🔶 Grado SR325x Prestige Series

[hit_the_right_note]

@A_COC0NUT

Finally, one of the more mainstream reviewers actually talks about the F-cush pads!

As one of the first findings of the comparison, I had to find out that the F-pads have a very good sound, but because the 325x’s are pretty heavy bastards for Grado conditions, they require a higher contact pressure on the ears, otherwise they would with every movement, slip of the head.

That makes them uncomfortable after 20-30 minutes at the latest.

So I had the best experience with the Yuhtech G-cushions as a whole, and they also show the stage significantly enlarged.

Something that works great with the Hemp due to its much lower weight, namely easy replacement of ear pads, is unfortunately not so easy with the 325x‘s due to its high weight and these foam pad system.

The sound, by the way, is beyond any doubt. DMS‘es assessment is absolutely to the point.

My preferred amp so fair is the ifi xCan, it has a wonderful synergy.

I wish Grado had used the much wider and slightly better padded headband from the GS series for the 325x model.

They are almost as heavy, but is much more comfortable to wear. With this material quality, the price would have increased immeasurably .

[genesyndrome]

The Hemps and the 325x have the same drivers, the housing changes it’s tuning a little bit though. I find the 325x to be a little brighter than the hemps. But no where as bright as grados used to be in the past. Compared to my 325is, the x is not as peaky and smoother overall, with better bottom end response.

Just to show off, free the Grados from their garden hose!

[A_COC0NUT]

Very nice collection and those detachable cable mods look great.

Welcome to the hifi guides forum!

[hit_the_right_note]

@genesyndrome

The Hemps and the 325x have the same drivers,

Are you really sure about that

Both the technical data and the sound properties seem too different to me for that.

The Hemps =

• Housing: Hemp / Maple Wood

• Transducer Type: Dynamic

• Operating Principle: Open Air

• Frequency Response: 13hz-28kHz

• SPL 1mW: 98

• Normal Impedance: 38 ohms

• Driver Matched db: .05 db

The 325‘s =

[genesyndrome]

Labels are all wrong on the x series boxes. Look online, the correct specs are there. All xs have a 38ohm driver now. I’ve also opened up enough hemps and my 325x, 80x to know by now.

[genesyndrome]

Thanks! Been a lurker for a while

[ShaneD]

Do the X’s have the same brightness as the E’s?

SR325e’s were my gateway into the Grado world. While I Really liked the sound, I could not handle the brightness. I ended up moving up to woodies.

[Kate_Ang]

Specs of Hemps and 325x respectively. The frequency response is slightly different. Driver could have some differences as well.

[genesyndrome]

I could be wrong about them both sharing the drivers. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if current production hemps measure the same as current x series drivers. I’ve had two RS2es come in for modding and they had different drivers, they also didn’t sound the same. Considering Grados lack of consistency and QC even within the same model, I wouldn’t be surprised if earlier runs of the Hemps are slightly different than current productions.

[A_COC0NUT]

It depends on the exact model. From reviews on the Grado fan club on head-fi, the SR60x is more of the classic e series sound, the SR80x is more Hemp like, the SR225x is more classic, and the SR325x is more Hemp like.

I don’t remember seeing any specific thoughts on the SR125x.

[ShaneD]

I have never heard the Hemp, but was curious if they had toned down the 325E brightness.

[Alan_Cronin]

I thought a lot of Grado models would share the same driver but they are (de)stressed differently. As in that they start out the same but when they are put into the final product they sound different due to the procedures they go through.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they updated models through their lifecycle such as the RS2e having both the black and brown headband. This could be due to them being a small manufacturer and certain components being unavailable after a while.

Edit - I am open to clarification on this though.

[A_COC0NUT]

Yes, but the treble is also much less bright compared to the GH-2, so it might be too dark for someone who loves the GH-2 like yourself.

