Upgrade from Sr60 to Sr225

[sjones]

I'm looking to upgrade from my Grado Sr60 and was wondering if the Sr225 would be a good upgrade choice. I really like the Grado sound, the clarity, openess, detail, highs, etc.. I listen to almost every type of music, but my main choices are instrumental, classical, and rock. I don't need a lot of bass, in fact I like a realistic bass which is well defined rather than boomy. What is the price of the Sr225? Considering the fact that I'm in Canada, I probably won't be getting a good deal for it. I was also looking to try something different and go and try out the px100. I heard its a different sound, but not sure if I would like it as much as the Grado. I will most likely use the headphone unamped, and be plugging it into my Zen vision:M or Sony Srf-59 portable radio. So what are your thoughts on what I should get considering my options. Thanks!

 

[PiccoloNamek]

Not worth it, IMO. There is not a substantial increase in quality.

 

[mtd]

If you audition them you'll think they're great! Till you get home and realize bowl pads are completely useless. If you really like the grado sound, id suggest 225's with todd flats. Still though, not much better than the 60s.

SR80 through 325i all sound the same to me.

 

[GlorytheWiz825]

I was in your situation a while back. I've had the SR60s for around 9 months now and was leaning towards an upgrade to SR225. I also live in Canada so no good deals either. I would however, buy used from the FS forum and save a substantial amount of money. Even then, I don't think it'll be worth it. I'm actually savings towards a RS1 right now...I figured if I'm going to go with the Grado sound, why not go all the way to the RS1?

 

[jagathon]

I agree there is not that much difference between the two headphones. There were times when I compared them that I liked the 60's better. I ended up selling them and love my 225's but don't expect to be blown away by the upgrade.
On the other hand the PX 100's are a nice companion to the 60's offering a different style of detail and midrange. I enjoy and use both headphones often.

 

[NEO]

What you can do is to upgrade to SR225 while still keep SR60. If you completely prefer SR225 then you can sell SR60 later, or else you can sell SR225 (it's an easy selling one) and maybe move up to SR325i. Anyway from what I heard two Grados that has the best quality/price ratio are SR60 and SR225.

 

[kramer5150]

IMHO you should just add bowl pads to your SR60, and put the $$$ into a nice tube amp. I for one would rather have a bowl padded SR60+warm amp, than an SR225 unamped. The bowl pads will add soundstage, increase clarity, and a sense of "air" to bass tones. A warm tube amp, will re-gain some of the bass impact lost when switching from the comfies to bowls.

Then again I am one who finds amplification (when done to COLOR the sound) to make a slight but noticeable difference.

SR225 at canadian prices... YIKES, hardly worth the $$$ investment. What is that BTW ~$250?

 

[deej]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO you should just add bowl pads to your SR60, and put the $$$ into a nice tube amp. I for one would rather have a bowl padded SR60+warm amp, than an SR225 unamped. Then again I am one who finds amplification (when done to COLOR the sound) to make a slight but noticeable difference.

I totally agree with this. I have some SR60's and RS1's and with the SR60's played out of my ipod they sound good but not great compared to my RS1's with a silver dock connected to an RA1. When I plug the 60's into the RA1 the sound isn't that much off the RS1s but there is some differences in tone and instrument seperation and imaging though not huge. I'd get an amp before you decide to part with your 60's.

 

[augustwest]

Do yourself a favor and skip the 225's altogether. Start looking for a second hand set of Alessandro MS2's on the < head-fi > for sale boards. You'll be getting a lot better headphone, while still retaining the Grado experience.

- augustwest

 

[sjones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO you should just add bowl pads to your SR60, and put the $$$ into a nice tube amp. I for one would rather have a bowl padded SR60+warm amp, than an SR225 unamped. The bowl pads will add soundstage, increase clarity, and a sense of "air" to bass tones. A warm tube amp, will re-gain some of the bass impact lost when switching from the comfies to bowls. Then again I am one who finds amplification (when done to COLOR the sound) to make a slight but noticeable difference. SR225 at canadian prices... YIKES, hardly worth the $$$ investment. What is that BTW ~$250?

I actually have the bowl pads already on my SR60s. I prefer it over the flats because I do hear a difference and find it much better for clarity and it really opens up the sound. Also I don't find it in the least uncomfortable. As for a tube amp what are your recommendations and prices for someone starting out?

 

[GlorytheWiz825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO you should just add bowl pads to your SR60, and put the $$$ into a nice tube amp. I for one would rather have a bowl padded SR60+warm amp, than an SR225 unamped. The bowl pads will add soundstage, increase clarity, and a sense of "air" to bass tones. A warm tube amp, will re-gain some of the bass impact lost when switching from the comfies to bowls. Then again I am one who finds amplification (when done to COLOR the sound) to make a slight but noticeable difference. SR225 at canadian prices... YIKES, hardly worth the $$$ investment. What is that BTW ~$250?

Ha, we wish! It retails for $299.99 here in Ontario, Canada. With a 14% sales tax, that comes to $342 Canadian dollars. Converting it back to USD with 1.2 conversion rate...comes to ~$285 USD. You guys really have it lucky in the States.

 

[hawkhkg11]

sjones,

I did the exact upgrade a couple of weeks ago. I can tell the difference between the two, and had my friend do a blind test on me to be sure. I would say the SR225 has better clarity and resolution than the SR60. The metal grille also makes it more airy and removes a honkiness present in the 60s. However, the differences are subtle. Whether it's worth it or not is up to you. I would go ahead and buy from a place with a solid return policy and no restock fee.

As for me, I'm satisfied with my purchase and feel it is worth the $130 over the SR60.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjones /img/forum/go_quote.gif I actually have the bowl pads already on my SR60s. I prefer it over the flats because I do hear a difference and find it much better for clarity and it really opens up the sound. Also I don't find it in the least uncomfortable. As for a tube amp what are your recommendations and prices for someone starting out?

Millet Hybrid, X-Can V3, Little Dot, PPA with bass boost.... all good Grado amps for the $$$ IMHO. The other thing to note is that the amplifier plateau of diminishing return starts at a pretty low $$$ amount for Grados. So, IMHO for the SR60 $150-$250 will land you a good value amp.