Grado SR80i - The search continues

audiocr381ve

I've been on a headphone kick lately & the Grado's just came in today. I have some comments on them but here's a little background first.

Here's my simple setup:

iMac > Apogee Duet 2 (DAC/PRE/Head Amp) > Headphones

I've own the AKG K240 MKII, Sony MDR-7506, & now the Grado SR80i's. My boss owns the Audio Technica ATH-M50's so I get to hear those quite often & I recently auditioned the Senheiser Momentums & Senheiser HD-598's.

I've found something wrong enough with all of them for the search to continue. I realize these phones are different. Some open, some closed, some semi-open, but here are a few quick thoughts.

AKG K240 MKII - Not enough bass. To lean sounding to my ears. Mids are okay. The balance seems off because of the bass department. Very comfy.

Sony MDR-7506 - Dull & Fatiguing & the pads are disintegrating

Audio Technica ATH-M50's - Great kick and sub bass, but not tight. Wasn't in love with vocals on these or much else. Gosh this is gonna sound snobby, but they lacked a lot of audiophile qualities like imaging, separation, etc..

Senheiser Momentums - Good highs, good bass, all around good phones, but just a hair laid back for me. Very close & I usually like a slightly laid back sound. I did only spend about 15 minutes with them but listened to my own music. Awesome build quality & stunning looks.

Senheiser HD-598 - It was hard to judge these on their own when listening to the Momentums they sat next to. The Momentums sounded more alive. These weren't bad at all, just not as good as the Momentums.

Grado SR80i's - These are the closest I've been to finding a sound I like. So much air around the instruments. Great imaging. Nspindel was right, these are perfect for tracks with stringed instruments. Low notes on a cello sound fantastic. Good enough bass, they seem balanced. Just fantastic for jazz. They really are just amazing on some songs. A very exciting & dynamic sound. Assimilated was also right about these phones, just a tad fatiguing with a lot of my music. Also, they are a tad uncomfortable. I love the looks but up close the build quality is questionable. Maybe just to forward sounding to be a good all-arounder. Still need some burn in?

It's really nice to have experience the house sound of many of these companies as well as different types of phones. I'm going through a very similar journey with headphones as I did with my two channel setup. I went through a lot of brands until I found things that fit.

I'd like to try the Beyerdynamic DT 770 next. I'd like to keep the budget to around $300. Is there anything else that should be on my radar?

audiocr381ve

DSkip wrote: »

I'm glad I'm not that particular when it comes to cans.

I wish I could say the same! I could totally see myself settling with a pair of Momentums because of how great of a portable they are. I wouldn't take the Grado's on the road with me because they leak so much sound. They have such a "in your face" sound.

skrol

If you like the SR80i, you should try the SR225i. They are a little more open sounding and spacious.

audiocr381ve

DSkip wrote: »

Yeah, the laid-back, open sound of the 598's made me think hard about buying them for about 2 weeks before I finally pulled the trigger. I haven't heard Grado, AKG, or AT phones, but I didn't really need to. The senn's were luckily exactly what I was looking for in terms of sound, comfort, AND aesthetics. The only thing I heard at Best Buy or Tiger Direct's store that had me somewhat interested was the $250 noise cancelling Bose headphones. I love Sony's cheap IEM's and consider them damn hard to beat for the $15 they sell for at BB. Their headphones though don't do much to impress me, at least from what I've heard at a few stores. They had a very closed sound to them that made it sound like you had your ears covered. The Bose didn't, but they sounded like they would get fatiguing after a while.

It's been a bit trickier for me, but I'm glad you found what you were looking for. Headphones are such a different ball game then 2 channel stereo haha.

skrol wrote: »

If you like the SR80i, you should try the SR225i. They are a little more open sounding and spacious.

I keep reading that moving up the Grado line doesn't get you much more. Is this true?

audiocr381ve

I'm listening to some hip hop and it hurts with the SR80i's, not good.

cnh

If you liked the Momentums some, you'll find the HD600s even better. Give those a try. The DT770s will sound just a bit better than the M50s but they're somewhat similar.

Sony 7506 "dull"? Really? They have more "prominent" mids than the M50s and can get "harsh" up top at higher volumes. Dull is NOT a word I would use with them. They are designed to show what's BAD in a mix. How could they do that if they have a dull sound? By no means am I saying these are "musical" phones, but they do have good resolution for $100.

It's just that most people don't use them to "listen" to music for long periods but to detect "flaws" in recordings.

cnh

dkg999

I have both the SR80 and SR225 (not the "I" series). That jump gets you quite a bit for music, probably not so much for HT. I have the yellow pads on both pairs, which I feel are much more comfortable than the stock pads.

gdpeck

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I've been on a headphone kick lately & the Grado's just came in today. I have some comments on them but here's a little background first.

...
I'd like to try the Beyerdynamic DT 770 next. I'd like to keep the budget to around $300. Is there anything else that should be on my radar?

I would add the NAD Viso HP50 to your list of things to try. I've had these for about a month, and find them extremely pleasant to listen to. To my ears they are very faithful to the recording and are very comfortable. Also, if you like the Grado sound, and want something less fatiguing, I would check out the Alessandro MS-1. I don't have direct comparison experience but have read that they are very similar to the 225is, but only cost $99. The yellow pads the djk999 mentions are actually replacement pads for Sennheiser HD414 headphones. I use them on my MS1s, and they are much, much more comfortable than the scratchy Grado pads.

nspindel

audiocr381ve wrote: »

I keep reading that moving up the Grado line doesn't get you much more. Is this true?

You need to find new sources to read!

