Grado SR325 v Grado SR225 headphone comparison follow-up

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General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

This is a follow-up to the post linked below. Recently I purchased a Sony RCD-W50C cdp/cdr in order to listen to CDs through headphones in my bedroom. The complete system consists of just the CD player and the headphones.
I bought the SR225s a couple of years ago and they have been used in a walkman based system at work. I was very happy with the 225s and found them to be a substantial improvement over the SR60s they replaced and based on my satisfaction with the SR225s I contemplated bringing them home to used on new bedroom system and use the SR60s at work. Considering the reviews I read on the net the SR225s and the SR325 were very similar with just subtle improvements made with the SR325s - mainly the larger metal cans. As usual though I decided to err in favor of spending money instead of thrift.
The plan was to do a lot of listening in order to make this comparison but really there is no need. The SR325 are a significantly improvement over the SR225s. Upon hooking the SR225s up to the Sony CDP I noticed the kind of qualities associated with digital - harsh, raspy highs. Kind of disappointing but not really musically significant and I attributed this to the CDP - until one listens to the SR325s where this harshness is all but gone. Not only that but the sound is more focused, details that are detached and floating (calling attention to themselves) on the SR225 are tightly attached to the instrument that they come from with the SR325s. Bass is much deeper on the SR335, the SR225 have a real nice tuneful low frequency response - the significant increase in bass response could justify the SR325s itself - though the improvements in focus between the two is even more significant IMO. Overall the the SR325 are more musically engaging - on a couple of occasions while listening to them during the comparison phase I found myself 2 or three songs down the chain before I realized (remembered) that I was supposed to be doing a headphone comparison.
I consider the SR225s a great set of headphones for the money - see the attached link to see my comparison of them with the HD570s. Surely the SR325s are easily worth the extra $125 or so.
I listened to many CDs with both sets of headphones and pretty much could tell the difference between the two without doing any kind of formal A/B comparison. I did eventually get around to an A/B type situation just to verify my impressions - the CDs I used were Patti Griffin's fantastic Flaming Red and Nick Drakes classic Five Leaves Left.

Give me rhythm or give me death!

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Topic - Grado SR325 v Grado SR225 headphone comparison follow-up - Don T 10:37:18 12/14/02 (1)

Right you are... - mutant 11:37:08 12/14/02 (0)

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