iv just taken delivery of a pair of grado sr325si that i had sent from america for £205 inc delivery but as im the sort of person who believes if it sounds to good to be true then it usually is however i took the chance. they sound nice straight out the box but im a little suprised my the build quality my senn hd595 look like they cost double the grados is this normal. box was sealed with a white label with grado prestige series model sr325si, no paper work in box. the plastic on the adjustment part of the headphones just looks a bit cheap, the block of plastic on the cable that divides into two just looks like something of an old tandys set of headphones any opinions would be appreciated
grado owners
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That sounds just like my Sr60 they come in a cheap cardboard box ad has where the wire splits it is crapy plastic, but they sound great!
John Duncan
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That sounds about right to me, looking at the ones sat on my desk. Does the divider on the cable have a little GL logo on it? Admittedly both my pairs (80s and 325s) have a warranty in the box but maybe it's not global and they had to remove it...?
yes it looks like an L and a G on the plastic. i notice an instant sound improvement over my run in senns just was a little suprised by the lack of quality id imagine they use the same plastic parts as the sr60i/80i
John Duncan
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Mostly yes, apart from the aluminium (by the look of it) casing and the different ear cushions (which I don't necessarily find more comfortable than those of the 80s, frankly).
matengawhat
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i bought a pair of grado ps1000s at about £1800 a pair and they come in a what i can only describe as a pizza box with a bit of foam! I actually then purchased the wooden box which was like nearly another £100 after import taxs ect just to make them look respectable!
haha yeah lol, the box my grado sr125i's came in was pathetic, like something youd expect from a £1 shop also it looked like the warranty and other bits of paper inside had been done on windows 95 paint! I did think at 1st they could be fake even though i brought them from amazon.co.uk but then i listened to them and new they was for real! Also give them a week or so to break in as to start with there isnt much attack but i found once broken in they came to life. Grado's do look very plasticy and in some parts cheap but believe me they can stand up to alot of abuse and in my opinion i think they look amazing!
I have a set of Alessandro MS1 's which use Grado Parts (and Build Quality) The look of them is the only thing I have an issiue with, Really wished the looked as good as they sound.
my brother owns the rs2, and the packaging is as you described. If you really wanna make sure, check if there is a serial number at the back of the packet written with a pen....its a grado trademark
yes there is a serial number in the box this number is also on the headphones, i put a couple of hours through them last night and they are sounding great the only thing im hopeing will improve with run in is the seperation
When my Gradoïs SR60 came they look cheap in a cheap card box
... and I must confess it was a bit disapointing in the beginning, since I had owned a solid pair of Sony MR-CD780...
However when you listen to them... you understand why so many people loves them... they are great to listen and use ! very confortable because they are very light !
Iïm very Happy with them...
However when you listen to them... you understand why so many people loves them... they are great to listen and use ! very confortable because they are very light !
Iïm very Happy with them...
I'm the same with the rest of you guy's my RS2I's arrived in a cheap cardboard box with a bit of grey foam inside and a number written in pen in the corner.
GeoffreyW:
At the risk of hijacking the thread, can I ask pwiles1968 and El Hefe if their Alessandros are better than the Grado SR80s, please? My SR80s are terrific, but was wondering if the Alessandros were a wothwhile ugrade?
I have never listened to the SR80's to compare to the MS1, I have been told the Grados are more forward Rocky headphone but as I said not listened myself. I bought the MS1 as they were supposed to give a very detailed neutral presentation which they they do, they are an excellent headphone if that is what you are after in a set of cans.
At the risk of hijacking the thread, can I ask pwiles1968 and El Hefe if their Alessandros are better than the Grado SR80s, please? My SR80s are terrific, but was wondering if the Alessandros were a wothwhile ugrade?
I have never listened to the SR80's to compare to the MS1, I have been told the Grados are more forward Rocky headphone but as I said not listened myself. I bought the MS1 as they were supposed to give a very detailed neutral presentation which they they do, they are an excellent headphone if that is what you are after in a set of cans.
