[arj]

well, now i am at a stage that thinking of upgrading my headphone.

i am thinking of getting rs1 but the cost of it is too much for me at the moment and instead i want to get sr325 and to pair with my ra1 amplifier and krell cd turntable as my source.

I have tested rs1 and it sound great and i like it, but i dont know about sr325 sound like. and is it worthed to replace my current headphone sr80.

Any suggestion. thanks.

 

[kuma]

Quote:

Originally posted by arj well, now i am at a stage that thinking of upgrading my headphone. i am thinking of getting rs1 but the cost of it is too much for me at the moment and instead i want to get sr325 and to pair with my ra1 amplifier and krell cd turntable as my source. I have tested rs1 and it sound great and i like it, but i dont know about sr325 sound like. and is it worthed to replace my current headphone sr80.

dont' look back. Go for RS1.

You need *tube* something with SR325 to realise its potential.

Or, RS2 works well ( albeit leaner tonal balance than RS1) but its trebles are whole lot more open than SR325.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by arj well, now i am at a stage that thinking of upgrading my headphone. i am thinking of getting rs1 but the cost of it is too much for me at the moment and instead i want to get sr325 and to pair with my ra1 amplifier and krell cd turntable as my source. I have tested rs1 and it sound great and i like it, but i dont know about sr325 sound like. and is it worthed to replace my current headphone sr80. Any suggestion. thanks.

Well... the SR325 has been called "too bright" before (then again, so have half the headphones on the planet). I've seen the SR225 get a lot more respect around here -- don't know why yet, but I have a pair on order and will be finding out soon.

I think the SR225 or SR325 will be a pretty big upgrade over the SR80. I had the SR60 until I sold it off recently (very similar to the 80) and while it was OK I kept losing more and more respect for it after hearing different models of cans, to the point that I rather came to dislike it. Hopefully the SR225 will be better.

Anyway, good luck with your choice...

 

[xtreme4099]

i dig the 325 over the 225 ... their that just much more fun imho ... bright ...no more detailed id say and snappier, they have an almost senn like quality to them in detail.

 

[Silver]

Just live with your SR80s until you have enough money to get RS1. You will upgrade to RS1s eventually after you have got 225s/325s as you know how much RS1s are better than your 225s/325s. I would suggest upgrading straight from SR80s to RS1s as you will lose less money than selling SR80, buying and selling 225s/325s to get RS1s.

 

[NeilPeart]

Not everyone prefers the RS1 over the other Grados. I prefer my 225 to my RS1 in nearly every instance (acoustic jazz and chamber music are the exceptions). My advice is to get the 225 and give them a long audition. Then after a few years (or months, depending on how trigger-happy your wallet is), give the RS1 a shot. Try both in your system and see which one you truly prefer. I did the same thing and the 225 is still my favorite of the two. Of course, you could just get the HP-1000 and end all this debate, though your wallet will probably kick your ass!

 

[kuma]

arj,

If RS1 is a bit of stretch, I'd still recommend RS2. Neil is right in that would be great if you can audition 'em all to see which one you can live with.

RS2 worked well with RA1 ( I've ran this combo for 2 years before 225 and 325 )

As Neil also mentioned that RS1 has very strong flavor in that not to everyones' liking. But, I found Krell source to be particularly a good combination with RS1. ( a very few source that can control RS1's strong midbass )

Good luck.

 

[N@Z]

arj:
Have you considered getting the RS-1 used? No, I'm not selling mine!

 

[kartik]

I haven't tried the RS-1 or the RS-2 or even the SR-225. I have the SR-325 and I have no complaints whatsoever. This is where my buck stops.

 

[blessingx]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

I use to own the 80's and when it was time to upgrado I tested them, the 60's (for kicks), the 225's, 325's, and the RS-1's.

Running off a store Denon CD deck (forget the model) and my Mint (not the best setup, but what I owned at the time), the 325's seemed like a big step up from the the 80's in balance and definition, but still suffered the occasionally referenced Grato highs. The 225's and RS-1's on the other hand seemed like another class with a smoother full range and no Grato high. In fact under those conditions they were very close in signiture. The differences between all the other models (that I tested, don't know where the RS-2's, 125's, Alessandro's fit in) were much more pronounced. I think you need very good equipment to hear anything justifying even a third the price difference between the two.

There's an argument to be made stepping the upgrades is a waste. If you can afford it you might as well leap to the top. If you've got the cash do it. If nothing else there's a security there. Personally, I think for the forseeable future, the 225's are where I'll stay. If I jump, it will probably be outside the Grado line. I say that not because I'm unhappy with Grados, far from that (especially since recently testing 580's for a week), but because the final Grado step would be a small one. I may end up there someday, but probably not until I test the CD3000's, Etys, 880's, etc. If anyone want's to start a fund...

 

[arj]

Thanks guys.

It seem to be the reasonable headphone for me is Sr225.

Would this be any different to the fact that i may be getting a Cayin HA-1A tube amps.

 

[Top Cat]

arj:

I suggest you do a title only search using the term "225 325" in the Headphones forum and you will find some extensive discussions of the 225 versus the 325. One of the searches will be a poll done a few months ago where the 325 was preferred 60% to 40% over the 225.

Also, check out Good Cans for an extensive discussion/comparison of the entire Grado line.

After doing the above research I chose the 325 and I like them (just got them so they are still breaking-in at 45-50 hours right now, with about 70 total hours the goal, but at this point there is a big difference in sound quality from when they were new). I listen to rock mainly (80-90%) with some blues, jazz, country, and classical. Your preference in music can make a big difference in which Grado you will like best.

If you look around you can find a good pair of used 325's for about $180 to $210 (here, Audiogon auctions, eBay). Later, when your wallet can absorb the hit you can pick up a used pair of RS-1's or 2's (RS-1's I've seen as low as about $300 (not often) to $400-$425) and compare the two and then decide which one to keep and sell the other (or keep both!). The Grado's hold their value very well (esp. if buying used) for resale purposes.

Good Luck!

 

[screwdriver]

i had the Sr225 and alessandro MS2 (325 version in the grado line) .
i like both but prefer the MS2 .

Alessandro music series cans are made by grado and check it out too . (MS1 , MS2 , MS pro)

 

[Top Cat]

Canman is selling a used 325 for $185 - older model that is painted black instead of brushed aluminum and other cosmetic differences - over in the gear for sale forum.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally posted by kartik I haven't tried the RS-1 or the RS-2 or even the SR-225. I have the SR-325 and I have no complaints whatsoever. This is where my buck stops.

Mine as well. Happiness!