What you described about the Grado is spot on. Their "house sound" is all about the mids, those strings are what they do best. However, it is definitely not true that the sound doesn't improve as you move up the line. Maybe if you go from $500 headphones to $1500 headphones, you might start asking yourself if the extra grand was worth it or not, but going from their bottom of the line can to something like the 225 as skrol mentions or the 325 like I have will give you a big improvement over the 80's. I have the 80's as well, never listen to them because I use the 325's. If you wanted to step up even further into their wood bodies, those sound gorgeous.

As for the fatigue, here is my experience. The foam pads can make a big difference with the Grados. The 80's come with the flat pads, the higher end ones come with pads that lift the headphone off your ear a bit, which helps to settle down those highs and they are less physically fatiguing on the ears.

Also, of course, amplification makes a big difference. You would never want to listen to Grados through a very forward, bright amp. The Grados will do much better with a more relaxed amp with a bit darker presentation to take that edge off. Mind you, they are not my go-to cans. I still would use the orthos first, but when I want a change of pace I love the Grado sound.

nspindel

Shane, you motivated me to do some Grado listening, I've got my 325i's hooked up to my turntable and they are really a joy. Without a doubt they sound better than the 80's, it's not even a competition. One thing I should mention is that the Grado headphones sound excellent with the Grado, the RA-1. I've got the battery powered version of it. The Grado amp has been criticized as being made of relatively cheap components and being a pretty simple amplifier, for the money. But somehow it is extremely well tuned to match up with the headphones. Get a listen through one if you have the opportunity.

nspindel

Listening to the Steve Hoffman vinyl 180g version of Eva Cassidy Songbird through the 325's right now. Jaw dropping.

nspindel

Just listened to the 45rpm pressing of Friday Night in San Francisco. Incredible recording of nothing but three acoustic guitars. Just fantastic through the 325's. I've been spoiled listening to my orthos, I'd forgotten just how good the Grado sound is.

sucks2beme

The 325 doesn't do a thing for me. I currently have the RS1 and the ps500's. The ps500's
are a much darker flavor of the Grado sound. More like Grados of old. I have the Senn hd650's and
stax sr202's as well. They all bring something different to the table. The PS500 is a good all rounder,

nspindel

Like I said, as you move your way up the chain, they get better and better. The PS500 is twice as expensive as the 325 and the RS1 is even more. They should sound better! But they are out of his price range.

nspindel

Btw, Shane - one other thing about Grado's that I forgot to mention. They definitely need to break in. Not sure if the 80's you listened to were new or used. But some of that brightness and fatigue calms down considerably after they have about 100 hours on them. Plug them in and crank something through them on a loop for a week, then give them a listen.

sucks2beme

Something like the HF-1 or HF-2 Grado used will get it. The HF-1 falls into that range
and the HF-2 a bit above it. A quick trip to head-fi for sale section will come up with a whole
lot of options in that price range across the board.There are custom Grado creations as well
as the stock stuff. Google Magnum Grados. There have been some people with custom cups on lower
end Grados that sound pretty good.
As always, a trip to a head-fi meet will clear up what sounds you like.
The OP is in California, and there are several meets in the next month or two.
http://www.head-fi.org/f/24/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers

audiocr381ve

nspindel wrote: »

Btw, Shane - one other thing about Grado's that I forgot to mention. They definitely need to break in. Not sure if the 80's you listened to were new or used. But some of that brightness and fatigue calms down considerably after they have about 100 hours on them. Plug them in and crank something through them on a loop for a week, then give them a listen.

I actually decided to keep the Grado's! They are such a fun pair of phones man. I do want to move up the chain, and most of my hesitation is from a few guys over at head-fi saying that the jump to the 325's isn't worth it. Getting a pair with better build quality would be nice.

And nspindel, you're right on the money. They did need some time to settle down, and I only have about 80+ hours on them.

audiocr381ve

sucks2beme wrote: »

Something like the HF-1 or HF-2 Grado used will get it. The HF-1 falls into that range
and the HF-2 a bit above it. A quick trip to head-fi for sale section will come up with a whole
lot of options in that price range across the board.There are custom Grado creations as well
as the stock stuff. Google Magnum Grados. There have been some people with custom cups on lower
end Grados that sound pretty good.
As always, a trip to a head-fi meet will clear up what sounds you like.
The OP is in California, and there are several meets in the next month or two.
http://www.head-fi.org/f/24/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers

Thanks for the info my man. Will most definitely look into that.

nspindel

You just inspired me to break out my 80's and do a bit of back and forth. The 325's are definitely better. They are more revealing and open sounding, a lot more clarity. It's not like it's a completely different sound - they're both the same Grado series, but the 325's are clearly superior. sucks2beme is correct though, you can do even better than the 325's. The HF-1 and HF-2 are a special series that Grado did for headfi. Worth sitting back on headfi and waiting for a pair of those to show up.

sucks2beme

The 225 is the value king. It's a shame this thread didn't come up before I sold my sr-100's
Those played well above their price point.
The headphone market is chock full of new entries at all price points.
I'm almost afraid to go look at all of them. A trip to a big meet is going to fill your
head full of $$$ possibilities. I had a chance last year to listen to all the top dogs.
Senn he-60, he-90, HD-800, hd-700. I also heard all that Stax had to offer.
Alpha dogs, Hifiman he-****(all of them), Koss ESP-950. I've heard the AKG
k1000. All the way up and down the Grado line. And a whole host of others.
All brought something to the table. I even was part of a huge swap of gear
where we all traded around stuff.
I've owned the HF-1, and own the production peer of the HF-2(ps500).
Never in History has there been so many good/great headphones.
Meets are great. Just make sure the mortgage is paid BEFORE you go to the meet.

nspindel

I agree. You should get yourself to a meet. They're usually free. It's not until after the meet that you'll start spending mad amounts of money!