El Hefe
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The Alessandros is tuned for guitarists, so to say as Alessandro is all about getting higher performance from guitar perspective. Hence, the Alessandro (I am using MS Pro) is more natural, upfront and provides the listener with music as how it was intended to listened to. Clarity and 'undisturbed' sound. Lower frequency is not something Allessandro will offer, but I remedied that by having a bigger pads 
Hello everyone,
My understanding is that the Alessandro headphones are completely manufactured by Grado, using the same parts. They are simply voiced a little differently from Grado's own models. When I enquired as to whether or not they were a good as the standard models, I was told a very firm "No!". It was pointed out to me by Grado that if they had considered their headphones to sound better with different voicing, they would simply have made them that way.
Best regards,
Steve Reichert
My understanding is that the Alessandro headphones are completely manufactured by Grado, using the same parts. They are simply voiced a little differently from Grado's own models. When I enquired as to whether or not they were a good as the standard models, I was told a very firm "No!". It was pointed out to me by Grado that if they had considered their headphones to sound better with different voicing, they would simply have made them that way.
Best regards,
Steve Reichert
Hi, it is of course perfectly understandable that the UK distributors of Grado would want to dismiss the qualities of Alessandro 'phones. (".....If they were better we would fit them ourselves...")
The simple fact is that whatever Alessandro do to tweak the Grados, they certainly reduce the Grado's "harshness".
A simple A/B listening test proves it.
I'm not criticizing the sound of the Grado phones, of which I have owned both SR60 and 80 models in the past, just the pricing policy of the company which forbids their US dealers to export their products overseas.
They are excellent value if bought in the States, but not so much at the grossly inflated prices which are charged in the U.K.
Alessandro, to their credit, goes some way towards addressing the balance.
Whatever excuses Armour Home give for this pricing policy, the simple fact remains that you can buy a brand new pair of SR80i Grados from a Grado specialist dealer, in New York City, for £43. Fact.
The simple fact is that whatever Alessandro do to tweak the Grados, they certainly reduce the Grado's "harshness".
A simple A/B listening test proves it.
I'm not criticizing the sound of the Grado phones, of which I have owned both SR60 and 80 models in the past, just the pricing policy of the company which forbids their US dealers to export their products overseas.
They are excellent value if bought in the States, but not so much at the grossly inflated prices which are charged in the U.K.
Alessandro, to their credit, goes some way towards addressing the balance.
Whatever excuses Armour Home give for this pricing policy, the simple fact remains that you can buy a brand new pair of SR80i Grados from a Grado specialist dealer, in New York City, for £43. Fact.
GeoffreyW:Ta for your responses, perhaps the Alessandros might be good for acoustic and guitar music, both of which I love. Perhaps a quiet word with Santa, eh?
If you like Acoustic, Vocal, Jazz etc (I Do) IMHO you can not go far wrong with the Alessandro's as said before they are not the bass'y cans if you do not want to play with pads and don't all-ready have an amp this little thing is great - http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/519556.aspx
El Hefe have you put different pads on yours? if so which ones and are they more comfortable that the std ones?
If you like Acoustic, Vocal, Jazz etc (I Do) IMHO you can not go far wrong with the Alessandro's as said before they are not the bass'y cans if you do not want to play with pads and don't all-ready have an amp this little thing is great - http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/519556.aspx
El Hefe have you put different pads on yours? if so which ones and are they more comfortable that the std ones?
Its worth bearing in mind (and I hope as a dealer we're being helpful in mentioning this) that Grado only honours the warranty on their products if purchased from an authorised dealer within your country. All grados are packaged in the way described though and we haven't received information of any copies being in circulation.
audioaffair:Its worth bearing in mind .......that Grado only honours the warranty on their products if purchased from an authorised dealer within your country........
Exactly. Which is why it makes far more sense for UK buyers to import a set of Alessandro Grados from the USA which are available for $109 incl. p&p to the UK (£67.28 at the current rate of exchange) and which carry a valid warranty for UK buyers.
Personal shoppers in NYC can buy a brand-new off-the-shelf set of authentic Grado SR80i 'phones for £43 (incl. taxes) from a specialist Grado dealer, but I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K. (UK RRP = £120)
Exactly. Which is why it makes far more sense for UK buyers to import a set of Alessandro Grados from the USA which are available for $109 incl. p&p to the UK (£67.28 at the current rate of exchange) and which carry a valid warranty for UK buyers.
