[pcf]

[size=x-small][size=x-small]Grado SR325 might be the most controversial model in the entire product line and second only to GS1000 as the most hated Grado ever. They have also gone through more changes than any other models.The early black SR325 has always been one of my favourite headphones. I knew some black 325 were fitted with HP1000 drivers but never seen or heard one until a few weeks ago.[/size][/size]
[size=x-small][size=x-small]Take a look at these headphones-same black cups as the ones with pink drivers but the headband is wider, just like HP1000. If you think the standard SR325 are heavy, forget about these ones. They are MUCH heavier.[/size][/size]
[size=x-small][size=x-small]How about the sound? The " normal" black 325 share some of the midrange sweetness of vintage RS1 which I like. Since these SR325 have different drivers, I expected them to sound different- and they do. Switching from the pink driver version to the HP1000 version is like pulling the mid and upper bass back in line with the rest of the music. That is something I feel when I switch from RS1 to HP1000. It takes a while to realize that you are still hearing everything, the details are still there but just less in your face. I was hoping that would happen to these HP1000 325 too. So far, it hasn't. I miss the sparkle I get from the pink/black 325 and RS1. And I am not getting the HP1000 magic either.These SR325 seem a bit dull sounding. They definitely share the same sound signature of HP1000 but when it comes to details and clarity, there is no contest.[/size][/size]
[size=x-small][size=x-small]These early 325 were produced when John Grado didn't have his own drivers. He probably realized something that I just experienced- It's better to start something new than creating a poor man's HP1000.[/size][/size]

 

[BluFalcon]

Why is the SR325i one of the most hated Grados ever?  I love mine. 

 

[pcf]

 
Quote:

/
Why is the SR325i one of the most hated Grados ever?  I love mine. 

Something I don't get either.A lot of people have strong opinions about them. I might not like the sound of a lot of audio gear but I don't "hate" any of them. At the end of the day headphones are only tools for us to listen to music For some reason quite a few people hate them with a passion. GS1000 gets even more over the top hate posts, as if John Grado committed a crime in selling them. Well, I guess audiophiles are passionate.
By the way, RS-2 gets my vote as one of the least mentioned Grado ever.

 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

 I really want to hear both of them.... but I even never seen the real things of black SR325, damn poor me...

 

[kboe]

Between the RS1i and the 325is, I preferred the 325 for its more "awake" nature.  The RS1i were more balanced, but balance is for sissies!

 

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Something I don't get either.A lot of people have strong opinions about them. I might not like the sound of a lot of audio gear but I don't "hate" any of them. At the end of the day headphones are only tools for us to listen to music For some reason quite a few people hate them with a passion. GS1000 gets even more over the top hate posts, as if John Grado committed a crime in selling them. Well, I guess audiofiles are passionate.
By the way, RS-2 gets my vote as one of the least mentioned Grado ever.

Funnily, I ended up owning both controversial models and enjoyed my time with them.  However, they've been in hibernation for too long since discovering that my love really leans towards the Sennheiser sound.
 
I found the SR325is to be fantastic with some genre's and CD's, i.e., New Age and Jazz.  The RS2i's are more all-rounders... very comfy too.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Funnily, I ended up owning both controversial models and enjoyed my time with them.  However, they've been in hibernation for too long since discovering that my love really leans towards the Sennheiser sound.
 
I found the SR325is to be fantastic with some genre's and CD's, i.e., New Age and Jazz.  The RS2i's are more all-rounders... very comfy too.

You have a very diverse collection of headphones sir.
I found the Senn HD800 very different from 650/600. Just wondering how one would feel when moving up from 650/600 to 800?

 

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcf /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
You have a very diverse collection of headphones sir.
I found the Senn HD800 very different from 650/600. Just wondering how one would feel when moving up from 650/600 to 800?

 
I actually find the HD800's to be quite similar to the HD600's in balance and general presentation.  Moving from the HD650 to the HD800's was a natural progression for me.  The three, i.e., 600/650/800 are definitely from the same factory, IMO.  I expected otherwise from testimonies here, but I had to disagree after experiencing them for myself.  The HD800's have improved on presentation and naturalness.  The sound is full, deep, extensive and simply there in a better way than it's younger and venerable brothers.  Of course, the mileage will definitely vary and my exploration of various cans have led to the existing conviction in my personal comfort zone and preference for the time being.
 
