[knolly]

Hey!

First post on these forums - what an absolutely awesome site!

Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi!" as a recent 325iS owner (s/n 2813) but long time Grado headphone owner. I bought my first Grados in 1996 - a set of SR60s - that I still have today.

A while ago, I decided that I wanted to upgrade to a set of either 225s or 325s and - of course - started reading every review I could find. Some said that the 225 was the sweet spot of the Prestige series and that the 325s were too bright. Others said that the 325s were awesome, but a love it or hate it kind of head phone.

Anyway, I decided to purchase a set of 225is: after listening to them for a few days, I knew right away that they were not for me. I went out and bought a set of 325iSs as well (from the same retailer) and after one day of H2H listening, the 225is were returned (burn in be damned - the difference was obvious!). Despite what some people might say, IMHO the 325iS is a vastly superior headphone and absolutely worth the 50% price increase. That's not to say that the 225i was bad - of course it was very detailed like all Grado headphones - but I found it very dark and it lacked the presentation that the 325iS has. In fact, I almost preferred the sound from my old SR60s than the 225i, even if they weren't as detailed, because the sound was much more enjoyable and not so dark.

Long story short, I'm now a happy 325iS owner! Also, after reading through this site, I found out that my "kind of old" Gen 5 iPod is considered to be one of the better ones for sound quality (as is my wife's new iPhone 3GS): I have - however - found that the iPod is marginal at driving the 325iSs, so I guess I'm in the market for a portable amp

Any suggestions? Some that have caught my eye are the new Pico DAC, the RSA Predator and the iBasso D10 (though it may have more features than I need - maybe Mamba or T3D?). I would like the amp to have a rechargeable battery (Li-ion), to have a DAC setup so that i can use it at work with my computer, and to be able to connect it to my iPod's line out with a short wiring harness (and probably to the iPhone too). Do any of these have volume locking? And, obviously it has to sound good with the 325iSs as well

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knolly /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey! First post on these forums - what an absolutely awesome site! Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi!" as a recent 325iS owner (s/n 2813) but long time Grado headphone owner. I bought my first Grados in 1996 - a set of SR60s - that I still have today. A while ago, I decided that I wanted to upgrade to a set of either 225s or 325s and - of course - started reading every review I could find. Some said that the 225 was the sweet spot of the Prestige series and that the 325s were too bright. Others said that the 325s were awesome, but a love it or hate it kind of head phone. Anyway, I decided to purchase a set of 225is: after listening to them for a few days, I knew right away that they were not for me. I went out and bought a set of 325iSs as well (from the same retailer) and after one day of H2H listening, the 225is were returned (burn in be damned - the difference was obvious!). Despite what some people might say, IMHO the 325iS is a vastly superior headphone and absolutely worth the 50% price increase. That's not to say that the 225i was bad - of course it was very detailed like all Grado headphones - but I found it very dark and it lacked the presentation that the 325iS has. In fact, I almost preferred the sound from my old SR60s than the 225i, even if they weren't as detailed, because the sound was much more enjoyable and not so dark. Long story short, I'm now a happy 325iS owner! Also, after reading through this site, I found out that my "kind of old" Gen 5 iPod is considered to be one of the better ones for sound quality (as is my wife's new iPhone 3GS): I have - however - found that the iPod is marginal at driving the 325iSs, so I guess I'm in the market for a portable amp Any suggestions? Some that have caught my eye are the new Pico DAC, the RSA Predator and the iBasso D10 (though it may have more features than I need - maybe Mamba or T3D?). I would like the amp to have a rechargeable battery (Li-ion), to have a DAC setup so that i can use it at work with my computer, and to be able to connect it to my iPod's line out with a short wiring harness (and probably to the iPhone too). Do any of these have volume locking? And, obviously it has to sound good with the 325iSs as well Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Welcome aboard and happy listening from here.

It would seem that you have a preference for a brighter sounding can. There are those who don't and they are the ones that will like the 225's more.

