if i ever decide to go with wood, but i typically treat my stuff like crap unintentionally, so its your call. the air chamber is slightly smaller than the RS-1 but otherwise, mahogany is mahogany isnt it? people tell me they can run their SR225s fine out of the Zune/pc and still be happy with them. so basically ill get a little better when running them out of my microshar i just ordered. PA2V2 is going to another home. im probably assuming the Alessandro guys are going to swarm in and totally disregard any of the grados ive mentioned, but i mean Bill from goodcans.com, a predominantly Grado reseller, told me that he had a conversation with John Grado about the Alessandro line possibly being a threat to the Grados from which they are based, and he said that the Grado signature sound is more relaxed in the MS series and if you are going to buy a pair of Grados wouldnt you want to give the V-shaped frequency response a try? im actually reading this and am pretty surprised at how far ive come in the past month here.

x2
i think alessandro's line up is more for allround use, wide genres

 

[Artguy]

Well, so far no real opinions on the audio character of plastic, metal and wood in the Grado line. I really have already read quite a few comparisons of the cans in the Grado line, but I really want to hear what owners have to say about the sound differences between the materials in the sound chamber. Please only respond if you have heard the cans yourself and can compare them based on the materials. Thanks...

 

[kramer5150]

Wood for me. I was happily enjoying the MS2 and SR40. Then I bought the HF1, and spent some time with an RS1 at a meet and I knew they were the cans for me. I haven't felt the need to upgrade in 2 years. next step from here is a K701, in the event that my A250 dies (but the AKG would be more of a side-grade than an upgrade IMHO). So I'm in no hurry.

What you're asking is nearly impossible. In order to compare acoustic properties of materials, you would have to take a stock RS1, and compare it with an RS1 driver modded 325i and an RS1 driver modded SR225.

So... in all you would need:
3 x RS1
1 x 325i
1 x 225
You'd have the daunting task of pulling the RS1 drivers and mount them in the 225 and 325i, not an easy task (IMHO).

You could go the cheaper route:
3 x SR225
1 x 325i
1 x RS1
Drop the 225 drivers in the 325i and RS1... but the 225 drivers might not be revealing enough to completely expose the differences in earcup materials.

So....

FTW

 

[BrookR1]

Regarding materials. I'm not an audio engineer, so I can't say how each material has an impact (if any) on the sound. I can only describe the differences I hear between the three. They all sound very good, especially at their respective price points.

But, aside from sound, there is something very psychologically pleasing about holding, smelling, and wearing the leather and mahogany. I feel almost privileged wearing them. And when I place them on my head, that primes me to enjoy the music. And then when the warmth (whether created by the actual wood or not) comes through in the sound, it's just a perfect fit. Perfect for jazz. When I put the plastic on, it's all business. Just deliver the sound to me, and don't get in my way.

Kind of sick, I know, but the material really creates a personality for the headphones. I don't get the same feelings when I put my HD600s on even though they sound very good. They're made out of plastic and I don't treat them with the same respect even though they're more comfortable and sound excellent.

 

[Killercrush]

There's a few comments about wood vs metal here.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...rs-1+ps-1+jazz

 

[Chris_Himself]

honestly though John Grado also stated that the SR60s are already 75 percent of the RS-1 sound. that really makes me admire some of the Head-Fiers' ears.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris_Himself /img/forum/go_quote.gif honestly though John Grado also stated that the SR60s are already 75 percent of the RS-1 sound.

I agree with this... as long as youre plugging them into an MP3 player or home theater receiver. That number reduces dramatically however when you scale up source and amplification.

 

[Chris_Himself]

oh btw what part of san jose do you live in, maybe we can arrange for me to see the RS-1s in person one of these days? =)

i live on saratoga and moorpark

 

[F107plus5]

I certainly agree with the personality aspect of the different materials. I can't say that I hear a difference in sound going from my apples plastic MS-1 to my oranges aluminum MS2i, but the feelings I get seeing all that pretty high tech machined aluminum sure can't hurt!

 

[tbonner1]

Quote:

i seriously think a pair of of SR225s is pretty much the sweet spot for Grados

You can "upgrade" later with Headphile wood and cable

 

[Artguy]

So, what I am getting so far is that the materials have no effect on the sonic signature of the sound, but rather on the perception of quality to the owner. So wood and metal appeals to the aesthetic quality, but plastic sounds just as good? Therefore, the only issues here are the drivers and the physical design of the aucoustic chamber housing. Is that right?

 

[unclejr]

Hey Artguy,

I suspect you might have a curiosity about this question that is similar to my own, which I've asked about in a few forms:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=244057
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=238373

So the material of the air chamber is important, in theory. Ok, all of this will be discussed "in theory," so bear with me a sec. My working hypothesis, if you will, is that the resonant properties, rigidity, air chamber size, and to some degree, uniformity all contribute to the sonic character. There are other pertinent qualities that one could talk about, but I think these are among the most important.

So, the properties of a plastic chamber would include a price:rigidity ratio that's excellent for the consumer to keep costs down. However I suspect that any polymer material may be subject to more resonant frequencies, due to its character as a composite, though it becomes "one" material in production. Again, this is just a theory; probably a wrong one!

The metal chamber is more expensive to produce, will give great rigidity, is more easily uniform in terms of shape and also more uniform throughout the material, but man when you hit its resonant frequency, which I suspect to be very high, this might account for the perceived brightness of these phones. I'm really talkin' out of my (cl)ass right now.

And finally, wood in these amounts and shape is probably less rigid than both plastic and metal. It's damned difficult to produce properly in comparison, and yet it has a pleasing sonic character that is reminiscent of wooden instruments -- anything with a wooden air chamber. It's not all that unreasonable to find clarinets, oboes, recorders (ha), and the entire violin family sounding "at home" with wooden air chambers. After all, the air is, at the very least, being pushed through a space that is confined by a similar material. I hope no one is falling out of their chairs at this "explanation."

Anyway, because the drivers are different across these lines, by and large, then direct comparison, as Kramer points out very saliently in one of those other threads, becomes quite difficult, as multiple variables make the judgment of the particular contribution of the chamber materials to be fuzzy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, so far no real opinions on the audio character of plastic, metal and wood in the Grado line. I really have already read quite a few comparisons of the cans in the Grado line, but I really want to hear what owners have to say about the sound differences between the materials in the sound chamber. Please only respond if you have heard the cans yourself and can compare them based on the materials. Thanks...