[Stoin]

The last few posts have the main reasons why some people can't stand Grado 'phones - uncomfortable pads; treble; flimsy. Before those posts there are quite a few from people who love their Grados.
 
Grado's are not suited to everyone, but if you get on with them they are absolutely brilliant. Once again for the record I don't think they are flimsy, just very simple and not made of rigid plastic which can give a flimsy feel. The comfort issue to me was only there for the first few days while I got used to them, but I had the same when I first started wearing IEMs. I got used to it and I think most other people do to. If they stick with it for a while.
 
If you want to know if you are going to like a set of Grados then buy (or borrow) some and use them for a couple of weeks. If buying get cheaper ones (SR60i, SR80i) or go second hand. Try them with an amp if you can. If you like them great, if not look at something else.

 

[wind016]

if you REALLY want to know how a higher end grado will sound like, get the 125 instead of a model with comfies. if you like that, then you know you are a Grado man.
 
the SR60 can still lead you to believe you are a grado man when in fact you are not because even i think they sound good

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

if you REALLY want to know how a higher end grado will sound like, get the 125 instead of a model with comfies. if you like that, then you know you are a Grado man.
 

With the new "i" series of Grados the 125i and below come with comfie pads.  The 225i is the lowest end model that comes with bowls.

 

[headphonejunkie]

I love my 225's. They really stand out with airy and rock music. jazz too.
 
 
Drums sound real good too. They have impact. I was just listening to some zero 7 and they sound great on my 225's.

 

[reginaldnugroho]

I'm a month year old owner of a sr125i...
when I audition them I brought 3 cd's: jack johnson, melody gardot and anjuna beats (progressive house-trance)...
 
when I listen the jack johnson and melody gardot, it was all that I had suspected and even more...
 
but I genuinely surprise by the sound they produce on electronic music... I did not suspected it at all... in fact I only brought the anjunabeats cd to audition cause it was in my car, so I had no expectations at all for how the sound they produce on this type of music...
 
But I truly think you should audition them yourself...

 

[gschotland]

With the Sony XA5400ES and the Woo WA6 driving my RS1i's, I've NEVER found the sound to be the least bit fatiguing or unbalanced in any way on any kind of music.  I have no experience with less expensive Grados.  The quality of your amplification, source, and cables are key; the system will only be as good as the weakest ink.  Using a $50 source with cheapy cables, but with a good quality tube amp and cans on the level of RS1i's is like driving a Ferrari with skinny bicycle tires; you'll be relegated to driving 25 mph.  As with a high quality two channel stereo system, matching throughout makes a difference.  Of course, if Grado "sound" isn't your cuppa tea, well that's another story.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

With the Sony XA5400ES and the Woo WA6 driving my RS1i's, I've NEVER found the sound to be the least bit fatiguing or unbalanced in any way on any kind of music.  I have no experience with less expensive Grados.  The quality of your amplification, source, and cables are key; the system will only be as good as the weakest ink.  Using a $50 source with cheapy cables, but with a good quality tube amp and cans on the level of RS1i's is like driving a Ferrari with skinny bicycle tires; you'll be relegated to driving 25 mph.  As with a high quality two channel stereo system, matching throughout makes a difference.  Of course, if Grado "sound" isn't your cuppa tea, well that's another story.
 

 
Well said throughout.  Different listeners have different expectations, different ideas about what a headphone should sound like.  Those looking for a seriously laid-back sound should buy a Sennheiser.  Grados give you the grit and sparkle that can be both exciting and revealing.  Some people hate it.  They like to crank their headphones loud.  They get fatigued.  They whine.  There's no reason to be unhappy.  If a person doesn't like the Grado presentation, shift to something else.  I, for one, keep coming back to Grado because there's something about this headphone I miss when I'm away.
 

 

[Achmedisdead]

 

 

I find I have to EQ my non-Grados.....I find the upper mids (2-6khz) lacking in everything else I have except the KSC75's.

 

[wind016]

Grados are loud no matter what whisper-level volume you drive them at. If you listen at my volume, there is no bass to be heard, JUST cymbals and guitar that's way too loud... Still fatiguing, unpleasant, painful for me. I don't like to just hear cymbals and guitar in my music.  Vocals drive my eargasms. Grados can do good vocals when there are no instruments such as cymbals, triangles, bells, or any kind of metallic object that is in the music that could make noise.
 
