[Grimspoon]

I've been using an old pair of Grado SR-125 for several years, but they got really beat up and I ended up busting them in an attempt to recable them. So, I figured I got quite a few good years out of em, I'll upgrade and do it right. I bought some Grado GS1000i as replacements.

Still, I missed my SR-125 and was really disappointed I never got to do a side-by-side comparison. I fully expected to be blown away by a significant difference in sound. So a month later, I set out and bought a used pair of SR-125s on eBay for ~80 bucks (good deal I think) and waited anxiously for their arrival. The showed up earlier today, I gave the pads a bath, dried them out and set myself up for some listening.

My setup:

PC (Bgears B-Enspirer Sound Card - CMI8788 chipset) -> Foobar2000 (Asio) -> Logitech Z-680 (Pod) -> Grado GS1000i / SR-125.

Playing Flac lossless audio files.

With this setup my SR-125s sounded great, maybe even better than I remember from my old pair. I'm not an audiophile, so I won't embarrass myself by describing the sibilance and whatnot but to my ears it sounds very nice. In comparison, my GS1000i have SIGNIFICANTLY weaker bass, it isn't as far reaching, punchy, defined, etc...

The volume is especially lacking, and generally speaking the GS1000i sound doesn't compare to what I'm getting from my SR-125.

I've mostly been listening to Peeping Tom, Mr. Bungle, Lovage, Queen, etc...



I've purchased a Stello HP100 headphone amp from a guy in Toronto who's trying to establish himself as an authorized dealer, but I've been waiting about a month for him to get his hands on a unit and send it to me. Can I expect my GS1000i to finally surpass the SR-125 in overall performance once it's amped? or am I setting myself up for disappointment?

I'd love to get some feedback on this situation.

 

[rds]

umm... the volume is lacking and the bass is bad? Sounds like you need an amp.
When properly amped the gs-1000i much more bass than any other grado - especially the sr125.

 

[lucky]

You may prefer the GS1000i if you add amp after amp to them, but you may not. If I were you, and found $100 headphones satisfied me more than $1000 headphones unless I bought even more equipment to make the $1000 headphones break even in SQ, I'd sell the $1000 headphones and enjoy the $100 headphones.

 

[Grimspoon]

Well I'm committed to getting this Stello HP100 amp, and am anxiously waiting for the guy to ship it to me. I can't wait to hear the GS1000i amped, but all things considered I was pretty well shocked at how much more bass I was getting out of the SR-125.

Mind you, I realize bass isn't everything and I'm no bass-head, this is just the most jarring difference I've been able to pick out from my comparisons so far. Aside from volume that is. I was expecting the GS1000i to require a lot more power than what my crappy Logitch z680 PC setup was giving them. I'm just really surprised by what I've heard today.

 

[rds]

lucky -
Haven't we heard your tired downgrade advice enough already? You do realize that that is just as useless and annoying as always telling people to upgrade right? ...especially coming from someone with no experience of high end equipment.

Grimspoon -
If sr125s have more bass than gs-1000i something is very wrong. Gs-1000is are one of the bassiest headphones around. It is a common complaint actually. Thing is gs-1000i are low volume cans. Their frequency response and resolution make them sound amazing at low volume when properly amped.

 

[Grimspoon]

After spending a bit more time with both these headphones, I've noticed something that may be affecting the lower frequency;

The SR-125's pads are super worn out and the headband is very tight, pushing the transducers very close to my ears.

The GS1000i's pads are about a month old and still very firm. Despite the headband also being tight on these, the pads are keeping the transducers a fair distance away from my ears.

If I squeeze the GS1000i close against my head, the "feel" of the bass becomes very similar to what I'm hearing from my SR-125's.

I've ordered replacement bowls for my SR-125's and hopefully that, plus the amp I've bought (and will receive who knows when) well help even things out a bit.