Personal shoppers in NYC can buy a brand-new off-the-shelf set of authentic Grado SR80i 'phones for £43 (incl. taxes) from a specialist Grado dealer, but I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K. (UK RRP = £120)
willieeckslyke:
audioaffair:Its worth bearing in mind .......that Grado only honours the warranty on their products if purchased from an authorised dealer within your country........
Exactly. Which is why it makes far more sense for UK buyers to import a set of Alessandro Grados from the USA which are available for $109 incl. p&p to the UK (£67.28 at the current rate of exchange) and which carry a valid warranty for UK buyers.
Personal shoppers in NYC can buy a brand-new off-the-shelf set of authentic Grado SR80i 'phones for £43 (incl. taxes) from a specialist Grado dealer, but I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K. (UK RRP = £120)
From what I can see with exchange rates, the US price with exchange
rates, shipping and tax is closer to £100 all things considered which is close to what some
UK dealers are selling them for. You also have the price of the return
ticket to NYC to consider and if you experience issues in future you
are not covered in the UK by a warranty. For my money, I'd always opt
to be covered by the UK warranty. Peace of mind? Priceless.
audioaffair:Its worth bearing in mind .......that Grado only honours the warranty on their products if purchased from an authorised dealer within your country........
Exactly. Which is why it makes far more sense for UK buyers to import a set of Alessandro Grados from the USA which are available for $109 incl. p&p to the UK (£67.28 at the current rate of exchange) and which carry a valid warranty for UK buyers.
Personal shoppers in NYC can buy a brand-new off-the-shelf set of authentic Grado SR80i 'phones for £43 (incl. taxes) from a specialist Grado dealer, but I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K. (UK RRP = £120)
From what I can see with exchange rates, the US price with exchange
rates, shipping and tax is closer to £100 all things considered which is close to what some
UK dealers are selling them for. You also have the price of the return
ticket to NYC to consider and if you experience issues in future you
are not covered in the UK by a warranty. For my money, I'd always opt
to be covered by the UK warranty. Peace of mind? Priceless.
........ For my money, I'd always opt
to be covered by the UK warranty. Peace of mind? Priceless.
Correction: Peace of mind? Three times the going rate in NYC gives you peace of mind? Does it really?
....... the US price with exchange rates, shipping and tax is closer to £100 .........
Correction: The price of Allesandros posted to the UK, including p&p is $109.
At the current exchange rate of $1.6 to the pound that is £68.12 which is a saving of £51.88 over the UK RRP of £120.
If a UK dealer sells the SR80i 'phones for £100 then the saving reduces to £31.88
2 points:
1) You have ignored the fact hat Alessandro Grados are covered by a manufacturer's warranty when exported to the UK.
2) If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy Grados in NYC over the counter for £43 (tax paid) then even taking into account the fragile build quality of Grado 'phones, if (when) repair becomes necessary, at that price you just bin them and buy another pair.
......"I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an
identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K"......
Well, I did warn you..... !
to be covered by the UK warranty. Peace of mind? Priceless.
Correction: Peace of mind? Three times the going rate in NYC gives you peace of mind? Does it really?
....... the US price with exchange rates, shipping and tax is closer to £100 .........
Correction: The price of Allesandros posted to the UK, including p&p is $109.
At the current exchange rate of $1.6 to the pound that is £68.12 which is a saving of £51.88 over the UK RRP of £120.
If a UK dealer sells the SR80i 'phones for £100 then the saving reduces to £31.88
2 points:
1) You have ignored the fact hat Alessandro Grados are covered by a manufacturer's warranty when exported to the UK.
2) If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy Grados in NYC over the counter for £43 (tax paid) then even taking into account the fragile build quality of Grado 'phones, if (when) repair becomes necessary, at that price you just bin them and buy another pair.
......"I'm sure that UK dealers will somehow be able to justify selling an
identical product for almost three times the price here in the U.K"......
Well, I did warn you..... !
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