Quote:

 
 
Well said throughout.  Different listeners have different expectations, different ideas about what a headphone should sound like.  Those looking for a seriously laid-back sound should buy a Sennheiser.  Grados give you the grit and sparkle that can be both exciting and revealing.  Some people hate it.  They like to crank their headphones loud.  They get fatigued.  They whine.  There's no reason to be unhappy.  If a person doesn't like the Grado presentation, shift to something else.  I, for one, keep coming back to Grado because there's something about this headphone I miss when I'm away.
 

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

Grados are loud no matter what whisper-level volume you drive them at. If you listen at my volume, there is no bass to be heard, JUST cymbals and guitar that's way too loud... Still fatiguing, unpleasant, painful for me. I don't like to just hear cymbals and guitar in my music.  Vocals drive my eargasms. Grados can do good vocals when there are no instruments such as cymbals, triangles, bells, or any kind of metallic object that is in the music that could make noise.
 

 

That's strange, my 10 year old daughter was just listening to my Grado's this afternoon and she didn't complain about them being too loud.  What exactly is your listening volume/level??  I can't imagine a volume level where my Grado's would lose bass.  The only time mine have ever been painful to my ears, was when the volume was louder than anyone would be able to tolerate.  Even at that level, there was no loss of bass, it was just too loud, period.  What music are you listening to??  I'd like to hear a song where vocals take a back seat through my 325i's.  I have to hear this for myself.  I've never experienced any of the things you've described, so help me out.  List a couple of songs that I can test with my Goldies so I can appreciate where you're coming from. 

 

[wind016]

For a year I had the SR325is you have. Gold also. It is my opinion so please do not be offended but I truely did not like those headphones and it convinced me to never buy a Grado again. I have still tried all the Grados except for the HF and PS models.
 
Maybe I am sensitive to highs. I also find watching movies in theatres to be too loud at times. Explosions are just a pain. But I guess I'm sensitive to lows too because low low low bass tires me out. I don't think my hearing is that bad either, I played in a band in my university and I could tune by ear.
 
I, generally thought everything sounded bad on Grados. I didn't think anything sounded good with it.(compared to the competition) If something sounded decent on a Grado, it sounded marvelous on my other headphones with cheaper or equal price.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Grados are loud no matter what whisper-level volume you drive them at. If you listen at my volume, there is no bass to be heard, JUST cymbals and guitar that's way too loud... Still fatiguing, unpleasant, painful for me. I don't like to just hear cymbals and guitar in my music.  Vocals drive my eargasms. Grados can do good vocals when there are no instruments such as cymbals, triangles, bells, or any kind of metallic object that is in the music that could make noise.

I guess your mileage varies from mine.  I'm sitting here, listening to music off my PS1000s (right off my computer) and I hear lots of bass, great vocals, harmonicas, a harp, piano and acoustic guitar just fine.  The drums are scrumptious.  One thing my Grados have over even the HD800 and the T1 is the feeling that I'm there, or they're here.  I don't feel like I'm listening to a headphone. That's the soundstage tradeoff.
 
If I switch to Cheap Trick's Time Is Runnin', the presentation is tinnier, but that's Cheap Trick, or at least the ambience of One on One, which had a plastic sound to it.  Drowning Lessons from My Chemical Romance lacks such tinniness, even if it's busy with cymbal crashes and alt rock guitars.  Because of the style - or maybe because of the modern practice of pushing the recording level straight into the red - my first instinct was to adjust the volume downward, which I did.  Doing so, I found my sweet spot, which was plenty loud but not excessive.  The best cans for material like this would probably be the T1, with its treble shades, or the HD650 with its legendary veil.  With darker cans, you can crank the wind-up monkey sound of alt rock to ear-splitting levels, but only because the treble is recessed or "rolled off" with a vengeance.  My problem with that approach is that it doesn't do much for me when I go back to classic rock or anything else that isn't wind-up monkey.  I miss the midrange and treble-sensitivity of my Grados.

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

For a year I had the SR325is you have. Gold also. It is my opinion so please do not be offended but I truely did not like those headphones and it convinced me to never buy a Grado again. I have still tried all the Grados except for the HF and PS models.
 
Maybe I am sensitive to highs. I also find watching movies in theatres to be too loud at times. Explosions are just a pain. But I guess I'm sensitive to lows too because low low low bass tires me out. I don't think my hearing is that bad either, I played in a band in my university and I could tune by ear.
 
