[Sutton]

I'm looking at getting one of the lower end Grado's to use with an iPod, I tried my HD650's on the iPod but it was totally impractical as I expected. I have read that the Grado's sound good from an iPod and that they are great for rock music which is what I mainly listen to.

My budget is £100 or less and I'm looking to buy new, so I'm looking at either the SR60's or SR80's possibly the SR125's if they are vastly superior.

What are the key differences between these 'phones?

Would they be a good choice for listening music like AC/DC, U2, Led Zep, Nirvana, Pink Floyd and Radiohead?

How does the Grado sound signature compare to Sennheiser's?

Thanks

 

[Deiz]

Grados are easy to drive to volume, but difficult to drive well. Due to their low impedance, the amplifier needs large amounts of current to throw around, which the iPod certainly does not provide.

The Grado sound signature works well with rock, and as for Grado versus Sennheiser, you're on the opposite ends of the scale.

The Sennheiser sound is laid-back and smooth, with soundstage in spades. To make analogy, they're like a plush leather couch at the edge of a jazz club. On the other hand, Grados have a narrow sound stage, limited but punchy bass, and are generally in your face. To continue my analogy, the Grado sound is standing in the front row at a concert, feet from the stage.

 

[Bullseye]

Well i have personally tried sr60, sr80, sr125 and i now own sr225. (Also tried rs2 but very pricey for me at the time of buying)

I like how bowls fit & sound, i listen mostly to metal (except doom metal

, and bit of folk metal) , and the grados sound amazing with them. I haven't heard senns, because grados gave me what i was looking for.

Between sr60 and sr80 the differences are noticeable (there is not a WoW factor when going from sr60 to sr80). When i tested both they had already passed the burn in process. I liked more the sr80, i felt the sound was warmer. I tried the sr60 with bowls and for the price of getting the bowls you can get the sr80 with that little improvement they have over the sr60.

On the other hand the sr125 sounded more like the sr80 but with harsher highs. Due to the highs being more "pronounced" the bass sounded a bit muddy (or it was covered by the highs). At least that is from my personal experience in the 2.30 hours I spent listening to the sr60, sr80, sr125 & rs2 (at the Hi-Fi shop)

In the end, though i went for the sr225 I am listening to now. They have around ~4 hours of burn in, and I find the SQ better than the sr80 (not exaggerated difference though, but definitely audible (for me t is

) EDIT: I'd say that the SQ difference between sr60 & sr80 and sr125&sr225 is more pronounced on the latter.

So my personal choice for your case would be sr80>sr60 (with/without bowls)>sr125, being the sr60>sr125 due to price/SQ. Hope this helps

Before owning these sr225s I would have definitely gone for the sr80s. They have excellent SQ/Price

If you wanna hear about senns wait for another member to "praise" them

 

[Sutton]

Thanks Deiz that was a good analogy, I think I would definitely enjoy the Grado sound based on how you described them.

So if the iPod is not very good at driving them, I guess I should go for the SR60's as the higher models would be a bit of a waste of money when listening through an iPod?

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutton /img/forum/go_quote.gif So if the iPod is not very good at driving them, I guess I should go for the SR60's as the higher models would be a bit of a waste of money when listening through an iPod?

No not at all. Grados sound fantastic out of an iPod, possibly more so than any other manufacturer. I would go with either the SR-80's or save up a bit more and go for the SR-225's. With the 80's you get the better pads over the 60's, and the 225 is the sweet spot in the lineup. I would take the 225 over the 125 every time.

If you like rock then you're going to love the Grados. I predict you'll own an RS-1 within six months.

 

[Deiz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif No not at all. Grados sound fantastic out of an iPod, possibly more so than any other manufacturer. I would go with either the SR-80's or save up a bit more and go for the SR-225's. With the 80's you get the better pads over the 60's, and the 225 is the sweet spot in the lineup. I would take the 225 over the 125 every time. If you like rock then you're going to love the Grados. I predict you'll own an RS-1 within six months.