The SR325is make for a great jaunt, no doubt.
 

 

[chadbang]

I don't think the 325s were "hated". But they were always considered a "non-improvement" at their price pointed. People loved everything up until the 225s for their value and sound. The 325s pretty much got the cold shoulder for being more expensive and not offering much more for the money. 

 

[pcf]

 They do seem to be sitting in a awkward position on the Grado line. Maybe that's the resaon behind all the different facelifts. Not sure even the latest "i" version changed most people's preception though.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

It's neat to see the old black 325.  I auditioned them way back in the days before head-fi.  Ended up buying the 225 rather than the 325.  The SR225 was easier to listen to.  Both sonically and ergonomically.
 
Since you've got so many of the older Grados.  Do you know what pads originally came with the black SR325?  When I auditioned them they had flats but I'm not sure if flats were the stock pads.  The SR225 had some flavor of bowls.  And about the bowls.  Do you know if the bowls have changed between then and now?  It seems to me that they did change.  But I can't remember what exactly the stock SR225 pads were like back then and the stock pads on my SR225 are long gone so no way for me to compare but my vague memory.

 

[pcf]

Quote:

It's neat to see the old black 325.  I auditioned them way back in the days before head-fi.  Ended up buying the 225 rather than the 325.  The SR225 was easier to listen to.  Both sonically and ergonomically.
 
Since you've got so many of the older Grados.  Do you know what pads originally came with the black SR325?  When I auditioned them they had flats but I'm not sure if flats were the stock pads.  The SR225 had some flavor of bowls.  And about the bowls.  Do you know if the bowls have changed between then and now?  It seems to me that they did change.  But I can't remember what exactly the stock SR225 pads were like back then and the stock pads on my SR225 are long gone so no way for me to compare but my vague memory.

As far as I know the original black 325 came with flats.
Which version of the black 325 did you audition? HP1000 drivers (wide headband) or the regular ones? They sound so different.
Both flats and bowls might have changed a little but I am not sure. Some bowls seem to be bigger than others. If could be the result of the pads being washed  or handled differently.

 

[BluFalcon]

I've only experienced the SR60 with very modest modifications before picking up the SR325is, so the difference was a bit more dramatic for me.  I found the latter to be best suited for old school R&B, reggae, smooth jazz, rock, metal, golden age era hip hop and live recordings.  Unlike some people I didn't find the highs too fatiguing, but they're my ears not yours.  Love 'em or hate 'em, they fill a niche and scratches an itch.  Perhaps I could have got the same from a lower model Grado, but I paid a little extra (less than retail price though) for that leather head strap and sexy aluminum cans and I'm not ashamed to admit it.            

 

[Ham Sandwich]

 
Quote:

As far as I know the original black 325 came with flats.
Which version of the black 325 did you audition? HP1000 drivers (wide headband) or the regular ones? They sound so different.
Both flats and bowls might have changed a little but I am not sure. Some bowls seem to be bigger than others. If could be the result of the pads being washed  or handled differently.

It had to have been the regular black 325.  But that wasn't something I'd have known to check for back then.  I didn't know Joe from John.  I didn't know anything about an HP1000 or other Grado lore.  The 325 was brighter and more sibilant than the 225.  Even though the 325 had flats and the 225 had bowls.  It was that extra brightness and sibilance that scared me away from them and made me go for the 225.
 
I think the bowls have changed.  The new ones being thicker, stiffer, and deeper.  But my memory of the physical size gets vague after 12ish years.  I only had the 225 for a short period then gave them to my brother.  The other Grado I had at the time (and still have) is the SR60.  But it had the older comfies.
 
I have come around though and got back on the Grado boat.  I now have the SR325is.  It's not the same sound as I recall the black 325 being.  The 325is seems to have been tamed a bit compared to the old 325.

 

[pcf]

 

  It's not the same sound as I recall the black 325 being.  The 325is seems to have been tamed a bit compared to the old 325.

To me the latest 325is are brighter and more forward than the original black version. The new ones also have a richer tone and a fuller bodied sound. I would say they are more detailed as well.The black 325 are a bit less exciting if you like but it is also a bit more "analog" sounding.
Mind you, I have two pairs of black 325 with the same 325 drivers and they don't sound the same (trust me on this one. :-D) so my impression means very little at the end. When it comes to consistency, Grado doesn't score highly.