[macrojack]

I have Grado SR 125 headphones at the moment but I'm considering an upgrade to the SR 325i. What can I expect in the way of improvement and is it worth the price difference?

[aerius]

To me it's an upgrade that's not really worth making, you gain a little bit in speed, detail, and soundstage/imaging, but IMO it's not enough to open things up, change the way you listen to music and take things to the next level.  You're looking at refinements to the sound as opposed to a big fundamental improvement.

To use a speaker analogy, upgrading to a 325i from a 125 is kinda like moving one model up in B&W's 600 series speakers, it's a refinement that gives you a little more.  A fundamental improvement would be going from the 600 series all the way up the the big 800 series speakers.

Personal thoughts?  Save up for the RS-1.  It's a fundamental improvement over the SR series, and there should be a fair number of them floating around on the used market.

[saisunil]

Personal thoughts?  Save up for the RS-1.  It's a fundamental improvement over the SR series, and there should be a fair number of them floating around on the used market.

Aerius,

How big a difference between RS-1 and RS-2, I have been thinking of getting one of them - for a flavor different from AKG701.

Thanks

[aerius]

To be honest I really don't know, the one time when I heard an RS-2 it was on a pretty mediocre system while all my experience with the RS-1 has been on pretty high-end gear.  Any conclusions I attempt to draw from this would be quite flawed to say the least.

[macrojack]

Well, when I didn't get an immediate answer here I talked to a Grado rep who says that there is a pretty linear improvement all the way up the line, just like the cartridges.

Grados lit suggests that the only diff between RS-2 and RS-1 is the volume of the wooden cup, which provides deeper bass. Comments I read said that it may not be worth $200 difference. Then again, for audiophiles, a 1% improvement can be worth thousands.

I ordered the 325i and should get them next week. Might be selling my 125's pretty soon. They are 6 months old. Are they worth $100?

[macrojack]

By the way, if anyone is interested in Grado products, I found a great source.