I, generally thought everything sounded bad on Grados. I didn't think anything sounded good with it.(compared to the competition) If something sounded decent on a Grado, it sounded marvelous on my other headphones with cheaper or equal price.
 

 
I'm not offended at all. I'm just trying to find out how your opinion is so different from so many other owners on this forum.  Sweeping generalizations about any brand or model won't help the OP.  I know that when I'm researching a product, I dismiss fan-boy comments and those of the "anti" crowd equally as fast.  I look for consistent positive traits or faults, with examples before giving them any merit.
 
The OP was looking for a can that does well with alt/pop/emo/indie rock and some techno. When I listen to alternative my 325i's kick butt on everything from grunge era alternative up to modern day alternative.  For Pop, I can say that Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and others sound fantastic, Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" album sounds amazing.  Emo and indie aren't my thing, but for Techno, I've pumped Tiesto, Guetta and Deadmau5 through my 325i's and I wasn't left wanting anything more.  For Metal, I'm rocking Godsmack through them right now, and with all the layers of guitar, bass, drums and cymbals, Sully's voice is still right up front where it should be.  Pantera sounds awesome and right now Flotsam and Jetsam are playing "wading through the darkness" through my 325i's with authority.  My music library includes something from almost every genre of music and I haven't found anything that sounds "bad" through my Grado's.  They sound great for me, no matter what I play through them. 
 
Everyone's ears are different and we all hear things differently.  I originally suggested that the OP make the trip and have a listen for himself and I stand behind that.  Don't base your purchase on any one person's opinion, including mine.  Do your research, look for examples or experiences that share a common thread and take it all with a grain of salt.  When possible, have a listen for yourself.  Happy hunting and Happy listening.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
I'm not offended at all. I'm just trying to find out how your opinion is so different from so many other owners on this forum.  Sweeping generalizations about any brand or model won't help the OP.  I know that when I'm researching a product, I dismiss fan-boy comments and those of the "anti" crowd equally as fast.  I look for consistent positive traits or faults, with examples before giving them any merit.
 
The OP was looking for a can that does well with alt/pop/emo/indie rock and some techno. When I listen to alternative my 325i's kick butt on everything from grunge era alternative up to modern day alternative.  For Pop, I can say that Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and others sound fantastic, Christina Aguilera's "Stripped" album sounds amazing.  Emo and indie aren't my thing, but for Techno, I've pumped Tiesto, Guetta and Deadmau5 through my 325i's and I wasn't left wanting anything more.  For Metal, I'm rocking Godsmack through them right now, and with all the layers of guitar, bass, drums and cymbals, Sully's voice is still right up front where it should be.  Pantera sounds awesome and right now Flotsam and Jetsam are playing "wading through the darkness" through my 325i's with authority.  My music library includes something from almost every genre of music and I haven't found anything that sounds "bad" through my Grado's.  They sound great for me, no matter what I play through them. 
 
Everyone's ears are different and we all hear things differently.  I originally suggested that the OP make the trip and have a listen for himself and I stand behind that.  Don't base your purchase on any one person's opinion, including mine.  Do your research, look for examples or experiences that share a common thread and take it all with a grain of salt.  When possible, have a listen for yourself.  Happy hunting and Happy listening.

I wouldn't waste my time with this member. Arguing with him is like pushing on a rope. He has now entered the "troll zone".
 
He claims that Grados are horrible for rock...and NOTHING could be further from the truth according to literally many thousands of us head-fiers. But then again, the only reason we like them is that we are brainwashed to like "American made" headphones that are also a Head-fi sponsor. They are really horrible headphones and we are apparently tone deaf.

 

[wind016]

Ugh... Once again you put words in my mouth. I am saying that is one is a probable reason for Grado's popularity.(meaning there are other reasons but that may be one...)  Apparently I am stubborn. Given 3 years of listening to Grados almost every model I think I know what I'm talking about. I don't want to argue about the company anymore. I will keep saying what I say because there are definitely alot of those that agree with me. Head fi has a lot of Grado Fanboys. One opinion from me is seriously no harm but info
 
 
Quote:

I wouldn't waste my time with this member. Arguing with him is like pushing on a rope. He has now entered the "troll zone".
 
He claims that Grados are horrible for rock...and NOTHING could be further from the truth according to literally many thousands of us head-fiers. But then again, the only reason we like them is that we are brainwashed to like "American made" headphones that are also a Head-fi sponsor. They are really horrible headphones and we are apparently tone deaf.