[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn you came from a hardcore background of Senn lovin' so don't be surprised that you can't betray that camp for Grado, its polar opposite. there is a ton of difference between the two, down to the circumaural vs. supraaural thing. some folks just can't reconcile the two, no shame in that. probably the best thing to do is to stick with senn and use that grado can cash for senn cable mods.

Listen to Jahn. I'm a Grado man myself and for the most part, I just don't "get" what the fuss is about Sennheisers (mostly. I do like a few offerings). Grados quite literally are the polar opposite of Senns, so I wouldn't waste too much time debating whether it's you or the cans. Grado headphones have the ability to make someone fall in love or turn tail almost instantly... and most people seem to retain that first impression. Sell them 225's (shouldn't lose much on the "rental") or better yet, return them if possible and take a stab at something else!

 

[carlosgp]

I've just got a pair of grado flats and I have to say that I love my HF-1 with them. Rock'n'roll!!! Try your SR-225 with flats before ditching them. I'm not still a convert but my HF-1 will see a lot more action for sure.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlosgp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've just got a pair of grado flats and I have to say that I love my HF-1 with them. Rock'n'roll!!! Try your SR-225 with flats before ditching them. I'm not still a convert but my HF-1 will see a lot more action for sure.

Why did you go for flats? I'm using a pair of HF-1 with bowls and I'm loving them already!

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why did you go for flats? I'm using a pair of HF-1 with bowls and I'm loving them already!

not everyone likes the sound with bowls.
swapping to flats changes the sound of the headphones.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif not everyone likes the sound with bowls. swapping to flats changes the sound of the headphones.

I personally thought the "gold" SR325i was the odd one out: bowls sounded better than flats.

However, I preferred flats on the SR60 and SR80, which might also mean I'd prefer the SR225 with flats.

 

[Duggeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif not everyone likes the sound with bowls. swapping to flats changes the sound of the headphones.

During my time with the HF-1 i found no substantial or worthwhile difference in any pad configuration I tried. But then I'm absolutely certain from my time with them that I'm NOT a Grado boy.

 

[carlosgp]

In my opinion, there are big differences between all configurations: bowls, reversed bowls, taped bowls, vwaps, flats. Difference between bowls and flats is huge

. Of course, doesn't matter which pad you use: a grado will always be a grado.

 

[Davesrose]

It sounds like you need an in between from the Sennheiser 650 and the Grado 225. My suggestion would be the Sennheiser 595!!!! I'm listening to my first Grados, the SR60s.....and well I find the 595s have a lot more impact. Even for most hard rock, I actually like the 595s more. The only genre I've found that I like the SR60s for is techno and trance. Other then that, they're quite boring because they have rolled off bass and not as much definition as the 595s. They just have slightly more treble/ hence they seem just barely suited for trance or heavy metal. I wanted to try Grados for harder stuff.....and well everyone warned me about being a Sennheiser person that I should start off with the MS-1s....that my ears would be too sensitive to the Grado brightness. Well I gotta say, my next Grado that I want to try is the infamous 325!!!!! That might be the only one that could beat a Sennheiser for most rock genres....to my ears anyway. I like a full range of tonality.....and the 595s seem to do a pretty good job on my system: especially with SACDs.

The 595s use very similar drivers to the 580s and 600s. It's just that they're angled towards the ears, so they seem brighter and more forward. Not as forward as a Grado....and they still have bass: hence why I like them best for electronica and alternative. That's why I want to try the 325s.....while they're the brightest of the Grados, they also have more deep bass then the 225s.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlosgp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Difference between bowls and flats is huge . Of course, doesn't matter which pad you use: a grado will always be a grado.

Depends what your definition of huge is but it is certainly very noticeable. The difference between bowls and flats is bigger than the diff between say bowls and HD414/vwaps...

 

[Azure]

Yup, sounds like the Grado sound isn't for you. Give up on them (and don't waste any more money on flat pads and what not) and try some other circumaural cans/semi-closed cans (such as those DT770s).

 

[chadbang]

Shame about the Grados. And I was actually thinking about auditioning 225's. What was I thinking: I couldn't stand the 80s. Some people enamoured with the signature Grado sound: Rush Limbaugh, Beethoven, Alexander Grahamn Bell.... Agreed: don't waste time tweaking with pads. Or if you want to tweak, put a 1/2" of cotton in each ear before listening. Should do wonders with the sibilance.

 

[HiWire]

It's those frickin' bowls that are the culprit, I suspect. I got the same kind of inner-ear pain from using bowls at low volume on my HP-2s, and they're supposed to be absolutely neutral, to the point of boredom for some Head-Fiers.

Flat pads and a tube amp might soften the blow... also consider Alessandros. I came from the Sennheiser camp myself (about 9 years of listening experience) and didn't have much trouble adapting to the MS-1 with stock comfy pads.

 

[F107plus5]

I'm having really good luck using bowls normally on my MS2i(I like reversed and modded 414s on my MS-1s for comfort, although the bowls do sound a teeny bit better)but it seems as though everybody hears differently with different ears of different sizes and different ages and different cans on different systems with different musical tastes.

Almost as though there are no hard and fast rules that could be quoted for Grado/Alessandro pad usage.

 

[sxr71]

try them with different types of music. I find that Grados can sound really good with certain types of music. If you do not have anything in your collection where this is the case, then get rid of them. Don't waste your time and find something that works. If you want something that roughly approximates the character (of course at a lower level) of lower-end Grados just get a pair of $12 Koss KSC-75s.

 

[F107plus5]

The Grado/KSC75 comparison is a good one. I can go back and forth between MS2i and KSC75 without feeling any undue sonic shock.

A happy couple!