The iBasso seems to be popular among SR325is users. May I also suggest the HR Total Bithead or if you can manage more $, their portable Micro Amp.

 

[knolly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif Welcome aboard and happy listening from here. It would seem that you have a preference for a brighter sounding can. There are those who don't and they are the ones that will like the 225's more. The iBasso seems to be popular among SR325is users. May I also suggest the HR Total Bithead or if you can manage more $, their portable Micro Amp.

Thanks for the reply!

The HR Total bithead was one of the first portable amps that I looked at and seems to be rated very well. However, having to use alkaline batteries was a major turn off for me (even if I know that they last quite long) and I definitely will purchase an amp that has an integrated rechargeable battery in it instead.

Cheers!

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knolly /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the reply! The HR Total bithead was one of the first portable amps that I looked at and seems to be rated very well. However, having to use alkaline batteries was a major turn off for me (even if I know that they last quite long) and I definitely will purchase an amp that has an integrated rechargeable battery in it instead. Cheers!

If you've got the budget, then you shouldn't be disappointed with one of the Ray Samuels Audio offerings.

 

[Narynan]

Just got the Senn 414 pads on my grados. WOW! they feel a whole lot better. They look a little weird, but feel alot better. I got to say, I think I like what they did to the soundstage too. Seemed to spread it out and open the stage up a little bit.

 

[Viper2005]

I'm now an (unexpected) member of the 325is club lol!
I ordered the 225i's from avhifi.com and they upgraded me to the 325is for no charge, so I got the 325's for $175 all in!
Tried them out for about an hour today, was coming from the SR80i, and boy what a difference in bass! I was initially fearful that the 325's would have shrill highs but I don't find that to be the case at all..
I'm actually quite thankful now that I ended up with these instead of the 225's because if the treble was any more laid back I would not enjoy them as much.. these are perfect! I am using these with my Sony X1061 and it's more than sufficient at driving these headphones!
I'll report back in after a few more days of use but I'm already impressed!
Edit: my serial is #1871

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper2005 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm now an (unexpected) member of the 325i club lol! I ordered the 225i's from avhifi.com and they upgraded me to the 325i for no charge, so I got the 325's for $175 all in! Tried them out for about an hour today, was coming from the SR80i, and boy what a difference in bass! I was initially fearful that the 325's would have shrill highs but I don't find that to be the case at all.. I'm actually quite thankful now that I ended up with these instead of the 225's because if the treble was any more laid back I would not enjoy them as much.. these are perfect! I am using these with my Sony X1061 and it's more than sufficient at driving these headphones! I'll report back in after a few more days of use but I'm already impressed!

wow you lucked out! $175 for a brand new 325i is a steal!

 

[knolly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper2005 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm now an (unexpected) member of the 325is club lol! I ordered the 225i's from avhifi.com and they upgraded me to the 325is for no charge, so I got the 325's for $175 all in! Tried them out for about an hour today, was coming from the SR80i, and boy what a difference in bass! I was initially fearful that the 325's would have shrill highs but I don't find that to be the case at all.. I'm actually quite thankful now that I ended up with these instead of the 225's because if the treble was any more laid back I would not enjoy them as much.. these are perfect! I am using these with my Sony X1061 and it's more than sufficient at driving these headphones! I'll report back in after a few more days of use but I'm already impressed! Edit: my serial is #1871

Man, $175 is cheap, Cheap, CHEAP!!! Nice work!

Your situation is fairly similar to mine (a few posts up: post #1636), and I totally agree with you regarding the 225 vs. the 325. As my 325s are breaking in, I have found that they are getting a little more mellow in the highs: it's subtle, but noticeable. These will be awesome headphones! I am SOOO stoked that I didn't stick with the 225s.

