[White Lotus]

My personal belief is that the headphone hobby is pretty similar to a "car collection" hobby - just on a cheaper scale.
 
There are some that you use every day, perhaps for transit, perhaps for work - these are units that are "rough and ready", that get banged up a little, but are your tested and true warriors.
 
Then there are some expensive units that you keep at home, that you pair with a great amp, that you may only use on the weekends. Maybe something that's a little too big, delicate and/or inefficient for daily use, but is heaps of fun to use.
 
But then, you have those wildcards. For me, my Grado cans are the "wildcard" in my collection, that look absolutely amazing, but I choose not to use them much.
 
They handle well, and can throw their weight around, and some people might even use them as their daily drivers - but for me, they are another notch in my bed post, and look fantastic in my headphone display. 
 
They are the hypothetical Porsche that sits in my garage, that doesn't get driven much... But looks great, and I feel proud and happy knowing it's there. 

 

[jojoarmani2]

I am still on the fence about returning the headphones (Grado sr125i) to the store. I agree that they probably sound much better driven by a vintage amplifier or tube amp. 
 
Yet so far the discussion has been about personal preferences. As i had said, giving a song in example, i find i am missing some layers in the music that is clearly discernable with the $40 Sennheiser hd477. Is the difference between headphone brands (not just Senn or grado) so night and day??
 
I never tested all headphone brands but based on what i understood from this forum, all headphones should present all parts/elements of a given song. Then for setting their sounds apart, the manufacturers may put the emphasis on bass (dre, sennheiser), mid-range (grado)... In my case, comparing my headphones, i am noticing a difference because something is completely left out.
 
Maybe i should just keep the gados as a decoration until i get a tube amp next year since i can also say that i am still proud to own them, yet i would rather listen to music!! And listening to music can't wait another year!
 
In the Sennheiser line, any recommendations for $200 or less?

 

[White Lotus]

Sennheiser as a brand aren't known to be too bass-heavy.
 
Your Grados aren't necessarily HIDING  any layers of your music, they are just presenting it differently. They are an acquired taste, I guess.
 
By all means, sample other pairs to see what you like, but don't run out buying anything until you are sure you will be happy with the result

 

[wje]

I've owned the Sennheiser HD-600 and HD-650.  They were very comfortable.  Yet, I still desired a bit more detail on my music.  They have since been sold off.  However, I have kept my Sennheiser HD-555 as it seems to have some better detail on the upper end than the HD-600 or HD-650.

 

[HeretixAevum]

I don't look back particularly favourably on my experience with the 225i (my review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/grado-sr225i-headphones/reviews/8163 ). There's barely any reason I'd recommend them to anybody. I think there'd be a better headphone available for pretty much any use.

 

[swspiers]

  I don't look back particularly favourably on my experience with the 225i (my review: http://www.head-fi.org/products/grado-sr225i-headphones/reviews/8163 ). There's barely any reason I'd recommend them to anybody. I think there'd be a better headphone available for pretty much any use.

LOL!
 
The 225i remains my all-time favorite headphone. Almost everything you hate about them is what I love, except maybe the comfort issue.  However, flexing the headband out gradually has resulted in a very easy to wear set for me.
 
What gets me about them is how they render distorted guitar.  I have yet to hear anything that close to what it's like being in front of a stack of Orange or Marshall cabs, and the tactile presentation of drums and percussion is fairly incredible.
 
However, I don't think you are wrong in your assessment, and I am not being patronizing.  I would never buy a set of Grado's for someone as a gift.  They are an extremely personal choice, IMO and IME.

 

[HeretixAevum]

  LOL!
 
The 225i remains my all-time favorite headphone. Almost everything you hate about them is what I love, except maybe the comfort issue.  However, flexing the headband out gradually has resulted in a very easy to wear set for me.
 
What gets me about them is how they render distorted guitar.  I have yet to hear anything that close to what it's like being in front of a stack of Orange or Marshall cabs, and the tactile presentation of drums and percussion is fairly incredible.
 
However, I don't think you are wrong in your assessment, and I am not being patronizing.  I would never buy a set of Grado's for someone as a gift.  They are an extremely personal choice, IMO and IME.

Yeah, I flexed the headband out to get it to the "mediocre at best" comfort level. However, because of the stupidly low clamp force as a result of the flexing, it made it the least secure fitting headphone I'd ever worn. They'd fall off so ridiculously easily, it just wasn't good enough.
 
And I agree about the mids, they're great, but it's not even remotely close to being worth the mountain of tradeoffs for me.

 

[squallkiercosa]

It's funny and interesting at the same time read this thread, the reasons why some people hate grados are often the reasons why I like them. I'm pretty sure music tastes make the difference.

 

[stvn758]

I bought some R80's and the sound was amazing but they skinned my ears raw, real pain. Maybe some phones are more comfortable than others but PAIN!

 

[White Lotus]

Grado is definitely an acquired taste. 

 

[whirlwind]

  Grado is definitely an acquired taste.

Yea...they are like beef liver....you either love it or hate it.    

 

[HeretixAevum]

  Grado is definitely an acquired taste. 

It was the opposite for me, an acquired hate 

 I bought them early in my headphone journey, liking them early on, but exposure to other things made me realise that they weren't very good. Subjectivity of course, etc.

 

[Lorspeaker]

i spent quite a few bucks getting a woodied 325i...then i bought a 225i,
it sounded almost like the woodied 325i...cept for the looks
if i were to buy just ONE grado, it would be the 225i..
quite often mentioned as the best bang for the $$.
( so return the 125i ...lol )

 

[wnmnkh]

Here is what I've been saying regarding Grados.
 
 
 
There are only three (or 4) Grados worth to buy if you like Grado sound signature.
 
 
SR-60
 
MS-2 (or 225i if you are $100 short, but then I'd rather buy SR-60)
 
PS-500
 
(BIG MAYBE) MS-Pro if you really want top, high-end Grado sound.
 
 
Rest of them are vastly overpriced, nothing more than fillers among those 4 models. Maybe consider big models (GS/PS1000) if you really want ultimate Grado sound.
 
For rest of people who actually want decent headphones, SR-60 is the absolute limit. Anything beyond is just downright robbery of your wallet and should not bother looking.
 
 
That said, the main reason why pretty much all retail audiophile stores push Grado hard is because Grado gives incredibly huge margin for retailers. It's incomparable to other brands, thus most of stores only carry Grado headphones in general. This also means, YOU, the customer, get far less for what you pay too.

 

[squallkiercosa]

  That said, the main reason why pretty much all retail audiophile stores push Grado hard is because Grado gives incredibly huge margin for retailers. It's incomparable to other brands, thus most of stores only carry Grado headphones in general. This also means, YOU, the customer, get far less for what you pay too.

Alll retailers get around 30 -35%. How do think Razoraudio can give 20% discount with almost all headphones they sell without making a profit? Does it surprise you? Grado has an strict policy as well as sennheiser, shure and others well known brands.