[ShaneD]

If the X series is dark then they have changed the whole sound of the 325 series. It is funny that I haven’t read about that.

The original was way too bright for my liking. The GH2’s are just about perfect, to me.

[hit_the_right_note]

My, „very personal "opinion on the subject:

Grado Hemp vs. 325x:

No, I don’t think the 325x’s is “better”.

At least not for friends and fans of the special, very own Grado tuning, which, for example, gave me a lot of magical moments, especially with really handmade acoustic music.

Paired with “the right amp”, Grado’s have something of their own / special and therefore very beautiful for their lovers!

With the Hemp, Grado has shown for the first time in which direction Grado would like to go recently:

namely in a tonal tuning adapted to the younger audience, more suitable for the masses. Well-known reviewers like it in the same way.

For me, the 325x’s go one step further than the Hemp, yes it sounds good, but it no longer has any character in my eyes / ears, it is the very first headphones from Grado that I can use a „little more“ in the heights I wish I miss the magic, the airiness, that being “in the music, the concert, the studio” is no longer there.

But that’s just mine, or the opinion of an older generation of Grado fans who really appreciated this independent one.

In addition, if you like this sound tuning, I would absolutely recommend the Hemp, as it is much more comfortable than the 325x due to its weight.

Sennheiser, for example, had the same effect, with its 600‘s and 650‘s, two very good headphones with their own sound quality in their portfolio that had character.

The 660‘s and even “worse” the 560s‘s have been “optimized” in terms of sound, are getting closer and closer to studio recording quality, and are therefore terribly boring.

You don’t prepare meals without side dishes, spices or a suitable selection of drinks, otherwise you have the very emphasized “own taste”, but it is usually either too bland, or too intense or too uniform with other, in this case, manufacturers, but never really tasty".

I hope Grado will take note of this for future products and think, at least occasionally, of his clientele that has grown over time.

Sennheiser has at least done that with their latest IEMs 300’s and 900’s

[genesyndrome]

Yeah as someone who used to own a lot of older 80s and a 225 and 325is(which I still have), the 325x is a little bit of departure from the old but I don’t necessarily find that a bad thing. It’s just a tad darker than grados have been in the past but still have that “grado” house sound. Mids are still nice and filled in but theres better bass response and a slightly darker upper end on the 325x compared to the 325is. Personally, I find the sound to be less fatiguing over a longer period of time.

[Onaha]

Mine arrived on Monday and I’ve been listening throughout the week. It’s a really interesting headphone. There are songs where I absolutely love them, and other songs that sound better on just about everything else I own. Acoustic guitar and female vocals shine, as others have said. For some tracks, I’d put the midrange right there with my beloved HD600s, which I never expected from these headphones. For busier tracks, things tend to get muddled. The staging sort of falls apart and image separation isn’t a strength, but I wouldn’t knock it too hard for that at the price point. As I said above, I’ve tried several Grados and never took to them. The fact that I like these may be a caution sign to people familiar with and expecting the normal bright signature.

edit: due to the sensitivity, these are pretty microphonic on tube amps. My amp is pretty clean, and I can listen to iems with no trouble. With these I can hear quite a bit of noise from the tubes. I think something like a Dark Voice would be noisy as hell

[genesyndrome]

I’ve got an interesting photo here comparing the 80x, 325x, and 325is. Seems like the 325x has less components inside than the 325is(the plastic ring)

[A_COC0NUT]

If I had to guess, that’s probably just to hold the grill in while the newer ones have it glued in. In fact it’s probably better to have it glued so there is little to no chance of the grill vibrating, which is most likely why they made that change.

[genesyndrome]

Your probably right. It also acted as kind of a over insertion stop for the driver housing which I thought was nice, only if you intend on disassembling it that is.

Here are some Hemp drivers as well just in case people were interested in trying to see if there were any visual differences they can spot between the x series and the hemp. Dont mind the terrible framing of this pic, I should have laid those wires down flat lol.