Anyway, I'm driving mine from a 5th Gen iPod. Originally, I was like you (lol - I've had the 325iSs for a mere week!) and thought that the ipod was great at driving them. However, i have found that - sometimes - the ipod can not provide enough for them, and that there are noticeable differences when I have the headphones plugged into my computer (i.e. more power on from the sound card or external powered speakers) compared to the ipod. Mainly this is presented in the bass, which is something that has been brought up before by other posters (i.e. Bilavideo) and I am already starting to notice this. Of course, line noise is a totally different animal, but I guess what I'm saying is that the 325s are pretty much at the absolute limit to be driven properly without an amp.

Soo... I am pretty sure that a portable amp / DAC will find its way to me over the next few months. I'm currently leaning towards the Headamp Pico amp / DAC based on what I've read, but the market seems to be changing fast with new - even slimmer - amps coming out. However, some of these seem to be more tailored to IEMs, whereas the "slightly more full sized" amps like the Pico or the Predator might be just the ticket for a fullsized set of 325iS headphones (lol - "full sized" for an amp that's substantially smaller than a pack of cigarettes!).

Cheers and enjoy!!!

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knolly /img/forum/go_quote.gif Soo... I am pretty sure that a portable amp / DAC will find its way to me over the next few months. I'm currently leaning towards the Headamp Pico amp / DAC based on what I've read, but the market seems to be changing fast with new - even slimmer - amps coming out. However, some of these seem to be more tailored to IEMs, whereas the "slightly more full sized" amps like the Pico or the Predator might be just the ticket for a fullsized set of 325iS headphones (lol - "full sized" for an amp that's substantially smaller than a pack of cigarettes!). Cheers and enjoy!!!

I listened to my 325is without amp for only a brief period. The difference in sound was far greater than when I tried the same thing with my RS2i. I'd likely have bought the RS2i anyway, but I'd not be happy with the 325is without the amp. IOW's, you should be even more impressed with the 325is properly amp'd.

 

[St3ve]

I agree with aimlink, amping is actually quite significant for these cans. For the first 3 months odd that i owned my 325is i was running them out of the headphone out of an apogee duet - by all accounts comparable to running it out of a portable and i thought they sounded great. Then i bought a Little dot I+, and the difference is quite major. For cans that are supposedly "easy" to drive, amping is well worth looking into.

 

[knolly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by St3ve /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with aimlink, amping is actually quite significant for these cans. For the first 3 months odd that i owned my 325is i was running them out of the headphone out of an apogee duet - by all accounts comparable to running it out of a portable and i thought they sounded great. Then i bought a Little dot I+, and the difference is quite major. For cans that are supposedly "easy" to drive, amping is well worth looking into.

F(*&^!!!.....

So what you're basically saying is that I need two amps: a portable and one for home??? Arg..... UGI has started already....

Edit: Wow - the LD I+ is very cost effective. I can't believe it's something like $150 including shipping - is that correct???

 

[deltaspirit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knolly /img/forum/go_quote.gif F(*&^!!!..... So what you're basically saying is that I need two amps: a portable and one for home??? Arg..... UGI has started already.... Edit: Wow - the LD I+ is very cost effective. I can't believe it's something like $150 including shipping - is that correct???

Yeah, something like that. I bought mine used but mine with some mullard tubes aswell as others for $100 shipped. Try the buy and sell section for some better deals.

 

[kunalraiker]

I'am wondering if mine will be home tonight when I get back, if they are there how do I register my pair here

 

[deltaspirit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunalraiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'am wondering if mine will be home tonight when I get back, if they are there how do I register my pair here

Just post the serial number.

 

[AnalogJ]

While I'm preaching to the converted here, I still want to quibble with a commonly made statement, that the 325is is "brighter" than the 225i. Instead, I would say that the 225i is rolled off on top. While some may say that this is just semantics, I would say, "au contraire", it is essential. The 325is is the more accurate. As many here seem to listen to rock, many of those CDs are compressed and poorly mastered, made bright to sound good on car systems and many listeners compact radios. I also find that the 325is midrange is more detailed than the 225i. I did extensive listening to both with a variety of music.

Anyone here check out the NPR story on "Loudness Wars"? Check it out:

The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse : NPR