Since they aren't talked about much....Grado

[RunOutGroove]

I had a pair of SR-60 phones, that I had for years and honestly didn't use much, that I gave away when I got my Sundra phones. I like the Sundaras far better, but it's kind of an unfair comparison as they're much more expensive phones. There was something about that character of the Grados that I liked and I could see myself buying a bit higher end pair of those, if I were to find a good deal on them. It might be fun to have a few pairs of headphones as they each might sound better with certain kinds of music. It's not easy to swap speakers, but with headphones, it's very convenient...

 

[Dr Morbius]

I have the Grado 325, which I like but recently purchased Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro which works great with my Schiit Vali 3.

 

[Chad Michael]

Grado SR125 vs HiFiMan Sundara

The Grados sound more 'forward' in the upper mids, Sundaras sound polite. Sundaras take the freq response and make it ruler flat, while attenuating the extreme highs and extreme lows. Grados - response isn't flat, but they give you the whole thing. In my limited experience, dynamics and planars each have their own smell....

Which ones to I prefer? It completely depends on what style of music I am hearing, and what sort of mood I am in. Both keepers for their own character

 

[Dadbar]

I used to have a pair of SR60's. My son came home from college and they miraculously disappeared. That was about 10 years ago. Never got around to replacing them. They were a bit janky but some days I wish I still had them.

 

[zenith2134]

I've owned the SR-80 back in ~~2006 and then the SR-325i "goldies" in 2010ish.

Good sounding cans indeed.

Tempted to try a more modern pair. I should just visit since I'm local!

 

[cason]

I have a pair of Grado SR-225s, but rarely use them since we moved to our current house about ten years ago. Here I have an isolated bonus room over the garage which has become my listening and play room. Also, I have a pair of Senheiser earbuds I use with my phone and ipad.

 

[ng0k]

I got some Grado SR60s about 20 years ago and used them a lot. Got some 125s a few years ago but don't use them as often anymore. Great sound! Would it be too much to ask if they would fix the dang cables and ergonomics?

 

[Caveman Carl]

Wow. Some real jackasses in that thread.

Head-fi is definitely not for the faint of heart

 

[Caveman Carl]

Since they aren't talked about much....Grado​

Oh they are talked about fairly often, usually to praise their love for the sound and dislike for those %$#$# pads

Seriously, when it comes to Grado, (insert any replacement pads brand here) is your friend.

 

[Bushikan]

Oh they are talked about fairly often, usually to praise their love for the sound and dislike for those %$#$# pads

Seriously, when it comes to Grado, (insert any replacement pads brand here) is your friend.

My problem is with Grado’s twisty L & R can cords. (I have twice replaced the expensive ear pads.) But it’s been “solved” now that I bought the two-meter extension cord.

 

[maxhifi]

The fact that there's no "stop" to prevent the cups from spinning around in circles is pretty annoying. Changed the cable once on my SR-60s, then repaired it again. The SR-325 cable has gone hard, and is kind of annoyingly stiff, but I can't seem to source another cable of this type. Still, many pleasant hours with the 325s and the RA1... I have to admit I use them in preference to my speakers quite a lot lately.

 

[Bushikan]

The fact that there's no "stop" to prevent the cups from spinning around in circles is pretty annoying. Changed the cable once on my SR-60s, then repaired it again. The SR-325 cable has gone hard, and is kind of annoyingly stiff, but I can't seem to source another cable of this type. Still, many pleasant hours with the 325s and the RA1... I have to admit I use them in preference to my speakers quite a lot lately.

I guess the cups, which are stable, fixed, are different on the GS1000s. You can have Grado replace the hardened cord. Write to customer service. Grado will respond.

 

[maxhifi]

I guess the cups, which are stable, fixed, are different on the GS1000s. You can have Grado replace the hardened cord. Write to customer service. Grado will respond.

I'm gonna eventually. Or upgrade. What audiophile wouldn't like an upgrade?

 

[Caveman Carl]

I have twice replaced the expensive ear pads.

Genuine Grado one-size-fits-all pads are only 40 bucks on Amazon, which is a lot less than, say, Focal or Hifiman original pads. That being said , I agree with you that $40 is a ridiculous amount for something that is so supremely uncomfortable and probably cost about five dollars to manufacture seeing as it is simply pretty basic bare foam, and not the softest kind at that.

 

[maxhifi]

Genuine Grado one-size-fits-all pads are only 40 bucks on Amazon, which is a lot less than, say, Focal or Hifiman original pads. That being said , I agree with you that $40 is a ridiculous amount for something that is so supremely uncomfortable and probably cost about five dollars to manufacture seeing as it is simply pretty basic bare foam, and not the softest kind at that.

You have to admit, the crudeness of manufacture kind of makes the Grados more and not less appealing. It's nice to have an alternative to slick imported products. The clunky underdog that actually manages to sound good.

 

[Caveman Carl]

You have to admit, the crudeness of manufacture kind of makes the Grados more and not less appealing.

It's a cult following so what can I say, we're not allowed to discuss religion here

That being said the Grado house sound is a favorite of mine and has been for a long time. There was a time when Dekoni had excellent replacement pads for Grado but for some reason both companies parted ways at some point and I sort of drifted away despite the availability of (said to be) excellent replacement pads from other purveyors.

 

[Redd House]

Home office rig:

Music room rig with SR325x LE Gold and RS1x:

 

[onepixel]

My first Grados were the RS2i. I think it was head-fi.org that used to have frequency charts and stuff, you could compare other headphones too. My other choices at the time were the AKG-701 and Sennheiser HD650.

Found a great deal on the RS2i, so went with them. Liked them so much I built a dedicated headphone system and even tried making a tube headphone amp.

Then last night I saw the thread about which cans you were listening too. Since I hadn't used them in months I pulled out the GS1000e for a spin.

 

[Ilikevinyl]

My first Grados were the RS2i. I think it was head-fi.org that used to have frequency charts and stuff, you could compare other headphones too. My other choices at the time were the AKG-701 and Sennheiser HD650.

Found a great deal on the RS2i, so went with them. Liked them so much I built a dedicated headphone system and even tried making a tube headphone amp.

Then last night I saw the thread about which cans you were listening too. Since I hadn't used them in months I pulled out the GS1000e for a spin.

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Carl, started out with Grado SR80i, now have GS1000. Listening to Sinatra through GS1000 into NAD 3140 integrated amp with Schiit Loki EQ. Sounds heavenly!

 

[onepixel]

Carl, started out with Grado SR80i, now have GS1000. Listening to Sinatra through GS1000 into NAD 3140 integrated amp with Schiit Loki EQ. Sounds heavenly!

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Cool!
I figured it would be cheaper than working my way up and collecting a bunch of cans. Grado RS2i to GS1000e. Sold the RS2i. Just one set of cans.