The bass isn't there without a proper amplifier. That's where the high current capability of a good amplifier comes in.

 

[supersleuth]

I agree with Deiz. My SR80s sound very noticeably better from the headphone jack of my Marantz CD5001 (which uses the same high-current opamp as Grado's RA1 amp) than out of even my "15 watt loud sound" Sony PCDP. A less powerful Sony PCDP I formerly had would even clip quite audibly with the Grados.

A simple, cheap CMoy would do wonders for Grado performance out of a portable. I'd consider it almost essential. Grados, contrary to popular belief, are substantially less sensitive than most other popular low-impedance cans.

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deiz /img/forum/go_quote.gif The bass isn't there without a proper amplifier. That's where the high current capability of a good amplifier comes in.

Not a true statement at all, especially when it comes to Grado and Audio-Technica.

 

[Sutton]

Hmm, I think I should wait a little and get the SR225's then. But im also tempted to get the SR80's right now...

I could get the SR225's sent from Headroom to the UK for roughly £165 including shipping. They are a well respected retailer I think as well?

Or I could get the SR80's from a UK retailer for £100.

How much better are the 225's over the 80's? Is it worth £65/$100 more considering I have only just bought HD650's a week ago and I'm struggling to justify the extra cost...

 

[az2123]

I was in your position a year ago and I chose the SR80s. The main difference between the SR60s and the SR80s are the pads (flats for the SR60s and bowls for the SR80s), so it depends on which pads you prefer. The SR80s up to the RS-1s all have bowls because it offers better SQ, but the flats are more comfortable. The SR125s are often ignored because most ppl feel that they sound too similar to the SR80s to justify the $50 premium (and the because SR225s are only $50 more than SR125s). Hope this helps!

 

[Sutton]

After reading this thread through again and doing some more reading on the web, I have settled on the SR225's because they will make an excellent partner to my my HD650's due to them being totally different and because they will last me years whereas the SR80's would probably make me want to upgrade after a while.

Thanks for all the info & advice

Edit: I just saw that the SR225 doesnt come with a jack adapter for smaller sockets, thats a bit lame for such expensive 'phones. Can I use the one that came with my sennheiser's as I cant find the grado adapter in the uk...

 

[Bullseye]

Good choice. I am listening to my sr225 atm and I love them. They have around 5 hours of burn in, so imagine when they have x10

 

[apatN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutton /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much better are the 225's over the 80's? Is it worth £65/$100 more considering I have only just bought HD650's a week ago and I'm struggling to justify the extra cost...

What's that 65£ worth these days anyway. Get the 225s!

 

[Sutton]

Where can I get the jack adaptor for my iPod though? Apparantly they only come with the massive connector. Does it have to be the official grado adapter or will any be ok?

 

[Deiz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutton /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where can I get the jack adaptor for my iPod though? Apparantly they only come with the massive connector. Does it have to be the official grado adapter or will any be ok?

Anything will do. The adapter provided with the 650s will do very well, as it's a cable. On the other hand, you can get 1/4"-jack-to- 1/8"-plug adapters that have no cable, and they result in a 3" protrusion out the bottom of your iPod. Not fun.

To quote Kevin Gilmore's notes on the Dynalo, regarding Grado bass when driven by low-current amplifiers: "Grado headphones, for me, are terribly uncomfortable, but my amp sure makes them sound nice. (The ones in the picture are the SR225; I also have a pair of HP-1.) They are the only low impedance headphones out there that I know of. Most if not all of the standard opamp-only headphone amps have trouble driving Grados with any decent bass, because they want a high current output. This amplifier can output up to 0.5W into a 32-ohm load - which is unbelievably loud for the Grados."

"This amp gives the Grados and Etymotic Canalphones a fuller and much more upfront sound than the built-in headphone jacks on various players - the bass has a snap to it that it never used to have. And the image moves from around your head to the center of your nose. The Etymotics tend to sound kind of thin and distant with other amps. In general, I have to say that this amp produces bass that is much more solid - similar to putting the microphone in front of a bass violin instead of inside it."