 

[b0dhi]

They must have made some massive changes between the GS1000 and the 1000i for them to have less bass than the SR125.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimspoon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've ordered replacement bowls for my SR-125's and hopefully that, plus the amp I've bought (and will receive who knows when) well help even things out a bit.

so wait, you ordered new pads to try to make your 100$ phones sound as bad as your 1K phones?

that sounds like backwards logic. I don't know lucky, and cannot comment on what RDS was referring to, but I agree, if you like your 100$ phones better, then stick with that, just because something is more expensive, doesn't mean it will be better. That is a BIG misconception in the audio world. I think personal preference is much more important than price tag.

personally, I honestly prefer the SR125 to GS1K because I find the GS1K absolutely unlistenable.

edit: I should say though, the GS1K is not unlistenable to me because of lack of bass, and since this seems to be your main complaint, then maybe something is wrong...

 

[Grimspoon]

I bought the replacement pads because the old ones are worn out and leaving bits of black all over the place. Plus I'm not especially keen on using someone's used ear pads. Even after having washed them, I still can't shake the feeling that they're dirty.

The GS1000i are by no means bass anemic, just from my initial side-by-side comparison between the two headphones, it seemed the bass on the SR-125's are more pronounced.

I suspect this is more or less due to the worn out softness of the SR-125's bowls compared to the larger, stiffer bagel pads of the GS1000.

That plus the relative lack of power of my audio setup should hopefully explain the difference.




Edit: I should clarify, rhythmdevils, I'm not implying that the GS1000i sound "bad"; if that were the case I'd have sent them back a day or two after ordering them. It's basically a difference in volume and bass between the SR125, driven by my un-amplified source which I found jarring / surprising.

 

[rds]

I just find that often people jump on these threads to beat their own dead horse rather than address what the op is asking or saying.
I don't claim that one headphone is empirically better than the other. I was just addressing the comment about lack of volume and lack of bass quantity. This suggests an amping problem to me. Those of us who've heard the gs-1000i properly amped can at least agree that it is not lacking for bass.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just find that often people jump on these threads to beat their own dead horse rather than address what the op is asking or saying. I don't claim that one headphone is empirically better than the other. I was just addressing the comment about lack of volume and lack of bass quantity. This suggests an amping problem to me. Those of us who've heard the gs-1000i properly amped can at least agree that it is not lacking for bass.

word!

 

[Grimspoon]

rds, since joining the forum a short while ago I've noticed that aside from the large group of people who have taken issue with Grado in general, there seems to be a sub-group dedicated to bashing the GS1000.

I knew when I posted this question / observation I'd probably draw a lot of the negative comments, but I'm hoping to be able to sift through any personal agendas and take away some genuine opinions.

I appreciate yours.

Hopefully once I have the Stello HP100 in my possession I'll be in a better position to judge if there's something wrong with my GS1000 and if they need a trip to the spa, or if it's all in my head.

 

[Blackmore]

I cant say anything about Stello, but do expect that you get better sound using it.

I would say, dont struggle that much and get, maybe, RS1 instead. Not that GS1000i wouldnt do, just they need an good amp for showing you their potentials. Also because you like your SR125 very much, you may like RS1 better in your set up.
A lot of people dont like GS1000i because of mids and top end. One is lacking and another is just to much. I am not in that camp and know how would they do if paired with the right system.
First of all, source make a huge difference, so your Stello, once again, may make them sound way better, just wait and you will see.
Second, amping them. Thats another story, but there are quite good priced options for them, tubes mostly, I believe.
And last, but not least, burn them for a while, like 300 hours.

Good luck.

 

[Vandal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rds /img/forum/go_quote.gif umm... the volume is lacking and the bass is bad? Sounds like you need an amp. When properly amped the gs-1000i much more bass than any other grado - especially the sr125.

I think that GS 1000 needs burn-in. Also there's no way it would sound worse with weak, muffled bass even straight out an an iPod. Maybe not driven as well as some of the other grados and possibly also due to the fact that the transducers aren't as close to your ears as with the other models.

 

[mark_h]

The 125's have always been a high point in the price/performance Grado line, I think you will notice a difference with the Stello, will it be earth shattering? Who knows? Sell what you don't like.